Traveling through the harem: the favorite concubine

Chapter 121

The Empress Dowager handed the medicine bowl to the palace staff, took the handkerchief from Concubine Li, wiped her lips, and said with a smile: "You have been guarding Ai's house all night, and you have worked hard. Go back and rest!"

"The concubines don't work hard."

Concubine Li slowly replied with a soft smile on her face.

The Empress Dowager did not continue to be courteous with Concubine Li, but only ordered a palace man standing aside: "Bring the things up!"

Concubine Li looked at the Empress Dowager strangely, but saw the palace maid coming up holding a tray, the Empress Dowager lifted the cloth on it, and saw a set of jewelry and a small porcelain vase on it.

"This jewelry was used by Aijia when he was young, and now Aijia doesn't need it anymore, so you can wear it!"

"My concubine, I would like to thank the Queen Mother for the reward."

Concubine Li motioned to the maid beside her to take the set of jewelry, but she had a tacit understanding and didn't mention the small porcelain bottle on the tray.

When Concubine Li walked out of the gate of Ci'an Palace, she stopped, turned her head and glanced at the palace behind her, a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she looked down at the small porcelain bottle in her hand, with an inexplicable look in her eyes.

The palace servant standing next to Concubine Li walked up to Concubine Li, and said softly: "Your Majesty, don't you really want to do it yourself!"

"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid."

She threw the porcelain bottle in her hand into the hands of the palace maid, and said, "Keep it well."

The palace man caught the porcelain vase, looked down, and heard Concubine Li sneer and said: "It's a pity!"

"What's the pity, ma'am?"

"It's a pity that the old witch let me do it, otherwise it would really kill two birds with one stone, and now, I can only let it go!" Thinking of this, Concubine Li's expression twisted.

"The old witch, she is kind to me on the surface, but she doesn't know how to plot against me in her heart. Fortunately, I am not that stupid."

Concubine Li straightened the hairpin she had worn on her hair in the set of jewelry bestowed by the Queen Mother on her head, and gently pulled it off: "How capable I am of being that old witch. I didn't expect this I can't hold my breath."

She teasingly knocked the hairpin on her hand a few times before throwing it into the tray again.

"Go back to the palace! I need to rest well, dress up beautifully and go to see the emperor."

Concubine Li curled up a weird smile, and finally glanced at Ci'an Palace behind her.

When Concubine Li had just walked out of the palace door, inside the palace, the palace people looked at the Empress Dowager, hesitating to speak.

"Lan Ying, what do you want to say to Ai's family? Just say it, don't hesitate like that Concubine Li." The queen mother closed her eyes and said slowly, with a somewhat satisfied and contented look on her face.

"This servant just thinks that Concubine Li is not trustworthy."

The man in the palace had a calm expression on his face, and said softly.

"Concubine Li can't be trusted?" The queen mother opened her eyes with a smile, looked at the palace people, and said slowly, "Of course the Ai family knows that she is not trustworthy, but it doesn't matter, she uses the Ai family, and the Ai family also uses her. After we no longer have a common goal, we just have to see who is more capable!"

Of course, this person will definitely not be Concubine Li, the queen mother thought with a smile, but she was already guessing the woman the Chen family sent into the palace in her heart.

"This servant just feels that it is inappropriate for you, Queen Mother, to attack the imperial concubine, and you are also a little too impatient. If the emperor finds out, I'm afraid..."

"Lan Ying!"

The smile on the Empress Dowager's face fell, her eyelids slightly raised, and she said softly, "You have been in the small kitchen of Jiaofang Palace for a long time, so why did you treat your courage so small? The Ai family remembers those years ago, but that's not the case. The benevolence of a woman is so merciful."

"Slave..."

The palace man knelt down and said softly, "The current situation is different from that of the past, and the current sage is also different from the Supreme Emperor."

"so what?"

The empress dowager's face remained still, and she explained in a calm tone, "We used that medicine so many times back then, but we never noticed it even once. Moreover, this medicine was given by Concubine Li. Even if the emperor found out, it was only made by Concubine Li. , has nothing to do with us."

"Empress Dowager, Imperial Concubine..."

The palace people still wanted to talk, but the queen mother interrupted, "Stop talking, the Ai family doesn't want to hear it."

The people in the palace were a little unwilling, but they heard the Queen Mother slowly say: "Lan Ying, the Aijia asked you to come back to me this time because I want you to help the Aijia with things, not to let you keep telling the Aijia about this. No, that can't be..."

Speaking of this, the Empress Dowager's eyes slowly turned to the eyes of the palace people: "You have been in the small kitchen for a long time, and you have become indecisive, and you have changed too much. You should think about it yourself!"

The palace people knew that the Queen Mother was already impatient, and it would be useless for her to continue talking.He could only bow his head respectfully, then slowly turned around and retreated.

When Zhao Qingze accompanied Ruyi and just pasted the blessing characters he had written in the dormitory room where there were two children, Deng Xian walked in with a bow.

"what's the matter?"

Zhao Qingze turned his head to look at Deng Xian, and asked.

Deng Xian took a peek at Ruyi, but said in a low voice, "Concubine Li, please see me."

"Concubine Li?"

Zhao Qingze's face was a bit strange, "What is Concubine Li coming to see me at this time?"

"Concubine Li said that there is an urgent matter to report to the emperor."

Deng Xian groaned secretly in his heart, before the eunuchs around the emperor, if there was a lady who came to see the emperor, it would be a good job, and the benefits were soft, it was not a big deal, the emperor could reward them with some things when he was in the mood.

But when it came to Deng Xian, he complained secretly. There are benefits, but he dared not take it anymore. Every time he really couldn't come in to report, he was afraid that the imperial concubine would blame him.

Ruyi heard it, and made a guess: "Didn't Concubine Li be called by you to take care of the Queen Mother yesterday? Could it be that the Queen Mother has something to do?"

No matter how bad the Queen Mother's relationship with Zhao Qingze is, she is still Zhao Qingze's biological mother. If something really happened, it would be somewhat unreasonable for Zhao Qingze not to see Concubine Li.

"Go and see, in case something happens?"

Ruyi pushed Zhao Qingze and said something softly.

Zhao Qingze nodded, and just said: "You go to take a lunch break first, and I will come to accompany you later."

"it is good."

Ruyi nodded and watched Zhao Qingze leave.

Zhao Qingze was Concubine Li who met in the imperial study in the front hall.When he walked in, Concubine Li was already waiting inside. Seeing Zhao Qingze walk in, Concubine Li quickly bent down to salute.

She changed into an orange palace dress, and she didn't wear much jewelry, but the makeup on her face was very delicate and elegant, and she looked much more pleasing to the eye than her usual voluptuous and enchanting appearance.

However, Zhao Qingze only took a glance, then looked away, and asked aloud, "What can I do with you at this time?"

"Chenqie... I don't know whether I should tell the emperor about this matter, but if I don't say it, I always feel terrified."

Concubine Li's eyelids drooped, her expression looked very delicate and pitiful.

"Should I say, since you have come here, do you want me to make the decision for you?"

Zhao Qingze didn't have the patience to appreciate Concubine Li's gesture, and he spoke very directly and harshly, "If you have anything to say, just say it, if you don't say it, just go back to the palace and stay."

Concubine Li didn't expect that Zhao Qingze's reaction would be caused by her attitude of refusing to welcome. She felt aggrieved and a little angry for a moment. She really wanted to leave at this moment and conspire with the Queen Mother tomorrow. Take the medicine and forget it.But in the end there was still a sense of reason in her heart, and she suppressed the unwillingness in her heart. She raised a slight smile and said softly: "Is it the concubine or not, the concubine said."

She swallowed, and said slowly and softly: "Yesterday, the concubine was ordered by the emperor to take care of the empress dowager. This morning, the empress dowager woke up and said a lot about the imperial concubine to the concubine. , the concubine is also guilty, and the concubine also envies that the imperial concubine is so favored by the emperor, so she also said some unwilling words..."

Speaking of this, Concubine Li looked up at Zhao Qingze, but she saw that Zhao Qingze still looked calm, as if she didn't listen to what she said just now, she could only sigh, and said: "I don't know what the concubine said. Did the empress dowager misunderstand, the empress dowager actually... actually said to the concubine..."

Concubine Li made a terrified expression, her white teeth bit her lower lip tightly, as if she was struggling very much, and she seemed to have a bit of charm.

"say what."

Zhao Qingze asked a question in a light tone, and this sentence seemed to encourage Concubine Li. She quickly cheered up and said softly: "The empress dowager said that if there is no imperial concubine, she can raise the second prince, and the emperor I can also see the concubine, so I gave the concubine a bottle of medicine and told the concubine to give the concubine the medicine."

Concubine Li took out the small porcelain bottle while talking, held it in both hands and handed it to Zhao Qingze.

Zhao Qingze took it, only glanced at it lightly, but put it on the desk, looked at Concubine Li and said, "The imperial concubine eats and lives with me, and the expenses don't go to the harem, how do you prescribe medicine?"

Concubine Li lowered her head and said softly: "The empress dowager didn't say it clearly, but it seems that when the palace banquet is held in the near future, the ministers and concubines will be allowed to intervene in the palace banquet, and the empress dowager will also ask people to help the concubines."

Concubine Li raised her head after saying this, and said seriously: "Your Majesty, my concubine never wanted to harm anyone, but at that time I was so scared that I didn't dare to refuse the empress dowager, so I could only take this The medicine is back. The concubine returned to the palace, thinking about it, thinking that if the concubine does not do this, the queen mother may let someone else do it, so the concubine wants to report to the emperor."

After Concubine Li finished speaking, Zhao Qingze didn't speak, and the study suddenly became very quiet.

Zhao Qingze just picked up the medicine again, his eyes fell on the porcelain bottle, and looked at it.Concubine Li clasped her hands in discomfort, and looked at Zhao Qingze nervously.

When she came here, she guessed that Zhao Qingze's reaction after hearing this matter, shouldn't he be furious and deal with the Queen Mother?How can it be so peaceful?

After a while, Zhao Qingze finally said: "Just this small porcelain bottle, even if it contains poison, still cannot prove that it was given to you by the Queen Mother. Do you have any evidence?"

Concubine Li's heart skipped a beat, she was really speechless for a while.When she got the poison bottle, she thought of hurrying over to tell Zhao Qingze. She only thought that the evidence was solid, but she forgot what Zhao Qingze said now to prove that the porcelain bottle was given to her by the Queen Mother.

"Chen Qie... Chen Qie just got this bottle and came to find the emperor, never thought about it..."

Concubine Li spoke softly and slowly, "But I assure you that what I said is true."

"is it?"

Zhao Qingze didn't give an answer, but just said something ambiguously.

"If the emperor doesn't believe in the concubine and thinks that the concubine is slandering the queen mother, then he should deal with the concubine. The concubine believes that one day, the emperor will believe what the concubine said."

Concubine Li's heart froze, but she knelt down and spoke.

Zhao Qingze put the bottle in his hand on the desk, looked at Concubine Li's kneeling body and said, "Get up, I believe you, this is indeed what the Queen Mother would say."

"emperor……"

Concubine Li looked at Zhao Qingze with eyes full of emotion, only to hear Zhao Qingze say again: "I believe you are useless, and you can't convict the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is my biological mother. It is impossible for me to use this bottle of poison to convict the Queen Mother. You can Willing to confront the Queen Mother."

Concubine Li showed a look of hesitation, Zhao Qingze just smiled and said, "Are you willing to help me?"

"The concubine...the concubine is willing."

Concubine Li was excited, but she smiled when she heard the words, and quickly agreed.

"Alright then, take this bottle of medicine and take a walk with me to Ci'an Palace."

Zhao Qingze didn't go to get the medicine on the desk anymore, and walked out of the study by himself.

Concubine Li stood in the study, looked at Zhao Qingze's straight back walking out, and looked at the medicine on the desk, with a smug smile on her face.She stretched out her jaded hand, picked up the porcelain bottle and held it tightly in her hand.

Then, he quickened his pace and followed Zhao Qingze.

(End of this chapter)