Chaos in the Chu Palace

Chapter 32
Ouyang Ruo and Dexuan went back to Hou's Mansion by the same route, and returned to Jingyun Pavilion. Wan Hui was guarding the door restlessly. When she saw Ouyang Ruo's figure, she hurried forward and said, "My aunt, you are finally back. Why? Sample?"

Ouyang Ruo went back to the house and hurriedly changed his clothes, saying while changing, "I saw Eunuch Wu, but I also met General Su..."

Wan Hui was also surprised, her face turned pale and she said, "My God, madam, this..."

Ouyang Ruo sat down with a long sigh and said, "Fortunately, he promised me that he would not tell the story. Now I can only trust him. A gentleman can be bullied, but fortunately he is a gentleman..."

Wan Hui nodded, and suddenly remembered something again, and said hesitantly: "Before Madam came back, the servant walked around and saw Wang Momo poking around our pavilion with a suspicious look on her face."

Ouyang Ruo stood up involuntarily after hearing this, frowned slightly and said, "Could it be that she saw me going out with Dexuan?"

Wan Hui couldn't be sure, so she had to say: "I'm not sure about this, Madam, what do you think?" Ouyang Ruo pondered for a while before suddenly realizing: "It's bad, then Mother Wang is in charge of the potted plants on the west side. Yes, did she see me when Dexuan and I passed by? If there is a little more, could it be that she has been staring at our pavilion all the time?"

As he spoke, he looked at Wan Hui.Wan Hui said suspiciously: "Ma'am, you mean someone has been staring at our house? Who dares to show eyeliner so boldly?"

Ouyang Ruo's slender and white fingers dipped in the tea and drew circles on the table, and immediately drew a simple road map on the table. Ouyang Ruo carefully recalled what he saw along the way, and then slowly said: "This time It's fine to be seen by General Su when you go out, but if this mother Wang sees her, she won't be able to keep her mouth shut. You have to find a way."

Wan Hui also lowered her head and thought hard, and after a long while, she smiled and said: "This servant has thought of a way, Madam, let's see if it works." She said so in her ear for a while.

The more Ouyang Ruo listened, the more relaxed his face became, and finally he praised: "Gu Gu is really wonderful, this method of leading a snake out of its hole is really good."

Wan Hui said with a smile: "Whether they are high or not depends on whether they can be fooled. It would be great if we can get rid of Madam's future problems with one move."

Ouyang Ruo half-lyed down with a smile, and said with a sigh of relief: "Slowly discuss this matter..."

After the two talked for a while, Ouyang Ruo calmed down and rested.After a day or two, at noon, Ouyang Ruo was about to lie down and rest. These days, she was very sleepy, and she often wanted to sleep after lunch.Wan Hui was undressing her, and was about to help her put down her bun, when Ming Ying came in quickly, and took off the coarse cloth clothes on her body while snickering.

Ouyang Ruo saw that her face was flushed like an overripe apple, so she couldn't help laughing and said, "Look at your monkey face, how are you doing, how are things going?"

Mingying giggled: "Going back to Ma'am, it's going well, but what Ah Fu said was really funny. He saw the servant talking nonsense, and he almost laughed the servant to death. Oh, and Xiang Ye also went to follow. Madam, don't worry, there will be a result soon."

Ouyang Ruo pursed her lips and smiled: "You, be careful, if you get caught, I don't know if I can keep you."

Ming Ying stuck out her pink tongue and said: "Ma'am, I have asked you before. At most, you can beat me twenty times. I am not afraid of you. Besides, it's not like I haven't been beaten before. It's okay to bear it."

Ouyang Ruo and Wan Hui both laughed when they heard that, Wan Hui nodded her forehead and said with a smile: "Don't worry, madam will never let you be beaten."

After half an hour, Ouyang Ruo was drowsy, the curtain moved slightly, and Wan Hui led Xiangye in.

Seeing Ouyang Ruo, Xiang Ye hurriedly wished her well, and Ouyang Ruo straightened her temples and said in a harmonious voice, "Get up, by the way, I heard that your mother is ill, is she feeling better?"

Xiang Ye hurriedly said: "Go back to Madam, it's all right now, my mother said that the slaves should serve Madam with all their heart."

Ouyang Ruo smiled slightly when she heard this, she was only wearing a thin summer shirt, her body was curvy, the clouds on her hair were slightly messy, her complexion was flushed, and she was as lazy as a begonia in spring sleep, with this slight smile, Xiang Ye stared at her in a daze Stay and stay.

Ouyang Ruo said with a smile: "I don't want to repay you. It's just that you need to know about some things in the future. Just don't tell the outsiders. By the way, Mingying asked you to go and see it just now. What did you see?"

Xiang Ye came back to her senses and said: "The servant saw it..."

The weather at the end of July was unbearably sweltering, and Concubine Chu couldn't bear it early in the morning and moved to the main house, and went to sleep in the cool pavilion next to her.Anyway, Chu Huotian seldom came back, and Concubine Chu was very happy. Every day at noon, she asked someone to take ice cubes and put them in the four corners of the room. A water truck was set up outside the cool pavilion. The sound of water pattered, and the wind disappeared A lot of heat.

That day, she was about to take a nap and was taking off her make-up when she heard the mother outside saying: "Princess, Mrs. Xu is asking to see you."

Concubine Chu was impatient to hear that, she was the most heavily dressed and dressed, and seeing that she had to tidy up again, she couldn't help feeling agitated, and replied in a bad voice: "What's the matter, I told her to talk about it when I wake up."

Mammy hesitated for a while, then came in and whispered such and such in her ear.

The more Concubine Chu heard, the more surprised she became, and hurriedly asked: "Is this really the case?" Mammy lowered her eyebrows and said, "Mrs. Xu said, let the concubine go and see for herself."

Concubine Chu nodded: "Forget it, this matter can be big or small, let's change clothes for this concubine."

Concubine Chu tidied up and left the pavilion. Seeing Mrs. Xu at the side, she sneered secretly in her heart, but said slowly on her face: "Sister Xu, you have to be careful. If there is no such thing, you have to think about how to say it. In case Once there is a commotion over there, you can't afford to go around when you get to Lord Hou's side."

A ruthless look flashed across Xu's pretty face: "Back to the princess, I have taken care of myself, that fox can't run away this time."

Concubine Chu was noncommittal, and the group left Suyuzhai and went straight to Ximen.

Sure enough, after half an hour, a figure wrapped in a coarse cloth kerchief sneakily appeared beside the west gate. She was still holding a basket in her hand, as if the things inside were very important, and it was tightly wrapped with cloth.

Concubine Chu watched for a long time, but saw Ouyang Ruo coming up the road, holding Wan Hui's hand, took the basket, and walked back with a smile on her face.

Concubine Chu and Mrs. Xu met each other's eyes, and they got out of the small pavilion hidden behind the rockery.

When Ouyang Ruo walked halfway, Concubine Chu and Mrs. Xu walked over.When Ouyang Ruo saw the two of them, she panicked a little, but she managed to calm herself down, and said blessedly: "I have met the princess, sister Xu, I wish the princess Jin's peace, and sister Xu's well."

Mrs. Xu didn't return the salute, and said coldly, "Sister Ouyang, why did you come to Ximen for a walk today?"

Ouyang Ruo said with a smile: "Didn't the concubine and sister Xu also come, I think it's because the flowers in the west garden are blooming brightly, which is more lovely."

Concubine Chu coughed lightly, and said solemnly: "Sister Ouyang, who is that person behind you, why is he looking at you face to face?"

Ouyang Ruo was surprised on the face, and said falteringly: "Princess, this... This is the maid in the concubine's garden. The concubine probably hasn't seen it much before."

Mrs. Xu couldn't bear it for a long time, stepped forward and snatched the basket from Wan Hui's hand, presented it to Concubine Chu and said: "Princess, look, I am right, this Ouyang family is cheating on outsiders, maybe What kind of secret information was given to the spies of the Hua Kingdom outside. Didn’t the Hou Ye be assassinated last time? I don’t know if it was a letter from them. It's unbelievable that she's so pretty, but Lord Hou can't see clearly, the pain is like a treasure, so Lord Hou should see her face."

The more Ouyang Ruo listened, the paler his face became, with tears in his big eyes, he looked at Concubine Chu and Mrs. Xu in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice: "Princess, Sister Xu...you...do you really think so? "

Concubine Chu saw that she was so pitiful, she couldn't help but said awkwardly: "This... Sister Ouyang, if you have done nothing wrong, then it is fine, but if you have done something wrong, I will not tolerate you. After all, the outside world is chaotic, we are serving Lord Hou People, don't add more trouble to Master Hou."

Mingying behind Ouyang Ruo refused to accept it, knelt down and said: "Princess, Mrs. Xu has wronged my wife. This servant knows that Mrs. Xu has never wanted to see my wife from the beginning, and she always wants to frame her. But my wife is not afraid of the shadow. If you want to check, come and check..."

Before she finished speaking, Mrs. Xu stepped forward and slapped her fiercely. Mingying's face was red and swollen immediately, but she was not convinced, and stared at Mrs. Xu with hatred.

"Princess, please check clearly. Don't wrong a good person. My wife is cowardly, and she would never dare to do such things as fornication and adultery." After Wan Hui finished speaking, she bowed again.

Concubine Chu looked at the mess in front of her eyes, she sternly said, "Don't talk about it, you can find out if it's a spies, open the basket."

The nurse next to her responded, quickly opened the basket, and presented it to Concubine Chu.The more Concubine Chu looked, the more amazed she became, she frowned and said, "What is this?" There was everything in the basket, a pack of hot things wrapped in oilcloth, and some miscellaneous rags.

Wan Hui was helping Ouyang Ruo to get up, and when she saw this, she hurried forward and knelt down and said, "Back to the princess, my wife is pregnant, and the servant who came back from outside said that Wang Liji stinky tofu is delicious outside, because we don't have it in our hometown, so I don't know why. I really wanted to taste it. Our hometown also said that if a newborn baby wears Baijia clothes, it will live a long and healthy life. So the wife asked Mingying to go out, and if she saw a white, fat and healthy baby, she would tell others The cloth is cut and threaded. Madam always strictly abides by the government regulations, and if it is absolutely necessary, she will not dare to disturb the princess."

"Besides, the concubine has been working so hard for Lord Hou's affairs recently. She often goes out early in the morning to burn incense. Madam said, I'm sorry to report this slanderous talk during pregnancy to Madam, and I don't know if Bai Jiayi will offend the Fuzhong. So I secretly told Mingying to leave the house."

Ouyang Ruo also took the handkerchief and sobbed aside.After hearing this, Concubine Chu's complexion changed a few times, and Xu's face had already turned green. She pointed at Ouyang Ruo and said anxiously, "You, you, you fox, you really know how to pretend!"

Ouyang Ruo was aggrieved and cried again after hearing this.Concubine Chu came back to her senses and shouted: "Mrs. Xu, be careful with your words. Sister Ouyang is pregnant now, how could you insult her like this? You go back and reflect on this concubine. You will cause trouble if nothing happens. If Master Hou knows, I'm afraid you will not be able to escape the house rules!"

Mrs. Xu heard that her pretty face was green and white, and she just stomped her feet in resentment and led the maidservant back.

Concubine Chu saw Ouyang Ruo crying non-stop, took her hand and comforted her softly: "Sister Ouyang, don't cry, we are all mothers, if we cry too much, it is not good for the child. This concubine is also someone who has experienced it. If you know what you want to eat when you are pregnant, you must want to eat it, otherwise you will feel like a cat is scratching your heart. Sigh... I also blame this concubine for not thinking carefully."

Ouyang Ruo stopped crying, and said to Concubine Chu with red eyes: "My concubine, don't blame yourself, it's all because of my poor health. If I had told my concubine earlier, this incident would not have happened. Now... now my concubine's status I also lost face, and let Mrs. Xu hate my concubine again, what should I do."

Concubine Chu has always been irritable these days, but when she thought of Xu's stealing chickens, she couldn't help but get angry, and said in a hateful voice: "Don't pay attention to her, she is just like this, I wish the house would be full of chaos. She felt at ease. She didn't even want to see how many pairs of eyes are staring at our Dinghou Mansion from the people who are on the cusp of all kinds of affairs. It's good for her to do some embarrassing things for outsiders to see. Hmph... this time Dinghou Punish her well."

After hearing this, Ouyang Ruo just wiped away tears.

Concubine Chu turned her head to comfort her and said: "There are many things in the mansion, and there are things that this concubine can't take care of. Sister Ouyang hopes that you don't blame this concubine. Since you want to eat something strange, so Come on, my concubine will give you a waist card. If you want to eat and use anything in the future, if you don’t have it in the house, ask your servants to buy it outside. Sigh... Lord Hou has a lot of business, so let’s not bother him with these trivial things , today's matter is revealed, how is sister Ouyang watching?"

Ouyang Ruo raised her tearful eyes and nodded, and said timidly: "Then, the princess, don't tell Hou Ye about the concubine's slander, if Hou Ye finds out, maybe he will blame the concubine for eating indiscriminately."

Concubine Chu nodded with a busy smile.The group walked back slowly.She thought that this matter would be kept silent, but she never expected that there were so many eyes watching in this mansion. One day when Chu Huotian came back, Liu Shi unintentionally told Chu Huotian about this as a joke.

Unexpectedly, Chu Huotian was furious at the moment: "This Ningshuang's troubles are too outrageous. I thought she could cultivate her body, but she didn't expect her to get worse. A few years ago, it's okay to make troubles, just treat her as uncomfortable. Now At this age, I’m still making trouble. Think of me as a bodhisattva who has no temper, right? I don’t want to look at the face of the monk, but I also look at the face of the Buddha. Ruo’er is a man with a body, and he treats her like this.”

After he finished speaking, he said to Concubine Chu angrily: "You just have a kind heart. She is making a fuss. Why are you joining in the fun? It's not like you don't know Ningshuang's virtues, and now she's used to bad things." , don’t forget that you are the concubine in the mansion! Not her! If she stays dishonestly in the future, we will use family law to kick her out!"

Although Chu Huotian was cold-faced and cold-hearted, he always respected Concubine Chu and never spoke harshly to her. Even if she stopped having anything after she gave birth to Princess Linyue, he would try to comfort her. In Concubine Chu's ears, it almost killed her.

She cried and knelt down and said: "Master Hou calm down, it's because I'm wrong, I didn't teach several younger sisters. Please punish me." endlessly.

Chu Huotian's anger still persisted: "Nowadays, the court is chaotic, the faction is in dispute, and this Marquis is as big as a fight. When I go back to the mansion, I have to see how many of your wives and concubines are jealous and fierce. You still persuade me to have more concubines, and more concubines. The days of the Hou Mansion are about to be overthrown by you. This matter cannot be tolerated, you can see for yourself what to do."

After he finished speaking, he walked away.

Concubine Chu felt ashamed and ashamed when she saw him leave.Hastily moved the family law, fined Xu to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days, one hour a day, and because she committed jealousy, bad words, and other women's virtues, and punished her to copy "Women's Training" and "Women's Precepts" , Waiting for a few books, Concubine Chu ordered someone to take a lot of Buddhist scriptures, ordered her to confine herself for a month, and read and copy scriptures every day.

Chu Huotian stayed at Ouyang Ruo's place for two consecutive days, frowned and said to her: "Why do you want to eat those things, they are so dirty, they are not made clean outside, what if you eat them and your stomach is ruined?"

Ouyang Ruo blushed, and said angrily: "I already know that Lord Hou won't allow me to eat indiscriminately, but they say it's delicious. Besides, it's not like eating every day, just to taste it. Now it's good, hehe Everyone in the house knows about this, and the embarrassment of the concubine can be thrown at home, and I will not go out in the future, so as not to be laughed at by the servants when I go out."

Said to hold his breath and ignore her.Chu Huotian saw her gentle and pleasant the most, how could he see her childish temper, he laughed, hugged her and said with a smile: "Okay, let's not talk about you. In the future, just ask someone to buy whatever you want to eat, that's fine." Bar."

Only then did Ouyang Ruo turn around, hugged his neck and smiled coquettishly.

Ouyang Ruo heard that Wanhui came to report that Mrs. Xu had been punished, and smiled slightly: "We should let her cultivate her self-cultivation. She is so domineering, and she doesn't know how she will die in the future."

After hearing this, Wanhui asked in confusion: "Why did she come to make trouble that day? Is this Madam Wang really her eyeliner? Xiang Ye said that Nanny Wang entered another courtyard that day..."

(End of this chapter)