When Gu Zhen was holding a banquet in the courtyard, Yun Fenghuang was quietly waking up.
When she first woke up, she had a splitting headache. She groaned subconsciously and wanted to call out to Xile or Nianxuan. When she opened her mouth, she remembered the scene before she fell into coma, and she couldn't help but feel horrified!
At this time, I looked around and saw that I was in a dark stone room.
There were no windows, and the only door was tightly closed. There seemed to be a few inconspicuous ventilation holes on the door. A faint breeze came in, blowing the lamp in the corner like a bean, shaking violently from time to time, as if it would go out at any time.
Seeing that there was no one else but himself, Yun Fenghuang breathed a sigh of relief. She raised her hand to rub her forehead, but she felt that her wrist was extremely heavy, and there was a sound of metal hitting each other when she lifted it up. When she turned around, she was shocked to find that several chains nailed into the stone wall were firmly fastened to her limbs!
Judging from the length, it's not even enough to reach the oil lamp, let alone leave the stone room.
Who did it? !
Yun Fenghuang's heart sank.
Taking a closer look, she found that her original luxurious dress had long since disappeared, and now she was only wearing a middle coat. She simply checked in a hurry and found that except for the outer shirt that had been taken off and a pair of jewelry and hairpin short boots that had been taken away, she was completely naked. No other traces were found.
This made her calm down a little, and she quickly thought about the situation at the moment.
The first person to be suspicious was naturally Xile.
The palace maid came from the palace under the pretext of Gong Xiangxiao's instructions and took away Liu Hong, and learned to ride a horse. Before, these two things seemed to be just coincidence and motivation, but now in retrospect, she was deliberately following her to make a move.
Especially the herbal tea prepared by Nianxuan. Although plantain and mother-in-law have the effect of relieving summer heat and clearing away heat, they are also good for the bladder, especially when mixed with honey. It is not as good as ordinary plain water to quench thirst, so Yun Fenghuang is unprepared. After drinking too much, it was reasonable to go into the forest to change clothes - but although she did not suspect Xile at the time, she was used to being cautious after all, and she sent guards to search before entering the forest.
Originally, the emperor was out hunting, and the valley where Chunban Mountain Villa was located, within dozens of miles, had to be patrolled day and night, expelling and guarding against all outsiders approaching.
Even if Emperor Chunjia goes far away now, and there are only two concubines left in the villa, the garrison should not relax too much.
In this case, he could seize a moment's loophole and sneak into the forest to kidnap her...
Yun Fenghuang's thoughts turned around and he tentatively said, "Is anyone here?"
She actually doubted that it was Qi Jiulu. After all, it was impossible for Xile to betray her for nothing. This palace maid used to be Gong Xiangxiao's, and she was forced to defect through negotiations with Concubine Zheng. She felt dissatisfied in her heart, and secretly fought with Gong Xiang Xiao's private affair is also convenient. And Gong Xiangxiao has always valued Qi Jiulu. It is not difficult for Qi Jiulu to take his own initiative and fight for him, or to persuade him to support him.
But for the sake of safety, Yun Fenghuang was cautious and did not call out Qi Jiulu's name.
And this time this caution proved to be correct.
After a while, the stone door opened wide. The person who appeared at the door could not be seen clearly against the light, but the shadows on half of his face illuminated by the large oil lamp were enough for Yun Fenghuang to identify that this person was not Qi Jiulu.
Nor is it Gong Xiangxiao.
She was surprised, and subconsciously clenched her fists. She was still trying to distinguish the outline of the other person, but the man spoke first. His tone was deliberately slow, with a slight hint of complexity and coolness: "Cousin Xie, please don't Are you okay?"
This title made Yun Fenghuang change his expression slightly uncontrollably!
When she came to the Imperial Capital from the north, she stayed with her aunt and uncle as a cousin. Because the Yun family had many children, Yunju had many sisters, giving birth to many cousins for the Xie family's children. In order to distinguish them, Lan and others called her Yun. Feng Huang is "Xie's cousin".
Later, she was taken by the Xie clan's Lan clan and became acquainted with Duke Yi Guo's mansion, and was occasionally called "Miss Cousin" or "Cousin Xie" there.
When she met Yun Qike for the first time, she abided by the rules, lowered her eyebrows, folded her sleeves, and stood at attention silently. She only listened to Yun Qingman and her brother-in-law chatter introducing her new playmate: "She is cousin Xie, the niece of the eighteenth aunt."
"Thank you, cousin?" Yun Fenghuang lowered his head and did not look up at Yun Qike. Unknown to his expression, he felt as if he chuckled and said slowly, "She looks younger than you, so I should call her cousin Xie. That’s it.”
He left after saying this, and it was already more than half a year later when he met again - that time Yun Qingman only said hello to his brother-in-law and left without mentioning Yun Fenghuang.
Perhaps for this reason, Yun Qike didn't speak to Yun Fenghuang, let alone say anything to cousin Xie or cousin Xie.
Yun Fenghuang didn't take this matter to heart from beginning to end. If it weren't for the prince's initiative to show his wallet at the summer banquet, which aroused her suspicion. After questioning Miaocai, she unexpectedly learned his thoughts, which made her think about it. There were only a handful of encounters between the two of them, but at this moment, Yun Qike might not be able to be recognized by this title.
"...What do you mean, Crown Prince?" When he thought of Yun Qike, he thought of Concubine Shu. Yun Fenghuang felt a chill on his back. He raised the shackles on his hands and asked calmly.
The lights in the stone chamber were dim, and the person being illuminated was very close, and his face was blurry and could not be seen clearly.
Standing on the threshold and looking at it, the young concubine's wrists were as bright as fresh snow, even more sparkling than the original snow-white tunic. The shackles made of fine iron were heavy and ferocious, making the wrists more slender and graceful, as if they would break at any time...
Even though Yun Qike came here full of hatred, he subconsciously softened his heart and thought, "I think this is just a weak girl, why don't I open her chains first".
The next moment he simply bit the tip of his tongue to suppress the impulse, and said in a cold voice: "My sister passed away unexpectedly, and my younger brother felt sad and confused, so I wanted to invite my cousin Xiao Xie to come over and have a meeting to clear up my doubts. Can you?" ?”
With that said, he took a step forward, letting the oil lamp in the corner illuminate the murderous intent in his eyes more clearly.
"Your Majesty, you should ask Qingman about this matter." Seeing this situation, Yun Fenghuang calmed down, and even had the mood to chuckle, and said softly, "After all, Sister Shu Fei was banned at that time. Qinluju, although I wanted to intercede and visit, in the end I was restricted from returning to the palace. I was troubled with everything and was in poor health, so I had to ask Qingman to convey my condolences... As a result, Sister Shufei died within two days, saying To be honest, when I heard the news, I was no less surprised than anyone else. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked Your Majesty to visit Qingman frequently afterward.”
I want this person to go straight to the point when he comes up, torture him, and avenge Concubine Shu with cramps and skin... Yun Fenghuang is now a piece of fish and has no power to fight back. He has no choice but to admit defeat.
But judging from his words and actions, he actually planned to ask questions first
Then Yun Fenghuang will have to talk to him properly!
Yun Qike sneered: "When I didn't enter the palace, I heard people say that cousin Xiao Xie is very eloquent, but every time she meets me, she always says nothing, so I always thought that this was a rumor. Now I know that it is groundless. It may not be without reason, my cousin is really sharp-tongued! Not to mention that Qingman and the eldest sister are blood relatives, how could it be harmful to the eldest sister!"
"Let's just say that Qingman is no more than Ronghua, and she still falls into your hands and looks at you. If she doesn't have the protection of my eldest sister, I don't know how she will be trained by you... For the sake of her future situation, she will never harm her. Sister!"
"Your Majesty, please think about it with your conscience. Who will benefit the most from the death of Concubine Shu?" As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Fenghuang sneered and said slowly, "Everyone knows that Duke Yi Guo is loyal to Your Majesty. Geng Geng! Although Sister Shu Fei is not as unique as Yue Jieyu in His Majesty’s heart, she still has a deep affection!”
"For this reason, even though the two daughters of Duke Yi have entered the palace. However, one of them is different from his concubine, the second is with different qualifications, and the third... Regarding her relationship with His Majesty, how can Qingman, who has just entered the palace, be the same as the one who has already entered the palace? How about Concubine Shu, who has served His Majesty for eight years?"
She glanced at Yun Qike, who was frowning subconsciously, and chuckled, "As long as Concubine Shu is alive, Qingman can't go past her! Even if she was granted the title of concubine because of her status as a concubine, Qingman would not even have the hope of becoming a concubine. It’s all very slim - because the Ji family will not just sit back and watch the Yun family have three concubines!"
"However, Sister Shu is gone, and there is no second legitimate daughter of Duke Yi to enter the palace to be favored. As the half-sister of Sister Shu, Qingman will naturally inherit the eight years of hard work and hard work that Sister Shu has done in the palace. The affection she has accumulated over the years, and even the years of hard work of the Duke of Yi State in front of His Majesty, and the loyalty in the future will be enjoyed by her alone!"
Yun Fenghuang said calmly, "Although I am also the daughter of the Yun family, no matter whether it is the Yiguo Palace or Your Majesty, I still have no idea in my heart who is the blood of the Yun family and who will be their favor and support in the future. Candidate?"
"So, Your Majesty, tell me, between me and Qingman, who wants Concubine Shu to die more?"
Yun Qike opened his mouth. He kept telling himself that Xiao Xie's cousin was not trustworthy, but Yun Fenghuang's inference was reasonable and reasonable, and for a while he couldn't find any flaws. As the only legitimate son and the heir apparent, he was taught by Duke Yi from an early age and had little contact with his biological mother.
So even though Yun Qingman was raised by his biological mother, his relationship with his biological brother was not very deep.
This directly led to Yun Qike's trust and understanding of this concubine sister being only general.
He was not sure that Yun Qingman was not the kind of person who would step on his sister's life and blame Yun Fenghuang for the sake of superiority. At this moment, the original scolding was stuck in his throat and he hesitated to say it out.
Yun Fenghuang observed his words and added fuel to his anger: "By the way, Your Majesty, do you know what I am doing to take Qingman from Concubine Shu's sister's palace to Xuanqing Palace?"
Without waiting for Yun Qike to speak, she immediately told the truth about her entry into the palace, emphasizing the part where Yun Qingman revealed to Han that Yun Qike admired her. Tears fell naturally and she sobbed, " I was troubled by my concubine, so I had to stay away from my hometown and come to the imperial capital to prepare for my marriage. From the moment I arrived at my aunt's house, I thought I was cautious and careful about my words and deeds, and I didn't dare to slack off in the slightest! After meeting Qingman, I started to No slights whatsoever!”
"Your Majesty, there is something I have wanted to ask her for a long time, but I have been unable to ask her because of the love we have had over the past three years: why did you do that to Qingman?!"
"Even if you don't like me, you just want to embarrass me through the hands of your wife!"
"Didn't she think about the prince? The prince was already married at that time. The prince's wife and the prince are direct cousins. If they become enemies, what will happen to the prince, the prince's wife, and the friendship between the two families? as a result of?!"
"What's more, I didn't know about this at all at the time. The prince was also in love but not polite. There is no way between you and me! Just pretend to be deaf and dumb and pass by without knowing what's going on. What's the point of being in harmony with the prince? Not good? I insist on causing trouble for the prince's wife, which makes the prince's wife feel unhappy, and because of this, I end up in this dirty place... What good will this do to Qingman?!"
Yun Fenghuang cried as the pear blossoms brought rain, but he thought coldly in his heart: What's the benefit? Based on what I just said, even if you don't have a brain, you should come to the conclusion that Yun Qingman seems to be innocent, kind and cute, but in fact she is ambitious and narrow-minded - even those who have been supporting and coaxing her have no conflict with her. All her playmates were cheated, let alone Concubine Shu, who was nominally her sister-in-law but had never gotten along with her and stood in her way
She wiped her tears slowly and waited quietly for Yun Qike's reaction.
Yun Qike was a little stunned. Yun Fenghuang's appearance at this moment reminded him of the first time he met Xiao Xie's cousin.