Although Chu Jinyao is fierce against Concubine Shu and Zhao Lanhui, in fact, her current situation is not good.
The East Palace was surrounded by iron barrels, Chu Jinyao handed over the power of the palace, and could not take a step out of the East Palace.
The daily meals are still delivered by the imperial kitchen, but the meals have to be checked several times, and the eunuchs who come and go are all familiar faces.
This is almost a disguised house arrest. Concubine Shu took the phoenix seal from here, and as it should be, the right to assist the six palaces fell into the hands of the qualified and famous Concubine Shu. Princess Su often followed Concubine Shu's side and could also get in touch with some of the palace affairs. Concubine Shu's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law control the court, while King Su has placed his cronies in the courtroom.
After returning from Oara, the emperor trusted each other with Pu Cun, and he was accustomed to ask Fang Pu Cun's opinion no matter whether it was state affairs or family affairs. The emperor was easily influenced by others, and he relied on the opinions of people he trusted. In the past, this person was Empress Xiao Qi, but now, Fang Pu has taken his place.
When the emperor was captured in the Oara army camp, Fang Pucun was the only Han in the Oara tribe. The emperor was inevitably dependent on him. Later, Fang Pucun showed his loyalty and actively rescued the emperor. In that kind of lonely situation, It is completely conceivable that the emperor relied more and more on Fang Pucun.
It would be great if Fang Pucun was really a loyal and patriotic person, but he is a smart person, but he has no empathy and moral restraint. He made plans for the Oara people to open the gates of the city in the name of sending the emperor back to Beijing. This is the hateful thing about Fang Pucun. Everything he does is loyal to the emperor in the eyes of the emperor, but from the perspective of the court, Fang Pucun is a disaster for the country and the people.
A person who gambles with the life of the whole country, no matter how smart and scheming, is not a genius, but an evil spirit.
Qin Yi refused, which was within Qin Yi's expectation and also within Fang Pucun's expectation.
Therefore, when the emperor came back, Qin Yi was suspected, but Fang Pucun became a great hero, won the emperor's trust, and threatened the holy will.
Chu Jinyao sat in the iron barrel-like Ciqing Palace, looking out the window and sighing. The weather is warmer day by day, the palace willows sprout new green, and the dead trees in front of the Ciqing Palace window also sprout new branches. These delicate greens are lovable, but the environment in the palace is like a long night, and there is no hope.
The first confrontation between Donggong and Fang Pucun was both victorious and defeated. Now, Fang Pucun showed his second sickle in a calm manner.
He said in front of the emperor that the prince went to Xishan to rebuild the Guards not for the country and the people. The prince just wanted to take the opportunity of reorganizing the Guards and wait for the opportunity to cultivate private soldiers for himself. This army was created by Qin Yi, and they would not It is the strong soldier of the dynasty, and it will only be the private army of the prince. The day the Praetorian Guard was rebuilt was the day when the crown prince raised his troops to take the throne.
The emperor was of course panicked when he heard this, and even after listening to Fang Pucun's suggestion, he ordered a search of the East Palace. And Chu Jinyao not only rejected Dongchang, but even Concubine Shu came to be a lobbyist and called them out. In the emperor's view, these behaviors naturally changed again.
The emperor was even more suspicious and ordered people to surround the East Palace. Chu Jinyao was trapped in the palace and lost her freedom, and even more, she could not guarantee her safety. King Su, Concubine Shu, and Fang Pucun, these three people were all trusted by the emperor, but now these three people colluded with each other and firmly controlled the court, the harem and the emperor. Donggong is really standing on the tip of the knife now. A little mistake will be irreversible, and Chu Jinyao is being held as a hostage. If something happens, she and the child will be the first two people to be affected.
The East Palace is in jeopardy, and the atmosphere in the capital is getting more depressed every day. People in the officialdom are now in a state of turmoil, and everyone is in danger. Whether they are standing in line or not, they are now keeping their mouths shut, guarding against each other, but secretly finding a way out for the family.
Linglong came in and closed the window lightly: "Prince Concubine, you have been sitting in the wind for a long time. Now that you are heavy, go to the room and lie down for a while."
Chu Jinyao shook her head, she had no time to sleep now. Chu Jinyao's due date is in April, and there are still more than 20 days left, but Chu Jinyao's actions are already very difficult. Chu Jinyao also knew that pregnant women should not worry too much, but now there are strong guards outside the Ciqing Palace.
Chu Jinyao looked at the fluffy sprouts outside the window and sighed in a low voice. She touched her stomach and whispered to the child, "Mother promised you to go to see the flowers. Now that spring is everywhere in the palace, it will definitely look better when you come out in another month. Be good, don't be afraid."
The timing of King Su and Fang Pucun's attack was really bad. If it took a little longer and Qin Yi completed the rebuilding of the Imperial Guard, there would be no need to worry about Fang Pucun and King Su, and even the emperor would not have to be afraid. But it happened that they attacked Qin Yi halfway through, and Qin Yi was not strong enough to make a strong attack. King Su and Fang Pucun did not dare to enter Xishan. The two sides became deadlocked.
King Su and the prince confronted each other, Ciqing Palace was surrounded by iron barrels, and Chu Jinyao was a hostage and a threat. Chu Jinyao has vaguely heard in the past few days that the smell of gunpowder in the confrontation between King Su and the prince is getting stronger and stronger.
When entering the palace at this time, no one believes that the emperor really wants to know the progress of the reconstruction of the Guards. At the beginning, Han Xin was also a powerful minister on the side of the army. When he entered the palace for a banquet, he was ambushed and killed by Empress Lu, not to mention that he had no power yet. Restore the complete prince. This edict is clearly a feast of Hongmen.
Chu Jinyao hoped in a low voice in his heart that Qin Yi would not go back to the palace, never come back. Although the emperor's fate is hard to violate, there are also generals who will be dissatisfied with the orders of the outsider. Chu Jinyao believes that it is very easy to find an excuse for not being able to return to the palace by Qin Yi's means.
As for her... Before it was revealed whether the child in her womb was a boy or a girl, neither the emperor nor King Su would embarrass her. Chu Jinyao counted her due date and sighed inwardly. They had already been pushed to the cliff, and Chu Jinyao also looked away. She could endure it as long as she could.
In the end, Linglong persuaded Chu Jinyao to get up and go back to the house. Chu Jinyao has a very picky appetite now, and she feels sick when she smells greasy food, but she is absolutely indispensable for nutrition this month. Since the East Palace was besieged, Linglong and Gongmao no longer dared to let Chu Jinyao eat the dishes from the imperial kitchen. They could only bring back fresh vegetables and cook them in the small kitchen. Although it was slower, it was better than eating outside. Peace of mind. Grandma Gong asked Chu Jinyao what she wanted to eat today, and then hurriedly went to the small kitchen to cook, but after a while, Linglong vaguely heard a quarrel coming from the corner door.
Chu Jinyao also heard it and asked, "What's wrong?"
Kikyo was blessed and hurried out to see. After a while, Kikyo came back with a stiff expression: "Prince Concubine, the eunuch who delivered the vegetables came, but was stopped by the guards outside."
The guard looked at it with a knife for a long time, but he was not allowed to bring fresh vegetables into the basket under the pretext that there was something in the basket.
Kikyo argued with the guards at the corner gate for a long time, and his cheeks were flushed with anger: "They are so deceiving! They dare to detain vegetables, if they delay the meal of the crown princess and the little master, who will be responsible for them!"
Linglong was also very angry when he heard it: "I thought that even if King Su was unfaithful and unscrupulous, he still acted in an upright manner, but I didn't expect him to do such an underhand thing! It's been nine months since the Crown Princess, and they couldn't be negligent, but they were able to do it. Detaining food and such things!"
In the past, Linglong and Kikyo's maids would definitely not dare to discuss the right and wrong of the royal family, but the matter has reached this point, there is nothing to be afraid of. Either the Crown Prince will put things right and Linglong and the others will be fine, or King Su's treacherous scheme will succeed, and everyone in the East Palace may not end well. Since they are all dead, why don't they dare to scold him
This kind of thing is really unprofessional, but who makes it useful? Linglong and a few people can withstand hunger, and Chu Jinyao can endure it as an adult, but what about children
Kikyo was so angry that he couldn't help muttering: "If His Royal Highness is here, who would dare to do this..."
"Qianjian." Chu Jinyao lowered her voice, and Qikyo immediately lowered her head in fear, Chu Jinyao glanced at her, and said, "This is not a big deal, you go to the kitchen and tell Gongmao, what the small kitchen can do. ."
"Yes."
Kikyo shrank his neck and walked away quickly. After waiting for the people to go out, Chu Jinyao said to Linglong with a warning in his eyes, "No one is allowed to mention this kind of thing in the future."
Linglong hurriedly knelt down and bowed to this matter.
Chu Jinyao stood up slowly and walked around the room with her waist supported. I heard that one month before labor, you should pay extra attention to walking. With the help of the palace maid, Chu Jinyao walked around twice, and said silently in her heart that she also wanted Qin Yi to be by her side, but in this situation, she wished that Qin Yi would not come back.
King Su used these despicable methods and let him do it, so many people watched, and he didn't dare to really do anything to Chu Jinyao. But there are many traps in the capital, King Su and Concubine Shu are waiting in the palace, so Qin Yi must not fall into the trap.
The next day, the food-delivery eunuch outside still failed to come in. Chu Jinyao didn't say anything after knowing it. After a few laps, she was already sweating a thin layer, and the palace people were afraid that Chu Jinyao would catch a cold, so they quickly brought a hot towel over to wipe it.
The maids had just brought their things and called an eunuch who came in. First, they politely gave Chu Jinyao a nod, but then he was not polite at all: "Prince Concubine Jin An, the emperor heard that the concubine has an appetite recently. No, I specially sent a servant over to ask."
Linglong took a sip when she heard this: "It's not that the Crown Princess has a bad appetite. Now there are only stale dishes that have been left for a long time. Who can have a good appetite?"
This too listened to this and just laughed and didn't answer. Although he smiled, his tone was full of indifference: "Prince Concubine, long live is still waiting for you, let's go now."
Linglong and the others were very vigilant when they heard this, and couldn't help but surround Chu Jinyao. Was it really the emperor's call? What if King Su or Concubine Shu used the name of the emperor to let Chu Jinyao leave the palace, and then murdered the princess during this time? The crown princess is now a month old, and if there is a slight accident, it will be one corpse and two lives.
Linglong also wanted to find an excuse: "The crown princess has edema on her legs and can't walk..."
"Don't worry, girl, the miscellaneous family has already called Bu Nian, and there are several experienced maids watching, the crown princess will be fine."
"but… "
The father-in-law on the opposite side was already impatient, Chu Jinyao stopped Linglong and said, "Since the emperor has an edict, naturally he can't be neglected. Father-in-law wait a moment, wait for me to change into the holy clothes."
The father-in-law frowned and said sharply, "How dare you let Long live wait?"
Chu Jinyao stopped and looked back at her father-in-law: "Are you teaching me to do things?"
The father-in-law's arrogance has weakened. Even if the situation in front of him is in danger, she is still the crown princess. The father-in-law thought about the person from the Qing Palace, and he didn't dare to be too extreme, and silently let Chu Jinyao change clothes.
When they reached the empty inner room, Chu Jinyao lowered her voice and said hurriedly, "Go get the medicine powder."
"Princess!"
"Go!"
Linglong didn't dare to delay, she fetched the poison powder with her trembling fingers. Chu Jinyao instructed the maid to apply all the powder to the hairpin, and she carefully hid the rest under her fingernails.
When they were outside, Chu Jinyao's expression was calm and indifferent, and she couldn't see it at all. She took the palace attendants out, and just took two steps, when the father-in-law stopped him: "Prince Concubine, the people who are served by outsiders are ready, you don't have to worry about it."
Chu Jinyao glanced at him, and said to the people behind: "Lilac, you stay at the gate. Linglong, you follow me."
Linglong hurriedly sighed and quickly followed. The father-in-law is quite a little smirk: "Prince Concubine..."
"This concubine is the direct daughter of the Marquis of Changxing, the concubine of the Crown Prince of the East Palace. Since entering the palace, I have never left anyone." Chu Jinyao glanced at the other party condescendingly, "Why, you have doubts about the appearance of this prince concubine. Can't it?"
The father-in-law was blocked, it is hard to say. The empress in the palace could not go anywhere without people, the father-in-law thought that a palace maid would not be able to make any waves, so he did not stop him and took Chu Jinyao out.
This is the first time that Chu Jinyao has stepped out of the palace gate in these days, but as soon as she came out, she was half-held and helped on the sedan chair. The sedan chair was carried in a hurry, and Chu Jinyao was a little bumpy while sitting in it. She struggled to endure it. She didn't know how long she had walked. When someone helped Chu Jinyao off the sedan chair, Chu Jinyao raised her head and swept her head. She was suddenly surprised.
It turned out to be the Qianqing Palace.
Chu Jinyao thought that the emperor's summoning was just an excuse, but she did not expect that she would actually be sent to the Qianqing Palace. Chu Jinyao's face was calm, and she was already thinking quickly in her heart, what did they mean? The child has not yet been born, and they don't know whether it is a boy or a girl, so they can't hold back now. Then they forcibly pulled her out, what was the plan
Chu Jinyao entered from the side door, and when she walked around the huge screen behind the main hall, her pupils shrank fiercely when she saw the person in front of her.
There are many people standing in the Qianqing Palace at the moment, but the person standing in the center of the palace is tall and tall, and even if there are many people, they can catch the attention of others at first sight. He was wearing a black uniform with a golden coiled dragon embroidered on his shoulders, and a leather and jade belt tied around his waist tightly. When viewed from the side, he was neat and straight.
It was Qin Yi, and he still came back.