Leader Lan Palace

Chapter 2398 Seven Volumes 101

The wheels are rolling, slowly driving from Changchun Garden back to Yuanmingyuan.

Yu Rui repressed herself, and she didn't talk much along the way.

Wanxi's thoughts still lingered in the aftertaste of the previous interview with the Empress Dowager through the shroud of night and the tranquility in the carriage.

Even if there were words that she hadn't understood in front of the Empress Dowager at that time, now that she thought about it, her heart became clear.

Wanxi smiled faintly, "I figured out some reasons for Concubine Yu from what the Empress Dowager said."

Yu Rui was slightly taken aback, "What did you think of?"

Wanxi smiled slowly, "Concubine Yu used to keep her emotions out of the way, and she was the most difficult person to fathom and guard against. But recently, she couldn't hold back anymore, which was different from her previous disposition." It's the same."

Wanxi turned her eyes to look at Yurui, "...the empress dowager's words reminded me, probably because she is the lowest-ranked birth mother of all the princes."

Yu Rui was also surprised, and nodded after looking back, "No! Now the twelfth elder brother is the son of the empress, the fifteenth elder brother is the concubine's child, and the other fourth, eighth and eleventh elder brothers The elder brother was born to the imperial concubine Shujia, and the sixth elder brother was born to the imperial concubine Chunhui... Except for the fifth elder brother, the birth mothers of all the princes are either queens, imperial concubines, or noble concubines; On the concubine's seat."

"Since mother is more expensive, if you compare it with the status of birth mother, it means that the status of the fifth elder brother is the lowest!"

Thinking of this, Yu Rui raised her eyebrows slightly, "I didn't realize this before! After all, Concubine Yu is an old man in the emperor's hidden residence, and she has a lot of experience; besides, she is already in the concubine position, which is not low. But after all, people compare People have to die, and goods have to be thrown away, because of Concubine Yu's status, the fifth elder brother is the lowest among all the princes... I can't blame Concubine Yu for being so anxious now, and the fifth elder brother cares so much about the eighth elder brother this time Married to Yin Jishan's family."

Wanxi also sighed softly, "Aren't I the same as you, I didn't realize this matter. It was the empress dowager who reminded me. Born from a concubine... the titles and salaries that the children will receive in the future all depend on the identity of the biological mother."

"If this is the case in the prince's house, it is even more so in the palace. Ordinarily Concubine Yu is in the position of concubine, and Yong Qi can be regarded as a concubine, not as low as a concubine... But the biological mothers of other princes are not queens, but imperial concubines." She doesn't have to argue with me as a noble concubine for the time being, but the first son of the empress and the princes of the four imperial concubines are enough for her to care about~"

Hearing Concubine Yu's predicament, Yu Rui finally felt a little more at ease, "No! If she wants to change this predicament, she must at least try to be promoted to Concubine Concubine, and be on equal footing with you... But, the Emperor She has been on the imperial concubine position for so many years, and there is no intention of giving her a promotion at all."

"As for her, she is getting older now, she is 49 years old, and the green card will be removed in one year, and she will not even be able to serve her bed. Why can she ask the emperor to promote her? If Therefore, she was panicked, even the skill of forbearance for so many years was abolished, presumably it was because of this."

Wanxi also sighed, "It's no wonder that Yongqi herself is also anxious. My biological mother is the one with the lowest status among all the prince's biological mothers, and my Fujin mother's family is the family of all the prince's Fujin mothers. It's embarrassing...his own biological mother and concubine Fujin can't count on him, and Yongqi himself is bound by the rules of the palace, and he can't make friends with ministers in private, and he has to study in the upper study every day, so he is like a tiger by himself , but it’s like being trapped in an iron cage, and I can’t use any strength.”

Yu Rui could not help but sigh deeply.

"After all, he is also Yingyuan's husband. In fact, with this relationship, how can I not want to help him? If Concubine Yu and E Chang don't do things that make us feel sad in the past few years, sister Why is it that I have gradually become estranged from the fifth elder brother? With my sister's temperament, I have admired the fifth elder brother since I was a child. If my sister can love the eighth elder brother and the eleventh elder brother, why can't I also give it to the fifth elder brother? bro?"

"Talking about a thousand words and ten thousand, it's all because of Concubine Yu's muddled biological mother, plus E Changzai, who is such a gentle person, made things go wrong!"

Wanxi bowed her head lightly, "I didn't have my own children back then, and I didn't even know if I would have children of my own in this life... Just looking at Yongqi and the others, I couldn't help but look forward to it, If I could have a son, what would it look like?"

"I once sincerely hoped that the son I gave birth to would be as well-behaved, sensible, studious and intelligent as Yongqi..."

Yurui also felt sad, and couldn't help holding Wanxi's hand, "Sister~"

Wanxi shook her head, "It's all over. Now that the children are growing up, Concubine Yu and I are naturally protecting our sons; and the children are naturally protecting their biological mother even more... Whether we are willing or not, I The fate with Yongqi, so far, only the memories of the year and Yingyuan are left."
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It has been a whole month since I returned to the capital in May to the fifteenth day of the fifth lunar month.

Concubine Xin listened carefully to the movements in the palace, and was on guard against what Concubine Yu said in front of Nala's that day, which would lead to further investigation by the Upper Siyuan and implicate her; on the other hand, after she calmed down, It is better to write a book for An Ning in Jiangsu.

Although her mother's family is full of wealth, she has Gege who is Duo Luo's son-in-law, and two brother-in-laws, one is a servant and the other is a secretary in the cabinet.But in the final analysis, based on his rich experience in the officialdom, especially if he has a lot of money in his hands, the real rich and powerful must be the elder brother-in-law An Ning.

But it was strange to say that she wrote a letter and waited for a whole month, but she still couldn't wait for her brother-in-law's reply.

She couldn't help drawing Hun'er in her heart, thinking that her brother-in-law also had a grudge with her?

She became more and more worried, which made Le Rong and the others try to find out.Jiangnan was too far away, and there was no way to get information from Jiangnan quickly, so she asked Le Rong and the others to try to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to inquire about news.

An Ning came from Baoyi's background under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so when it comes to official positions, the foundation is still in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.An Ning originally had the title of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and had a lot of personal contacts in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.Nowadays, in the various departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are also many officials who are An Ning's disciples and subordinates.

Concubine Xin thought that they must be in touch with An Ning, and they would definitely get news of An Ning from their mouths.

But it's weird to say, Le Rong came back and said that those old and peaceful old men in the House of Internal Affairs, when they saw the people they sent out, they all seemed to avoid them in fear.

Concubine Xin's heart trembled, and she hurriedly asked, "Where is the Shangsi Courtyard?"

Le Rong cast a careful glance at Concubine Xin, "...especially the one in the Shangsi Courtyard. The servant asked Su La, the servant, to ask, and the few principals who had a personal relationship with Mrs. An Ning didn't even seem to know each other. of!"

Concubine Xin grabbed the veil nervously, "Something's wrong, something's wrong... You can inquire around, did anything happen to Shangsi Academy during the few months we followed the emperor's southern tour?"

Le Rong hurriedly said, "The servant naturally asked. They all said...it was the Minister of the Shangsi Courtyard, taking advantage of the emperor's southern tour, he almost wanted to bring over the entire Shangsi Courtyard, just to check on Concubine Xun cause of death."

Concubine Xin staggered and fell to sit on the kang.

"...There are so many people in the Shangsi Academy, how dare that 97 open the investigation? The officials of the Shangsi Academy are fine, but there are still so many Aden guards in the Shangsi Academy, which one is not a noble family? Son, how dare he investigate?"

"Besides, we have already drawn all the doubts to Mingyi. Mingyi, that is the nephew of Empress Xiaoxian, the son of first-class Uncle Xianglie Fu Qing, and the younger brother of Viscount Mingren! With Mingyi as a shield, how dare 97 investigate in detail?"

Le Rong bit her lip, but still nodded, "The slave heard that the words given by 97 were to let Concubine Xun go to the earth to rest in peace. This is the emperor's will. Anyone can check it, even the emperor's family." There are no relatives of the state, the clan and the vassals who cannot be investigated..."

"Your Majesty!" Concubine Xin groaned again in her heart, "Your Majesty was busy on the southern tour, but still left such a decree?"

The hall was as quiet as a tomb for a moment.

Concubine Xin clutched the handkerchief tightly, her heart beating like a drum, and she was speechless for a long time.

After a long time, she suddenly looked back and stared at Le Rong, "Then what did 97 find out? Concubine Xun will be released in April. Does that mean that 97 has been investigated before April, before we return to Beijing?" ?”

Le Rong bit her lips, and shook her head worriedly, "...slave, I can't ask. People who go to the Siyuan all avoid seeing them; as for the guards of Aden, it is not the slaves and servants Sula who can see them." Come on, it’s time to talk.”

Concubine Xin became short of breath, "...I've been back to Beijing for a whole month, so even if I didn't write a letter, my brother-in-law should have sent a letter to say hello. But there was no reply to my letter, and no matter how much he practiced, he didn't send me a note to say hello. Coming to Beijing?"

Concubine Xin's face suddenly changed, and she stared at Le Rong in shock, "My brother-in-law, maybe something happened to him?"

Le Rong also had cold hands and feet nervously, "This is what this servant is worried about. After all...Concubine Xun has been laid to rest in April, which means that 97 may have found out something in April. The emperor was on the southern tour because of a sailor's accident. For such a trivial matter, the inexplicable punishment of Mrs. An Ning, this servant feels at this moment—could it be related to this?"

Concubine Xin's heart jumped into her throat, "You mean, you also feel that the emperor probably got the report of 97 in April, and contacted my brother-in-law about going to the fourth hospital." Where? So the emperor bestowed favors on Yin Jishan, Gao Jin, and Ali Gun along the way, but left my brother-in-law alone; even because of troubles with sailors, which had nothing to do with my brother-in-law, the emperor also punished my brother-in-law Is it because the emperor already has a plan for his salary?!"

Le Rong shook his head vigorously, "I can't say for sure...I don't want it to be like this..."

Concubine Xin raised her hand and tightened her collar, opened her mouth like a fish stranded on the shore, and took a big breath, "Go, tell people to go to my mother's house, call me Erniang, Gege, second brother-in-law, third brother-in-law, tell them to think about it." Find a way to send someone to Jiangnan, and immediately ask me what happened to my brother-in-law in Jiangsu!"
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Before Concubine Xin got the news from her mother's house, the news had already spread from the palace.

On May [-]th, the emperor suddenly decreed that he had received a report from Jiangsu Governor Chen Hongmou: An Ning died of illness.

This was something that hadn't even been predicted before, and the emperor also decreed that "An Ning is still young and fit to be appointed by the government. It is a pity to die suddenly."

What the emperor meant was that although An Ning was not young, she was not yet old enough to die.Such a sudden death surprised even the emperor.

The deceased was dead, and the emperor gave him the title of minister in charge of the Anning House of Internal Affairs.

At the same time, it was decreed to arrange the affairs after An Ning's death: the chief envoy of Suzhou, and Su De to make up for it; the weaving in Suzhou, and the taxation of Hushuguan, and Jinhui went to manage it;
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When the news spread, even Wanxi was stunned when she heard it, sitting on Kang Yan'er in a daze for a long time, unable to recover.

Yurui laughed, "What retribution! What a great thing! Sister, you are so happy..."

Wanxi shook her head slightly, "It was so sudden that I was not as happy as I expected. Naturally it is a good thing, and naturally it is retribution, but I never expected it to happen so suddenly."

Yu Rui snorted softly, "In any case, my sister just came back from Jiangnan with the emperor, and the emperor has seen An Ning in Jiangsu. My sister was surprised when she didn't read the emperor's will, which means that even the emperor didn't see that An Ning had anything to do with it." What's sick? It's a bit interesting to talk about An Ning's death from illness."

Yu Rui lightly raised her eyes, "If it's really an illness, it can only be said that it was a sudden illness that even the emperor couldn't find out a month ago; After being punished by the emperor, you have ghosts in your heart, so you have a heart attack, and you were scared to death by the work?"

Wanxi and Yurui hadn't finished talking here when Yuqin almost trotted in.

When I came in, I couldn't help clapping my hands, "Happy, I'm so happy today! Call that bastard who plotted against my father, almost entrapped my whole family, and made you feel angry by using my family's affairs. Longevity!"

Yuqin smiled and still had a bitter face, "It's just that calling him dead like this is taking advantage of him! The emperor also issued a decree to reward him with the title of minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs... An Ning is the chief minister in Jiangsu. He is in charge of the money and food of the province, and the tax of Hushuguan, and the money in his hands is like running water. How can a person like him be clean!"

"It's a pity that before the emperor became suspicious of him, he died like this!"

Wanxi pressed Yuqin's hand, "Sister, don't worry. After all, An Ning is a servant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He has been doing business for the emperor in Jiangsu for so many years, and he is also a governor. Therefore, the emperor can't hear the news of his death. Garn's."

"However... the emperor added grace, but he didn't say anything and stopped investigating him. Didn't my sister notice that who did the emperor call to take over his Suzhou weaving and Hushuguan taxes?"

Yuqin was slightly taken aback.

Yu Rui understood it first, so she clapped her hands, "It's Jin Hui. Sister Qing probably forgot that Jin Hui is the brother of Imperial Concubine Shujia, so he is also the uncle of Eighth Prince!"

"You mean...!" Yuqin's eyes lit up suddenly.

Wanxi and Yurui met each other's eyes, then both smiled and nodded.

Yuqin breathed a sigh of relief, supported Wanxi's arm, and finally smiled again, "...the family of the eighth elder brother's ancestral family all worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and his grandfather used to be the secretary of the Shangsi courtyard, but the eighth elder brother did not For the sake of Qingzao to find out the truth from Shangsi Hospital, I have to temporarily press the investigation button for the sake of clarity."

"Brother Eight has been blocking this account, and it's also been blocking the hearts of the Jin family. This time, Jin Hui has a chance, but the Shangsi Academy failed to find out anything, so Suzhou Weaving, Hu I don't believe I can't find anything about the taxes at the villa customs!"

Yu Rui also laughed, "Although we still dare not admit that the matter of Ba Fujin has something to do with An Ning, we can see that since Ba elder brother can't investigate it, if we want to investigate it, it will involve Mingyi, there must be something behind it The planning of a careful man."

"I think, Concubine Yu doesn't have this ability, and she also told the fifth elder brother to suffer from the queen because of this incident. Concubine and An Ning go..."

"This time An Ning is dead, but his debt can't be settled! Let's wait for Jin Hui to investigate, he will be dead at that time, and he can drag the corpse out of the grave to whip the corpse!"

Yuqin clapped her hands in relief, "If the An Ningquan knows, will you regret who you provoked at the beginning, but you have provoked the eighth elder brother? Although the imperial concubine Shujia went early, but the eighth elder brother's ancestral home They are all officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; in Jiangsu, there is even the father-in-law of the eighth elder brother Yin Jishan! The Jin family and the Yin family have joined forces, and An Ning's previous accounts must be turned upside down!"

Wanxi also stroked the placket tassel named "An Lan" on her skirt, and smiled softly, "Poor Concubine Xin is in the palace, beyond her reach. I can only helplessly wait for An Ning's old account to be resolved, but there is nothing I can do." gone."

"It deserves it!" Yuqin laughed, "An Ning is dead, waiting for the body to be flogged; then Concubine Xin will live and wait for the feeling of being cut alive! I'm not in a hurry now, I hope Jin Hui and Lord Yin Jishan are slower to investigate, and tell Concubine Xin to endure such fragmentary cuts for a few more days, and tell her to taste what it means—life is better than death!"
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This night, for the first time ever, the emperor came to Concubine Xin's courtyard.

Concubine Xin didn't know how she stood up, how she moved her hands and feet out of the threshold, and mechanically walked to the gate of the courtyard to greet her on her knees.

The emperor stood in the night, his eyes were illuminated by the lantern, but the rest of his nose and mouth were hidden in the night and could not be seen.

The emperor smiled warmly, bent over and reached out to support Concubine Xin.

"I know you must be very uncomfortable, so I should come and see you tonight anyway."

Concubine Xin choked up with a sob, and a pair of tears finally fell down.

"My concubine heard the emperor's decree and awarded my brother-in-law the title of Minister of Internal Affairs...My brother-in-law is no longer able to thank the emperor in person, so this concubine will thank the emperor on behalf of my brother-in-law..."

The emperor nodded, "Concubine Xin, I understand what you mean. Get up quickly."

Concubine Xin got up, a little anxiously, her head was dizzy, her eyes went dark, and her whole body almost fell to the ground.

The emperor hurriedly stretched out his arms to support her, and gently wrapped her shoulders around Concubine Xin, "My condolences."

Being so close to the emperor at this moment, Concubine Xin's heart felt warm.

It's just... the dizziness in her head and the blackness in front of her eyes just now are real, not faked by her.

The sudden death of her brother-in-law, coupled with the news of going to the fourth hospital brought back by Le Rong, and the comparison of the two sides made her feel that the sky had collapsed.

Her brother-in-law is already dead, so no one will take care of her. Does that mean that if the emperor wants to investigate further, he will find her?
At that time, my brother-in-law will be dead, and she will be the only one to bear the responsibility, so what should she do?

At this moment, the emperor's hands on her shoulders were so warm and firm, like the only life-saving straw she could hold on to when she was drowning.

At this time... Only by regaining favor, only by asking the emperor to keep his affection for her, can she escape this catastrophe...

Concubine Xin's body softened, and she tried her best to fall into the emperor's arms, and she cried more and more, "Your majesty, your majesty... the concubine, Ama, died in a position; I didn't expect that now I The brother-in-law is still above the position after death... After Ama passed away, my concubine treated my brother-in-law as Ama from the point of view of affection, but the two of them devoted themselves to the imperial court and could not take care of my concubine."

The emperor nodded, but firmly supported Concubine Xin with his hands, not telling her to continue to fall.

"You are uncomfortable, I naturally understand. But you are not a child after all, you are my concubine, and you have been in the palace for many years. Therefore, you still have me, and you don't need to rely on anyone from your mother's family."

Concubine Xin couldn't fall down, so she stretched out her arms to the emperor, trying to hug him.

"Your majesty... Your majesty is right. I still have my majesty. I am no longer a little girl. I am already the biological mother of two princesses. I can rely on the emperor for the rest of my life."

The emperor nodded, supported Concubine Xin's shoulders, walked all the way into the hall, and personally helped her to sit down.

Seeing the emperor coming, Le Rong and Le Yi couldn't restrain their joy, so they came in quickly to serve tea.

While drinking tea, the emperor comforted Concubine Xin with gentle words, and finally calmed Concubine Xin down.

The emperor also sighed, "Until this moment, I was still in a daze. I saw An Ning when I was touring Luan in the south. He was still in good health. Why did he suddenly pass away after just over a month? What kind of disease did you get, so that you can't afford it anymore?"

The emperor blamed himself, "I couldn't help but wonder, did I fine him half a year's salary for the sailor's trouble at that time, and this made him feel depressed? I want to be at peace. Family resources, half a year's salary won't make him like that."

The emperor turned the tea bowl, "I thought about it again, could it be because I asked An Ning a few words because of the report of Qing 97 in the Shangsi Academy, and he was panicked, and this... is a heart disease that cannot be cured. go?"

Concubine Xin managed to calm down a bit just now, but when she heard the emperor's words, her whole body froze with cold.He didn't even dare to speak, as if opening his mouth, his teeth would collide with the cold.

The emperor sighed again, "No matter what happens, why is he so panic-stricken? Even if there are some things I want to ask him, if I take ten thousand steps back and say that the crime may be punished, it may not necessarily be a capital crime. Why should he bother?" I apologized with death early, huh?"

(Deng Deng, I promised you, Concubine Xin will be the worst, come~~ Please come for a wave of monthly tickets~~)

(End of this chapter)