First Concubine

Chapter 38 The Trap in the Deep Palace (2)

The moral of the story here is that a small gain may bring a big loss. However, what touched Shui Linglong the most was that the child did not notice that the soy sauce in the bowl was spilled. What an obvious mistake! Just like Aunt Zhou, she jumped into Qin Fangyi's trap without even seeing the maid's appearance. She was so stupid!

There is a second part of the story. When the child came home and showed the soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl to his mother, the mother asked doubtfully: "You only get so much soy sauce for two cents? Did your boss cheat you?"

The child smiled proudly, turned the bowl over, and began to claim credit: "I'm so smart, who could trick me? Look, there's more!"

So, the little soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl also spilled away.

Didn’t Aunt Zhou destroy the last bit of tolerance the old lady and Shui Hangge had for her with the last fall? Now she actually wants her to plead with the old lady to save Gao MaMa? The result of this can only be that even the bowl will be broken into pieces!

Shui Linglong said in a calm tone: "So many people just left me alone to handle this matter, just to see if I would be self-serving for personal gain, so as to infer whether I was involved in spreading poisonous insect powder in Minhui's yard. I It doesn't matter if you are exposed. The worst thing you can do is marry into the Prince of Zhenbei soon. As for you, it will really make you miserable every day! Besides, I can tell you with certainty that whether I ask for it or not, the old lady won't. Those who will let Cui Yuxuan go!" The old lady was angry with Aunt Zhou, but she had no choice but to ignore the fetus in her belly, so she could only let the people around her be the scapegoat.

Aunt Zhou still wanted to persuade her, but Gao Mama shook her head at her, leaving Qingshan alone without fear of running out of firewood, offending everyone, and if she offended the eldest lady again... she would lose the last layer of protection.

Evicted from the house and sold out are two completely different endings. The former at least has freedom.

Shui Linglong asked Mama Du to call some servants and sell all the sixteen servants in Cuiyuxuan. Most of the older rough ladies went to the lower mansions to do heavy work, while the young and tender maids mostly went there. She went to a brothel or a brothel and became a prostitute from then on. Some of the maids who had served Aunt Zhou for many years cried hoarsely. Aunt Zhou was so uncomfortable that she burst into tears. The lesson given by the old lady was too profound and unforgettable...

After finishing this, Shui Linglong went to Fushouyuan to resume her life. On the way, she bumped into Mama Wang who was delivering a batch of new maids to Aunt Zhou. The second lady nodded briefly without saying much.

 In the Fushou Courtyard, after Shui Linglong reported the situation of Cuiyuxuan, the old lady smiled kindly, praised her, and rewarded her with many new satins and jewelry. Shui Linglong smiled and thanked her, and chatted with the old lady about the dowry for a while.

The betrothal gift from Prince Zhenbei's Palace is similar to that given by the Crown Prince's Palace, but it is much more expensive. However, it is not easy for the Princess's dowry to go beyond the Princess's dowry, otherwise the Crown Princess will not be able to hold her head high in the social circle. What the old lady means is that the amount is above water. Lingxi has more, try to make up for Shui Linglong in terms of quality. The Prince of Zhenbei is very wealthy. The prince is the elder brother of the Kashgar Qing clan, and the princess is the legitimate daughter of the Leng family. When the gifts were handed over, the old lady was so frightened that she could not recover for a long time. Only then did she realize how much the Prince of Zhenbei cared about Shui Linglong. She hoped that Shui Linglong would explain all the twists and turns to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in a tactful way, so as not to let the other party think that Shui Linglong was being treated badly by Shangshu Mansion.

"There are many villages and shops promised to you before. The government has allocated no more to Lingxi than you. As for whether your mother will prepare it for her alone, I don't know." After the old lady finished speaking, Shui Linglong didn't hesitate. She smiled and said, "Grandma can arrange it, Linglong has no objection."

The old lady put away the list, straightened her delicate hair on her temples, and her smile became a bit colder: "Your third sister and Qin Zhixiao will cook the rice. She won't be able to do it if she doesn't enter the prime minister's house. As for being a wife, she still has to do it." Concubine, let’s see what happens to her.”

 In her words, she could not hide her indifference and disappointment towards Shui Lingyu. The old lady now hated the Prime Minister's Mansion. Shui Lingyu would only become an abandoned son of the Shui family whether she married him or ran away. Shui Linglong smiled: "Everyone has his or her own fate, so there is no need for Grandma to care."

"If everyone is as sensible as you, I don't know how much I have to worry about! As for your fourth sister..." The old lady paused, Shui Linglong's eyebrows jumped, and the old lady's next words confirmed her guess, "Your father said so She promised to fill a house for the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. Although the other party was a bit older, she was still his wife, and her children were all separated. She didn't have to raise other people's children, and she didn't have any in-laws to serve, so she was... free and at ease. "The most important thing is that Governor Jiang is the queen's cousin and is highly valued by the emperor. It is of great benefit to Shuilingxi's prospects and Shui Hangge's career, so she will not give Shui Lingyue's dowry. Too little.

Shui Linglong blinked her sparkling eyes. Qin Fangyi really planned to marry Shui Lingyue to Governor Jiang. Does this mean that Shui Lingqing's bad luck has changed since then? It is true that the Governor's Mansion has no parents-in-law and no children, but there are several cruel and ruthless concubines. It is really a good home for Shui Lingyue: "Has the wedding date been set?"

"No." The old lady took a sip of warm water, "I heard from your father that the other party plans to attend the wedding of the prince and Lingxi before coming to hire him. The wedding date of the prince's palace is slightly earlier than that of Zhenbei palace. By then, you will also Can you help arrange Ling Yue’s marriage?”

Shui Linglong smiled lightly: "Thanks to my grandmother for your support, Linglong is very willing to share her worries."

 In the luxurious and unique bedroom, the candles were brightly lit. Ever since Shui Lingyue had nightmares, she liked to make the room look like it was daytime. Shui Lingyue reluctantly let Aunt Zhou hold her hand, her eyes never falling on Aunt Zhou's pale face.

Aunt Zhou held back the sadness in her heart and said earnestly: "Fourth Miss, what I am going to say to you next is very important. Please listen carefully!"

Shui Lingyue snorted coldly.

Aunt Zhou swallowed her bitterness and choked up and said: "The eldest lady plans to marry you to Governor Jiang, who is nearly sixty years old, to fill in the house. Auntie set a trap for the eldest lady today because she wants to completely shake her position in the hearts of the master and the old lady." , so that the master and the old lady have to think carefully about the marriage she proposes, and I will ask your grandpa to follow the path of Grand Master Qi, and ask Grand Master Qi to talk to your father, and there may be a chance for this marriage to turn around. "

 That’s it! How could the eldest lady do this to her? ! How abominable!

Shui Lingyue turned her head and looked at Aunt Zhou, wanting to say that I had misunderstood you, but when the words came to her lips, she remembered that Aunt Zhou had not succeeded and she still had to get married, so she turned her face away again.

Aunt Zhou was pleasantly surprised, thinking that her daughter realized her good intentions, but only for a moment, her daughter put on a face again. It was clear that in addition to despising her as a concubine, there was also a hint that she had failed to accomplish anything. of contempt. Aunt Zhou held back her tears and forced out a smile: "Fourth Miss, there is still one way, and it is also the last way!"

Hearing this, Shui Lingyue’s dark eyes regained their luster: “What method?”

Aunt Zhou’s eyes sharpened: “Let someone else marry you!”

Shui Lingyue looked at her: "Huh?"

Aunt Zhou said thoughtfully: "It's impossible for the eldest young lady and the second young lady. After all, no one can afford to offend the Prince's Mansion and the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. The third young lady and Qin Zhixiao's trivial matter can't be hidden from me, and neither can she. So Only Miss Five is left!"

Shui Lingyue was stunned: "Shui Lingqing? She is only thirteen, okay?"

“The laws of Zhou Dynasty do not stipulate an age for marriage. Didn’t you see those child brides? One or two are only five, six, seven or eight years old?”

Shui Lingyue pondered for a moment, and gradually became a little moved. She beamed with joy and had a smile on her face. But after a moment, her smile froze again: "Persuading my father and grandmother to change their minds is probably even harder than climbing the sky, especially if something like this happened to you." !”

Aunt Zhou patted her daughter's hand and said meaningfully: "Aren't you going to visit the Jade Concubine in the palace in a few days? You just need to please the Jade Concubine and ask the Jade Concubine to tell Shuiling to marry her. Past. Of course, ordinary flattery methods cannot impress the Jade Concubine, you have to..."

Aunt Zhou suddenly stopped and looked at Shui Lingyue with a half-smile. Shui Lingyue's curiosity was ignited at this moment, and her heart felt like a cat's claws scratching her. The itch made her uncomfortable, and she leaned softly into Zhou. In my aunt's arms, she called softly: "Mom, please stop showing off and tell your daughter!"

This was the first time that her daughter called her "mother", and Aunt Zhou smiled half gratified and half bitterly...

However, after the third princess ordered someone to send Jing Zhaoyin to the Prince's Mansion, Yunli personally interrogated the other party and sent people to investigate various cases under his jurisdiction and found that there were as many as forty-nine cases of injustice. Afterwards, Yunli went to Jing Zhaoyin's mansion was inspected, and what made Yunli angry was that a third-rank imperial official openly "raised" molesters and young girls in the mansion! Not to mention his priceless stolen goods, which can almost buy a small town!

Yunli immediately reported this to the emperor. The emperor was furious and dismissed him from his post. He was also punished by having his car broken into pieces and all his property was confiscated as a warning to others.

 After handling official matters, Yunli came to Shangshu Mansion.

On the bed, Shui Lingxi's appearance seemed to have been carefully modified. Her eyebrows were like mountain daisy, her skin was like sheep's grease, her beautiful black hair was neatly combed, and there was a white gauze wrapped around her head because of the wound. This did not affect her. She is blessed with beauty, with a few strands of black hair hanging down the edge of the bed, making her look charming and delicate.

The moment Yunli walked into the bedroom, Shui Lingxi slowly opened the quilt and struggled to get up to greet him. Yunli was kind-hearted. Seeing how badly she was hurt, he couldn't bear her to make any more mistakes and stepped forward. He gave her a hand: "No need to be polite, just lie down."

Shui Lingxi's eyes turned red and her tears fell. She threw herself into Yunli's arms, hugged him tightly and exclaimed, "Your Highness! Your Highness, you are finally willing to come and see Lingxi!"

On the day of Najib’s appointment, Zhuge Yu waited for Shui Linglong in the house all day. She was so envious that she almost went crazy! She tried her best to tell herself that the reason why the prince didn't wait for her was because he was busy with everything, unlike Zhuge Yu who was idle. Only such a man was worthy of her lifelong trust. However, when she saw Zhuge Yu cleaning Shui Linglong's wounds from a distance and taking her beaten hand and blowing on it gently, she actually longed for a man to care for her like that!

Yunli subconsciously wanted to push her away. The smell of her body was good but he didn't like it. What lingered in his mind was that someone ran into his arms on the day of the Plum Appreciation Banquet, and the sudden fragrance of lily of the valley brought him and her together. It's impossible, he wants to marry, she wants to marry.

Seeing that the prince didn't push her away, Shui Lingxi thought that the relationship between the two could finally ease. His chest was broad and warm, exuding a touch of ambergris, which reminded people of the blue sky, the broadness of the sea, and the beauty of the sea. As gentle as jade, she couldn't help but want to be obsessed with it. She rubbed her head upward and buried it into the soft and warm crook of his neck: "Your Highness, Lingxi was not sensible in the past and made many mistakes, but Lingxi assured Your Highness that Lingxi has really changed! Lingxi has done it for Your Highness , must strive to be an excellent wife and princess!”

Yunli raised his hand, held her shoulders, and pushed her away gently: "I came...to tell you something."

Shui Lingxi was stunned for a moment: "What's the matter?"

Yun Li said calmly: "The person who accidentally hurt you is a friend of mine. He drank too much at the time and did not mean to hurt anyone." The third sister sent Qian Jing Zhaoyin to the Prince's Mansion, hoping that he could come forward to solve the problem. All issues, including dropping the charges against Guo Yan.

Shui Lingxi felt completely disappointed. It turned out that he didn't come to see her specifically, but to intercede for a friend!

Shui Lingxi lowered her eyes and said with a hint of loneliness in her voice: "Male or female?"

"male."

She wanted to ask who it was, but when she saw Yun Li's calm and intimidating expression, Shui Lingxi swallowed her words. She bit her lip and said, "Then... Your Highness, are you still angry with Lingxi? Do you still plan to keep alienating Lingxi? "

This is...a deal? Yunli thought for a moment and then felt relieved: "Aren't we going to get married soon? Where's the alienation? You and I... have to be husband and wife." At the end of the story, he felt bitter in his heart.

After bidding farewell to Shuiling River, Yunli did not leave the house directly, but walked slowly towards Lingxiang Courtyard. It was late at night, and the breeze was cold, blowing the hem of his blue clothes, like the sea flowing quietly under the night. . In the deep winding path, winter jasmine flowers bloomed all the way, and the faint fragrance hit his nostrils. He recalled those cold and calm eyes again.

 I was pretty lucky tonight. On the fork that must pass from Fushouyuan to Lingxiangyuan, he was in the south and she was in the east. They met unexpectedly.

"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince!" Shui Linglong bowed respectfully. Yunli came to visit Shui Lingxi? Have the two settled their feud?

Yun Li looked at her delicate face, and thought of her wisdom and agility that Han had never seen before, and of her dashing and heroic appearance on horseback, and of the fact that the two of them were now married, a layer of irritation suddenly surged in his heart, and he felt a pinch. Clenching his fists, he asked: "How have you been recently? I heard that the government invited Jin Shanggong to be your mistress. She is the most harsh and unreasonable. Has she given you any trouble?"

Shui Linglong's pupils moved, and she responded humbly and politely: "Your Majesty, everything is going well with me, and the master's lessons are also very good. I have benefited a lot and have not encountered any difficulties."

Yun Li raised a slight smile on his lips, with a touch of sadness and sporadic melancholy: "Don't you ask me how I am doing?"

What Shui Linglong didn't say was that in her previous life, she helped Xun Feng to hurt Yun Li, and Yun Li never did anything to hurt her until his death. She felt more or less uncomfortable facing him in this life. Shui Linglong took a step back, took out the banknotes that the old lady had given her as a dowry from her wide sleeves, counted twenty-one and handed them to Yunli, saying distantly: "The principal is two thousand taels, the interest is one hundred taels, my lord." There is no connection with His Highness anymore!”

Yun Li didn't reach out to take it, Shui Linglong directly took his hand and gave it to him, then disappeared into the night without looking back.

Yunli, Yunli, if I didn’t owe someone in my previous life, it was you, so don’t come near me again, don’t be nice to me anymore, don’t remind me of the evil I did to you again…

After Aunt Zhou's yard was cleared, the mansion was peaceful for a time. The only major event that happened was Shui Minhui's fourteenth birthday. The old lady happily invited the theater troupe to sing in the mansion for a heavenly concert. On that day, except for Shui Lingxi and Shui Minyu, two injured people, and others, including Qin Fangyi, went to join in the fun, but Shui Linglong was surprised to find that Shui Lingyu, who had always liked listening to dramas, kept frowning: "Third sister, you Why are you unhappy? Today is also your birthday, you should be happy."

Shui Lingyu and Shui Minhui were born on the same day, and the old lady also gave Shui Lingyu a gift.

But she didn't wait for Aunt Feng's surprise. She thought that the hairpin that Aunt Feng regarded as a treasure was a birthday gift for her, and she was secretly happy for how many days. However, Aunt Feng only gave her a handmade dress, and she was always disappointed. .

On the day after their birthdays, people came to the palace to welcome several daughters into the palace to accompany them. Shui Lingxi was still injured and stayed in the palace. Shui Lingyu was pregnant and was afraid that she would be found out. She had a disabled hand and was afraid of being dirty. The reason that caught the empress's eye was also left in the house.

The old lady gave many instructions and gave many precautions. Grandma Tan smiled and promised that with the Jade Concubine around, the ladies would have fun and forget about Shu.

Shui Linglong and his party left the Shangshu Mansion. Aunt Tan helped Shui Linglong step on the wooden stool respectfully. Shui Lingyue felt angry when she saw Aunt Tan fawning over Shui Linglong's slave! But thinking of Aunt Zhou's advice, she had to pretend to be a friendly elder sister. It really... suffocated her to death!

"Miss!" Shui Linglong had just stepped onto the carriage when Anping's joyful voice came from behind. Everyone looked sideways and saw Anping driving a luxurious carriage from Zhenbei Palace to the door of Shangshu Mansion. Anping opened the curtain and Zhuge Yu jumped off the ground, walked to Shui Linglong, stretched out his hand towards her, smiled elegantly and handsomely, "I will take you to the palace."

Shui Linglong raised her eyebrows, Zhuge Yu, were you kicked in the head by a donkey? So gentle!

 When something goes wrong, there must be a monster, don’t be fooled!

Shui Linglong smiled "shyly and timidly" and said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but there is no need to bother Your Majesty, I will just ride in the same car with my sisters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Yu took the initiative to grab her hand, and with a gentle tug, she fell from the carriage into his arms.

Zhuge Yu smiled brightly: "Haha, you don't get along with this carriage. Look, you fell down before you even got on the road. You'd better take my carriage."

After saying that, he dragged Shui Linglong into the carriage of Zhenbei Palace regardless of her face as black as charcoal.

Prime Minister’s Mansion.

 (End of this chapter)