The market next to the Daxiangguo Temple is open before the New Year's Eve. The young aunt inside wants to take advantage of this opportunity to make some money, so she sells the silk flowers, collar wipes, etc. she makes on weekdays.
There are also vendors in the market selling some live animals, including common cats, dogs, fish and birds, as well as rare animals such as live deer and mountain marten.
The smell of these living creatures made Rong Xi want to vomit, and she quickly walked through the market next to the Daxiangguo Temple.
Going further north is Tianshui Lane, and passing through this is the tile market where Huanniang opened a sugar water shop.
The restaurants in Tianshui Lane are famous, and the various brothels and brothels in it are even more famous.
Under the eaves of the restaurant in the alley, there are always a few prostitutes with gorgeous makeup and gorgeous makeup. They wear thick powder, their faces look extremely white, and their lips are always dyed with a touch of bright vermilion.
Those prostitutes looked a little weird when they smiled under the bright lights of the restaurant.
The private rooms of the restaurant are separated by curtains, and some prostitutes are invited in to sing by the guests. From time to time, there are men's applause, and the sound of rewards being thrown on the ground.
Relying on his memory, Rong Xi walked quickly through Tianshui Lane, and finally found Huanniang's sugar water shop in the tile at the Suzaku Gate.
Now the business of the shop is good, although Huanniang has hired handymen, her two sons and daughters have to help, because it is winter, the guests all come in to drink sugar water.
Huanniang's husband set up a fish stall on Mahang Street. He usually sells some river fish and seafood in the early morning.
Common people like to eat sweets like the ones sold by Huanniang after Weishi, so Huanniang started to work in the afternoon and went home until the curfew.
Although the life of the couple is hard, they live happily.
Rong Xi saw that Huanniang's two children were round and cute, and they were wearing new clothes.
She bought some toys and cakes for her two children just now, and seeing that Huanniang was busy with her business, she didn't want to disturb her, so she sat down at a tea stall opposite and ordered a bowl of hot tea and a plate of fried cherries.
As soon as she sat down, Huanniang's youngest daughter jumped up and down in front of her, and said to Rong Xi: "Sister Rong is here, why don't you go to my mother's place to eat sugar water?"
Rong Xi was slightly surprised, looking at Huan Niang's daughter with gentle eyes, she asked, "Do you remember me?"
Huanniang's daughter nodded her head and said, "I remember."
Rong Xi was held by the child's hand, and went to Huan Niang's sugar water shop.
Huanniang's hair was tied with black cloth, and she boiled the sugar water skillfully. When her husband saw that she was sweating on her forehead, she let her rest. He came to cook the sugar water for her.
Rong Xi looked at Huanniang's husband who was honest and reliable, but when he looked at his eyes again, he looked a little silly, not like a grown man with ordinary intelligence.
After Huanniang stopped what she was doing, she stretched out her arm and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked at Rong Xi with a little embarrassment, and said, "You are really neglecting Miss. Business is always the busiest at night."
Rong Xi smiled lightly, and replied: "It's a good thing that business is busy, and also, don't call me Miss anymore."
Huanniang groaned, and then said: "Miss will always be Miss in my heart... Is it because the empress in the palace sent you to do something again this time out of the palace?"
Rong Xi's speech was slightly stagnant.
Huanniang didn't know what happened in the palace.
It is not known about Yu Zhaorong's death, nor is it known about her changing master.
Rong Xi's tone was very calm, and said to Huan Niang: "I went to the empress I was with before. After changing the master, I committed a crime in the palace and was kicked out..."
Huanniang's expression changed slightly, and then she returned to normal. She smiled and said, "Miss, it's good to be fine, and it's a good thing to leave the palace early. In the future, Miss will live with our family. Now the business of our husband and wife is still prosperous, although it is not as good as it is." The days when the master is alive, but taking care of it will make the young lady feel comfortable."
Rong Xi nodded, and replied gratefully: "Thank you for taking me in."
Huanniang sighed, and said again: "I just don't know that you can leave the palace so early. I haven't had time to find a reliable husband for the young lady. The young lady is almost seventeen after the Chinese New Year. I have to hurry up and find a matchmaker." .”
Rong Xi smiled and said that there was no hurry, and handed them the gifts bought for Huanniang's children.
Huanniang's family lived in a small house in the street. After closing the stall and returning home, Huanniang's husband stewed tofu with a few fresh fish that had been sold during the day.
Huanniang scooped up a bowl for Rong Xi first, and said softly, "Miss, eat it while it's hot."
Rong Xi took it, but when he smelled the fresh fish, he suddenly felt sick.
She couldn't hold back the nausea, so she quickly walked away from the food table, and went out of the house to hold her heart and vomit.
Huanniang hurriedly followed Rong Xi, asking about her condition with concern.
Seeing Rong Xi's bitter smile, expressing apologies to her again and again, Huanniang suddenly had a guess in her heart.
With a slightly surprised look on her face, she tentatively asked Rong Xi: "Miss... But... she is pregnant."
Rong Xi nodded helplessly, but said nothing.
Huanniang asked again: "Then this child..."
Rong Xi's expression suddenly became a little heavy, and she said to Huan Niang: "It's not convenient for me to tell you the identity of that person, but that person doesn't know that I'm pregnant...I can only stay in Bianjing for a few days, We will take a boat to Hongdu early in the morning."
She calculated the day when Mu Huai would return from Qinzhou.
It is not suitable to stay in Bianjing for a long time. According to Mu Huai's temperament, he will still use manpower to find her in Biandu.
But if he couldn't find her, the territory of Qi was very large, he didn't know where she went, and he would give up soon.
Huanniang didn't dare to ask Rong Xi what happened, she only knew that the young lady was going to take refuge now, and that the young lady had a very hard life.
She remembered that many years ago, Rong Xi was still a young lady from an aristocratic family who was pampered and raised. She had an unparalleled beauty in the world, and although she was young, she was extremely intelligent.
In her heart, Miss was originally a wonderful person like a fairy, but now she has come to the mortal world.
Even slaves and handmaids.
Looking at it now, she must have been bullied in the palace to lose her virginity, and she actually ended up being pregnant out of wedlock.
Huanniang felt sorry for Rong Xi, tears welled up in her eyes, she held Rong Xi's hand, and said earnestly: "Then I will accompany Miss to Hongdu in the future, and I will return to Bianjing after Miss settles down."
Rong Xi waved his hand and persuaded, "You can't ignore your business."
Huanniang said: "This stall has been closed for two days, and besides, with my husband here, it is not a problem to sell fish to earn a living. Miss, don't worry."
*****
A few days later, a palace change took place in the Forbidden City of Yongxi.
After learning that Concubine Li Gui's palace was burned, Li Rui kept complaining about illness and did not go to court for many days, but he was secretly planning a rebellion.
Li Rui led his troops to the Yongxi Palace at night, he was unwilling and hated Emperor Zhuang's cruelty to his daughter Li Guifei.
He also wanted to force Emperor Zhuang to abdicate and allow Mu Ji to ascend the throne while Mu Huai and Yin Cheng were both in Qinzhou.
Outside the Qianyuan Hall, the guards were heavily guarded. Jieyu, who was serving Emperor Zhuang that night, heard the news from the frightened little maid, and her heart shuddered.
She pear blossoms rained and asked Emperor Zhuang: "Your Majesty... what should we do now? Are we going to run away?"
Emperor Zhuang's eyes were black and blue, he looked at the young Jieyu, wiped away her tears with his hand, and said calmly: "Don't run, they can't enter this Qianyuan Hall."
After hearing that, Jieyu was dubious, but she could only choose to believe what Emperor Zhuang said.
Sure enough, when Li Rui and his soldiers were still far away from the Qianyuan Hall, they suddenly found that the surrounding atmosphere was not quite right.
He looked around, his expression couldn't help but change.
It turns out that crossbowmen have been ambushed on the eaves of the surrounding palaces!
Li Rui secretly thought it was bad, but it was too late.
Around him, there were already soldiers with arrow feathers in their bodies, kneeling on their knees, and fell beside him.
Although there were soldiers blocking him with shields in front of him, he was still shot by an arrow in the arm.
Li Rui endured the pain and pulled out the arrow feather. The wound was not deep, but under the palace lantern, he could vaguely see that the blood on it was black.
Only then did he know that the arrow feathers had been poisoned.
Suddenly, the crossbowmen on the eaves jumped down from it, and many soldiers guarding Emperor Zhuang poured in from all directions.
Li Rui's soldiers were already loaded with poisonous arrows, and they were no match for these soldiers who hadn't fought yet.
When he was subdued to the ground by two strong soldiers, Mu Huai, dressed in black iron armor, strode towards him.
Mu Huai lowered his eyebrows, and raised his voice: "Those who voluntarily surrender will be spared the death penalty."
The hesitant rebels only thought for a moment, and seeing the disparity in power between the enemy and us, they surrendered to Mu Huai's side one after another.
Li Rui sneered, and said to Mu Huai: "My boy, you resorted to the trick of diverting the tiger away from the mountain, so you never went to Qinzhou at all!" "
Mu Huai's eyes were dark, he drew the knife and put the blade on Li Rui's neck, and said in an extremely cold voice, "It's up to now, I can only blame you for being self-willed and rebellious."
After finishing speaking, Li Rui's eyes flickered.
Immediately after that, blood splattered, and the fishy smell diffused into the air, making people tremble.
Without even blinking, Mu Huai chopped off his head with a knife.
After Li Rui's head fell to the ground, Mu Ji, who had been surrendered by the soldiers, called out in pain: "Grandfather!"
After the hoarseness was exhausted, Emperor Zhuang walked in front of the crowd with the support of Jieyu, dressed in dark Qiu Mian.
Now when he walks, even if he is supported by others, he still needs crutches.
The soldiers knelt down one after another, kowtowed to the emperor, and said:
"—Long live my emperor, long live, long live."
Emperor Zhuang stopped in front of Li Rui's head. Without looking at Mu Ji, he said to the eunuch who declared the decree behind him: "The second prince, Mu Ji, is trying to plot rebellion. I think of the love between father and son, and I don't want to take his life. I will be imprisoned today. Taiqing Palace, you can't get out of it for the rest of your life."
Mu Ji's lips trembled slightly, his eyes were full of panic.
Without Li Rui, and without his concubine mother, he no longer had any Qi clan power to draw close to.
Tears welled up in Mu Ji's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I take orders, thank you father for not killing me."
After speaking, Mu Ji was dragged away by the soldiers.
Emperor Zhuang coughed a few times, and said to Mu Huai, who was kneeling on the ground: "The fourth prince, Mu Huai, has made meritorious deeds in protecting his family. The system ①."
Under Emperor Zhuang's proud and approving eyes, Mu Huai respectfully received the decree.
Behind him is the sound of congratulations from a group of soldiers.
From the beginning of the night, he was the Prince of the Eastern Palace, the future monarch of Qi.
It turned out to be a great joy, he got the desired position as he wished, and his ambitious opponent had already cut off his head.
But he felt very tired.
Mu Huai's body was stained with the blood of the enemy, he wanted to go back to Quyun Palace to find that woman.
I want to hold her in my arms without any lust, to soothe all his tiredness and unspeakable loneliness after the dust settles.
After having this thought, Mu Huai laughed secretly in his heart.
When did you become like this? He was actually worried about being disturbed by a woman.
He feels that women are really troublesome and a waste of time, but the pace of walking towards Quyun Palace is getting faster and faster.
You'll see that woman soon.
Since he is already the crown prince, no matter what happens tonight, he will tell that woman that he will make her Emperor Liang and let her be his justifiable woman.
What will the woman look like when she hears the news
Mu Huai imagined Rong Xi's expression in his heart, and a faint smile was hidden on his lips.
Finally arrived at Quyun Palace, the people of Tomorrow Palace will no longer call this place Quyun Palace.
Instead, it should be called the East Palace.
But when he got outside the hall, Mu Huai saw a group of guards kneeling in the dark.
His eyes changed slightly, and he strode forward with a bad thought in his heart.
Seeing the darkness in the hall, Mu Huai coughed and called in a calm voice, "Rong Xi?"
His low and mellow voice seemed empty in the spacious bedroom.
No one answered him.
Mu Huai's eyes turned cold, and he went back to the room where Rong Xi usually lives alone.
On the mirror stand were bottles and jars commonly used by women, and the quilts on the bed were neatly folded.
But the room was full, but there was no sign of the woman.
Mu Huai's heartbeat seemed to pause.
With a dark look on his brows, he rushed out of the room with an extremely angry look, and asked the chief attendant in a cold and compelling voice, "Where did that woman go?"