Cao Shanxiu bit her lip, sighed softly, and then spoke slowly: "When I was young, my father was sent to Yanghuai City as the magistrate. Because my mother was in poor health, my mother and I did not follow him immediately.
Let's go together. Before I was ten years old, I lived in the Cao Mansion and had a very good relationship with my eldest cousin, Cao Wenxi. Later, when I was ten years old, I went to Yanghuai City. I knew that my eldest cousin was married to the prince, and I still felt that my eldest cousin was married to the prince.
My sister married well."
"Later, the news of the Emperor's ascension to the throne reached Yanghuai City, which even shocked me. A few days later, my eldest cousin came with her whole family to defect to us. However, no matter how my father and I asked, they refused to tell us what had happened in Jincheng.
What? My father settled them in a small town called Yangliu Town in Yanghuai, and their family lived in Yangliu Town for about two or three years. Later, the cousin’s brother-in-law got an unknown illness and became more and more serious.
The eldest cousin discussed with my father in the study for a long time, and after my father came out of the study, he asked me to enter the palace draft."
There were some tears in Cao Shanxiu's eyes, and she gritted her teeth and said: "I only know that the Supreme Emperor took away the throne from my brother-in-law, and also ordered the killing of so many people in the Cao family. I can't wait to see him, and I am very unwilling to do so."
, but my father had made up his mind, and I finally entered the palace, but I didn't want to compete for favor. Not long after entering the palace, my eldest cousin suddenly appeared in the palace, and she was pregnant. She told me everything, pretending to be a chambermaid.
After staying in Luoxue Pavilion, I gave birth to a child two months later. As soon as the child was born, he was taken away, but before the child was one month old, my eldest cousin jumped into the well and followed my brother-in-law."
Yun Shang lightly knocked on the table, a little impatiently: "I know all this, including Liu Yinfeng and the Seventh Prince, who are the children of Cao Wenxi and Xia Chun. I would like to ask a few questions."
Cao Shanxiu lowered her head, and a flash of surprise seemed to flash in her eyes. She pondered for a moment, then nodded gently and responded: "Excuse me, Madam."
Yun Shang sat up straight and spoke: "Why did you end up in the cold palace back then?"
Cao Shanxiu gave a bitter laugh and responded softly: "Because Concubine Liu suddenly suspected the seventh prince's life experience for some reason, she secretly ordered people to inquire around, and was discovered by the Supreme Emperor. The Supreme Emperor was afraid that she would eventually find out where the concubine was, so he searched for her.
He sent the concubine to the cold palace from the beginning, and also sealed the Luoxue Pavilion."
Yun Shang was startled. Concubine Liu suspected that she was interested in Xia Houjing's life experience? Could it be...
"Is Concubine Liu's death related to this?" Yun Shang asked hurriedly with narrowed eyes.
Cao Shanxiu thought for a long time, and finally nodded: "The concubine entered the cold palace. One day, Concubine Liu suddenly broke in, hugging Shi Shi, holding a sword across Shi Shi's neck, and asked the concubine before
Who is the pot-bellied chamberlain who lives in Luoxue Pavilion? However, before the concubine could answer, the Supreme Emperor hurried over and took Concubine Liu away. A few days later, the news of Concubine Liu's death came.
.”
"How did you change your identity and become Cao Guiren?" Yun Shang said calmly.
"After a few years, I heard that the people in the palace had changed a lot, so I tried to find a way to send a letter to your majesty and beg him, and your majesty ordered that all the concubines in the cold palace be pardoned. At that time, the cold palace was defeated by
There were many concubines who were rivals of Su Ruji. When I was in Luoxue Pavilion, I was not conspicuous, so no one noticed me. I was placed in Qinxin Hall, and later someone was sent to register.
At that time, my concubine's father had already been transferred to Huaiyin as a judge, so many people had forgotten..." Cao Shanxiu lowered her head and responded softly.
"You and Li Fuhua..." In order to take care of Cao Shanxiu's emotions, Yun Shang deliberately did not finish her sentence.
Cao Shanxiu gave a bitter smile and bit her lip before saying: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, has always regarded your empress as a treasure. I'm afraid you have never experienced a time when even the little maids looked down on you, right? They say that this palace is the most prosperous place in the world, but...
In this most prosperous place, the concubine once had to survive for several months by eating the leftovers of the maids in other palaces. Su Ruji was not a kind person, and the Supreme Emperor did not care much about the affairs of the harem.
We, the unfavored concubines, were trampled on. One day, the concubine fell down because she was cold and hungry. The maid next to her panicked and ran to see His Majesty. On the way, she met Li Fuhua."
"Li Fuhua followed the palace maid to the palace. I watched helplessly as he took off her clothes and violated her with his hands. I hated her but had no strength to resist. Later, after he left, he ordered someone to send him away.
I brought you food and clothes. Your Majesty knows that sometimes, in order to survive, people can endure any kind of insult. I have fifteen princesses, and I hope I can watch her grow up and marry a good family, but I can't.
Don’t swallow the pain.”
Yun Shang blinked, hiding the sarcasm in her eyes: "How did you know that I was investigating what happened back then?"
"Because I accidentally heard someone asking about Luoxue Pavilion, and later I heard that Yuqin from the Huanyi Bureau was transferred to the Shangyi Bureau. I had been close to Concubine Liu because of my cousin and the young prince, so I decided to
She knows that Yuqin was once a palace maid who served Concubine Liu. I guess someone must be investigating what happened back then, but I don’t know who it is..." Cao Shanxiu said in a low voice.
"So you took the opportunity to kill Li Fuhua as a test?" Yun Shang gently stroked the coral bracelet on her wrist with a somewhat dangerous tone in her voice.
Cao Shanxiu nodded lightly: "I know that the women in this palace are very well-informed. After knowing that someone was investigating, I copied the portrait of my eldest cousin and put it in Luoxue Pavilion. I thought that as long as someone discovered it, she would definitely...
Word will spread, and as long as someone is investigating the matter, they will definitely take action."
"How did you kill Li Fuhua?" Yun Shang quietly leaned back and leaned on the chair, with a bit of contemplation and contemplation in her eyes.
"It's not as difficult as you think to kill him. After he escaped from the inner chamber that day, he ordered someone to deliver a message asking me to go to Luoxue Pavilion at night. So I smeared poison on him. After he was unconscious, I
Together with the palace maids, they carried him and threw him into the well." Cao Shanxiu's voice was extremely calm, but it was difficult to conceal the hatred in her heart.
After Cao Shanxiu left, Yun Shangfang stood up, walked to the window and opened it.
"I always feel that this Concubine Cao is a bit strange. The empress just cheated randomly, and then she said everything thoroughly like a dumpling. Could it be a fraud?" Qianzuo frowned, with a look in his eyes.
With some hesitation.
Yun Shang smiled, turned around and walked to the desk, took the ink block herself, poured some tea and started grinding the ink in the inkstone: "It's not that it's strange, it's that she wants something from me. But she must know more than this, I think she must
He also hid something from me. But it doesn’t matter..."
Yun Shang put down the ink block, picked up the pen, took out the paper, and wrote three people on the paper: Concubine Cao, Concubine Li, and Shangyiju Yu Nian.
Qian Zui looked at the three people on the paper with a bit of doubt in his eyes: "What do you think, your Majesty?"
Yun Shang raised the corners of her lips and smiled: "The first two are people who want something from me, and both of them have means. Now that I have just begun everything in this harem, I can't support myself alone. These two are excellent The chess piece. And this is Yu Nian..."
Yun Shang remembered what Concubine Li had said about her before: a wallflower.
The only advantage of being a wallflower is that as long as the benefits are enough, she can be used by you. Just don't trust her.
"Didn't the empress want to start with Eunuch Qi, who is serving as the supervisor?" Qianzui blinked and looked at Yun Shang.
Yun Shang laughed: "Qi Ruihai is very good and a smart man, but if he has too many obsessions in his heart, he will need to be more careful than a grassroots person. I am not in a hurry for him."
Yun Shang drew a circle on the names of those three people, "It's just them."
Yun Shang threw the pen in his hand to the side and laughed: "Since I entered the palace, I rarely interact with the concubines and concubines in various palaces. It just so happens that the weather is getting warmer. Waiting When the spring scenery in the imperial garden becomes a little stronger, let’s hold a spring banquet.”
Qianzuo responded quickly, and Yun Shangcai added: "I don't have much experience with these banquets, so I ordered Concubine Li and Concubine Cao to assist me in hosting them."
Qianzui knew that Yun Shang must have a plan, and the spring banquet was just a pretext. He was afraid that Yun Shang was going to use this banquet to clean up all the people who should be cleaned up. Qianzui thought to himself, and quickly agreed with a smile. .
Yun Shang thought for a while and then asked: "Is Hua'er in Chengye's house?"
Qian Zui responded: "Since the last time the little prince got angry and had a nosebleed, and the empress ordered Chen Miaosi not to be allowed to approach the little prince, I asked Hua'er to go to the little prince's room and keep an eye on him."
Yun Shang gently nodded and was silent for a long time before saying: "If I want to thoroughly cleanse the harem, we still don't have enough people. And places like the Shangyi Bureau and Imperial Hospital need some people who can specialize in passing on the harem. Xin left the palace and asked Ning Qian to help me find some such people and send them to the palace."
Qian Zui all responded one by one. Seeing that Yun Shang had no other instructions, he withdrew.
Yun Shang took a book from the bookshelf and read it. After he figured it out, Yun Shang ordered people to find many medical books. When he had nothing to do, he read about medical skills, always hoping to find good ones. If you use this method to heal Bao'er, you will also heal yourself.
After not reading much of the book, Liu Wen'an asked for an audience outside the palace. Yun Shang ordered someone to bring him in. When he saw a long box in Liu Wen'an's hand, he smiled and said, "What is this?"
Liu Wen'an smiled and said: "This is a tribute presented by the local officials. It is a harp. Although it is a newly made harp, it is definitely of the highest quality. Your Majesty said that the empress will definitely like it, so he ordered his servant to send it to the empress in a hurry. .”
A touch of tenderness flashed in Yun Shang's eyes. She stood up and walked over to Liu Wen'an and opened the long box. Inside, lying quietly was a harp. The harp was in the form of a string of beads, with a bright color and dark plum blossom patterns. Yun Shang stretched out her hand. After playing with it for a while, the sound is also unparalleled.
Yun Shang laughed: "It is indeed a good piano. Let's put it on the piano table."
Although there is a piano table in the Yunshang Palace, there is no piano that I like to put on it. Unexpectedly, Luo Qingyan also noticed it. (To be continued)
