Early the next morning, the Queen hurriedly summoned me to Mixiu Palace. www. I hurried over and looked at Meizhuang. Lingrong and Shi Meiren were already there. I knew that the Queen must ask about what happened last night. The Queen thought so.
After a hard night's work, I didn't sleep well. The circles under my eyes were slightly blue and even makeup couldn't cover them up, but I was in good spirits. He asked us a few questions as usual, and we answered them exactly as they were.
Suddenly I heard the supervisor singing outside the palace: "The emperor has arrived——"
The queen hurriedly led us to stand up, and saw Xuan Ling walking in, followed by a concubine, but it was Concubine Hua. Concubine Hua looked cold and pretended not to see us.
Meizhuang and I looked at each other, thinking that Xuan Ling had gone to bed in Concubine Hua's palace last night. However, Concubine Hua was too arrogant and followed Xuan Ling over eagerly. Everyone looked ugly, but the Queen looked as usual.
Xuan Ling said, "I just came out of the palace and saw Concubine Hua coming to you. I knew that Concubine Li was not well, so I came to have a look." Everyone knew that Xuan Ling had summoned Concubine Hua last night, but they met by chance, so they immediately relaxed.
Heartbroken.
The queen hurriedly served Xuan Ling with a cup of almond cheese and said, "I'm sorry for your concern, Your Majesty. However, Concubine Li is not well. She was in a coma all night. I have summoned the imperial doctor and now she is placed in the side hall."
Xuan Ling nodded and asked, "What did the imperial doctor say?"
"It was a convulsion, and I was greatly frightened." The queen replied, "I talked a lot of nonsense while I was in a coma." After that, she glanced at Concubine Hua.
Concubine Hua's face changed slightly when she heard this, and she said to Xuan Ling, "That's right. Concubine Li kept yelling randomly last night, which scared me."
The Queen said: "I have not yet learned exactly how things happened, but Concubine Hua has been walking with Concubine Li last night, and she always knows more than I do."
Xuan Ling asked Concubine Hua: "So, what happened to Concubine Li last night? Were you by your side?"
"yes."
"Just say whatever you know."
"Yes. Last night, I and Li Gui concubine returned to the palace in the same car. Unexpectedly, just as they arrived at Yongxiang, the wheels of the chariot were stuck on the stone slabs and could not move forward. Li Gui concubine got out of the car in a hurry and took a look. Unexpectedly, I was in the car.
Someone in the palace could be heard exclaiming, and then Concubine Li Gui screamed, saying that she had seen a ghost." Concubine Hua spoke softly, but everyone who heard it knew in their hearts that Concubine Li Gui, who was usually arrogant, could
Being so frightened shows how terrible what I saw last night was.
Xuan Ling frowned when she heard what she said, and asked with concern: "Have you seen it too? Are you not scared?"
Concubine Hua shook her head gently and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I was in the car and didn't see it with my own eyes."
I glanced at her, Concubine Hua has always been very strong. Although she said so, her fingers were clasped and intertwined when she spoke, revealing the unconscious fear in her heart.
The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, revealing a smile that only he could detect. It was good if he could be afraid. As long as someone was afraid, the show would go on.
The queen also looked sad and said: "I asked the palace attendants last night, and they said that they saw a ghost passing by the car and circling around Concubine Li. No wonder Concubine Li
So scared.”
Xuan Ling suddenly turned to me and said, "Wanyi, what do you think of this matter?"
I stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think that although the theory of ghosts and gods is based on strange powers and confusing gods, there may be real karma and retribution in the dark world, so that we can persuade the world to do good and eliminate evil."
Concubine Hua smiled coldly: "I heard that Wanyi has been having nightmares in the past few days. I wonder if it's because of the karma caused by Yu's dream."
I raised my head and said without being humble or arrogant: "The concubine's nightmare is indeed caused by dreaming about Mrs. Yu, but it has nothing to do with karma. The concubine is just sentimental about Mrs. Yu's death. Although she is self-inflicted, it ultimately originated from the concubine.
I really feel guilty. This is due to my own lack of virtue." At the end of the sentence, there was a hint of sobs in the words.
This cry is 30% sentimental and 70% sighing. This harem is a chaos of beauties fighting each other. I have hurt these people in order to protect myself, and I am afraid I will hurt more in the future.
Xuan Ling felt pity: "This is Yu's fault, why should you blame yourself? Is it the flower's fault when the strong wind destroys it?"
Tears flashed in his eyes, and he smiled tearfully at Xuan Ling and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
Xuan Ling said: "I will go to see Concubine Li first, and we will discuss all matters after Concubine Li wakes up."
There was no movement for several days. Everyone had their own concerns and secretly watched every move in Fengyi Palace.
I remember when I was a kid, I heard people say that before a storm comes on the sea, the sea is always unusually calm. I think it is the same now, the calmer it is, the bigger the storm will be.
The news came one by one:
When Xuan Ling went to visit Li Guifei, Li Guifei kept talking nonsense in a coma, which made Xuan Ling very unhappy.
According to Xuan Ling's decree, no one except the Queen is allowed to visit Concubine Li.
Concubine Li Gui was in a coma for two days and finally woke up. The emperor and empress personally inquired.
The concubine Li Gui moved out of Fengyi Palace and moved into the cold palace of Jin Palace.
Three days later, in the early morning, I went to pay my respects to the queen. I saw that the atmosphere was different from the past, and even Xuan Ling was there. The concubines sat in order, and the whole hall was silent. The queen coughed twice, and Xuan Ling looked normal, and only said slowly:
"Since Concubine Li was enthroned, her behavior has become increasingly arrogant and sinister, which is not in line with my wishes. I intend to depose her as a warning to others and send her to the cold palace to reflect on her past mistakes."
I raised my eyes slightly and glanced at Concubine Hua. She looked extremely uncomfortable. With her intelligence, she must have known that it was Concubine Li Gui who woke up and asked the Empress about what happened that night. She must have missed something that attracted Xuan Ling.
Deposed in anger.
In fact, what happened that day was very clear. Concubine Li was a confidant of Concubine Hua. Since the poisoning of me was related to her, how could Concubine Hua get away with it?
Li Guifei is really worthless and can't withstand such a scare. It can be seen that the saying "a thief has a guilty conscience" is a good one.
Xuan Ling didn't even look at Concubine Hua, but said calmly: "Concubine Hua has always assisted in the management of the Sixth Palace. Now that the Queen's stubborn headache is getting better, all matters in the harem are still left to the Queen to take the final decision." When he said this, everyone was shocked, and all the concubines were shocked.
They looked at each other, and the impetuous one could not hide the gloating smile on his face. Xuan Ling turned to look at the queen, with a slightly pitiful tone, "If you are not mentally strong, don't hold on, take more care of yourself in your free time."
It seemed that the queen had not heard such caring words from Xuan Ling for a long time, so she was a little flattered and said hurriedly: "The emperor cares more." Then she said to Concubine Hua: "Sister Hua has worked hard for many years, but now she has retired with success."
Concubine Hua felt as if she had been struck by lightning when she heard this, and her body swayed slightly, but she also knew that it would be useless to say more at this time. She forced herself to calm down and knelt down to thank her, but her eye circles were red. She just relied on her status and refused to cry in front of everyone. In such a situation,
It's really pitiful.
The queen suddenly said: "If Concubine Duan was in good health, she would be able to take care of my concubine a lot, but it's a pity that she..."
Xuan Ling was slightly startled when he heard this, and then said: "I haven't seen Concubine Duan for a while, so I just went to see her. You can leave first."
After sending Xuan Ling out, everyone dispersed.
When I walked out of the palace gate and saw Concubine Hua, I bowed my knees according to the rules and said, "Congratulations to Concubine Hua." Concubine Hua snorted and ignored her, hiding her face and leaving.
Seeing that I had been wronged, Lingrong said aggrievedly: "Sister, I was very angry with Concubine Hua before. Now that she has lost power, why do I still treat her with the same respect as before?"
I dusted off my clothes and said: "She has lost power now, but she may not make a comeback. It's better not to break out. Besides, she is above me in position after all. It's her fault for not being polite, but I can't lose my courtesy."
People are right. Sister Mei, don’t you think so?”
Mei Zhuang nodded: "That's true."
Lingrong blushed and said softly: "Sister, please teach me more."
I hurriedly held her hand and said, "My sisters have nothing to say about teaching or not, and I have learned a lot."
Lingrong was relieved and sent Lingrong away. Meizhuang was in a good mood and said with a smile: "The weather is very good today. How about playing a game of chess in my palace?"
I smiled and said, "Look at the way you are holding back your laughter until now. I can't learn from you. Well, I'll hold hands with you and have a round of congratulations."
Meizhuang couldn't hide the smile on his face: "It's so satisfying for you and me to finally let out this bad breath." After saying this, he looked slightly angry and said, "Only one concubine, Li Gui, failed to overthrow Concubine Hua. What a pity."
I picked off a cuckoo and played with it in my hand: "I didn't expect to win over Concubine Hua. Concubine Hua has been entangled in the palace for many years, and the Queen's position as the head of the Sixth Palace requires her to be able to see her influence. Moreover, the court is in the process of
The use of troops in the southwest is exactly the place where Concubine Hua's father Murong Jiong is being used. The Emperor must have scruples. Your Majesty, he is nostalgic for old feelings and will not be cruel."
"But she will always be ignored."
"Yes. Of course. We can try to make her fearful of us, and she can live in peace. After all, it is not a good thing to pursue the case further and lead to countless bloodsheds."
"If we can't get rid of her now, I'm afraid it will be more difficult to deal with her in the future, and she will be a serious problem!" Mei Zhuang's eyes were full of worry.
"She is a serious concern to us, and we are also a serious concern to her. Now that she has lost her confidant Li Guifei, her vitality has been severely damaged, and she has also lost the power to co-administer the Sixth Palace. She is afraid that she will only focus on regaining her favor and competing with the Queen.
In terms of real power in the harem, we can’t take care of dealing with us for the time being. We just take this time to recuperate and wait for work.”
"Is it true that we can't get rid of the weeds? We can also sit back and relax." Meizhuang frowned, finally unwilling to give in: "As long as I think about Qianli Pond, I can't sleep or eat well."
I shook my head helplessly, "We have reached our limit at this point. If we continue to pursue the case, I am afraid more people will be implicated. This is something neither the emperor nor the queen want to see. If we pursue and fight fiercely, we will expose ourselves."
The planning in this matter also made the emperor feel that we are ruthless, but we have lost the big for the small."
Meizhuang knew there was nothing he could do. He thought for a long time and then said: "Now that the emperor has reduced the power of Concubine Hua, he also thinks that this is the end of the matter. If there is too much trouble, the royal family will lose face. Why don't I understand... This is the only way."
Meizhuang and I sat under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree behind her Cunju Hall. We opened the border between Chu and Han, and the two armies faced each other.
Mei Zhuang was still worried. He rubbed a chess piece between his fingers and refused to place it. "Huan'er, Concubine Li has been like Concubine Hua's confidant and arm for many years. Do you really think Concubine Hua will abandon her? What's more, Concubine Li."
Your concubine is beautiful and her status is not low. I'm afraid that one day when Concubine Hua makes a comeback, she will also make a comeback."
I held a chess piece and dropped it, saying: "Concubine Hua will not take care of Concubine Li. She has been deeply implicated. How could she make the same mistake again? Although Concubine Li is beautiful and has a high position, she has followed her for many years, but her words are not good and she is not popular."
, The emperor's liking for her beauty is just a temporary novelty. Do you think it has been a long time since the emperor summoned a concubine? What's the use of a woman who is not favored by the emperor, no matter how beautiful her appearance is, or how high her status is?"
Meizhuang smiled slightly and said: "What you are saying is that Li Gui is the head of the first palace but has nothing to do with her. It is not as good as Cao Ronghua to have a Wen Yi emperor who can rely on. Speaking of which, Cao Ronghua is so gentle. It is really not like that.
People around Concubine Hua."
"Don't underestimate Cao Ronghua. Although the emperor does not favor her, he always spends two or three days with her in January. If he does this all year round, he can be considered standing." I took a sip of tea. The wind in the season was gradually getting hotter.
The blow made my forehead feel warm. I concentrated on the competition on the chessboard and said casually: "To be valued by Concubine Hua is by no means a simple person."
Meizhuang kept talking, but his chess pieces did not relax, "Since the series of incidents, how can I have the heart to look down upon you? It is not an exaggeration to say that all trees and grass are soldiers."
"That's not necessary. Being too forward-thinking will make you lose your decisiveness." I looked at the scattered chess pieces on the chessboard and smiled: "Abandon the rook to save the handsome man. Sister, Huan'er wins."
The night is deep, the bright moon is like a hook, and the light is as clear as water. Even the stars in the sky are extremely bright, like rhinestones pouring across the sky.
I know that Xuan Ling will definitely come tonight.
I sent everyone away and lay quietly on the bed to take a nap. There were a few freshly cut gardenias in the room. They were dark green and white in color, like the color of jade, and quietly exuded their elegant fragrance.
Suddenly a pair of arms gently hugged me, I gently closed my eyes, and he came.
"Huan Huan, are you asleep?"
I gently broke away from his arms and wanted to bow and salute. He grabbed me and lay beside me. I leaned on his arm meekly and asked, "Sister Duan Fei, are you feeling better?"
"It's the same as before. It's just that she's thin again. I saw her struggling to get up - but she still couldn't get up. I felt sorry for her."
"Silang, if you have time, please go see Sister Duan Fei more often. She will be very happy to see you, and maybe the disease will get better soon."
Xu Xu talked about Concubine Duan's illness again. I knew that this was just gossip and that was not what he wanted to say.
Finally, Xuan Ling said: "The poisoning incident is finally over. You can feel at ease, and I feel better." There was a chill in his eyes, "It's just that I didn't treat Li Guifei badly, but she was so vicious.
."
I whispered: "Now that the matter has passed, Your Majesty, please do not get angry again. Concubine Li is jealous of me because she cares about Your Majesty."
"Do you care about me?" He snorted coldly at the end of his nose: "Whether she cares about her own status and glory or me, only she knows." He paused for a moment: "Even if she cares about me, if she cares about me in the name of me,
I can't let her offend her if she does evil things."
His heart moved slightly. Although I was the victim of this matter, the scene still had to be done. Besides, I had to know how much weight Concubine Hua still had in his heart at this moment. He leaned closer to Xuan Ling and said softly.
: "Concubine Li has learned a lesson from her mistakes. Although Sister Hua Fei often interacts with Concubine Li, she is deeply blessed by God and is smart and resolute. She will not be so stupid as to join in the same deeds with Concubine Li." Guo.
Yi, this word is both good and bad. When used well, it means to act decisively and be able to manage things and choose people. If used poorly, I smile in my heart, I am afraid that it will make people think of being arbitrary and cruel. The meaning is that it will make people think.
Savor it carefully. In fact, many people suffer from ambiguous words. The speaker is "unintentional", but the listener is intentional.
Xuan Ling, gently stroking my shoulder with one hand, looked at the reflection of the tree on the window screen, and pondered the two words "Guo Yi?" between his lips and teeth. A faint smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "This time.
Even though she was not involved in the matter, I allowed her to assist in the responsibility of the Sixth Palace. When something happened to Concubine Li, she did not want to report it to me and the queen first. It seemed somewhat arbitrary. I temporarily relieved her of her duties. She should
Take some time to calm down!"
A sad tone was added to the words, and each word penetrated into his ears, "Concubine Hua has served the emperor for many years, and please the emperor please consider her careful and considerate service to you..."
He was interrupted before he finished speaking, "I severely punished Concubine Li, and I also reprimanded Concubine Hua, just to warn the harem not to be such a mess again." His voice was full of love and affection, "Huan Huan, you
Always so considerate of others.”
I said softly: "Huanhuan only hopes that the sisters in the harem can understand each other and be less jealous, so that the emperor can concentrate on political affairs without worries." I added: "Huanhuan heard that the incident with Concubine Li was because the Yu family's innocent soul claimed her life. Now
Rumors are spreading and people in the palace may be uneasy."
Xuan Ling showed a look of disgust: "I don't think it's necessarily an innocent soul seeking her life. It's probably because she had a guilty conscience and frightened her, and she also talked nonsense to deceive people." He thought for a while, "But for the sake of peace of mind, let's let the Tongming Palace
Master, please perform a few rituals to achieve salvation."
"Huanhuan thought that the ritual was to be done, but to the outside world, it was called praying for blessings and peace. If she said it was for salvation, and everyone in the palace thought that the emperor also believed in the theory of ghosts and gods repaying wronged souls, it would be counterproductive."
"I will go down as you told me tomorrow." Xuan Ling looked at me with a smile, his eyes filled with affection like spring willows, "With your understanding and consideration, my heart can be comforted."
I gently threw myself into Xuan Ling's arms and called softly: "Silang——"
The fragrance in the room is pure white, the candle shadows are shaking red, and only the red embroidered tent is left with a deep feeling of spring...