mtl008 Chapter 397 Something Hard to Talk About
Chapter 397 Something Hard to Talk About
As Prince Guo's flute music became more and more rapid, the graceful woman in light gauze seemed to transform into a butterfly dancing in the woods, spinning faster and faster, lightly and agilely.
The veiled woman in the lead walked lightly as if she was walking on clouds, slowly approaching the person on the high seat. Her figure seemed like a fairy floating out of an ancient painting.
An Lingrong's eyes kept moving between the veiled woman and the emperor. She keenly noticed that as the woman approached, the emperor's posture unconsciously became more upright, and even his neck tilted forward slightly, revealing an indescribable expectation.
She secretly wondered in her heart, what was so special about this woman?
An Lingrong took a light sniff, and a barely perceptible odor quietly penetrated her nose.
Just as she was about to identify the strange smell, the woman who danced in front of the emperor's desk suddenly raised her hand and gently threw a veil with a faint fragrance into the emperor's arms.
This action made Concubine Hua open her eyes wide, and she was secretly shocked by the woman's boldness and frivolity.
She looked at the emperor quietly without saying a word.
At this time, Prince Guo's flute sound stopped abruptly, and he saluted the emperor gracefully.
"My Royal Highness, this woman was carefully selected by the Concubine. She is not only a beautiful dancer, but also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is willing to add a touch of elegance to your Royal Highness's birthday banquet."
Upon hearing this, the emperor smiled and threw the veil in his arms to the ground.
"Old Seventeen, you are so thoughtful. I like this birthday gift very much."
"Su Peisheng, this girl has outstanding dancing skills, so she should be made an official lady. Send someone to properly arrange for her."
"I congratulate the Emperor on having another beautiful woman."
Concubine Hua smiled as beautifully as a flower and raised her glass to toast the emperor.
The emperor was stunned. "Noble Concubine Hua has become more and more dignified and elegant. I am relieved to have you in charge of the harem."
However, he felt a little dissatisfied because of Concubine Hua's change. She seemed to no longer care about him as much as before, nor was she jealous of him.
The emperor was a little depressed and lost some interest in the newly appointed official girl, and soon forgot about her.
After Prince Guo presented beauty, the subsequent offerings from the royal family seemed bland.
Once the birthday celebration was over, the usual meal and singing and dancing began.
The emperor stood up during the intermission of singing and dancing and said, "I have something else to do. Please feel free to do as you please."
"Your humble servant respectfully bids farewell to the Emperor!"
As soon as the emperor left, the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became much more relaxed.
The royal family members gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, and toasting each other.
The old prince, with a blush on his face, tilted his head and picked up a glass of wine with trembling hands.
"Yunli, deer blood wine is a good thing. Come! Let's go uncle and nephew."
"Uncle, I offer you a toast."
Prince Guo picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Deer blood wine is very nutritious. The old emperor's uncle was in a good mood and pulled Prince Guo to drink several more cups.
There was a strong wind blowing outside the hall. After drinking the deer blood wine, the effect was immediate and he felt warm in a short while.
When Prince Guo drank the fifth cup, he realized that all the heat in his body was rushing to one place. His face suddenly changed and he apologized.
"Uncle, Yunli is not very good at drinking. Please forgive me. I will definitely bring some fine wine to your house in the future so that you can enjoy it to your heart's content."
After comforting the old prince who had dragged him to drink, Prince Guo turned around and winked at Ye Lanyi.
Ye Lanyi nodded imperceptibly, then let out a soft cry.
"Your Majesty, I've been drinking too much and feel a little dizzy. I want to..."
"Okay, I'll take you back right away."
After Prince Guo apologized to his attendants, he helped Ye Lanyi out of the Baohe Hall with a worried look on his face.
The old prince looked at the two people walking away with his misty eyes, muttering softly.
"This little nephew really loves women, but too much..."
He shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "Oh! I'm old, and my eyesight isn't very good anymore. Drink! Drink!"
On the other side, Prince Guo, with a red face, pushed Ye Lanyi aside as soon as he walked out of Taihe Gate.
"Ah Jin, I've been tricked. Return home quickly."
He ordered people to tamper with the Baohe Hall, and he did not dare to make a big deal about his being tricked.
"Your Majesty, how about I help you?"
Ye Lanyi stepped forward with concern.
"Concubine, it seems to me that the prince has been poisoned by a poisonous drug. I am a fast runner, so I will escort the master to the carriage."
As A Jin spoke, he quickly dragged Prince Guo forward.
Ye Lanyi's face tensed at first when she heard this, but then she was secretly delighted.
She had just thought about having a child at the birthday banquet, but she didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon.
Last time, when Ye Lanyi accidentally heard two gossiping old women talking about the problems in their relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at the Yong'an Prince's Mansion, she broke out in a cold sweat.
After that, she secretly observed many times and confirmed that Fang Yun had bad intentions towards her, so she kept trying to find a way to break the situation.
Fangyun is someone close to Concubine Shu. If she reports Fangyun's repeated drugging to the prince, it will definitely put him in a difficult position.
After much thought, Ye Lanyi decided to get pregnant to break the deadlock.
After A Jin helped Prince Guo onto the carriage, Ye Lanyi couldn't wait to get in.
"Guard Jin, the prince's face is red, please hurry up and drive the carriage."
"The slave understands."
A Jin whipped the horse hard, and the leisurely horse neighed and ran out suddenly.
"My Lord, are you okay?"
"Lan Yi, I'm fine..."
Prince Guo's voice trembled slightly.
Seeing that his master was temporarily safe, A Jin dared not stop his movements.
The wide carriage inevitably shook as it galloped. As Ye Lanyi deliberately approached him, Prince Guo finally couldn't help but hugged her in his arms.
"Lan Yi, you smell so good."
Ye Lanyi spoke shyly.
"Your Majesty, I am in the carriage, you..."
Ah Jin was about to ask what happened inside when he suddenly heard the sound of clothes being torn, which made him blush and his heart beat fast.
He swept his sharp eyes around and drove the carriage into the corner of a house.
As soon as the carriage stopped, A Jin ran away as if fleeing to a place ten meters away to keep watch.
With his ears red, A Jin was thinking about how his master had been tricked. He carefully recalled what happened after entering the palace, but still could not find any clue.
After about a quarter of an hour, the noise in the carriage stopped.
Just as Ah Jin was about to tiptoe closer, a burst of vulgar shouting and cursing came from inside the wall: "What kind of wild cat is this, getting horny in broad daylight? Get out of here!"
A Jin ran towards the carriage with a serious face, poked the horse's butt gently, and the carriage slowly moved forward.
No one spoke inside or outside the car until the carriage entered the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. Only then did Prince Guo give orders in a hoarse voice.
"Ah Jin, go check the background of that old prince who pestered me for a drink today."
"Also, have our people pay attention to the movements in Baohedian and the palace. If there is anything unusual, report it as soon as possible."
"The slave understands."
What just happened was too difficult to describe, so he fled the main courtyard as quickly as possible.
Prince Guo dismissed the servants who came to pay their respects and walked slowly to the carriage and asked softly.
"Lan Yi, are you okay?"
"Today's birthday banquet in the palace is truly an eye-opener for me. I feel everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Ye Lanyi replied with a smile, then lifted the curtain and came out.
Apart from her slightly messy hair, there was nothing unusual about her.
Prince Guo thought about it and realized that Ye Lan Yi was covering up for him.
"Lan Yi, I will definitely take you to more palace banquets in the future."
"I thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, my legs are a little stiff from sitting in the carriage for so long. Could Your Highness give me a hand?"
Ye Lan Yi smiled and stretched out her hand, her watery eyes fixed on the person next to the carriage.
Prince Guo was grateful for her understanding of the righteousness and strode forward to hold her in his arms.
"It's inevitable that you won't feel comfortable attending your first palace banquet. Let me take you back to Qiushui Courtyard."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
Ye Lanyi shyly leaned her head on Prince Guo's chest, secretly glad that her plan had succeeded.
She had planned it all when she got on the car at the palace gate. This matter concerned the prince's reputation. As long as she pretended nothing had happened, the prince would definitely not mention it on his own initiative.
As the prince's confidant, A Jin cares about his master's reputation more than anyone else.
Ye Lanyi didn't have to worry about Aunt Fangyun hearing about her serving the prince in the carriage, and she didn't need to drink the contraceptive medicine prepared by Concubine Shu, or even the more harmful soup.
Prince Guo sent Ye Lanyi back to Qiu Shui Courtyard without stopping. Ye Lanyi wiped the sweat from his forehead with concern.
"Your Highness, you drank quite a bit at the banquet. Would you like to stay and have a cup of hangover soup?"
When Prince Guo thought of the stupid thing that happened in the carriage, his heart softened.
"Okay, I'll do it for you."
Ye Lanyi had been in the mansion for almost a year, and this was the first time he had stepped into Qiu Shui Courtyard in broad daylight.
Although the courtyard was renovated according to regulations, it looks simple and peaceful.
After the heavy snow, the flowers, plants and trees in the yard have withered, but they still have a unique charm.
As soon as Prince Guo stepped into the main house, he noticed something unusual.
"Lan Yi, it's so cold outside, why don't you light a few more charcoal basins?"
He asked with concern.
"Your Highness, I'm thinking of attending a banquet in the palace today, so I asked my servants to reduce the number of charcoal braziers. Don't worry, I've already asked someone to light the fire."
Ye Lanyi explained softly.
Although she is now the only woman in the prince's backyard, the housekeeping power has been taken over by Aunt Fangyun, and the supply of Qiu Shuiyuan is much worse than before.
Prince Guo had something on his mind, so he left after drinking the hangover soup.
After the prince left, Dongmei looked at Ye Lanyi worriedly.
"Master, the prince clearly saw that you were using smoking black charcoal, why didn't he say anything? Doesn't he want to get involved in this matter?"
"Dongmei, the prince is a man of great things. How can trivial matters in the harem tie him down?"
Ye Lanyi's face darkened and she scolded in a low voice.
"Dongmei, you took it upon yourself to replace the red charcoal with black charcoal today. You're overstepping your authority. Considering this is your first offense, I'll fine you one month's salary. Do you accept this?"
"Thank you, Concubine, for your mercy. I am willing to accept the punishment."
Dongmei kowtowed respectfully to express her gratitude.
In less than an hour, Xiao Liuzi, who served in Prince Guo's main courtyard, brought three baskets of red charcoal and three baskets of black charcoal.
"Concubine Ye, the prince said that your Qiushui Courtyard is short-staffed and inconvenient to operate. The steward will summon human traffickers in three days. You can select a few servants who suit your taste to serve you."
"Thank you, Eunuch Liu, for letting me know. I will personally make some soup to express my gratitude to His Majesty later."
Ye Lanyi knew very well that some people in the palace were dissatisfied with her as the concubine, so as soon as she entered the palace, she learned from Concubine Shu to treat the people below her kindly.
After working hard for more than half a year, she achieved pretty good results.
As soon as Ye Lanyi's eyes moved, Dongmei knew what her master was thinking, and she smiled and hurriedly stuffed an inconspicuous purse into the hands of Xiao Liuzi who was walking out.
"Eunuch Liu, it's cold today. I'm sorry to trouble you to come all this way. This is a token of my master's kindness. Please have some wine."
"Miss Dongmei, please thank the concubine for the reward on my behalf."
After leaving Qiu Shui Courtyard, Xiao Liuzi prepared to go back to report. When he was walking on the main road, he turned and went to a small courtyard.
"Aunt Fangyun, the prince sent me to Qiushuiyuan today to deliver red and black charcoal. He also gave Concubine Ye a gold and jeweled squirrel hairpin."
Xiao Liuzi stated expressionlessly.
"The Concubine Dowager doesn't care about worldly affairs. The Prince is the master of the Prince's Mansion. What do you think?"
Little Liu Ziye didn't care what Fang Yun's expression was. He turned around and left as soon as he finished speaking.
He thought to himself, the Concubine Dowager is in seclusion at Anqi Temple but is also meddling in the affairs of the Prince's Palace, trying to control Concubine Ye at every turn. How can the Prince not be angry when he finds out?
This Concubine Ye was personally appointed by the Emperor. Her master was already feared by the Emperor, and the Concubine Dowager's move would undoubtedly cause trouble for the palace.
He decided to inform the housekeeper later. The prince was thinking about Concubine Ye, and his subordinates had to act according to the circumstances.
Before Xiao Liuzi stepped into the main courtyard, he met A Jin who had hurried over.
When their eyes met, Xiao Liuzi extended his hand and asked him to go first, while he stayed in the yard.
"My Lord, I have discovered that the old prince is the adopted son of Prince Rong, the fourth son of the Emperor Taizu. He has been living in seclusion since the late Emperor ascended the throne. I don't know why he would attend the Emperor's birthday banquet this time."
"So he has no reason to attack me?"
"Prince Rong has been obsessed with pleasure for many years and has never interfered in the affairs of the court. I do not think he is a serious suspect."
A Jin reported all the information he had found out.
"It's bad! Ah Jin, have you asked anyone from the palace to investigate in Baohe Hall?"
Prince Guo asked anxiously.
If this matter has nothing to do with Prince Rong, then someone in the palace is the most likely suspect.
The Wanshou Banquet was in charge of by Concubine Hua, who didn't have the brains to scheme against people, but Concubine Shu, Concubine Jing and Concubine Lan each took part of the charge.
What Prince Guo feared most was that this matter was related to the emperor.
"My Lord, I have just passed the news to the palace. Are you worried about an ambush?"
When A Jin saw Prince Guo nod, he quickly slapped his head.
"Your Majesty, I will go right away..."
"Ah Jin, to avoid any further complications, abandon the captured person if necessary."
Prince Guo closed his eyes and gave the order.
The emperor removed some of the thorns when he cleaned up the Imperial Household Department. If another batch is lost, there will not be many available people in the palace.
"Ah Jin, the New Year is approaching. Please prepare a generous gift and send it to Changchun Palace."
"The slave understands."
Prince Guo was preoccupied with something and forgot to ask Xiao Liuzi to deliver contraceptive medicine to Qiu Shuiyuan.