Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 759 All the Masters Have Come Out
Hanyuan Hall,
In the big tent,
The three princes and the female historian Chunhe were all silent. They also knew the importance of the conversation between the queen and Marquis Luo Yun. The prince of a vassal state coming to Beijing would definitely not be safe. Although the three princes did not fully understand many things, they had a vague premonition in their hearts.
Zhang Jinyu stood at the door of the tent. The words of the queen just now seemed to indicate an alliance. She was shocked. Changle Palace was the emperor, Cining Palace was the queen mother, and who was that Yushu Palace? It seemed that the queen mother and the queen were not in the same group. She was slightly surprised and asked;

"I understand what your Majesty means. Because of the case of the demon in Ningguo Mansion, I still have two thousand elite cavalrymen who have not left the city. They have been cooperating with Liu Chen, a captain of the Imperial City Department, in the East City to capture the demon. After the imperial examination is over, I will immediately order each prince to assign 500 elite cavalrymen to protect the safety of the three princes."

After thinking about it, I decided to ask about the palace affairs.
"Your Majesty, I have heard of Changle Palace and Cining Palace, but what is Yushu Palace? What is the relationship between Your Majesty and Cining Palace and Yushu Palace?"

This question was asked a little rashly, even a little abruptly. I thought the queen would scold me, but when I looked up, Queen Jiang's charming eyes reappeared, and a little smile returned to her face. This was,

Before I could figure it out, Chun He started to explain.

"Your Majesty, you asked a good question. Cining Palace is naturally the residence of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother has never asked about the affairs of the harem, but that does not mean she doesn't ask. As for Yushu Palace, it is the residence of the old Concubine Zhen. She has never asked about the affairs of the harem, but when something happens, Yushu Palace will inevitably intervene."

This statement showed the position of the harem. Old Concubine Zhen, Yu Shugong, and Zhang Jinyu were moved. This so-called old concubine must be the backer of the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion and Old Lady Shi.

The old concubine of the Zhen family in Jiangnan thought about it this way, and everything made sense. As for the empress dowager, the mother of the former crown prince Zhou Yongxiao, how could she be on the same page with His Majesty?

"Thank you, Sister Chunhe, for telling me, Your Majesty, I know what's going on."

"It's good to have an idea. I've been a little worried and often can't sleep at night. The three princes have left the palace to build a mansion. Although it's a good thing, it's easier to avoid an open attack than to guard against an arrow from the dark. There are always some things that are not taken care of well. Although there are guards, they cannot be increased due to the ancestral system. It's really a matter of thought for the Marquis."

As she spoke, her eyes were bright, not like the haggard look of someone who couldn't sleep at night. She only heard the queen sigh,
"Forget it, we have seen it all, so I won't bother you any more, Chunhe, let's go back."

"Yes, ma'am."

The queen stood up and called out to the three princes. She then gave some instructions in their ears and led them out of the tent. Zhang Jinyu did not dare to be slow and followed closely. With a wave of his hand, the guards behind him had already surrounded him. They followed the path at the corner of the wall and entered the back hall.

From a distance, I saw the back door was wide open, and many imperial guards were standing outside. It seemed that the imperial guards really let him in.
Just thinking,

Queen Jiang, who was walking normally in front, suddenly stopped and turned around to ask,

"Lord Luo Yun, who do you think can be the crown prince among the three princes?"

This question made Zhang Jinyu, who had not yet recovered from his daze, stumble and bump into Chunhe. With a cry of surprise, the soft figure of the woman came into his arms, and the fragrance of the orchid on the queen's body penetrated into his nose.
moment,

The scene was extremely awkward. Zhang Jinyu saw Chunhe blushing in her arms and quickly let go of her hand. She didn't know whether she was relieved or regretful that it wasn't the Empress. She was speechless for a moment.
"Please don't blame me, Your Majesty. I was reckless and distracted for a moment. What did Your Majesty just say?"

He was just thinking about beautiful things and didn't listen to what the queen said. He looked at Chunhe's plump body with one eye. It was not worse than Li Wan's. This was what he liked.
But like this, Empress Jiang looked thoughtful.
"You are quite straightforward. Whether you really heard it or not, there are only a few of us here. Who do you think can be the crown prince?"

As soon as he turned around, Empress Jiang stared at him intently, making Zhang Jinyu sweat on his forehead. He heard it clearly. The road to succession is never smooth, and there is no good ending for taking sides. In the Red Mansion, it seems that after His Majesty, there is a new dynasty, and no prince has been given a chance.
"Your Majesty, the backs and palms of your hands are made of flesh, and pinching them will hurt. I think we should just let it go. We can't jump to conclusions now. The affairs of the royal family are not something I can get involved in. Yesterday, I felt that the three princes all had their own advantages. The eldest prince was calm and steady, the second prince was smart, and although the third prince was young, he was cautious and should not be underestimated. So, Your Majesty, please don't be impatient."

After that, there was a moment of silence.

But Queen Jiang smiled, her charming face still showing the beauty that could not topple a country or a city, but she was still a stunning beauty.
"Lord Luo Yun is indeed sincere and filial. I didn't misjudge him. It's me who is anxious."

Leaving behind ambiguous words, he led his men straight out of the corner door of the back hall. With a "bang", the back door closed, as if nothing had happened. Only the orchid fragrance was floating in the air.
"Ningbian, leave a few people here to take over and watch the door to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

Zhang Jinyu also sighed, pitiful for the love of parents in the world. For the position of the crown prince, the queen could not sit still, shook her head, and went back with the soldiers.
The three princes who stayed in the big tent were silent. Although they didn't quite understand the conversation between their mother and Marquis Luo Yun, they knew it concerned the three of them. It was not until their mother left that they began to miss her.

"Brother, what did mother mean by that?"

The third prince Zhou Long asked with some confusion.

Only the second prince, Zhou Chong, looked annoyed and patted the third prince's sleeve.
"What are you asking? That's it. Be more careful in the future and don't go out without permission."

"Yes, Third Brother, nothing else."

The eldest prince Zhou Ding obviously thought more about it. It seemed that trouble was coming. The prince of a vassal king was coming with bad intentions.
"Your Highnesses, the food is ready. Please enjoy your meal."

"Yes. Bring it in."

outside the door,

Thinking of the words of the captain of the imperial guards, the eldest prince shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He responded and asked the imperial guards to bring in some food. After a night of hard work, he was hungry, so the remaining cakes went into the second prince's stomach.
In the harem,
In Chunli Palace,

There are clusters of flowers, green and thin, and it is very lively.

Inside Chunli Palace, maids were seen coming in and out, and plates of cakes and tea were constantly being brought in. Inside the palace, there was even a row of maids dancing gracefully, with music playing, as if there was a banquet.

In the main seat, Concubine Wu smiled awkwardly, looking at everything in front of her, her heart full of suspicion. It was so early in the morning, and the message from the Queen was too strange. She wanted to prepare a banquet and make cakes for the evening.

It would be fine if it was just one person, but they actually invited so many people over. What was their intention? The Concubine Jing, Guo Mingyue, who was always quiet and didn't like crowds, was here too. He thought about it and looked at Concubine Zhou who was sitting at the bottom. She should know what was going on.

Unfortunately, when I looked away, I saw that she was supposed to be dressed up gorgeously, but now she was wearing ordinary clothes, without even a jade hairpin, and only a wooden hairpin in her hair. This look was rare to see, and it was interesting to think about it.

Concubine Wu picked up the tea bowl, took a sip of tea, and covered it up a little. She looked at Ming Fei He Wanru again, but saw that she was wearing a soft blue dress, still the same as before. As for Xiao Shixuan, Xu Cairen, and even Zhaoyi Ye Huixin, Xiurong Su Wenya and others who came with her, Concubine Wu did not take them seriously.
After the dance ended, Concubine Wu smiled and waved her hand, and the dancing maid bowed and left.
"My dear sisters, I haven't seen you for a long time. As luck would have it, the Empress has issued an imperial decree today, saying that she wants us to make some cakes for dinner, so I have passed on the imperial decree to express my longing for you."

Concubine Wu, with a smile on her face, spoke first when she saw that the time was almost up. After hearing these words, Concubine Xu and Minister Xiao couldn't help but glance at Concubine Zhou to see her reaction. Unexpectedly, Concubine Zhou just sat there, eating cakes and drinking tea in silence, with no intention of speaking at all, let alone anything else!
At this time, Empress Mingfei also smiled and replied;
"I'm sorry to have spent so much money on you. I never thought you had all these. Besides, I'm a little curious about what the queen needs to cook in the evening. She wants to use the cakes we made. With our limited skills, we are not worthy of such a high-class feast. It's embarrassing."

Ming Fei just watched the dancers dance. Not to mention how well they danced, there weren't many palaces in the harem that could support them. It seemed that even the Empress didn't have any. As for why the Empress used cakes to gather them together, that was hard to say.

After Ming Fei finished speaking, the others all glanced at Wu Guifei, as if they could see something.

"Oh, sister, what are you talking about? I have my own difficulties here. What you said is just a guess by the people in the palace when I have nothing to do. When I have nothing to do, I just take a look. It's not as good as the outside world."

Concubine Wu touched the jade ring on her hand, her rich look made others envious. She glanced at Concubine Ming, who seemed to have a lot on her mind after not seeing her for a year. "As for what the queen wants to do, it's not something we can guess. If you can do it, do it. If you can't do it, let the helpers around you take over. It's not that you have to do it yourself. Just think about what to do."

"Oh. Thank you for your reminder, but I don't know what kind of pastry you made?"

Ming Fei's eyes flickered, and she asked again. In fact, she had many doubts in her heart. Wasn't today too abnormal? It was often said that Concubine Wu and Concubine Zhou were enemies, but when she saw them today, they were completely different. Not only did they look normal, but how could the rumors be believed?

"Look at what my sister said. Why can't I say it? The Queen has ordered us to do the best. I have already asked people to prepare cloud cakes."

The cloud cake in the palace is the most difficult to make. Not to mention the ingredients, it takes two hours for the dough to rest. Fortunately, there are capable people in the palace who have done some business.

But the others changed their expressions when they heard this. Concubine Wu prepared cloud cakes, but they only made ordinary steamed cakes. How could they compare to the simpler sweet-scented osmanthus cakes made by Concubine Ming? Even the maids of ordinary wealthy families could make them.

In this case, is there any other explanation? His face was uncertain. He looked at the people below and saw that no one was talking, so he asked;
"Sister Zhou, why are you sitting there without saying anything today? What pastries did you prepare?"

Ming Fei actually asked about Concubine Zhou. Everyone present understood the hidden meaning of mentioning her in Concubine Wu's palace. Jing Fei also looked at the people around her in surprise. Ming Fei was not like this before. Today, she was out of character. What should she do?

Not to mention the two Zhaoyi, who were obviously also very interested in what Ming Fei was going to do.
Wherever you look,
Concubine Zhou held the cake in her hand and put it into her mouth. She didn't sit in any way. She just wiped her hands with a handkerchief, picked up the tea bowl and drank a sip of water. She looked a little vulgar, which made Ye Zhaoyi and Su Xiurong beside her feel a little annoyed.
"Thank you for your concern, Sister Mingfei. I don't have any cooking skills. I just make a folk snack, steamed cake, with some red dates. I just need a box of noodles, a box of red dates, and a little honey water, and steam it."

She said it without any embellishment, which made Concubine Xu beside her a little worried. She wondered why Concubine Zhou had changed so much.

Ming Fei was choked. How could such a simple steamed cake be brought out to show off? She frowned and saw the behavior of Concubine Zhou. This was not the behavior of a concubine. But when she looked at the others, no one said anything.
Concubine Wu saw the scene in front of her and was also thinking in her mind. It seems that there are more people in the harem who have ideas than just Concubine Wu and Concubine Zhou. The others are all waiting for the opportunity. I think Concubine Zhou also understood, which is why this scene happened.
"Sister, you see, you can do anything, as long as you do it with your heart. The queen may not really need it, as long as you do it, it's fine."

His words actually helped Concubine Zhou out of trouble, shocking everyone in the palace, who were all silent. It seemed that the rumors were not credible.

Just at this time,

Outside the hall, Song Shuang hurried in and reported from behind the screen,

"Your Majesty, Wei Shixuan and Feng Cairen request to see you,"

"Well, they are here too. That's fine too. Let's invite them in to have some fun."

Concubine Wu recalled for a moment that Wei Fenglan, the concubine of Wei, was the sister of Wei Xiangping, the defender of the important town of Runan. Concubine Feng was also not simple. She was the sister of Feng Yuankui, the governor of Yongcheng. So they were here too?
With the sound of a door curtain being rolled up, a group of figures swayed outside the Jiangnan Spring Scenery screen. Two graceful women in green entered at the same time. They had long hair draped over their shoulders and wore gold and silver jewelry. This noble aura was obviously not something that ordinary people could have.
As soon as they entered, they bowed and saluted.
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine, and greetings to all the sisters!"

Concubine Wu hurriedly greeted,

"Oh, it's the two sisters who are here. Come on, sit down, have some tea and take a break. You came at the right time. We were just discussing who made what cake!"

"Thank you, Madam Royal Concubine,"

The two thanked her, walked a few steps, sat down at the lower seat, and looked up at the people sitting in the hall. Concubine Wu just mentioned what cakes she wanted to make, which showed that they had received the message from the Queen. As for the inner affairs, the two of them knew nothing about it. On weekdays, they never paid much attention to it.
"It's good that she's here, just like my sister. I heard that your palace spent a lot of money to find the score of Jiangnan Kunqu Opera, which is said to be Jiangnan Shuimo Opera, which is rare. Could it be that my sister secretly learned it?"

Concubine Wu was not one to be taken advantage of. She could not hide Ming Fei's recent movements from her. She had spent a lot of money to buy the Jiangnan Kunqu music score in the name of her family. By chance, there was someone from her Wu family in the Chamber of Commerce in the south of the city. She took this opportunity to tell her about it, which was also a warning to her.
Sure enough, when Concubine Ming heard Concubine Wu's question, her expression changed slightly. Concubine Wu actually knew about this. Who revealed it to her? Or was it her spy in her own palace? What a good trick.

at this time,

Ming Fei really began to take Concubine Wu in front of her seriously. She glanced at Concubine Zhou who was sitting there quietly. How could someone who could fight with Concubine Wu on equal terms be so simple?

His face was a little embarrassed, and after a pause, he replied;

"Sister is more sensible. Sister can't hide this thing even if she wants to."

He touched his hands, glanced at the people around him, and said,

"It's not expensive. There are many singing girls in the capital who can sing. Although it's hard to find the Jiangnan Kunqu Opera, it's not rare either. You can buy it with a little more money. If you like it, I'll copy it and send it to you. How about that?"

Ming Fei's words showed that she had surrendered, and also shocked the people below. Concubine Wu's methods were really powerful, as if they had telepathic connection. They all looked at Concubine Zhou secretly. She could quarrel with Concubine Wu for so long and still sit here peacefully. It seemed that Concubine Zhou's methods were amazing!

Concubine Wu smiled and said, "Just give in. Some tricks don't work on tough guys, but they are easy to use on people who think they want to save face. Besides, it's rare to find someone as stubborn as Concubine Zhou."

Maybe, some people just don't bother to do it.

"Sister, you are joking. Although Kunqu Opera is good, I still like to listen to the original songs. No matter how good the Jiangnan Shuimo Opera is, it is still from Jiangnan. Sometimes, I also find the northern folk songs very pleasant to the ears. I heard that Marquis Luo Yun likes this song, but I don't know if it is true or not!"

Concubine Wu's words left Concubine Ming speechless. Many thoughts flashed through her mind. Marquis Luo Yun was an outsider. What did Concubine Wu mean by mentioning him?
Even the usually silent Concubine Jing, Guo Mingyue, raised her head, glanced at the beauty beside her, blinked her eyes, and sighed.
"Sister, you are really amazing. You even know such secrets. It is a coincidence that my father once had contact with Luo Yunhou's father, but there was a war outside the Great Wall and he had no time to care about him. Later, he learned that a big incident had happened to the border troops outside the Great Wall and they lost their lives. He was really sad. Later, the Jurchens pressed on step by step. I never thought that Luo Yunhou had such a talent for leading the army. It was a step to heaven."

Some sad words are hard to tell whether they are true or false. Not to mention Concubine Ming and the others, even Concubine Wu is a little unsure at this time. Are these words true or false? Although the Guo family is in Shuoyang County in the north, it is far away from the outside of the Great Wall, especially in the inner palace. I have never heard that Marquis Luo Yun and Concubine Jing have any connection!

"This is really a coincidence. I didn't expect that Concubine Jing and Marquis Luo Yun had a past. I really didn't know that my sister and Marquis Luo Yun had such a connection. I wonder if my sister and Marquis Luo Yun have any connection?"

It seemed like an unintentional test, but the knife in the words revealed a cold light.

"That's not the case. My father only has a past with General Zhang. He has no connection with Marquis Luo Yun, let alone my sister."

Concubine Jing seemed unaware of the danger in her words and continued speaking to herself.

When Concubine Wu wanted to ask more questions, she was interrupted by a greeting.

"Empress Wu, are you still going to make the cakes?"

(End of this chapter)