This queen is not too curly

Chapter 78 Why is he angry?
Chen Ling was stunned for a moment, and a look of astonishment flashed across his face.

The astonishment disappeared in an instant, and suspicion spread and grew in his eyes like copper rust.

He should have expected that Yan Zhou was an old fox with treacherous tactics, and the daughter he gave birth to must also be scheming.

She said that she was just going to pay homage to Concubine Mei, but she chose the timing very cleverly. It just so happened that the turmoil about Lancheng was raging in the court these days, and the ministers in the court and the central government were all trying to follow her father Yan Zhou's old case in different ways.Originally, those ministers were still secretive, but she worshiped ghosts in the plum garden in the harem, it was as if... she was deliberately fueling the flames, causing the sparks in the harem to start a prairie fire in an instant.

Although this incident helped him, it also caused a cloud of doubts in his chest that could not be resolved, and what happened tonight made him feel full of doubts and it was difficult to control himself.

Is this really just a coincidence?

Or did she already know about Tu Shan's activities in the palace?
Is it intentional, or is there another purpose?

Chen Ling stared at Yan Yuan, refusing to let go of the expression on her face.

He wanted to find some clues on her face, but he only saw her puffing her cheeks, chewing and chewing, and then watched her swallow the pastry in her mouth with difficulty.

The next moment, clear eyes looked at him.

"Not long ago, when I went to the Plum Garden, I heard the cries of babies by chance. Later, when I saw that the sacrifices in the food box were gone, I suspected that there were really children in the Plum Garden, so I went there every day."

Chen Ling said slowly: "What about the first time, why did you go to worship the plum garden?"

Yan Yuan said lightly: "The first time I went, of course it was because I believed the rumors."

Chen Ling frowned deeply and said, "...What rumor?"

Yan Yuan said without hesitation: "Of course it's the rumor that worshiping Concubine Mei will win the Sacred Heart. The concubine will be sleeping in bed soon, so it's safer to find a powerful helper."

With warm and bright eyes, he looked into Chen Ling's eyes.

Candid and sincere.

Chen Ling was stunned: "You..."

The time is ripe, Yan Yuan lowered her eyebrows and sighed, aggrieved, and confessed the words that she had recited many times in her heart:
"Does Your Majesty know how long the concubine has been in the palace?"

"The concubine...has been in love with the Holy Majesty for a long time, but she has never even stepped into the threshold of the Qianzheng Hall."

She paused for a while, looking down at her toes, with an unspeakable grievance in her voice.

"Your Majesty comes to visit Shu Palace every day, but he doesn't show any kindness towards his concubines. When the concubines are afraid of the day when they will go to bed, His Majesty still..."

"Chen Qie... really don't want to wait under the tree anymore."

Selling miserably, Yan Yuan is a professional.

Yan Yuan lowered her head and bent her shoulders.

The voice got deeper and deeper, as if she was about to cry.

She had organized these words countless times when she was in the Buddha Bone Pagoda, and she remembered memorizing them fluently. At this moment, she deliberately lowered her voice, making her look even more pitiful and unlucky.

Because it is infatuated enough, it is stupid enough.

What a legitimate reason.

What's more, what she said was not all lies.

Now that the Kuiyu camp has been thoroughly searched, and she has confirmed that all the documents have gone to the emperor's imperial study, the next step is to find ways to actually enter the Qianzheng Palace.

But in this situation, it would be impossible for her to stand up again. If she wanted to continue to investigate the whereabouts of Kui Yuying, she still needed to resort to other methods.

Servant is a useful all-purpose brick.

"Your Majesty...the concubine is just using too much affection...the concubine didn't do it on purpose..."

Yan Yuan stretched out her sleeves and wiped away the non-existent tears.

Chen Lingshen: "..."

Chen Ling stared at Yan Yuan intently.

He knew that the person in front of him was probably talking nonsense again.

She had always been a liar, an opportunistic gangster.

As long as she is given a little room to breathe, she will always use that majestic deceitful tone and say some... absurd things.

Unfortunately, he was at a loss for words.

Seeing her lowering her head and crying, seeing her showing the soft hair behind her ears that has just been dried by the fire, seeing her weak and boneless appearance.

For a moment.

He found himself wanting to believe her a little bit.

Although it was only a little bit, it made his breathing a little messy in an instant.

The next moment, the familiar anger welled up in his chest again. Chen Ling let out a short breath from his deep mouth and nose. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yan Yuan."

Yan Yuan raised her head with tears in her eyes.

Chen Ling said coldly: "You cry again, I don't mind letting you go back the way you came."

That means throwing it back into the water.

"..."

*
Fine.

You are ruthless and you have the final say.

Yan Yuan resolutely put away her tears, moved the chair, walked around to the other side of the stove, and concentrated on drying the clothes.

In fact, she didn't quite understand the reason for Chen Ling's anger. An ordinary man would not be angry if he heard that a woman did something stupid because he was "crazy" with him.

What the hell is he mad about?

Yan Yuan couldn't figure it out.

After Chen Lingshen finished his harsh words, he didn't speak again, and he didn't mean to chase after him.

He just had a cold face, and a low-pitched sentence rolled down his throat, and then he walked to the farther throne with a dark face and sat down.

Yan Yuan didn't hear what he said clearly, but she can be sure that it must not be a good word.

She is not a person who is ignorant of current affairs, she accepts as soon as it is ready, and concentrates on baking her clothes.

The night has darkened.

A gust of wind rose up by the lake and blew out the candles in the cabin.

So the cabin suddenly became dark, only the charcoal fire of the stove glowed orange-red.This light only illuminated a small area around Yan Yuan, turning her fingertips into translucent blood.

She couldn't see what Ling Chen was doing at all.

But she knew that Chen Lingchen was still looking at her, like a snake lurking in the dark night, slowly staring at its prey.

Time passed by drop by drop.

Yan Yuan's clothes were half dried.

Chen Lingshen had no intention of ordering the boat to berth.

Yan Yuan ventured to speak: "Your Majesty, when will the ship dock?"

After all, she sneaked out, and she had to sneak back to the Buddha Bone Pagoda before the old monk delivered the porridge at dawn.

But Chen Lingchen didn't seem to hear her words. He leaned his whole body on the back of the chair, his head naturally drooping, in a haughty dormant posture.

Yan Yuan said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, if the concubine is found sneaking out of the tower, it will be difficult to deal with it..."

She was in the pagoda, there was an accident in the plum garden, and the perfect alibi, if she was found absent, would become conclusive evidence.

But Chen Lingchen still didn't make a sound, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Yan Yuan thought for a while, walked to the window, picked up the extinguished candle, lit it with the fire from the charcoal stove, and then bravely approached Chen Lingchen quietly.

At this moment, his body was slumped on the seat, his eyes had already been closed, his thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his cheeks, and there were still some fine beads of sweat on the tip of his nose.

Yan Yuan: "..."

The dog fell asleep.

Of course she didn't have the guts to wake him up.

Yan Yuan sighed, returned to her seat, and imitated Chen Ling, leaning heavily on the chair and closing her eyes.

Anyway, the clothes are not dry yet, and the time is still early, so let's stay for a while longer.

Anyway, I can't really swim back.

What's more, she was really tired.

The sound of water gurgling outside the cabin made her fall asleep unconsciously.

Before you know it, the moon moves westward.

Yan Yuan heard a noise in the dimness, she was still immersed in a dark and sweet dream at that time, she only felt that the noise was like a fly, very annoying.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty—!"

The eunuch's panicked voice sounded.

Yan Yuan woke up suddenly, only to realize that the ship had already docked before she knew it.

The noise came from the shore, when the sky had just dawned, and the light of the morning sun was shining on the calm lake.There was chaos on the shore, and an eunuch hurried into the cabin, knelt outside and shouted.

"Your Majesty! Something happened to the Buddha Bone Pagoda!!"

"What's the matter?"

In the cabin, Chen Ling, who had already woken up, said coldly.

"The ever-burning lamp that is enshrined in the pagoda..." The eunuch's voice trembled into the cabin with great fear, "...it went out."

"..."

"..."

*
The accident happened so suddenly that even Chen Lingchen's face was full of astonishment.

The Buddha Bone Pagoda was on the north side of the Imperial Garden. Chen Ling followed the eunuchs on foot with a low face.

Yan Yuan followed behind him, feeling more and more desperate as she walked.

The ever-burning lamp of the Buddha Bone Pagoda was lit by the first emperor when he succeeded to the throne.The title of Emperor Xian did not come so well. He was originally an unfavored prince, but relying on Yan Zhou's military exploits and the support of the queen's mother's family, he was able to sit on the throne of the Ninth Five-Year Emperor all the way.

After he succeeded to the throne, there were successive years of disasters in the south of the Yangtze River and the north of the Yangtze River, and there were criticisms in the court and in the middle.Therefore, the first emperor borrowed the folk witchcraft to spread the word, drew fire from the depths of the dragon veins in Yuting Mountain, and ignited the eternal lamp in the palace.

After that, the weather was really good, the country was prosperous and the people were safe, and the criticisms about the injustice of the first emperor's throne gradually disappeared.

This eternal lamp has been burning for more than thirty years.

Now it's gone.

It doesn't go out in the morning and doesn't go out in the evening, but after worshiping ghosts in the plum garden of the queen of the dynasty, it goes out when the bone pit in the blue city is alive. Who would believe it's just a coincidence?

Yan Yuan's face became more and more gloomy, and the eunuch at the side comforted her softly: "Don't worry, ma'am, the assassin from last night has been caught. Although it's a bit dark here, it's still very safe."

Yan Yuan was startled: "Caught it?"

The eunuch said: "Yes, I've caught it. Just don't worry, my lady. The Buddha Bone Pagoda is already an iron bucket, as solid as gold."

Yan Yuan: "No, I am not at ease."

Whether or not the assassin is caught is not the point at all.

The point is that she should be inside the iron bucket, not outside the iron bucket!

In a blink of an eye, the Buddha Bone Pagoda appeared in front of Yan Yuan, and the pagoda was surrounded by layers of guards. Just like the eunuch said, it had become an impenetrable iron bucket.

"His Majesty is here—!"

The eunuch's sharp voice pierced the silence of dawn.

"Long live Your Majesty—"

"Long live Your Majesty—"

"Long live Your Majesty—"

In front of the Buddha Bone Pagoda, the mighty crowd shouted in unison.

At that time, it coincided with the sunrise, and the light of the sky fell on the ground.Yan Yuan only saw layers of human heads piled up on the ground in front of her, and the next moment she saw a person in the crowd who did not kneel down.

The man was dressed luxuriously and had a tall and straight figure, she obviously saw Yan Yuan too.His sharp eyes pierced through the morning mist and met hers, like ice piercing the surface of a lake.

It was Empress Dowager Xiaoci.

For a moment, Yan Yuan couldn't hear her own heartbeat.

She stood still in place for a moment, then bravely took two steps forward, and saluted the queen mother through the crowd: "Concubine...knows the queen mother, Jin An."

I don't know if it was a coincidence, but Chen Lingchen just happened to walk beside her, and followed her voice lightly: "I have seen my mother."

It's as if... I'm very familiar with her.

Shut up, you beast!
It makes it look like we're a team!
Yan Yuan wailed in her heart.

She secretly moved a small step towards the side, another small step, trying to draw a line with the unqualified owner, and at the same time, the thoughts in her mind were spinning rapidly:
For the first three days and three nights she stayed in the Buddha Bone Pagoda, except for the kind little girl who delivered food, no one else entered the Buddha Bone Pagoda.

Could it be the old monk who delivered the vegetarian meal?

But the old monk always just announced the meal, he would neither enter the incense hall nor deliberately wait for her to reply.If it wasn't the old monk, who would have broken into the Buddha Bone Pagoda, and for what reason?

What is certain is that the words of those who violate the rules cannot be trusted.

If she firmly insists that she is in Xiangtang, who can say that she is absolutely not mistaken?
While Yan Yuan was thinking, the Queen Mother had already crossed the crowd and walked up to Yan Yuan, and asked her coldly: "Shouldn't the Queen be inside the Buddha Bone Pagoda? Why is she outside the Pagoda?"

Would you like to take a gamble?

Anyway, it has reached such a desperate situation...

Yan Yuan took a small breath into her stomach, and slowly opened her mouth: "The concubine didn't..."

Just as she was about to carry it to the end, she suddenly heard the sound of messy footsteps in the distance. She followed the sound and saw a group of people galloping towards the end of the road with torches.

They were the guards who cleaned the plum garden last night. They had just worked all night. At this moment, the leader hurried forward and knelt down in front of the queen mother:
"My subordinates greet Your Majesty and Empress Dowager!"

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, my subordinates have finished cleaning the plum garden and found nothing unusual!"

"only……"

The guard looked hesitant, as if hesitating to speak.

The Queen Mother asked coldly, "Just what?"

The imperial guard took out something from his arms, held it with both hands and raised it above his head: "This subordinate found it in the plum garden."

Yan Yuan looked along between his fingers, and was instantly stunned on the spot.

In the palm of his hand lay a lotus lantern quietly.

There are countless styles of palace lanterns in this palace, but the stone lotus lanterns are only found in the Buddha bone pagoda.

This lotus lantern was obviously the one she brought out of the Buddha Bone Pagoda last night and threw it in the Plum Garden amidst the chaos. She did not expect it to be found back in such a way by accident.

It's really... eight lifetimes of bad luck.

In the silence, the empress dowager's stern voice sounded: "Empress, how do you explain?"

Yan Yuan sighed, and slowly knelt down in front of her: "I'm a concubine...for a while, I'm obsessed with ghosts, let the Queen Mother punish me."

There were too many coincidences in what happened last night, it is absolutely impossible to be a coincidence, and the current plan can only be to retreat.

Anyway, both of her bosses were present, so it shouldn't be a big deal for her little cannon fodder to lie flat.

When the queen knelt on the ground, she appeared to be pleading guilty.

For a while, there was a gust of wind outside the Buddha Bone Pagoda, and no one dared to make a sound.

I don't know how long it took before Chen Ling's deep voice sounded above her, and he said, "The matter of the extinguishment of the ever-burning lamp remains to be investigated. As for the queen's private escape from the tower..."

He looked down at the poor head in front of him, and said calmly: "Temporarily ground the Buddha bone pagoda, and wait for the courtiers to discuss the matter of the Buddha bone pagoda."

The emperor opened his mouth, and naturally no one objected.

The queen mother said lightly: "In this case, let's ground your feet first."

Is it still locked in the tower?

Yan Yuan looked up at the towering spire.

She knew that Chen Lingchen was doing this as a stopgap measure, and it wasn't that she couldn't sit still, but when she thought that food was only served once a day in this tower, her face was filled with despair and helplessness.

Can't we change the place?

It's okay to find a cold palace!

"Your Majesty, please enter the tower."

No one can hear Yan Yuan's inner voice.

Yan Yuan had no choice but to drag forward with desperate steps. Just as she passed by Chen Lingchen's side, she heard a faint voice.

"The queen doesn't have to worry, after all..."

Chen Ling's deep voice rang out behind her with a hint of teasing.

He said softly: "The Buddha will protect the queen."

Yan Yuan: "..."

(End of this chapter)