Chen Palace

Chapter 6 Shangyi
On the second day after the morning court, Yuan Qi summoned Qu Yun and gave him a plate of snacks, but he saw that Qu Yun had a strange expression, probably because he was angry and worried.

After performing the ceremony, Qu Yun said repeatedly to the slightly astonished emperor, "I'm terrified, please forgive me and forgive this evil obstacle!"

Yuan Qi found it interesting: "Is that woman really familiar to you?"

Qu Yun sighed, with a distressed look on his face: "I have a close friend who has not seen each other for a long time. A few years ago, I heard that a little girl was accepted as a disciple. I just saw the token and found out that it is this daring girl!"

Seeing his troubled look, Yuan Qi laughed lightly, and while gesturing to the left and right to give him a seat, he said, "A man from the Jianghu? Why did he break into my palace?"

Qu Yun's brows furrowed even deeper, and he said bitterly: "Speaking of which, this girl has a hard life, but she fell in love with a ruthless boy, who usually swore to each other, and turned her face and refused to recognize anyone if she had no conscience - he plotted against him from behind, causing her to die. This girl was seriously injured, and she was hunted down repeatedly after that, so she sneaked in instead of the selected maid—you listen to what she said: 'The most dangerous place is the safest.' What an asshole!"

Yuan Qi couldn't suppress his smile, his gentle and mellow smile was as warm as the sun in the shadow of the hall, and the faces of the palace servants beside him couldn't help but glow.

"Qu Qing, this young lady is really interesting—haven't you asked her name yet?"

"Her name is Chenlu... Oh, I really don't know how my old friend raised her, she has such a perverted temperament!"

"I was able to hide in the palace for half a year without revealing any clues... This lady is indeed extraordinary. You go and call her, I want to see her too."

****
Just after half a cup of tea was over, a woman came forward with an order.

She had already changed into plain clothes, her figure was very thin, Yingying prostrated herself at the bottom of the steps without saying a word.

The emperor remembered that just now, the group of maids were waiting to be identified. After a moment, he remembered that he only cared about her "face like a peach blossom", but he didn't take a closer look at what this woman looked like.

"Head up."

She raised her head as she said, and Yuan Qi was stunned when she glanced at it.

She is not particularly beautiful, her immature face is just delicate, only her eyes are different.

It was black, so dark that the light of the gods flowed, and when I looked around, I felt cold and snowy for a while, but when I looked at it again, it seemed like the melancholy of the autumn water.

Just watching quietly, as if to be sucked in...

Yuan Qi stabilized his mind and immediately came to his senses. He suppressed his smile, waved back and forth, and let her kneel without crying.

"what's your name?"

"Morning Dew."

"You acted so boldly and sneaked into the palace as a substitute. Do you know that you have committed a serious crime?"

"I roughly understand, Your Majesty."

Chen Lu raised her head slightly and looked at the throne. She was kneeling in the sun, she was injured or something, her skin was almost transparent.

"I was seriously injured at the time, and my martial arts were almost useless. I had no choice but to hide in the palace. What's more," she looked at the emperor quietly, "Your majesty, you don't know that it's not uncommon for rich families to choose folk women to serve in the palace. Wishing, since ancient times, there have been countless women from poor families who have been bought to replace them. So... At that time, I thought that the law does not blame the public."

"What a eloquent girl, what if I don't forgive you alone?"

"Your Majesty, you and I both know very well that in the abandoned palace that night, I saw the secret between you and Commander Qu, so you will not let me leave."

"Aren't you begging for forgiveness for yourself?"

"If you want you to spare my life, you must make you feel that I am useful to you, and I do have this value."

"Oh? What do you know? Martial arts, or military strategy?" The emperor sneered.

"Nothing good, even in martial arts, it's not much better than a cripple." Chen Lu smiled, her brows were sharp and bright: "But, I can be a sharp blade in your hands."

"I have the ministers in the court and the central government, and the soldiers from all directions in the military. Why do I need you?"

"The ministers and the soldiers can't make you feel at ease. That bloody head fully demonstrates this point. What's more, you don't even stay in your own Qianqing Palace, but go to the Abandoned Palace to conspire—if there is no restraint, how can you go to the palace? in this way?"

In the deep hall, the girl's voice echoed in the air, clear and full of strange temptation.

Yuan Qi fell silent, although he was secretly shocked in his heart, but he didn't reveal anything on his face.

"You are so brazen...forget it, for Qu Qing's sake, let me see your talent first—you stay by my side first, and then you will be the district office."

He summoned the eunuch Bingbi: "Pass down my will, the imperial garden palace is morning dew, loyal to the king's affairs, respectful and diligent, and is registered as Shangyi."

Thank you Chenlu for your cooperation.

Turning around and looking at the calm morning dew, the emperor asked in a low voice: "I haven't asked you yet, what exactly did you do in that ruined palace?"

Chen Lu got up, with a wry smile on her face: "I think, go and see if there are ghosts in the world."

"Ah?" Yuan Qi didn't expect her to answer like this.

"Your majesty... don't you know that women in the world are both afraid of and love the so-called ghost legends."

Yuan Qi was stunned, remembering that when he was young, the girl and nanny who accompanied him always talked about headless ghosts together, and couldn't help nodding and laughing.

His hearty laughter spread outside the main hall, and the eunuchs and maids couldn't help but look at each other.

****
Shangyi, also known as Shangyi's Royal Attendant, belongs to the rank of female officials of the sixth rank, and is usually conferred on the emperor's left and right cronies. Although the rank is not high, it is a fairly important position.

Yuan Qi has always been gentle and affectionate, and he is also exposed to the rain and dew in the harem. He is the only one around him, but he has never had any female officials who are close to him. He has only a few sensible eunuchs such as Qin Xi and Tian Wang.The queen mother took pity on him, and every time she wanted to give him a gift, she was politely refused.

Regarding this, everyone in the palace agreed that the young emperor was afraid that if he put a young woman by his side, the harem would inevitably be jealous and cause trouble.

****
After hearing what Qu Yun said, Chen Lu smiled with subtle sarcasm.

How can a person who uses concubines as pawns care about their feelings?
As for incidents, he is afraid that there will not be many!

Qu Yun looked at her annoyedly: "The emperor actually wants to keep you by his side, and it's such a sensitive position..."

"Put the chess piece in an obvious position, and you can see clearly what its function is, and...how the opponent will respond." Chen Lu said nonchalantly: "The emperor's move is just a test, my real strength, and, The forces of the rest of the parties. I am sure that he has not dispelled his suspicion of me at all."

Qu Yun smiled wryly and said: "I have served this man for more than ten years, and he would never trust a stranger without going through many tests."

He sighed softly and looked at Chen Lu disapprovingly.

"Why do you want to stay in the palace? It looks safe and happy here, but in reality it is dangerous and treacherous. Once something happens, you have no ability to protect yourself!"

"Xiaoyun, it's dangerous for you to be alone with the emperor!——Do you think I don't know what you are going to do?" Chen Lu's eyes were clear and bright, and there was worry in her anger: "That night, when I heard If you conspired with the emperor, you will know your plan! - Why did you bother to provoke 'her'?"

Hearing this, Qu Yun gritted his teeth and remained silent for a while, before finally raising his eyebrows and saying angrily
"Could it be that you let that temptress be proud?! 26 years ago, she killed you... I will always remember her complacent expression when she was granted the title of the middle palace!!!"

He looked at Chen Lu with pain in his eyes:
"Master only has you and me as two disciples. I have nothing to worry about when you leave. Thinking in my heart, I tried my best to make those two men and women decapitated. I tried a few times and almost succeeded. In the end, I infiltrated the palace, and it took several years of hard work to climb to my current position."

He sneered, and continued: "God has eyes, I haven't had time to make a move, one of them died early, and this temptress is left. She has enjoyed all the honors and dignitaries in the world. It is too cheap for her to kill her! I will help her." When her son fights against her, he always wants her to die at the hands of his own flesh and blood, that's how happy he is!
(End of this chapter)