"Ms. Ming?" Xiangxian looked at Jiuzhu in surprise, and suddenly thought that the county owner had been fostered in Lingzhou, does he really know something
"I..." Jiuzhu turned her head and looked around, feeling a little embarrassed and afraid that others would hear: "Auntie, let's go in and talk."
"Okay." Xiangxian nodded, and was about to lead Jiuzhu into the inner hall, when she remembered that Concubine Ning was kneeling outside the hall door, and she stomped at her feet. How should I explain this to Miss Ming
"His Royal Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed King Chen's sleeve and did not let go, and looked at him with flickering eyes: "Can you accompany your servants and daughters in?"
"Okay." King Chen walked forward with Jiuzhu across his sleeves. Xiangxian looked at the backs of the two and couldn't help laughing. His Highness also knew that he cared about people.
"Cold?" Through the cloth, King Chen felt the coldness of Jiuzhu's fingertips.
"It's not cold." Jiuzhu shook her head and said with a smile, "His Royal Highness is just like when I was a child, gentle and careful."
he
Gentle and attentive
King Chen himself was embarrassed to accept him, he touched his nose: "You don't know how I was when I was a child."
Jiuzhu looked at him with a smile: "I just know."
As she spoke, Jiu Zhu saw someone kneeling at the door, and her footsteps paused: "Your Highness, it seems that someone is kneeling there?"
"Don't worry about it." King Chen glanced at Concubine Ning who was kneeling at the door, and pressed Jiuzhu's head with his hand: "Some people in the palace will take kneeling as a means to achieve certain goals."
"Oh." Jiuzhu nodded, and when she got closer, she found that the person kneeling was the concubine Ning.
When Ning Fei heard the footsteps, she raised her head to meet Jiuzhu's gaze, her eyes were filled with forbearance, pain, and helplessness, and she seemed to have all kinds of grievances but did not dare to speak.
Jiu Zhu whispered in King Chen's ear, "Have you ever learned to sing before Concubine Ning entered the palace?"
King Chen: "Where does this come from?"
"I think she performed very well in this episode, very much like the Huadan on the stage, the kind whose fate is not very good."
Chen Wang's wrist was slightly forced, and he dragged the person into the house. He was afraid that Concubine Ning would faint from anger when she heard what Ming Xiaozhu said.
"Where's the concubine?" King Chen waved his hand and avoided the ceremony of the palace maid and eunuch.
"Go back to your Highness, Empress is in the apse."
"Go." King Chen walked around the front hall and walked towards the back hall. As soon as she walked to the door, she heard Concubine Su Gui talking to the eunuch: "Whoever comes to intercede will kneel with her. It's my fault that Ben Gong has been so gentle all these years that they have climbed on top of Ben Gong's head. If there is news, let me know immediately, do you hear?"
King Chen glanced at Jiuzhu, coughed twice: "Mother concubine, my son is here."
Su Guifei flipped through the biography of the demon concubine in her hand, and looked up at King Chen and Jiuzhu who entered the door: "Jiuzhu, come and sit with me."
King Chen handed the mackerel lamp to the little eunuch, and asked him to hang the lamp in Jiuzhu's room, then turned to sit down next to Jiuzhu: "Mother concubine, have you ever had dinner?"
Concubine Su glanced at the sky: "You came here with Jiuzhu just to eat with me?"
"Mother concubine misunderstood her son, isn't the son worried about your poor appetite and forgetting to eat dinner?" King Chen turned to look at Jiuzhu: "If you don't believe me, ask Xiaozhu."
"Niangniang, Your Highness came here to see off the minister's daughter." Jiuzhu explained obediently, "Before you came, Your Highness and the minister's daughter had already eaten."
Su Guifei didn't expect that Jiuzhu would take her jokes seriously, so she held back a smile and said, "Since it was Jiuzhu who said it, then I'll believe him for the time being."
"Since the person has been delivered, you should go back." Concubine Su ruthlessly drove her son away: "Although there are no young concubines in the harem, you, an adult prince, wandering around in the palace of the mother-in-law every three minutes and five, like what? talk?"
King Chen clicked his tongue and stood up lazily from his chair. He understood that, with Ming Xiaozhu as his future daughter-in-law, his son was already the superfluous one.
"Wait." Jiuzhu felt anxious, reached out to grab King Chen's sleeve, and accidentally grabbed his finger: "Your Highness, don't leave yet."
King Chen looked at the fingers that he was holding, and his whole body was stiff, as if it had become a sculpture.
Su Guifei looked at this scene with a smile, turned her head and asked Jiuzhu gently: "Jiuzhu, is there anything you want to tell me and Du Qing?"
She waved her hand and made everyone in the room retreat: "No one can approach this room without the order of this palace."
The palace people bowed and backed out, covering the door for Su Guifei.
Jiuzhu looked up at King Chen.
"You, you speak slowly, I didn't say I wanted to leave." King Chen sat back, and he touched his hot ears. Could it be that his ears were hurt by the cold wind, otherwise, how could they be so hot
Jiuzhu tugged on King Chen's finger tightly, as if she had infinite courage: "Niangniang, I heard from Aunt Xiangshuang, are you looking for a little girl from Lingzhou?"
Su Guifei noticed that Jiuzhu's expression and tone were not quite right, the smile on her face gradually subsided, and she nodded to Jiuzhu.
"Eight years ago in the winter, on the Huaxi River on the outskirts of Lingzhou City, right?" Jiu Zhu looked at Concubine Su Gui with burning eyes, then turned to look at King Chen: "His Royal Highness wore a light purple round-neck brocade robe that day. A fox fur cloak, like a fairy child in front of Cactus."
King Chen stared at Jiu Zhu blankly, having an absurd conjecture in his heart, but he was afraid that this conjecture would come true.
He couldn't imagine how painful it was for this silly little girl to be immersed in the icy river water.
"You..." Concubine Su opened her mouth, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"I was the one that Your Highness rescued back then." Jiuzhu lowered her head: "I'm sorry, I have been hiding it from Your Highness and Empress."
No one knew how happy she was when she walked into the Mingyue Palace and saw the empress. She almost wanted to ask the empress, where was the little fairy who saved her, and whether she had become a gentle and benevolent gentleman.
But she never forgot what the empress said, the capital is a place without secrets.
She didn't dare to say it, and she didn't dare to put the Empress and Her Royal Highness in danger.
For the past eight years, she has burned incense and prayed in front of the statue of Sanqing God every day, hoping that Grandpa Sanqing will bless her benefactor in peace, a smooth life, and no disease or disaster.
Fortunately, Grandpa Sanqing heard her prayer.
"Child." Concubine Su walked in front of Jiuzhu, pulled her into her arms suddenly, and gently stroked her bun, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes: "What a silly girl."
Jiuzhu leaned against Concubine Su's soft chest, smelled the faint fragrance on her body, carefully stretched out her arms, and wrapped her arms around Concubine Su.
On the empress, it is really fragrant and soft.
No wonder she was so happy when she saw herself for the first time. It's no wonder that she always happily calls her empress and walks beside her and Du Qing. Even if others say that she pleases the favored concubine, or that she is worldly, she never backs down.
She was so stupid and believed in her and Du Qing. Simply, unreservedly, trusting their mother and son.
"Niangniang?" Noticing warm tears falling on her face, Jiuzhu wanted to raise her head to look at her: "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, I'm just happy." Concubine Su wiped her tears with one hand, and she couldn't bear to let go of Jiuzhu with the other hand: "I'm just, happy."
"The ministers and daughters are also very happy to be able to meet the Empress and His Highness again." Jiuzhu leaned against Su Guifei, the corners of her mouth raised: "Lingzhou and the capital are separated by thousands of miles, people from all over the world come and go, it must be very special, very special. It was the fate that allowed me to meet His Highness and Empress."
King Chen looked at Jiu Zhu who was leaning against his mother's concubine's arms, and slowly stretched out his hand, placing his fingers lightly on Jiu Zhu's shoulder, but quickly retracted it.
He clenched his five fingers into fists, and his emotions turned upside down, roaring and wanting to pour it out, but in front of the well-behaved Jiuzhu, everything was forcibly suppressed by him.
"Ming Xiaozhu." He asked, "Did I give you a few candies back then?"
Jiuzhu turned to look at him in Su Guifei's arms: "Well, the mint candy that His Highness gave me is sweet and sweet."
She often put mints in her purse, thinking he still likes this kind of candy
King Chen looked at her bright eyes, and after a long time he chuckled softly: "The candy this king gave you is of course sweeter than anyone else's."
"Yeah!" Jiuzhu nodded, agreeing seriously with King Chen's words: "Since then, I have never eaten such delicious mints again."
Concubine Su released Jiuzhu, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and tried her best to smile at Jiuzhu: "What kind of candy Jiuzhu likes, I will ask the royal chef to make it for you."
"Mother concubine." King Chen couldn't help but say: "Ming Xiaozhu likes to eat, I know better, you can leave this kind of thing to your son."
Su Guifei touched Jiuzhu's cheek without looking at King Chen: "You sit here with Du Qing, and I'll go out and deal with some things."
"Okay." Jiuzhu nodded.
Su Guifei walked to the door, turned her head and said to Jiuzhu, "Jiuzhu."
"Niangniang?" Jiuzhu looked up at her, her watery eyes filled with love and closeness to her.
Concubine Su showed a smile: "I am also very happy to meet you again."
Then she saw that there was an incomparably bright smile on the girl's face, so bright that her heart melted into a pool of spring water.
Pushing open the hall door, she saw the incense silk bowing and waiting outside: "What's going on?"
"Niangniang, Princess Qijun asks to see you." Xiangxian glanced inside the door, hesitated for a moment, and helped Her Royal Highness and Miss Ming to close the door.
"What is she here for?" Concubine Su threw off her silk, and the skirt swept across the steps like flowing water.
"Yi Numaid guessed that she should be here to intercede for Concubine Ning." Xiangshuang held Concubine Su's hand: "Niangniang, the princess of Qi County is the daughter of the grandson family, and the ancestors of the Sun family had three prime ministers, four champions, and ten scholars. Among scholars and civil servants, he is extremely prestigious."
"So what? My Jiuzhu's father and uncle and elder brother are also amazing." Concubine Su said, "Grandpa Sun, do all three brothers get into the first grade?"
Fragrant silk was silent.
Like the Ming family, it is very rare.
"The beauty of the ancestors does not mean that the current Sun family is powerful." Concubine Su Gui knew what Xiangxuan was worried about: "As the Miss Sun family, she would not let Yun Yanze come forward in this kind of thing, and she sacrificed her face to beg this palace, right. Yun Yanze is full of affection."
The Sun family never liked her as a favorite concubine. Although she was respectful on the face, she could clearly see the arrogance that the old lady of the Sun family exuded from her bones in front of her.
The Sun family knew that she knew in her heart that they didn't like her, and she also knew the arrogance of the Sun family, but because of the fact that the Sun family had several capable officials, she was too lazy to care about them.
Over the years, the Sun family and her have maintained a delicate balance of not offending each other, but Sun Caiyao chose to bow to her for the sake of King Qi.
"It's just a little girl who is stupid for a man." Concubine Su's tone was light: "This palace will not care about the younger generation."
Fragrant silk smiled: "The slave girl knows that the empress has always been tolerant towards little girls."
Su Guifei smiled, it wasn't that she was tolerant, it was just unnecessary.
"Mother concubine." Sun Caiyao saw that Concubine Ning was still kneeling in front of the main hall of Mingyue Palace.
"Princess Qijun." The palace maid saluted her: "Concubine Ning sincerely asks to see our concubine. If you help her up, it won't be a big deal. It's just that the servants are worried that the concubine will not see the sincerity of Concubine Ning."
Sun Caiyao knew that this was Su Guifei's intention to make things difficult for her mother, so she could only say: "Mother is fragile, I would like to kneel on my behalf to show my sincerity."
"The princess's filial piety is admirable. However, the slaves are just inconspicuous little maids in the Mingyue Palace. How can the slaves and slaves guess the thoughts of the noble concubine?" The palace maid knelt down to Sun Caiyao: "Please also ask the princess not to embarrass the slaves."
"Please don't embarrass the slave servants and others." The other palace maids and eunuchs who were guarding outside the palace knelt down.
Sun Caiyao looked at these servants of Mingyue Palace, and at Concubine Ning, who was obviously weak, she gritted her teeth and knelt down beside Concubine Ning: "I beg your concubine to see you."
Concubine Ning turned to look at Sun Caiyao, her body swayed: "Why are you here, go back quickly."
"Mother-in-law suffers here, how can my daughter-in-law watch." Sun Caiyao supported Ning Concubine: "Mother-in-law, if you are uncomfortable, rely on me."
Concubine Ning wished she could push Sun Caiyao back.
She has been kneeling here for a few hours, and it would be good if she fainted, but Sun Caiyao's arrival now ruined her plan.
"You go back to take care of Yanze, I'm fine..."
The door of the main hall slowly opened, Concubine Ning raised her head and looked at Su Meidai, who was wearing a complicated palace dress, and looked at her condescendingly.
When the imperial concubine was consecrated back then, she knelt below, and Su Meidai sat high on the Qingluan chair, looking at her with the same eyes.
"I've seen the imperial concubine." Sun Caiyao gave Su Guifei a big gift.
"What's the matter with you, how can you make Princess Qi kneel here?" Xiangxian pretended to rebuke the palace servants: "Why don't you help Princess Princess get up quickly?"
"Prince Princess came to look for Jiuzhu?" Concubine Su looked at Sun Caiyao who was "supported" by the palace ladies, and nodded and smiled: "You go to inform the county owner and say Princess Princess has come to find her."
"Empress concubine, I'm not..."
"Prince Princess, this palace is your elder." Concubine Su Gui's phoenix eyes were slightly raised, and she said with a smile: "It's so late, you are not looking for the county owner, are you looking for this palace? This palace is old and frail, and at night I hate being disturbed by others. Yanze has always been courteous and filial. You are Yanze's wife. I think you should be as filial as Yanze."
Sun Caiyao secretly complained in her heart, but could not refute Su Guifei's words.
There is no queen in the palace, and after the highest-ranking concubine Su Gui is the same as the deputy, in detail, all the princes and princesses in the harem are right to call her Concubine Su.
"Take the princess of the county to the side hall and wait for the county head to come over." Concubine Su raised her hand and walked towards Concubine Ning, who was kneeling on the ground step by step: "Bengong remembers that when your majesty went south eight years ago, you were ill, right? "
Concubine Ning lowered her head: "I don't understand what the concubine means."
"It doesn't matter if you understand or not." Concubine Su grabbed Concubine Ning's hair, forcing her to look into her eyes: "Zheng Lanyin, look at Ben Gong!"
Concubine Ning struggled twice, she gritted her teeth and held back all the anger in her heart: "Niangniang, what do you want to do?"
"Hey." Concubine Su sneered: "Bengong tells you that starting from today, this palace will let you understand what an arrogant and domineering favorite concubine is."
Ning Fei's face changed greatly.
"Don't be afraid, don't be in a hurry." Concubine Su loosened her hair, stood up and turned to wash her hands in the copper basin, wiping her hands while walking slowly around Concubine Ning: "Bengong thinks that Ning's title is not good enough. Great, the concubine position is not suitable for you."
"What do you think..." She paused and looked down at Concubine Ning with a smile: "How about the title of Zheng Meiren?"
"No, you can't treat me like this!" Concubine Ning finally panicked: "I gave birth to a prince for His Majesty, His Majesty will not do this to me."
"Then give it a try." Concubine Su handed the handkerchief to the palace maid, her tone indifferent: "Zheng Lanyin, what kind of cause, what kind of fruit, the account between us can be calculated slowly."
Concubine Ning looked at Concubine Su in a panic, what did she know
Su Meidai knows, what about His Majesty, does His Majesty also know
As if she knew what she was thinking, Concubine Su smiled: "You can guess what this palace knows. Oh, and your Majesty, do you think that what this palace knows, will your majesty know?"
"Su Meidai!" Concubine Ning frantically grabbed the hem of her skirt: "You are so arrogant today, aren't you afraid of being retaliated by others in the future?"
Concubine Su took two steps back, as if she had heard a joke: "In this harem, as long as you get His Majesty's favor, no matter if you are mad or not, it will be a thorn in the eyes of others and a thorn in your flesh."
"You think I care?" Concubine Su said lightly, "Women shouldn't be embarrassing women, but you should never count my children."
"Zheng Lanyin, you are the mother, and so is this palace."
"Su Meidai, relying on His Majesty's favor, you are so arrogant, one day..."
"Shh." Concubine Su gave a gentle smile: "Zheng Lanyin, this palace has always had a principle, that it is not the child's fault. Don't force me to break this principle, understand?"
Concubine Ning swallowed her words abruptly, she shrank her stiff legs, knelt again in front of Concubine Su Gui, and kowtowed to her: "How on earth are you willing to let me go?"
Su Guifei looked at her expressionlessly.
"His Royal Highness Prince Qi?"
Hearing the voice of the palace maid, Concubine Su raised her head and saw Yun Yanze standing not far away with a pale face.
In the apse, King Chen looked at Jiuzhu, Jiuzhu put her hands on her knees, like an obedient baby, blinking at him: "Your Highness, do you have anything to say?"
King Chen didn't know what to say either. He always felt that he had a lot to say, but when he looked at her, he felt that what he said was wrong.
He even had an absurd idea in his mind. Back then, if Ming Jiuzhu was brought back to Beijing directly and kept by his side, it seemed not bad.
"Have you ever been wronged during the years you were fostered in Lingzhou?" He was confused, and finally asked such a dry sentence.
Jiuzhu shook her head: "Master is very kind to me. They are people who practice cultivation and don't like to be dirty, but they will buy chickens and fish for me. They say that cultivators cultivate their own hearts and do not constrain others. In the busy city, I rarely go down the mountain. The only time I was wronged was when I met His Royal Highness. Master said, I call it a blessing in my life, and there are noble people to help me.”
Raised in a place far away from the world, no wonder it has such a naive character.
"Ming Xiaozhu." He reached out and pinched the tip of her nose lightly: "You, you."
A good little girl, after marrying him, she can't taste all kinds of conspiracy and darkness in the world and see all the changes in people's hearts.
"His Royal Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed his wrist: "Girls' noses can't be pinched often, they will become ugly."
"It doesn't matter, even if you become a pig's nose, my Highness will not despise you." King Chen let go of her nose: "This king is not a lecherous person."
"That doesn't work either." Jiuzhu shook her head: "I can't let others see you, just say you married a pig-nosed princess, what a shame."
"What others say, this king never takes it to heart." King Chen wanted to pinch the little girl's cheek, but thinking that the little girl hadn't married him, he could only hold back: "Anyway, as long as this king feels Hello, you are good, understand?"
"So, in the eyes of His Highness, the servant girl is very good, right?" Jiuzhu looked at him expectantly.
"Hmph." King Chen snorted and hooked his finger at her.
Jiuzhu put her head together.
King Chen flicked her forehead: "Guess what?"
Jiuzhu covered her forehead, her eyes widened, and she looked at him in disbelief.
"Cough." Being stared at by such eyes, he was a little flustered, and King Chen quickly nodded twice: "En."
"His Royal Highness nodded, did I mean it well?" Jiu Zhu was immediately happy again.
"Tsk." King Chen looked at her and found that her forehead was slightly red when he bounced it. He stretched out his hand and rubbed it with the pulp of his fingers: "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Jiuzhu shook her head and pulled his sleeve: "Your Highness, you can talk about it."
"You are smart and capable, and you are beautiful." King Chen looked at the little hand that was pulling his sleeve and swayed in front of him: "And you also have excellent painting skills."
"Aiya." Jiu Zhu held her slightly flushed cheeks: "How can you speak so well of His Highness."
King Chen: "..."
He didn't speak so well, but he smiled happily on his face.
Humph, dishonest woman.
"Your Highness didn't lie to me, did you?"
"This king will lie to you?"
"No." Jiuzhu shook her head.
King Chen gently rubbed her forehead: "It's too late, it's time for me to return to the Sixth Palace of Zhang."
If she doesn't come back, those concubines in the palace will talk about her.
"Then I'll take His Highness to the gate." Jiu Zhu jumped up and stood up, her whole body filled with happiness.
"Be careful of the threshold." King Chen gave her a hand, and then he held Jiu Zhu's hand across his sleeve as he did when he came.
"His Royal Highness." Being wrapped in His Highness's sleeve, Jiuzhu felt particularly secure. She even felt that even if she walked with her eyes closed, His Highness would not let her fall: "Can I go to Zhang Liugong to find you tomorrow?"
King Chen wanted to say, your father gave me a thick box of books and was waiting for me to copy them, but what he said out of his mouth was: "Okay."
The little girl just came to live in the palace, maybe she wasn't used to it, so he stayed with her for two days.
Only two days, no more.
"I've seen the concubine and the maiden." Yun Yanze looked at the mother-in-law who was kneeling humbly in front of Concubine Su, walked to Concubine Su, and knelt down with the corner of her robe lifted.
"If the concubine does not do well, the son is willing to punish her for her." He kowtowed to Concubine Su: "I beg the concubine to spare the concubine."
The night wind blew the lantern in front of the palace gate, and the lantern swayed, casting a swaying shadow on Yun Yanze's face.
Boom, boom.
Yun Yanze kowtowed again and again.
At the gate of Mingyue Palace, there was silence, and everyone dared not come out.
Just then, the girl's laughter came.
Jiuzhu walked to the door and saw Yun Yanze kneeling at the gate and kowtowing.
Everyone turned to look at the county magistrate Ming who was out of tune with the dignified atmosphere.
King Chen took a step forward and blocked her behind him.
Everyone quickly looked away.
As a prince, being slapped with a board is a pain that the King of Qi County cannot express. The words of the county lord Ming are a knife in the chest of the King of Qi Dynasty.