Lady Zhao

Chapter 60

In the dark night, the palace stretches, and the bright palace lanterns are shaken by the wind, and the winter thunder that explodes suddenly pierces the night sky, and then returns to darkness after a short period of lighting.

The guard who was watching the night at the foot of the imperial city was so frightened that he lost his doze, and poked the person next to him, "Hey, it's really evil to strike dry thunder at this time of year."

"Isn't that right? It's strange." The man wiped his face. The second half of the night was the most difficult on duty. After two shocks like this, he regained his energy and went on patrol.

A high-pitched scream from a woman suddenly came from the northwest corner, and the guards on patrol glanced at each other and rushed in that direction.

To the west of the Fanghua Hall, a thin lady in the palace stood tremblingly, avoiding the scene under the tree in the courtyard with extreme fear, a mass of blood and flesh, vaguely looking like an animal, and the fur made people feel sick. Peel it off and throw it aside, stained with bright red blood mixed with snow white.

Zhao Wenwan and the others were the fastest to arrive, and recognized at a glance that it was the pet Xueqiuer that Wenxi Wenxuan and the two sisters had been playing with during the day. Then let Gong'e soldiers settle in the back room in a wild manner.

"When did you find out?" Zhao Wenwan walked up to the shivering Gong'e who was obviously terrified, and asked.

"Just...just now."

Following the news just now, more and more people gathered in Fanghua Hall, Aunt Yun from Ci'an Palace, etc., were sent by each hall to check, only Concubine Yue hurried away after the maid came to see Come over, with sad and angry expressions on his face, pointing at Zhao Wenxuan and Zhao Wenwan, they said, "What's going on?"

Although Zhao Wenxuan would not faint from the shock of Xueqiuer's tragic death, the shock in her heart was not small, and she subconsciously pushed the responsibility to the outside when she saw the accusing look of the imperial concubine Shangyue, "Go back to your mother, I don't know who is so cruel, To do such a thing.”

"Since you found it, did you see any suspicious people?" Zhao Wenwan asked Gong'e who still found the body.

"It's dark, no, no, no... I didn't find it."

Zhao Wenxuan was extremely flustered in her heart. During the day, she saw the ferret getting close to Zhao Wenxi, so she kept talking. She begged for a loan to play for a day, and she would send it back tomorrow. Now, facing the cold eyes of the noble concubine Shangyue, she was afraid of taking responsibility. Thinking of Zhao Wenwan's mink fur coat, she bit her lower lip, and said hesitantly, "Go back to Madam, Wenxuan doesn't know if there is something that should be said or not."

"Say—" Concubine Yue was so sad that she lost her favor, she was in an extremely bad mood, and said with a tense face.

"Wan... Sister Wan said in the daytime... that Xueqiuer's fur is slippery, and she can't be made into a mink coat, but a fur collar is enough." Zhao Wenxuan resolutely said, and added the last sentence. I want to put the crime on Zhao Wenwan's head.

Zhao Wenwan turned her head and looked at her in disbelief, as if looking at an alien creature, how could she be so stupid?Before the real culprit was revealed, a fight broke out in his own nest.Just saying that, Concubine Yue looked at Zhao Wenwan more and more unkindly. She didn't like Zhao Wenwan in the first place, but according to past reviews, she could indeed do such cruel things.

I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, Zhao Wenxi was helped out again at this moment, but his face was pale, and his sad expression didn't seem to be fake. Seeing that Concubine Yue couldn't hold back her tears, she shed tears silently, obviously because of Xue Qiu'er was very sad.

"It's all Wenxi's fault. If Wenxi hadn't brought Xueqiuer over, she wouldn't have..." Choked up halfway through her words, she couldn't continue, her teary eyes fixed on Zhao Wenwan, "My sister doesn't like us, and she doesn't like us. You shouldn't take your anger out on Snowball."

Zhao Wenxuan supported her, and looked at Zhao Wenwan with a bit of resentment, as if Zhao Wenwan had indeed done this.

Aunt Yun, who was standing in the crowd, frowned when she heard this. She could see how Zhao Wenwan treated Zhao Wenxi, but these two younger sisters...

Zhao Wenwan was not surprised by the unanimity of the two at this time, allowing herself to take the blame. On the contrary, she was very envious of Zhao Wenxi's halo as the heroine in her heart, and she stood next to the noble concubine Yue to clear her suspicions after being so sleepy and crying.The palace lanterns illuminated the glamorous and dignified face, making it impossible to see the expression. Whether it was sad or something else, everyone had their own guesses in their eyes.

"Mother Concubine, what's the matter here?" A clear voice sounded puzzled, and Princess Yongping also saw Xueqiu'er's body in the direction everyone was looking at, her pupils shrank, and she took two quick steps towards Zhao Wenwan, taking With a hint of panic, he asked, "What happened to Xueqiuer?"

"Yongping, come here, don't stand with the murderer who killed Xueqiu'er." Concubine Yue said angrily.

"Murderer?" Yongping glanced at Zhao Wenwan in surprise, then shook his head, "Mother Concubine, it's not her who made me sleep with Sister Wan tonight!"

Zhao Wenwan glanced at the mixed expressions of everyone, especially Zhao Wenxuan, and slowly curled the corners of his lips. Yongping was afraid of thunder, so he sneaked over when the first thunder sounded, so no one knew.When something happened just now, she put on her coat and came out first. Yong Ping's laces were knotted and her clothes appeared disheveled.

"Yongping, how are you sure..." Concubine Yue was also surprised when she heard the words, and asked, and then another thunderbolt exploded in the sky, and when she saw Yongping shrinking towards Zhao Wenwan, she immediately understood, Yongping was afraid Why did I forget Lei's problem, but I didn't expect her to be so close to Zhao Wenwan.

"We must find out the real culprit about Xueqiu'er, and let Ben Gong investigate!"

In this room, seeing that Zhao Wenwan cleared up the suspicion so easily, Zhao Wenxuan pursed her lips tightly, feeling even more apprehensive in her heart. Unexpectedly, she met Zhao Wenwan's look, looked at her red lips, and said in her heart. Out of what she said - you are dead.

Startled, he took a step back, almost staggering and falling.Obviously she didn't do it, but she had a bad feeling.

Concubine Yue noticed her movement, and kept her gaze for a while, watching her paler complexion, a flash of dullness flashed across her face, which made the latter paler and panicked.

There are specialists in the Imperial Medical Pavilion for treating animals. After all, concubines in the palace like to keep pets in captivity, so there must be someone who is proficient in this area. Doctor Wen came back from abroad, and his skills were even more advanced. Drugs were found in the food scraps.

Xueqiu'er's food in the imperial dining room has extra portions, Zhao Wenxuan went to pick it up today, no one else picked it up, Gong'e replied to Concubine Yue after asking clearly from the imperial dining room.Zhao Wenxuan fell to her knees in fright after hearing this, and hurriedly shouted, "Madam, it wasn't done by my little girl, how could my little girl drug Xueqiuer!"

"It's hard to say, you don't get along with sister Wen Wan, and you have had so many disputes since the Qionghua Banquet, maybe you just want to use this to blame her?" Princess Jinping, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly said, It led everyone to recall how aggressive Zhao Wenxuan was to Zhao Wenwan just now.

"Princess, don't want to spit blood!" Zhao Wenxuan retorted with a trembling voice.

The two of them have been accumulating grievances these days, and now they are arguing with each other.Zhao Wenwan touched her cold arm, and Princess Yongping handed her the cloak beside her. Seeing Yongping's well-behaved appearance, Zhao Wenwan couldn't help but sighed again, wishing Yongping was her younger sister.

The noble concubine Yue was given a headache from the quarrel between the two, "Enough is enough..."

Zhao Wenxuan repeatedly complained, but Concubine Yue refused to look at her again, and begged her to have pity on her Xueqiuer. Thinking of this, Concubine Yue was heartbroken, and she did not want to stay for a long time, so she recruited her maid to bury Xueqiuer ball.

Then he said angrily to Zhao Wenxuan: "My palace asked you to take good care of Xueqiu. It is indeed such a tragic death. No matter who the murderer is, you must bear the blame. You will be fined to copy the scriptures for Xueqiu for 49 days. Go down!" Come on, I don't want to see you again."

"Your Majesty, my daughter has never done it, and my daughter was wronged..." Zhao Wenxuan only had this sentence in reverse, knocking her head again and again, looking very pitiful.

With Concubine Yue's heavy sentence, the corners of Princess Jinping's mouth slightly curved, and a triumphant smile flashed across his eyes. Zhao Wenwan, who had always been paying attention to her, also saw it, confirming his speculation.Zhao Wenxuan didn't have the courage to do such a thing to frame her. Without Yongping's testimony, it would be a good plan to kill two birds with one stone. After enduring these days, she finally couldn't help but design this before leaving the palace.

Zhao Wenwan squinted his eyes, turned his head and whispered something in Yongping's ear. The latter's eyes lit up. After all, he had been in love with Xueqiuer for several years, and he couldn't bear it to be so vague. He immediately said, " Concubine Mu, Yongping has a stupid way to find out the real murderer!"

Concubine Yue looked at her puzzled.

"The warrior tamed by the prince's brother has a very good nose. The murderer is stained with Xueqiu'er's blood. The warrior will definitely be able to smell it!"

Concubine Yue agreed when she heard the words, and after a while, the guards brought the warrior, a half-human tall and strong black wolfhound, with black eyes full of evil spirits, snorting heavily.Since the appearance of the warrior, Princess Jinping's expression changed a little, and she retreated subconsciously into the crowd.

Gong'e let the warrior smell the snowball, and the prince's attendant tightly grabbed the collar around the warrior's neck, and quickly ran out as if unable to hold back.Princess Jinping watched carefully, seeing the wolf dog heading straight for him, he let go of his feet and ran.

"Don't bite me! Go away!"

The wolf dog seemed to be aiming at its prey, and pursued Princess Jinping closely. She was chased and bitten twice by the wolf dog, the pearl hairpin became loose, and a few strands of hair flowed out. She looked very embarrassed, and she staggered and fell down. On the ground, Princess Jinping, who was being chased hard, picked up the stones on the ground and wanted to smash them, but he was a step too late, causing the warrior to jump up and bite his wrist, tearing off a piece of flesh, blood spurting out, revealing the bones , and immediately trembled with pain and passed out.

The noble concubine Yue at the side now understood who the murderer was. Looking at the flesh in the warrior's mouth, she covered her mouth and nose with a fishy smell, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. The white sable paid for his life, so he had no choice but to stop there. After a while, he coldly ordered the waiter who was waiting at the side, reprimanded, "Aren't you going to save the princess?"

Several servants saw the Princess being bitten like that, and they were timid in their hearts. In addition, it was the prince's pet dog, so they dared not do it for a long time, which caused the unconscious Princess Jinping to shed a lot of blood in vain.

Ci'an Palace, a plum tree in the courtyard outside, bloomed on the branches earlier than other plants, the first snow is like cotton wool, falling on the plum blossoms, but it is bright red that cannot be concealed, gorgeous and compelling.

"I've only been here for a few days and I'm going back. The Ai family feels a little bit reluctant." Empress Dowager Dou took Zhao Wenwan's hand, glanced at Concubine Yue, who also came to pay her respects, and frowned, pointing out, "Last night, there was a lot of trouble last night, which made you feel wronged."

Zhao Wenwan smiled with crooked eyebrows, and was very grateful for the Queen Mother's kindness, "Wen Wan was ignorant before, which caused people to misunderstand...Yongping thought of a good idea last night, and Wen Wan didn't suffer any grievances." , I have to leave today, and I have been bothering for a long time, afraid that my grandmother will think too hard, so I came here to ask the Queen Mother to resign."

These words cleared up my black history a little bit, brought my middle school two years past, and made the few people present feel comfortable listening.Concubine Yue was still hurting from losing her beloved pet, and she didn't want to offend the queen mother by the news last night. She was originally unhappy when Zhao Wenwan proposed to leave, but after listening to it, she changed a little bit, especially boasting As a child, I glanced at Zhao Wenwan with beautiful eyes, and felt something was different.

It's just that Zhao Wenxi, who was standing not far away, was feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. The Queen Mother favored Zhao Wenwan, and anyone with a discerning eye could see her. Although she would not be left out in the cold, it was still far behind. Originally, Zhao Wenxuan was not very aware of it as a companion. , just because she was sent back home last night and early in the morning, leaving her alone at this moment, the inferiority complex in her heart emerged again, accompanied by a few strands of resentment, and her eyes were stained with a trace of jealousy.

The queen mother knew that she couldn't keep it, so she gave a lot of good things to the two sisters of the Zhao family.The two left the Ci'an Palace and went to the Queen's Jingren Palace to kowtow and bid farewell. On the road, there was light snow, and Zhao Wenwan held up an umbrella by herself.

And Zhao Wenxi, who was following behind, looked gloomy, lost his mind several times, and didn't know what he was thinking. When he came to the gate of Jingren Palace, he stepped on the hem of his skirt and almost fell. Whisk away.

Zhao Wenwan raised the corner of her mouth slightly, and silently withdrew her hand, "It's better to do a good job of superficiality, and it's not good for anyone to make it ugly. The lesson of sister Wenxuan is right in front of you."

Zhao Wenxi stared at Zhao Wenwan for a long while, unable to speak.

The Crown Princess, who also came to pay her respects, saw this scene, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she pretended not to hear it, and stepped forward to invite the two of them to enter together.The empress who secretly regards Concubine Yue as her deadly enemy is naturally quite enthusiastic towards Zhao Wenwan, whom she dislikes. Like the empress dowager, she also rewarded a lot of good things when she learned of her farewell, but the two received more than the empress dowager. put on the bright side.

Although Zhao Wenwan didn't know the queen's intentions and received the reward, she didn't think deeply about it. After all, ordinary people like her can't understand the deep palace women's thoughts, let alone she will be freed and returned to the palace soon.

Gong'e sent the two of them out of Jingren Palace, and the Crown Princess told the Empress what she had just seen, pointing out Zhao Wenwan's domineering intentionally.

"If that girl marries Gu Jingxing, she will make a fuss." Empress Empress said with a cold smile on her lips and deep eyes.

"Concubine Yue's place... seems to be interested in the child of the Zhao family's second room." The princess thought for a while and said.

The queen was noncommittal, "What is the use of her preference, and I don't know what kind of ecstasy Zhao Wenwan gave the queen mother, even the concentric jade lock, which was made by the emperor when he was there, and it was given to the queen mother when he was a child. The old Gu Jingxing, now gave this piece to Zhao Wenwan, the meaning is clear."

Concubine Yue was favored by the sage, not to mention that the child was even favored by the Empress Dowager, what good ones were secretly given to her, but her Jingfeng was always restrained in every way, with Gu Jingxing in her Every day, her status as the emperor is threatened by one day.Concubine Yue wanted Zhao Wenxi to be the icing on the cake, but she chose Zhao Wenwan to make the world turn upside down...

And Zhao Wenwan, who had already changed the core and was very determined not to die, couldn't help but sneezed twice in a row in the palace of Concubine Yue, which aroused Concubine Yue's dissatisfied gaze.

"Sister Wan, drink a bowl of hot ginger soup." The sky was cold and ginger tea was prepared in every palace, and Yongping poured a full cup and handed it to Zhao Wenwan.

Zhao Wenwan smiled gratefully, wrinkled her nose and finished her drink.

"After Wenxi left, no one will accompany me to play the piano." Concubine Yue had an undisguised love for Zhao Wenxi. After Zhao Wenwan made a comparison, Zhao Wenxi became more and more satisfied the more she looked at her, and she was as gentle as water. His temperament is absolutely in line with his own temper. "You are weak, the ginseng tea from Xibang is very nourishing, you should take it back and drink it, and take good care of your body."

After all, the slender fingers pointed at the packet of ginseng tea that was presented on the table, which was quite meaningful.

Zhao Wenxi blushed, and secretly glanced at Zhao Wenwan, with a little complacency, as if he had found his way back, and then said in embarrassment, "Thank you for your kindness, Wenxi's body has almost been taken care of in the Zhao residence... "

Yongping was at a loss listening to the two playing charades, but Zhao Wenwan understood the meaning, which meant raising a healthy body to pass on the family line.Looking at Zhao Wenxi's flushed face and excited appearance, it is true that the heroine's luck is not hidden, and she conquered the future mother-in-law so easily.Immediately, Zhao Wenwan felt that she was silently lying on the gun again when she saw the complicated eyes of the noble concubine Shangyue. She was indeed inferior to Zhao Wenxi when it came to the Holy Mother of the White Lotus.

Concubine Yue secretly sighed in her heart. In terms of family background and status, Zhao Wenwan was considered a good candidate, but when she thought about all the things she had done before, her thoughts were wiped out, so she looked at Zhao Wenxi and smiled like a spring breeze, "I am the first one in the palace!" As soon as I saw you, I felt that you were destined to be with me, your temperament is also very compatible, and I have always wanted to find such a cute and clever daughter-in-law, Wenxi, would you like it?"

Yongping, who was on the side, opened his mouth in surprise, thinking of the deep affection Zhao Wenwan had for his sixth brother, he blurted out, "I want Sister Wan to be my sister-in-law!"

Zhao Wenwan almost spit out a mouthful of tea, but luckily he just choked without losing his composure. Seeing Yongping's loyal expression, I will support you to the end, Zhao Wenwan felt his little heart twitched.

And Zhao Wenxi, who was about to reply, froze with joy on his face, and there was a slight twist.

"You're a child, what nonsense are you talking about!" Concubine Yue's eyes fell on Yongping, and she gave Zhao Wenwan a sneaky look, obviously thinking that Zhao Wenwan taught her.

"Mother and Concubine, I am not young anymore, I will be fourteen after the new year!" Yongping quickly retorted, but he didn't know what to think of, and said with a hint of twitching, "I want... I need to find a good husband's family."

Puchi—Concubine Yue stared at her angrily and amusedly, she really didn't want to stay, she poked her head with her finger, "Such shameless words are not allowed to be said outside."

"It's all our own people here, what's the relationship?" Yongping stuck out his tongue with a smile, but in fact he had his own little Jiujiu in his heart, and his cheeks blushed when he saw Zhao Wenwan's narrow gaze.

Zhao Wenxi originally thought that his dream of being a princess had come to an end, but he asked for such an interruption, so he couldn't bring it up again, his chest was suffocated, and he couldn't attack.

Because they had to go out of the palace, the two visited several palaces one after another, got a lot of benefits, and returned to Fanghua Palace.Zhao Wenwan only felt exhausted after a round of coping. Fortunately, Gong'e packed up the things of the two of them early. Zhao Wenxi took the things that the concubine Yue gave him as a gift, and put them away carefully, with an expectant smile on his face unconsciously. meaning.

When it was time to leave, there were still many concubines and princesses who came to say goodbye politely, and Princess Yongping was among them, dragging Zhao Wenwan reluctantly.Compared with Zhao Wenwan's aloofness, it is difficult to get along with each other. Many people came for the gentle Zhao Wenxi. .

Wherever there are people, there is gossip, especially where there are many women.After a few pleasantries, someone mentioned Wang Xueyuan who failed to seduce the crown prince at the banquet that day, with a bit of embarrassment.

"How is Wang Xueyuan?" Zhao Wenwan asked curiously.

The person who spoke was hesitant to speak, then he looked around, and only when he saw that there was no princess, he said boldly, "After Wang Xueyuan was sent out of the palace, the family made a hasty marriage. They got married in three days. The stupid son of the Qin family in Jiangbei...not to mention the remoteness and hardship, the stupid son of the Qin family is also disabled, so if he married, he would be a widow."

"No, the Qin family is a tyrant in the Jiangbei area. They are very ruthless. I heard that Miss Wang's face is wounded. The Qin family still despises a disfigured lady with a fool."

"...Although Wang Xueyuan is shameless and seduces the crown prince, she is still her cousin. Isn't the crown princess too cruel?" Someone murmured.

The faces of the surrounding people changed when they heard the words, and they were all silent. The person who spoke realized that he had said something wrong, his face turned pale, and he didn't dare to say anything more.

Zhao Wenwan took a sip of tea leisurely, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

(End of this chapter)