On the second day, I happened to go to Wutong Palace to pay my respects. Although I was tired after a night's sleep, I had to get up early.
She lived a little far from the Queen, so it wasn't early for her to arrive. Apart from her, only Sun Xiuyi hadn't arrived yet.
There are fewer people today. Not many people were taken out of the palace in the first place, and Li Meiren and Chen Baolin were under house arrest, so there are not many people left.
"Ye Wanrong is really late. Maybe she is tired of serving the emperor? If that's the case, she might as well ask the emperor for leave instead of paying respects to the empress so reluctantly."
The first person to speak this time was Yi Wanrong. Her eyes seemed to be filled with poison and she was filled with resentment as soon as she opened her mouth.
Ye Jun was puzzled. Wasn't this guy always pretending to be magnanimous? Why was he acting so abnormal today
"Wanrong, yesterday we went to the kitchen to ask for a can of sour plum soup. It's not a good thing, but it was late, so there was only one can left. It was originally intended for Yi Wanrong, but the emperor was in our Zhaixing Pavilion, so he sent it to us. I think it was for this."
Huiyue came over and whispered.
Ning Chen bothered Ye Jun twice last night. After the second time, he felt hot and asked for this thing. He never thought that something like this would happen.
She didn't drink a single sip of the sour plum soup, so she refused to take the blame.
"It is my duty to serve the Emperor. How can I feel tired? Besides, I am not late for paying my respects. Whoever comes earlier is sincere. So, Yi Wanrong is so sincere. Does she want to stay with the Empress?"
Ye Jun was not polite. She was going to follow the path of the hot-tempered little pepper. Why didn't she fight back against everyone
"Hey, what's going on? Why are you arguing so early in the morning?" Sun Xiuyi came in holding the hand of a maid and interrupted.
Ye Jun raised her chin, her beautiful eyes narrowed, full of disdain.
"Your Highness, don't you know? Last night, the Emperor asked for a bowl of sour plum soup from the kitchen. He didn't expect that it was the last one. Yi Wanrong asked for it first. Isn't this a problem for the Emperor? Yi Wanrong must have thought that I was deliberately fighting with her and she's been at odds with me this early in the morning."
These words made Yi Wanrong feel ashamed and embarrassed.
She was also angry for a while. First, Ye Yun snatched her away from the palace, and now she asked for a bowl of sour plum soup, which was also snatched away. How could she not be angry
It's embarrassing to talk about such things. It's just food, and it makes her look petty.
What's more, the sour plum soup was really what the emperor wanted, so she should have given in. But now that it has been exposed, she feels that she is always at fault.
Sure enough, Sun Xiuyi covered her lips and laughed, "What do I think it is? It's just a bowl of sour plum soup. Is it worth making people unhappy like this? Yi Wanrong, you should be more sensible. This is not the time for you to stay at home. You can't get whatever you want."
She was bullied repeatedly, but because Sun Xiuyi was in a high position, she did not dare to talk back. Her face flushed for a moment, and she didn't know whether it was out of shame or anger.
"I thought this must be a misunderstanding. Ye Wanrong is an upright person. How could she deliberately do such a thing?" Yao Baolin added a knife.
She had been in contact with Ye Jun a lot these days, and now she was speaking for Ye Jun, so Yi Wanrong felt that they were in the same boat.
Ye Jun is of the same rank as her, so it's hard for her to say much. How dare Bao Lin, a mere member of the Yao family, come and make fun of her!
"Do you have the right to interrupt us when we are talking? Even if you have the Grand Imperial Concubine to take care of you, Yao Baolin should be more restrained and not talk too much and bring trouble to the Grand Imperial Concubine!"
Yi Wanrong spoke angrily, and all her anger was directed at Yao Baolin.
"What's going on? Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning? What a mess!"
The queen had heard enough and finally came out. Everyone stood up and saluted.
"No thanks, everyone, please sit down." The Queen waved her hand and glanced down, "I see that Yi Wanrong doesn't look well, is she feeling unwell?"
"I also think Yi Wanrong is sick and confused. She quarreled with Ye Wanrong this morning, and just now she is trying to make me unhappy. She even dragged the Imperial Concubine to talk about things. What is the point of asking for trouble? The Imperial Concubine is the elder after all, and she asked Yi Wanrong to plot behind her back!"
Yao Baolin's eyes turned red as he spoke, and he looked aggrieved. The word "elder" put pressure on her, and Yi Wanrong could not defend herself.
The Queen glanced at Yao and thought that she was also an eloquent person. After all, she came from a noble family. With just a few words, she suppressed Yi Wanrong and made her speechless.
However, the Emperor has been relying heavily on the Wu family recently, which is something the Empress does not want to see. In contrast, Yao Baolin is the niece of the Grand Concubine, and as long as the Empress Dowager is alive, she will probably not be able to make a name for herself. So she is not afraid.
"Alright, I understand Yao Baolin's filial piety. Yi Wanrong should be careful with her words in the future to avoid being criticized. The emperor has always been filial, and we in the harem must also be united."
Anyway, no matter what, Yi Wanrong was labeled as unfilial today. Even if the Queen didn't punish her in any other way, it would be enough to make her angry for a while.
After coming out of Wutong Hall, Yao Baolin seemed to want to come over to talk, so Ye Jun quickened her pace and walked away from her.
It was not a good idea to chase after him, so Yao Xiang narrowed his eyes, hiding the cold light in his eyes, and had to give up.
On this side, as luck would have it, Ye Jun happened to be going the same way as Yi Wanrong, and they walked one after the other.
Yi Wanrong arrived first, but did not go in. She waited at the gate of the yard for Ye Jun to approach.
"Don't think you can do anything just because you are with the Grand Imperial Concubine. After all, you are Wanrong, a sixth-rank official. It's embarrassing for you to fawn on a mere Baolin. Don't tarnish the reputation of the general who guards the country!"
"Ms. Wu, you and I are both Wanrong. Guess, do I dare to hit you?"
Ye Jun looked at her with a smile on his face, and his sharp eyes made people feel cold in their hearts.
"How dare you! I have a title, so I am more noble than you. My father is a second-rank official. The emperor respects the Wu family, so how can he allow you to be so presumptuous!"
Yi Wanrong tightened her grip on the handkerchief. Although she was short of breath, she still refused to show weakness.
"Tsk... If you ask me, you are also stupid. Comparing family background with mine?"
Ye Jun waved the beauty fan slowly, but her eyes were cold.
"My father and uncle are both first-rank generals who defend the country. They have made great military achievements and saved the emperor. The late emperor personally drafted an imperial edict to commend them!"
"Although the Emperor respects the Wu family, if he treats his meritorious officials harshly and chills the hearts of the officials, can your Wu family still hold its ground and stand firm?!"
The girl pressed on step by step, and every word she said was full of emotion, reason, and filial piety, leaving Yi Wanrong speechless.
Seeing that she had finally behaved herself, Ye Jun pursed her lips and smiled.
"Don't be surprised, Yi Wanrong. I have always been filial and cannot stand hearing others talk about the elders in my family. I have always had a hot temper. I even beat the senior maidservant next to Lady Li. If the person who came here is really anxious, I am afraid he will not be polite to Yi Wanrong."
After saying this, he took Huiyue's hand and turned to leave.
Yi Wanrong fell backwards in anger.
She was just a girl in her teens, and couldn't be compared to Ye Jun, who had a different mentality. No matter how well she pretended to be, she couldn't bear it at this moment.
He didn't even enter the courtyard, but turned around and went to Jingqian Palace.
"Wanrong, the emperor won't blame you, right?" Huiyue was very worried.
Ye Jun didn't care. He drank his tea and felt relaxed and at ease.
"Even if they blame me, they will just scold me a few times, which is not a big deal. If I am too patient, that would be bad. How many people in the harem are watching me?"