First Concubine

Chapter 91 Turning the Tide (5)

Mother Cheng is slightly chubby, has plump cheeks, and looks like a wealthy person. She bowed to Bing Bing in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, and Bing Bing said politely: "Mother, you are flat."

Grandma Cheng's sharp eyes fell on the empty bowl on her tray, and she said in a deep voice, "Did the Crown Princess go too far today? What does the Crown Princess mean when she is a highness? Is she an idle and idle playboy?" His Highness has many things to do day and night, but he is still unable to finish the official duties at hand. The Crown Princess is a female, so it is reasonable that she cannot help His Highness solve problems. But what is the meaning of the Crown Princess finding an excuse to send desserts and disturbing His Highness's work when she has nothing to do? ?”

 Bingbing's heart skipped a beat and her expression turned gloomy. She understood that Aunt Cheng's daring to say these words must have been with the Queen's tacit approval. Her refutation of Nanny Cheng was tantamount to disobedience to the Queen.

Aunt Cheng touched the bottom of the bowl. It felt slightly cold, and her eyes also turned cold: "Your Highness has been weak since he was a child and cannot eat ice, but you gave His Highness several bowls in one day. Do you want to Will it make His Highness sick?"

Bingbing's fingers holding the tray turned pale. For a long time, she took a deep breath to hold back the endless grievances, and said in a calm tone: "I understand, thank you for your teachings, I will pay more attention in the future, and never let down the Queen." expect."

 Mother Cheng said "hmm" arrogantly.

 Bingbing returned to her room, and then she remembered that she had an appointment with Shui Linglong. She calculated the time and Shui Linglong should be arriving at the Prince's Mansion soon. She hurriedly went into the clean room to wash up. When Shui Linglong came in, she saw that she was wearing a sapphire blue floor-length palace skirt, lined with a plain white gauze dress with gold silk gauze. She looked elegant and chic. Her dark hair was pulled up into a lily bun and a hairpin. Two begonia flowers are swaying, and the tassels hang down over the ears, echoing the bright moon on the earlobes, and the end is luxurious and natural.

"Greetings to the Crown Princess." Shui Linglong bowed calmly.

“Pingshen.” Bingbing glanced at her and ordered, “You guys should step aside first. You are not allowed to enter without my permission.”

“Yes.” The maids exited the door one after another.

There were no outsiders anymore. Bingbing changed her behavior in front of others and pulled Shui Linglong to sit on the soft couch with a smile: "Why are you here so late today?" If Shui Linglong had come earlier, she wouldn't be so bored that she would harass the prince all the time and end up being arrested. After a training, alas!

Shui Linglong noticed that Bingbing's eyes were a little strange, so she joked: "Did you do something wrong before and I didn't stop you in time?"

Bingbing gave a rough summary of what happened today and the admonishment given by Grandma Cheng: "...I'm so angry! I didn't mean to do it... The house is very boring, there is no playmate! The prince is also true! He eats If you don’t want ice, don’t eat it! I’ll get scolded!”

Shui Linglong smiled: "I think the prince is very good to you, which makes you push yourself to the limit and forget the rules of the emperor and his ministers. The study is a secret place in the palace. Which female family member can come and go freely?"

Bingbing's eyes lit up: "Do you really think so? You didn't lie to me?"

Come on, I already believed it in my heart! Shui Linglong smiled lightly: "I'm not lying to you, you see, the emperor's study room is not allowed to enter unless invited, even the queen is the same."

Bingbing couldn't help but smile: "Perhaps the prince... just likes the desserts I make! So he is greedy! For his own good, I will make it once in a while in the future."

Shui Linglong smiled and said nothing, and Bingbing lived a happy life. There were no other concubines in the house, only a nanny who liked to scold people, so she was not sad except for being angry.

Bingbing came closer to Shui Linglong, blinked her crystal eyes, and said playfully: "The prince called my name that day."

Shui Linglong was slightly stunned. If I didn’t call you, what would your name be?

Bingbing thought that Shui Linglong was as surprised as she was, and the smile in her eyes became even bigger: "The prince said, let me give him a child." After saying that, she recalled the indulgence that day, and her whole face turned red. Got it! I'm really afraid that the prince will think that she, Meng Lang...

Shui Linglong joked: "Isn't that prince very powerful?"

　　“Yes, he is always troubled...”

Before she could finish the words "I can't get out of bed," Bingbing suddenly realized that she had let something slip. Linglong hadn't left the cabinet yet, so how could she discuss such a topic with Linglong? She immediately turned away in shame: "You came to see me today for something, right? Don't just tease me and forget about the real thing."

Shui Linglong told her the idea of ​​visiting Shui Chenxiang in the palace.

Bingbing rubbed her temples and said thoughtfully: "I wonder if I can ask the Queen for a favor. After all, Shui Guiren is my cousin."

Shui Linglong thanked her and asked, "I wrote an anonymous report letter to the prince. Can the prince read it? The letter paper has light blue edges."

Bingbing thought for a while and said: "When I entered the study for the fourth time, I did see the prince holding a blue-edged letter. However, not only this letter, he also picked up another letter."

Shui Linglong was lost in thought, what would the other letter be? If they had nothing to do with each other, Yun Li wouldn't have held them in his hands at the same time. Could it be that the letter was also related to the third prince or Xun Feng?

Bingbing added: "I'll take you to the lotus pond. I have a new water lily."

Shui Linglong had no reason not to agree. The two of them walked side by side towards the lotus pond. They were halfway through when they saw Chu Yun coming towards them with a hurried expression.

Chu Yun bowed to the two of them and said, "Greetings to the Crown Princess, and greetings to Miss Shui."

Bingbing asked: "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Chu Yun glanced at Shui Linglong and said solemnly: "I have something important to report to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

“Oh, that’s it, go ahead.” Bingbing said with a smile.

Shui Linglong frowned suspiciously. Chu Yun glanced at her just now. Could this matter also be related to her?

Chu Yun took two steps and suddenly turned back to look at the two of them and said: "The king of Zhenbei was hit by five arrows when he was confronting the thugs. The death knell has been sounded in the military camp!"

He was killed in action?

Shui Linglong suddenly changed color, how could this happen? In my memory, King Zhenbei was killed in the winter eight years later. Was it so far earlier in this life?

Chu Yun sighed and strode towards Yun Li's study.

The King of Zhenbei is Shui Linglong’s future father-in-law and the backbone of the palace. If he falls, Zhuge Yu alone may not be able to support the palace’s appearance. What will Shui Linglong do then? Bingbing frowned worriedly: "Linglong..."

Shui Linglong's long eyelashes trembled fiercely: "Bingbing, please do me a favor. I want to know what the other letter that the prince read today actually said!"

The news of the death of King Zhenbei soon spread throughout the capital. People from door to door felt sorry for King Zhenbei and were worried about the future of Kashgar Qing. I heard that the clan leader was seriously injured and his life or death is uncertain. Now the King of Zhenbei is unfortunately killed. The thugs are still killing innocent people in a brutal way every day. The sky above Kashgar seems to be filled with a layer of blood...

The Prince's Mansion in Zhenbei gradually became sparse from a busy place at the beginning. After Zhuge Xi's marriage, many female family members came to visit them despite the rumors, but now none of them come.

 Leng Youru locked herself in the Buddhist hall!

Zhuge Xi shed tears every day, crying so much that Yao Cheng's heart was broken.

 The most terrible thing is that Zhuge Yu went to Yancheng and has not returned yet!

Shui Linglong went to Zhenbei Palace. Zhuge Xi was tired from crying and had just rested. Yao Cheng led twenty strong guards from Zhenbei Palace along the official road to Kashgar Qing, hoping to receive the body of Zhenbei Palace as soon as possible. .

When Shui Linglong entered the room, she found that Mrs. Yao and Feng Yanying were also there. Feng Yanying was holding the basin. Mrs. Yao twisted the handkerchief and wiped Zhuge Xi's face and hands. She wiped her tears while wiping: "What evil has been done?"

Mrs. Yao and her daughter-in-law made a high-profile appearance at Zhenbei Palace to tell the world that no matter how the palace declined, the Yao family would always be its allies.

Shui Linglong was stunned for a moment and saluted Mrs. Yao: "Hello, Mrs. Yao." Then she and Feng Yanying greeted each other.

Mrs. Yao was in a bad mood. She waved her hand lightly and said, "You are here to see Xiao Xi. Xiao Xi is asleep. Please sit down for a while. Yan Ying will serve you tea."

The princess didn't care about anything at all. She came to the room in the morning and hugged Zhuge Xi and cried for a while before returning to the Buddhist hall. The princess completely ignored whether Zhuge Xi had eaten or drank water! How could there be such a heartless mother in the world? If the second son dies, do the eldest son and daughter cease to be human beings? Living in the shadow of the second son for so many years, where will this leave the two children?

At this moment, Mrs. Yao really felt that Zhuge Xi was so pitiful!

Shui Linglong sat down on the stool. Feng Yanying put away the handkerchief and basin, poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, choking with sobs: "Miss Shui uses tea."

 “Thank you.” Shui Linglong took it with both hands.

Mrs. Yao tucked Zhuge Xi into bed and looked at Shui Linglong with tears in her eyes: "I kindly ask Miss Shui to stay with Xiao Xi in the palace tonight. I'm worried that she will be too sad... and she won't be able to bear it..."

Mrs. Yao was so disgraced that she came to the palace to receive special treatment during special times. Why did she still care about her reputation? Of course, when Mrs. Yao said this, she probably meant it as a test. Shui Linglong nodded: "Okay, I will ask the maid to go back to the house to report that she is safe. I will stay here tonight."

Mrs. Yao breathed a sigh of relief quietly. The husband and wife were birds of the same forest, and they would fly apart when disaster struck. She had also heard about the turmoil between Shangshu Mansion and Zhenbei Prince's Mansion in private. She was afraid that Zhenbei Prince's Mansion would be severely damaged this time, and Zhuge Liang would suffer a heavy blow. The marriage between Yu and Shui Linglong will go south again.

Shui Linglong asked Xiang Feng Yanying: "You are here, what will happen to Brother Zhi and Brother Tong?"

Feng Yanying's throat slipped, and she said with red eyes: "Let's leave it to the old lady's yard for now. It's not convenient for us to stay in the palace. We still have to go back when it gets dark, but I will let my cousin stay to help you. If you have anything to do, don't worry. She can't do anything you ask her to do, but she's willing to endure hardships."

While talking, a woman wearing a light green soft cigarette skirt slowly walked into the room with a plate of pastries. She had an oval face, delicate eyebrows, clear eyes, and two shallow pear dimples on her face when she smiled, a typical The Jiangnan woman spoke in a soft voice: "Madam, cousin."

 Looking at Shui Linglong, she didn’t quite recognize her.

Feng Yanying said: "This is Miss Shui, the fiancée of Prince Zhuge."

She knelt down and said calmly and elegantly: "Dong Jialin has met Miss Shui." She didn't have the slightest bit of petty arrogance of a business girl!

Shui Linglong gave her a half-gift in return. After all, Dong Jialin had lived in Yao Mansion for several years and was relatively familiar with Zhuge Xi. It would be good for her to stay and take care of Zhuge Xi.

Mrs. Yao and Feng Yanying sat there until dark before leaving worriedly. Before leaving, they gave numerous instructions to comfort Zhuge Xi and not to irritate her again.

At Haishi, Zhuge Xi slowly woke up. As soon as he woke up, he thought of Zhuge Liuyun, and his eyes that had not yet subsided were filled with tears.

“You’re already going to be a mother, why don’t you stop a little longer? What’s the best thing if you have fetal contractions?… My father is here, don’t be afraid!”

 “I’m sorry, I have embarrassed my father.”

"What are you talking about? Why should you be ashamed of giving birth to offspring for the Zhuge family? No matter what others think, you and your children are the hope of our Zhuge family."

Zhuge Xi covered his face with his hands and cried silently.

Shui Linglong walked around the screen and sat down beside the bed: "Sister, please stop crying, the matter has not reached the final step yet."

Zhuge Xi was stunned for a moment, and then realized that the speaker was Shui Linglong: "What do you mean the matter has not reached the final stage? Do I have to hold my father's body to cry out?"

Shui Linglong nodded: "Yes, seeing is believing and hearing is false. Don't believe that the prince has died until you see his body with your own eyes! Even the imperial edict can be faked, let alone a piece of news before the battle? Please take care, sister. "Body, don't expect that when the prince comes back safely, you and your child will suffer from excessive sorrow."

Shui Linglong’s voice was low, but her eyes were firm, exuding a power to soothe people’s hearts. Zhuge Xi held her hand tightly and said, "My father...is really not dead?".

Just when Shui Linglong was thinking about how to answer Zhuge Xi's question, Anping knocked on the door. Zhuge Xi asked him to come in. He cupped his hands and blessed Fu: "Miss, the Crown Prince rushed directly from Yancheng to Kashgar to celebrate!"

Zhuge Xi turned pale in horror: "Why did he go to Kashgar Qing? Kashgar Qing is so dangerous! Call him back quickly! I have already lost my father, and I can't lose my only brother again!" The most important thing is that without the emperor's will, privately Returning to Kashgar is a serious crime…

 Anping couldn't move because he couldn't persuade the prince. Even the prince cannot stop what the prince is determined to do.

Zhuge Xi looked at Shui Linglong with tears in his eyes: "Yu'er listens to you the most. Write him a letter and ask him to come back quickly!"

Even if there is a dragon's pond and a tiger's den ahead, Zhuge Yu must break through. This is his duty as a son of man. Although he resisted the order, he had to resist it. Zhuge Liufeng and Zhuge Liuyun encountered unexpected events one after another in Kashiqing, which shows that Kashgar Qing was indeed dangerous to a certain extent. The emperor would not allow Zhuge Yu to take this risk, or he did not want Zhuge Yu to achieve this military exploit. But now that Zhuge Yu is gone, the emperor will soon know. What will the emperor... do? Shui Linglong lowered her eyes, veins bulged in her hands buried under her wide sleeves, but she said in a very gentle tone: "Sister, you can rest assured to raise the baby."

Zhuge Xi closed his eyes in despair.

 (End of this chapter)