Chaos in the Chu Palace

Chapter 39
Chu Huotian was wearing a dark blue gown with thin silver trim and a jade crown of the same color on his head. He was sitting on the bamboo stool next to her, just looking at her quietly.

Ouyang Ruo got up quickly, and blessed her: "The concubine's description is not complete, Lord Hou forgive me." Chu Huotian didn't help her, and his sharp eyes searched her face.Ouyang Ruo was a little embarrassed by his staring, so he just lowered his head and remained silent.

"Have you ever cried?" he asked.Ouyang Ruo was startled, and remained silent.

Chu Huotian saw that her head was lowered, and her pointed jawline was so beautiful that it was unspeakably charming. Thinking about how much of the anger from last night had dissipated, Chu Huotian helped her up and sat on the bed, saying: "Zhiqiu is pregnant. , why are you jealous with her?" After thinking for a while, he said helplessly: "There are several ladies in this mansion, you are like this every day, isn't it because you are making things difficult for yourself?"

Hearing what he said, Ouyang Ruo knew that he had misunderstood what he meant, but she didn't want to say it out loud: "It's good that Lord Hou doesn't blame my concubine. I just feel that I am not as good as her."

Hearing her self-pity, Chu Huotian sighed in his heart, hugged her, and whispered in her ear: "How can you not compare to her? She has her advantages, and you have yours, but you also know that we are not civilians." The common people only have one married wife in their life. Many things in the royal family are out of control, such as marriage, such as power and position... In this life, I will eventually betray you and bring you from China, but I can't..." His voice was deep, filled with endless loneliness and isolation, and his slender and powerful fingers clasped her slender waist firmly, as if he was afraid that she would ride the wind and go away.

The more Ouyang Ruo listened, the tears fell more urgently, and when he heard him bring up the past, she couldn't help herself, so she turned around and covered his mouth firmly, not letting him continue talking.

"The concubine understands...understands..." Cold tears rolled down her face.

How could she blame him for not pampering her exclusively?She didn't even understand her own heart, the hatred of the family, the hatred of the country, she had the audacity to forget all of them in Chudi, who was frightened every step of the way.He is like a towering tree, but she is just the humblest vine under the tree.She was attached to him, and only to him...before she grew into the tree standing beside him.

Chu Huotian pulled her hand down, looked into her full eyes with deep eyes, and kissed her fiercely.Her lips were cold, smelling of tears, his breath brushed against her cheeks and delicate neck, eagerly carrying endless heat, igniting bursts of flames on her body.Her sobs were scattered between his lips and teeth, and his lips and tongues intertwined with hers, like a long-dried traveler seeing the water of an oasis.

He kissed all the way down, and sighed softly: "Ruo'er, where is your heart..."

Yes, where is her heart?There was a vague answer, but it began to drift away in a drowsy state.The summer wind blows through the garden in full bloom, passes through the window lattices carved with Albizia julibrissin, and gently blows the snow-white gauze thin curtains...

Two days later, Ouyang Ruo and Mrs. Lin packed up and returned to the Hou Mansion.

Mrs. Lin went out of the yard, walked up to Ouyang Ruo, shook her hand and frowned slightly: "Sister Ouyang, please come with me to greet the princess?"

Ouyang Ruo nodded and agreed.Back in the courtyard, Wan Hui finally couldn't hold back: "Then why is Mrs. Lin so clingy? It would be bad if she attracted the taboo of the princess."

Ouyang Ruo poured himself a cup of tea and nodded, "Auntie is right, but look at her appearance, if anyone doesn't agree with her, she will cry on the spot. In the future, we will help her if we can, and if we can't help her It's impossible."

When it was time for dinner, Ouyang Ruo and Mrs. Lin washed up and went to Shuyuzhai to have dinner with the wives. When they reached the entrance of the outer hall, they heard "Kuang Dang", like the sound of teacups breaking.Then I heard Concubine Chu's angry voice: "Do you want to die? You dare to serve such hot tea. Do you think that this concubine is not burned to death by the heat of August, so you want to scald this concubine to death?"

Lin shivered, and quickly squeezed Ouyang Ruo's hand.At this time, there was a series of voices begging for forgiveness, as well as the scolding voice of Concubine Chu.Ouyang Ruo listened for a while, and Lin's complexion beside her became paler.

After listening for a while, Ouyang Ruo dragged Mrs. Lin into the house after the inside quieted down for a while.As soon as he entered, he was deeply blessed: "Ms. Ouyang invites Princess Jin'an!"

Mrs. Lin was also busy meeting Li.Concubine Chu was sitting upright in the hall, wearing a rare long dress with purple peonies embroidered on a plain background, with a flying red bun on her head. It was originally a coquettish and charming bun, but she also inserted several golden hairpins, making her look top-heavy and rich. And not enough leisure.

She raised her eyes to look at them, and then slowly said: "Get up. You have worked hard all the way. It is too hateful for these servants not to teach me a lesson. I don't take this concubine seriously. Is this concubine too old?" If you indulge a bit, some people dare to climb on the master's head."

The servant girl who was kneeling on the ground was so scared that she turned pale with fright when she heard what Concubine Chu said so seriously, she was bleeding from kowtow.

Lin looked at it with a pale face.Ouyang Ruo stepped forward with a smile and said, "The princess is speaking out of anger. Even if this servant girl has ten guts, she would not dare to disrespect the princess. The princess's anger has also dissipated. It's not worth hurting her body for this kind of popularity."

Lin also hurried forward and said a few good words.Concubine Chu still didn't smile, she stared at Lin's stomach for a few times, and suddenly asked: "How is sister Lin doing in the other courtyard? Seeing that you look good, my concubine will also live there someday. Let's see if it's really that good."

Lin shivered again in fright.Ouyang Ruo hastily interjected a few more words to change the topic.Concubine Chu's complexion finally returned to normal.Then several ladies came in turn.During the dinner, Mrs. Liu was still chatting and laughing, and she didn't feel unhappy at all. She just ordered a few new dishes and told Mrs. Lin to try more.Poor Mrs. Lin didn't dare not to eat, but she didn't want to spoil her stomach by eating indiscriminately, so she worked very hard on every dish.

Several wives were eating, when Liu Shi suddenly said: "On August [-]th, I have to go to the palace. It's a palace banquet, and the princes and their families have to go. Oh, it's such a hot day, it's a good idea to go to this banquet." Very hard."

Ouyang Ruo's eyelids twitched, another palace banquet!There is always no good meeting, no good banquet.I almost lost my life last time, but this time I won't go even if I beat her to death.Ouyang Ruo made up his mind, but didn't speak.

Lin said: "Princess, can I not go? It's such a hot day, the concubine is really, really..." He was very embarrassed.

Concubine Chu frowned and said: "Forget it, you don't want to go, so you can raise it at home. But even if it's Taqiu, it's not convenient for you to go."

When Ouyang Ruo heard Lin's opening, she quickly put down her chopsticks and said in a low voice: "Princess... I'm afraid it's not good to go away as a concubine. I just passed my confinement, this... I'm afraid I will rush to the nobleman in the palace." Her words Very euphemistic, but the meaning is very clear.

Concubine Chu also nodded: "Forget it, both of you don't go." At this time, Liu Shi who was on the side covered her mouth with a smile: "The two younger sisters are more and more one now, and they deserve to be so even if they don't go. But you Even in the mansion, you don’t know, going to the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet is quite tiring.”

Her eyebrows were crooked with a smile, but Concubine Chu frowned: "Don't talk when you eat, don't talk when you sleep, and besides, can you talk about palace banquets casually?"

Liu Shi hastily stopped laughing.Ouyang Ruo thought to himself: The palace banquet is most afraid of turning into a cannibal banquet.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, as usual, in the morning, the princess would lead the wives of the mansion to the ancestral hall to burn incense and worship, and in the evening, a reunion banquet would be held in the mansion.It was rare for Chu Huotian to come, sitting on the table smiling frequently, occasionally ordering food for Concubine Chu, and talking a few words with Liu Shi who was next to him.Both Xiaoshizi and the princess sat at the small table set up next to him, and Lin Xiang also sat and ate in a dignified manner, his dark eyes rolled around, but he still sat obediently.

Xiao Shizi ate for a while, then suddenly walked up to Liu Shi and said: "Mother, I want to go down and read..." Liu Shi hurriedly interjected: "Do you want to go down and read a book, my son has been working harder recently."

Chu Huotian turned his head lightly when he heard the words, and saw Xiao Shizi standing there blankly, and suddenly asked: "A few days ago, Mr. said that your writing has become sloppy again, isn't it?"

Xiao Shizi was already afraid of him, if he didn't want to go down early to see if his mother had eaten oatmeal for the newly bought pony, he wouldn't have the courage to come up.Now when Chu Huotian asked a question, he was a little dazed with fright.

Mrs. Liu hurriedly tugged at his hand, and said with a smile: "Master Hou Mingjian, if I hadn't told him to study more these days, he probably wouldn't have forgotten to practice calligraphy."

Seeing him slowly hiding behind Liu Shi, Chu Huotian felt displeased, so he just snorted coldly: "You can pamper him, you pamper him like this. Didn't you buy a sweat horse a few days ago?" A little pony? These days, he is probably having a good time, playing with things and losing his mind!"

Liu's face turned pale when she heard this, and she only said in a low voice: "I just want him to be like Master Hou, with both martial arts and martial arts..."

Chu Huotian stopped looking at her, and said coldly: "You cultivate your son yourself. You can't blame me for not mentioning you."

The two of them did not speak loudly, but the ladies around them all heard them.It was not easy for Concubine Chu to come over to persuade him, so she quickly picked up a few chopsticks and put them in Chu Huotian's bowl, and gently advised him to eat more.Liu Shi lowered her head, but her eyes were red.Ouyang Ruo could also hear it vaguely, but he heard the sentence "Your son you cultivate yourself" clearly.Mrs. Liu asked Mammy to take Xiao Shizi down, lowered her head and ate a few mouthfuls of food, then raised her head, her expression had returned to normal.

Sure enough, it's so self-restraining!Ouyang Ruo admired it secretly.

Mrs. Liu was very silent at the banquet, and few people spoke on the whole mat. Mrs. Xu has been more peaceful since she was punished that time, but her eyes and eyebrows are cold, and she is also alienated and difficult to get close to.A reunion dinner was not very enjoyable.Chu Huotian seemed to have something else to do, so he got up and left the table in a hurry when he was full.After he left, Mrs. Liu also said goodbye and went back to the yard.Concubine Chu didn't take it seriously, and ordered people to withdraw the banquet, and arranged for snacks and fruits to be placed in the pavilion, and asked several wives to go there to enjoy the moon.

Sitting next to Ouyang Ruo, Mrs. Lin pulled her and said, "Mrs. Liu was reprimanded by Lord Hou. Although the princess couldn't see it on the face, she was very happy in her heart. At this time in previous years, she was the first to go back to rest. , I’m interested in admiring the moon this year.”

Ouyang Ruo just couldn't help laughing.

Lin babbled again: "Your Majesty is so busy. He was fighting outside for the past few years, so he didn't have time to supervise his son's studies. No wonder Mrs. Liu wanted to pamper her a little bit."

Ouyang Ruo just listened quietly. There is an old saying that "a loving mother often loses her children." Mrs. Liu is tactful and sophisticated, but she is not very good at teaching children.

Because the princess was going to the palace the next day, she left early after enjoying the moon for a while.On the second day, the king of Chu and several wives in the mansion entered the palace with the eldest son and princess.Ouyang Ruo saw that there was nothing to do, so she went there early the next morning to discuss when she should leave the house. Lin's Aiwu and Wu made several small clothes for Lin Xiang, with exquisite stitches.

Ouyang Ruo hurriedly asked Wan Hui to bring Lin Xiang to try on clothes. Seeing that Lin Xiang was tender and cute, she was a perfect beauty, and she could recognize several words at a young age, and she loved her very much. Even my daughter is so cute, my wish in this life has been fulfilled."

Ouyang Ruo only smiled lightly and said, "Maybe sister Lin is pregnant with a boy."

Lin's face blushed, and he stroked his belly lightly and said: "What's so good about a male fetus, and you have to fight over it when it comes out. It's not as caring as a girl, and it doesn't attract people's envy."

The two changed their minds and changed the subject.

When it was nearly evening, Dexuan suddenly barged in with a pale face, seeing Ouyang Ruo was talking to Mrs. Lin, he hurriedly pulled Wan Hui to say something in a low voice.Wan Hui hurriedly said to Ouyang Ruo: "Eunuch Dexuan has something important to report."

Ouyang Ruo saw Dexuan's pale complexion and hurried out to meet him.

Seeing that there was no one around, Dexuan knelt down with a "plop" and tremblingly said: "Madam, it's not good, someone assassinated the emperor and queen in Xiling Mountain, and the palace gates are now closed. Outsiders can't get in, and people inside can't go out." not coming!!"

Ouyang Ruo was shaken all over, gathered herself together, pulled him up, and clasped his arm tightly with her ten fingers: "Where's Lord Hou? Where's Master Hou?...Where did he go?!"

Dexuan swallowed his saliva and said: "Master Hou left the city this morning. I heard that he was going to the Northwest Daying. Mr. Zhao didn't go with him, but he went to the suburbs of Beijing and couldn't come back for a while. He was the one who informed the servants of the news. What to do, ma'am, this day is going to change, and Mr. Zhao didn't say what to do."

Ouyang Ruo pursed her lips tightly, walking back and forth in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)