vrcanaries Chapter 156 Yixiu 25
Chapter 156 Yixiu 25
Although she and the emperor were in harmony, they were not a formal couple after all.
Seeing that Prince Dun had calmed down because of a look from his wife, even Shen Meizhuang couldn't hide her envy.
Tilting his head, he whispered to Zhen Huan, "I've only heard that Prince Dun is a noble but unruly person, even towards the Emperor."
"Only after meeting him today do I realize that Prince Dun treats his wife with such respect. Their love is truly profound."
Zhen Huan felt uncomfortable watching this, so she made an excuse to go out and sober up.
I walked all the way to the rockery with my thoughts hidden. I couldn't tell anyone about my sadness. Only when I saw the clear lake did I feel better.
He immediately took off his shoes and socks and started playing.
The cool lake water brushes against my skin, the sunlight shines on it, creating a colorful halo, and the faint chirping of cicadas is heard in my ears.
Being in the vast world, the depression in Zhen Huan's heart gradually dissipated.
Since I entered the palace and became a concubine, I was destined not to have the feelings of an ordinary couple.
It's good enough to have Shilang's love now. Thinking too much will only add to my troubles.
After coming to terms with it, his conversations and laughter with Liu Zhu became more cheerful.
All of this was seen by Prince Guo who was not far away. He picked up the wine jug, took a sip, and walked forward unconsciously.
Just at this moment, Zhen Huan stood up and almost fell into the water. Prince Guo took a few steps forward and pulled her up.
Seeing a strange man suddenly appear here, Liu Zhu hurriedly protected Zhen Huan behind her.
Perhaps because he was drunk, Prince Guo's words and actions were particularly bold. Such a presumptuous look made Zhen Huan very angry.
The words "pale jade slender" made her feel even more humiliated.
She is the emperor's concubine, and Prince Guo is familiar with this auspicious dress. How can she be so casual?
She adjusted her clothes under Liu Zhu's cover and sternly stopped the other person from saying anything else.
"Please respect yourself, Your Highness. This is the royal palace, not your own courtyard. I will take my leave."
Watching Zhen Huan leave angrily, Prince Guo found it even more amusing. He turned around and asked A Jin with a smile, "She has never seen me before, how does she know I am the prince?"
"Perhaps we've met before, Your Majesty. Let's go back. The Emperor must be waiting anxiously."
Ah Jin held back the complaint that was about to come out. It was he himself who spread the reputation of the prince always carrying a flute, so how could he have forgotten it now?
It is obvious that she is the emperor's concubine, and she should be avoided as soon as possible.
"Let's go!"
Yunli looked at the direction where Zhen Huan went away and smiled with interest, then stood up and followed her from another direction.
At this time, Zhen Huan was furious.
He kept on condemning their rudeness with Liu Zhu, "I've only heard that Prince Guo acts casually, but I didn't expect him to be so presumptuous that he wouldn't even avoid seeing the concubines."
"The servant beside him also came forward. Both the master and the servant are equally despicable."
When Zhen Huan thought about her bare feet being seen by Prince Guo and the servant, she felt cold all over.
Compared with Prince Dun's attitude towards his wife, Prince Guo's dissolute behavior left a very bad impression on Zhen Huan.
She hurriedly grasped Liu Zhu's wrist and said, "Liu Zhu, you are not allowed to tell anyone about what happened today, not even the people in our palace. Do you understand?"
"If this were to be discovered by outsiders and spread to the emperor, Prince Guo, as a member of the royal family, might only lose the emperor's favor, but in order to maintain the royal family's reputation, I would undoubtedly die."
Liu Zhu swallowed, frightened by Zhen Huan's words.
"It was obviously they who were rude first."
In the past, Zhen Huan would have been absolutely confident in her position in the emperor's heart, but she had witnessed with her own eyes how seriously ill Concubine Hua was and how Lipin had quietly fallen out of favor.
Coupled with Shen Meizhuang's occasional reminders, Zhen Huan's awe of imperial power was still at its peak at this time.
"Liu Zhu!"
"I've made note of this. Master, don't worry, I won't reveal a single word."
The master and servant walked around again, adjusted their mentality and expressions, and then returned to the banquet.
Not long after she sat down, she saw Prince Guo who had arrived late.
The emperor was in a good mood seeing Prince Guo being so eccentric. But after a few drinks, Prince Guo looked at the singing and dancing with a bit more displeasure.
"Although this song and dance is beautiful, it's the same style every year, which is really boring. I see that your Majesty has acquired several new beauties. They must be very skilled in serving your Majesty. I wonder if I could have the honor of watching them?"
"Hahaha, Old Seventeen, you're really becoming more and more willful. You even dare to say such things."
The emperor did not feel that his dignity was violated. The fact that Prince Guo could say such words in public was enough to prove that he had a bohemian temperament.
No matter how much the late emperor loved him, he was destined not to become a threat to him.
When Prince Guo opened his mouth, Zhen Huan's heart suddenly tightened. A drunk person can say anything, and she was afraid that he would reveal what had just happened.
"Prince Guo, there are naturally special people to perform the singing and dancing. The status of the concubines in the harem is precious, so such jokes are not allowed."
Yixiu ignored the two men's brotherly greetings and scolded them with a cold face.
The Queen's words made Prince Guo suddenly serious.
"As the Empress has instructed, I drank a little too much wine today and just now, I was confused and said something frivolous. I beg the Empress to punish me."
The emperor smiled at the queen with satisfaction. This was good. The queen had properly maintained the dignity of the royal family, and others would not think that she was unkind to her brothers.
"Get up, today is a family dinner, there are no such rules."
"But what the Queen said is that Seventeenth Brother should be more restrained in the future. I am still waiting for you to be more sensible and to serve in the court as soon as possible."
Prince Guo, of course, didn't dare to take it seriously and quickly declined with a smile, "Your Majesty, you think too highly of me. You know I only want to indulge in the beauty of nature and have no interest in these things."
"You just like to be lazy. Come on, drink!"
Prince Dun rolled his eyes almost to the sky. He whispered to his wife, "I thought he was a man of character, and I was going to agree with him, but who knew he was a fawning coward? How boring."
"Be more honest with me!"
"Yes, yes, yes... I will endure it."
After the banquet, the emperor walked towards Hua Fei with tenderness in his eyes, "I am busy with official duties and cannot visit you every day. I hope you are feeling better now."
Hua Fei's body stiffened, and she was reluctantly led out by the other party.
"I still have a slight cough, but it's much better now. The doctor also said I should walk around more."
"That's good. You've always loved being lively. I'm afraid you've been bored these days, haven't you?"
Concubine Hua lowered her head and smiled shyly, her mind rapidly recalling what Concubine Cao and Concubine Jing had told her.
As they chatted, they talked about the times they spent together in the palace.
"I remember that time you insisted on dragging me to go boating on the lake in the middle of the night. Let's not talk about how the moon looked, but we both caught a cold."
The emperor touched his nose embarrassedly, coughed lightly, and turned his head to look to the side.
Hua Fei's words brought her thoughts back to the time when she first entered the palace.
Seventeen-year-old Nian Shilan rushed into his life like a bunch of gorgeous fireworks that bloom forever.
She was outspoken, passionate, and full of sincerity, and that was a critical moment in the fight for the throne.
He and the Nian family planned step by step, and his relationship with Shilan reached its peak at this time.
And myself...
Thinking of his recent interactions with Concubine Hua, the emperor felt deeply moved and patted Concubine Hua's hand several times.
"That's not difficult. Tomorrow is a great time to enjoy the moon. I'll have someone invite you then."
"Let's relive the beautiful scenery of the past. I'm sure you won't get sick this time."
Recalling the sweet past, Concubine Hua felt a chill in her heart.
That was indeed the time when their souls were most compatible, but those beautiful things were not because of how good she, Nian Shilan, was, but because the Nian family was useful to the prince.
The reason why that child cannot survive is because the Nian family is too useful!
Although she felt bad, Concubine Hua still pulled the emperor aside with a look of surprise and said coquettishly, "Really! Your Majesty, you promised this yourself."
"I'm not kidding, just wait patiently."
Concubine Hua smiled and watched the emperor leave, her eyes cold.
How she wanted to take this opportunity to drag this cruel man to be buried with her child.
But she couldn't do that. After the emperor died, there was no adult prince in the palace.
There will be chaos in the court by then. If other princes come to power, they will definitely not tolerate my brother, a senior official of the previous emperor.
The Nian family could not withstand such a blow, so she could only wait patiently.
"Songzhi, go and tell them the message."
"Yes, ma'am."
Songzhi felt distressed when she saw Concubine Hua's loss, but she could do nothing about it.
"My Lady, the General has already invited a high monk to perform a ritual for the young prince. No matter how sad you are, you must take care of your health."
Hua Fei raised her head, letting the tears flow back into her eyes, and solemnly instructed: "Send more gold foil, I must also do my part."
"Yes, I will have someone prepare the best and send it to you when I get back."
Concubine Duan originally planned to give a gift, take a look at Wen Yi and then leave.
But the overly harmonious atmosphere at the banquet just now made her feel as if she had missed some important information.
Only then did he sit down patiently and endure until the end.
At this moment, looking at Concubine Hua's back from afar, Concubine Duan felt a strange feeling in her heart, and she knew that something was different.
"Jixiang, did you see it?"
"Miss?"
Jixiang supported Concubine Duan a little nervously, not understanding what his master wanted to say.
"The look in Hua Fei's eyes, throughout the entire banquet, she didn't even glance at the emperor secretly."
"The few times we looked at each other were very restrained. Not only the emperor, but she also avoided my gaze."
Such self-talk made Jixiang terrified. The grudge between the Queen and Concubine Hua was no secret. The other party's family was powerful and she herself was favored, and she had humiliated her many times over the years.
"Your Majesty, how can Concubine Hua care about our affairs? You have been living in seclusion for many years. Even if she is arrogant, she can't come directly at you."
"No...it's not that simple."
Concubine Duan shook her head and sat on the sedan chair. She seemed to be resting with her eyes closed, but in her mind she was carefully recalling every move of Concubine Hua.
Concubine Cao is just a tool to Concubine Hua, but today their interactions are full of intimacy.
Jingpin has a gentle personality, but she also avoids Huafei. However, today she accepted the snacks that Huafei handed to her and ate them.
The Emperor must be extremely fond of Concubine Wan, as she looks so pretty, but she still looks innocent.
There was no sign that she had been tortured by life in the harem, nor did she have any ill will towards Concubine Hua.
This is not right!
After returning to her residence, Concubine Duan used the manpower left to her by her father for the first time.
This place is not like a royal palace. Without long-term management, you will not be able to get any information by just cultivating yourself.
That day, Concubine Duan sat in front of the window for a long time, without touching a page of the book in her hand.
News from outside came one after another, and things that made her even more uneasy appeared.
As an elder in the palace, she never believed the queen's disguised gentleness and kindness, but now, they have all changed.
"Jixiang, what exactly happened? Only then could the Empress and Concubine Hua, two tit-for-tat enemies, shake hands and make peace completely."
"Your Majesty, the Queen has always valued the power in her hands, but now she is dismissive of these things. It doesn't seem like she is putting on an act."
"I heard from the people in the cat and dog room that Aunt Jianqiu from Jingren Palace comes to their place every few days."
Jixiang also realized that the situation in the palace had changed drastically and no longer dared to have any luck.
"It's no secret that the Emperor likes dogs, but the Empress doesn't seem to have any preferences?"
"Yes, they say that as long as they look good, their temperament and breed don't matter."
There was no joy in Concubine Hua's eyes when she looked at the Emperor, and the Queen was no longer obsessed with power. As a woman, Concubine Duan knew very well what this meant.
She had something on her mind and couldn't rest. She thought about it over and over again but couldn't figure out what could have happened that could make two people who loved the emperor so much suddenly give up their relationship.
……
Hongli did not attend today's banquet. After listening to Yixiu's words, he studied harder.
In order to calm his mind, he deliberately chose to read under a tree where birds were singing and insects were chirping, forcing himself to focus on what was happening in front of him in the noisy environment.
This scene happened to be seen by Zhen Huan and others, and such a studious prince caught her attention.
Out of curiosity, she took the initiative to step forward and say a few words. Jingpin had no time to stop her and could only watch.
"Since you have nothing to do, why don't you come over to my place and have a seat with me, Sister Jingpin?"
In response to Zhen Huan's invitation, Concubine Jing quickly agreed.
Seeing the emperor's coldness, Jingpin thought that the favors enjoyed by Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang and others were like dancing on the edge of a knife. Shen Meizhuang was okay, and she was very rational in dealing with people and things.
Only Zhen Huan is addicted to love and cannot extricate herself.
The cold air in the ice basin quickly spread throughout the room as the fan shook.
The three of them sat together and talked. Zhen Huan was very curious about the Fourth Prince's affairs, and Jingpin did not hide anything and told her everything about the Fourth Prince's life story.
"Maiden? Just because of this?"
Zhen Huan couldn't believe that the emperor, whom she thought was good in every way, would take his anger out on a child because of this matter.
"Yes, this incident not only caused the former emperor to be reprimanded by the previous emperor, but also caused a lot of ridicule."
"Naturally, I won't like the Fourth Prince anymore."
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang were both placed with high hopes at home, and they could not understand this mentality for a while.
"I see that the Fourth Prince is in good spirits and studies very hard. I don't think he has been affected at all."
Shen Meizhuang was grateful for Jingpin's reminder, but seeing that Zhen Huan's expression revealed her disapproval, she hurriedly spoke to save the emperor's face. Some thoughts could not be expressed out loud.