Chaos in the Chu Palace

Chapter 34
Concubine Chu and her party arrived early, and they were invited to rest in the West Pavilion of Yanhua Palace as soon as they entered the palace.Concubine Chu saw that it was still early, she breathed a sigh of relief and said to Liu Shi and Ouyang Ruo: "It's considered early, and it's not considered rude, so as to save someone from talking behind their backs and saying that our Dinghou Mansion has no one in their eyes."

Mrs. Liu smiled lightly, stroked the huge emerald and engraved gold ring on her white finger, looked around carefully, and said: "The princess is too careful, who dares to say no to Master Hou now? , Those people are eager to climb the big tree of Lord Hou."

Ouyang Ruo didn't dare to respond, but she was secretly surprised in her heart. Seeing the behavior of the princess and the Liu family, with a smile on their face, now that they say these words in the deep palace without anyone, I think it's clear in my heart The situation in the court is very serious, and I think the palace also has the eyes and ears of the Houfu.

After half an hour, Concubine Chu and the three concubines were all at ease chatting and eating snacks in the pavilion, and the palace servants carefully reported the arrival of the minister's first-rank imperial lady, and the arrival of so-and-so princess, which pavilion they were resting in .Come and go without disturbing.Concubine Chu and the Liu family were both well-established people in the city, and there was no sign of impatience on their faces. They said some polite words and sent the palace people to pay a visit and say hello.

Seeing that Ouyang Ruo listened carefully, Mrs. Liu suddenly smiled and said, "Sister Ouyang is very determined. I think it's the first time I come to the palace with the princess. I'm timid and exhausted. Sister Ouyang doesn't feel dull."

Ouyang Ruo smiled bitterly in her heart, but Liu Shi had forgotten that she was once the princess of the palace.She smiled modestly and changed the subject.

Just after two o'clock in the afternoon, the palace people came to invite the wives of Concubine Chu and his party to the table.Needless to say, the carved beams and painted buildings of the palace in the Chu Palace, the eaves and corridors are all lacquered and painted with gold, which is extraordinarily luxurious and rich.When the group arrived at the apse of the Yanhua Palace, the sun had already shifted and the heat was not so intense.The back of the Yanhua Palace is connected to the Hanquan Pool in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by lush trees and lush vegetation, and a gazebo was built by the water, and all the wives sat in it.As soon as the concubine Chu arrived, the wives and concubines stood up with a smile. For a moment, the jewels and emeralds were shaking, the clothes were fragrant, and the palace clothes mixed with gold and silver threads dazzled people.

Concubine Chu was going around to pay respects, and Mrs. Liu was also very busy. When she was in a hurry, she suddenly heard the eunuchs shouting: "The empress is here--"

Everyone hurriedly came forward to pay their respects.Ouyang Ruo got up, raised his eyes and looked carefully, and saw that the queen was wearing a red dress with gold silk and thin smoke, which was embroidered with gold and silver threads of various colors, and various jewels and agates. The picture of the phoenix stepping on the auspicious clouds is luxurious and public.She is over [-] years old, but her face is well maintained and her makeup is gorgeous. She looks like she is in her early thirties, but her eyes are slightly raised upwards, and a coral red plum blossom is pasted on her forehead, which is charming. Mixed with indescribable majesty.

"My palace held this banquet just to get closer to the concubines and concubines. Now our Great Chu country is in full swing, and it is the time of peace and prosperity..." The queen held up the wine glass and said a lot, nothing more than good politics and harmony. Prosperity and so on.

Ouyang Ruo was probably very tired from getting up early, and she was pregnant again, so she was extra lazy, and her eyes could barely hold her eyes.After the banquet was opened, a few cold dishes were served, and suddenly they heard the Queen say that they were going to go on a cruise, and all the people obeyed, withdrew the small wine table, and boarded the painting boats parked on the shore one after another.This flower boat has two floors, the upper floor is for entertaining princes and concubines, or first-rank wives, and the bottom is for noble ladies of lower rank.

Ouyang Ruo didn't know anyone around, so he had to lean against the carved window of the painting boat to look at the scenery.Just as he was watching, a palace maid suddenly came down to deliver an order: "Which one is Ouyang, the seventh lady of the Dinghou Mansion? The empress delivered an order to see her."

Ouyang Ruo came back to his senses suddenly, gave the maid a little blessing, and followed her.When we reached the second floor, we saw Concubine Chu beside the queen talking with a smile.Ouyang Ruo hurriedly went to see him.The queen turned her head back, ordered her to get up, looked carefully, a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes, and said slowly: "Oh, so she is such a beauty. I heard that Princess Chu said that you are pregnant? How many months? "

Ouyang Ruo said respectfully, "It's been three months since I reported to the empress."

The queen nodded: "Although it has been three months, you should be careful. Seeing that you are deeply tired, I will not make it difficult for you to accompany me to swim the lake. When you get to the shore, you can go down and rest. "

Concubine Chu thanked her quickly after hearing this, and Ouyang Ruo also thanked her endlessly.

The queen laughed and said: "Quickly ask the palace servants to come to the shore. Seeing you like this, you seem to be very unhappy with my palace swimming in the lake."

Concubine Chu hurriedly said: "What's the matter with the queen, the concubines are very happy to accompany the queen, but they are all from the past, so they are afraid of tossing when they are pregnant. She is weak, so let her rest well."

The queen's red lips were slightly pursed, and she just shook her fan and smiled.When Ouyang Ruo waited for the boat to dock, he was led by the palace servants to the palace.Because the place where the ship is docked is different from the place where it left the shore, and it takes a long detour, Ouyang Ruo followed the palace people around and turned right and left. The more they walked, the more confused they became. temple.

Yang Ruo endured it for a while before asking: "Elder-in-law, didn't we go wrong?"

The palace man who led the way turned around and smiled at her without saying a word.Ouyang Ruo had no choice but to follow him. After half an hour, Ouyang Ruo felt his legs were sore, and finally came to a secluded palace gate.The more she thought about it, the more something was wrong, and she was about to ask, when the palace man suddenly walked away, Ouyang Ruo was about to call to stop him, when a few servants came from both sides, without saying a word, they immediately stepped forward to hold her up, with their hands and feet She tied it up and walked quickly to the door.

Ouyang Ruo was so terrified that his three souls almost flew away. When he came back to his senses, he was already tied and leaning on the chair.The door was slowly closed, and the light outside the door was also cut off.Several servants also retreated.Ouyang Ruo's big eyes were full of despair, panic and helplessness had never been so cold as at this moment.She struggled desperately, with a cotton cloth stuffed in her mouth, she could only whimper.

While struggling, a hoarse voice suddenly sneered: "So it's such a person, I think I'm some kind of beauty that overwhelms the country. But that's all."

Ouyang Ruo suddenly raised his head to look at the source of the sound, but saw a man wearing a servant's clothes standing in the shadow, with a veil covering his face, although he stood quietly, the viciousness on his body made people shudder.It seems that no one has visited this old palace for a long time, and there is a musty smell everywhere.The cold wind blows in from the dilapidated windows around, making this scorching July feel like the beginning of cold autumn.Ouyang Ruo struggled desperately, but the rope tied around his body was very strong.

"It's useless for you to call, no one will come to this place." The man sneered and moved forward, Ouyang Ruo watched in horror as he approached step by step, but he couldn't escape no matter what.The next moment, he loosened his mouth, and he pulled out the stuffed cotton cloth.

Ouyang Ruo tremblingly said: "You... who are you? What's the purpose of you kidnapping me, don't you know that I am the seventh lady of Dinghou's mansion, if...if Master Hou finds out...you will die without a place to die. "

Ouyang Ruo stammered without any confidence, and only stared at him with teary eyes, as if trying to see something from his blurred face.The man's face hidden behind the kerchief seemed to smile even more mockingly: "If I don't know who you are, why should I tie you here? Oh, no, I should say please come here."

He laughed, took out a long piece of paper from his bosom, put it in front of her and said with a sneer: "You don't want to die here silently, so you have to draw this as a bet. Endless, you don't have to be wronged by Chu Huotian to be a concubine, how about it?" The more he spoke, the lower his voice seemed to be filled with endless temptation, and the pair of small eyes that were exposed outside were shining brightly. With terrible frenzy.

Ouyang Ruo endured the nausea in her heart, and carefully looked at what was written on the thin paper in the dim light, only to lose sight of two lines, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. I felt a chill emanating from my heart, so cold that I almost suffocated myself.

"You... how dare you..." Ouyang Ruo trembled so much that he couldn't even speak clearly.She is not an idiot, each of the serious crimes written on that piece of paper is enough to kill Chu Huotian.Even if Chu Huotian is powerful in the Chu country, but these crimes are suppressed by someone with a heart, it is enough for Chu Huotian to face enemies from all sides and be in a difficult situation.

"Why? Don't you dare to make a bet?" He laughed, and the contempt that could not be erased appeared in his small eyes: "You have made a bet on this case, and you are a hero of the Great Chu. We will report to the Holy Majesty and give you a good place. As long as If Chu Huotian is down, you will be free and rich for the rest of your life, and you won’t have to suffer in the Marquis’s mansion. If you don’t want to...here, it’s easier to crush you to death than to crush an ant. Think about it carefully, whether you live or not Death is up to you to decide."

Ouyang Ruo trembled all over. He was right. In this deep palace, it is too easy and simple to make a person disappear. However, if she draws a bet and makes a confession with them... not only is it a dead end for her Even Chu Huotian and others cannot escape the relationship.

Both left and right are dead ends... Ouyang Ruo's mind went blank for a while.

"How? Have you thought about it?" His hands shook impatiently, and he laid the paper flat in front of her. There were pens and ink on the table next to him. The scarlet cinnabar seemed to remind her that this stroke of a pen would cost several lives. .

Ouyang Ruo's breathing became short of breath, her whole body was trembling slightly, and the heavy palace dress was put on her body, covering her body with layer after layer of sweat.Time passed slowly, but she still didn't say a word.

The masked man shouted impatiently: "You want to die, don't you? Hehe... I heard that you are still pregnant with Chu Huotian's seed, so don't blame me for being cruel." He forced himself in front of her, Seriously.

Ouyang Ruo suddenly raised his head, and a flash of determination flashed in his clear eyes: "Since you know that I am pregnant with Lord Hou's child, you should know that killing me will also be difficult for you. You don't know, Chu Ding It must be very precious for Hou to bring me from the country of Hua, which is thousands of miles away? If you touch a hair of my hair, you don't even think about getting out of it!"

Ouyang Ruo's voice was clanking.Her beautiful eyes burst out with determination and confidence, and she stared straight into his eyes without avoiding them.Seeing Ouyang Ruo straighten up, the masked man stared at him fearlessly, for some reason, he felt guilty because of her big eyes.

He yelled angrily: "Come on!" He yelled suddenly, and a few masked palace guards appeared from the shadows like ghosts, and they stepped forward silently, "Wow!" and threw a lot of torture instruments on the ground.The masked man proudly bent down to pick up a pair of needle-shaped instruments of torture, brought it close to Ouyang Ruo's eyes, and shook it.

"It's called the 'immortal needle' nailed on the body. It hurts so much that the internal organs are so painful that they turn over, but when it is pulled out, there is only a hole that is too small. It's like... tsk tsk... like a mosquito bite. Xiaobao." He covered his face and laughed.

Ouyang Ruo looked at the "immortal needle" which was less than an inch away from the eyes with a pale face, and pursed her lips tightly, but remained silent.

Seeing that she didn't speak, let alone begging for mercy, the masked man became more and more irritable. He pulled Ouyang Ruo's hair and said bitterly: "Who are you? You asked me to wait on you to confess in person. Tell you! Even if Chu Huotian once One hundred likes you, but in the end you are not a plaything in his hands, you can throw it away if you want. You'd better cooperate with us obediently and bring Chu Huotian down, and you can live your prosperous life in peace, otherwise ! You just wait to die."

Ouyang Ruo's bun was torn off by him, and his long hair was loose, spilled like ink.She struggled to stand up straight, her long hair spread out on her cold face, making her look as pale and mournful as a female ghost.

She sneered coldly and said: "So what if I recruit you as you wish? I am not a dead character. Don't think that I don't know your wishful thinking. Tell you not to think that I will do what you wish to do! What glory Fugui, I bah!"

Ouyang Ruo's words completely angered him.He yelled: "Come here, put her to death!"

Ouyang Ruo's face was pale, his hands and feet were pressed down, and the "immortal needles" were nailed down one by one, and a cotton cloth was stuffed in his mouth, and his screams were suppressed in his chest, it hurt, it hurts, it hurts!She just felt that her internal organs were overwhelmed, as if countless needles were pricking her heart.I don't know whether it was sweat or tears that ran across her face, winding into a stream.I don't know how long it took, Ouyang Ruo only felt that the energy in his body seemed to be drained to nothing.The piercing pain seemed endless.She almost wanted to ask for mercy, she was just an ordinary woman.What did these traps have to do with her?

Ouyang Ruo raised his dim eyes, and suddenly saw something bright.A light flashed in her muddy mind, and she said a few words weakly, but the masked man couldn't hear clearly, so he hurriedly moved closer.Ouyang Ruo raised his head with difficulty, approached him slowly, and murmured, "Go to hell!"

Those words whipped through his body, the masked man jumped up, and slapped Ouyang Ruo hard on the face, Ouyang Ruo's eyes were full of stars, his mind was buzzing, and he couldn't stand up anymore.

Suddenly a dull female voice shouted: "Stop! Who told you to slap her in the face?!"

Ouyang Ruo's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to have heard this voice before, but he couldn't remember it.The masked man was stunned, and threw Ouyang Ruo to the ground angrily, turned his head and said angrily to the source of the voice: "This bitch is very hard-boned, in my opinion, she should be sunk in the pond. She will never be seen in life." , dead body. No one can find it."

The female voice said vaguely: "You can't handle such a woman, and you are talking about great plans, I don't think you should lose face, let me do it."

Ouyang Ruo raised his head slightly, and the sound of footsteps gradually approached.Ouyang Ruo tried to look up, but only saw a pair of embroidered shoes hidden in the skirt.The woman looked at Ouyang Ruo carefully, and suddenly said: "Have you tortured her before? Is she still unwilling to agree?"

The masked man snorted coldly: "Eighteen 'immortal needles' have been pierced. She still refuses to agree to recruit workers." The woman snorted and said in surprise: "For someone else, only three needles from eight generations of ancestors are needed. After the confession, how could she survive for so long?"

The masked man didn't answer, just sneered.The woman squatted down and pulled Ouyang Ruo's messy long hair, pulling her face up. Ouyang Ruo's eyes were slightly closed, cold sweat was dripping from his face, his lips were already pale, and five red and swollen finger prints were printed on his face. above, clearly visible.

"You and I are both women, so I won't embarrass you. One last question, do you draw or not?" The masked woman said coldly, holding the paper and shaking it in front of her.

Ouyang Ruo barely opened his eyes, and in his blurred vision, he saw a masked woman staring at him, her gaze was like the eyes of a poisonous snake, with a chilling gleam.Ouyang Ruo just laughed softly, and the laughter seemed particularly eerie in the empty and dilapidated hall.

She laughed for a while, and then said in a hoarse voice: "You can actually figure out these crimes. What are you making dragon robes in the Hua Palace privately, engraving jade seals privately... wanting to draw the river to stand on your own... privately recruiting soldiers... all these seem to be the same. , It’s like seeing it in person. Admiration..." Ouyang Ruo raised his head struggling as he said, the mocking look on his pale face was as sharp as a knife, "You lied to me about the glory and wealth, as soon as I run out of chess pieces, you will be Kill people to silence, anyway, both sides are dead. I, Ouyang Ruo, will not make you happy! You should die!"

The masked man was about to get angry again when he heard the words, but the woman was not annoyed. She took the paper and said with a sneer, "How could I kill you to silence you? You are just an ant, and it would take too much effort to crush you to death. Listen You said that Chu Huotian was very kind to you, so you must have been genuinely moved by him. Tsk tsk... You, the concubine Shu who came out of the palace, is really extraordinary. In the Hall of Jingyuan, you just stuck to Chu Huotian. Tsk tsk... this kung fu is really extraordinary."

Hearing this, Ouyang Ruo trembled all over, and stared at her fiercely through the messy hair scattered on her forehead with her big deep eyes, and said angrily: "Although I, Ouyang Ruo, came from Huagong, what I have done is worthy of my conscience. It's better than your wolves' ambition, wanting to usurp the court!"

"Seeking to usurp the dynasty!" The four words sounded like thunder on the ground, causing the two of them to be stunned for a long time.

The masked woman narrowed her eyes, suddenly laughed, and clapped her hands. After a while, a nun-like figure lowered her head and brought a bowl of steaming concoction.

(End of this chapter)