Harem for a living

Chapter 143

Chen Manrou took Xiao Si to salute the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an only half-embraced the third prince on the couch, and waved her hands casually: "Sit on the side first." Concubine Yang Gui came one step ahead of Chen Manrou. Er was teasing the third prince with a nine-turn exquisite ball.

"The third prince looks pretty good today." Some time ago, during the wake for Ci Ning, the third prince fainted on the spot, but Ci'an reacted quickly, and immediately said that the third prince fainted because of grief, which is considered Passed on the name of the most benevolent and filial piety to the third prince.

"That's right, poor child, he's not feeling well and he's still holding on, so he didn't have to damage his body." Empress Dowager Ci'an patted the third prince's head pityingly and said, this is not easy to answer, it should be said that Ci Ning died Shouldn't it be the right time for the Third Prince to faint?
Chen Manrou simply changed the subject: "A few days ago, Xiao Si also had a fever. I asked Li Yuyi, and he prepared snowy gold silk tea for Xiao Si on weekdays. If the Queen Mother doesn't dislike it, I will give the recipe to the third The prince keeps a share."

"Then keep a copy." The Empress Dowager Ci'an looked at Xiaosi who was snuggling up to Chen Manrou, and waved her hand, beckoning Xiaosi to go over: "Is Xiaosi not feeling well these days? The weather is getting worse every day. It's a cold day, but pay more attention, don't blow the cold wind."

"Grandmother, Xiao Si is not cold. Grandmother also needs to wear thicker clothes and drink some hot tea, so that she will be in good health. It is good for Grandmother to be with Xiao Si all the time." Xiao Si said with a smile on her face. The third prince next to him looked at Xiao Si acting like a baby, blinked, and suddenly coughed. The Empress Dowager Ci'an quickly hugged him in her arms, and patted him on the back: "What's the matter? But choking? Mother, take that ginseng Bring the tea."

Xiaosi was at a loss and turned to look at Chen Manrou, Chen Manrou shook her head, so Xiaosi had no choice but to stand aside.After the Empress Dowager Ci'an took care of the third prince, she suddenly found that Xiao Si was still standing on the side, and she reached out to touch Xiao Si's head with a little embarrassment: "Xiao Si is a good boy, and he knows how to care about the emperor's grandmother, it's very good, wait Will the imperial grandmother give you a set of toys later?"

"No, little four, leave it to brother three." Little four shook his head, and said in a childlike voice, the third prince curled his lips, lowered his head and turned the exquisite ball in his hand, Ci'an's smiling eyes narrowed: " Xiaosi is really a sensible person, and he also knows brother fraternity, but your brother Sanhuang has other toys, and this is also given to Xiaosi by brother Sanhuang to play with, take it."

The nurse next to him hurriedly handed over a tiger doll woven with gold pieces. It was golden and had bells hanging on it, which attracted children's attention very much.Xiaosi wanted to turn her head to look at Chen Manrou, but Chen Manrou hurriedly said: "Empress Dowager, this is too precious, or..."

"Take it, the third prince has a lot of toys, this one was given to Xiaosi by Aijia." The queen mother put the tiger into Xiaosi's arms without refusal, and Xiaosi had no choice but to thank En for taking it.Afterwards, Concubine Shu led the second prince, and Concubine Liu led the second princess. After a while, everyone was present.

The Empress Dowager Ci'an has been tossing and tossing for so many days, and her health is not very good. After a few words, her face showed a tired look.Chen Manrou was about to say goodbye when she saw Liu Cheng hurried in and whispered a few words in the Empress Dowager Ci'an's ear.

The Empress Dowager Ci'an frowned, and glanced over the little princes and princesses below, a little hesitant: "Is this not good? The children are still young..."

Liu Cheng said a few more words in a low voice, even though Chen Manrou was relatively close to the Empress Dowager Ci Ning, and there was a three-story staircase in between, she could only vaguely hear a few words, saying it was the emperor or something.

"Okay then, the Ai family will let them wait." Finally, the Empress Dowager Ci'an sighed, and Liu Cheng saluted and turned to go out.

The Empress Dowager Ci'an cheered up: "The emperor has already investigated the matter of the empress before, and will come to talk about it later, and you will wait here."

After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes and stopped looking down.Concubine Shu's face flashed with tension, and Concubine Liu's face turned pale. The rest of the people looked down at the handkerchief in their hand, some drank tea with a teacup, and some lowered their eyes in a daze. Anyway, no one There was a strange silence in the hall.

Not long after, the emperor was notified outside.

The door curtain was lifted, and the emperor strode in, followed by the eldest princess in white clothes. After a few days of absence, the eldest princess lost three points of weight. The whole dress seemed to be propped up by bones, empty, as if it would be ready at any time. Like drifting away.

The emperor saluted the Empress Dowager Ci'an and sat directly beside the Empress Dowager Ci'an.The Eldest Princess first saluted the Empress Dowager Ci'an, then turned around and gave Chen Manrou a half salute, then sat beside the emperor and did not speak.

Concubine Yang frowned, and glanced at the emperor, seeing that the emperor did not express anything about the eldest princess's behavior, there was a bit of doubt in her eyes.

"I've already investigated the case of the eldest prince being poisoned. Concubine Yang, Concubine Shu, Concubine Liu, don't you three have anything to say?" The emperor was silent for a while, taking everyone's performance into consideration. Only then did he stare sideways at Concubine Yang Gui who was at the front and asked.

Concubine Yang's face was blank first: "What? What are you talking about?"

Immediately, he reacted: "Your Majesty! Do you doubt the concubine? What good does killing the eldest prince do to the concubine? The concubine doesn't even have a child, why would the concubine do such a stupid thing? Please investigate clearly!"

Concubine Shu also knelt down next to Concubine Yang with a plop, her face was full of tears when she raised her head: "Your Majesty, what do you want to say? I don't know about this at all. When it happened, the second prince was also poisoned. Tiger poison Even if she doesn't eat children, how could the concubine attack the second prince? The second prince is the lifelong reliance of the concubine, I beg the emperor to see clearly."

Concubine Liu was even more at a loss, and it took a long time to react. She knelt behind Concubine Yang Gui and Concubine Shu, still somewhat unclear about the situation: "Your Majesty, the poisoning of the eldest prince has something to do with concubine? There are only a handful of people the prince has contacted, even if he has said anything, how could the concubine do such a thing?"

The eldest princess was silent. Chen Manrou looked at the dark-faced emperor. She wanted to say something, but she didn't dare to speak. This matter has nothing to do with her. If she spoke casually, she might have to burn the fire on herself.However, Xiaosi is only over four years old, this kind of palace privacy...

Looking sideways at Xiaosi again, her face was already a little pale and a little panicked, Chen Manrou hurriedly hugged him in her arms, looked up at the eldest princess, her eyes were also full of concern.The eldest princess met Chen Manrou's gaze, and was only taken aback for a moment, then a warm color appeared in her eyes, she nodded, and did not speak.

"Yang Yu'er, I ask you, what is this?" The emperor sneered, and threw a white porcelain bottle at Concubine Yang's feet. Without further explanation, the white porcelain bottle shattered, revealing the white powder inside.

Concubine Yang Guifei's complexion turned pale in an instant, and her body trembled. It is impossible for her not to recognize that bottle.She is even more familiar with the things inside, the sweet dream fragrance, which makes people die directly without any pain, just like sleeping soundly and having a sweet dream.

But, isn't this what she asked the guards to secretly send in, and was going to use it to poison Empress Dowager Ci Ning to death?

"Emperor, Your Majesty, Concubine..." Yang Guifei put her head on the ground, her heart was full of fear, but the Emperor stopped looking at her and turned to Concubine Shu, "Meng Qianqian, let me remind you, you and Empress Dowager Cining plan?"

Concubine Shu shook her body, her face was worse than that of Concubine Yang Gui, her lips trembled twice and she forced a smile: "What did the emperor say? I don't understand, I have no contact with Empress Dowager Ci Ning at all, so what is the plan here? In human terms, the Empress Dowager Ci Ning has always been at odds with the empress, maybe it is she who wants to slander the concubine, to make the emperor suspicious of the concubine, to make the second prince a child without a concubine, and then let the two The prince was bullied in the palace."

Chen Manrou was about to applaud Concubine Shu in her heart. By the way, she despised Concubine Yang a little bit. Look at Concubine Shu, who has asked the question to the top of her head. She can quickly think of reasons to stop the emperor, and remind the emperor of her bargaining chips by the way.You, Concubine Yang Gui, are fine, you can only stutter, and you can't even complete a sentence.

"Meng Qianqian, you really don't cry when you see the coffin, someone, bring it up." When the emperor heard the second prince, he only raised his head and glanced, and saw that the second prince was kneeling beside Concubine Shu with a pale complexion. Mammy went over to help the second prince up: "You stand aside for the time being, without my order, you don't say a word, don't make a single movement, otherwise, I won't be your son!"

The second prince raised his head to look at the emperor in fear, and then looked down at Concubine Shu, as expected, he stood on the side without speaking or moving.

Soon, two eunuchs escorted a court lady in, and it was Yun Ran, the eldest court lady next to Concubine Shu.

"Yunran, where did you go on the night of June [-]th in the third year of Yonghe? Where did you go on the night of July [-]th in the third year of Yonghe? Where did you go on the night of August [-]th in the tenth year of Yonghe? Where did you go on the night of the [-]th?"

Chen Manrou silently compared the time in her heart. June of the third year of Yonghe should be the time when Concubine Yang Guifei had just revealed her pregnancy, and August of the tenth year of Yonghe should be the day when she and the queen conceived.Sure enough, Concubine Shu also had a hand in Concubine Yang's matter.

Yunran was trembling and couldn't even speak clearly. The emperor didn't really want an answer, so he turned his gaze back to Concubine Shu, and the emperor asked coldly: "Meng Qianqian, what more evidence do you need? You are not brave enough. Little, you can still unite with Empress Dowager Ci Ning, but unfortunately, you must never have imagined that Ci Ning still has a backup."

As she said, she threw a book to Concubine Shu, who took it tremblingly and flipped through a few pages, then her whole body seemed to lose her vitality, and after a long while, she smiled bitterly: "I really didn't expect, kindness Ning would have such a trick. I originally thought that when everything was over, Ci Ning might deal with me. After she died, I was happy that no one could threaten me. Haha, Empress Dowager Ci Ning is really vicious enough of!"

"But I don't regret it, I only regret that I didn't let someone go to the Palace of Compassion and Ning to look for it earlier, maybe they can find this evidence sooner!" Fen shouted frantically: "I only regret that I didn't let someone search it carefully!"

"I don't regret cooperating with Ci Ning, otherwise I wouldn't be able to bring down the empress! Your Majesty, do you think the empress is really so virtuous? If she is virtuous, why is there no one in the Qiandi except the Eldest Princess and the Eldest Prince?" No child was born here? If she was virtuous, why would my one-and-a-half-month-old child suddenly disappear? If she was virtuous, how could Concubine Yang Guifei not be able to conceive a child! She was foolish enough to think that Ma Jieyu had harmed her Don’t even think about it, Ma Jieyu lives in Jingren Palace, does she have the guts to give Concubine Yang a fake prescription? Besides, wouldn’t Concubine Yang investigate by herself? The imperial doctor will keep it secret if the prescription is harmful ?"

Concubine Shu shouted like crazy, chatting and laughing, the emperor only frowned and listened without saying a word.Concubine Shu mentioned the queen, and suddenly turned her head to stare at Chen Manrou: "And you, it's a pity that I missed a move and didn't let someone poison your child to death! You are smart, you follow the queen first when you enter the palace, haha, You're in good time. If it wasn't for the fact that there is kindness and compassion on the top, concubine Liu and me on the bottom, concubine Yang Guifei in the middle, and beautiful women who have just entered the palace around, why do you think you can make the queen look at you differently? Isn't it the military power of the Chen family? You have to be lucky, if the empress is not dead, it's either the fourth prince, or the child in your belly, or you, one of them has to die!"

"Put it on!" Hearing this, the emperor waved his hands impatiently, and ordered in a deep voice. Soon someone dragged Concubine Shu out, and the second prince knelt down in front of the emperor with a plop: "Father, please spare mother!" Concubine, she didn't mean it, father, please, father, anyway, mother and concubine have been with you for so many years, and she also gave birth to a son, father, please, please..."

Concubine Shu is hateful, but the child is innocent, and this is her own grandson, Ci'an was very reluctant, and quickly ordered someone to pull the second prince up, but the second prince struggled to climb to the emperor's feet, kowtowed one after another, the emperor Staring at the second prince's head for a while, he asked, "Are you totally ignorant of what your mother and concubine are doing?"

The second prince was stunned, and the emperor turned his head and told Liu Cheng: "Take the second prince down to rest!"

Liu Cheng responded, and half supported and half dragged the second prince to the side hall.

There was only one trembling concubine Liu left, and the emperor hated iron and steel: "Tell me, what benefits did Concubine Shu give you? You actually asked the guards on duty to give Concubine Shu a convenience, you are not small what."

Concubine Liu hurriedly kowtowed: "Your Majesty, this concubine believed Concubine Shu's slander, she said, she said..." Concubine Liu had a layer of cold sweat on her forehead, and when she came into contact with the emperor's cold gaze, she didn't know why, and her heart trembled , the rest of the words are smooth: "She said that when she succeeds, she will make the concubine a noble concubine and adopt Chen Guifei's son. If she doesn't succeed, the concubine just received a sum of money and did not directly participate in it. I won't be involved, Your Majesty, please forgive me, what I said is true."

Regarding this kind of stupid woman, the emperor didn't know what to say, so he just ordered: "You believe her, then you can go with her as a companion." How could Concubine Shu and Ci Ning's plan succeed if they bought the guards?If Concubine Liu hadn't bribed the guards, where did the guards who entered the Yongshou Palace and bumped into the empress' miscarriage come from?

The emperor is not a soft-hearted person. Although Concubine Liu did not directly participate, she has this heart and she has already anticipated the consequences.It can even be said that she did not participate, but her family did.

Concubine Liu cried all the way and was dragged out. The second princess looked at the entrance of the hall and then at the emperor above with tears all over her face. She was so terrified that she didn't know what to do.The emperor was directly carried down, and went with the second prince.

Concubine Yang was the only one kneeling in the hall, and the emperor squeezed his brows in disappointment: "Yang Yu'er, do you think about what you did wrong?"

Although Concubine Yang Gui is a bit silly when she comes up with bad ideas on weekdays, but the emperor's handling is so obvious, she has to understand it, not to mention that there is a book of evidence lying on the ground, which says, when will Concubine Yang be there again? How much poison was added, how much the Ci Ning people showed off from it.

Concubine Yang's father is the admiral of the Nine Gates, so it is easy for the guards in the palace to send something in.Ci Ning took advantage of this, and slowly got Yang Guifei's poison into his hands.

Yongshou Palace is strictly guarded, but Yuqing Palace has loopholes to take advantage of. After all, the eldest prince is only in his teens, and he is not very good at taking care of the palace people.

Then, kill two birds with one stone, poisoning the eldest prince was the first move, the second prince was a cover-up, and the second move was to send the news to the queen and send people to take advantage of the chaos to sneak into Yongshou Palace.It hit the queen's stomach directly, killing two people.

Before, the emperor kept Ci Ning because the first time he dealt with them were all Ci Ning's people on the surface, and a large part of them hadn't been excavated secretly.He planned to lure the snake out of the hole this time, so he let Concubine Yang and Concubine Shu's actions go. When Ci Ning wanted to teach Concubine Yang Gui, when Concubine Shu was about to make a move, he directly broke all of Ci Ning's hidden stakes .

It's just that she didn't expect that Ci Ning would come to a desperate situation and only used the most direct method.

"I'm interrogating these in front of you today, just to let you see clearly what will happen if you murder the emperor's heir." After someone dragged Concubine Yang out, the emperor said coldly, and asked someone to arrest the young concubine first. The princes and princesses were sent to the side hall, and then they took all the concubines to Yeting Palace.

Of course, except for Chen Manrou and Meng Xiaoyi, these two are pregnant women, so it is not suitable for watching too bloody scenes.What happened in Yeting Palace was all heard by Chen Manrou later.

Concubine Shu was directly killed with a stick, and Concubine Liu and Concubine Yang were given white silk.

A group of women, with trembling bodies and pale faces, saw Concubine Shu's screams and begging for mercy lingering in their ears, and Concubine Yang and Concubine Liu were struggling and swaying in front of them.After confirming that Concubine Shu was silent and the two people hanging from the beam were silent, the emperor let out a cold snort and left.

As soon as the figure of the emperor turned around, several concubines quickly slid and sat on the ground.Some even rolled their eyes and fainted.

Regardless of whether they were really scared or pretended to be scared, in short, Chen Manrou was sure that in the past two years, no one would dare to commit crimes against the wind.

However, Concubine Shu is dead, what should the Second Prince do?And the second princess raised under Concubine Liu's name has become a poor motherless child.

(End of this chapter)