Chapter 2 Chapter Two: Colorful Clouds Scatter

Chun Xin was carried back on the soft ivy fence, and she couldn't stand up at all.The white cloth covering her body to cover her injuries was only a thin layer, which had already been completely soaked in blood, dripping all the way.Jiang Yubin got the news and came to Yikun Palace early in the morning. Accompanied by Ruyi, they waited at the gate of the palace for a long time, anxious.Sing Xin's sanity was still clear, when she saw Ruyi, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she forced herself to say, "My lord, my lord, the people from the Punishment Division can't ask me anything."

Ruyi looked at the shocking blood red on the ground, how could she still be able to answer, only tears fell down her cheeks. As soon as he finished this sentence, his heart fainted.Ruyi only left the little court ladies Ling Zhi and Yun Zhi to wait on Song Xin and check his injuries.I don't know how many layers of blood and water have accumulated on the clothes on Sing Xin's body, mixed with the pus from the wound, sticking to the flesh layer by layer, and it can't be untied at all. A light touch makes Sing Xin, who is in a coma, groan in pain .Ruyi knew that she must have suffered countless tortures, so she didn't dare to touch her for a while, so she had to let Yunzhi bring in warm water to dissolve the blood on the clothes little by little, and then carefully cut the clothes with small silver scissors.

Everyone's expressions changed when they saw Sing Xin's body.The marks left by whippings, needles, and sticks left her with little good flesh left on her body.Ten of her fingers were tortured by acupuncture, which was pierced through the nails with long and thin silver needles, and each finger was black and bruised, with bruises accumulated.What was even more frightening was that her left leg was limp and swollen to the point where it lost its shape and could not be touched at all.Ruyi was heartbroken, so she had to endure tears and hatred, and asked Jiang Yubin and several imperial physicians to examine her.

It wasn't until midnight that several imperial physicians finished their work and came out to report.The anxiety and chills of these days made Ruyi extremely sleepy. She took a bath and freshened up reluctantly, changed into Yanju's green gauze embroidered plum gold Tuanluan shirt, and sat under the lamp silently picking out the wick.That burning black curly wick was just like her own heart, she didn't dare to think about why her heart was fluctuating, she was only worried that such a loyal and reliable heart would fall to the ground for herself. Such a point. When Jiang Yubin walked up to her with a heavy dark color, her heart was so cold that she almost fell to the bottom of the valley, and the voice didn't seem to be her own: "What's wrong with Xinxin?"

With sullen tears in his eyes, Jiang Yubin was heartbroken: "Judging from the scars, it can be seen that he was tortured with whips and rods, and the wound was doused with pepper water, so the festering was serious, and all ten fingers were pierced with needles. These can still be cured. But Xin's left leg was pinched with a stick, and her lower leg bone was pinched. I'm afraid she will recover in the future, and her left leg will not be able to walk like ordinary people." Jiang Yubin gritted his teeth and said: "The emperor has ordered They used punishments, but they used severe punishments, which were beyond the capabilities of the Punishment Department. I asked, and it was Concubine Jia who ordered them to use severe punishments. Xin Xin is just a weak woman, but she was tortured like this..."

Ruyi Xin's head was licked by the flames, her skin scorched and cracked, but the fear she endured could not be worth the suffering of Xin Xin these days and nights.She clutched the silk tightly, and after holding it for a long time, the joint fluid began to ache. "What they want to torture is the heart? I wish I could have it on me!" Ruyi took a deep breath, "Take care of the heart, and don't think too much about the rest. Just say what you want, it's nothing. Medicines are hard to come by, so I will use them all in order to return my heart to you.” Jiang Yubin said in a deep voice: "Yes. I don't think much about anything, except to heal her heart, and to make the person who caused her suffer the same pain." He raised his face, "There is one more thing, No matter what happens to Xiaoxin in the future, whether she can walk normally, this minister wants to seek her and take care of her for the rest of her life."

The reddish candlelight fell on his sincere face. It is rare in this world for such an affectionate man to never leave.Ruyi suddenly understood the deeper fear in her heart. It turned out that her fear and bewilderment was because she knew that the man she could rely on for life was not such a good man.However, what can be done?She can only stay here, by his side, and continue her days of tossing and turning in the glory. Ruyi burst into tears with emotion: "You have to be strong-tempered. If you are willing, she may not be willing. She is afraid that she will drag you down." Jiang Yubin's voice was deep and deep, making people feel at ease: "I like a person, and I don't care if her body is damaged or not."

Ruyi smiled slightly: "Of course it is good if you are willing. I also know that I did not choose the wrong person. When I return to the emperor, I will definitely give you an answer. You come to Yi often these days." Kun Gong will take care of Xin Xin." Jiang Yubin agreed, bowed and left.Ruyi looked at his back, sighed Yu Ran, blew out the candle, and let herself be immersed in the lonely darkness. The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion Banquet.The concubines saw that Ruyi was presiding over the palace ceremony as usual as an imperial concubine, but Yuyan, who was arrogant and arrogant the day before yesterday, was silent instead. She didn't dare to speculate for a while, and just laughed and feasted as usual.The emperor seemed to be very happy, and he would not refuse the laughter of the concubines who came to persuade them to drink, and finally passed out drunk, leaning on the sapphire table, like a jade mountain falling, and fell asleep.

During the mesmerizing scene of silk and bamboo singing and dancing at the banquet, Ruyi looked at each other with a graceful and dignified posture, with a decent and warm smile, and told Li Yu, "Please help the emperor back home." Her eyes met Shang Yanwan's. With longing eyes, he quietly ordered, "Send the emperor to the palace of the concubine." The concubines dispersed one by one, and Hailan presided over the mess in the palace, cleaning up one by one.Ruyi just feels lazy, as if this flourishing chapter is just a flashy embellishment of Ember's life.Only the full moon hangs high in the sky, mocking the impermanence of the world with an attitude of having nothing to do with oneself.

She sighed softly, and saw a long shadow beside her.She recognized whose shadow it was, and called softly, "Lord Ling." In one sentence, there is unspeakable sadness and gratitude.Ling Yunche's words were vague: "The night is cool, it is not suitable for an imperial concubine to stand here." Ruyi turned around and looked at him, her skirt twirling into a graceful and flowing glow.She smiled like a bead: "I have stayed in any cold place, but this place is already very good." In Yunche's ears, these words were clearly sad.He was speechless and just said: "The imperial concubine has suffered."

"The suffering in your eyes is my great fortune in the eyes of others. I'm afraid many people are thinking, look, this woman got up again and stood so firmly!" She smiled, Yilan sighed softly , "The world only admires success, but no one cares about loneliness and pain." Yun Che said calmly: "So the imperial concubine and empress are blessed with endless blessings." "It's not that this palace will be blessed with endless blessings." He stared deeply, "In the crisis, you were the one who saved this palace. There is nothing wrong with Jin Yuyan's bracelet of seven treasures. It is indeed the carnelian, it is you He and Hailan replaced Ben Gong with an almost identical agate. Jin Yuyan is extravagant by nature, and only when she makes a mistake can people believe it. Because she is the only one who doesn't believe in Buddhism." Yun Che Duanfang's face is extremely humble: "It was Concubine Yu who asked me if I had seen the seven-treasure bracelet before I thought of this. Most of the maids in the palace don't know the difference between agate and carnelian. Concubine Jia may not be able to tell the difference for a while. Since the emperor is deeply suspicious, he will naturally believe it. I just think that since she intends to harm the empress, it is not wrong to repay her with the same way." It is as if a thin gleam suddenly illuminates the deep twists and turns of the heart from the dark depths.It turns out that he is the same as Hailan, no matter the storm, he still stays with him.After Yun Che finished speaking, a sense of peace of mind flashed in his eyes as bright as cold stars.Ruyi and him looked at each other with a smile, looking at the bright and bright moon together, and there was clarity in their hearts. On the 16th day, Ruyi accompanied the emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation to enjoy the festival gifts from the palaces of the princes and princes one by one.The emperor especially liked a snuff bottle with an enamel painting of a boy appreciating spring, and he was rewarded to Prince He Hongzhou.There is also a pair of golden phoenix coming out of the clouds, golden rolling jade and acacia, the most exquisite. The emperor personally put the hairpin on Ruyi's green silk, and said with a smile: "Acacia means two people are happy. I will put it on for you. It is very suitable." but." Ruyi just lowered her head and smiled, just thanking her.Really, the so-called happy relationship between two people is only based on mutual affection and trust. If you want to be suspicious and startled at every step, it is rare to find a trace of stability, so how can there be a good relationship? At this time, Li Yu came in with a piece of paper in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, Zhenshu still refuses to confess even if the servant continues to torture her. Instead, the servant asked some palace officials who were close to her to get some information and sort out this confession. Forcing Zhenshu to write grievances with her left hand, some of the words are very similar to those of framing the imperial concubine, and they were all written by one person." "She is willing to write, so it is difficult to distort the handwriting to cover it up. It is hard for you to check it clearly." The emperor glanced at it a few times, "Written with his left hand? It is exactly the same as the imperial concubine's handwriting." He handed it to Ruyi: "See for yourself." It's exactly the same.Ruyi sneered: "It's hard for her to be a girl from the Li Dynasty, but she looks so similar to Ben Gong's characters." Li Yudao: "Yes. The servant asked. Zhen Shu learned calligraphy when she was in the Li Dynasty, and she also knew a little bit about medicine, so she became the concubine Jia's dowry. Zhen Shu bit her to death and refused to confess anything. Seeing that she hid a few imperial concubine's postcards to practice calligraphy in private, the slaves have traces to follow. But those palace people said that since the death of Empress Xiaoxian, Zhenshu often studied various handwriting behind her back, so that she could practice exactly the same I think I know the words of the imperial concubine very well." He shook his head and said, "Tsk tsk, Concubine Jia really has a heart. Empress Xiaoxian has just passed away, and she has such harmful thoughts, and her thoughts are really long-term. Except for the imperial concubine , and who is facing it.” The emperor threw the paper on the ground casually, and said coldly: "Imperial concubine? Passed the decree to the Sixth Palace. Jia Guifei Jin's family disrespected the filial and virtuous queen, acted arrogantly and recklessly, discorded with the Sixth Palace, and was demoted to the position of concubine. She was confined to the Qixiang Palace to think about her mistakes." "He thought about it, "A mother like this is not worthy of raising her three elder brothers. Li Yu, immediately ask someone to bring back her three elder brothers, and hand them over to the elder brothers to raise them." Li Yu agreed to go.Ruyi caressed the cold golden thread pendant tassel on her hair bun, feeling sorry for her: "Jin Yuyan has a vicious mind, the emperor only demoted her to the rank of concubine, it's a pity that the concubine lost one of Xinxin's left legs." The emperor looked at her quietly, without the slightest ups and downs in his eyes: "Do you know why I didn't ask questions when I knew that Sing Xin had been severely punished?" Ruyi's tearful eyes filled with sadness, "I don't know." The emperor's voice was steady and firm, without any hesitation, he said loudly: "My thoughts are very simple, as if I promoted you to be an imperial concubine first. What I want is to grant you the position of empress." "Empress?" It's not that Ruyi doesn't understand that conferring imperial concubine and taking photos of the six palaces is the only way to the next position. She faces the emperor's indifference with a posture of resistance, "You can worry about it, why don't you worry about it?" Do you want to be tortured?" "I know that the punishment of the Punishment Department is cruel, and I wronged her by beating her with one leg disabled. But I can't help wronging her. Because you are innocent if you are innocent. Only you are innocent. Be my queen." As if being thrown into the frozen lake, the whole body is bleak and bone-chilling.She couldn't hide the sneer from the bottom of her heart, and raised her eyes to stare at the emperor: "Your Majesty, those who are clean will be cleared themselves, and concubines are innocent in the first place!" The emperor's slightly closed eyes were like the cold wind in the late autumn, passing by coldly: "Ruyi, you have been in the deep palace for many years, don't you understand that sometimes innocence is not proved by yourself, but by others? Qing Those who are self-cleaning, even the lotus flower that emerges from the mud without being stained needs to be sung and understood from time to time, not to mention the treacherous waves in the red wall." Although the emperor's words were heart-breaking and cruel, they did have some truth.However, her heart seemed to be covered with thick ice, cold and heavy: "Then if the concubine did not find out the suspicion from the bracelet of seven treasures, is the emperor going to execute Xing Xin to try to prove the concubine's innocence?" The emperor's expression showed no hesitation: "She won't die. Dead people can't be used to prove innocence, and sometimes it can be attributed to committing suicide in fear of crime, which makes it hard for you to explain. It is true only if you suffer all kinds of torture without changing your confession." .” The shock in Ruyi's heart was like a broken piece of silk, and there was a pain in the heart: "The emperor means...you have to sacrifice your own siblings and become a living useless person, so that the emperor can believe that his concubine is innocent." Seeing how excited she was, the emperor changed his tone and stretched out his hand to her, "Ruyi, I didn't have any deep suspicions about this incident. I didn't make up my mind to thoroughly investigate this matter until people kept proving that you were having an affair with someone." Not only do I want to believe it myself, but I also want everyone to believe it, and I want everyone to have no objections or criticisms against you." Ruyi didn't respond with a hand, and stared at him for a long time.She raised her chin slightly, forming a proud arc with her slender and straight neck, and suddenly raised the corners of her lips, drawing a cold moon arc: "No, the emperor is the king of the world, as long as you believe in it, rumors can't be ignored." Shake the courtiers and concubines. The emperor's so-called letting everyone believe, in fact, he wants to believe the most." She smiled coldly, and wept sadly, "I exchanged the disability of a little slave for your peace of mind, in exchange for your choice of the mother of the country. Eyes, it's too cost-effective." The emperor's eyes seemed to be stagnant in lead water, with the coldness and hardness of heavy iron gray: "Imperial Concubine, when did you learn to speak so meanly, without knowing the severity?" There was a cool wind blowing in violently, like a sharp knife passing by, although it didn't hurt, it was cold and icy cold.Ruyi couldn't help but trembled a little, did she really not know the seriousness, or was it the truth, she was used to being covered by gentle appearances? She knelt on the thick velvet blanket, and the golden sunlight of early autumn shone in through the long carved windows. She was bathed in the bright light and shadow. However, the golden sunshine did not bring her relief. On the contrary, in this warm sunshine, she felt that she had become a speck of fragrant gray scorched by flames on the gorgeous satin, shrinking and dim, out of season. The weeping sound was sad and lonely, like a wisp of light smoke and a thread of gossamer, floating weakly in the shadow of the candle, as if it would be broken after blowing one breath.Only she herself knows how she used to hold back her tears, but at this moment, this kind of crying is tantamount to cutting off the deepest trust in her husband. The emperor thought that she was extremely sad, or that he had seen Ruyi's tears too rarely, so he finally changed his tone and helped her up: "Okay, I am the emperor, and I have too many relatives around me, and the relatives who can count on me are too many." There are many evidences in front of me, and I occasionally have a little suspicion. But I finally choose to believe you, so you don't blame me, and you can't blame me." Ruyi was stunned for a moment, then slowly said: "Yes, the emperor is not wrong." She has been by the emperor's side for many years, it's not that she can't hear the last tolerance and patience in the emperor's tone.Any more crying and dissatisfaction are nothing but self-destruction of the Great Wall.For a wise person, time is the best teacher. Day after day, she can train her cleverness into wisdom.And most of the wisdom is related to forbearance and enough is enough. The emperor was nearly forty years old, and even with proper maintenance, there were shallow scratches between his brows. At this moment, those marks gradually faded with his smile.He patted Ruyi's hand affectionately: "Okay, of course I am not wrong." He thought for a while, maybe he felt that this expression was too harsh, "Maybe I will be wrong too, but I am the Son of Heaven, Even if there is a mistake, it is not my original intention." This is perhaps the most euphemistic expression.She is too aware of the bitterness and deep cold under this answer, and she also knows that it cannot be exposed.Once revealed, it is an irreversible mistake.She has already come here, she has worked so hard, she is walking on thin ice, and she must never lose again. Therefore, Ruyi smiled just right, feeling wronged, tender, almost understanding and understanding: "Yes, I understand. It's just that my heart has already lost a leg, and it's not easy to serve by my side in the future." Convenience. The concubine thinks that Xing Xin is also getting older, and Jiang Yubin from the imperial hospital asked the concubine to marry him, why not the emperor show some face to Xing Xin and marry him to the imperial doctor Jiang." The emperor nodded and said: "It's commendable that you are loyal and loyal, and you are also an old maid in the hidden mansion. You can refer to a capable bodyguard in front of my emperor, such as Ling Yunche. An imperial doctor has no hope in the future." Ruyi didn't expect that the emperor would suddenly mention Ling Yunche, as if someone's nails had been flicked on his heart, he hurriedly said with a smile: "Jiang and Bin have a heart, and the concubine is also willing to ask Xing Xin, it is considered a happy relationship between the two." The emperor didn't take it seriously: "That's fine, then I'll let them both do it. Then I'm not around to serve you, so you have to pick a few capable people to come up." Ruyi was silent for a moment, her smile was as quiet as autumn water: "A concubine can't compare to a noble concubine, there are so many capable people. The emperor rewarded Xin Xin's loyalty, so should rewards and punishments be distinguished?" The emperor wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes for her, and said: "Zhenshu came from Li Chao. Even if she is not recruited after being punished, I will not give her to death. I will send her back to Li Chao immediately. As for Jin Sir, I have decreed that I will be reduced to the position of concubine, and I will close the palace to think about my mistakes, and I am not allowed to come to serve me if I have nothing to do." Ruyi lowered her face and said in a low voice: "The emperor clearly rewards and punishes, and the ministers and concubines feel at ease." The emperor said solemnly: "This is not the only thing you have to feel at ease. From now on, no one will question you again. After the imperial concubine, your path to succession will be safe and secure. I will always accompany you until you walk to the empress' throne above." There was a silent shock in the bottom of her heart, yes, she had come so close to the back seat, but she also lost her reliance and trust in this man from the bottom of her heart, but she just felt this futile dullness more lonelyly. When Ruyi wanted to leave, it was already the climax of the moon.She had dinner with the emperor, and used the warm and homely scene to remind herself to adapt to various changes, and returned to the tranquility of the past.What broke this atmosphere was the kowtow of Jin Yuyan, who had been demoted to a concubine, from outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. There was no other words, no sad complaints, and no heartbroken tears. Jin Yuyan just kowtowed silently, expressing her feelings to the emperor with the dull sound of her forehead touching the gold brick floor.Zhenshu was driven back to the Li Dynasty, which was like telling her that she had lost her dependent mother, and the helplessness around her showed signs of falling out of favor.That is the greatest danger, far better than the ups and downs of status, which means that the honor and favor of the mother clan attached to her will also decrease accordingly.So she also understands that she can only do this, and cannot cry and defend. The hall was as quiet as deep water, and the sound outside seemed to come from another world far away, dull and distant.Ruyi accompanied the emperor to face Dong Qichang's words.Since Kang Yong, the world has highly praised Dong Qichang's calligraphy, and the emperor naturally dabbled in it.There was continuous noise outside, and the emperor didn't look up, but asked, "Who is outside?" Naturally, this question was not asked of Ruyi, Li Yu opened the palace door and took a look, then said in a low voice, "If you go back to the emperor, it's the concubine Jia." The emperor nodded lightly and ignored it.Li Yu seemed a little moved, and couldn't help persuading: "Your Majesty, you didn't see the appearance of the young concubine Jia outside. The poor concubine Jia is already thirty-six years old, and she still kowtows to the ground like this in front of her servants." It's really... After all, she is also the mother of three sons, so I have to take care of the faces of my elder brothers." Standing beside the emperor, Ruyi's face was as calm as water, as if she had never heard of it, she only quietly met Li Yu's eyes.This is the benefit of speaking to the people who serve the emperor day and night, quietly reminding the emperor that this scheming woman who is planning to seize the throne has passed her age and is so disregarding her status. The emperor's face was indeed a bit uglier.Ruyi lightly rolled up his sleeves, studying ink for the emperor without any haste, and said, "Dong Qichang said, Jin calligraphy uses rhymes, Tang calligraphy uses methods, and Song calligraphy takes ideas. At this time, the sound of knocking on the head is disturbing, no matter whether you are taking rhymes, methods, or meanings." It's impossible. The emperor should stop writing for the time being, and let the concubine grind the ink with the right color for the emperor." The emperor stretched out his pen and dipped it in the ink, writing like flowing clouds and flowing water, without any slowness, said: "Ruyi, go out and tell her as the imperial concubine that from now on, she is no longer a concubine, but a concubine." Noble person. If you disturb me again, you will be demoted until you are deposed as a commoner."