Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Huo Qi was about to speak, but the quiet and clear summer night was suddenly broken.

There were exclamations in the distance, vague and frightened.

Huo Qi turned around and saw thick smoke billowing from a palace in the distance, flames leaping to the ground, and the sky above was dyed crimson red. Those frightened sounds became clearer and clearer from far to near. The originally silent Miyagi suddenly woke up, the lights flickered on, mixed with the sound of chaotic footsteps.

And the direction of the fire... was exactly where Shuchunxuan was.

Zhenbi did not tell her all the plans before, but now seeing the situation, Huo Qi was able to guess her plans very well. Such a raging fire is enough to bury all traces. From now on, the concubine Zhen will die, but Liu Qi will live with a new look.

Huo Qi was just thinking when he heard Shen Yuning say thoughtfully: "Destroy the corpse and remove all traces, and the golden cicada escapes from its shell. It seems that you did a lot of things while I was away from the palace."

The two human skin masks were what Huo Qi asked Cheng Chang for. She knew she couldn't hide it from Shen Yuning, so she said, "I don't know who was responsible for this, but the person who died should be the person Liu Qi arranged before he left. This plan is dangerous, if your Majesty stays at Shuchunxuan tonight, I'm afraid you will be in trouble."

Shen Yuning sneered, as if laughing at her naivety: "Liu Qi knows the emperor's coldness better than you. She is unwell, so the emperor will naturally not go to her. After all, who cares about a chess piece?"

Huo Qi said nothing, but sighed slightly in his heart.

In this entire palace, he is probably the only one who dares to say such treasonous words. In her last life, she only knew that he was not close to Emperor Xiaowen. Only in this life did she realize that the father and son might have reached the point where they would never stop fighting. However, Huo Qi didn't think there was anything wrong. It was Emperor Xiaowen who was unjust in the first place. Naturally, he couldn't blame Shen Yuning, his son, for being unfilial. Otherwise, how could Shen Yuning survive to this day?

She stared at the lotus lantern at her feet: "Liu Qi asked me to send her personal maid out. At that time, the maid will give me clues about last year's provincial examination. I hope she can really give us what we want."

This matter has been swirling around for more than half a year since the cooperation with Shen Yuning was reached. Now, we finally have clues.

Shen Yuning was noncommittal: "If she cheated on you, what should you do?"

"No matter what, I will look for other clues until I complete the task entrusted by His Highness."

"Don't you feel like you're at a disadvantage?"

"do not think so."

※※※

The fire was finally put out, and for a while, people were panicked.

In the Changle Palace, there was a "pop", and a glass cup worth a thousand gold fell to pieces in an instant, and the tea was scattered on the floor.

"Are you trying to burn me to death?"

The little palace maid was so frightened that she trembled: "My queen, please spare my life!"

Seeing this, Aunt Chang, the steward around Concubine Shu, hurriedly ordered the little palace maid to clean up the leftovers, and then said: "Madam, please calm down. These little girls are naturally not as understanding of your thoughts as Zhang Rang. It's okay to serve you inconsiderately." It’s inevitable.”

Concubine Shu's face was still filled with anger: "That bitch Liu Qi is already dead, and you are still worried about living. Do you want to drag the people around me to be buried with you?"

There was a fire in Shuchunxuan last night. Chunxiao and Shuchunxuan and everyone else slept like dead pigs. When people outside went to put out the fire, they found Zhang Rang at the door. At that time, Zhang Ren was unconscious, his face was completely black, and flint and steel were found on his body. He was suspected of setting a fire and was fainted by the thick smoke. He looked like someone who had stolen the chicken but failed to lose the rice. . Even when Shao Zhen went there, he could only take the person back to Gong Zhengsi for trial in a matter-of-fact manner.

Zhang Rang was the person she sent to keep an eye on him. How could he set the fire without her instructions?

Thinking of this, Concubine Shu asked: "Is there any news about Ling Shuang?"

Lingshuang often came to Changle Palace to show her hospitality in the past, but recently she had not been seen for several days. Concubine Shu had not thought of this person before, but now that something happened, she did.

Aunt Chang thought for a while and then whispered: "As soon as something happened in Shuchunxuan, all the servants below were taken to Gong Zhengsi for questioning. They must have been detained, so they didn't reply. Fortunately, the concubine was gone. Death, Zhang Rang is the person next to you, Master Shao will definitely try to protect him, but you must not lose your sense of proportion because of your anger."

"That's true." After saying this, Concubine Shu became a little calmer, "But you did remind me. Now that Liu Qi is dead, there is no need for Ling Shuang to exist. You can give Shao Zhen a message on my behalf. , if we really can’t find the culprit who set the fire, it’s better to let Ling Shuang take the blame. She is a restless thing anyway.”

Aunt Chang rolled her eyes: "Your Majesty is right."

Concubine Shu grabbed the cushion at hand again, frowned and said: "Zhang Rang's matter is not something to worry about, but what I am worried about is His Majesty's heart... When the eunuch came to report that Shu Chunxuan was leaked, you also Seeing the look in His Majesty's eyes, it's clear that he has doubts about me." Aunt Chang stepped forward and gave Concubine Shu a leg tap, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. Over the years, the concubines who have been favored by the palace, Is she the only concubine who was later told by His Majesty to abandon them all? A person who was forced into the palace by the Liu family, His Majesty saw that she was fresh and took into account the reputation of the Liu family and the concubine Xian. This is a good look, how can it be compared with the empress?

Seeing that Concubine Shu's face softened slightly, she continued: "Besides, Princess De'an will return to the palace soon. Isn't it our princess that Your Majesty loves the most? She will definitely be very happy then. That means all the concubines will be forgotten. The back of the head, let alone a concubine."

After Yuan Shao's wedding, De'an made a big fuss in the palace. During the hunt last autumn, when he saw Yuan Shao and his bride making love, he was so angry that he threatened to kill Huo Qinglan to vent his anger. Concubine Shu knew the character of De'an best. She was afraid that she would cause some serious trouble that could not be ended, so she sent her to Tai Zhenguan in Suiyang to cultivate her mind and character as a reason to pray for the country.

Counting on the fingers, it has been more than half a year.

Thinking of her daughter, Concubine Shu's expression softened a lot: "I don't know if this child will hold a grudge against me."

There were still times when she could be harsh towards Shen Yuxian. But for De'an, her daughter, she had been holding it in her hands for fear of falling, and holding it in her mouth for fear of melting. As De'an grew up, he didn't rely on her in Yuan Shao's marriage.

Aunt Chang picked up the words that the master liked to hear and said: "How can there be any overnight feud between mother and daughter? I am relieved. After so many days, the princess must have thought about it."

Concubine Shu said "Yes": "Although there is still some time before she returns to the palace, I still want to go down early and clean the side hall where the princess used to live, and then pick out some valuable jewelry and furnishings from the palace's warehouse. Decorate it well and she will feel more comfortable looking at it."

The side hall was cleaned every day, but Aunt Chang still responded with a smile.

The master and the servant were about to say something more personal, but a little palace maid opened the curtain and came in. Her voice was as sweet as an oriole: "Your Majesty, the heir apparent of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion has entered the palace."

Concubine Shu's expression perked up, she straightened up quickly and went to the door, and saw Yuan Shao walking in.

Today he was wearing a dark blue brocade suit with a fine pattern of silver necklaces, and a gentle and warm smile on his face, making him look even more handsome and handsome. Such Yuan Shao, after sweeping away the gloom and embarrassment at the Qiu Ju Banquet, was just like the gentle and jade-like prince of the Zhenyuan Hou Mansion at the beginning. In fact, as time goes by, everyone will gradually forget about any romantic scandals.

Yuan Shao made a common courtesy, and Concubine Shu quickly asked Aunt Chang to help him up, and then ordered the maid: "Go and serve some of the refreshments that the prince likes to eat on weekdays."

After the palace maid served tea and retired, Yuan Shao spoke slowly: "My nephew hasn't come to greet my aunt for a long time, and I still ask my aunt to punish me."

Concubine Shu just smiled and said: "I heard from your father's people that you have done several beautiful errands these days, and even His Majesty is full of praise. You young people are busy, and I don't know about it, so how can I blame you?" "

Concubine Shu is more or less aware of the affairs of Zhenyuan Hou Mansion. Seeing that Yuan Shao had now recovered from his setback, Concubine Shu finally felt relieved. In this way, Yuan Shao can shoulder the heavy burden of the entire Zhenyuan Hou Mansion.

Yuan Shao did not mention those political affairs, but asked with a smile: "How is my aunt lately?"

When Concubine Shu heard this, the smile on her face faded. She picked up what happened in the palace recently and told him about it, and said with an unkind expression: "Your father asked me to test Huo Qi's character before. I was too cautious to treat him as an elder brother at that time. Now it seems that he is really She is a witch. Ever since she entered the palace, I have never had a comfortable life."

Yuan Shao lowered his eyes and blew the tea in his hand. The haze in his eyes was like the tea leaves, slowly swirling and settling at the bottom.

He said: "Is this what Auntie is planning to do?"

Remembering that Zhang Rang was still being tortured in the palace, Concubine Shu's eyes flashed with a cold light: "Of course we can't just let it go. It's just that there has been a lot of trouble in the palace recently, and this ghost girl Huo Qi is cunning, and she is a person from the Shangyi Bureau. I can’t catch her doing anything wrong at all, so it’s hard to do anything again for a while.”

Yuan Shao took a sip of tea and said casually: "Cousin De'an is returning to the palace soon. According to the rules, a female officer should be sent to greet her."

Shu Fei's eyelids twitched: "What do you mean..."

Yuan Shao smiled meaningfully: "It is inconvenient to do things in the palace, but it is different outside the palace. It will take at least two months to go back and forth to Suiyang, and the post road is rugged and complicated, so you may encounter any accidents."

Concubine Shu pondered for a while and then said: "In your opinion, who is the most reliable person to send to take action?"

Yuan Shao put down the glazed tea cup and his eyes flickered: "If aunt is at ease, my nephew is willing to personally pick up cousin De'an back to the capital. It's just the palace's arrangement, and aunt still needs to mediate in it."

Concubine Shu smiled: "If you pick him up in person, De'an will definitely be happy. That's all, then let's do it."

My ex-husband is causing trouble again... (ToT)/~~~Thank you to the book friends who voted for me, I bow and thank you.