First Concubine

Chapter 257: Fighting with the Demonic Concubine (1)

Concubine Li's face completely changed color when she saw the Shang Fang sword in Concubine Yan's hand, but she had to kneel to the sword along with everyone else, "Welcome to the Emperor, long live the Emperor."

Concubine Yan looked past the civil and military officials, stared at Concubine Li, and said calmly: "Ping Shen."

 Everyone stood up and spontaneously stood on both sides to make a way. Concubine Yan walked up the steps step by step and walked towards Concubine Li.

Concubine Li's eyelashes trembled slightly, and when Concubine Yan was three steps away from her, she said, "Concubine Yan, I am discussing court matters with the civil and military officials. What are you doing here?"

Concubine Yan slowly stopped, her sharp eyes falling on her face and never leaving her face, "I am here to stop you from causing trouble to Chao Gang!"

Concubine Li twitched the corner of her mouth and said with a smile, "Are you kidding me? The emperor has appointed me to assist the prince in supervising the country. Why is it causing trouble for Chao Gang?"

Concubine Yan did not answer her question, but turned to look at the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, stretched out her left hand, held Shang Fang's sword horizontally, and said word by word: "Before the Supreme Emperor left the palace, he gave me the Shang Fang sword to kill first and then play. Now, I The palace wants to replace the Supreme Emperor, Qing, Jun, Side!" After saying this, there was a flash of silver light, the sword was unsheathed, fell on Concubine Li's shoulder, and pressed against her neck, everyone in the court was stunned.

The cold blade of the sword touched her skin, and all the hair on Concubine Li's body froze, "Concubine Yan! The Supreme Emperor has given you the power to depose the emperor, but do you agree with you to depose the emperor?"

Concubine Yan was distracted by this sudden question. Concubine Li did not give Concubine Yan a chance to think, and said in a fluent voice: "No, right? Since there is no, you are not qualified to execute me! I am the biological mother of the prince, and the emperor just said After appointing me to supervise the country, you rushed to the Jinluan Palace with Shang Fang's sword to assassinate me! You are clearly challenging the emperor's authority and shaking the people of Zhou Dynasty! Now, I have every reason to suspect that you are abusing the power given by the Supreme Emperor! Authority is only for achieving ulterior purposes!”

Shui Hangge took a step forward holding the wat board and said solemnly: "The Emperor and the Queen Mother fell ill one after another, and the Queen Mother was pregnant again. The turmoil in the people's hearts was unprecedented! At this time, it was not easy for Princess Li and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. There are some people in the country who are using the opportunity to eradicate powerful enemies for their own benefit. Their intentions are to be punished! "

As soon as these words came out, the people below all whispered to each other, and many people looked at Concubine Yan with a hint of doubt.

These people are so stubborn! Concubine Yan turned purple with anger, "The Emperor and the Queen Mother fell ill at the same time, which is very strange in itself! Didn't everyone notice it?"

 Everyone looked at each other, suddenly realizing that Concubine Yan's words were not unreasonable.

Concubine Yan said again: "Please ask the Queen Mother or the Emperor to come forward, and we will believe that you are supervising the country in a legitimate and legitimate manner!"

"You are so brave!" Concubine Li was furious, "The Queen Mother and the Emperor are in disharmony and must not brave the wind and snow, but you let them drag their weak bodies to meet everyone on such a cold day. Do you want to harm them?" Kill them? Why are you so vicious?"

Concubine Yan's eyes narrowed, "Then please ask the Queen to come forward! It's just that pregnant women should not work hard, it's not that they can't move around!"

Concubine Li's face changed again, and a strong strangeness flashed in her eyes. Everyone looked at Concubine Li suspiciously, and immediately speculated that there was something fishy hidden here!

"Yes! Please come forward, the Queen!"

“Only when the Queen acknowledges your status personally can we be convinced!”

 …

Concubine Li's chest began to rise and fall violently, but she didn't make a sound. In the eyes of Concubine Yan and the ministers, what else could this mean if she didn't feel guilty?

"Since you don't dare, I will act on behalf of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty to sway the emperor!" After saying this coldly, Concubine Yan raised her sword and struck at Concubine Li's head.

"Please, Queen!" Concubine Li yelled. After shouting, she seemed to realize that she had lost her composure. She adjusted her expression and added elegantly and calmly: "Please, Queen Mother."

Not long after, Bing Bing came up, surrounded by palace maids. She was graceful and elegant, her hands were carefully folded in front of her belly, as if she were a pregnant woman. Everyone saluted her. She stood at the top, her soft yet heavy gaze swept over the civil and military officials of the dynasty one by one. In the eyes of everyone eager to discover the shocking secret, she said unhurriedly: "The three princes conspired to rebel and control eleven cities. The people of our Zhou dynasty were in turmoil and the government was unstable. The emperor fell ill from overwork and suddenly heard the bad news. He was so angry that he was bedridden. In order to stabilize the situation, the emperor appointed Yun Si as the prince and ordered me to supervise the country. However, I am unhappy. She was serious and could not bear the heavy responsibility, so she persuaded the emperor to use Concubine Li instead. Concubine Li was of good nature and knowledgeable. Although she was born in a merchant family, she was not inferior to the legitimate daughter of a noble family. Concubine Li was in charge of the country and had no relatives to do anything for her own interests. , is truly the best choice to supervise the country.”

 In addition to affirming Concubine Li's status, it also insinuated that the Yan family had strong military strength and a solid foundation. If they had to rebel, the Yan family was more likely than the Li family.

Concubine Yan's eyes widened in disbelief, "Queen, you...how can you say such a thing? It doesn't matter if you don't want to see me, but you can't make fun of Zhou's power! My Yan family is full of loyal people, when has this ever happened? Wishful thinking? Queen, open your eyes and see clearly! There is definitely something wrong with Concubine Li!"

"Concubine Yan, because you are the apple of your father's and brother's eye, you have a naughty nature, and you rely on the favor of the Supreme Emperor to have no fear. On the first day the Crown Prince came to court, you made a big fuss in the Jinluan Palace and made the place miserable. You should be dragged out and sentenced to death with a cane. , to serve as a warning to others." Bingbing interrupted Concubine Yan calmly and reprimanded her harshly, then suddenly changed the topic, "Fortunately, Concubine Li is kind-hearted and persuades others with her virtue. I would never take it lightly. Forgive your youth and ignorance!”

Concubine Li showed a gentle smile, "I understand the mood of Sister Yan Concubine. Sister is doing it for the country, the country, and the Zhou Dynasty, and her starting point is good. Then... I'll trouble my sister to return to the Buddhist hall... to be with the Queen Mother and The emperor chants sutras and prays until the two of them wake up!"

 Concubine Yan was so angry that she was livid. Concubine Yan was so disrespectful to Concubine Li, but Concubine Li repaid her with kindness. Only then did all the courtiers really look at Concubine Li.

Bingbing pressed her temples and sighed tiredly, "I'm tired. Concubine Yan will help me go back to rest. Concubine Li can continue to deal with the affairs of the court."

Concubine Li smiled and took the first step to take Bingbing's arm, "The focus of the dispute in this morning's court was the legitimacy of the prince and I. Fortunately, the Queen confirmed it to us. The matter was resolved perfectly, and the morning court can be dismissed. I will serve the Queen."

Bingbing blinked and said with a smile: "Then Concubine Li will be the one to help you."

Concubine Li helped Bingbing down the steps and walked out of the palace.

When Bingbing passed by Guo Yan, her foot suddenly stuttered and she bumped into Guo Yan.

Guo Yan hurriedly reached out to hold her, but suddenly her eyebrows jumped. Bingbing pushed his hand away with a smile, "I really can't work too hard. I can't even walk steadily."

 In this way, everyone became more convinced that she was unable to supervise the country. Concubine Li's eyes trembled slightly at first, then she looked around and smiled gently, "Be careful, Madam, you are pregnant with a dragon heir, so be sure to take care of yourself!"

Bingbing clapped her hand and smiled softly, "I'll spare you the trouble, you're thoughtful."

The two walked out of the Jinluan Hall arm in arm affectionately. The ministers knelt down and worshiped. Shui Hangge held the wat tablet, unable to conceal the flash of light in his eyes. Guo Yan looked at the retreating figures of the two, his expression becoming more and more solemn.

 Bingbing and Concubine Li walked out of the Golden Palace and wanted to return to the harem, but they met the aggressive third princess unexpectedly. The third princess had a sullen face, and without saying a word, she stepped forward and slapped Concubine Li hard in the face.

"You enchanting concubine! What happened to my imperial brother and my empress? Why aren't I allowed to visit them?" She had just gone to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hualong Palace respectively, but was blocked outside without exception. The eunuchs said, Concubine Li has an order not to allow anyone to disturb the purity of the Queen Mother and the Emperor. Bah! Who is Li Wan? Isn't she the concubine of her royal brother? How dare she run rampant in the harem and even she stopped her!

Concubine Li covered her red and swollen face, a cold light flashed in her eyes, but she didn't know what she thought of, and she smiled nonchalantly, "The third princess has misunderstood. I don't want those in the harem who take the opportunity to climb high branches to disturb the Queen Mother and the Emperor." Qingjing, I have just issued a ban. I definitely have no intention of targeting you! It’s all my fault that I didn’t expect that the third princess would come to visit the Queen Mother and the Emperor so early, so I didn’t ask the palace people to treat her differently. Now that the third princess is here, please Come with me to visit them!”

The third princess was slightly stunned, and most of her strong arrogance froze in an instant, "You...you...really...didn't you intentionally cut off my mother, the queen, and the emperor's brother from the outside world?"

Concubine Li smiled, "Third princess, you are really good at joking. If you lend me a hundred courages, I wouldn't dare to make trouble on Tai Sui's head! Besides, the Queen Mother and the Emperor are not ordinary people. How can I, a weak woman, do it?" Controlled? If the third princess doesn’t believe it, just go and see it for yourself?”

"Well, that's true!" The third princess cleared her throat and said with a hint of embarrassment: "That...your face..."

"ah-"

"ah-"

Before the third princess finished speaking, she rushed towards Concubine Li and pressed Concubine Li to the ground. This is a bluestone floor. Not only did Concubine Li fall down, there was also a person weighing dozens of kilograms on top. Her bones were about to crack. Concubine Li gasped in pain.

The third princess stood up angrily, looked around, pointed at Bingbing and was about to curse. Unexpectedly, Bingbing was faster than her, "Yun Yao! Don't treat the concubines in the harem so harshly just because you are the emperor's biological sister! Whether Concubine Li is the prince's biological mother or not, she is still your emperor's brother's woman. It’s your sister-in-law, how can you behave like this when you hit and scold her at every turn?”

This, this, this stinky woman, she was obviously the one causing the trouble, but in the end, she came back to bite her! The third princess was so angry that her nose was filled with smoke. "What do you do to my brother's wife? It's none of your business. What about the concubine? She is just a concubine! Both of you are so annoying! Hmph! Wait until I see you." If you kill Brother Huang, he will divorce you!"

Snapped! But it was Bingbing who slapped the third princess mercilessly. The third princess was dumbfounded. This was the first time in her life that someone had slapped her. Bingbing narrowed her eyes and said in a cold voice: "Look at your reckless temper, it's like you've been fed by gunpowder. If I let you visit the Queen Mother and the Emperor, you will definitely make them dizzy with anger! Now give me Go back to the Guo Mansion immediately! You are not allowed to step outside the Guo Mansion without my order!”

The third princess was furious, "Water, ice, ice! You put me under house arrest? I will tell my brother and let him chop off your head!"

Concubine Li stood up with the help of the palace servants and said consolingly: "Forget it, Queen, the third princess will be confused if she cares. I believe she didn't hurt me on purpose. When she sees the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother and the Emperor, she will Understand that we are all innocent."

us? The third princess's face darkened again!

"Come here!" Bingbing ordered, but the surrounding eunuchs and maids lowered their heads and remained motionless. Bingbing clenched her fists, looked at Concubine Li and said, "Concubine Li doesn't want to be accused of being ill-considered and irritating the Queen Mother and the Emperor, right? Why don’t you send someone to send the third princess back home quickly?”

Concubine Li told the palace officials: "When you send the third princess back to the Guo Mansion, follow the queen's instructions and keep the three princess's feet off limits."

The third princess shouted: "Water ice ice!"

Bingbing turned her face away.

The two eunuchs walked quickly to the third princess and stretched out their hands to arrest her. However, they suddenly heard a shocking roar and they all knelt on the ground in fright.

 “Let’s see who of you dares to touch her!” Guo Yan walked over with his hands behind his back and a cold look on his face.

The third princess immediately threw herself into Guo Yan's arms as if she had grasped a life-saving straw, "Guo Yan, you came just in time, help me deal with these two stinky women who don't know the heights of heaven and earth! I want to see the emperor brother! I want to see the mother and queen. !”

 Guo Yan looked at the finger marks on the third princess's face, and a cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes, "Who hit her?"

The third princess pointed at Bingbing and hummed: "Isn't it her?"

Guo Yan glanced at Bingbing with a complicated expression, and said in a normal tone: "Aren't you worried about the queen and the emperor being beaten like this? I'm already sick, and I have to worry about you, and my iron-clad body can't stand it. Be obedient and wait for you. The swelling in your face has subsided, and I will accompany you to the palace to visit them."

"Guo Yan! I..." The third princess refused, but Guo Yan didn't give her any room to refute, took her hand and left.

 Concubine Li looked at the two people's retreating figures, and there were waves of indistinguishable meaning in her eyes.

The third prince raised an army to rebel, and the bandits in the capital were causing chaos. Every household had closed its doors and windows, and everyone in the palace was in danger. In this environment, the loss of an aunt seemed insignificant, and everyone paid more attention to Shangguan Qian. On that day, Zhuge Liuyun went to the general's mansion in person to pick up Shangguan Qian. Shangguan Qian bluntly refused and followed Zhuge Yu the next day. Everyone couldn't help but sigh after hearing the news.

 The old lady shed tears when she talked about this, "It doesn't matter if she spends time with her son, the only one she can't let go of is Xiao Yu."

Relatively speaking, Zhuge Xi's childhood was happy. She was born in a period when her parents were loving and respectful, and she enjoyed the wholehearted care of Zhuge Liuyun and Shangguan Qian. When Shangguan Qian left, she was eight years old, already relatively independent, and she was originally Rely more on Zhuge Liuyun.

Mrs. Zhen looked at the old lady who was about to cry, and then at the indifferent and cold Leng Youru. The old lady was overflowing with sympathy, but the princess did not forget her pain. Regarding Shangguan Qian, it was better for her to remain neutral.

Leng Youru quietly took a sip of warm water and said softly: "I asked people to tidy up a courtyard next to Xiaoxi's Qingya Courtyard. When Xiaoyu and the others return home, they can move in." He didn't mention anyone by name, but everyone Guys got it.

Zhen and Qiao Hui were dumbfounded. The old lady looked at Leng Youru lovingly, "You are heavy, don't do any more work, let Linglong handle everything."

Leng Youru replied: "Yes, I understand, mother."

Shui Linglong asked Qiao Hui: "Xiaohui, your second brother is an imperial physician, what news has come?" She was talking about Qiao Ying.

 Qiao Hui shook her head, with a hint of worry, "No, Concubine Li ordered him to live in a side hall of Hualong Palace so that he can keep an eye on the emperor's dragon body at any time."

Shui Linglong frowned in confusion. Mrs. Zhen raised the handkerchief in her hand and said casually: "Li Jing is your brother-in-law. You don't even know the news in the palace. Who would know?"

Everyone looked at Ms. Zhen in unison. Ms. Zhen curled her lips and hesitated: "I...I don't mean anything else. Let's just discuss the matter."

Shui Linglong didn't have time to be quick-tongued with Zhen, but she had to admit that although Zhen had a sharp tongue, she could sometimes hit the right note.

At nightfall, Guo Yan found Shui Linglong and handed the blood book that Bingbing quietly stuffed into his sleeve into Shui Linglong's hand. Shui Linglong looked at the dried blood and her eyes trembled slightly. She guessed that Bingbing was imprisoned, but she didn't expect that she couldn't even use paper and pen openly. She probably used Chu Gong's excuse to hide in Gong's room. Written with bitten fingers.

Guo Yan frowned, "I didn't expect Concubine Li to be so vicious, threatening the queen with the lives of the emperor and the little princess."

Shui Linglong was angry and distressed. When her sister was kidnapped by the Imperial Concubine, and Concubine Yan and Concubine Li happened to appear in the Royal Garden, she felt that there was something wrong. There must be someone who conspired with the Imperial Concubine to act. A life and death drama. She had doubted Concubine Yan at first, but when she thought of the Emperor's shrewdness, she felt that the Emperor would not plant a time bomb next to her son. In this way, only Concubine Li is left.

Guo Yan explained the matter of the third princess being banned by Bingbing again. After listening to this, Shui Linglong showed a hint of relief, "This time Bingbing finally did not do anything wrong. If the third princess really enters the Hualong Palace or the Taihe Palace, she will definitely fight with her." Qiao Ying will also be detained, and then Concubine Li will use the three princesses to blackmail you and the Guo family. "Guo Yan is in charge of the 30,000 imperial troops in the capital. If the Guo family turns against him, the consequences will be disastrous.

Guo Yan nodded, "It's strange. Judging from the current situation, the third prince is rebelling and Concubine Li is supervising the country. How... they all seem to be in collusion. How did the third prince get involved with Concubine Li?"

Shui Linglong chuckled lightly, mocking herself, "Then I have to ask Xun Feng."

Guo Yan was startled, "You mean, Concubine Li is Xun Feng's person? And then, Xun Feng actually took refuge in the third prince and helped him seek to usurp the throne? The two of them are mortal enemies, okay? It was the third prince who led him all the way back then. The Xun family pulled down the horse, causing Pingnan Prince's Mansion to become Pingnan Marquis Mansion."

 (End of this chapter)