Chapter 21 Chapter 21 First Victory

Early the next morning, the empress hurriedly summoned me into Mixiu Palace.He hurried over, seeing that Meizhuang, Lingrong and Shi Meiren were already there, he knew that the queen must be asking about last night.The queen thought it was because she had worked hard all night and did not sleep well, the circles of her eyes were slightly blue, even makeup could not cover her, she was in good spirits.As usual, he asked us a few words, and we said exactly what we said. Suddenly, the eunuch outside the palace sang: "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 indifferent, just pretending that she didn't see us.

I looked at Mei Zhuang, thinking that Xuan Ling slept in Concubine Hua's Palace last night.It's just that Concubine Hua was too arrogant, and she came along with Xuan Ling, all of them looked ugly, only the queen looked normal. But Xuan Ling said: "I saw Concubine Hua coming to you just after I left the palace. I know that Concubine Li Gui is not well, so I also came to have a look." Everyone knew that Xuan Ling had summoned Concubine Hua last night, but they just met by chance, so they relaxed immediately. heart. The queen hurriedly ordered a cup of almond cheese to be served with Xuan Ling, Fang said: "The emperor is concerned. However, Concubine Ligui is not very well. She was in a coma all night. The concubine has summoned the imperial physician and is now placed in the side hall."

Xuan Ling nodded and asked, "What did the imperial doctor say?" "I said it was a convulsive wind, and I was greatly frightened." The queen replied, "I talked a lot of nonsense while in a coma." After speaking, 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 Gui kept yelling nonsense last night, which frightened my concubine." The queen said: "The concubine does not know exactly how it happened, but Concubine Hua has been traveling with Concubine Li last night, and she always knows more than the concubine."

Xuan Ling asked Concubine Hua, "So, were you by my side last night when Concubine Ligui had an accident?" "yes." "Just say what you know." "Yes. Concubine Li and concubine Li went back to the palace in the same car last night, but just after arriving at Yongxiang, the wheels of the chariot were blocked by stone slabs and they couldn't move forward. Some people in the palace could be heard exclaiming, and then Concubine Ligui screamed, saying that she had seen a ghost." Concubine Hua said eloquently, but everyone who heard it knew in their hearts that she could put the concubine Ligui who was always arrogant Scared like this, it can be seen how terrible what I saw last night.

Xuan Ling frowned tightly when she finished speaking, and asked with concern: "Did you see it too? Are you not scared?" Concubine Hua shook her head lightly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. The concubine didn't see it with her own eyes because she was in the car." I glanced at her, Concubine Hua has always been strong, although she said so, but when she spoke, she clenched her fingers tightly and intertwined, revealing the unconscious fear in her heart. The corners of his mouth slightly raised a smile that only he could detect, it was good to be afraid, as long as someone was afraid, the show would go on.

The queen also had a sad face, and said: "The concubine asked those palace attendants last night, and she also said that she saw a ghost passing by in front of the car, and even circled around Concubine Li Gui. No wonder Concubine Li Gui So scared." Xuan Ling suddenly turned to me and said, "Wanyi, what do you think about this?" I got up and said, "Your Majesty, my ministers think that although the theory of ghosts and gods is strange, but there may be karma in the dark, so that they can persuade the world to do good and eliminate evil." Concubine Hua smiled coldly: "I heard that Wanyi has been having nightmares for the past few days. I don't know if it is also because of the karma of Mrs. Yu's dream."

I raised my head and said neither humble nor overbearing: "The concubine's nightmare is indeed due to the dream of Yu Shi, but it has nothing to do with karma. The concubine is just sad that Yu Shi's death is self-inflicted, but in the final analysis it all started from the concubine. The concubine is truly ashamed, this is due to the concubine's own lack of virtue." Speaking of the last sentence, the words were slightly choked up. Three points of this cry are sentimental, and seven points are sighs.This harem is a chaotic situation where beauties fight each other.I have hurt these people in order to protect myself, and I am afraid that I will hurt more in the future.

Xuan Ling felt pity: "This is Yu Shi's fault, so why do you blame yourself. Is it Hua's fault that the strong wind destroys the flowers?" Tears flashed in his eyes, and he smiled at Xuan Ling with tears in his eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compassion." Xuan Ling said: "I will go to see Concubine Ligui first, and we will discuss all matters after Concubine Ligui wakes up." There was no movement for several days.Everyone has their own concerns, secretly watching every move of Fengyi Palace. I remembered hearing people say when I was a child that before a storm hits the sea, the sea is always unusually calm.I think it is the same now, the more quiet, the greater the disturbance.

The news came one by one: When Xuan Ling went to visit Concubine Li Gui, Concubine Li Gui kept talking nonsense in a coma, Xuan Ling was very upset. According to Xuanling's order, no one is allowed to visit Concubine Li Gui except the queen. Concubine Li Gui finally woke up after being in a coma for two days, and the empress personally interrogated her. Concubine Li Gui moved out of Fengyi Palace and entered the Jin Palace and Leng Palace. Three days later, I went to pay my respects to the queen in the early morning, and saw that the atmosphere was different, even Xuan Ling was there.The concubines sat in order, and the whole hall was silent.The queen coughed twice, Xuan Ling's expression was normal, and he only said slowly: "Since the canonization, Concubine Ligui has become more and more extravagant and vicious in her actions, which is really not in line with my wishes. I intend to abolish her to serve as an example to others, and put her in the cold palace to think about her mistakes." .”

I slightly raised my eyes and glanced at Concubine Hua, her face was extremely uncomfortable.With her intelligence, she must know that it was Concubine Li Gui who woke up and asked about the events of that night in detail, and she must have missed something that caused Xuan Ling to be furious and deposed. In fact, what happened that day is very clear, Concubine Li Gui is Concubine Hua's confidant, since the matter of poisoning me has something to do with her, how can Concubine Hua ignore it. Concubine Ligui is really useless, she can't stand such a scare.It can be seen that the saying "being a thief with a guilty conscience" is not bad.

Xuan Ling didn't even look at Concubine Hua, but said indifferently: "Concubine Hua has always been in charge of the Six Palaces, but now the Queen's headache is gradually recovering, and all matters in the harem are still left to the Queen to handle." They looked at each other, and the impetuous one couldn't hide the gloating smile on his face.Xuan Ling turned his head to look at the Queen, with a slightly pitiful tone, "If you're not feeling well, don't hold on, and take care of yourself in your spare time." Thinking that the empress hadn't heard such caring words from Xuan Ling for a long time, she was a little flattered, and hurriedly said: "Be more concerned about the emperor." She said to Concubine Hua: "Sister Hua has worked hard for many years, but now she has retired after she has accomplished her job." Concubine Hua felt as if struck by lightning when she heard the words, she swayed slightly, but she also knew that it would be useless to say more at this time.He knelt down to thank En, but his eyes were red, but he relied on his status and refused to cry in front of everyone.Such a situation is really pitiful. The queen suddenly said: "If Concubine Duan is in good health, she can share a lot of worries for my concubines, but it's a pity that she..." Xuan Ling was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, and then said: "I haven't seen Concubine Duan for a long time, so let's go and see her. You guys should 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: "Congratulations to Concubine Hua." Concubine Hua sniffed, covered her face and left. Seeing that I was wronged, Ling Rong said quite unfairly: "My sister was angry with Concubine Hua a lot before, why should she still be respectful to her now that she has lost power?" I brushed off my clothes and said: "She has lost her power now, but she may not make a comeback. It's better not to tear her face. Besides, she is above me after all. It is her fault for her rudeness, but I can't be rude. People talk. Sister Mei, don’t you think so?” Mei Zhuang nodded: "Indeed." Ling Rong blushed, and said softly, "Teach me more." I quickly took her by the hand and said: "What my sister said to teach or not to teach, I have listened to it." Only then did Ling Rong feel relieved, and sent Ling Rong away, Mei Zhuang was in a good mood, and said with a smile: "The weather is very good today. How about going to my palace to play a game of chess?" I smiled and said, "Look at you holding back your laughter until now. I can't learn it. Well, I'll congratulate you by talking with you." Mei Zhuang couldn't hide a smile on his face: "You and I are finally able to vent this bad breath, it's really refreshing." After speaking, he showed a slight anger, "It's a pity that I only went to a concubine Li, and I couldn't bring down Concubine Hua." I picked a rhododendron and played with it in my hand: "I didn't expect to win Concubine Hua. Concubine Hua's influence in the palace for many years has been intertwined, and the queen's position in the Sixth Palace also needs to let her see her influence. And the court is The use of troops in the Southwest is exactly where Concubine Hua's father Murong Jiong is being used, so the Emperor must have scruples. Your Majesty, he is nostalgic for the past, so he will not be cruel." "But there will always be some neglect for her." "Well. Of course. We can knock the mountain and shake the tiger so that she is afraid of us, and we can live in peace. After all, it is not a blessing to be involved in countless bloody storms if we continue to investigate." "If you can't get rid of her now, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult to deal with in the future, and it will be a serious problem!" Mei Zhuang's eyes were full of worry. "She is our confidant, and we are also her confidant. Now that she has lost her confidant, Concubine Li, her vitality has been greatly weakened, and she has also lost the power to assist the sixth palace. I am afraid that she will focus on regaining 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. Let's take advantage of this time to recuperate, so that we can rest and wait for work." "Can't we just cut the weeds and eradicate the roots? We can also sit back and relax." Mei Zhuang frowned, unwilling to reconcile after all: "As long as I think about the Thousand Carp Pond, I can't sleep or eat." I shook my head helplessly, "This is the limit. If we continue to pursue it, I am afraid that more people will be implicated. This is something that neither the emperor nor the empress wants 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 vicious, but we lost the big because of small things." Mei Zhuang knew that there was no way, he pondered for a long time and said: "Now that the emperor has cut off the power of Concubine Hua, he also wants to stop the matter. If the trouble is too big, it will lose the face of the royal family after all. Why don't I understand...that's the only way to go." Mei Zhuang and I sat under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree behind her chrysanthemum hall and set up the Chu River Han border, and the two armies faced each other. Mei Zhuang was still worried all the time, and rubbed a chess piece between his fingers, and he refused to make a move, "Huan'er, Concubine Li has been the confidant of Concubine Hua for many years, do you really think Concubine Hua will abandon her? Your concubine is beautiful, and her status is not low? I'm afraid that when Concubine Hua makes a comeback in the future, she will also have a comeback day." I picked up a chess piece and dropped it, and said: "Concubine Hua will not care about Concubine Li Gui. She has been deeply implicated, how could she repeat the same mistakes. Although Concubine Li Gui is beautiful and high-ranking, she has followed her for many years. But her words are not condescending and unpopular , the emperor's liking for her beauty is only a novelty for a while, how long do you think the emperor has not summoned Li Guifei? A woman who is not favored by the emperor, no matter how beautiful she is, what is the use of having a high status?" Mei Zhuang said with a slight smile: "That's right. Concubine Ligui is the lord of the first palace, but she has nothing to do with her knees. It's not as good as Cao Ronghua has a Wenyi emperor concubine to rely on. Speaking of it, Cao Ronghua is so gentle, it really doesn't seem like People around Concubine Hua." "Don't underestimate Cao Ronghua. Although the emperor doesn't favor her, he always stays with her for two or three days in a month. It's like this all year round, so it can be regarded as standing still." I took a sip of tea, and the wind has gradually heated up in this season. Blowing warm forehead.I focused on the contest on the chessboard, and said casually: "It is by no means a simple character to be valued by Concubine Hua." Mei Zhuang talked, but he didn't let go of the chess pieces in his hands, "Since there have been many incidents, how can I have the heart to underestimate it, and it is not an exaggeration to say that all trees are soldiers." "That's not necessary, too much introspection will make you lose your decisiveness." I looked at the scattered chess pieces on the chessboard, raised my eyebrows and smiled: "Abandon the car to protect the handsome. Sister, Huan'er won." The night was deep, the moon was like a hook, and the brilliance was as clear as water. Even the stars in the sky were extraordinarily bright, like a sky filled with crystals. I know that Xuan Ling will definitely come tonight. After sending everyone away, he lay quietly on the bed and took a nap to rest his mind.There are a few freshly folded gardenias in the room. The color is thick green and plain white, like the color of jade is warm and moist, quietly revealing an elegant fragrance. Suddenly a pair of arms gently hugged me, I closed my eyes gently, and he came. "Huanhuan, are you asleep?" I gently broke free from his arms, wanting to bow and salute, but he grabbed me and lay down beside me, I leaned on his arm docilely, "Is Sister Duanfei feeling better?" "It's the same. It's just that she's thinner again. I saw her struggling to get up - she still couldn't get up. I'm sorry to see her." "If Shiro is free, go see Sister Duanfei more often. She must be very happy to see you. Maybe this disease will heal sooner." Xu Xu also talked about Concubine Duan's illness, I know, this is just common gossip, that's not what he wanted to talk about. Finally, Xuan Ling said: "The matter of poisoning is finally over. You can rest assured, and I feel more at ease." There was a gleam of coldness in his eyes, "It's just that I never treated Concubine Ligui badly, she was so vicious. .” I said in a low voice: "Since the matter is over, the emperor should not be angry anymore. Concubine Ligui also cares about the emperor, so she hates my concubines." "Do you care about me?" The nose snorted coldly: "Does she care about her status and glory or is it only she who understands me?" He paused: "Even if she cares about me, if she cares about me I can't indulge her lightly if she does something shady." There was a slight movement in my heart, although I was the victim of this incident, but the scene still needs to be done, not to mention that I have to know how much weight Concubine Hua still has in his heart at this moment.She leaned closer to Xuanling, and said softly: "Concubine Ligui has learned her lesson from her mistakes. Although Concubine Hua has many contacts with Concubine Li on weekdays, Concubine Hua is deeply gracious, intelligent and resolute, so she will not be confused To join forces with Concubine Ligui." Guo Yi, this word is both good and bad.If you use it well, you are decisive and able to manage people. If you don’t use it well, I smile in my heart. I’m afraid it will make people think of arbitrariness and viciousness.The meaning of it must be savored carefully.In fact, many people are bad at ambiguous words.The speaker is "unintentional", but the listener is interested. Xuanling gently caressed my shoulder with one hand, looked at the reflection of the tree on the window screen, and played with the word "Guo Yi?" between his lips and teeth, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his lips: "This time Even though she didn't participate in the incident, I promised her to assist in the responsibility of the Six Palaces. When Concubine Ligui had an accident, she didn't want to report to me and the queen first. She seemed arbitrary. I temporarily removed her power, and she should Just be quiet!" He added a sad tone to his words, word by word infiltrated into his ears, "Concubine Hua has served the emperor for many years, please let the emperor see that she serves you carefully and considerately..." Before he finished speaking, he interrupted, "I severely punished Concubine Li, and also warned Concubine Hua, just to warn the harem not to be so smoky." His voice was full of affection, "Huanhuan, you Always be considerate of others." I said softly: "Huanhuan only hopes that the sisters in the harem can understand each other and feel less jealousy, so that the emperor can concentrate on political affairs without worrying about the future." There are many rumors, I am afraid that people in the palace will be uneasy." Xuan Ling showed a look of disgust: "I see that it may not be some innocent soul who is taking her life. It is probably because she is guilty of a guilty conscience and scares herself, and she speaks nonsense to confuse people." He thought for a while, "But for the sake of peace of mind, let the Tongming Temple Let the mage do a few ritual rituals to save him." "Huanhuan thinks that the ritual is to be done, but it is only called praying for blessings and peace to the outside world. If everyone in the palace thinks that the emperor also believes in ghosts and ghosts, it will be counterproductive." "Just follow what you said tomorrow." Xuan Ling looked at me with a smile, with affection in his eyes like spring willows, "With your understanding and considerateness, my heart can also be comforted." I gently threw myself into Xuan Ling's embrace, and called softly, "Shiro—" The fragrance in the room is pure white, the shadows of the candles are red, and only the red embroidered curtains are full of spring...