After seeing off Shen Lan, Shen Huan nodded slightly to Cui Shanggong, and then said to Chun'er and Xiangming: "You guys wait in Chen Palace. I will come back as soon as I go."
"Yes" there is not much doubt, the maid's duty is to obey the queen's instructions
Shen Huan and Cui Shanggong walked towards Zhujin Palace one after another. This palace has no main seat, and the person who lives here is Qi Bin, who is known as the "unlucky person". Feng Cairen also lived here, but due to anger, Shen Huan and Xichen were relegated to the cold palace
So now, only Qi Bin lives here.
The Zhujin Palace was empty, and there were only a few palace maids and eunuchs. Since she was regarded as an ominous person, the palace maids and eunuchs around Qi Concubine used all their connections to transfer the remaining ones except Su'e. She's a little palace maid who can't leave here without money.
Su'e was waiting for Shen Huan at the gate of the palace. After seeing her, she knelt down and saluted her.
Shen Huan's attitude towards her was not bad, but it was no longer as gentle as before. She just asked indifferently: "Qi Concubine wants to see me?"
Su'e lowered her head and said: "Yes"
Shen Huan didn't speak any more and walked in.
Qi Bin sat by the window, with several pots of flowers and plants placed on the windowsill. The dim light filtered through the mottled sparse shadows and shone on Qi Bin's soft side face, like a decaying pink lotus.
She wore her hair in a simple bun, with only a jade hairpin tied at random. She was still wearing a homely skirt of sky blue after rain. She didn't look like a concubine in this deep palace at all, but more like an ordinary housewife.
Cui Shanggong frowned, coughed slightly and said, "The Queen is here!"
Qi Bin then turned her face, and Shen Huan vaguely saw that her eye circles were a little red, and there seemed to be tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Concubine, please see the Queen, may the Queen be blessed with peace and prosperity." He gave a shallow salute and praised softly.
The corners of Shen Huan's mouth curved. She understood that there was nothing wrong with letting that person die.
Cui Shanggong was very dissatisfied with Qi Bin's attitude. Just as he was about to scold Shen Huan, he shook his head slightly, walked slowly to Qi Bin, and sat down on a chair next to her.
"I heard that you want to see me."
Qi Bin slowly stood up, lowered her head and stood under Shen Huan, and whispered: "Yes"
Shen Huan raised her eyebrows and asked, "How do you know that I will definitely see you?"
Qi Concubine took a deep breath and said slowly: "I believe in your Majesty. Your Majesty knew clearly about your sins, but you concealed it for me and gave Su'e to me. Although I don't know your true intention, your Majesty doesn't." I will let my concubine die, and I will be grateful to my empress.”
Shen Huan smiled and said: "I know that you cannot prepare Jiuhe Incense, so now you want to tell me who gave you this thing?"
Qi Concubine knelt down again, gritted her teeth and said, "To be honest with the queen, that Jiuhe Incense was given to me by Concubine Pei."
Shen Huan calmed down, remained silent for a moment, and then asked: "Why are you telling me now? Why didn't you tell the truth when the emperor was here?"
The concubine's shoulders trembled and she began to cry. She held back her cries and choked out: "The Queen, please forgive me... Before I was called to the palace by the Queen, there were not many beautiful girls left this year, but the Queen Mother saw I fell in love with the concubine because I had been favored by the concubine before, so I asked the concubine to obey Concubine Pei's wishes. It happened that the empress favored me and asked me to serve in the palace. Concubine Pei quickly found the concubine and told me to use it. The incense attracts the emperor...
I didn’t want to do this, but Concubine Pei threatened me. If I don’t do what I said, I will let General Pei execute my cousin who is serving under his command!”
Shen Huan had known that the cause and effect of everything lay with cousin Qi Bin, so when she heard this, she did not show much surprise.
I glanced at Su'e, who was standing aside with her eyebrows lowered and her eyes submissive.
Shen Huan sighed: "You are also a pitiful person, but..." Her expression suddenly tightened, and she said sternly: "This is not the way you hurt the emperor's dragon body! Do you know your guilt?"
Qi concubine deeply prostrated herself and knelt on the ground, saying: "I know that I am guilty, but I beg you to die, but I only ask... I beg your empress to avenge my brother!"
Shen Wen pretended to be surprised and asked: "Revenge? What does this mean?"
Qi Bin's voice was full of hatred, and she said: "I just learned that my brother has died in the battle..."
Shen Huan said coldly: "Since he died in battle, he will be no different from others."
Concubine Qi raised her head fiercely and complained: "No! He must not have died in battle! Concubine Pei knew that I was useless to her, and was afraid that I would point out evidence of her crime, so she executed my cousin! Concubine Pei knew that I was useless to her, so she executed my cousin! , I am willing to do all the hard work for your Majesty, I just ask your Majesty... to help me! I am willing to confess to the Emperor, as long as the Emperor is willing to get rid of the Pei family members!"
Shen Huan looked at her with an indifferent smile on her lips - it turned out to be hate!
No matter how that person died, in Qi Bin's heart, he must have been killed by someone from the Pei family!
She must have a deep affection for that person!
Everything is indeed under her control!
Shen Huan bent down to help her up and sighed: "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just... Now that the Pei family is becoming more and more dominant, General Pei seriously injured the leader of the Western Kingdom, and the emperor relied on him even more. At the same time, Concubine Pei will also become more independent because of her. Father's reasons are more respected."
Shen Huan's voice was full of helpless sorrow: "Although I have the title of Queen, I don't have such a huge backer. Therefore, I can't help you, so I might as well tell you the truth. Even if I tell the emperor, that Jiuhexiang is Where did it come from? The emperor will not punish Concubine Pei."
Qi Bi was startled, then collapsed again, murmuring: "Could it be... is there really no way out?"
Shen Huan looked at her and suddenly felt a layer of sadness. This poor woman shouldn't have entered the palace draft in the first place. Maybe, with her cousin, she could live a normal and stable life. It’s better than the eternal separation between heaven and man now!
Even so, Shen Huan never regretted letting her brother kill Qi Bin's cousin!
Since he has achieved great things, why should he care about this mere human life!
What's more, Qi concubine, do you really think that I will forgive you for using your weak appearance to deceive me? You have destroyed my exclusive favor in the harem, how can I forgive you so easily!
He let out a long, low sigh, patted Qi Bin's shoulder lightly, and said: "That's all, I will ask someone to let you out in a few days, so don't keep thinking here."
Just as she turned around to leave, she heard a "clunking" sound behind her, and Su'e called out: "Little Master, little Master, what's wrong with you?"
Shen Huan looked back and saw that Qi Bin's face was pale and she fainted.
Frowning slightly, he called the little palace maid who was shaking with fear outside and said: "Go to the Imperial Hospital as soon as possible to convey my wishes and ask Imperial Physician Sun to come over and diagnose Qi Concubine's pulse."
Su'e helped Qi concubine to rest on the bed. Shen Huan said: "I don't know if it's sadness or unwillingness, maybe both! Su'e, take good care of Qi concubine here. If anything happens, go to Chen Palace and tell Cui Shang palace"
"Yes" Su'e responded. Seeing that Shen Huan was about to leave, she hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Empress, my sister Caixia..."
Shen Huan smiled and said: "Don't you understand? Concubine Qi has no use value to Concubine Pei, so Concubine Pei got rid of her cousin, and you have no use value to the Queen Mother. Naturally, the Queen Mother will not let it go. your sister”