Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 168: Legend of Zhen Huan 40

Yi Xin's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. Even the good-natured Concubine Jing didn't know how to smooth things over. So Concubine Xiang gritted her teeth and said, "I have an appointment with Concubine Jing today to take Wen Yi to see Princess Shuhe..."

Xinpin immediately stood up and agreed, "Yes, Shuhe is thinking about Wenyi today. Wenyi is still young and cannot move to Xiefangzhai yet. Thanks to Concubine Jing who always thinks about Shuhe, Shuhe can have Wenyi's company for a while."

Yi Xin had no intention of making things difficult for anyone, so she waved her hand and announced that today's greetings were over, but Concubine Wan stayed just like Concubine An.

After everyone else left, Yi Xin didn't plan to give face to Concubine An and Concubine Wan. She looked directly at Concubine Wan and said, "Concubine Wan, you are also well-read, and the Zhen family has been operating in the capital for many years. There are some truths that don't need me to preach. Why can't you learn to be tactful?"

Of course, Lady Wan knew that she had offended Yi Xin to death, but she had to take a gamble that even so, Yi Xin would not kill them at will.

Hearing Yi Xin's harsh words, Concubine Wan felt relieved. According to her understanding, since Yi Xin said such harsh words, it meant that she would not do anything to them, and there might even be a chance for a turnaround in the matter of Concubine An's father.

Concubine Wan repeatedly admitted her mistakes and made amends, but Concubine An could no longer understand her implicit meaning and actually began to pester Yi Xin. When she saw Yi Xin wink at Sang'er and Xizhu, she felt that something was wrong and quickly and forcefully pulled Concubine An up and left.

After walking out of the main hall of Chengqian Palace, Concubine Wan was also angry with Concubine An. If Concubine An was not her only ally now, she really didn't want to get involved in the affairs of Concubine An's father at all. The war on the front line was a bit tense, and the emperor even had less time to summon her. So now she was worried about her family while dealing with her own mess. She had no time to pay attention to Concubine An's affairs, so she tentatively asked Concubine An to ask Yi Xin for help.

But I didn't expect that Concubine An had no patience at all, or she didn't know any rules at all. She actually knelt down and begged in public in front of all the concubines when paying respects. What's the difference between this and forcing abdication?

Not to mention someone with a strong personality like Yi Xin, even if it was someone with a soft personality like Jing Fei, people would pity her misery and would only stay away from her.

Cui Jinxi personally cleaned Noble Lady An's face, and as she did so, she softly said to Noble Lady An, "Your Excellency was really reckless today. The Imperial Concubine has a strong personality. You only need to look at how Concubine Nian acted in the past to know the Imperial Concubine's personality."

"Lord An's failure to supervise the transportation of grain and grass is a serious matter. Not to mention the concubines in the harem, even the senior officials of the previous dynasty should not get involved if possible. After all, the lives of the soldiers on the front line are also lives."

Cui Jinxi's original intention was to explain to Concubine An Yi Xin's temperament and the seriousness of what her father had done. She wanted to continue to persuade her not to be anxious and to slowly plan something. However, she did not expect that Concubine An and Concubine Wan were actually not in harmony with each other, and Concubine An's envy and jealousy of Concubine Wan were almost going to overwhelm her mind.

So when Concubine An heard what Cui Jinxi said, she just thought that Cui Jinxi was just a servant blaming her, and the nature of the matter was similar to when Huanbi rolled her eyes at her.

Although Concubine An hated Cui Jinxi, Huanbi, and even Concubine Wan in her heart, she also knew that the only person in the palace who could give her advice at the moment was Concubine Wan.

Therefore, An Guiren had to compromise and came out with her red and swollen eyes to ask for advice from Wan Guiren again: "Sister Wan, I know you are always smart. You were able to give advice on government affairs even in the imperial court. Although my father is not good to me and my mother, he is indeed the pillar of my family. If he is not good, my mother's life will be difficult in the future..."

Once again, Concubine Wan secretly cursed Concubine An for being tactless and ignorant of the rules, but she had to put on a serious face to show that she sympathized with her, and pretended to be helping her think of ideas. In the end, she finally got rid of Concubine An because she had no better idea for the time being.

When Concubine An walked out of Chengqian Palace, she thought of Concubine Fucha. Concubine Fucha decided to stay away from Concubine An. However, for the sake of her own reputation and to prevent Concubine An from making indiscriminate attacks after her outburst, she could only temporarily appease Concubine An and said, "How about I send a message out of the palace and ask my family what's going on with Lord An."

"But Lady An, you don't have to rush to say thank you. My family is not as important as the Imperial Concubine's family. The Imperial Concubine's family is the direct branch of the Fucha clan, and my family is not even a branch. We just have the same surname as the Imperial Concubine's family. We may be able to get the news, but it will definitely take some time. After all, the Emperor hates people who neglect their duties and are corrupt the most. No one should do anything at this critical juncture."

This was the most reasonable advice and help that Concubine An had received in the past few days. Although she didn't know how the court worked, after experiencing these few days, she would not take it for granted that it was normal for Concubine Wan to give advice to the Emperor and discuss the affairs and officials of the previous dynasty.

Even the help from Noble Lady Fucha could not make Noble Lady An feel at ease. She went to the Qianqing Palace to ask for an audience with the emperor several times, but was rejected every time. She could even clearly feel that Su Peisheng had no good feelings towards her anymore, so she calmed down temporarily. Fortunately, the emperor did not demote her.

After the imprisoned Queen worked hard to restore Concubine Wan's favor, she set her sights on Concubine An again. Originally, the Queen had always wanted to win Concubine An over to her to deal with Concubine Wan and commoner Shen, but she didn't expect that Concubine An was so tolerant that even though she and Concubine Wan were not in harmony, she still had no intention of betraying Concubine Wan.

Now that Concubine An's father was imprisoned, it gave the Queen room to maneuver. After all, the Queen knew that Concubine An's father was just a minor official and a fool himself. If the Emperor had a calmer mind, he would know that Concubine An's father had nothing to do with it and would release him soon.

But Noble Lady An knew nothing, and the news from Noble Lady Fucha came too late. Noble Lady An had already accepted the Queen's "olive branch" and became a pawn of the Queen without anyone knowing.

Yi Xin watched coldly, and even said frankly when the emperor came to test her that she had disliked Concubine An from the first moment she saw her. "During the palace selection that day, Concubine An, for some reason, bumped into Concubine Yue while holding a cup of hot tea, and even soiled Concubine Yue's clothes."

"Noble Lady Yue was very aggressive at the time, but the fact that Noble Lady An almost caused Noble Lady Yue to lose her manners in front of the emperor can never be erased."

"But Concubine An acted as if she was weak and she was right, which made Concubine Wan, who stepped forward to help her, scold Concubine Yue. After I heard about this incident, I no longer had a good impression of Concubine An, who was the instigator, and Concubine Wan, who was just doing good for no reason."

Such matters would certainly not reach the emperor's ears, but at this moment, because of Yi Xin's explanation, the emperor also felt that Concubine An and Concubine Wan had acted inappropriately on that day. If Concubine Yue was aggressive in her words that day, then Concubine An and Concubine Wan had done aggressive things in their actions.