When Rong Gui and Hui Gui left Chengqian Palace, they both had helpless smiles on their faces. When they were far away, Hui Gui said: "It's not easy at such a young age. You've done a good job by pushing things to us with both hands.
She is claiming credit from above, and it is our fault if she does not do well. All in all, I would rather Princess Zhao did that, at least she does not mind taking away our credit."
Hui Gui has never been so temperamental, but last time Concubine Tong hurt her eldest brother in his place, she couldn't help but hold a grudge in her heart. Now she doesn't like this little Concubine Tong who was sent to do things by her.
Even more angry.
Rong Guiren sighed: "What else can we do? Let's pass the first lunar month first. She is pregnant with a child and is already precious. After all, it was the Empress Zhao who left it behind. She is the only one in the palace who can accept it. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are the ones left and right.
A discerning person will not wrongly blame us."
But Hui Guiren sighed quietly: "It's hard for a clever woman to make a living without rice. The palace is short of silver, and Concubine Zhao deliberately withheld some to create problems for Concubine Tong. The Ministry of Internal Affairs came to tell me yesterday that we are about to run out of money."
Go down, if the emperor knows about this, he will definitely be very angry."
Mr. Rong Gui frowned and thought for a while, then whispered for a long time, "This matter can be hidden from the top, but not from the bottom. It cannot be hidden from the Empress Dowager."
Hui Guiren sighed: "This is the only way." But he said, "But we can't go. Concubine Tong will definitely be watching. We need to find a suitable person to say this without leaving any trace, so as to prevent Concubine Tong from targeting anyone in the future.
One is also our sin."
The two of them looked at each other for a moment, both thinking. The one who walked most frequently in Cining Palace right now was none other than Wu Changzai from Zhongcui Palace. Rong Guiren put his arms around him and said, "Ji Xin and Pan Xia are familiar with this matter.
give it to me."
Two days later, Pan Xia heard these words from Ji Xin and forwarded them all to Lan Qi. Pan Xia even said: "This slave did not tell my master that she is weak-tempered."
Lan Qi nodded: "Sister, she is not interested in hearing this." She thought for a while and said, "I can't go to Cining Palace by myself. If the Empress Dowager lets me go, there will always be other people around during the New Year. You
Let Jixin tell Mr. Ronggui, anyway I will find a way to mention it."
After Pan Xia left, Huan Chun closed the door and came back, advising Lan Qi: "Master, do you really want to tell me? I thought the Empress Dowager would not know about it, but if you went to tell her, the Empress Dowager thought you and the Empress Dowager
Those who benefit and honor the nobles should stick together in groups, and the Queen Mother does not like people to form cliques for personal gain."
"Then it's better to form a clique for personal gain. This matter is for the sake of the palace." Lan Qi sighed, "Although the days are tight, Concubine Zhao will not be able to survive if she doesn't withhold the money. There must be someone to suppress her.
I wanted to press it so that she could let go. I thought that if this matter got too big, it would disgrace the harem, and the emperor would be embarrassed in front of the courtiers. It would be okay if the empress dowager blamed me for having those thoughts, as long as it was not difficult for the emperor to do it.
That’s good. Besides, as long as I treat others and do things honestly, why am I afraid that my life will not be stable?”
Huan Chun was helpless and reminded Lan Qi not to target anyone when speaking, so as not to make the Empress Dowager unhappy. As luck would have it, someone came to Cining Palace the next day and said that the Empress Dowager was greedy for candied date tea, so Wu Changzai was asked to go
Waiting, Lan Qi made up her mind and came over. No one was around today. After careful consideration, she told the matter while accompanying the Empress Dowager to draw cards.
"Why don't they say it themselves?" The old man didn't get angry. He still played the cards calmly and said slowly, "They are stupid too. If it were me, I wouldn't take care of it if I were diagnosed early."
Lan Qi said softly: "If the two nobles don't do anything, only Concubine Tong will take care of it herself. In that case, if she and Concubine Zhao get into trouble, it will be a big deal, and Concubine Tong is pregnant and she won't dare to exert herself.
I think that these two noble men also have the overall situation in mind."
The Queen Mother looked at her leisurely: "What about you?"
Lan Qi smiled: "I don't want the emperor to be embarrassed in front of the courtiers because of these things. You can live your life behind closed doors, but you can't lose your dignity outside. Although living a real life is a long-term solution, people in their position
, many times the word 'real' is not real at all. Choose the lesser of the two disadvantages, and choose the heavier of the two benefits. In matters involving the court and royal family, it is always best to put the overall situation first."
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, then raised her eyes and looked at Aunt Sumala next to her. Aunt Sumala couldn't help but laugh: "You always said that the emperor gave Chang Zai so many books to read, and he wanted to raise a fool, but...
If you listen to it now, are you an idiot?"
Lan Qi herself didn't feel that she had said anything remarkable. Instead, she really looked at the two elders blankly. Her grandmother held her arm and smiled: "I heard your words, and I don't blame the master for sending me to persuade Concubine Zhao."
Already."
Lan Qi was stunned for a moment, heard the overtone of the words, and asked: "The Empress Dowager and Grandma, have you known this for a long time?"
The Empress Dowager drew a good card at this moment and defeated Lan Qi. She smiled with joy on her face and said nonchalantly: "There are no secrets in a place with many people. There are the most people in the palace, so what else can be hidden?
If you don't come today, I'll send Sumala to talk to Concubine Zhao another day, "I'm honored to find you here anyway. They are both very stable. You now know much more about the principles in books."
, but things like daily necessities, food, rice, oil and salt are not in the book. How close you are to them, just keep a cold eye and learn from them."
"I've remembered it." Lan Qi was pleased, and quickly arranged the cards, and said to the Empress Dowager, "I didn't bring any money. If you come back two more times, if you win, you don't have to go back to get the money."
Aunt Sumala smiled and said: "Wu Chang is really sincere, aren't you afraid that if you win against the Empress Dowager, she will be unhappy?"
Lan Qi smiled stupidly: "But I didn't bring any money, and the Queen Mother wouldn't see any cash even if she won."
At this time, both elders laughed. The Emperor and the Queen Mother got angry and said that they would win all the jewelry on Lan Qi's body. She even called her mother and said, "Go and tell the Emperor to send you some silver. If you don't send it, I will kill you."
Everyone is going to fall."
She originally thought that there would be a commotion, but Cining Palace had already prepared for it. Instead, Lan Qi just laughed and played cards, spending half a day happily. When she returned to Zhongcui Palace, Huan Chun asked her what she had said, but she couldn't remember.
I just remembered that the Empress Dowager had taken away her favorite hairpin and asked Huan Chun to dig out her money so that she could redeem it as soon as possible.
Huan Chun felt helpless and at ease. Sometimes her master was smart and calm, and sometimes he was naughty and cute. She was just a little girl. It was even rarer for her to remember good things or bad things, and remember gratitude but not grudges. No wonder she lived a more relaxed and comfortable life than anyone else.
Sure enough, not long after that, Concubine Zhao finally let go, and the life in the palace started to change, and the money for the Lantern Festival was enough, and Rong Gui and Hui Gui were very meticulous and capable people, even if Concubine Zhao didn't take care of it, Tong
The concubine sat back and enjoyed the success, and there was no chaos in the palace.
But in this way, Concubine Tong, who was enjoying the success, gained a good reputation. There were gradually rumors outside that Concubine Zhao was in poor health and Concubine Tong could take on a big responsibility in the future.
In this case, it was nothing more than taking away the last trump card in Concubine Zhao's hand. Although she blamed herself for doing such a thing, she did not expect that the Empress Dowager would come to put pressure. She was determined to see Concubine Tong make a fool of herself, and she
I never expected that Hui Gui and his wife could be so capable. I really looked down upon them in the past.
"I have no divine favor and no heirs. I only have this ability that I have developed through hard work. Now I want to take this power away from me."
In the Yikun Palace, when Concubine Zhao, who was "recuperating", said this to Dongyun with tears in her eyes, her long nails almost pierced the flesh of her palms, and her red lips were bitten deeply by her teeth, drawing blood beads. She thought that Hesheli
With the queen gone, she could finally exhale and raise her eyebrows, but with the arrival of such a little fairy-like Concubine Tong, the emperor was still unwilling to give her the dignity she deserved.
"Why don't you just say that you are well in a few days? After all, Concubine Tong needs to have a baby, so we can't let her have a hard time. This is a very decent thing to say." Dongyun persuaded, "Besides, Concubine Tong didn't do anything, but
It’s just a matter of asking for credit, and the Empress Dowager sees it clearly.”
However, Concubine Zhao's eyes turned sharp and she said with hatred: "Raising a child? Dongyun, if she gives birth to a prince this time, do you know what the result will be?"
Dongyun knew and didn't dare to talk nonsense. He only heard his master sneer: "There is a noble concubine above the imperial concubine. The imperial concubine is vacant. If she gives birth to a prince, when the election is held next year, do I have to watch her stand above me?
?”
"Master..." Dongyun felt uneasy in his heart.
"Ever since I entered the palace, no one in the Forbidden City has ever treated me fairly. Why should I treat others kindly?" Concubine Zhao grabbed Dongyun's hand, and her nails almost dug into her flesh.
, his eyes were sharp and ferocious, and he said viciously every word, "Don't let her give birth to the child. Your Majesty has so many elder brothers and princesses now. One is less, one is more, and one is more. They are not guilty."
"Mother, this is impossible." Dongyun was horrified.
"If you don't help me, who else will help me?" Concubine Zhao stood in front of her, "If the master is not good, what else can you do? Dongyun, when I become the queen, we still have to look at other people's faces.
Do you still need to do these things?”
"Slave...I know, I understand."
The days flew by and the Lantern Festival was just around the corner. For Wu Yalanqi, the Lantern Festival was the first time she and Xuan Ye were together. In the blink of an eye, it had already been a year, but the days she really spent with the emperor were very short.
Before the spring came and the flowers bloomed every year, Wu Ya's holy pet became lonely. But when the spring comes and the flowers bloom this year, I don't know what the situation will be like.
On this day, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Lan Qi came back late from Cining Palace, and there was a snowstorm. The master and servants held umbrellas and walked very slowly along the wall. Finally, they arrived in front of Zhongcui Palace, but they saw something in the distance.
Many people came here in a hurry, fearing that they were looking for him, so they decided to wait, but those people turned around and entered Chengqian Palace. Fearing that there would be any trouble, Huan Chun helped his master and quickly went in.
Returning to the bedroom, she took off her cloak and warmed herself by the charcoal stove. Huan Chun came to change the master's wet shoes and socks. Lan Qi said with a smile: "I won't step on the snow next time. Don't be unhappy. The Empress Dowager will reward me."
I’ll give you all the foreign candies.”
Huan Chun pouted and complained: "Why are you always so naughty? This slave doesn't care about eating sweets."
While she was talking happily, the curtain outside was raised, and a gust of cold wind came in. Lan Qi shivered with the cold. Seeing that Bu Chang was coming, she ignored the etiquette and got into the heated kang first, shouting: "Sister, hurry up."
Come and sit down, I'm freezing to death."
But Bu Changzai had a worried look on his face. He leaned sideways on the kang and sat a little closer. He said softly: "When you came in just now, did you see anyone coming in and out of Chengqian Palace?"
Lan Qi nodded, took a few sips of ginger tea from Yu Kui, and seeing Bu Chang was nervous, asked her if something had happened. Bu Chang nodded and said, "You came back from Cining Palace, didn't you hear that
What?"
"No." Lan Qi thought about it carefully, and found that there was indeed nothing special there.
Bu Changzai lowered his voice and said: "I have been passing through Chengqian Palace in the past few days, and the smell of medicine I always smell is very familiar. I also took anti-fetal medicine when I was pregnant with Duanjing, but if I smell it carefully, it doesn't feel too good.
Same. There was movement ahead just now. I didn’t know what happened. I asked Panxia to go and take a look. She said that there were many people coming and going. It was hard to see clearly due to the snow and wind. I was really worried that Concubine Tong’s fetus was not good. Although I
I don't like her, but the child is innocent. You didn't hear anything when you came from Cining Palace, so you didn't report it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain outside was lifted again, and Pan Xia came in covered in chill, and said hurriedly: "It's not good, Concubine Tong has had a miscarriage."
When Lan Qi let go of her hand, the ginger tea bowl almost slipped, and the ginger soup spilled all over her body. Huan Chun and others came over to help clean it up, and continued to listen to Pan Xia: "This slave heard crying, and then the palace door over there opened generously, and there was someone there.
I went to Qianqing Palace and Cining Palace. Although I didn’t hear anything with my own ears, I’m afraid I can’t be wrong. Concubine Tong cried so loudly that if it hadn’t been for the sound of the wind and snow, you could have heard it here.”
"It's so pitiful." Lan Qi felt a little cold in her heart, "After all, he is the emperor's flesh and blood. The emperor must be extremely sad."
Bu Chang was sending Panxia off to have another look, then turned around and said to Lan Qi: "Let's not go out these days. There will be a lot of bad luck ahead. Don't let it come to us again."
Later, when Pan Xia came back, she said that the emperor was here, and the Queen Mother and Aunt Sumala were also here. The Queen Mother would definitely not come in such a heavy snowstorm. Lan Qi sighed and said: "The Queen Mother likes children the most. This
I’m sure I’ll be sad too.”
On the Chengqian Palace side, Concubine Tong almost fainted from crying. Xuan Ye tried to persuade her through the door to calm down, and gradually became a little annoyed. But in the end, he felt pity for her suffering and did not reveal it in front of others. After that, she was sent to the hospital.
When the Queen Mother returned to the palace, she heard Aunt Sumala say: "I heard that things were not going well a few days ago, and the fetus was not saved after a few days. During these days, there are people coming to the palace during the holidays, so it is inevitable to ignore them, but Concubine Tong herself
Why don't you report it to the report? Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager have not made any preparations. There is a festival tomorrow, and they even invited Uncle Guo and his family to the palace."
"You can say whatever you want." Xuan Ye was a little upset. His child died at a young age, and he was almost used to it. The child he had never seen before was gone. Although he was sad, he really didn't make a fuss. People's feelings are always
There were no relatives, not to mention that he had to bear the burden of the common people, so he asked Aunt Sumala to go back and persuade the imperial grandmother not to be sad. After that, he ordered the Lantern Festival to be celebrated as usual, and comforted his cousin through the door for a few words, and left soon after.
On the sick bed, Concubine Tong's tears had dried up. After she ordered Rong Gui and Hui Gui to take care of the affairs in the palace that day, her body became red. She has never been well. She just held on in front of others until the imperial doctor came today.
, the child is gone.
Perhaps she had foreseen this result, Concubine Tong was not sad at all, she just pretended to be pitiful, and she was so aggrieved that she cried. But at this moment, seeing the emperor's cold reaction, she couldn't help but feel even more aggrieved, and called Jingzhu
Come and ask: "It's not too late to celebrate the Lantern Festival tomorrow, but my grandmother is coming too."
Knowing that everything was as usual, Concubine Tong closed her eyes and rested coldly, as if saying to herself: "Yikun Palace must be very happy, I don't want to see her smile, I have no child, so I have to have someone to support me."
That’s all.”
But at this moment in Yikun Palace, Dongyun nervously said to Concubine Zhao: "This slave has not done anything yet, she is dead."
Concubine Zhao also knew that Dong Yun had not made a move yet, but her heart was inexplicably irritated, her head felt tight with pain, and she pressed her forehead against it and said: "If I did it, I would have a sense of proportion, and I would know how to deal with it even if someone comes to trouble me.
But now that she has no child, if she wants to vent her anger on me, I don’t know how to resist."
As he spoke, his heart trembled, he pulled Dongyun and asked: "Have all those things been completely destroyed?"
Dongyun nodded repeatedly, but Concubine Zhao was still distracted. She obviously didn't do anything, so why was she so guilty and nervous? Fortunately, she claimed to be sick early and couldn't go out, so she didn't have to face other people's questions with this frightened face, otherwise she would have been so nervous at this moment.
With such a hopeless state of mind, she was afraid that if someone asked her casually, she would take the blame first.
On the Lantern Festival the next day, because Concubine Tong had a miscarriage, the atmosphere in the palace was always gloomy. Tong Guowei originally came to the palace with his wife and children to celebrate the festival by divine grace, but now he came to express condolences to Concubine Tong. After a few words of comfort, the Empress Dowager said,
Then he asked the couple to come to Chengqian Palace to visit their daughter.
A screen was set up in the bedroom, and Mrs. Tong was holding her daughter's hand inside and wiping her tears. Tong Guowei was pacing back and forth outside the screen, and heard his daughter say through the screen: "Amma wants to give me an idea, Mrs. Niu Hulu
I will definitely take the opportunity to come back and regain control of the Sixth Palace, but I have to raise her here for a month, so I can't compete with her."
Tong Guowei stopped, sighed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, you can't be too aggressive. It's important to take care of yourself right now."
But Concubine Tong said: "Amma, the people of the Niu Hulu family are targeting me everywhere. This time in the palace, Concubine Zhao just wants to see me make a fool of myself. If the Empress Dowager hadn't put pressure on her, this Lantern Festival
It's too difficult to live with. Are you still in the palace? How do I know that she doesn't have any intention of harming me? Even if she doesn't, she still has to bear the crime. Next time, there won't be such a good opportunity."
Mrs. Tong persuaded her daughter to take care of her body, but her daughter, who had already taken care of herself in the palace, said in return: "My body must be taken care of, but I can't take care of it in vain." She even sneered in front of her father and said, "Mom.
It’s because I have always been weak at home that those little bitches confused Amma. My daughter, don’t make the same mistake again. The emperor likes my personality very much. Now that I am younger and more public, I will know how young they will be in the future.
, naturally even then, I won’t allow them to step on my head.”
Tong Guowei said nothing more, sighing that the deep palace was indeed a scary place. His daughter used to be more proud than others, but after entering the palace for less than a year, she has become so vicious. After that, listening to Concubine Tong chattering incessantly, she could not help but feel uneasy and confused with her.
When the wife left Chengqian Palace, she said: "No wonder the Empress Dowager sighed at me today. I can't let her go. If her temper continues to expand, something will happen sooner or later."
So Concubine Tong's plan to frame Concubine Zhao for the crime of having no child was stopped by her father, and there was no support behind her. She was ill in bed, and everything she did was like scratching the surface. If she waited until she got better, she would
Planning, who could believe it after such a long time, so he watched helplessly as Concubine Zhao took back the power of the Sixth Palace on the pretext of recovering from illness two days after the Lantern Festival.
Rong Guiren Hui Guiren breathed a sigh of relief here, relieved of his burden, because he didn't know that the Empress Dowager knew about Concubine Zhao's embezzlement of expenses earlier, and they all thought it was Lan Qi's credit for sending the message, and invited Lan Qi alone that day.
Whenever you come to sit with a distinguished person, you should thank her in person.
When Lan Qi came, she walked from the corridor to the Nuan Pavilion. When she passed by the window, she heard Hui Guiguo inside saying: "What the little palace maid at Concubine Tong leaked is that Master Tong and his wife went to greet her on the Lantern Festival. She cried for a long time. What do you think?
What is it?"
Rong Guiren smiled: "I can't guess, Concubine Tong is very thoughtful."
Hui Guiren said: "I actually said that I would frame this crime on Concubine Zhao. Do you think she is ruthless?"
Lan Qi heard clearly under the window, and she didn't know if the people inside were aware that they could hear it outside. Maybe Concubine Tong had really said such words before, and it was leaked out in the same way. No wonder the Empress Dowager said that inside the palace
There are no secrets. Walls have ears. Don’t think that others can’t hear you no matter what you say.
Gathering her thoughts and walking into the Nuan Pavilion, Rong Guiren Hui Guiren stopped mentioning what she just said when she saw Lan Qi, and thanked her for going to Cining Palace to spread the message. Lan Qi also accepted it graciously, and then sat with her, chatting and laughing for a long time.
scattered.
On the way back to the palace, Huan Chun noticed that her mistress was not in a good mood. He went to Zhongcui Palace to help her change clothes and wash her hands. When she made a hand stove and stuffed it into her arms, she was still stunned and couldn't help asking worriedly: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
?My face doesn’t look good.”
Lan Qi came to her senses and shook her head, "I'm just feeling a little stuffy. Maybe it's too hot in the Nuan Pavilion at Mr. Ronggui's place. I'm bored and want to drink something cold now."
"Cold things are not good. I almost got sick when I was too hot and blew in the wind before." Huan Chun refused, and went to get some warm tea made from chrysanthemum and lotus hearts to relieve fire, and coaxed him to drink half a bowl.
But Lan Qi's mood was never good. Yu Kui and Xiang Yue said that the plum blossoms were blooming in full bloom in the Royal Garden, and the fragrance on their bodies took several days to dissipate after walking around. They always wanted to take a look, and urged their master to take them to have a look.
It's also good to relax.
If it was Huan Chun's idea, Xu would still relax for his master, but Yu Kui and Xiang Yue were the most playful. Lan Qi knew that they had been wanting to go for a long time and did not want to be bored in the room, so she agreed. She originally wanted to invite Bu Chang Zai to go too.
Walking around, Ke Panxia came out and waved her hand and said: "I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm taking a nap."
The four masters and servants were about to go out. There was a lively movement in the Chengqian Palace in front. It seemed that many people were coming. Yu Kui went out to take a look and came back and said, "It's the Long Live Lord who's here. Concubine Zhao seems to be here too, like