Chapter 51 Intrigue inside and outside the court - time is running out
Time goes back to the afternoon of the 23rd.
There is a small courtyard in the southeast of a not gorgeous house in Xiaogongfang in the south of the capital. In the living room of this small courtyard, there is a man and a woman sitting facing each other from east to west; the man lives in the east and the woman lives in the west.
, there is another woman standing behind the seated woman. Apart from these three people, there is no one else in the entire living room.
If any unrelated person walked into this living room and saw this scene, they would definitely be very surprised. Because they neither look like father and daughter, nor mother and son, nor husband and wife, nor brother and sister, but they also don’t look like the host.
servant.
If anyone heard their conversation, they would feel even more confused. Just listen to the young man in brocade robe say: "These barbarians actually ask for such a high price, or else reprimand them and don't buy them."
That’s it.”
Sitting at the west end, a woman dressed in civilian clothes replied: "The poisons that your Majesty knows, such as arsenic, are now well known to everyone. Your Majesty takes very strict precautions in the palace and it is extremely difficult to send them into the palace.
Before I came out, the empress specially sent someone to tell me that I must get the poison from these barbarians. I don’t think it’s better than this. The second master will prepare it here and immediately send someone to deliver a message to the palace, asking the empress to make the final decision.
Decide. It’s better for us to prepare everything before we do anything. What do you think, Second Master?"
The man who was called the Second Master said bitterly: "Well, that's it for now. If the poison of those barbarians doesn't work, I'll see if I don't kill them in the future."
The woman in the west smiled faintly and did not answer.
After hearing this, readers should have figured out that this man is Concubine Lu's brother. In fact, he is Concubine Lu's younger brother, named Lu Yi. The woman is the woman with a Beijing accent who was at the Shandong noodle restaurant in the morning.
Just listen to Lu Yi say again: "Tan Shanggong, have you found out which tribe this group of Yi people come from in Chexuanwei Shisi, Yunnan?"
Tan Shanggong said: "Not yet. These Yi people from Yunnan live together in Lifanyuan, and our people can't tell where they are from. And although they claim to be from Chexuanwei Shisi,
But it doesn’t necessarily mean that it really came from the Propaganda Department in the car, and it’s extremely difficult to verify.”
Lu Yi said: "We must step up the investigation. I must know who dares to blackmail us."
Tan Shanggong advised: "The top priority now is to complete the things assigned by the Queen. It is better to let the investigation of where they come from go. Once the Queen's plan is completed, it will not be too late to investigate again."
Lu Yi also knew that his sister's plan was the most important, so he didn't say anything after hearing the words. After a while, he said: "It's better to send a message to the palace in the name of my Lu family. It's more convenient." Lao Zhu paid more attention to family ties, and for the palace
It is allowed for the concubine's family to send messages to the palace.
Tan Shanggong nodded, thinking that there was nothing more to say for the time being, and stood up and said: "Since it is also the second master's responsibility to deliver the letter, we will go back first, and wait until the second master receives the queen's reply before sending someone to where we will stay.
Let us know so we can take care of the next step."
Lu Yi changed his serious look just now, showed a bright look, and said: "Tan Shanggong, why don't you rest in our Lu Mansion today. I can inform Shang Gong when I get a reply from my sister."
Tan Shanggong's expression remained unchanged and he replied respectfully and politely: "It's still not possible. I still have a lot of things to prepare there, and I have already told my subordinates that I will go back today, so I can't break my promise."
Because she was a member of the palace after all, Lu Yi couldn't force her to do that, so he could only send her out respectfully.
The two girls came out of the back door of Lu Mansion, put on their outer robes and covered their faces. Two well-dressed men waiting at the concierge at the back door came to greet them and escort them back.
The woman who had been standing behind Tan Shanggong in the Lu Mansion said angrily: "He is like that, and he still wants to get involved with Sister Tan. He really doesn't know how high the sky is, and he doesn't look for a mirror to look at himself. He thinks that he is the empress's brother and everyone has to do it." Complied."
The woman who spoke was not the woman with a Suzhou accent who went to the Shandong noodle restaurant with her in the morning, but the sister of a female official in Concubine Lu's palace, whose surname was Chen and whose given name was Chen. The concubine also took great care of her family after her death, and she also wanted to have a reliable helper for anything outside the palace in the future; Tan Shanggong also got along well with her and often helped her, so she had a good relationship with Chen Chen.
Tan Shanggong didn't answer Chen Chen's words, but she agreed in her heart. She also looked down on Lu Yi, and she was a useful person around Concubine Lu. Concubine Lu would not marry her easily, especially to herself. This younger brother had no ability, and was not even considered capable at doing things. But she signaled Chen Chen with her eyes.
As soon as Chen Chen spoke, he knew that he was Meng Lang. After all, this was outside the Lu Mansion. There was no guarantee that someone from the Lu Mansion would hear it and keep silent. The group returned to their residence in silence.
At the beginning of the evening, Concubine Lu was dealing with palace people in the palace. Yunxi's market price has surged recently, and Yunwen is expected to apply for bankruptcy protection. Therefore, the hearts of Wenyuan Pavilion have been fluctuating recently, and many people can't wait to see it. She turned to Yunxi. Concubine Lu didn't care about the little maids and eunuchs who served as envoys, but she was afraid that the maids and eunuchs who knew a little bit about her recent behavior would be affected by this trend and report it to Yunxi or His Majesty. It would be bad. .
Therefore, Concubine Lu would always find excuses to punish those who deserted or whispered during work. The people in Wenyuan Pavilion severely punished them. Today alone, she slapped more than twenty people to scare everyone.
Of course, employing people requires both kindness and power, and Concubine Lu also rewarded more than a dozen people who have been loyal to their duties these days. She was about to give them a few more words to encourage them, when she saw her confidant Wang Sishi come in, salute and say: "Mother, sir, come here We're here." He said while gesturing vaguely.
The boss refers to Concubine Lu's father, and of course the boss refers to Concubine Lu's natal family. It is not unusual for Concubine Lu to come from her natal family, but she was startled when she saw the gesture of her confidant Wang Sishi, because this gesture represented both important and important things. Urgent Case.
Concubine Lu did not dare to neglect, she praised these people in a cursory manner, and ordered the beating of the board not to stop, and then left the hall and came to the bedroom.
A woman in the bedroom was waiting here. When she saw Concubine Lu coming in, she knelt down and saluted. Seeing that she was someone she had met before, Concubine Lu didn't waste any time. She sat by the bed and said, "Don't be too polite. What on earth is that?" Is the matter so urgent?"
The woman stood up, looked around, and Wang Sishi quickly withdrew knowingly. When Wang Sishi went out, the woman said: "Report to the madam, the second master asked me to tell you that those Yi people agreed to that matter." Yes, but the price is very high, one hundred taels of gold."
Concubine Lu interrupted: "I know Tan Shanggong's character. If she just wants more gold, she will definitely not notify me again. Come on, what do those barbarians want?"
The woman said in fear: "Yes, I want iron, copper, salt and other things, the quantity is not small, and I want it to be shipped to Yunnan or Guangxi, and I will not hand over the poison until all the goods are shipped to Yunnan or Guangxi." Tan Shanggong and the Second Master did not dare to act independently, so they quickly sent me to ask for instructions from the Empress."
Concubine Lu stood up and paced. Since the quantity was large, it must have exceeded the total amount that His Majesty allowed to be sent to the Yi people in the southwest. If it were just to purchase these things, it would be troublesome, but it could be done; but it still had to be shipped to the southwest. Over there, there are many checkpoints along the way from the capital to there. Even taking the sea route to the Qinlian area and then to Guangxi is not easy. There is no one to cooperate there.
Concubine Lu was a little discouraged. If she searched carefully, there might not be other suitable ways to destroy Yunxi. It would be too risky to transport these things to Yunnan. But if she missed this village, could she really find this store? What if she couldn't find it in the future? What should I do in other ways?
Concubine Lu thought over and over again in the room, still undecided, until she heard Wang Sishi's voice again: "Your Majesty, I have something urgent to report."
Concubine Lu raised her head and looked at Kelu. It was already three o'clock in the morning, and she hurriedly said, "Come in." When Wang Sishi came in, she asked, "Is it Yunwen who is looking for me?" She thought it was Yunwen who was looking for her.
Wang Sishi knelt down and said: "Empress, it's not that His Highness is looking for you, it's the news that just came from Jinshen Palace. Today, today..."
Concubine Lu said impatiently: "Don't be hesitant, tell me quickly what is going on!"
Wang Sishi responded in one breath: "His Majesty has decided to officially confer Yunxi as the grandson of the emperor on the 29th of this month. He has already gone to the Ministry of Rites to do it."
Concubine Lu suddenly grabbed the collar of Wang Shishi's clothes and shouted with a distorted expression: "How is that possible! There are only a few days left from today to the 29th, how could your Majesty be so anxious!"
Wang Sishi did not dare to struggle at all, and just said: "This is the news that came from Jinshen Palace today. I also questioned you several times before I dared to come and report to the empress."
Concubine Lu slowly let go of the hand holding Wang Sishi's clothes, her facial expression changed ferociously for a while, and said, "You can go out."
Wang Sishi hurriedly rolled and crawled out.
When she went out, Concubine Lu immediately turned around and said to the woman from the Lu family: "Go back immediately and tell Lu Yi and Tan Shanggong that you fully accept the conditions of the barbarians and start preparing the goods immediately. You must do it before the 26th." Get the poison and send it to the palace, do you hear me clearly?"
The woman bowed and replied, "Yes, your Majesty."
"Then why don't you go quickly!" Concubine Lu said.
The woman was busy going out.
Concubine Lu stood alone in the bedroom for a while, gnashing her teeth and muttering something before going out.