The sleeping hall is bright with pearls and radiant treasure, and there are all kinds of precious ornaments.
Murong Chang smiled sweetly at the beauty in the bronze mirror, "Mother Concubine, my son naturally likes the most outstanding man in Yan Kingdom, who has made great military exploits, has both civil and military skills, is impeccably handsome, and has an outstanding bearing."
Concubine Qiao lowered her hands and took a step back. Sure enough, it was him
Murong Chang saw the strange look on the mother's concubine from the bronze mirror, and asked in surprise: "Mother's concubine, what's wrong with you?"
"Your ideal person is" Concubine Qiao hesitated to say it.
"My son-in-law's ideal person is the imperial king Murong Yu. My son-in-law can only be him, and my son-in-law will only marry him in this life." Murong Shang raised her red lips, raised her chin slightly, and her eyebrows were picturesquely lingering with natural arrogance .
"It's not like you haven't seen Yu Wang before, why?"
"In the past, I was only thinking of going out to play in the palace. Now that I have played and seen the beautiful world outside the palace, that's it. Mother and concubine, I have seen Yuwang several times in the palace in the past, although I also think he is handsome. , but this time when I returned to Beijing, I realized that no one in the world can compare to his beauty and magnanimity, not even a single point. In the past, I was blind." Murong Chang said with joy, his voice was clear and clear. The moist pearls fell into the jade plate.
Concubine Qiao pulled her daughter up, held her hands, and said solemnly: "Zhaohua, listen to my concubine's persuasion, Yu Wang is not a good match."
When Murong Chang heard this, he immediately lowered his face, and said unhappily: "Mother Concubine, Yu Wang is both civil and military. She is the most outstanding prince in the clan and the first person in the Yan Dynasty. Why is she not a good match? What's wrong with my son?" Give it to him, and he will live happily ever after."
Concubine Qiao said coldly with a straight face: "Zhaohua, mother concubine is not saying that Yu Wang is not good, it's not that she is against it, but that your father is still resting, and you are in a hurry to beg your father for a marriage, and you don't serve him. unfilial"
"Then you can give the marriage first, and then hold the wedding ceremony after the father's dragon body recovers. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
"Listen to my concubine, this is for your own good"
"Mother and Concubine, you are so wordy, I don't want to hear it, anyway, I want to marry Yu Wang"
Murong Chang covered his ears and stomped his feet, completely ignoring his mother and concubine's instruction.
Concubine Qiao was angry and impatient, but there was nothing she could do about this daughter, she lamented in her heart: She was spoiled by His Majesty.
Murong Chang walked out angrily, "I'm going to visit the imperial garden, mother and concubine are at their own discretion."
When she reached the main hall, she stopped suddenly and said in surprise, "Brother Prince, why are you here?"
Murong Ci said calmly: "I went to Yuxiu Hall to visit your mother and concubine, the palace people said that your mother and concubine came to the imperial sister's place."
Concubine Qiao rushed out after hearing the voice, and said kindly, "Your Highness has something important to do."
"It's not a big deal." Murong Ci said frankly, "Just now I overheard my sister saying that she has someone she likes and wants to congratulate her father. This is a good thing and also her filial piety to her father. The younger sister has indeed reached the age of giving a marriage, and moreover, the royal king is in charge of the government, and the power is poured into the court. The father relies on him and trusts him. If the royal sister marries the royal king, the father will definitely entrust the royal sister to the royal king, and he will be satisfied This marriage."
"Brother Prince thinks so too." Murong Chang was pleasantly surprised, his smile was like a cluster of crape myrtle flowers under the scorching sun.
"Don't worry, I will definitely report this matter to my father. My father will give you a marriage soon."
"That's great, thank you, Brother Prince."
Murong Chang couldn't help but smile openly.
Concubine Qiao frowned, with a worried look on her face.
Murong Ci guessed a little bit of her thoughts, and said: "Concubine Qiao, can I take a step to speak?"
Murong Shang was immersed in great joy, wishing to fly to Yuwangfu immediately to tell Murong Yu the good news. But she will be reserved, so it's better to wait. She smiled sweetly, "Mother and Concubine, you go to the gazebo in the back garden and sit down, and my son goes to the imperial dining room to see if there are any pastries that have just been made."
Seeing her daughter walking away in the wind, Concubine Qiao was very worried.
The two came to the five-cornered pavilion in the back garden. The maid served tea and bowed to leave.
"Your Highness, Zhao Hua is the daughter of this palace, please don't meddle in this matter, Your Highness."
Concubine Qiao calmed down, although she was gentle and kind, the coldness in her eyes was particularly glaring.
Murong Ci picked up the teacup and sipped it lightly. Concubine Qiao has been in the palace for more than 20 years, and she is the oldest among the dozen or so concubines in the harem. Although she is forty years old, she is well-maintained, her face is good-looking, her charm is still there, and her exquisite facial features can be seen as beautiful as when she was 28 years old.
Princess Zhaohua has inherited her beauty, and from Princess Zhaohua's beauty like a flower, we can know that she was incomparably beautiful back then.
Following the death of Empress Ling, Concubine Qiao was favored for more than ten years, until the young and beautiful Concubine Xiao Gui entered the palace, she fell out of favor, her beauty can be seen.
"Concubine Qiao, I understand what you are worried about." Murong Ci smiled, "Zhaohua has always been arrogant and self-willed, the more Concubine Qiao stops her, the more Zhaohua wants to marry Yuwang. Which time Zhaohua is not like this? Temperament, Concubine Qiao, as a mother concubine, don't you understand?"
"Indeed." Concubine Qiao nodded, because she lost her composure in a panic.
"Actually, Yuwang is a good match. Zhaohua marrying him is a good marriage both in public and in private."
"What does Your Highness say?"
"Concubine Qiao is smart, she can understand it after careful consideration."
Concubine Qiao thought carefully about the hints from the prince, and was suddenly startled. It turned out that the prince was not an idiot.
Everything is just a disguise.
The prince in front of him smiled lightly, seemingly saying nothing, but actually said everything.
In an instant, the cold air rose from the soles of her feet, and she was about to reconsider the prince.
After drinking tea, she asked, "What is your Highness looking for from Bengong?"
Murong Ci smiled heartlessly, "It's like this, so many things have happened in the palace recently, Dali Temple has searched for so many days, but found nothing. Shen Shaoqing begged me to come and ask you some old things."
Concubine Qiao smiled and said, "Your Highness, please tell me."
"Shen Shaoqing went to Chunwu Courtyard before and met some people. He noticed Mrs. An and the maids close by, and felt that they were different from the people in the courtyard, so he wanted to ask."
"Master An has something to do with those things"
"In fact, there is no connection, but there is really no clue, just a routine inquiry."
Concubine Qiao nodded, looking at the blooming roses and peonies in Qiongting, her eyes were long and soft, as if she had returned to the poetic and dreamy youth.
She said slowly: "Mr. An entered the palace two years earlier than me. She has a beautiful appearance. There are three thousand beauties in the harem. She is not amazing. She can be favored because of her slender waist like a wicker and her gorgeous waist. The soft dance that shocked everyone. In the past two years, Mrs. An was quite favored. His Majesty often summoned her to perform dances and serve wine. It was your mother who arranged for Mrs. An to perform a dance at the palace banquet. In order to win His Majesty's favor, Mrs. An created a new dance, dancing on the lotus leaf and jade plate."
Murong Ci exclaimed, "If a person dances on a jade plate, he must have a light body and feel like flying."
Concubine Qiao nodded, "Mr. An's unique skills are unmatched by anyone, so she eats very little at each meal, maintaining a light body and a slim waist. At the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet, she danced with a lotus leaf jade plate and became famous in the Imperial Capital, becoming the emperor of the Imperial Palace. The first person to dance. Your majesty is very happy, and there are countless rewards. However, prosperity must decline, and extreme joy begets sorrow. The most beautiful and dazzling honor in her life is the moment of the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, but it is also a moment of grief."
"Why"
"In the middle of the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the baby in Mrs. An's womb is gone."
"Since she is pregnant, why did she dance in front of the imperial court?"
"Even she herself doesn't know that she is pregnant with His Majesty's flesh and blood. She eats very little and is already weak. She practiced dancing for days before the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet. How can she keep the baby?" Concubine Qiao sighed long and sympathetically. meaning.
"Did she fall out of favor after that?"
When Murong Ci asked again, it suddenly occurred to her that her mother had arranged for her to dance at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, so if she had a miscarriage afterwards, would she feel resentful towards her mother
If this is the case, there is a trace of Angui's attack on the young Murong Ci to avenge the unformed child.
Concubine Qiao looked at the clump of deep red delicate roses, her eyes were pitiful, "An Guiren is depressed, and has no intention of serving His Majesty, so His Majesty will not summon her."
Murong Ci understood that until he was born and his mother passed away, Mrs. An Gui might take care of herself with the intention of avenging the child, and wait for the opportunity to strike.
Concubine Qiao said again: "Mr. An is also a pitiful person. Her close maid Liu Mei is a maiko bought by her parents from the teaching workshop. She is quite old and has taught Mr. An how to dance for several years. Mrs. An is quite savvy, and she has learned it well. That soft dancing skill."
"It turned out that the servant girl Liu Mei taught Mr. An how to dance."
"Liu Mei is the most outstanding maiko in the Yangzhou Jiaofang. If it wasn't for her appearance being ruined, her future ruined, and her life struggling, she wouldn't be able to enter An's house and become a slave."
"Oh, where is Liu Mei's appearance ruined?" Murong Ci's mind was shocked, and he suddenly remembered that the face of An Guiren's maidservant was intact and not disfigured.
"It's been more than ten years, I think about it." Concubine Qiao held her forehead and thought, "By the way, there are two intersecting scars on Liu Mei's left face. After so many years, the scars are light in color, but when they see each other, they are very beautiful. Clear, two pink scars."
"Concubine Qiao, you really remember correctly." Murong Ci asked solemnly, a small gap seemed to be opened in the intricate mystery.
"I will not remember wrongly. Because of those two scars, Liu Mei was disfigured, so she was teased and humiliated, and she often wore a veil." Concubine Qiao noticed the prince's agitated expression, and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong? "
"it's okay no problem."
Farewell to Concubine Qiao, Murong Ci immediately returned to the East Palace.
If what Concubine Qiao said is correct, then why does the Liumei in Chunwu Courtyard look undamaged? Could it be that Liumei is a fake
She wanted to go to Chunwu Courtyard to verify, but she restrained herself in the end.
With such a big discovery, one should not startle the snake.
She sent someone to Dali Temple to invite Shen Zhiyan to the East Palace, and an hour later, Shen Zhiyan hurried over.
He knew that His Highness would not say that he came to the East Palace for no reason, so there must be something important, so he asked excitedly: "Your Highness has something new to discover."
Murong Ci didn't explain, and dragged him away from the East Palace, and hurried to Chunwu Courtyard.