"...I heard that Concubine Li went to Jiaofang Hall today to pay her respects. She was reprimanded by the emperor, so she returned to the palace in shame and anger, and lost her temper."
There are no real secrets in the palace.
The story of Concubine Li being ignored in the Jiaofang Palace quickly reached Concubine Shu's ears.
Concubine Li was humiliated, and Concubine Shu was naturally happy. A smile appeared on her elegant face, and she asked lightly: "What happens next?"
The palace maid whispered back: "After that, Concubine Li went to Cining Palace."
Concubine Shu's eyes flashed, but without saying a word, she waved her hand and ordered the palace maid to leave. When she was alone, she sneered and said, "Concubine Li, I haven't seen it clearly yet, but now the harem is the queen's."
In the past two years, Emperor Jianwen was somewhat cold and distant towards Queen Yu. Even so, he still maintained the dignity of the central palace and never allowed any concubine to be favored over Queen Yu.
Now, Empress Yu carefully trained another Lianxiang, which made Emperor Jianwen's heart tightly focus on Jiaofang Hall.
Even if Concubine Li fell in love with Empress Dowager Li, she could not shake Empress Yu's position in the middle palace.
Queen Yu has no son, so her son is no different from Queen Yu’s son!
Sooner or later, this world will belong to her son!
She has endured the temptations for more than ten years, and has already developed a patience that no one can match.
So, she was not in a hurry at all.
Because she knows that she must be the winner with the last laugh!
…
Jingyu Palace.
After the palace maid reported in a low voice, Concubine Jing frowned quietly and remained silent for a long time.
The maids waiting on the side all lowered their heads.
After a long time, Concubine Jing opened her mouth, but the topic she mentioned had nothing to do with Concubine Li: "Has Concubine Duan's stay-at-home order been lifted?"
The palace maid who reported it before replied in a low voice: "Not yet."
Concubine Duan was expelled back to the palace on the second day of spring hunting. She lost face and became a laughing stock in the palace.
It would have been fine if Emperor Jianwen came back from the spring hunt and found a reason to ask Concubine Duan to leave the palace. But now there is no movement. Concubine Duan, who was locked in the palace and could not move, felt very depressed.
Concubine Jing remained calm and continued to ask: "Has the Emperor summoned the Ninth Prince recently?"
The palace maid replied softly: "That's not true."
Emperor Jianwen was recuperating from illness, and Princess Changping went to the palace every day. Several princes took turns taking leave to wait for illness. The eighth and ninth princes were too young and did not need to wait for illness. They had to wait for Emperor Jianwen's summons.
In the past, Emperor Jianwen was most fond of the young Ninth Prince. He used to go to Concubine Duan's chamber at least three or four times in January, and most of them were for the Ninth Prince. This love was indeed better than that of several older concubines.
Concubine Duan was arrogant and arrogant because she was favored by the Ninth Prince and herself.
Now, Concubine Duan offended Empress Yu and was fined and grounded. Even the Ninth Prince was not summoned. It can be seen that Emperor Jianwen's heart was set on Jiaofang Palace.
Concubine Jing thought for a moment and then ordered in a low voice: "Always pay attention to the Cining Palace in Jiaofang Hall and report any movement immediately."
The maids immediately responded.
…
Concubine Li went to Jiaofang Palace and was met with disgrace. Concubine Jing simply refused to take the blame and did not go to visit An. Instead, she got up and went to Jingning Palace to talk to Concubine Li Xian to relieve her boredom.
Because the second prince was born with a mouth disease, he was not eligible to compete for the crown prince. Concubine Li Xian also fell into silence and was quite peaceful. Except for going to Cining Palace to pay her respects, she rarely left the palace on weekdays.
Concubine Jing was quite popular, and she could talk to Concubine Li Xian. When they sat together, the sister and sister called her very affectionate. Then, they pretended to talk about Concubine Li casually.
"...The emperor is recuperating with peace of mind. Sister Li Fei was worried, so she went to visit the doctor. She never thought of touching the jade. In my opinion, why bother?"
"How considerate is the Queen? The Emperor lives in the Jiaofang Palace, so the Queen must arrange everything carefully and properly. Concubine Li is worrying too much."
Concubine Li Xian sighed softly: "Isn't that right? You and I don't need to worry about it. We can stay peacefully in the palace and not cause trouble to the emperor. We have done our duty."
What is the duty of a concubine?
When the emperor is in the mood, he will serve the emperor well. If he doesn't like to see you, you just sit aside and keep jumping up and down. Aren't you asking for trouble?
The title of concubine sounds nice, but it is essentially a concubine's house. In front of the main wife, one can only behave with one's tail between one's legs and one's head bowed.
Emperor Jianwen never had the idea of "loving his concubine and destroying his wife". Even though he was slightly cold and distant from Empress Yu in the past two years, he never ignored Empress Yu's dignity as the middle palace.
Concubine Li felt so proud that the Fourth Prince had arranged a marriage with Miss Li Er. This time she was hit on the head with a stick and it hurt, so she should wake up.
After chatting for a while, Concubine Jing suddenly talked about Concubine Mei again.
"...I used to look at her as the most cowardly and weak person, but I never thought that she would have the guts to deceive the emperor!"
"Yes, I was shocked when I suddenly heard that the Seventh Prince had disguised himself as a woman for six years." Concubine Li Xian lowered her voice subconsciously, with a thoughtful light in her eyes: "You said that the Sixth Princess drowned back then.
Was he really harmed?"
The murderer behind the scenes was so cruel and bold that he dared to kill the prince.
If the sixth princess hadn't happened to change clothes with the seventh prince, how could the seventh prince have escaped this disaster?
Concubine Jing's eyes flashed, and she replied meaningfully: "If this were not the case, why would Concubine Mei be so panicked and let the seventh prince dress up as a woman for six years?"
Now that the seventh prince has regained his identity, the murder of the prince has been brought up again. In the past few days, countless maids and chamberlains who have been in the palace for more than six years have been questioned again.
It's a pity that after so long, no strong evidence can be found, and most of the palace maids and chambermaids involved in this matter were executed. This also shows how meticulous the mastermind behind the scenes was.
How easy is it to re-examine old things?
Who is the murderer?
Concubine Li Xian and Concubine Jing tested each other out for a while, then said no more and quickly dropped the topic.
…
Hanxiang Palace.
The weather is getting hotter, but there is no spring warmth in Hanxiang Palace. The palace doors are locked and no one comes in or out.
The dozen or so maids who were originally serving her have all disappeared, leaving only one Qin Se. The remaining maids all have faces. They keep an eye on Concubine Mei's every move every day and report back to the emperor and empress at any time.
Everyone thought that the meek and cowardly Concubine Mei would fall seriously ill and be as destitute as she was six years ago.
Unexpectedly, Mei Fei survived unexpectedly.
She originally thought that she would definitely die, but she was lucky enough to save her life because the seventh prince saved her. The seventh prince was seriously injured, but there was no fear of his life. The marriage had been decided and he would be able to return to the palace as soon as he recovered from his injuries.
For Concubine Mei, this is the best ending.
She had to live on and wait for her son to grow up, marry and have children and give him a vassal. Even if she was imprisoned in Hanxiang Palace forever, she would be satisfied.
After being imprisoned, Concubine Mei was almost isolated from the world.
When Qin Se quietly brought a letter from the Seventh Prince to be sent back to the palace, Concubine Mei felt as if she had found a treasure, and her hands were trembling with excitement. (To be continued)
