Long Harem Road

Chapter 32

"Everyone has arrived, so I will make a long story short. I think all the younger sisters have also received the news. Unfortunately, Zhu Cairen slipped in the imperial garden, hit his head, and died." The queen said sadly, sitting at the bottom. Everyone also expressed their nostalgia and sorrow in due course.

"My sisters are invited to come here to learn more about the situation. After today's greetings, have all my sisters seen Zhu Cairen?" The queen sat upright, picked up a brocade handkerchief, wiped the corners of her eyes vaguely, and glanced at everyone.

"Sisters, you must think carefully. You must not hide anything. This matter is of great importance. I have sent someone to inform the emperor. I believe the emperor will come soon." With a hint of sarcasm, he continued:
"My sisters, you must think carefully, and don't miss any clues, so as to comfort sister Zhu's spirit in the sky, well, let's bring people up first."

When everyone heard the words, there was an inexplicable sadness in their hearts. Zhu Cairen was young and in his prime, but he was killed suddenly and passed away without leaving a trace. He couldn't help but think of this harem that eats people and doesn't spit out bones. Why isn't he struggling in it? What about a member of

At this moment, everyone is really sad, worried about their unpredictable fate!

"Yes." A court lady and an eunuch lowered their heads and were brought up tremblingly. They "thumped" and knelt down in the hall. Empress Dowager!"

"Did you follow Zhu Cairen to pay your respects this morning? What's your name? How long have you been with Zhu Cairen?" people.

"Returning to your mother, the maidservant is like the moon, and she is the big court lady next to Zhu Cairen. Three months ago, she was transferred from the Shang Palace Bureau to Zhu Cairen's side."

"Slave Koizumi is Zhu Cairen's chief eunuch, and he is also Zhu Cairen's side who arrived three months ago."

"Where did Zhu Cairen go after paying his respects? What did he do?" the queen continued to ask.

"Go back to empress, please be safe. The master said that he would go to the imperial garden to enjoy the first snow scene in winter, and the servants accompanied him." The palace maid Ruyue lowered her head and answered truthfully.

"Have you ever met anyone? Strange things?" The queen continued to ask without giving Kisaragi a moment to breathe.

"Go back to your mother, the master met He Meiren in the imperial garden, and then..." Ruyue bit her lips, nervously clenched her pale fists, glanced in the direction of He Meiren in fear, and continued: "Then, the master and He Meiren together There was a disagreement and a quarrel broke out."

"What a slave, you dare to slander your master." He Meiren's complexion changed suddenly, and she hurriedly got up and knelt in the hall, staring at Ruyue hatefully, wishing to devour her alive, she turned around and saluted the queen, filled with righteous indignation:
"Your Majesty, this servant is talking nonsense. The concubine just happened to meet Zhu Cairen when he was passing by the Imperial Garden. After chatting casually for a few words, he left. There was no major dispute. Please check carefully, Your Majesty."

Ruyue quietly prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to respond, but her slightly trembling body betrayed her fear, and Koizumi beside her was also trembling.

The queen's expression remained unchanged. She had always been displeased with He Meiren, and ignored her cry for grievances. She coldly glanced at the crowd and continued, "The truth is not what you say. Haven't my sisters remembered anything?"

All the concubines held their breath and held their voices, breathing lightly, fearing that the queen would stare at them, only the two pregnant women were still drinking hot water leisurely, Ma Meiren stared at Concubine Wei as if no one else was around.

The twins, Guo Meiren, looked around the hall calmly, glanced at the queen sitting on the top, and nodded tacitly, with a little firmness in their eyes. They had no other way out, and hugged the thigh of the big boss queen in the harem tightly. , is the right way to live in peace.

The two got up at the same time, Tingting took a step forward, and knelt in the hall, "Go back to the empress, the concubines and sisters, after paying their respects today, I passed by the imperial garden. I planned to enjoy the snow scene in the imperial garden. The beauty is arguing with Zhu Cairen, the two of us were afraid of causing trouble, so we avoided going back to the palace, please forgive me."

"You..." He Meiren raised her head angrily, and stared at the two of them. If it wasn't for the queen, she might have jumped on them and tore them apart:
"Mother, the concubine was just angry that Zhu Cairen satirized the concubine's lack of the Sacred Heart, and returned to the palace after a few words of praise. Everyone around the concubine can testify."

"What Sister He said, the slaves in your palace are naturally talking to their master." Wang Jieyu curled her lips and said disdainfully.

She doesn't like the powerful He Meiren, and the two of them don't get along very well when they are in their boudoirs. He Meiren often bullies her by taking advantage of her identity. This will reverse her identity, so she can't help but sarcastically.

"You..., Wang Meiyi, don't make trouble." He Meiren stared angrily at Wang Jieyu with red eyes, trembling with sweat.

"Okay, shut up, it's not proper to quarrel." Although the queen was secretly happy with He Meiren's embarrassment, she had to stop it, or she was incompetent, and couldn't even control the two concubines. .

"I will send people to investigate who is right and who is wrong. I will never wrong a good person, nor will I let a villain go." The queen gave them a warning look.

"The emperor is here!" A voice sang from outside the hall, Zhao Zhen strode in with a dark face and pursed mouth, with air-conditioning all over his body, and Li Mingzhong cautiously followed behind.

"See the emperor!"

With a dark face, Zhao Zhen stepped over the kneeling concubines, walked directly to the head and sat down, leaving a cold figure behind everyone, and said sharply: "The queen, tell me, what's going on?"

"Returning to the emperor,..." The queen explained the situation concisely, carefully raised her head to look at the cold face of the emperor, staring at her with dark eyes, the queen shivered, and hurriedly lowered her head.

"Queen, there have been more and more monsters and goblins in the palace in the past six months. If the queen is too busy, Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu can help." The emperor glanced at the queen and said coldly.

The empress was shocked, sweating profusely, bent down and did not dare to respond, the emperor was blaming her for being incompetent and unable to take care of the backyard, which caused frequent accidents in the harem, and was warning her.

The queen couldn't help but think of the newcomer entering the palace, she let the concubines fight openly and secretly, and she was behind the scenes to fuel the flames, trying to reap the benefits of the fisherman, the emperor must have noticed it, thinking about the queen's cold sweat again.

"Hmph, get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Li Mingzhong, send someone to find out where He Meiren left after leaving the imperial garden today." The emperor glanced at the crowd, picked up the tea cup on the table and drank it in one go.

"Queen, continue the interrogation!"

"Yes!" The queen sat upright, and returned to the dignified queen, "Ruyue, where did Zhu Cairen go after He Meiren left?"

"Hui Niangniang, after He Meiren left, the master was very angry, so he scolded the servants not to follow, and asked them to relax by themselves, but the servants were worried, so they kept following secretly.

Later, the master got angry and punished the servant girl and Koizumi to kneel at the Wanchun Pavilion in the imperial garden, and left alone. Kisaragi paused, choked and continued:
"The servant knelt for an hour, and when she saw that the master hadn't come back, she went to look for it, but..." Ruyue's face was ashen, trembling, "As a result, the servant found out, found that the master's head was covered in blood, and he fell behind Xiushan. "

"Does Koizumi have anything to add?"

"Go back to your mother, the slave didn't...have!", Koizumi panicked.

"Your majesty, what do you think?" The queen turned to face the emperor, asking for advice cautiously.

"Leave the inspection to Li Mingzhong. The queen will handle Zhu Cairen's funeral first. Make Zhu Cairen the Concubine Zhu, and handle the funeral affairs according to the standards of a concubine, with the assistance of a virtuous concubine." The emperor glanced at the queen with a dark face. , directly took away the Queen's right to investigate the case.

"Li Mingzhong, take him down for inspection."

"Yes, the servant obeys the order!"

The queen suppressed the depression and dissatisfaction in her heart, and gave the order to thank the concubine Xian. The concubine Xian thanked her in a calm manner, and it was none of her business. .

In the past half a year since entering the palace, she has never paid attention to Concubine Xian seriously in any matter or occasion. She has ignored such a high-ranking concubine who combines talent, beauty, and family background. Is Concubine Xian too low-key or too clever? Woolen cloth?

Wang Jieyu looked at the emperor affectionately, with her belly upright showing off, while Concubine Wei gently stroked her lower abdomen, a hint of sarcasm flashed in her lowered eyes, she was another woman who gave her heart wrong, stupid.

The emperor glanced at Concubine Wei Gui and Wang Jieyu, whose belly was slightly protruding, his eyes deepened, after all, they were pregnant with his own child, "Concubine Wei and Wang Jieyu, go back to the palace first, and don't run around if there is nothing to do."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Wei thanked Concubine gracefully, and led the people back, while Wang Jieyu was full of disappointment, the loneliness in her eyes was self-evident, followed behind Concubine Wei, turning her head three times and leaving.

The concubines tightened the brocade handkerchiefs in their hands, and lowered their heads to hide the mad jealousy bursting out of their eyes.

(End of this chapter)