A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

"Miss Ming?" Xiangjian looked at Jiuzhu in surprise, and suddenly thought that the county owner had been fostered in Lingzhou. Does he really know anything?

"I..." Jiuzhu turned to look around, a little embarrassed, and afraid that others would hear: "Auntie, let's go in and talk."

"Okay." Xiangjian nodded, and was about to introduce Jiuzhu into the inner hall. He remembered that there was a Concubine Ning who was kneeling outside the hall and had a meal. How should I explain this to Miss Ming?

"His Royal Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed Wang Chen's sleeve and didn't let go. His eyes flickered and looked at him: "You can go in with the courtiers, can't you?"

"All right." Wang Chen just walked forward with Jiuzhu through his sleeves. XiangJian looked at the backs of the two of them and couldn't help but smile. His Royal Highness knew that he cared about others.

"Cold?" Across the cloth, Chen Wang felt the coldness of Jiuzhu's fingertips.

"It's not cold." Jiuzhu shook his head and said with a smile: "His Royal Highness is just as gentle and careful as when he was a child."

he?

Gentle and careful?

Wang Chen himself was embarrassed to take over. He touched his nose: "How was I when I was a kid? You don't know."

Jiuzhu smiled and squinted at him: "I just know."

While speaking, Jiuzhu saw someone kneeling at the door and paused: "Your Highness, it seems that someone is kneeling there?"

"Don't worry about it." Chen Wang glanced at Concubine Ning, who was kneeling at the door, and held Jiu Zhu's head with his hand: "Some people in the palace will kneel down as a means to achieve certain goals."

"Oh." Jiu Zhu nodded, and when she approached, she found that the person kneeling was Empress Ning.

Hearing the footsteps, Concubine Ning raised her head to meet Jiu Zhu's eyes, with tolerance, pain, and helplessness in her eyes. She seemed to be aggrieved but she did not dare to tell.

Jiuzhu whispered in Wang Chen's ear: "Did Concubine Ning ever learn to sing before entering the palace?"

Wang Chen: "Where do you start with this?"

"I think she played very well in this period, very much like the Hua Dan on the stage, the kind whose life is not very good."

Wang Chen pulled the person into the house with a slight force on his wrist. He was afraid that Concubine Ning would be fainted with anger when he heard what Ming Xiaozhu said.

"Where is the mother concubine?" Wang Chen waved his hand to avoid the courtesy eunuch's salute.

"Back to your Highness, the empress is in the back hall."

"Go." Wang Chen walked around the front hall and walked to the back hall. As soon as I walked to the door, I heard Concubine Su talking to the eunuch: "Whoever comes to intercede, kneel with her. I blame the palace for being too gentle these years, and let them climb to the head of the palace. There is one in Lingzhou. If you have any news, please notify me immediately, have you heard?"

Wang Chen glanced at Jiuzhu and coughed twice: "Mother concubine, my son is here."

Concubine Su turned over the biography of the enchantress in her hand and looked up at the king Chen and Jiuzhu who walked in the door: "Jiuzhu, come and sit with me."

Wang Chen handed the shark gauze lamp to the little eunuch, asked him to hang the lamp in Jiuzhu's room, turned his head and sat down next to Jiuzhu: "Mother concubine, have you ever used dinner?"

Concubine Su Gui glanced at the sky: "You ran with Jiuzhu just to eat with me?"

"Mother and concubine misunderstood her son. Isn't that your son is worried about your poor appetite and forgot to eat dinner?" Wang Chen turned to look at Jiuzhu: "If you don't believe me, ask Ming Xiaozhu."

"Niang, your Royal Highness came here to send off your courtiers." Jiuzhu obediently explained: "Before you came, your Royal Highness and your courtesy had already used food."

Concubine Su Gui did not expect Jiuzhu to take her joke seriously, and said with a smile: "Since Jiuzhu said it, then I will believe him for the time being."

"Since the person has arrived, you should go back." Concubine Su relentlessly drove her son away: "Although there are no young concubines in the harem, you are an adult prince, wandering into the mother concubine palace every other way, like what? words?"

Wang Chen snorted and stood up lazily from his chair. He understood that with the future daughter-in-law of Ming Xiaozhu, his son was already the extra one.

"Wait." Jiuzhu felt anxious and reached out to grab Wang Chen's sleeve, and accidentally caught his finger: "Your Majesty, don't leave."

Wang Chen looked at his grabbed fingers, his whole body stiffened, as if it had become a sculpture.

Concubine Su Gui looked at the scene with a smile, turned her head and asked Jiu Zhu softly: "Jiu Zhu, do you want to tell me and Du Qing?"

She waved her hand, causing everyone in the room to retreat: "No one can approach this room without the order of this palace."

The palace people bowed back and closed the door for Concubine Su Gui.

Jiuzhu looked up at Wang Chen.

"You, you speak slowly, and I didn't say to leave." Wang Chen sat back and touched his hot ears. Could it be that his ears were hurt by the cold wind, or how could it be so hot?

Jiuzhu tightly grasped Wang Chen's finger, as if she had infinite courage: "Niang, I heard Aunt Xiangjuan say, are you looking for a young girl from Lingzhou?"

Concubine Su realized that Jiu Zhu's expression and tone were not quite right, the smile on her face gradually converged, and nodded to Jiu Zhu.

"In the winter eight years ago, on the Huaxi River on the outskirts of Lingzhou City, right?" Jiuzhu looked at Concubine Su Gui with scorching eyes, then turned to look at Wang Chen: "His Royal Highness wore a light purple round-neck brocade robe that day. A fox fur cloak is like a fairy boy in front of the Celestial constellation."

Wang Chen looked at Jiuzhu in a daze, with an absurd conjecture in his heart, but he was afraid that this conjecture would come true.

He couldn't imagine how painful this silly little girl was when she was immersed in the cold river water.

"You..." Concubine Su opened her mouth, unable to speak a complete sentence.

"The person saved by His Highness back then was me." Jiuzhu lowered her head: "I'm sorry, but I kept telling your Highness and Niang Niang."

No one knew how happy she was when she walked into Mingyue Palace and saw the empress. She almost wanted to ask Niang Niang, where is the little fairy boy who saved her, whether he has become a gentle and benevolent gentleman.

But she has never forgotten what the empress said, there is no secret in the capital.

She did not dare to say, she did not dare to put the empress and her highness in danger.

For eight years, she has burned incense and prayed in front of the statue of Sanqing deity every day, hoping that Grandpa Sanqing would bless the benefactor to be safe and sound, with no illnesses and no disasters.

Fortunately, Grandpa Sanqing heard her prayer.

"Child." Concubine Su Gui came to Jiuzhu and suddenly pulled her into her arms, gently stroking her bun, tears streaming down the corner of her eyes: "What a silly girl."

Jiuzhu leaned on Concubine Su's soft chest, smelled the faint fragrance of her body, carefully stretched out her arms, and encircled Concubine Su.

The empress is really fragrant and soft.

No wonder she was so happy the first time she saw herself. No wonder she always called her mother happily, spinning around with Du Qing, even if others said that she pleases her concubine, or that she is secular and profitable, she has never flinched.

She was so stupid, believing her and Du Qing. Purely, without reservation, trusting their mother and son.

"Niang Niang?" Perceiving warm tears falling on her face, Jiuzhu wanted to raise her head to look at her: "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I'm just happy." Concubine Su wiped her tears with one hand in embarrassment, and couldn't bear to let go of Jiuzhu with her other hand: "I am, happy."

"I am also very happy to meet the empress and your Royal Highness again." Jiuzhu leaned on Concubine Su, and the corners of her mouth rose up: "Lingzhou and the capital are separated by tens of thousands of miles. People from all over the world come and go, it must be very special. Because of the fate, I saw His Royal Highness and Niang Niang."

Wang Chen looked at Jiuzhu leaning on his mother's concubine, and slowly stretched out his hand, gently resting his fingers on Jiuzhu's shoulder, but quickly retracted it.

He squeezed his five fingers into fists, his emotions turned overwhelming, and he roared to pour it out, but in front of the well-behaved Jiuzhu, everything was forcibly suppressed by him.

"Ming Xiaozhu." He asked: "Did I give you a few candies back then?"

Jiuzhu turned to look at him in Su Guifei's arms: "Well, the mints that Your Highness gave me are sweet and sweet."

She often puts mints in her purse, thinking that he still likes to eat them?

Wang Chen looked at her bright eyes, and chuckled softly after a long time: "The candy this king gives you is of course sweeter than anyone's."

"Yeah!" Jiuzhu nodded, earnestly agreeing with King Chen's words: "Since then, I have never had such a delicious mint."

Concubine Su let go of Jiuzhu, wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and smiled hard at Jiuzhu: "What kind of sugar Jiuzhu likes, I will let Yuchu make it for you."

"Mother concubine." Wang Chen couldn't help but said: "Ming Xiaozhu likes to eat, I know better, you can leave this to your son."

Concubine Su Gui touched Jiuzhu's cheek without looking at Wang Chen: "You and Du Qing are sitting here, and I will go out to deal with some things."

"Good." Jiuzhu nodded.

Concubine Su walked to the door, turned her head to Jiuzhu and said: "Jiuzhu."

"Niang Niang?" Jiuzhu looked up at her, her watery eyes were full of love and closeness to her.

Concubine Su Guizhang smiled: "I am very happy to be able to meet you again."

Then she saw that the girl's face showed an extremely brilliant smile, so brilliant that her heart melted into a stream of spring water.

Pushing open the door of the hall, she saw Xiangsi who was waiting outside: "What's the matter?"

"Niangniang, see you, Princess Qijun." Xiangjian looked inside the door, hesitated, and helped His Royal Highness and Miss Ming to cover the door.

"What is she doing?" Concubine Su shook the silk, her skirt slid across the steps like running water.

"The maidservant Yinu guessed that she should have come to intercede for Concubine Ning." Xiangjiang held Concubine Su's hand: "Niang, the Princess of Qi Jun is the grandson of the grandson, and the grandson of the grandson has had three appearances, four champions, and ten scholars. He has great prestige among scholars and officials."

"So what, the uncles and elder brothers of my Jiuzhu family are also great." Su Guifei said: "Sun Jiazu, are there three brothers who have passed the first class?"

Xiangjian was silent.

It's rare for people like the Ming family.

"The beauty of the ancestors does not mean that the current grandson family is great." Concubine Su knows what Xiangjuan is worried about: "As Miss Sun's family, she will not let Yun Yanze come forward for this kind of thing. Yun Yanze is full of affection."

The Sun family has always disliked her beloved concubine. Although her face is respectful, she can clearly see the arrogance emanating from the bones of the old lady of the Sun family in front of her.

The Sun family knew that she knew in her heart that they didn't like her, and she also knew the arrogance of the Sun family, but because of the number of capable ministers in the Sun family, she didn't bother to care about them.

Over the years, the Sun family and her have maintained a delicate balance of non-offending each other, but Sun Caiyao chose to bow to her for the sake of Prince Qi.

"It's just a little girl who is stupid for men." Concubine Su said in a light tone: "My palace doesn't care about younger generations."

Xiangjuan smiled: "The slave servant knows that the empress has always been tolerant to little girls."

Concubine Su Gui smiled, it wasn't that she was intolerant, it was just unnecessary.

"Mother concubine." Sun Caiyao saw Concubine Ning still kneeling in front of the main hall of Mingyue Palace, reaching out to help, but was stopped by a cold-looking court lady.

"Princess of Qi County." The maid saluted her: "Lady Ning sincerely asks to see our mother, if you help her up, it won't be a big deal. It's just that the servant is worried that the imperial concubine will lose sight of the sincerity of Ning."

Sun Caiyao knew that this was Concubine Su's intention to make things difficult for her concubine, so she had to say: "The concubine is delicate and weak. I would like to kneel on behalf of the concubine to show my sincerity."

"The princess's filial piety moved the heavens, which is admirable. However, the servants are just the humble little maids of Mingyue Palace. How can the servants save the thoughts of the imperial concubines?"

"The princess, please don't embarrass the slaves, maids and others." The other court ladies and eunuchs guarding outside the hall knelt down.

Sun Caiyao looked at the servants of Mingyue Palace, and looked at Concubine Ning who was obviously weakened. She gritted her teeth and knelt down beside Concubine Ning: "Please see the concubine."

Concubine Ning turned her head to look at Sun Caiyao, her body shook: "Why are you here, go back soon."

"Mother and concubine suffer here, how can my daughter-in-law be able to watch." Sun Caiyao helped Concubine Ning: "Mother concubine, if you are uncomfortable, rely on me."

Concubine Ning wanted to push Sun Caiyao back.

She had been kneeling here for a few hours, and it was good to kneel and die. Sun Caiyao's coming now, on the contrary, broke her plan.

"You go back to take care of Yanze, I'm fine..."

The main hall door slowly opened, and Concubine Ning raised her head, looking at Su Meidai, who was wearing a complicated palace costume, looking at her condescendingly.

She was kneeling down at the concubine's canonization hall, and Su Meidai sat high on the Qingluan chair, looking at her with such a look.

"I have seen noble concubine empress." Sun Caiyao gave a big gift to Concubine Su.

"What's the matter with you, how can you make Princess Qijun kneel here?" XiangJian falsely reprimanded the palace man: "Hurry up and help Princess Qi get up."

"Is the princess of the county looking for Jiuzhu?" Concubine Su looked at Sun Caiyao, who was "supported" by the maids, and nodded and smiled: "Go and inform the county lord that the princess is looking for her."

"Noble concubine, I am not..."

"The princess, this palace is your elder." Concubine Su Guifeng raised her eyes slightly and said with a smile: "It's so late, didn't you come to the county lord, are you looking for this palace? This palace is old and frail, at night Don't disturb others. Yanze always knows how to be filial and benevolent. You are Yanze's wife. I think you should be as filial as Yanze."

Sun Caiyao cried secretly in her heart, but couldn't refute Concubine Su's words.

There is no queen in the palace. Concubine Su, with the highest status, is the same as the vice queen. When talking about it in detail, all the princes and princesses in the harem are right to say that Concubine Su is right.

"Take the county concubine to the side hall and wait for the county lord to come." Concubine Su raised her hand and walked towards Concubine Ning who was kneeling on the ground step by step: "My palace remembers that you were sick when your Majesty went south eight years ago, right? "

Concubine Ning lowered her head: "The concubine can't understand what the empress means."

"It doesn't matter whether you can understand or not." Concubine Su grasped Concubine Ning's hair and forced her to look into her eyes: "Zheng Lanyin, look at my palace!"

Concubine Ning struggled twice, she gritted her teeth to endure all the anger in her heart: "Manny, what do you want to do?"

"Sneer." Su Guifei sneered: "My palace tells you that starting from today, my palace will let you know what an arrogant and domineering concubine is."

Concubine Ning's face changed drastically.

"Don't be afraid, don't worry." Concubine Su loosened her hair, stood up and turned around to wash her hands in the copper basin. While wiping her hands, she walked slowly around Concubine Ning: "My palace feels that the title of Ning is not That’s great, the concubine is not for you either."

"What do you think..." She took a meal at her feet and looked down at Fei Ning with a smile: "How about the title of Meiren Zheng?"

"No, you can't treat me like this!" Concubine Ning finally panicked: "I gave birth to a prince for your majesty, and your majesty will not treat me this way."

"Then you try." Concubine Su handed the handkerchief to the palace lady, her tone indifferent: "Zheng Lanyin, what causes and results, the account between us can be settled slowly."

Concubine Ning looked at Concubine Su in a panic, what did she know?

Su Meidai knows, what about your majesty, does your majesty also know?

As if knowing what she was thinking, Su Guifei smiled: "You can guess what the palace knows. Oh, and your majesty, do you guess what the palace knows, will your majesty know?"

"Su Meidai!" Concubine Ning frantically grabbed her skirt, "You are so rampant today, are you afraid of being retaliated by others in the future?"

Concubine Su Gui took two steps back, as if he had heard some joke: "In this harem, as long as you are favored by your Majesty, no matter whether it is rampant or not, it will be a thorn in the eyes and a thorn in the flesh of others."

"Do you think I care?" Su Guifei said lightly: "Women shouldn't embarrass women, but you should never count my children."

"Zheng Lanyin, you are a mother, and so is my palace."

"Su Meidai, you relied on your majesty to love you, so arrogant, one day..."

"Hush." ​​Concubine Su Gui smiled softly: "Zheng Lanyin, this palace has always had a principle, that is, it is no harm to the child. You don't force me to break this principle, understand?"

Concubine Ning swallowed the words abruptly. She shrank her stiff legs, knelt in front of Concubine Su again, and knocked her head: "How on earth are you willing to let me go?"

Concubine Su Gui looked at her blankly.

"His Royal Highness Prince Qi?"

Hearing the voice of the court lady, Concubine Su raised her head and saw Yun Yanze who was standing not far away with a pale face.

In the apse, King Chen looked at Jiuzhu, who put his hands on his knees, like an obedient baby, blinking at him: "His Royal Highness, do you have anything to say?"

Wang Chen didn't know what to say, he always felt that he had a lot to say, but when he looked at her, he felt that what he said was not right.

He even had an absurd idea in his mind. If Ming Jiuzhu was brought back to Beijing directly, it would be good to raise it by his side.

"Have you ever been wronged during the years you have been fostered in Lingzhou?" His mind was messed up, and finally he only asked such a dry sentence.

Jiuzhu shook his head: "Master treats me very well. They are cultivators. They don't like to be fishy, ​​but they buy chickens and fish for me. They say that cultivators cultivate their own minds and do not restrain others. I am a small mountain and stay away from others. In the busy city, I rarely go down the mountain. The only time I was wronged was when I met His Royal Highness. Master said, I will bring blessings to my life, and there will be noble people to help me."

Raised in a place far from the world, it is no wonder that it is such a naive personality.

"Ming Xiaozhu." He stretched out his hand and gently pinched the tip of her nose: "You, you."

A good little girl, after marrying him, she can't taste all the darkness of conspiracy in the world and see the changes in people's hearts.

"His Royal Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed his wrist: "Girls' noses can't be pinched often, it will become ugly."

"It doesn't matter, even if you become a pig nose, my highness will not dislike you." Wang Chen let go of her nose: "This king is not a lustful person."

"That's not okay." Jiuzhu shook his head: "I can't let others see you, just say that you married a pig nose princess, what a shame."

"What other people say, this king never takes it to heart." Wang Chen wanted to pinch the girl's face, but thinking that the girl hadn't married him yet, he could only hold back: "Anyway, as long as this king feels Hello, you are good, do you understand?"

"So, in the eyes of His Royal Highness, it's very good, right?" Jiuzhu looked at him expectantly.

"Humph." Chen Wang snorted and hooked his finger at her.

Jiuzhu moved his head over.

Wang Chen flicked her forehead: "Guess?"

Jiuzhu held his forehead and stared at him in disbelief.

"Cough." With such a look in his eyes, he was a little flustered, and Wang Chen nodded quickly: "Yeah."

"His Royal Highness nodded, did I mean it very well?" Jiuzhu immediately became happy again.

"Tsk." Wang Chen looked at her and found that her forehead was slightly flushed by his own bounce. He reached out and rubbed it with his fingertips: "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt." Jiuzhu shook his head and pulled his sleeves: "His Royal Highness, let's talk about it."

"You are smart and capable, and beautiful." Wang Chen watched as the little hand holding his sleeve swayed in front of his eyes: "Moreover, he has excellent painting skills."

"Oh." Jiuzhu held her slightly reddish cheeks: "There is no one whose majesty you said so well."

Chen Wang: "..."

He didn't speak so well, but he smiled happily on his face.

Humph, dishonest woman.

"His Royal Highness did not lie to me, did he?"

"Will this king lie to you?"

"No." Jiuzhu shook his head.

Wang Chen gently rubbed her forehead: "It's too late, I should go back to the sixth house of Zhang."

If you don't go back, those concubines in the palace will take her to blame.

"Then I'll send your Highness to the gate." Jiuzhu stood up hopping, full of happiness.

"Be careful of the threshold." Wang Chen took her a hand, and then still held Jiuzhu's hand through his sleeves as he did when he came.

"His Royal Highness." With her hands wrapped in His Royal Highness's sleeves, Jiuzhu felt particularly safe. She even felt that even if she walked with her eyes closed, His Highness would not let her wrestle: "Can I still go to Zhangliu Gong to find you tomorrow?"

Wang Chen wanted to say that your father gave me a thick box of books and was waiting for me to copy it. However, he said, "Okay."

The little girl just came to live in the palace, and may not be used to it, so he stayed with her for two days.

Only two days, no more.

"I have seen the imperial concubine empress." Yun Yanze looked at the mother concubine who humbled in front of Concubine Su, walked in front of Concubine Su, and knelt down.

"If the mother concubine has done something improperly, the child minister is willing to be punished for her mother." He kowtowed to Concubine Su Gui: "I beg the concubine to spare the concubine."

The night wind blew the lantern in front of the palace gate, and the lantern shook, casting a shaky shadow on Yun Yanze's face.

Boom, boom.

Yun Yanze knocked his head again and again.

At the gate of Mingyue Palace, there was silence, and no one dared to let out the atmosphere.

At this moment, there was the laughter of the girl.

Jiuzhu walked to the door and saw Yun Yanze kneeling at the door and knocking his head. He was frightened and turned to ask Wang Chen: "King Qi has hit the board. Kneeling like this, will the wound split?"

Everyone turned their heads to look at the county lord of Ming who was incompatible with the solemn atmosphere.

Wang Chen took a step forward and blocked her behind him.

Everyone quickly retracted their sights.

As the prince hit the board, it was an unspeakable pain for the Prince Qi. The words of the county lord Ming drew a knife in the chest of the Prince Qi.