frightfiction Chapter 414: Can’t Start This
Chapter 414: Can’t Start This
Right now, the emperor's heart is completely drawn to Concubine Shu, and he must not let Concubine Hua make a stupid move at this time.
Su Peisheng thought about it for a long time, and finally called Xiao Xiazi over and gave instructions with a serious expression.
"Her Majesty Hua Guifei just came out of Louyue Kaiyun. I noticed that she looked unhappy. You should pay more attention to Ru Gu Hanjin's movements."
Although Nian Gengyao always looked down on him, Concubine Hua treated him with great courtesy.
Over the years, he has also received many rewards from Concubine Hua.
Su Peisheng hesitated for a few breaths and added another sentence.
"If Concubine Hua makes any unusual moves, please report them to me immediately."
"Master, don't worry, I'll go right away."
Xiao Xiazi agreed readily and soon disappeared from Su Peisheng's sight.
The news that Concubine Shu was in a coma because she bravely rescued the Sixth Prince who was ambushed by villains had already spread throughout the garden like wildfire.
He knew that countless eyes were staring at Louyue Kaiyun at this moment. Even though he was very worried about Master Shu and his sister, he did not dare to go and visit them easily.
Su Peisheng asked Xiao Xia Zi to keep an eye on Concubine Hua, which undoubtedly gave him a great opportunity.
As the confidant of Concubine Shu, Xiao Xia Zi knew very well that the two concubines had a close friendship in private.
He broke down Su Peisheng's instructions and told them to several unfamiliar eunuchs under his command.
"If there is any movement over there, report it immediately."
"Eunuch Xia, we understand."
Those who were dispersed were all experts in the Yangxin Palace, and a young eunuch came to report before dark.
"Eunuch Xia, there's been no activity from Rugu Hanjin, but I've heard a rumor circulating among the palace, saying that Imperial Concubine Shu..."
Xiao Xia Zi has always been sensitive about Concubine Shu's affairs, and immediately scolded her when she heard it.
"Why are you hesitating? Hurry up and tell me!"
"Eunuch Xia, I heard it from others, but I didn't say it myself."
The young eunuch emphasized this before speaking.
"They say that Concubine Shu is unlucky. Giving birth to three children for the Emperor has used up all her luck, and that's why..."
Xiao Xiazi interrupted angrily.
"That's sheer nonsense. Eunuch Su clearly said that Concubine Shu loved her son so deeply that she disregarded her own safety and jumped into the lake to save the Sixth Prince, which is why she became unwell."
When the young eunuch heard this, he was shocked. He didn't know how many people had died in Houhu Lake.
He suspected that the reason why Concubine Shu was unconscious was that she had accidentally provoked a dirty thing.
Women have weak yang energy and are easily targeted by evil spirits.
But you can't say this to Eunuch Xia who has a bad look on his face.
The young eunuch who lost the game of rock-paper-scissors stood quietly by, wanting to get to Ru Gu Han Jin as soon as possible to get some information.
But Xiao Xiazi glanced at him suspiciously and asked again.
"Have you reported the truth? If you dare to conceal anything, you know what Chief Steward Su will do."
"Eunuch Xia, my humble servant..."
The young eunuch did not dare to hide it and expressed his suspicion.
The next day, Ru Gu Hanjin did not make any movement, but the rumors about Concubine Shu being unlucky became more and more intense.
Su Peisheng asked someone to investigate, but there were too many people spreading the rumor, so he couldn't find out where it came from.
He did suspect Concubine Hua, but Ru Guhan had just gotten involved with a group of gossipers.
Songzhi and Zhou Ninghai were sifting through the garden for suspicious people like a comb. It was said that no less than five people were taken away from Huipin, He Guiren and the Baiguan woman.
This Concubine Hua did not even let her own people go, which made Su Peisheng very confused.
If Su Peisheng had investigated more carefully, he would have found that most of the people that Concubine Hua had angered were palace maids who had originally served Ru Gu Hanjin.
As for Shen Meizhuang, Huanbi and Bai Caiwei, it was simply because Concubine Hua was dissatisfied with their attitude and took the opportunity to punish them a little.
"Master, I heard from my subordinates that even though Concubine Shu's fever has subsided, she is still unconscious. Perhaps she has provoked some unclean creature."
"There's a folk custom that if someone in the family is unwell, they'll hold a celebration to drive away bad things."
"What is auspicious?"
Su Peisheng entered the palace at a very young age, and he was unfamiliar with these two words.
Xiao Dongzi, who had been busy trying to please his master, quickly struck up a conversation.
"Master, Xiao Dongzi knows this. Back then, the daughter of the wealthy neighbor was so sick that she was on her last breath. He spent a fortune to buy her a live-in son-in-law. Miraculously, after the two of them got married, his daughter, who was as thin as a stick, gradually got better."
"You mean to tell Consort Shu... This is absolutely unacceptable! Do you really want to die?"
Su Peisheng was horrified when he heard this. He knew very well that if he made such a treasonous suggestion, his master would definitely skin him alive.
"Master, what Xiao Dongzi said about the rich man marrying into a family to auspiciously bring good luck is just one of the ways. I've heard that it can also ward off evil spirits when a great event is about to happen."
With Xiaodong coming out to make jokes, the suggestions made by Xiaoxiazi were not at all abrupt and seemed relatively reliable.
After Su Peisheng sent someone to Louyue Kaiyun to inquire about the current situation of Concubine Shu, he bowed and entered the hall.
"Your Majesty, I sent someone to guard outside Ruguhanjin and discovered that Concubine Hua had attacked a group of palace maids."
The emperor, who was practicing calligraphy, raised his head in displeasure.
"What's the reason?"
Su Peisheng considered for a moment and spoke slowly.
"Reporting to the Emperor, a palace servant in Ruguhan has been slandering Imperial Concubine Shu. Imperial Concubine Hua, enraged, has dispatched officials to investigate the source of the rumors and has also punished several unruly servants in other palaces."
"My Concubine Shu loves her son dearly, what can those shallow-minded slaves say?"
The emperor ordered angrily.
"Su Peisheng, if anyone continues to gossip, they will be arrested."
It was finally discovered that Hongzhan's fall into the water was related to the late empress dowager. There was no clear explanation for this matter.
When the emperor learned the truth, he was so angry that his teeth ached, and his guilt towards An Lingrong and her son increased.
At this moment, she couldn't bear to see the palace maids say anything bad about An Lingrong.
"The slave obeys."
When Su Peisheng saw the emperor covering his face, he knew that his inflamed teeth were causing trouble again.
"Your Majesty, would you like to summon Imperial Physician Zhang to take your pulse?"
"I'm fine." The emperor waved his hand. "Tell me what those slaves said about Concubine Shu."
Su Peisheng polished up what Xiao Xiazi had reported and reported it in a deep voice.
He saw that the emperor didn't say anything, as if he had just thought of it casually.
"Your Majesty, I remember that when Consort Shu gave birth to the Sixth Prince in broad daylight, she fell asleep due to exhaustion. You, in recognition of her contribution to childbirth, made an exception and appointed her a consort."
"At that time, the palace people said that you bestowed blessings on the queen, and that's why she was able to wake up."
Su Peisheng risked being beaten to popularize the idea of "bringing happiness to the emperor".
The emperor bestowed the honor on An Lingrong because he felt that she would not live long.
After Su Peisheng's reminder, he found that there were striking similarities between An Lingrong's two comas.
The emperor thought again. An Lingrong was already a noble concubine, and if she was promoted again, she would become an imperial noble concubine.
However, there had never been a precedent in the royal family of appointing a woman from the Han army banner as a royal concubine, so he naturally could not set the precedent.
The emperor walked around the room several times, giving orders loudly.
"Su Peisheng, ride on the moon and open the clouds!"
As soon as Songzhi got the news, she hurried to report.
"Master, the emperor went to Louyue Kaiyun."
Concubine Hua, who was holding the teacup, stood up quickly, and the tea in the cup swayed slightly with her movement.
"Let's go! Let's go too!"
The emperor has already appeared, how can she fall behind?
Hearing that the emperor was walking to Louyue Kaiyun, Concubine Hua paused for a moment, then asked Zhou Ninghai to take out the gorgeous sedan chair that had been put away in the warehouse.
Songzhi asked cautiously.
"Master, didn't you say earlier that you wanted to abandon the extravagant lifestyle? Besides, this sedan chair..."
"That sedan chair was a gift from the Emperor. How dare I let such a precious pearl be buried in the dust?"
Concubine Hua curled her lips into a sneer and blew away the non-existent dust on her armor.
The emperor is good at the art of balance and hates to see the people in the harem united the most.
Now that Lingrong is unconscious, according to her previous nature, she would have to go and pretend to comfort her in front of the emperor.
The emperor hated her arrogance the most, so she showed it to him.
Concubine Hua has been doing her duty since her brother passed away. Now that she has a child, she is not afraid that the emperor will blame her openly.
At most, he would just sulk and not come to see her at her place.
This didn't hurt at all for her.
As soon as Zhou Ninghai entered Louyue Kaiyun, he sang and shouted loudly according to his master's instructions.
"Empress Hua is here!"
Hearing the noise outside, Hongyao and Zhaohua stopped crying and looked at their sixth brother standing beside them.
Hongzhan gave the two siblings a reassuring look, and was the first to leave the hall to greet them.
Concubine Hua, dressed in a gorgeous and complicated bright red palace dress, walked slowly holding Songzhi's hand, with the exquisite makeup on her face as gorgeous as the sunset.
This was the first time that Huan Hongzhan saw Hua E'niang dressed so elaborately, and he respectfully stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Hongzhan pays homage to Hua E'niang."
Concubine Hua glanced at him indifferently and said something lightly as she passed by Hongzhan.
"Stand up. Sixth Prince, how is Concubine Shu? She hasn't woken up yet."
The unconcealable gloating in her words made Hongzhan, who knew the inside story, feel a pang in his heart. No wonder his mother had said that when she entered the palace, Hua's mother made enemies everywhere.
I don't know how much people hate her for looking down on others like that.
Xiao Quanzi, who was following behind Hongzhan, clenched his fists in anger. Concubine Shu had only been in a coma for a few days, and Concubine Hua had already changed her face.
He prayed silently in his heart: "Empress Shu, please wake up soon. The master is so worried that he can't sleep at night and can't eat."
"If you don't wake up, those villains will come to bully you."
Xiao Quanzi didn't dare to look directly at Concubine Hua's back, but he kept cursing in his heart.
Concubine Hua: This palace **********
After Concubine Hua stepped into the hall, she didn't even glance at Hongyao and Zhaohua, and went straight into the bedroom.
"Concubine, please pay your respects to the Emperor!"
Her soft voice startled the emperor's heart, and he asked with a frown.
"How did you come?"
Concubine Hua ignored the emperor's dark face, trotted forward, hugged his arm, and spoke coquettishly.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I'm afraid something might happen to Sister Shu Guifei, so I came to see if there's anything I can do to help."
"Looking at the red and swollen eyes of the Sixth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and Zhaohua, I feel so distressed."
"And Your Majesty, you were busy handling government affairs during your time away from writing, and your eyes were so tired that they turned black and blue. I am so sad..."
Concubine Hua suppressed her inner discomfort and said a lot of words against her will.
"Your Majesty, I have ordered someone to make you a nourishing soup. Otherwise, you..."
The emperor pulled Concubine Hua's hand away and lectured her with a stern face.
"I ordered you to take over the Phoenix Seal so that you can set an example for everyone in the harem, not to cause jealousy."
"Noble Concubine Shu is still in a coma. I have no appetite for soup. Please go back to Rugu Hanjin first."
"Su Peisheng, you personally send Concubine Hua back."
"Your Majesty, I am sorry for you..."
Seeing that his master seemed angry, Su Peisheng spoke quickly.
"Your Highness, please don't embarrass me."
After respectfully seeing the person off, Su Peisheng returned to his bedroom.
"People sent him away?"
"Your Majesty, Concubine Hua has already left on her sedan chair. I noticed that she was reluctant to leave and kept looking back..."
"I thought she had calmed down in recent years, but I didn't expect she's still as attached to me as she was back then."
The emperor chuckled and muttered to himself.
"It seems Rong'er's coma has made Concubine Hua want to compete for favor again."
"Forget it! After all, she has been with me for many years, so I shouldn't be too harsh on her."
Su Peisheng lowered his head and did not dare to agree.
Concubine Shu was still lying on the bed. The emperor mentioned Concubine Hua and it was nothing serious, but as a servant, he could not respond casually.
"Su Peisheng, please go out. I want to be alone."
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng, as if he had been pardoned, immediately stepped back and considerately closed the door.
He touched the non-existent beads of sweat on his head and was very puzzled by Concubine Hua's behavior today.
According to reports from people below, although the two imperial concubines are not very close to each other, they can basically be said to be at peace with each other.
Concubine Hua occasionally sent Princess Anle to Yongshou Palace to play.
When the master first heard the news, he was unhappy for a while, but later he found out that the two ladies often fought each other in private, so he felt relieved.
The emperor in the bedroom also recalled the daily interactions between the two concubines in the harem. He originally chose Concubine Hua to hold the Phoenix Seal because she was attracted by her ability to offend almost everyone.
Previously, the favored Concubine Shu was restraining her, and Concubine Hua knew how to keep a low profile.
Now that An Lingrong, who has the same status as her, is lying unconscious in bed, she has become more and more flamboyant.
"Rong'er, since you fell into a coma, Hongzhan, Hongyao, and Zhaohua haven't smiled. Every time I see them, my heart aches. The three children have lost a lot of weight. Please wake up soon."
The emperor stared at An Lingrong's face without blinking, and held her hand tightly under the quilt.
"Mrs. Lin arrived at the garden a few days ago. The servants said she has been crying all day because you were unconscious."