Ren Ning and the other two asked a few more questions out of interest, and pretended to be businessmen passing by before letting the waiter leave.
Looking at the dazzling array of delicious food on the table, Lei Er stuffed it into his mouth like a storm, and his mouthful was filled with salivation.
After a while, he raised his head and looked at Ren Ning.
"Old Ren, Master Hongguang has really arrived in Star City?"
He could also see most of the news that Ren Ning received, but Lei Er was only a personal guard after all, and some things were still unclear.
Ren Ning nodded.
"Chen Xiujian is also King Ming. When he saw Chen Xiuzhu and us flirting with each other in Baekje, he tried to find a way to go to the west. You know the reason."
Lei Er couldn't help but twitch the corners of his lips and silently uttered two words: "Understood."
It's just that I want to get up close and personal with the leaders of Yanchu Fortress, Yingling and Yanhui Legion.
Ren Ning chuckled, lowered his head and ate slowly.
"It's just that as a prince, it is almost impossible to leave Xingji City for no reason. Chen Xiujian's staff were also clever, and asked him to go to the west in the name of finding a folk doctor to cure the illness for Emperor Changxing, and then brought Master Hongguang back to Xingji City.
Jicheng."
He emphasized the word "with" slightly.
"Of course, Jin Linwei also contributed a lot of effort."
Pooh.
"A bunch of bastards." Lei Er put down Kuaizi angrily.
"Although the old monk is quite old, he always likes to run around. Now he is locked in the palace, and I don't know how he is doing."
"Don't worry." Ren Ning smiled, "What kind of life has Master Hongguang not experienced?"
"Besides, he is highly respected and has excellent medical skills. At the same time, he has nothing to do with the imperial power. Most of the articles he publishes in newspapers are about the sufferings of the people. Emperor Changxing will not and does not dare to neglect him."
Star City, Imperial City.
Squeak.
The closed door of Qingyun Palace was pushed open, and a waitress quickly walked in.
"Your Majesty, I have just received news. Your Majesty has decreed that Master Hongguang will open an altar for blessings in the Yinghua Palace in the afternoon. The empresses, princesses and princesses of all palaces must be present."
"Pray for blessings?" Concubine Qing's eyes flashed and she stopped her sword moves.
She quickly regained her composure, looked up at the clear blue sky, and snorted coldly: "The military report from the west has been sent back. At this time, we are not discussing who will lead the team to support the fortress and Dingxi County.
Who do you pray for?”
The maids next to me looked at each other, but they all remained silent.
"Your Majesty," the female official of Qingyun Palace stood up, "It is neither the New Year nor the festival, and the place for praying is chosen to be in Yinghua Palace. It is probably because of the identity of Master Hongguang. It seems that it should be for an ordinary member of the royal family.
Pray for blessings.”
Concubine Qing nodded.
If you are praying for the common people in the world, it should be done in a special prayer temple, and a large-scale notice will be posted across the empire a long time ago.
If you are praying for important members of the royal family such as the emperor, prince or empress dowager, the worst option is to go to the ancestral temple.
Now that I have chosen Yinghua Palace, the situation is very clear.
"It must be for King Qi."
Although Chen Xiuzhu's mother-in-law Mei Guifei was not very favored, she was still one of the four concubines, and her status was only slightly lower than the queen. At the same time, his maternal grandfather Luo Ken was also the minister of the Ministry of Industry, one of the six bureaus, which can be said to have a high and powerful position.
Nowadays, Chen Xiuzhu's whereabouts remain unknown. His heart is broken for his beloved son, and the two of them will most likely ask Emperor Changxing to ask Master Hongguang to pray for him.
"Your Majesty," a maid said unwillingly, "in recent years, our government has sacrificed so much...
"Why don't you also go and beg His Majesty?"
Everyone in Qingyun Palace is closely related to the Zhenguo Palace. The fathers and brothers of many maids and maids are also guarding the fortress. The bad news that has been reported in recent days is also related to them.
"Shut up." The female officer reprimanded sternly, "Just do your job well. Of course, the Queen knows everything else..."
"It doesn't matter." Concubine Qing raised her hand, interrupting the female officer's scolding.
"The war in the west was tragic, and many soldiers suffered casualties. I mentioned it to Your Majesty, and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites were also aware of it, and even spread the news throughout the world with the newspaper news. It's just..."
It's just that Emperor Changxing didn't understand it and finally let it go.
Concubine Qing was silent for a while, then raised her head and looked to the west.
"This year was originally the year for the fortress to send the spirits back to their hometowns. Unfortunately, Dingxi County was still prone to frequent wars during the Qingming Festival, and they were unable to return home."
"I hope that in four years' time the country will be peaceful and the people will be safe, and that all the soldiers who died will be able to return to their old ways smoothly."
The most important thing is that they have been trapped in the palace for a long time, and no matter what they want to do, they can't help.
In the afternoon, the sun shines brightly.
People come and go inside and outside Yinghua Hall, and the fragrance is constantly flowing.
When Concubine Qing arrived, the Great Yinghua Hall was already bustling with many people, and they were clearly divided into several groups.
Seeing Concubine Qing come in, everyone looked at her.
Concubine Qing turned a blind eye and quickly found her seat and sat down silently.
"Sister Qing, can I sit here?"
"Sit down." Concubine Qing nodded cheerfully.
After a while, several concubines and princesses gathered around her.
These concubines are either related to the Zhenguo Duke's government or have not given birth to a prince or have no children. The throne has nothing to do with them and they only want to live their lives in peace.
Concubine Qing tilted her ears.
There was crying not far away, and someone was whispering all the time.
There were some people whispering to comfort Concubine Mei and Princess Qi.
Although Chen Xiuzhu's life and death are unknown now, since Emperor Changxing asked Master Hongguang to pray specifically for him, it shows that he valued his son.
As long as someone is found, the crown prince's position will be settled soon.
Thinking of this, Concubine Qing's eyes moved thoughtfully to the queen sitting in the middle.
As expected, the empress and Princess Qin's faces were not very good-looking, but there were also many concubines surrounding them.
Concubine Qing smiled slightly, knowing the thoughts of these people very well.
As the eldest son, King Qin was the most natural heir to the throne, but Emperor Changxing was never able to appoint him as the heir apparent because King Qin was really useless.
However, as long as Chen Xiuzhu's whereabouts remain unknown or even only a corpse is recovered, King Qin's chances will be greater if he chooses the taller one among the dwarfs.
After thinking about it, Concubine Qing's eyes fell on a pair of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who were chatting and laughing not far from the queen.
They are Chen Xiulan's mother-in-law and Princess Jin.
"Your Majesty, it's true. Just pray for blessings, and all the princesses must come to the palace. Poor Wan'er, you are still pregnant. What if..."
Bah bah.
She reacted and hurriedly pouted twice.
"What a crow's mouth. The bad ones don't work, but the good ones work."
Finally, he complained fiercely: "Your Majesty really doesn't know what to say!"
Ahem.
"Mother," Princess Jin, who dared to rush into the street with a knife and kill people, couldn't help wiping her sweat, "people here talk too much."
"Don't worry, the baby won't be born until at least the end of the year. Besides, there are so many people around my daughter-in-law. It doesn't matter."
Concubine Qing was also not far away, so she could hear clearly.
She smiled and tilted her head.
The female official next to her whispered in her ear tactfully, "My queen, I brought a gift as you asked. I will give it to Princess Jin after the blessing is completed later."
"Yes." Concubine Qing nodded with satisfaction.
Her eyes finally fell on Princess Ming, who was almost alone.
Chen Xiujian's mother had a low status and had died long ago. Even if his son became a prince, Emperor Changxing only made a low-ranking concubine a posthumous title in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Rites.
Can't get on the stage at all.
But after all, Princess Ming also came from a famous family. She was sitting dignified and elegant at this moment, and she didn't seem to pay attention to those strange looks at all.