Qing Palace - Biography of Concubine Wan

Chapter 20 Chess Game (2)
Although Rixi was curious about Concubine Tong's mysterious appearance, she didn't dare to go out to find out what happened. She put down the chess pieces, took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the hand holding the chess lightly. It was just this game of chess, her palms were already full of sweat.

She drank tea for a while, seeing that Concubine Tong hadn't come back, she wandered around in her bedroom rather bored, looking at the decorations in the palace.

The first thing that caught her attention was a screen embroidered with peony patterns. She couldn't see through the gauze which was thinner than paper, but when she turned to the back of the screen, she could clearly see through the gauze. The thing is so wonderful, she studied it for a long time but did not understand what was going on, she turned her head away with some regret, but was dazzled by a light coming from nowhere, and looked closely, it turned out to be Concubine Tong It came from a piece of jade as small as a peach pit beside the pillow.

When the light passes through the small holes on it, it is refracted into countless bright brilliance. Rixi has never seen such a beautiful jade, and he walked towards it involuntarily as if being charmed. When he saw that he was about to get the piece of jade, A hurried voice stopped her: "Master Xi, you can't touch that thing!"

It was Bi Luo, the little maid in Concubine Tong's Palace. She saw Rixi going to touch the piece of jade just after she came in, and she cried out in a panic. The behavior was inexplicable.Then, without waiting for her to question her guilt, Bi Luo knelt down and confessed her mistake. Fortunately, she met Ri Xi who didn't like to think about it, otherwise this punishment would have been inevitable.

Rixi stopped and asked her to get up to explain clearly, Biluo stood up gratefully and replied: "Huixi nobleman said, this piece of jade is called: Ruyi Jade; there are seven holes on it, it is natural, it was born when the empress first entered the palace. , the emperor rewarded it, it is said that there is only such a piece in the whole world, the empress is such a precious treasure on weekdays, no one is allowed to touch it, let alone take it!"

After listening to Bi Luo's explanation, Rixi realized why she was so nervous just now, she patted her chest with some fear, but after a while, she had a new question in her heart, she tilted her head and stared at the wishful jade and said, "What do you mean?" This is the only piece of jade in the world?"

"Why, my sister has seen another Ruyi jade?" Concubine Tong happened to hear Rixi saying this when she came in, so she took the words.

"Your Majesty, you are back!" Ri Xi turned around and smiled when she heard the voice. Concubine Tong walked around Ri Xi and went to the bedside to pick up the wishful jade, and gently wiped the invisible dust on it. It can be seen that she really cares about this piece. Jade.Facing Concubine Tong's gaze, Ri Xi hesitated to say what she knew.

"If you have anything to say, just say it. Do you still have to avoid it here in this palace?"

Rixi bit her lips, and said hesitantly: "Once, I... I heard, I heard the emperor mentioned the three characters Ruyi jade, it seems that a while ago when the Burmese king came to court, he offered another piece, it is said that it is enough It was as big as a baby's palm. At that time, the emperor was instructing his servants to reward the tributes according to the grades of the ladies in the palace. He specifically pointed out that the piece of Ruyi jade should be rewarded to... to... ..." The words were on his lips, but he didn't dare to say them, he just secretly watched Concubine Tong's increasingly ugly face.

Concubine Tong's self-cultivation skills are obviously far away from the words "not to be surprised by favor or humiliation", "Who is the reward for?" Her breath seemed a little disordered, and then she said without waiting for the day and night to answer: "Needless to say, I already know!" After saying this, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, although she hadn't completely calmed down, at least there was no abnormality on the surface.

She stared at the chessboard on the table and slowly sat down, then suddenly reached out and picked up a white piece in Rixi's chess box, at the same time, an imperceptible cold light flashed in the depths of her slightly narrowed eyes.

"Bah!" A white piece landed on the chessboard, and this move was extremely subtle. With just one move, the situation where the white piece was about to lose was reversed, and the black piece, which was originally invincible, was trapped in the middle, and the white piece began to show a trace. Turn defeat into victory.

Rixi was oblivious to Concubine Tong's actions, to see how she would play, but Concubine Tong withdrew her hand after only making this move, curling her mouth at the chessboard where the outcome had become confusing, with a happy face on her face. Anger is hard to tell!
Concubine Tong raised her eyes to Rixi who was stunned by the side and said: "It's getting late, sister, you should go back and rest, if you have time tomorrow, come and play this game of chess with Bengong!" When she said the last three words, her tone became more serious some.

Although Rixi is still confused, but seeing Concubine Tong's unkind expression, she still leaves as she said. Before leaving, Concubine Tong ordered Bi Luo to hold the lamp to send Rixi back to Zhaoyunxuan.

At the moment when Rixi was about to step out of Xianfu Palace, she vaguely heard the sound of something falling to the ground, it was crisp and crisp, very pleasant to hear!

In the middle of the night, in a corner of a certain palace, the lights were still on. Under the dim candlelight, a slender figure of a woman was projected on the wall and swayed. She was the only one sitting quietly with her eyes closed in the huge place. The hands on the table tapped rhythmically, with an idle and determined look.

Just after the sound of midnight, the half-closed door was silently pushed open, and another figure came in quietly, calling out to the master in a low voice.

The woman suddenly opened her eyes and said, "You are here! You did a good job today!"

"Returning to the master, at noon today, the slave did follow your instructions and coaxed the imperial concubine to eat a few mouthfuls of the zongzi sent by the concubine Zhen a few days ago, but the abdominal pain of the imperial concubine has nothing to do with the zongzi. Before things enter the mouth of the imperial concubine, they must pass the examination of the imperial physician, and nothing wrong with the zongzi has been found!"

"What?" The woman almost jumped up from her chair in surprise when she heard this sentence: "Is this really true?"

"The slave will never dare to lie to the master. It is the slave who watched the imperial doctor examine it with his own eyes, and it was also the slave who watched the imperial concubine eat it with his own eyes. If he sees it for real, there will be no mistake!" the man said with a wry smile.

After the woman regained her composure, she said with some puzzlement: "In this case, why does the imperial concubine still have abdominal pain?"

"It was the slave who was afraid of missing the master's plan, so she had no choice but to drink some 'lingering powder' in her tea. Because the slave did it lightly, the imperial doctor didn't find out. Please forgive the slave for the crime of self-assertion!"

"Forget it, I can't blame you for this matter. You have done a good job, but I was negligent." The woman's narrow, snake-like eyes flashed a miserable cold light, completely different from the daytime.

She obviously asked someone to put poison on those zongzi, how come it's all right in the hands of the concubine Zhen?Could it be that she has already discovered the person who was placed in her palace, the concubine... I thought this woman was very ordinary, but now it seems that she is not a good person!
"Master, can you allow this slave to talk too much?"

"speak!"

"We failed to take down the concubine this time, and it is very likely to arouse her suspicion. If we let her follow the people in the palace to touch the master, you will be in big trouble. Do you want a slave..." He made it with his hands Made a gesture of wiping his neck.

The woman got up and walked back and forth in the room a few times, obviously considering whether to do this, after thinking for a while she raised her hand and said: "No matter how smart the concubine is, she can't guess it's us all at once, all of you are me. Ama sent it in with all her heart, hoping that you can help me in the palace. It’s not worth cutting off my own arm now. I’d better take a look and see, but you should inform her and ask her to try to figure it out. See if Concubine Zhen suspects her!"

"Cha! This slave will do it now, but there is still one thing I don't understand, master, why do you have to choose tonight?"

"Hehe!" The woman gently blew on the pearl on the ring: "Do you know how long the emperor hasn't been to Concubine Tong?"

"This... this... I don't know."

"Let me tell you, it's been twelve days since the last time, it's not easy for her to look forward to the emperor's arrival tonight, but she was ruined by the imperial concubine when it came, you said she can swallow this breath Is it? Although we failed to drag the concubine Zhen into the water this time, at least it has deepened Concubine Tong's resentment towards the imperial concubine, and it is not a waste of time!" The woman said slowly, all kinds of ingenious designs and precise calculations In her eyes, it seems to be nothing more than a trivial matter. Even if you look at the entire harem, there are not many people who can match this kind of cold-bloodedness and city power!

"Master, will Concubine Tong really do it?"

"Yes! I will! Because she knows very well that as long as the imperial concubine is here, there will be no day for her to be in the first place. Besides, if the imperial concubine gives birth to a little elder brother this time, the one she gives birth will be completely destroyed. There is no hope of ascending to the throne!"

"But isn't the imperial concubine a great hindrance to you? Why don't you let the servants in her diet..."

"No!" Before he finished speaking, he was immediately denied by the woman.

"She can't die, at least not yet!" She glanced at the man with the lowered head with the corner of her eye and said, "Do you think I can sit back and relax if the imperial concubine is dead? Don't forget, apart from her, there is no one on my head. How many people are there, none of them are fuel-efficient lamps, and my current strength is not enough to compete with them! So the best way is to let the imperial concubine be the target of public criticism, and when they fight to the point of losing both , let’s reap the benefits again!”

"Master is wise!" He suddenly realized.

"Okay, you go back first, remember to always pay attention to the movement over there, and report immediately if there is anything!"

"Your servant obeys! My servant will leave first!" He exited the palace door as silently as when he came.

The woman looked at the dark sky outside the palace gate and pursed her lips. The candles in the palace had been burning for a long time, but they were no longer as bright as before. She walked over to stare at the burning candles, and suddenly pulled out a golden hairpin on her head to Going to flick the candle wick, at this moment, a gust of wind poured in from the door, blowing the candle a little bit brighter.

The woman's lips slowly curved into a graceful arc, and two pear-shaped dimples emerged on her cheeks. She inserted the hairpin back into her head again, and patted her clean hands.

How could she have forgotten that only fools would do it themselves, and a truly smart person would always use the hands of others to achieve his goals.

There must be a lot of people who can't sleep tonight, and one of them must be indispensable. Tomorrow...hehe, she suddenly can't wait for tomorrow to come. It must be a very exciting day, hehe...

(End of this chapter)