jdhmnovel Chapter 209: Cold and Lonely
Chapter 209: Cold and Lonely
Jinbao stepped forward to stop her upon seeing this, "Your Highness, I have been ordered to escort the Empress back to Yikun Palace. Please don't embarrass me..."
He looked embarrassed. The emperor had been in a bad mood recently, so he had to be extra careful when doing his job.
Seeing this, Yan Wan gave him a look, and Chun Chan quickly and quietly handed him a banknote: "Eunuch Jin Bao, my master is just concerned about the Empress. Please be flexible. It's just a few words, the Emperor won't know..."
The emperor is very angry now and doesn't want to hear any news about the queen.
Moreover, if the queen falls, the Empress of Yongshou Palace will be the most powerful person in the harem.
Jinbao didn't need to offend the emperor's current favorite because of such a trivial matter.
Maybe it will be this person who climbs to the throne in the future?
The palace is full of cunning people. He grew up in the palace and naturally understands that anything can happen in the palace.
Isn’t the person in front of us a living example?
Who could have imagined that a little palace maid who was bullied in the past would become the powerful imperial concubine in the palace today?
Jinbao squeezed the banknote in his hand and said with an embarrassed look, "Okay, but it has to be done quickly."
"Don't worry, a few words won't delay your father-in-law's work..."
Jinbao and Chunchan took all the servants away, leaving only Ruyi and Yanwan confronting each other at the gate of Yongshou Palace.
In fact, Ruyi's predicament is difficult but not too difficult.
Considering the affection between her and the emperor over the years, if she played the victim and said that she was ill due to missing him, and apologized to the emperor, the matter would be over.
Even if it's over, the emperor won't do anything to his queen.
Not to mention dismissing the servants in the Yiku Palace and confining himself to the palace.
But she was stupid enough to go against the emperor. Now she has not only harmed herself, but also implicated those around her.
After so many years, Ruyi still doesn't understand how the emperor and his subjects should get along.
"Your Highness, are you satisfied now?"
Ruyi's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were full of grief, anger and disappointment.
The emperor's slap exhausted all his strength, but it also completely woke Ruyi up from her fantasy.
She knew clearly that this series of events was not accidental, and there must be someone behind the scenes fanning the flames.
In Ruyi's mind, she couldn't think of anyone else behind the scenes except Concubine Ling.
After all, she is the most ambitious person in this palace.
Yanwan, however, looked innocent, with confusion on her delicate face.
She frowned slightly and said softly, "What did the Queen say? I don't know. Please forgive my ignorance. I can't understand the Queen's teachings."
Her tone was gentle and her eyes were clear, as if she really knew nothing about Ruyi's accusations.
The slightly flickering eyes seemed to reveal a hint of sarcasm inadvertently.
"Stop pretending. I'm asking you, now that I'm under house arrest and Ling Yunche has been sent to the Ministry of Punishment, are you satisfied? Noble Concubine Ling, if a person even betrays their sincerity, then this life is the most tragic..."
There was deep grief and helplessness in Ruyi's words. Her eyes were fixed on Yanwan, as if she wanted to see through all the ugliness in her heart.
However, Yan Wan still pretended to be indifferent, and her expression was still as calm as water, as if everything Ruyi said had nothing to do with her.
She looked calm and composed, even fiddling with the ring on her hand without any emotion.
Seeing her like this, Ruyi felt choked up, anger and disappointment surging in her heart. She once thought that in this deep palace, even if people's hearts were evil, there would always be a trace of true love.
But now it seems that I was too naive.
"Empress, sincerity is different for different people. I am only sincere to the Emperor. Others are just passing by and don't count."
Yan Wan raised her chin slightly, with a look of certainty on her face, and continued to speak seriously while pretending to be deaf and dumb.
The clear voice echoed in the silent space, but with an indescribable indifference.
The kind of indifference that involves using every possible means to climb up and sacrificing everything.
There is no emotion involved, only the desire for power.
snort!
Ruyi sneered in her heart, and the sarcasm continued to spread in her heart.
She was too lazy to play along with Yan Wan and simply said directly: "Ling Yunche is now imprisoned. If you really still care about our old friendship, then quickly find a way to rescue him and don't let me look down on you..."
Her words were powerful and carried unquestionable authority.
Ah!
Ruyi has looked down on her for a long time, so why would Yanwan care about her opinion?
Yanwan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, her eyes and eyebrows smiling, but there was a hint of imperceptible cunning and indifference in that smile.
Her words were full of sarcasm: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the Ministry of Punishment loves to torture Ling Yunche, but will not let him get seriously injured or die. When I find the opportunity, I will definitely rescue him..."
Her tone was relaxed, as if she was talking about a trivial matter.
After saying this, Yan Wan looked at Ruyi's reaction calmly.
This one sentence petrified Ruyi instantly. Her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
She, how could she know this?
Seeing Ruyi's expression cracked, Yanwan was in a good mood. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a smug smile.
After a slight bow, Yan Wan turned around and walked away slowly, her figure light and graceful, like a proud peacock.
As she walked, she didn't forget to say, "Empress, it's windy outside, please go back. I still have to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, so I won't see you off..."
Her voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of indifference and mockery towards her defeated opponent.
No, Ruyi is not her opponent at all. At most, she is just a small object that Wei Yanwan can play with. That's right.
Ruyi stood there in a daze, staring at Yanwan's departing figure. The figure gradually walked away and gradually blurred in Ruyi's sight.
Ruyi felt a chill running down her spine, a chill that seemed to surge from the depths of her heart and quickly spread throughout her body. She knew that Ling Yunche had said this when he had begged her to save Wei Yanwan, and she had asked惢心 to pass the matter on to Ling Yunche, feeling powerless in the face of the Empress and Consort Jia.
How did she find out?
Did Ling Yunche tell her this?
Ruyi's heart was filled with doubts and anxieties.
If this is the case, it is really shocking that Wei Yanwan could remember these words for more than ten years.
Is she so vindictive? Just because of a single sentence, she wants to take revenge on me even if she has to wait for ten years?
Ruyi didn't expect that Wei Yanwan would be so vicious.
A deep sense of helplessness welled up in her heart, as if she was in endless darkness and could not see a trace of light.
She stood there in a daze, feeling terribly cold. But the autumn wind was bone-chilling, like an icy blade, stinging her skin.
She suddenly realized that there was a vicious and hungry wolf in Yongshou Palace.
"Empress, it's getting late. We should go back."
After Yanwan's group left, Jinbao approached cautiously again, his head slightly lowered, his expression respectful, his tone tinged with worry.
Ruyi nodded lightly and put the matter behind her.
However, her slightly trembling fingers revealed the turmoil in her heart.
She stepped on the much higher bottom of the flower pot, step by step through the place she had walked countless times. That familiar path now seemed so unfamiliar.
Back at Yikun Palace, the people Jinbao brought with him locked the gate. The heavy sound of the lock seemed to announce her fate.
After all, the emperor gave Ruyi some face and told others that her house arrest was for recuperation and no one was allowed to visit her.
Ruyi looked at the Yikun Palace, which was once magnificent and bustling, but now cold and deserted, with a sense of desolation from inside to outside, and felt melancholy.
She walked slowly through the empty courtyard, touching the cold pillars and feeling the vicissitudes of time.
Is she destined to stay in the Yiku Palace for the rest of her life?
……
Ruyi was only concerned with her sorrow, while Rong Pei and Ling Yunche had a hard time in the Ministry of Punishment.
Rong Pei originally followed Ruyi to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, but she was unexpectedly tied up and taken to the Ministry of Punishment in a few seconds.
The cold ropes tightly bound her body, causing anger and anxiety to surge in her heart.
Returning to this familiar place, a trace of fear flashed in Rong Pei's eyes.
The gloom and terror of the Ministry of Punishment hung like a shadow over her heart, bringing back those unbearable memories. She trembled slightly, trying hard to suppress the fear in her heart.
"Jinzhong, how dare you attack me behind the Empress's back? What if the Empress can't see me and blames me? Can you bear the consequences?"
Rong Pei glared at Jinzhong, her eyes filled with anger and questioning.
Her voice was full of energy, firm and powerful, and she tried to intimidate Jinzhong with the majesty of the queen.
However, she also knew in her heart that since Jinzhong dared to attack her, he must have something to rely on.
Rong Pei is by no means a weak person, and she will never easily succumb to Jinzhong's conspiracy.
Jinzhong didn't expect that Rong Pei was still pretending to be a loyal servant even when he was in great trouble. A sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of disdain and ridicule.
He looked at Rong Pei with a sneer, as if he was looking at a pitiful clown.
"Although the Empress has the final say in all matters of the harem, the Emperor is ultimately the greatest master of the harem. We only obey the Emperor's orders. Aunt Rong Pei, we are all servants. After following the Empress for so many years, you won't forget who the greatest master in the world is, right?"
So what if he relies on the power of others?
What he is best at is taking advantage of others' power.
In this deep palace, the emperor's will is above everything else, and as a eunuch beside the emperor, he naturally has power that cannot be underestimated.
After all, a dog relying on the power of its master is worse than a tiger being bullied by other dogs in the open.
No, Rong Pei is not a tiger. At most, she is just a loud-barking pug beside the queen.
"What? Can the Empress go over the Emperor? Rong Pei, save your energy. I'm not Li Yu. I won't show mercy to the Emperor if he tells me to do something..."
Jinzhong's words were full of threats, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light.
He deliberately mentioned Li Yu to remind Rong Pei that he was different from Li Yu. He would not be loyal to the Queen, nor would he show mercy to her.
He will only obey the emperor's orders and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
Hearing Jinzhong's words, Rong Pei's heart sank. Those cold words were like a biting wind, blowing through her heart with desolation.
The incident of the deer blood wine seemed to be still before his eyes. The chaotic scene, the emperor's anger and the queen's helplessness were all vivid in his mind.
And the wound still hurts a little.
Unexpectedly, this time, the emperor still used them to threaten the empress.
A surge of grief and indignation welled up in Rong Pei's heart. She didn't understand why the emperor was always so cruel and hurt the empress time and time again.
She felt unfair for the Queen.
She has witnessed everything that the Queen has gone through over the years, and she feels unfair for her from the bottom of her heart.
If it weren't for the Empress, she would probably be just an unknown palace maid in the laundry department now, and would not have had the glorious life of a head aunt for so many years.
Over the years, the Empress Dowager had shown her great trust and given her a place in the palace. She secretly vowed to repay the Empress Dowager's kindness.
Even if it cost her life, she would not let the Queen be criticized in the slightest.
Thinking of the Queen, Rong Pei's eyes revealed firm determination.
Rong Pei knew that the Empress was isolated and helpless in this deep palace, and she was the only one who could stand up for her. She was willing to sacrifice her life to protect the Empress's dignity and honor, and not allow anyone the opportunity to slander her.
She straightened her spine, looked at Jinzhong with a firm gaze, and said loudly without fear: "If you want to kill me, do it. But don't ruin the reputation of the Empress. Everything is my fault. It has nothing to do with the Empress..."
"What a loyal servant! You can't even protect yourself, yet you're still thinking about the Empress? The Emperor has already issued an order that after the fight is over, you must go back to your laundry department. Do you really think you're the head aunt of the Yikun Palace?"
Jinzhong sneered, and found it funny to see her pretending to be so arrogant even though she was clearly at the mercy of others.
Looking at her ignorant look, she looked exactly like the Empress of Yikun Palace.
He is indeed a good dog to her.
"Rong Pei, stop struggling. You've offended so many people following the Empress. You should think carefully about how you're going to survive in the laundry department..."
Jinzhong's words were filled with sarcasm. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Rong Pei, who still held her head high. There was a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if he was watching a pitiful joke.
Rong Pei's heart tightened when she heard this, but her face remained calm.
She raised her chin slightly, looked at Jinzhong firmly, and spoke without fear.
"Since I, Rong Pei, have followed the Empress, I have never regretted it. Even if I go to the laundry department, I will still be the Empress's loyal servant. As for those who have offended me, if they dare to seek revenge, I, Rong Pei, will never back down."
Her voice was sonorous and powerful, and there was a strange and resolute light in her eyes.