Chaos in the Chu Palace

Chapter 52
Early the next morning, Chu Huotian still got up early.Li Jingcai brought a few servants with him, and they helped him change into a court uniform and imperial crown neatly.Ouyang Ruo was also around to help clean up.

After finishing tidying up, Chu Huotian looked back at Ouyang Ruo and suddenly smiled and said, "If you have nothing to do at noon, come over and have dinner with me."

Ouyang Ruo's face was overjoyed, and he quickly lowered his head and said, "Observe the order."

Chu Huotian turned around and stroked her cheek before leaving.The whole room hurriedly sent off Chu Huotian's holy car.Wan Hui knelt outside, saw Chu Huotian leave, and happily entered the room: "Madam, do you want breakfast?"

Seeing that it was still early, Ouyang Ruo nodded.Ouyang Ruo had eaten breakfast, cleaned up, and went to the queen's bedroom to pay her respects.After entering, before the queen came out, she saw both Liu Shi and Xu Shi, as well as several young masters.Ouyang Ruo was puzzled, and then looked at the sky, they really came early today.

Seeing her coming, Mrs. Liu approached her hand affectionately and said, "Sister Ouyang's complexion is rosy today, I can't take my eyes away."

As soon as she said this, Ouyang Ruo felt the gazes from both sides sweeping towards her face.Ouyang Ruo broke away her hand without showing any trace and said with a smile: "The outfit Mrs. Liu Guo is wearing today really opened my sister's eyes. This fabric is not available in the palace."

Mrs. Liu Guo is wearing a smoky green material that looks like tulle and silk, which is very strange.Make her more radiant.

Mrs. Liu Guo smiled slightly: "That's right, my father bought this cloth when he went to trade in Qin State, and there really is no such place in Chu." Then she sat down with her affectionately.

Ouyang Ruo also laughed and said hello to the concubines.At this time, someone snorted disdainfully: "It's from Shangmao, there's no tribute here, so I think it's flawed."

Mrs. Liu Guo froze, Ouyang Ruo heard the reputation and looked over, only to see Concubine Xu curling her lips.This is very rude.Ouyang Ruo smiled when she heard the words, and said softly: "Ms. Concubine Xu's words are very wrong. Didn't the cloud gauze we wear didn't come into the palace in the previous dynasty? After a few years, Mrs. Liu Guo The cloth can be popular in our Great Chu Palace."

Concubine Xu snorted again and said nothing more.Only then did Mrs. Liu Guo calm down.Then the queen came out.Everyone knelt down to pay their respects.

The queen glanced at the crowd and said with a smile: "Get up. There are only a few sisters in the inner palace, so there is no need to be polite." When everyone got up, she suddenly looked at Ouyang Ruo and said, "Concubine Rou worked hard to serve the emperor last night. , I see that your status is low, and I will ask the emperor to allow you to raise your status some other day."

As soon as Ouyang Ruo heard her words, the sharp eyes on all sides pierced over again.

Rumant is on the back!Ouyang Ruo felt that the hairs on her body were standing on end, she quickly raised her eyes to see the queen's expression, her expression was kind and calm, but there was nothing unusual about her.A crimson phoenix suit is also very well dressed.

Ouyang Ruo hurriedly left her seat and bowed down: "The concubine is terrified. It is my duty to serve the emperor, how dare I raise my position again. Please take back your will, the empress." Her voice was slightly panicked and cowardly, which could not help but arouse sympathy .

The queen nodded, and said: "Alright, everyone should learn from Concubine Rou." All the people below agreed.

Mrs. Liu Guo also smiled and said: "Yes, Concubine Rou is gentle and kind, no wonder the emperor likes it. In time, it will be easier to say that she is pregnant with the Dragon Seed."

Ouyang Ruo blushed and said in embarrassment: "Mrs. Liu Guo likes to tease concubines. The blessings of concubines are not as profound as those of Mrs. Liu Guo." Just as the words fell, the eyes staring at Ouyang Ruo's back were a little less point.

At this time, the queen said again: "Speaking of heirs, Wan Zhaoyi has more than seven months to live, so it's time to make good preparations. However, my palace is not feeling well recently, so it's hard to take care of it. Or ask Mrs. Liu Guo to share the burden for my palace. Share, take good care of Wan Zhaoyi's childbirth. This is the first dragon fetus in the emperor's reign, so you must pay attention to it."

Mrs. Liu Guo hurriedly left her seat to accept the order, and Wan Zhaoyi and Lin also thanked her.

At this time Wang Meiren suddenly sighed: "Seeing that the elder sisters are favored by the emperor, and the younger sister is also happy for the older sisters. I don't know when I will have this blessing."

Mrs. Liu Guo smiled and said: "Sister Wang is young and beautiful, and this will be seen in the future." Only then did Wang Meiren show off her face and smile.

Everyone chatted for a while, and saw that the queen's face was getting darker, so she hurriedly said goodbye and left.Ouyang Ruo walked slowly, and was supported by Wan Hui to walk back.The snow under my feet was rattling, and the sun was shining on the top, and the snow had not yet melted, making it very slippery.Wan Hui helped her walk carefully.

"Your Majesty, let's sit on your shoulders, the ground is very slippery." Seeing her walking hard, Wan Hui advised her.Ouyang Ruo looked back and saw that the four servants who carried their shoulders were also walking very hard, and said with a smile: "It's okay, I get up early and eat enough, and I have to take a break. It's not worthwhile to ask them to carry them in case they fall together. "

Wanhui had no choice but to let her go.

Ouyang Ruo suddenly asked, "Wan Zhaoyi used his shoulders when she went back?" Wan Hui was taken aback and said, "Because of the snow these few days, I heard that Mrs. Liu Guo specially found a sedan chair and asked the little servant to carry Wan Zhaoyi out. But the servants see Wan Zhaoyi also lives reclusively and doesn't go out very often."

Ouyang Ruo was amazed and said: "Mrs. Liu Guo is careful. No wonder the queen wants her to take care of Wan Zhaoyi." Although the sedan chair is also carried by people, even if it falls, it will not fall to the ground, which is much safer than shoulder-to-shoulder .

Wan Hui muttered, "I don't know what she's thinking yet."

Ouyang Ruo smiled lightly and didn't say anything.thought?Of course, it was done with deliberation.If she did this to please the emperor, she wanted to set an example for the harem so that everyone would know that Mrs. Liu Guo was broad-minded and kind.However, the queen is not a fuel-efficient lamp, she pushes Wan Zhaoyi to take care of her in one sentence, it is a duty to take good care of her, and it is a sin to take care of her poorly.

That day the emperor ordered Ouyang Ruo to have a meal, and it spread all over the palaces in an instant. There were those who were jealous, and those who admired it. Ouyang Ruo really became the attention of everyone for a while.But then, Chu Huotian went to the harem instead, first the empress, then Mrs. Liu Guo, and Wan Zhaoyi also went a few times to reward a lot of things.In the end, Li Guiren and Wang Meiren were called to attend the bed, which seemed to give people the impression that he, Chu Huotian, had finally finished his work in the previous dynasty and began to visit the harem frequently.In this way, Ouyang Ruo's sleeping and accompanying meals became ordinary, and the harem was like a pool of disturbed spring water, beginning to show the endless power of life underneath.

As the snow fell in fits and starts, Ouyang Ruo's Huayan Palace seemed very quiet again, and the people who came and went a few days ago disappeared because of the snow.Ouyang Ruo was in the inner hall, putting the snow water collected by the maid in the clay pot, boiled it first, then sealed the lid with mud, and buried it under the plum tree in the pavilion.Then he grinds the picked petals finely, and prepares flower ointment, face powder and the like according to his own secret recipe.The day was very fulfilling.Wan Hui held hands aside, and saw her jade-like hands rising and falling among the pink petals, which were three points brighter than the most beautiful petals.

At this moment, Mingying suddenly came in with a strange expression on her face: "Your Majesty, I have something to say, I don't know if I should say it or not."

Ouyang Ruo put down his work, and said with a smile, "Don't say it if it's inappropriate. If you want to say it, say it quickly. What's the point?" Seeing that Wan Hui was there, Ming Ying gritted her teeth, and suddenly stepped forward to touch Ouyang Ruo's ear. Whispered a few words.

Ouyang Ruo's face gradually became serious when he heard this, and although Wan Hui couldn't hear it, she knew that something was unusual.

"If what you said is true, this harem will be turned upside down." Ouyang Ruo said suddenly.

Wan Hui asked with her eyes, Ouyang Ruo led the two into the inner room, put down the gauze curtain and said, "Tell me, let's talk more carefully."

Mingying nodded and said: "The servant girl has led the little Diji to play in the small forest next to the Shufu Palace these few days, but I can see that the Wang Momo next to Concubine Xu is poking her head, leading a strange old woman The maid went in, and the servant girl saw that the old lady didn't look like a person in the palace, and she was puzzled. Then she went to their backyard, climbed up the wall, and saw... saw the old lady put on clothes covered in cloth strips, and danced with the old lady. It looks like a god, it’s an incense burner, it’s bloody, and there’s a doll-like doll with birthday characters written on it... The old lady’s face also drew a lot of strange patterns, it’s very scary.”

After Ming Ying finished speaking, she stuck out her powdered tongue.Wan Hui gasped after hearing this: "Is Concubine Xu tired of working? Why did you bring this dirty thing into the palace?"

Ouyang Ruo frowned deeply: "Does anyone know where you go to play with little Di Ji?"

Ming Ying thought for a while, and then said: "No one knows, the servant just passed by and let Di Ji run over there, because there is a small pond with a square of four or five feet, there are a few fish in it, and the little Di Ji likes it." Look, the servants let her watch. Besides, the forest is in the backyard of their palace, and no one can see it."

Ouyang Ruo nodded: "That's good, don't go there these days, go to Wan Zhaoyi's place to play more. Besides, you go to inquire about Concubine Xu's abnormality, and come back and tell me. Don’t tell anyone, not a single word.”

Ming Ying nodded and said: "Young lady, don't worry, there is a little sister in the concubine Xu's servant who works as a sweeper in her yard. She was beaten by Concubine Xu a few days ago, and the servant gave her a few bottles of wound medicine secretly. She regards the slaves as caring sisters. If you want to understand this matter, it will have to fall on her."

Ouyang Ruo sat down and nodded: "Be careful too, don't let anyone find out. There are eyeliners from various palaces everywhere in this palace, maybe someone else knows about it. Let's be careful."

Mingying nodded, and was about to go out when Ouyang Ruo called her again: "Do you have enough silver around you? I'll give you some more, and I'll go get some more in the next few days." He took a letter of silver from the dressing table gave her.

Ming Ying didn't refuse, and took it with a smile.Seeing her leave, Wan Hui said: "This concubine Xu is not crazy. Why did she put this dirty thing in the palace? She doesn't know how many people died in the past?"

Although Wan Hui entered the palace not long ago, she often inquired about the secrets of the Chu palace. She knew that several people were killed in the harem of Emperor Chu De of the previous dynasty because of such incidents, so it is very taboo to use witchcraft in the harem.

Ouyang Ruo nodded, and suddenly smiled coldly: "She is crazy. I thought she would have some promise, but I didn't expect her to be pretty but not brainy. It seems that she will have to fall to understand."

Wan Hui thought about it carefully, and asked tentatively: "What is the empress going to do? Do you want us to do it ourselves?"

Ouyang Ruosu knocked on the table with her hand, thought for a while before saying: "No need, we won't do anything, some people want to take the risk. We're just like this..." She whispered into Wan Hui's ear carefully.

Wan Hui nodded: "Your Majesty is clever, anyway, it has nothing to do with us in the end, we just look at it."

Ouyang Ruo also smiled lightly.

A few days later, Ouyang Ruo was writing in the warm pavilion, and copied another Buddhist scripture.Ming Ying led someone in, and said: "Your Majesty, someone has brought you in. They are waiting outside the curtain."

Ouyang Ruo looked at the sky, it was almost noon, and she stopped writing and asked, "Did anyone see it?" Mingying shook her head and said in a low voice, "It came from the forest behind, and the maidservant even changed it for her." Clothes. The nuns dared not come out until they were asleep."

Ouyang Ruo nodded and asked her to come in.Mingying took her hand and dragged her in: "Don't worry, my mother is very kind and won't say anything."

The palace maid came in, took a quick look at Ouyang Ruo, then knelt down, and said in a trembling voice: "Xiaoye from Shufu Palace, my maidservant, pays my respects to Concubine Rou."

Ouyang Ruo nodded: "Get up, come here and let Ben Gong take a look."

She moved over timidly.Ouyang Ruo took her hand and turned it over to look, but also gasped.The palms were full of chilblains and cracks, and the blood had not yet clotted.

Ouyang Ruo saw that she was as thin as a stick, as if she was about to float away when the wind blows, and her eyebrows frowned: "Why is it still not good? Didn't Mingying give you the wound medicine?"

She glanced at Ouyang Ruo, and said timidly: "These are cracked by the cold. Last time, Sister Mingying gave me some medicine for wounds, and my servant... I have applied it on my body, and it recovered very quickly."

When Ouyang Ruo heard this, he couldn't help feeling a little depressed.She never beats anyone down.It is also the worst thing to see others shoot down.Now when she heard that she was hurt again, she couldn't help but pulled her clothes and looked, her hands were shaking with anger.

"Okay, I don't blame you for coming to Bengong today. I heard Mingying said that you are a housekeeper, so why did you fall into the hands of Concubine Xu?" Ouyang Ruo asked.Pulled her to sit aside.

Seeing Ouyang Ruo's angry face, Xiaoye didn't seem to be fake, so she said in a low voice: "It's all because the servant is clumsy. I didn't clean up the snow a few days ago... When Madam Wang saw it, she beat the servant. It happened that Concubine Xu saw it. Yes, I felt that the beating was not enough, so I added another punishment..." She was shaking slightly as she spoke.

Ouyang Ruo knew in her heart that she must have been beaten badly to be so frightened, her nose soured, and she stroked her thinning hair and said, "Don't be afraid, now I'll show you a clear way, even if she thinks about it, she won't know it's you." .Wan Zhaoyi is a merciful master, you go there, and I will talk to her again, and I will definitely protect you." Then he asked: "Did you find anything?"

Xiaoye nodded when she heard the words, found something from her bosom, and presented it up: "This is what I found. In the past few days, Concubine Xu changed some clothes for that villain, and my servant found this piece that was not burned clean. of."

Ouyang Ruo took a look at it, and there was a date of birth written on it, but she couldn't find any clues, so she couldn't help frowning and asked, "What is she asking for?"

Xiaoye glanced around and said in a low voice: "The servant girl heard the mother whisper behind her back, it is the dragon species that begs."

Ouyang Ruo was taken aback for a moment, and the golden steps on her head shook a few times, before she said to her: "How many people in the palace know about this? How did you know about it before?"

Xiaoye said again: "Only four people know, not counting Concubine Xu, there are two nuns and two big maids. They do it in the backyard, and let the servants clean up everything in the place. The servants guessed, they burned The servants can also see the things, but they insist that the servants dare not tell them, so they don't hide it from the servants."

Ouyang Ruo thought about it carefully, and came up with a plan in his mind: "It's always a disaster to keep this thing with you. I keep it for you. It's of great use. You go back, pretend nothing happened, and tell you to do it in a few days." Just one thing."

Xiaoye hurriedly nodded and went down.Ouyang Ruo called Mingying and stuffed her with some broken silver before letting her go.

After she left, Wan Hui came in and said, "Ma'am, is she trustworthy?"

Ouyang Ruo nodded: "It's credible, even if it's not credible, don't be afraid. We won't take action on this matter."

Only then did Wan Hui nod her head, and retreated in peace.

Two days later, Ouyang Ruo took some flower ointment and sent it to Mrs. Liu Guo's Yanxi Palace.Mrs. Liu Guo saw her, hurriedly pulled her to sit down, and said with a smile: "Sister Ouyang, your hands are really clever, you see, after using this ointment, Bengong's face is much softer."

Ouyang Ruo smiled slightly: "Mrs. Liu Guo is beautiful and beautiful, using it is just icing on the cake. If Mrs. Liu Guo doesn't dislike it, I will present it to Mrs. Liu Guo every time I make it. It's just that winter is here, and there are no flowers. It can be harvested, but we have to wait for spring."

What she said made Mrs. Liu Guo feel very happy, the two talked and laughed, time passed quickly.

Just as Ouyang Ruo was about to leave, suddenly a maid from the outside came in in a panic, holding a blue cloth bag in her hand, trembling as if she was holding something terrible, she stepped forward and lowered her head, whispering something in Madam Liu Guo's ear .

Ouyang Ruo saw Mrs. Liu Guo's complexion suddenly tightened, knowing that there must be something important, she hurriedly got up and said: "Mrs. Liu Guo has a lot of affairs, so I don't want to disturb my concubine, and my concubine will leave."

Mrs. Liu Guo glanced at her, and saw that she looked calm, with an air of not wanting to know about important events.After thinking carefully, he slowly said: "Sister Ouyang really don't leave, I need Sister Ouyang to give me an idea about this matter."

Ouyang Ruo was puzzled, so she sat down and said, "What is it that makes Mrs. Liu Guo difficult. If the concubine is not talented, if she can relieve Mrs. Liu's worries, she will do her best."

Mrs. Liu Guo took a few deep breaths, put the blue cloth bag in front of Ouyang Ruo, and said word by word: "A big event is going to happen in this palace."

Seeing the cloth bag opened, Ouyang Ruo looked carefully at the half-burned little clothes, and asked doubtfully, "Whose is this? It's so small?"

(End of this chapter)