Quick Wear: The host is really just a substitute!

Chapter 741: Five Kinds of Vegetables for the Deposed Empress in the Cold Palace (5)

November 17th was an auspicious day chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

Before dawn, the Zhuoying Palace was already brightly lit.

Unlike ordinary concubines who had to go through a selection process to enter the palace, He Yingxue rode in a scarlet phoenix sedan and entered the palace directly under the escort of the imperial guards.

From the first moment of the Chen period, the imperial gifts were delivered into the palace like a stream of water.

South China Sea pearls, Sichuan brocade and cloud satin, gold-threaded and gem-inlaid headpieces...

The two maids Hanzhi and Hansu held the gift list, their lips stiff with smiles.

"Look, Madam." Han Su wiped the jade ornaments with envy in his eyes, "Your Majesty has given such a generous reward, even Queen Duan Ning has not..."

"Be careful what you say."

He Yingxue suddenly raised her eyes, and a sharp light flashed across her phoenix eyes, startling Han Su so much that the handkerchief in his hand fell to the ground.

Han Zhi quickly tried to smooth things over: "Empress Duan Ning was long ago banished to the cold palace, and the Canwu Palace..."

She lowered her voice and said, "No one who goes in can come out."

“The Sacred Heart is unpredictable.”

He Yingxue gently stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist.

These four words were spoken very lightly, but they caused the hall to suddenly become quiet.

"Your Highness, you have come to this realization, which saves me a lot of trouble."

An old female voice suddenly came from the palace door.

When He Yingxue turned around, the gilded hairpins trembled slightly at her temples, reflecting the old maid in ochre palace dress at the door.

Aunt Dan beside the Queen Mother was looking around the inner hall with a half-smile.

"Your Majesty, did you not bring the Queen Mother's 'thoughts'?" Aunt Dan narrowed her eyes, with sharpness hidden in her wrinkles.

He Yingxue pinched her palms with her fingertips, but her voice became softer: "They suddenly had abdominal pain, but they couldn't delay entering the palace at the auspicious time..."

She turned suddenly.

"Hanzhi, bring me that gilded box."

The brocade box was opened, and the top-quality blood swallows shone brightly on the silk.

Aunt Dan looked at He Yingxue's soft personality and couldn't help but shake her head and gave her a kind reminder.

"Does your Majesty know that in this deep palace, the soft-hearted people die first?"

"Remember my aunt's teachings."

When she lowered her head, a strand of hair fell, just enough to hide the fluctuation in her eyes.

Aunt Dan then took out a pair of jade bracelets from her sleeves.

"These were given to the Empress Dowager by Empress Dowager Huidun when she entered the palace. Now the Empress Dowager is giving them to the Imperial Concubine. Do you know what the Empress Dowager means?"

He Yingxue stroked the bracelet, and suddenly raised her eyes and smiled, her eyes sparkling: "Aunt, please tell the Queen Mother -"

She put the bracelet on her hand.

"I will definitely... live up to the Queen Mother's expectations."

As soon as Aunt Dan left, Han Su hurriedly closed the door of the hall, with worry all over his round little face.

She twisted the handkerchief in her hand and lowered her voice very low: "Your Highness often came to the palace when she was a child. She clearly saw the fate of those concubines... If you don't want to, the master will definitely find a way to push this matter away."

He Yingxue's fingertips paused, and her fingers scraped the edge of the teacup, making a slight sound.

The scene of spring hunting in the eastern suburbs a year ago suddenly appeared before my eyes.

The young man sat high on his horse, his black cloak with dragon pattern fluttering in the wind.

When those eyes like cold ponds swept across the kneeling ministers, they met her furtive gaze.

The thrill of that moment still makes her fingertips numb when she thinks about it.

"Silly girl."

He Yingxue suddenly reached out and pinched Han Su's chubby cheek, a sly smile in her phoenix eyes, "I am the only one in the harem now, and you still don't believe in your own lady's ability?"

"Miss!"

Han Zhi hurried in, with sweat on her temples from running so fast, "President Shen from the Imperial Hospital has been ordered to come and check on Ping An's pulse."

"Please."

The bead curtain rang softly, and Shen Qihe walked in slowly carrying a medicine box.

His moon-white official robe made him look as elegant as a bamboo. When he saluted, the silver needle bag on his waist made a tiny clinking sound.

"I am sorry for the injustice."

He took out a white handkerchief and placed it on He Yingxue's wrist, but just as his fingertips touched her pulse, they suddenly stopped.

When Concubine Xuan lowered her eyes, the narrow and long corners of her eyes were surprisingly similar to those of the female thief who stole the medicine that night.

In the past month, he had fought with the thief four times.

Although the lost items were medicinal herbs that had too many impurities and needed to be thrown into the Dichen Garden for incineration, the female thief was too bold.

The imperial guards didn't even notice anything unusual.

"The imperial physician looks solemn, but is it possible that I have a serious illness?"

He Yingxue suddenly spoke.

Shen Qihe lowered his eyes to hide the doubt in his eyes: "The imperial concubine is in good health."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the jade bracelet on the imperial concubine's wrist. The pattern on it was exactly the same as the one he saw when he went to check the empress dowager's pulse the day before yesterday.

But the smell...

"In that case..." He Yingxue slowly adjusted her cuffs, the bracelets on her wrists jingling, "Hanzhi, reward."

Shen Qihe bowed to express his gratitude.

After leaving Zhuoying Palace, he looked back again.

This Imperial Concubine Xuan is probably also a chess piece on someone else's chessboard.

Just like the one in the cold palace.

**

The sounds of stringed instruments outside the palace wall drifted faintly into the Canwu Palace. Song Yuesheng was lying on a rattan chair he had made by dismantling materials from an unused house, squinting his eyes to bask in the sun.

The cheerful music formed a sharp contrast with the deserted courtyard, but it did not affect her good mood at all.

"Your Majesty, don't you want to know what Concubine Qixuan looks like?" Zhenshu, who was standing aside, couldn't help but ask.

Song Yuesheng raised the corners of her lips slightly, and the sunlight cast a fine golden shadow on her eyelashes: "What is there to be curious about?"

She suddenly opened her eyes, and a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes.

"Anyway... we'll meet sooner or later."

She turned over and sat up, the rattan chair creaking. "Have you figured out the situation of the Imperial Guard patrol?"

Zhenshu shook his head, frowning: "There has been no pattern these days. And there is only a wall between us, so it is really difficult to judge accurately."

"When is the shift handover time?"

"Five times a day, each time only takes a cup of tea."

After Zhenshu finished speaking, he paused for a moment and continued, "My queen, the vegetable seedlings have begun to grow. If we eat them sparingly, they should be able to last until the harvest."

Song Yuesheng looked up at the sky; the November sunshine had lost its warmth.

"It always snows at the end of November in previous years, so we don't know how much these vegetables can grow." She sighed, "We can't put all our hopes on this."

"Your servants will never let your Majesty go hungry!"

"They say we are now on the same page."

Song Yuesheng rubbed his temple, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

She originally wanted to mention the greenhouse, but then she thought that all the clanging and noisy construction would definitely alarm Wen Yu.

If I were locked up in a place even more shabby than this place...

The original owner and Wen Yu had almost no interactions, and he didn't even have the leverage to threaten her.

Now he doesn't need the Song Mansion's military force as he did three months ago, otherwise he would not have sent the original owner's cheap father to lead the Song family army to guard the northern border.

"My queen!" Zhiqi came running over excitedly, "The broken pot of chrysanthemums that I picked up from Dichen Garden is now in bloom!"

Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, she asked Zhenshu in a low voice. After learning the reason, she said softly: "My queen... Actually, you don't have to work so hard."

"How can it be called hard work? I have nothing to do anyway, so I have to find something to do. Otherwise, I can see the end of my life at a glance."

Song Yuesheng looked at the two maids, "You should also set a small goal, such as planting flowers all over the yard? Or use these vegetables to research new dishes?"

"Your Majesty, you are like a little sun that never gets tired." Zhenshu said sincerely.

Song Yuesheng smiled and shook his head: "When life gets back on track, you will see my lazy side."

After all, it's because of the pressure of life.

She suddenly said seriously: "Tell me the shift change time you observed for the Imperial Guards. I have to go out tonight."

"Empress!" they both said in unison.

"Don't worry, I know my limits." Song Yuesheng stood up. "Even if you don't tell me, I can figure out the pattern myself in a few days."

The two had no choice but to tell Song Yuesheng the time of the shift handover they had heard.

Three quarters of an hour after midnight.

Song Yuesheng tightened the belt of his nightgown and tapped lightly on the window frame with his fingertips, calculating the final moment for the imperial guards to change shifts.

Suddenly, there was a slight creaking sound from the door.

"Where are you going, Ah Heng? Take me with you."

Song Yuesheng frowned: "Can the Imperial Guards allow Prince Yi to enter here?"

"There's no one at the door." Wen Yu spread his hands.

Song Yuesheng's eyes flashed.

Zhiqi's hearing was never wrong, and before she went back to her room to change clothes, she clearly heard the footsteps of the imperial guards on patrol.

What on earth is the Dog Emperor planning?

"Ah!"

Wen Yu suddenly sneezed, and looked a bit childish as he rubbed his nose.

Song Yuesheng suddenly raised his eyes and smiled: "You and your brother are really like twins. I scolded him, but you sneezed."