Chapter 195 Please enter the urn
Chapter 195 Please enter the urn
The imperial concubine, with her oval face, drooping brows and gloomy expression, did not move.
A pair of dull eyes, through the reflection of the bronze mirror in front of him, looked at the maid who came in behind him with a reserved and timid expression, and suddenly said:
"Does this palace frighten you that much?"
The maid was startled and almost fell to her knees, but she just lowered her head:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
Seeing the other party's attitude, Princess Yuan showed self-mockery, and there was more resentment in her eyes.
Everyone in the harem knew that Concubine Yuan had a bad temper and often beat and scolded the servants.
Even more than one of her palace maids was beaten to death.
As a result, very few servants were willing to go to Princess Yuan's Palace, and those who stayed developed a fearful and timid temperament.
As the saying goes, the face reflects the heart, and the depression of Princess Yuan every year is also caused by the accumulation of many years of heart knots.
Outsiders only thought that Concubine Yuan was extremely harsh to her servants and was a difficult master to serve.
But she was not like this back then.
In the past, Yuanru was a gentle and virtuous lady from a noble family, and she thought she was a "princess" loved by her family.
Until, a decree conferring the title of imperial concubine shattered Yuan Ru's dream.
She then realized that her father, who had treated her well in the past, had secretly bribed the eunuch Wang Zhen and sent his own daughter to the bedside of the aging emperor for the sake of his family's glory.
Not even a hint of it was revealed in advance, so by the time the news came out, it was already a foregone conclusion.
That day, Yuan Ru, who was in the prime of her youth, felt hopeless.
Faced with her parents who were begging her, she finally gave in and said that she had already fallen in love with someone and the only thing left was to get married to him.
She knew clearly that once the news that she already had a lover was revealed, not only the entire Yuan family would face calamity for the crime of deceiving the emperor.
The love of your heart will also ruin your future.
So, one early winter, Yuan Ru was carried into the deep palace in a golden sedan chair. From then on, Dayu had a new Concubine Yuan.
The only thing to be thankful for was that the old emperor was old and weak, and marrying her was more like proving something to the outside world, so he seldom visited her.
Yuan Ru also resisted competing for favor, and hoped day and night that the old emperor would die soon.
After waiting for several years, the old emperor finally died, but she still couldn't get relief. In fact, because of the empress's ascension to the throne, the "halo" of the imperial concubine even dimmed.
The family could no longer enjoy the benefits she brought.
This time when I went home to visit my family, the feeling couldn't be more obvious. Even though everyone in the family seemed respectful on the surface, in reality... they were just maintaining a false decency.
A "concubine" who cannot get close to the king and bring benefits to the family is nothing but water poured out.
"Get up," Princess Yuan sneered, "What's the matter? Why are you so mysterious?"
The maid stood up, walked closer carefully, and whispered a few words. Princess Yuan's expression changed slightly.
The general meaning is that an old friend of the imperial concubine asked someone to bring a letter to the empress.
It seems... very important.
The maid only memorized the word "Qingping". The man said that as long as she said this word, the imperial concubine would naturally understand.
Qingping...old friend...Princess Yuan looked doubtful and asked, "Where is the letter?"
The little maid took it out from her bosom and said:
"I dare not check it privately."
Princess Yuan glanced at the wax seal on the envelope, confirming that it had not been opened, nodded slightly, and said:
"Go out, and just pretend you don't know about this."
"Yes."
Wait for the maid to close the door and go out.
The noble Princess Yuan hesitated for a moment before she tore open the envelope and tilted it out. First, an old jade pendant slipped out.
The moment she saw the jade pendant, Princess Yuan's body suddenly stiffened and her expression became extremely unnatural.
But when she opened the letter in the envelope and saw the handwriting that was already a little blurry in her memory, she felt like she was struck by lightning.
The memory of death came to my mind at this moment.
Princess Yuan read the words on the paper, reading about the past.
This concubine, who was alone in her empty room, was extremely lonely, had long lost her family and love, and had a strange temperament. Her eyes gradually turned red, her shoulders shook, and she was crying unknowingly.
"Li Lang..."
Although the letter was unsigned, Princess Yuan was able to confirm the other party's identity based on the past events mentioned in the letter, which were known only to the two of them, as well as the jade pendant token.
The content of the letter was unusually brief. Apart from a few vague sentences reminiscing about the past, it invited her to meet privately somewhere the next day.
If he agrees, he will order someone to send a signal and so on.
The rest was not mentioned at all.
But these few words have successfully aroused countless fantasies in Princess Yuan.
Why... would he send this letter? A private meeting? Given their current identities, why would they need to meet?
Could it be that he could help me escape from the sea of suffering and leave the deep palace?
Yes, he is no longer the same person he used to be. He is now an important figure in the "Li Party", and the old evil emperor is dead.
The newly crowned empress didn't care much about the harem. If he was willing to put in some thought, it might be possible to make some "exchanges"...
Princess Yuan was not a very smart woman, and she had only a vague understanding of the struggles in the court, so she could only make random guesses.
For a moment, I felt both happy and sad.
What she was worried about was that if the secret between her and the man was leaked, she would be in big trouble.
The good thing is that Li Yinglong still cares about me.
Princess Yuan was wavering and torn. She was panic-stricken and sat there for more than an hour before she finally made up her mind.
She thought that given Li Lang's current status, it would be extremely risky for him to meet her.
Since Li Yinglong dared to look for me, he must have been fully prepared.
Moreover.
What else could he be reluctant to give up now? To die in the cold palace or to give it a try, it was not a difficult choice.
As for implicating her family...she no longer cared about it.
"Someone come." Princess Yuan calmed down and shouted.
The door creaked open, and the maid outside came in again:
"What are your orders, Madam?"
……
……
The incident that happened in Yuan Mansion did not attract anyone's attention.
That night, Xu Hanlin, who had recently listened to Chen Zhengru's admonitions and focused on his studies again, met a man on his way home.
The next day.
The sun was not shining brightly, and the sky over the capital was covered with dark clouds, which seemed to foreshadow unrest.
Early in the morning, Xu Mingyuan got up and dressed as usual. After having dinner with his family, he arrived at the Hanlin Academy as usual.
Along the way, he ignored the looks of gloating, contempt, sighs, or sympathy from other Hanlin scholars in the academy.
afternoon.
Xu Mingyuan packed up his things, found an excuse, left the Hanlin Academy, and went straight to the Ministry of Works.
Li Yinglong, the Minister of Works, was working in the government office at the time. When he learned from the clerk that Xu Mingyuan had come to visit him, he could not help but frown.
Given his status, he was unwilling to waste time on this young Hanlin.
The clerk said, "Sir, Hanlin Xu said he came here on orders."
On orders?
The young elder with a feminine face frowned:
"Call him in."
Russian qing.
In a separate room, after Xu Mingyuan was released from prison, he met the young cabinet minister who had caused him so much trouble for the first time, and his face was full of respect and admiration.
"You said you were ordered to come to see me?" Li Yinglong went straight to the point.
Xu Mingyuan was not in a hurry, and he saluted and said:
"My teacher, Grand Secretary Chen, invites you to have a chat to discuss the new policy."
Chen Zhengru is looking for me?
Li Yinglong was stunned for a moment and frowned, but he did not doubt it. After all, Xu Hanlin was indeed Chen Zhengru's student, and the two had a close relationship.
This is not the first time that Xu Hanlin has conveyed a message on behalf of his teacher.
What puzzled him was why Chen Zhengru was looking for him about the new policy... Could it be that something had happened in the Hanlin Academy?
After all, Dong Xuan is the president of the Hanlin Academy...
Li Yinglong did not dare to be careless, knowing that Chen Zhengru would never come to him for entertainment out of boredom. Since he had invited him, he must have important matters to discuss.
"Where is Mr. Chen now?" He said with a slightly more friendly expression.
Xu Mingyuan lowered his head and said respectfully:
"The teacher has found a quiet place, and the students will lead you there."
He was not worried about the lie being exposed.
Because he was very sure that Chen Zhengru would not meet with the young cabinet minister to communicate today.
Not long ago, Chen Zhengru was indeed discussing the new policy with other members of the Li Party.
"Okay," Li Yinglong nodded.
During this period of time, he was busy all day and spent a lot of energy at the Sixth Madam's place at night. He was already overwhelmed and did not notice anything unusual:
"Prepare the car, and lead the way for me."
Xu Mingyuan said respectfully: "Yes, sir."
On the drooping face, a pair of eyes hid a murderous look, which disappeared in an instant.
……
……
Mingyueju is a quiet and elegant residence.
It is famous for its private rooms and its combination of a teahouse and an inn.
Mingyueju is across a street from the other side and is a very busy area with people coming and going.
There is also a restaurant here.
At noon today, Zhao Duan came in plain clothes, with his hands behind his back, and leisurely walked into the seat arranged by the secretary.
Welcoming today's guests.
"Envoy Zhao, you're here so early? I'm being rude."
Dong Da, who was plain in appearance and had little reputation in Beijing but came from a prominent family, walked up the stairs and bowed to apologize.
Zhao Duan smiled and waved his hand, stood up to greet him, invited him to take a seat, and said with a smile:
"Brother Dong, please don't be so formal. Why call me Envoy? You and I should just call each other brothers as usual."
Dong Da was in awe, impressed by his demeanor, and sighed:
"There are too many mediocre people in the capital who believe everything they hear. They have repeatedly slandered Brother Zhao's reputation, saying that they will take revenge for any slight offense, but they don't know how broad-minded Brother Zhao is."
After the last incident at Zhaiyuan, the Dong family sent someone to deliver a generous gift to express their apology.
The unfilial descendant Dong San was also ordered to be under house arrest again. This time, Master Dong personally ordered that he be thrown out of the capital and sent to the southwestern border army.
Let this number one playboy start as a small soldier in the army and severely temper his stubbornness. The result can be said to be cruel.
After all, most gildings go to relatively safe military headquarters, but in the southwestern border army, people can really die.
Especially the legendary General Zhao Shixiong, who never indulged the children of officials.
Even so, Dong Da still felt indebted.
But unexpectedly, today Zhao Duan invited him to have a drink and reminisce about the past.
"Who said it wasn't..." Zhao Duan shamelessly accepted the flattery.
The two exchanged greetings.
Dong Da looked curiously at another empty seat at the table, which was filled with dishes and chopsticks but no one was around:
"Brother Zhao, did you invite guests today? Have they not arrived yet?"
Here, besides Zhao Duan and Dong Da, there was only Qian Kerou standing aside.
But the extra bowls and chopsticks obviously did not belong to anyone.
"Oh...she..."
Zhao Duan was considering how to answer.
Then, at the stairs, a young girl, who had changed into a more ordinary dress and no longer looked so different, walked straight towards them.
Without saying a word, he sat down on the empty seat, his eyes slowly focused, and he said with a double meaning:
"People are coming."
(End of this chapter)