The night was as clear as water, very elegant. Qu Moying lay on the bed but couldn't fall asleep for a while.
In fact, her sleep has never been very good. She would always wake up from her dreams with palpitations, several times a night. All kinds of bad situations would come to her one after another, sometimes making her unable to tell whether it was a dream or reality.
It was the same now. I suddenly opened my eyes and was frightened by Ji Youran's hideous smile from Linyuan Pavilion in my dream. I subconsciously covered my chest with my hands.
My heartbeat was indeed much faster than usual.
"What, are you awake?" A voice suddenly came to his ear. Qu Moying was startled and turned around. Only then did he see that there was a person lying next to him. It was Pei Yuanjun. When did he come in, and he lay down next to him.
He was lying on his side and his face could not be seen clearly.
"Your Majesty... why are you here?" Qu Moying pressed his hand and tried to get up.
His body was held down by a large hand, and Pei Yuanjun's lazy voice was heard in his ears: "I couldn't sleep, so I came to see and ask what happened in the palace."
Are you going to ask about Concubine Li
This matter could indeed be a big or small one. Qu Moying nodded and told him everything in detail. This time, he didn't tell Qu Zhizhen as he added some of his own subjective thoughts and spoke in more detail, even comparing Qu Qiuyan's actions in it one by one.
After he finished speaking, Qu Moying frowned and asked, "My Lord, who do you think is behind Lady Li?"
A beauty, and a beauty that he had never seen before, could not possibly be so hostile to him. One time was an accident, but what about several times? Obviously, this was a calculated plot.
"Concubine Li has gone crazy, Caimai has disappeared, and the palace maid who was in contact with her was hit and killed." Pei Yuanjun said leisurely. Although his expression could not be seen clearly in the darkness, it was obvious that he was not surprised.
Qu Moying had no idea what happened after leaving the palace, so he was shocked when he heard it.
"No clues?"
"That's all!" Pei Yuanjun said lazily, with a bit of laziness in his whole body. "This matter has passed. It has nothing to do with you. Don't worry. It's just that your father is busy today."
"Did he go to the Prince of Yun's Mansion?" Qu Moying was silent for a moment, unable to see clearly in the darkness, and then asked.
"Why would I let you enter my palace at this time?" Pei Yuanjun said indifferently.
"Why did the prince refuse?" Qu Moying bit her lip and asked subconsciously.
"Why didn't I refuse? Could it be that I was the one who let him manipulate me? Qu Zhizhen planned too much and sent his two daughters out one by one."
Pei Yuanjun's voice was somewhat cold.
Qu Moying bit her lip, not knowing what to say for a moment. She was unable to continue with this sentence.
Fortunately, this person did not intend to let her answer: "This king is marrying a concubine, not an ordinary concubine. There is not even a courtesy ceremony. He really thinks that this king is that idiot Pei Yusheng."
Qu Moying had no way to respond to this, so she could only lower her head and change the subject, "Does the prince need me to do anything?"
He came here in the middle of the night, so there must be something going on.
"I want to ask your father what he said when he came back?" Pei Yuanjun raised his narrow eyes in the darkness, and simply reached out and hugged Qu Moying into his arms.
Feeling in my arms
His figure stiffened, but he did not refuse. His eyes narrowed slightly and he reached out to touch Qu Moying's head. Her hair was soft and smooth under his hands.
"After coming back, she came to talk about my third sister specifically, saying that she had been sent away so that I could rest assured in the future." Qu Moying curled her lips sarcastically. Qu Zhizhen failed to send her to the Prince of Yun's Mansion, but instead said that it was as if he sent Qu Qiuyan away for her own sake.
She would rather not have such a father! She also doesn't intend to treat him as a blood relative.
"Qu Zhizhen is really an old fox!" Pei Yuanjun patted Qu Moying's back from time to time, and felt her stiff body slowly relax. There was a hint of tenderness in his eyes, and he said slowly, "This matter ends here for the time being!"
"Not investigating further?" Qu Moying asked in surprise. She wanted to look up, but was held down by his hand and could not lift it up. The small space in front of her was his broad chest that was half-open and a little messy. Even in the dark night, her little face turned red involuntarily. Fortunately, it was still dark.
"There's no need to investigate further, let's stop here for now!" Pei Yuanjun said leisurely, his men still did not stop, gently patting Qu Moying's back.
"Could it be related to... the Qu Mansion?" Qu Moying actually felt as if he was comforted. Although he was feeling sleepy, he was still trying hard to stay awake.
"Of course there are, but it's not a big deal. You are the most innocent in this matter, and the palace has to make some statement... We can't let my people bully you for nothing..."
Pei Yuanjun's voice was very slow and soft. Qu Moying's eyes closed at some point, and the words in her ears became less clear. Gradually, the voice became farther and farther away.
Pei Yuanjun stopped talking, his eyes falling on Qu Moying's somewhat pale face. The faint moonlight slanted in from the window, allowing him to see the sleepiness in Qu Moying's eyes. In fact, he had already been watching for a while when he entered the room, and saw that Qu Moying was not sleeping well.
It was quiet now.
There was a soft knock from the window, three times. It was the guards urging him to leave.
He gently put down his hand, letting Qu Moying's body fall slowly, then he pulled up the quilt on one side and covered her with it, then turned and left. His tall figure under the night sky looked cold and noble, but also inexplicably a little more chilly.
"Go back home!"
In the court, one imperial censor after another came forward to make reports.
Things in the palace are neither big nor small, but they are most likely to affect the entire body.
This matter caused quite a stir. Some people reported the chaos in the harem, some reported the Empress, some reported Concubine He, of course there was also Qu Zhizhen, and even Prince Jing. One after another, they submitted memorials, and the Emperor who was sitting above looked increasingly unhappy.
After an imperial censor read out his eloquent memorial once more, the emperor could no longer bear it and threw several memorials at him.
For a moment, the court was as quiet as a chicken, and no one dared to speak carelessly.
"Prime Minister Chen, you speak!" The emperor looked coldly at the two prime ministers standing on both sides and directly named one of them. The censors were jumping up and down just now, but the two prime ministers standing on both sides were very steady and did not make any noise.
After hearing the emperor nod, Chen Xiang stood up, went to the hall and bowed to the emperor, then said: "Your Majesty, I think Li Meiren deserves her punishment, but this is a matter of the harem, and the Empress has her own way.
Master, this matter has nothing to do with the previous dynasty. The previous dynasty has other matters to deal with, so there is no need to submit too many memorials."
With just one sentence, all the people who were jumping up and down were reprimanded, but this was Prime Minister Chen, so no one dared to say anything even if they were not convinced.
"The Queen will make the final decision on matters concerning the inner palace." The Emperor nodded, and then said in a deep voice, "This matter ends here. Since Concubine Li had plotted this, she deserves the punishment. As for Concubine Li's family, they will also be punished. This matter will be handed over to the Dali Temple for handling. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" All the ministers bowed their heads and said in unison.
At this point, no matter what their respective calculations were, the matter could no longer be made into a big deal. Although Concubine Li herself was guilty, her family was also dealt with by the Dali Temple, which originally represented the emperor's attitude.
In fact, it's not just the emperor's attitude. Who would be so blind to rush up? Although I feel that there are still some doubts about this matter, why would a beauty in the palace deal with the unmarried daughter of the minister's mansion? In fact, the two people have nothing to do with each other, right
The beauties in the palace are not mad dogs that will bite whoever they catch.
It's just that there's no way to investigate this matter further, as the clues have been cut off. It's not advisable to investigate this matter too thoroughly at this time. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Especially at this time, when the Crown Prince and King Jing are fighting secretly, it's better to cut off things that seem to be related as soon as possible.
No one wants to take sides at this time, or even if they have taken sides, they don't want to be exposed. It is best to hide in the dark.
Thus, the matter was settled amid the calculations of the various parties, and no one wanted to pursue the matter too much.
Concubine Li went crazy and was banished to the cold palace. The two young ladies from the Qu family who were involved in this were naturally the victims. The Empress Dowager specially rewarded Qu Moying with a gift. As for the fact that Qu Qiuyan entered Prince Jing's mansion in a hurry, the news gradually spread.
From then on, there was no Third Miss in Minister Qu’s mansion, only Fourth Miss Qu!
The one who entered Prince Jing's palace, although she was previously destined to be a concubine, the royal family has always attached the greatest importance to etiquette, so it is hard to say what will happen next.
Some people felt it was ironic, some felt that Miss Qu San was unlucky and too timid, and some felt that Miss Qu San had poor personal ethics.
But no matter what the rumors are, Qu Qiuyan is now the concubine Qu in Prince Jing's mansion.
Qu Qiuyan, who had been ignored as soon as she entered Prince Jing's Mansion, now clearly recognized her identity and her situation. When she first entered, the steward was busy trying to curry favor with her, but then Pei Yusheng slapped her in the face, which destroyed her face and her dignity among the servants. She was repeatedly treated with contempt and even ridicule by several servants.
In just two days, she experienced all the ways of the world and suddenly realized something!
At this moment, she was kneeling at the door of Pei Yusheng's study, holding a bowl of soup she had cooked herself, and begging to see King Jing Pei Yusheng. She had been kneeling for an hour.
But he still knelt there firmly. When he raised his eyes slightly, tears could be seen in his eyes. His eyes looked pitifully towards the study door for a long time.
"Concubine Qu, His Highness invites you in!" A eunuch hurried out, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing. He stretched out his hand to support her, smiling broadly.
"Yes!" Qu Qiuyan breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that King Jing had great affection for her. This time, she would definitely recognize her own identity. All her plans would have to wait until she had established her footing...