I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 36 Alliance
In the etiquette class in the afternoon, Master Luo remained silent about Liu Lin's absence. It seemed that he already knew what happened in Zhongsi Gate. He taught the class very naturally and his attitude was still friendly.

When I returned to Tingyu Pavilion, Liu Lin's bed was empty, as if this person had never appeared.

As soon as He Qing entered the room, she saw that the bedding on the middle bed and the luggage were gone, and she began to wipe her tears secretly again.

Xiao Minglan and Li Hewei looked calm and composed, sitting aside leisurely drinking tea and chatting.

Song Lingyi noticed their indifference and turned to leave the house.

…………

At dusk, the palace road was deserted. The two young eunuchs who had followed Eunuch Yuanbao during the day had finished their shift and were walking towards the main room, holding lanterns.

When the two young eunuchs passed a corner gate, they saw a man walking out from under the dim eaves and calling them.

"Please stay, gentlemen."

The young eunuch stopped and raised the lamp in his hand to illuminate the face of the person in front of him. One of them had a good memory and greeted respectfully, "It turns out to be Miss Song. I wonder what's the matter?"

Song Lingyi clasped her hands in front of her abdomen, looking a little nervous. "Hello, eunuchs. It's like this. During the day, a new female official accidentally bumped into Lord Yu, and the two eunuchs took her away. I wonder where the new female official is now? Has she left the palace?"

The two young eunuchs looked at each other, and kept silent about this. "It seems that Miss Song has just entered the palace not long ago, so it is better not to ask about some things."

Song Lingyi had a bad feeling in her heart, and took out a few taels of silver from her sleeve pocket and secretly stuffed it in, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, just consider it as tea money for the two eunuchs, and please let me know."

The round-faced eunuch weighed the silver in his hand, thought for a moment, and sighed, "Although I am a small figure in the palace, I have heard of Lady Song's name. There are many talented ladies in the palace, but only Lady Song is favored by Her Royal Highness the Princess and promoted to the palace as an exception. Lady Song should cherish this opportunity and don't interfere with things that you shouldn't ask."

The round-faced eunuch spoke earnestly

Song Lingyi was silent for a moment. "Thank you for your advice, eunuch. It's just that Miss Liu entered the palace with me and is younger than me. She made a mistake and should be dealt with according to palace rules. But now her whereabouts are unknown. I just want to know her whereabouts. It won't involve anything else."

The round-faced young eunuch winked at the young eunuch next to him, asking him to go first.

"Madam Liu was also unlucky. She offended Yu Shaoqing. My master taught her a lesson on the spot in the daytime, hoping to help her out. But who would have thought that Yu Shaoqing would go against his usual behavior and pursue the matter to the end—" The round-faced eunuch lowered his head and moved closer, lowering his voice, "She is no longer alive. Her family was notified half an hour ago to deal with the aftermath."

……

Song Lingyi was shocked. It was just a collision, but she lost her life.
"Thank you for telling me, sir."

The round-faced eunuch waved his hand and said, "Miss Song, please go back quickly. Just pretend you don't know what happened today. If you meet Yu Shaoqing again in the future, just be careful with your words and actions and everything will be fine."

On the way back, Song Lingyi carefully thought about the words of the round-faced eunuch, "uncharacteristically", "getting to the bottom of it", could it be that Yu Youzhi wanted to make an example of someone to scare the monkeys?
Everyone in the palace said that Her Royal Highness the Princess valued her, but Yu Youzhi knew that the person who made an exception and promoted her was the Empress, and Her Royal Highness the Princess was just a bridge-builder.

Could it be that Yu Youzhi was afraid that she would threaten his position?

This shouldn't be the case. He is the empress's favorite. He can kill even the newly promoted female officials at will. How could he be afraid of her?

Thinking like this, I had unknowingly returned to Tingyu Pavilion.
The night was dim, He Qing sat alone in the yard, his back lonely

Hearing footsteps at the door, she quickly wiped her tears with a handkerchief, turned around, and met Song Lingyi's eyes, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Where have you been?" He Qing asked in a muffled voice, his eyes swollen like peaches.

Song Lingyi walked over and sat down opposite her, "I went to inquire about Sister Liu Lin's whereabouts, but I didn't find out." She still concealed the truth.

He Qing frowned slightly: "But didn't you refuse during the day? Why are you asking?" Song Lingyi didn't know how to answer.

She didn't know why, maybe she just couldn't remain indifferent.

“Then why are you sitting here?”

Both of them were silent
There are only four people left in Tingyu Pavilion now. Xiao Minglan has a close relationship with Li Hewei, and even seems to be ostracizing He Qing because of Liu Lin's matter. This is her best chance to win over He Qing.

In this deep palace, it is better to travel in company than to walk alone.

"Sister Liu Lin has always wanted to join the Imperial Chef Bureau. Now that her wish has not been fulfilled, how can she be willing to give up?" He Qing sighed.

"As a close minister of the emperor, Lord Yu should be more self-disciplined and polite, but now he is——"

Before Song Lingyi could finish her words, He Qing covered her mouth and whispered, "Sister Song, be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall."

Song Lingyi is silent

"Lord Yu has a noble family from Huainan behind him, the leader of the four great families in Daliang. In addition, he enjoys the emperor's favor, and is unrivaled in Chang'an City. This is not something we can discuss," said He Qing.

Song Lingyi frowned

Since ancient times, all enlightened monarchs have three fears: one is the fear of God; two is the fear of his ministers; and three is the fear of future affairs.

Yu Youzhi has a huge force behind him and is a frivolous person. If the empress favors such a person because of his looks, isn't she afraid of the indignation of her ministers and the instability of the country?
The two of them were silent for a long time, each with their own thoughts.

"In fact, I had heard of Sister Song before I entered the palace. The imperial examination system for female officials in the Daliang Dynasty was strict. Since the founding of the country, there has never been a case like you. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

He Qing understood her current situation and wanted to form an alliance with Song Lingyi. "When I first entered the palace, we were hostile to you, but after what happened to Sister Liu Lin, I realized that we are not the same kind of people."

Song Lingyi collected her thoughts and said, "Sister He and I have the same idea."

"Sister Song is a magnanimous person for letting bygones be bygones. From now on, we will support each other in the palace and not deceive each other."

Song Lingyi stared at He Qing and said calmly, "Sister He is a man of love. I feel relieved to befriend you."

…………

The days in the palace went on uneventfully.
Tingyu Pavilion was divided into two groups, but Xiao Minglan and Li Hewei did not openly pick a fight with Song Lingyi again.

The courses at Wenchang Pavilion are still going on
Luo Xueshi sat behind the desk and said, "Please open the bamboo slips in front of you."

Song Lingyi opened the bamboo slips and glanced at them, only to find that the contents were very profound.

Xiao Minglan: "Is this the "Astronomy Records"? "

Scholar Luo nodded, "This book, The Records of Astronomy, is the product of the life-long efforts of State Master Ye. It is worth your careful study and contemplation."

"But as a female official, isn't it a wrong approach to study the "Astronomy Records"? " Li Hewei questioned softly. Astrology was too profound for them.

"From ancient times to the present, learned people have always been knowledgeable about astronomy and geography. You have passed the imperial examination for female officials, which means you are well-read. Studying astronomy can help you understand the laws of nature and improve your mind." said Scholar Luo.

(End of this chapter)