Raiders of the Duke and Duchess

Chapter 586: The Concubine’s “Olive Branch”

The imperial concubine is in the pavilion at the other end of the imperial garden.

With her well-maintained face without a single wrinkle and her slim and beautiful figure, it is impossible to tell that she is a woman whose son is as big as her.She was wearing a popular light green dress, which made her delicate cheeks look more supple and blurred her age.
Like the kind sister next door.

"Looking at her from a distance, I thought it was you...Lingxi, but I haven't seen you for a long time. Why haven't you come to the palace to walk around recently?" The imperial concubine saw her quietly bowing and greeted her.

The pleasant palace maid poured the tea and then withdrew, standing neatly at the foot of the steps outside the pavilion.Looking from You Lingxi's point of view, he could just see that the other party had a dull expression on his face, which was completely different from his initial pleasant appearance.

You Lingxi withdrew her gaze, looked at the fingertips holding the handkerchief on her knees, and replied warmly, "I have indeed been a little busy recently. After all, His Majesty granted the marriage in a hurry, and many things have not yet been prepared. Everyone in the whole house is following the top. It seems that I am too embarrassed to take any time off..."

After thinking for a while, he added, "I went to sit with the prince brother a while ago and had lunch."

When she said "Brother Prince," her eyebrows were slightly curved, and her little daughter's petite look was revealed, and she seemed to have a close relationship with the Prince.

You Lingxi is a sweet-tongued girl who comes from a young age. She was soft and waxy when she was little. She is very popular with His Majesty and the concubines, so she is also a frequent visitor to the harem.But even so, You Lingxi went to the imperial concubine's palace only a handful of times, so this "long time no see" greeting was really... too much.

The two people who had little contact with each other always had a certain unfamiliarity and embarrassment in their words, and could not find any more topics to talk about. The only people they were familiar with were Li Yuqi and His Majesty, but "Your Majesty" obviously did not It’s an appropriate time to mention it…the time has not yet come.

The imperial concubine responded with a smile and murmured, "That's right... The prince has been busy recently. After all, it is his first time to go back to the prison country. These days, he has been in a hurry to say hello and left without even saying a few words..."

Then there was silence.

You Lingxi smiled and nodded, thinking for a moment before saying, "Brother Prince, it looks like he has lost some weight..."

"Really?" The imperial concubine played with the little jade in her hand and sighed softly. She glanced at the other party and then said softly, "To put it bluntly, your majesty's illness is really not the right time. The prince has been spoiled in the past. This sudden surveillance of the country coincides with the arrival of the Chen family in the city, so many matters will inevitably be rushed and stretched. Speaking of which...if your Majesty's health continues to get worse, your marriage will be delayed..."

After saying that, he looked up at the other party as if inadvertently, his eyes were very indifferent and careless, and he clasped his palms with the other party, and sighed softly, "Lingxi. This marriage... is really wronging you?" ”

Lingxi lowered his head and shook his head, "Marriage granted by the imperial decree is a blessing that no one else can ask for. Lingxi doesn't feel aggrieved."

The imperial concubine Bian was backed by Zuo Xiangfu and relied on the prince's status in the harem to rise, almost rivaling that of the empress.What's more, they are not close to each other and rarely interact with each other. You Lingxi really doesn't dare to show his thoughts to the other person's eyes.She lowered her head even more, and the scattered hair on her temples obscured her eyes. All she could see was that the little girl was holding the handkerchief in her hand, looking even more silent than usual.

Their eyes were not facing each other. The imperial concubine just looked at the other party's restraint and subconscious guarding almost unscrupulously. She smiled with squinted eyes. The smile disappeared as soon as she appeared. She poured a cup of tea and got up and walked to You Lingxi. She put the hand in her hand. The tea cup was handed over, "Kid, warm your hands." The address suddenly changed.

You Lingxi took it and when he stood up to thank him, he was pushed back into his chair.Looking at each other, the imperial concubine frowned slightly and sighed softly, "Your father is an upright man and deliberately keeps a distance from the courtiers and concubines. Although I like you from the bottom of my heart, I don't want to show too much affection. This is embarrassing for you. Since you call the prince brother, you are thinking about the relationship between brother and sister. I have no daughter, so I treat you as a junior like a daughter in my heart... I didn't call you here today just to talk about those things. Chilling, scratching the surface... I saw you sitting there, looking very lonely, so I wanted to have a few words of sympathy with you."

The autumn breeze was slightly cool, blowing from the lake, carrying the water vapor from the lake, and I felt a layer of fine goose bumps on my arms under the wide sleeves.

The tea cup in my hand was warm, even a little hot.

You Lingxi held it tightly and put it on her lap, listening to the other person getting closer to each other one by one as a "child", and then alienating each other as a "mother", just like the feeling of hot tea scalding and cold wind blowing at this moment.When she was at the lake, she was indeed lonely, but it was only at the lake that she realized that no matter who the problem was, it was not something that could be solved with just a few words. The Queen was unwilling to help. , is also normal.

After all...who is You Lingxi?She is just a picture of a little girl who has the title of princess but no ability. In the circle of young ladies from aristocratic families, there are still people who are willing to coax, support and compliment her, but in the palace where there are many nobles, she just smiles. Just a prettier mascot with a sweeter mouth.

What good can you get from helping such a mascot?Get nothing but an understatement of thanks.But do these noble people, whose ears tingle when they hear nice words all day long, need a mascot’s words of thanks?

If you can't give others what they want, you won't get what you want - there is never any unreasonable kindness in the harem or in the court.Similarly, the concubine's show of goodwill today naturally means that she has something she wants right now, such as...the power of the You family.

In this way, he now has a bargaining chip in his hand.

The wind blew by the lake, which made me sober.You Lingxi's brows were slightly furrowed, and her long eyelashes covered the coolness in her eyes. Her voice was gentle and a bit pretending to be lonely, and she murmured softly, "Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine..."

"Tick tock." Tears dripped into the teacup in his hands, causing tiny splashes of water.

Before the words were finished, tears flowed first.

The voice that came out again was obviously vibrating, "I went to beg my mother, but my mother said that even if I hung up the southeastern branch with a foot of white silk today, she would also cover my memorial tablet with a red hijab and send it away happily. Go to the Chen family's ancestral grave... Madam, it's not that I don't know the importance of it. Once the imperial edict is issued, your Majesty's words cannot be changed easily. What's more, if the royal family breaks off the engagement, the Chen family will definitely feel slighted, and all of His Majesty's plans will be put to waste... …Lingxi cannot afford such a sinner.”

"My lady..."

(End of this chapter)