flstandardbreds Chapter 164 Yongqi Falls from His Horse ①
Chapter 164 Yongqi Falls from His Horse ①
Rong Pei held onto the door frame without turning back, her tone cold as she spoke, "This servant has served the Empress for many years. I've already repaid all the kindness and love I owe her. Now that I finally have the chance to see the light of day again, why can't I choose? But you, Ling Yunche, Hai Da Ying, the Fifth Prince, and even you and I, can't you see what will happen to us? I advise you to stay away from the Empress, or you'll end up not only not receiving a single word of gratitude from her, but also losing your life."
Hearing Rong Pei slandering her like this, Ruyi roared hysterically: "Rong Pei, how dare you betray me? When I get out in the future, I will definitely kill you, kill you——"
Rong Pei's expression was calm, and she said calmly, "Your Majesty, please wait until she orders you to leave. During this time, I will take good care of myself and wait for you."
After saying this, Rong Pei walked out of the Yikun Palace. As Rong Pei left, the gate of the Yikun Palace was locked again.
Looking at Rong Pei's departing back, time seemed to stand still. Ruyi stood there like a sculpture, her eyes empty and lifeless, even her legs were numb, and she fell to the ground weakly.
She didn't understand why.
Ruyi is the descendant of Ulanara, she has the love of Hongli, and she is the queen mother of the Qing Dynasty, but why do they all leave her and betray her?
Hai Lan harmed Yong Huang and Yong Zhang without her consent, yet she was ultimately the one to be blamed. Zeng Huan accused her of exploiting and framing the prince, and Hongli questioned her ambitions to seize the throne. Fear had driven her away from Yong Qi, only to be accused of jealousy. Even Yi Huan, with whom she had once shared an unwavering friendship, now considered her a vicious and treacherous person, distancing herself from her. Ruyi truly couldn't understand what she had done wrong.
Unable to figure it out, she coughed violently again. Because she was too sad, a mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out of Ruyi's mouth, and then she fainted.
"Empress?" Ling Yunche didn't care about the difference in status and picked up Ruyi horizontally and carried her to the bed.
After leaving Yikun Palace, Rong Pei did not choose to follow Jinse. She asked Jinse for mercy and divorced Ling Yunche. Then she returned to work at the laundry department.
Although the work in the laundry department is a bit tiring, it is not as full of intrigue as in the harem, where one can lose their life if they are not careful.
Rong Pei, however, seemed to have forgotten how she had helped Ruyi pierce Yuyan's ears. When Yuyan learned that Rong Pei had left Yikun Palace to work in the laundry department, she ordered her attendants not to allow her a single break. Rong Pei toiled from morning till night, and with her already weakened health, she soon fell ill. Even so, Yuyan continued to torture her. She sent Li Xin to the laundry department daily to torture Rong Pei.
Finally, Rong Pei could no longer bear it and hanged herself on a dark and windy midnight.
I heard that when she died, she was still looking in the direction of Yiku Palace, as if she died with her eyes open.
Lujun was afraid that rumors would spread in the palace, so she immediately ordered the palace servants to take Rong Pei out and bury her.
On this day, Jinse went to the Zhongcui Palace to pay her respects to the concubines. In name only, she was paying her respects, but in reality, she didn't take the concubines seriously. The concubines were even more afraid of Jinse's status and tried to curry favor with her.
Jinse picked up the tea from the table and took a sip. Lujun glanced at her sideways, smiling at her. When Empress Xiaoxian was seriously ill, she, as a noble concubine, went to Jinse's palace with Ruyi to persuade her to marry. Now that Jinse's marriage was unhappy, she didn't know if she would blame herself for her resentment. Lujun was unsure.
Lujun: "It's been a while since the princess returned to the palace. Are you used to the food, housing and transportation?"
Jinse was in no rush to answer. With a cold expression, she placed the cup in question on the table. After a long pause, she spoke, "I grew up in the Forbidden City, so I can't say I'm used to it. It's Empress Chun, though, whom I haven't seen in years. My mother recommended her, so why didn't she ultimately ascend to the throne of Empress? The one in Yikun Palace is under house arrest, yet you remain a Noble Consort. Even the harem has become increasingly extravagant, a world completely different from when my mother was here."
Lujun's face froze. Although she felt a little uncomfortable, she could only smile awkwardly.
Lujun: "Things are different now. It's good that Empress Xiaoxian advocates frugality, but the world is peaceful now. It's natural that the harem should be filled with splendor."
Jinse rolled her eyes.
In Jinse's eyes, Lujun was a fence-sitter. When she was still the daughter of Prince Bao, she'd sided with Ruyi. Later, when Ruyi was framed for plotting to murder the heir to the throne and confined to the cold palace, Lujun once again switched sides and joined Empress Xiaoxian. While Yongzhang's incompetence wasn't solely Langya's fault, it was inextricably linked to her. Jinse refused to believe Lujun harbored no resentment towards them.
Jinse remained silent, her face aloof and proud, reminiscent of Empress Xiaoxian's demeanor. She scanned the concubines present one by one. Besides a few familiar faces, there were also some new ones. Meiruo saw Lujun's humiliation. Jinse was a legitimate princess, a legitimate consort of the Khorchin tribe. As the saying goes, "marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog." Since Jinse was a Mongolian princess, she and she were naturally one family. When she had time, she would definitely invite Jinse to Xianfu Palace for a reunion.
Jinse curled her lips in a smile, "Flowers and brocade? In the years since I left the palace, the Emperor's taste for women has really gotten worse. No wonder during the days I've been back, the Emperor would rather accompany the Empress Dowager than wander around the harem."
After these words were spoken, the concubines present did not dare to speak at all.
Even Yuyan and Ruiji, who were so powerful that they could challenge the heaven and earth, were silent at this moment.
Jinse felt bored and left. Meiruo saw this and also found an excuse to leave Zhongcui Palace.
"Princess He Jing."
Jinse heard someone calling her from behind and stopped to look back. She saw Abao holding Meiruo and hurriedly walking towards her. Seeing that Meiruo was pregnant, she frowned slightly and asked, "Which palace are you from?"
A Bao supported Mei Ruo and bowed slowly, saying, "Princess, our master is the head of Xianfu Palace, Concubine Ying."
Jinse was slightly taken aback. She had heard that this Concubine Ying, relying on her family background, had caused trouble for many concubines in the harem, often bringing up the Forty-Nine Tribes of Mongolia. She also heard that during the Qing Dynasty's attack on Dzungar, she had spoken rudely, offended the Empress Dowager, and was punished by the Empress Dowager to copy books. How did such a brainless woman end up in the King of Bahrain's harem? She had even managed to rise to the position of Concubine. Jinse shook her head and smiled helplessly.
Jinse: "It's Empress Ying, what do you want from me?"
Seeing that Jinse was not rejecting her, Meiruo approached and walked side by side with Jinse. Then she sighed and said, "I see that the princess is kind, so I naturally want to get closer to her. After all, we are from Mongolia and are one family, right? Princess, are you free today? How about going to Xianfu Palace and having a chat?"
Facing Meiruo's friendly expression, Jinse instantly understood that Meiruo was trying to get close to her. Naturally, Jinse would not refuse Meiruo's kindness.
Jinse smiled and said, "Okay, I'll trouble Madam Ying then."