That afternoon, Xu Yin's spy in Taiyuan Palace received a message from Liu Xi'er.
She put it aside and still concentrated on her official duties.
The battle situation at the front is good. Yanling captured Hongyuan Camp and swept the entire Qi County. If this line is opened, the food and grass baggage can be quickly sent to the front line through water transportation. This is related to the lifeline of the Southern Expeditionary Army.
In comparison, Liu's aunt and nephew are not worth mentioning.
After being so busy for four or five days, the military affairs came to an end. Xu Yin rested for half a day and took the time to deal with this matter.
Liu Xi'er was so anxious that she could not help but stare at it every day. When she received the reply, she almost cried.
But she didn't dare to cry, so she washed her face and went to see Concubine Liu.
"Going to Daguangming Temple?" Concubine Liu frowned, "What are you doing out of the palace?"
Liu Xi'er forced a smile: "Xu San took me to the Daguangming Temple last time, and said that if I want to go next time, I can just tell the guard guarding the door. I think this is the way to go, and it's better to walk around frequently.
If one day my aunt needs me to go out of the palace to do something, I can also come in handy."
Hearing what she said was reasonable, Mrs. Liu was pleased: "You finally used your brain."
Then, she wondered again: "You and Xu San have become close, which is really rare."
Liu Xi'er bit her lip: "She is now the princess, and I respect her respectfully. I don't think there is any reason to embarrass me."
Concubine Liu readily agreed: "You wish you had thought this way earlier. Xu San is not what she used to be. She still holds military power in her hands and is very high-spirited! If you hold her in good hands, you might be able to use her."
"yes."
After leaving the house, Liu Xier felt her legs weak. This was the first time she had lied in front of her aunt, but her aunt was more satisfied than ever. It was extremely ironic.
She cheered up, packed her things and went to the palace gate.
The imperial guard checked her waistband and let her out. He also asked, "Does Miss Liu want a carriage or horse?"
Liu Xi'er said hurriedly: "Thank you, General. It's just a short walk, just for a walk."
When they arrived at Daguangming Temple, Xu Yin was sitting in the corridor. Seeing her coming, he pointed casually: "Here."
Liu Xi'er walked over quickly, making sure there was no one else around, and said hurriedly: "The princess has finally met me."
Xu Yin pointed to the tea table next to him: "I asked the maid to go down, you can pour it yourself."
Liu Xier had no intention of drinking tea and looked timidly: "Princess Princess..."
Xu Yin was a little helpless: "Okay, you go ahead and say it."
Liu Xier hurriedly repeated what Xie had said, and finally asked: "Princess, what should I do? The Crown Princess has already said these things clearly, what if I..."
Xu Yinqi said: "What's so difficult about this? Then don't think about being my eldest brother's concubine! My eldest sister-in-law is not the kind of unreasonable person. As long as you don't have any delusions, she will be happy to help you find a good family to show your love to."
Generous.”
But Liu Xi'er wanted to cry: "What's the use of not wanting to? My aunt..."
Halfway through her words, she hurriedly stopped.
Xu Yin looked at her calmly and said, "It turns out it's the concubine who wants you to join the Yan family!"
Liu Xi'er looked at her anxiously and begged: "Princess, can you please don't tell me about this? Otherwise, my aunt will be angry."
Xu Yin didn't say whether it was okay or not. She just asked: "Why did the princess ask you to enter the Yan family? To build a relationship with the Yan family to maintain her prosperity? No need, just based on the past friendship, the princess will naturally protect her."
Hold her."
Liu Xier's eyes averted: "My aunt said that the prince will be extremely valuable in the future. If I can be his concubine, I will be the best among all people."
Xu Yin sneered, this was really what Mrs. Liu could say.
"She is not willing to be trapped in Taiyuan Palace! After all, when she was a virtuous concubine, she was the leader of thousands of people and held the Phoenix Seal."
Liu Xier did not refute, but acquiesced.
Seeing her cowardly look, Xu Yin scolded her rudely: "Are you willing to be her puppet? Even if it is as she expected, you will be more than ten thousand people in the future, and then what? Why don't you let her influence you a little bit, and
What difference does it make today? Not to mention, if you want to achieve that goal, you have to suffer a lot. In the end, you will suffer the consequences, and she will enjoy the gains. This is a good deal!"
Yes, her aunt only said that she wanted her to enter the Yan family, but how could she know how scared she was? Liu Xier couldn't help but feel a hint of resentment in her heart.
"Princess, what should I do?" Liu Xi'er couldn't think of anything and could only grasp Xu Yin's life-saving straw.
Xu Yin looked at her coldly: "I thought you didn't understand, so I woke you up. Now that you understand, then reject the concubine yourself! You can't expect me to help you fight against the concubine, right? I have nothing to do with her.
No grudges, is it for you to refute my mother-in-law's favor?"
"Princess!" Liu Xier's legs softened and she almost knelt down.
She clutched Xu Yin's sleeves tightly, feeling confused.
At one moment it was Mrs. Liu's cold and mean face, and at another it was Mrs. Xie's smile that concealed a knife. In a panic, she opened her mouth and said: "Princess, this is just for the princess!"
Xu Yin's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm, and he even frowned: "Why for the princess? Why are you so confused?"
Liu Xi'er struggled with her expression. Seeing Xu Yin losing patience and getting up to leave, she blurted out in a hurry: "Aunt, she wants to replace the princess!"
…
As the sun sets, the lush Taiyuan Palace quickly becomes dark.
The palace was lit by candlelight, and Concubine Liu sat in front of the mirror and looked at her face.
In the makeup box, there were the best snail paint, the brightest rouge, and the most translucent makeup powder, but she couldn't touch any of them during the day. Because she was a widow and a concubine who kept the festival for the late emperor, and she had no hope for the rest of her life.
's widow.
She could only open her makeup box on nights like this, put on her makeup slowly, look at her still bright face in the mirror and sigh.
Mrs. Dong is older than her and wears bright and luxurious clothes every day, but she is already withering away.
This is fate, an unfair fate.
She thought of her eldest sister who had died many years ago. At this moment, she felt more and more the unwillingness in her eldest sister's heart.
Why is it that someone as ignorant as Mr. Dong has the best fate?
It's a pity that the eldest sister failed and died young. She also almost failed, but it doesn't matter, there is still a chance to save her.
There was a noise outside, and Concubine Liu asked: "What's going on?"
A palace official came in and said, "Go back to your Majesty, Miss Liu is back."
Concubine Liu frowned, looked at Liu Xi'er who came in, and said displeased: "Why are you back so late?"
Liu Xier held up the hem of her skirt, which was covered with grass clippings and mud, and replied awkwardly: "Auntie, please forgive me, I fell down on the way back, which delayed my time."
Since there was nothing wrong, Concubine Liu didn't bother to explore, and waved her hand: "Okay, hurry up and clean up. When can this reckless temper be changed?"
Liu Xi'er bit her lip, not daring to refute a word, and lowered her head to go back to her room.
After the door closed, her body slid down against the door as if she had no strength left, unable to believe what she had done.
She betrayed her aunt.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
There is one point in the plot that is rather obscure, so I’ll give it a try.
In her previous life, Concubine Liu relied on Emperor You and used the affairs of the Yan family as a means to curry favor. Would such a person really love Yan Cheng, her nephew? Obviously impossible. To her, Yan Cheng was no different from Emperor You in her previous life.
, is a backer that she relies on.
Her ultimate goal is not to stabilize Yan Cheng's status, but to use Yan Cheng to climb the ladder to heaven again. She hopes that Yan Cheng will treat her like a mother, so that she will have a unique status, and the princess's existence will become
Obstacle.
As for becoming a stepmother, this is not her ultimate goal, but if there is an opportunity to consolidate her power, she will not let it go.
The above is her code of conduct. Yan Cheng's life experience was concealed so well that Xu Yin didn't know it. She guessed Concubine Liu's motives correctly, but she didn't know the full story, so she gravitated toward her stepmother.