Traveling through the harem: the favorite concubine

Chapter 19

The news exploded like a bomb in this quiet hall. After a moment of silence, everyone was greeted with panic. Chen Yuanxiang stood up from his chair almost instantly: "What did you say!"

The little eunuch repeated the message while sobbing.

Chen Yuanxiang took a deep breath, trying not to fall down.

She looked at the panic-stricken women in the hall, who were almost half leaning on Liu Gongren's body, and it was not until Liu Gongren reminded her that she woke up.

"The prince is fine, I will go to the queen mother."

She muttered to herself and was about to rush out of the hall, but seeing the noise in the hall, she couldn't bear it and scolded: "Whatever you look like, go back to the room for Bengong, don't let Bengong find out that you are making trouble inside."

Ye Liangdi, who was still calm, glanced at Chen Yuanxiang with dissatisfaction on her face, but she also knew that at this moment, the most important thing was to find out what happened to the crown prince.

The crown prince is the support of the East Palace and the support of these women. If the crown prince falls, they will have nothing to gain.

Ye Liangdi led the people out of the hall slowly, and Ruyi was the last in line, so she also wanted to follow her out.

Suddenly, Chen Yuanxiang, who was sitting at the top and was upset, saw Ruyi's back, and couldn't help saying: "Sister Chen, please stay here!"

Ruyi's footsteps stopped, and her heart skipped a beat, and Liu Gongren standing beside Chen Yuanxiang didn't expect her master to stop Ruyi, and couldn't help feeling anxious and panicked. Fighting for the wind and being jealous.

She was about to persuade her master, but she saw Chen Yuanxiang looking at Ruyi standing in the hall and asking: "Sister Chen, the crown prince rested at your place yesterday, did you say anything?"

Even if Chen Yuanxiang couldn't figure it out, she was taught by her family since she was a child, so she naturally knew the priorities, and calling Ruyi to stop was naturally not to find fault.

Ruyi also secretly let go of her heart, she bowed her head respectfully and replied: "The prince was weak yesterday, and he just rested at the servant's place, and he didn't say anything."

Chen Yuanxiang didn't ask for an answer, but with an impatient face, he asked again: "Think about it carefully!"

The prince did not say anything at Ruyi's place yesterday, although his behavior was a bit abnormal compared to the past, but Ruyi still thought about it for a while, and then replied: "The prince also often said that slaves are dull-tempered and have nothing to do with them. In other words, yesterday the prince went to the servants' place, apart from reading, eating and resting."

Chen Yuanxiang glanced at Ruyi angrily when he heard the words, and waved his hand casually: "Okay, you go back!"

Looking at Ruyi walking out of the hall, Liu Gongren who was sitting next to Chen Yuanxiang said, "Madam, this Chen family is just a concubine, and the crown prince won't talk to her even if he has something to say, why don't you hurry up and ask the queen?" Empress."

Chen Yuanxiang nodded.

When Chen Yuanxiang came to Jiaofang Palace, he saw many concubines walking out of the gate of Jiaofang Palace in twos and threes.

She was usually not happy to meet these concubines, but at this time she couldn't care less, she just hurriedly bowed to those concubines, and then went to the Jiaofang Palace.

"Hey, Crown Princess, are you looking for the empress?"

Among these concubines, Xianfei, the highest-ranking concubine, suddenly called out to stop the crown princess.

Chen Yuanxiang was in a hurry at this time, and she had no intention of wasting time with these concubines here, but she was not rude when the elders called her back, so she could only hold back her temper, and replied: "Yes, Xian Empress Dowager."

"You can't find the queen when you go to Jiaofang Palace right now."

Concubine Xian had a subtle smile on her face, but she also looked worried, "Just now the queen was with us in the Jiaofang Palace, and a little eunuch rushed in here, and the queen rushed to the imperial study. .”

"The queen mother has already gone to the imperial study!"

Chen Yuanxiang didn't care about Concubine Xian's fake face, as she said that, she also wanted to rush to the imperial study.

"The crown princess is nothing more than worried. The crown prince is the emperor's son after all. Even if he does something wrong, the emperor will not punish him too much." Concubine Xian comforted with a smile.

Chen Yuanxiang replied stiffly after hearing the words: "Thank you for your concern, my lord. I will take my leave first!"

After finishing speaking, he rushed towards the imperial study room without looking back.

Concubine Xian, who stayed where she was, shielded her face with a round fan, her expression a little more smug.The emperor is not only the prince's son, but also punished the crown prince of a country to kneel in the place where people come and go at the entrance of the imperial study, which shows how dissatisfied the emperor is with the prince!
Chen Yuanxiang held back his breath, and when he arrived at the imperial study room, he saw the queen's phoenix chariot parked under the stone steps in front of the imperial study room from a distance. Chen Yuanxiang couldn't help speeding up a few steps, and walked to the front of the phoenix chariot. But the queen and a group of attendants were stopped by the guards in front of the stone steps.

When the queen saw Chen Yuanxiang, she couldn't help asking, "Why are you here!"

Chen Yuanxiang's face was full of anxiety, but she still said: "Mother, something happened to the crown prince, and my son is anxious."

After finishing speaking, he added another sentence: "Just now when Erchen went to Jiaofang Palace, the concubine Xian said that you came to the Imperial Study, so Erchen also wanted to come."

Although the Crown Princess is considered the second most noble lady in the empire, she is not yet a queen after all, and she still avoids it in places like the Royal Study Room where she is directly a foreign minister.

"It's fine if you come, we will intercede with the emperor together later."

The queen sighed, "Now, the prince has really angered the emperor, and the emperor is not willing to meet me."

"Then what should I do!" Chen Yuanxiang became anxious when he heard the words, and only knew to hold the Queen's hand tightly for help.

"Do you know why the crown prince offended the emperor?" The queen asked instead of comforting Chen Yuanxiang.

"My son just vaguely heard that the prince seems to want to severely punish the corrupt officials found by the Changhe flood, but the emperor seems to disagree."

Chen Yuanxiang was not ignorant of everything. In fact, the harem was closely connected with the previous dynasty. As the daughter of the Chen family, it was naturally impossible for Chen Yuanxiang to only know about the harem.

"It seems that there is no doubt about it." The queen seemed to be sure, nodded, but couldn't help but blame Chen Yuanxiang, "As a princess, you never persuade the prince."

"My son can't persuade me!"

Chen Yuanxiang was full of grievances, but he didn't dare to show it.

Of course, the queen just said it casually, and she blamed her son the most in her heart. She really didn't listen to anyone's words, and she didn't think about her mother. Wouldn't it be good to be a prince in peace?

But, no matter what, at this time, as the crown prince's mother, she would have nothing to eat if the crown prince collapsed, so at the risk of offending the emperor, she had to stand here and wait for the emperor's soft-hearted summons.

The empress and Chen Yuanxiang stood under the stone steps for a long time against the sun, but in the end they did not wait for the emperor, but the prince who was supported by the emperor's servants came.

"Empress, empress and concubine!" The manager Gao next to the emperor bowed respectfully, and then said: "The emperor ordered that the empress and empress take good care of the prince. The prince is not in good health recently, so he should not go to court. , just take a good rest in the East Palace."

"What did you say!"

The queen's face changed when she heard the words, it was obvious that the emperor didn't want to see the prince and punished the prince in a disguised form.

"Director Gao, go and inform the emperor that I want to see the emperor." Naturally, the queen was not reconciled to this result and wanted to fight for it, but Director Gao still had a friendly smile on his face.

"Young lady, the emperor said that he still has something to discuss with the minister."

This means that the emperor had expected it early in the morning, and had already given instructions.

The queen looked unwillingly at the gate of the imperial study, then at the fainted prince, and could only grit her teeth and agree to the order.She directed Chen Yuanxiang with a straight face, "Hurry up and ask the prince to go to the East Palace to treat the prince."

After saying this, she couldn't help but vent her anger again: "As the princess, when the prince wakes up, persuade the prince well."

Chen Yuanxiang looked at the departing queen, feeling extremely wronged in her heart, but still lowered her head, reluctantly obediently obediently agreed.

The prince's health is not good, and he knelt under the sun for so long, so he couldn't hold it up.After being carried back to the East Palace, the imperial physician was invited, and after taking medicine to relieve heatstroke, he finally turned around.

Chen Yuanxiang sat on the side, looked at the prince who was leaning on the bed and was thinking about something expressionlessly, and couldn't help persuading: "Your Highness, don't be so stubborn. It's not that the emperor doesn't punish those officials. Why do you have to..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the prince looked at her expressionlessly, and said coldly: "The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics!"

"Your Highness, this concubine is not for your own good!"

Chen Yuanxiang's eyes were reddened by grievance, but when she looked up, she saw that the prince didn't even look at her, as if she was an invisible person, she couldn't help biting her lips, and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

For a moment, in the bedroom, only the sound of Chen Yuanxiang's low sobbing remained.

Seeing this scene, the servants serving below lowered their heads.

It wasn't until lunch time that Chen Yuanxiang asked someone to wipe off the towel and reapply makeup, so as to cheer up and serve the prince.

However, no one thought that this lunch would be the last lunch the prince had in the East Palace.

Even before lunch was finished, a group of guards in golden helmets and iron armor rushed into the bedroom. Although the leader's attitude was polite, he was irresistible: "His Royal Highness, the emperor has summoned you."

The chopsticks in Chen Yuanxiang's hand fell to the ground. She looked at the prince in panic, but saw the prince standing up from the chair calmly. In front of the guard.

"Your Highness..."

Chen Yuanxiang opened his mouth to persuade him to stay, but he could only see that the prince was escorted out of the bedroom.

At this time, everyone knew that the group of the emperor's personal guards were not kind, and they also knew that the prince must be blamed for his departure.However, no one would have thought that the prince would be imprisoned.

When the group of "golden helmets and iron armor" surrounded the East Palace, Ruyi was just about to have lunch, while Shao Yao, who went out to receive the meal, hurried back.

Ruyi obediently hid in the house with an attitude of not causing trouble, and waited until the group of people dispersed before letting Shaoyao go to pick up the already cold lunch.She really didn't intend to ask for any news.

But without her inquiring, the news soon spread from the previous court to the harem, and then exploded in the East Palace.

The emperor reprimanded the prince for being unfaithful, righteous and filial, and imprisoned the prince in the East Alley.

When this news reached the Eastern Palace, everyone panicked, from the master to the servants, and even cried and shouted. If the prince was imprisoned, these wives and concubines would almost be arrested together under the ancient times that emphasized the three obediences and four virtues. Circle ban.

Ruyi's room was very quiet, but at this moment, her heart was extremely peaceful.

And Shaoyao and Qiangwei also looked at each other in blank dismay, they couldn't care less about comforting Ruyi, they were both destitute, their masters were imprisoned in, if they were also brought in, naturally it would not be a good place to go, but if they stayed, they would come back again in the future There is nothing good about distribution.

"lady……"

The unknown fate is like a big net, and like a haze that cannot be dispelled, it hangs over the East Palace.

(End of this chapter)