The Crown Prince in the Jade Pendant

The New Year in the palace this year was also very restrained, and it was not as full of excitement as usual.

Especially when Chu Jinyao heard the news that the emperor was escorted back to the palace by King Su, she even lost a little thought for the holidays.

Of course, Qin Yi arranged for someone to greet the emperor in Juyongguan. How could it not be possible for Qin Yi to arrange the guard of honor at the entrance of the Wala camp, so apart from the courtesy officials who went to discuss the peace, he only sent a small team to Wala. Wang Zhang escorted the emperor, and there was an army not far away to protect him, as long as he entered the area of ​​Dayan, the emperor would be able to return to the emperor's honor guard.

However, no one expected that King Su would personally appear outside the pass, posing as if he was coming to greet him, and he spontaneously led the emperor to turn around, enter the pass from a gate, and then be escorted by the army of King Su’s domain. All the way to the capital in high profile.

This is too obvious, and the cheeks are too ugly.

When Chu Jinyao thought about this, she could only sigh in her heart. As long as the emperor has a little understanding of the situation, he can understand that Qin Yi's previous refusal to "escort" the emperor to Beijing by Vala and later refusal of Vala's insincere peace talks were all for the benefit of this country and the emperor. As long as the emperor is willing to think about it, he can understand Qin Yi's difficulties.

But Chu Jinyao felt that the emperor wouldn't think about it. If he thought about these things carefully, he wouldn't be captured by the Valiant from the beginning.

The more I thought about this kind of thing, the worse I was, Chu Jinyao left the matter behind and dealt with the release of the palace maid out of the palace wholeheartedly.

In order to prevent the harem from interfering in politics, all the palace ladies were selected from the people. Every three years, many young and beautiful women were selected from a thousand to bid farewell to their families and walked into this magnificent enclosed Forbidden City. There are red bricks and green tiles, and the palace is towering, but it has nothing to do with these palace ladies. They came in in the most beautiful years, and since then, they can never leave the palace again.

The palace ladies can only get in. Even though the inner court is dark and cruel, many women die unexplainedly every year. For this reason, the number of palace ladies in the inner court increases year after year. Today, there are 9,000 ladies in the harem. Not even the larger number of eunuchs.

Such a system destroys the palace ladies and also drags on the national treasury. The annual expenditure of the harem is a terrible figure. The difficulty in the capital this time was just an opportunity. Qin Yi finally offered to let the palace man go out of the palace openly. Chu Jinyao was also willing to worry about his body and slowly investigate those who really needed to go out of the palace.

Chu Jinyao secretly searched for a few days before slowly releasing the news of the release. At first, everyone refused to believe it. They were all watching. As time moved closer, everyone in the harem saw that Chu Jinyao’s posture did not seem to be a fake. Only more people came to resign.

Chu Jinyao told Linglong: "The roster must be checked carefully, and the place of origin, age, etc. must be checked for sending the repatriation fee, and it must not be falsely claimed."

Linglong leaned over: "The slaves understand. The prince, the first batch of palace people to leave the palace are about to leave, they want to come and kowtow to you."

Chu Jinyao looked out, and through the vague window paper, he seemed to be able to see those lonely and lonely figures. Chu Jinyao finally shook his head: "No, let them go out of the palace is the meaning of your Highness, they If you really want to thank someone, live well in the future, and contribute to this country, it will be the best reward."

Linglong half bend her knees, leading away. Mother Hong just happened to see a group of court ladies walking out when she came in. Their expressions seemed to be worried and joyful, but they all had a sense of relief. Mother Hong was inexplicably moved when she saw this scene.

She remembered that when she entered the palace, she was so nervous and cheerful, until the cruel and strict court life flattened her character and her looks, and in the end, even the past was gone. What has become of the world outside this red palace wall after so many years?

No matter how rich and glorious this palace is, what does it have to do with her. This is the blessing of ladies, not theirs. After too long, Mother Hong almost couldn't remember what her hometown looked like, and she couldn't remember whether there was a stream flowing in front of her home.

Kikyo saw Grandma Hong through the half-opened window, and hurriedly cried out, "Grandma Hong is here? Come in!"

Mother Hong wiped her hands on her skirt, walked quietly into the main hall, and saluted Chu Jinyao: "Please greet the princess, the princess is a blessing."

"Grandma Hong is here. I called you today to ask you about your leaving the palace." Chu Jinyao raised her head and looked at her with a slight smile, "I promised you before, and now it happens to have your Royal Highness. Meaning, I borrowed flowers to offer Buddha. I wonder if you have any plans to go out of the palace?"

Mother Hong stood there for a second and for a while, at that moment she seemed to feel that the palace and the princess were spinning in front of her. When she finally recovered, she saw all the maids in the palace smiling and looking at her.

Grandma Hong finally understood, she knelt down and koozed her head quickly: "Thank you, Princess Concubine!"

"It's okay. As I said before, do you go to Changxing Houfu to raise my sister and niece, or go to Zhuangzi in the suburbs of Beijing?"

All this happened too unexpectedly. Mother Hong fainted before her eyes, and she reluctantly stopped herself and said: "Princess, Rong Lao Nu go back and think about it, what you say tomorrow."

Chu Jinyao smiled and nodded: "Mother don't have to rush to make a decision. You should think about where to go out of the palace. It is estimated that the Emperor Su and King Su will be in the capital soon. There will be a lot of things tomorrow, I am afraid that the palace will be released. I have to postpone it a few days later. Take advantage of this time, Mother Hong can think slowly."

Mother Hong thanked again and slowly exited the house. After waiting outside, Mother Hong was separated by the blue glazed tiles of the East Palace, only to realize that the sun was very good today, the sky was clean and high, and the blue color made people look happy.

The news that the emperor was going to return to the palace in these two days spread quietly among the palaces, and after Xiao Qi had been in a secluded situation for many days, he even heard it. When she heard the news that the emperor was coming back, her eyes that thought she could never cry anymore suddenly shed tears.

"The emperor..." After Xiao Qi's tears pattered down, his eyes burst into radiance after a long absence. She subconsciously wanted to ask someone to come and dress her, but after Xiao Qi called out several times, no one answered. Xiao Qi immediately became angry from her heart, the emperor was about to return, and the temper of the queen she had been spoiled by the emperor was also resurrected. She stood up angrily and walked out quickly.

When I walked outside, I realized that it was already dark. During this period of time after Xiao Qi, he washed his face with tears every day, most of the time he cried at the candlelight in the palace, even the time was blurred. Empress Xiao Qi never thought that he would have such a time of depression, but from now on, this kind of groggy, ignorant day and night will never happen again.

After Xiao Qi stood at the gate of the palace and shouted a few more words, finally a palace man hurriedly came from the apse. Qiu Shuang gave the queen a blessing, and asked in a low voice, "Niang, what are you going to do?"

Xiao Qihou looked at the person in front of him in disgust: "My palace is going to dress up. Where did you go, your cheap hooves? It's only a few days, have you even forgotten your duty of serving people?"

"How dare you." Qiu Shuang lowered his head and said respectfully, "It's the negligence of the slave and maidservant. Please wait in there for a while, maid. The slave and maid cleans her hands and come here."

After Xiao Qi gave Qiu Shuang a fierce look, he walked into the inner room. Qiu Shuang was the girl who was assigned to Kunning Palace when she first entered the palace. At that time, Xiao Qi looked at her sister's annoyance and changed all at once. Qiu Shuang came to Kunning Palace at this time. Later, why did Qiu Shuang climb to the position of the great palace lady? Empress Xiao Qi didn't have any impression. She was a queen, so how could she pay attention to a humble palace lady.

Qiu Shuang came soon, and at the same time brought a pot of tea. She poured tea to Xiao Qi Empress without hurriedly, with the elegance of the palace in her every move. Empress Xiao Qi was not used to all of this anymore. She took the tea and touched the warm blue and white porcelain cup. I don't know why. Feel a violation.

"Why is this tea warm?" How long did Qiu Shuang go out? How could it be possible to make the tea in such a short period of time and let the temperature dry to the point where it can be drunk?

Qiu Shuang's smile remained unchanged: "Manny, the things you want to use are always warm on the stove."

After all, Empress Xiaoqi is a queen who has been a queen for many years. She has become vigilant, frowning and looking out: "Where is Lanyu? She has been serving the food in this palace. It has been so long. Why didn't you see her?"

Qiu Shuang sighed slightly, and a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Manny, Aunt Lan Yu is indeed loyal to you. Now, she is already waiting for you below."

Xiao Qihou turned her head in surprise. Before she could understand anything, she was caught in her neck. Then, a warm tea was forced into her throat and slowly passed through the esophagus, bringing an almost impossible Enduring burning sensation.

The magnificent Kunning Palace suddenly made the sound of a stool falling to the ground, and there was a faint squeaking sound. It seemed that someone had buttoned their nails on the ground, which was especially harsh in the quiet palace. But not much time passed before everything went dead again.

Mother Hong’s eyes were dark, and she was dragged forward by someone covering her mouth. Suddenly she was pushed violently, and she staggered to the floor, her eyes lit up again.

Finally, she was able to look at things again, and before Mother Hong could breathe a sigh of relief, she could see that she was in Kunning Palace. Years of tumultuous experience in the palace immediately told her that she has become so bad today.

"Grandma Hong, it's been a long time."

Mother Hong fell to the ground halfway, trying to straighten her waist and make herself look neater: "Girl Qiushuang, what do you mean?"

"Grandma Hong, when the mother arranged for you to go there, she should have told you. Why do I think you are quite reluctant to think about it recently?"

Mother Hong's body couldn't help trembling. Tomorrow, and one day, she will be able to talk to the princess, and she will be completely free from this quagmire. Why is it this evening?

Mother Hong tried her best to calm herself down: "The old slave always remembers the teachings of the empress and dare not neglect."

"Well, since you said that, then Niang Niang will give you a chance to prove your loyalty."

Mother Hong had a dry throat, and she swallowed hard before she said something: "What?"

Qiu Shuang threw a packet of powdered medicine in front of Grandma Hong, and said: "You take this packet of medicine with you now, and hide it with the princess when you go back. As long as you are done well, the empress will release you out of the palace and let you Reunited with your niece."

A few years ago, Mother Hong suffered a disaster in her hometown. It took a long time for Mother Hong to realize that all her family members were dead, and only one lonely niece remained.

So she was eager to think of the palace, and wanted to go to her hometown to find her niece, which was her only relative.

But now, Mother Hong looked at the plain paper bag in front of her, and couldn't pick it up after a long time: "Miss Qiu Shuang, we can survive thanks to the prince and the princess. The emperor will return to the palace in two more days. ,This……"

"So much nonsense, do you still want your niece's life?"

Grandma Hong closed her eyes forcibly, no longer showing grief on her young face. It was guilt and hatred for her powerlessness: "Girl Qiu Shuang, I naturally turn my mind towards the mother. But, let the old slave ask her concubine Shu, old slave. Is your niece really alive?"

"Of course." Qiu Shuang raised an eyebrow and looked at Grandma Hong condescendingly, "What do you mean, I suspect that the empress will not be successful?"

"How dare the old slave?" Grandma Hong stretched out her hand to pick up the medicine packet and held it tightly in her palm. She stood up, seeming to be walking outside, and walked to the tall and heavy wooden door. She suddenly asked, "Miss Qiu Shuang, since you have spread the word, it is enough to find a convenient place outside Ciqing Palace, why do you want to bring the old slave to Kun? Ning Palace?"

Qiu Shuang's eyes narrowed slightly: "You talk too much, don't care what you do."

Mother Hong looked at the quiet Kunning Palace in the night sky, with the outline like a giant beast lurking in the dark, as if it could swallow everything that happened inside. Mother Hong suddenly turned around and gave Qiu Shuang a harder push. Qiu Shuang was caught off guard from being knocked to the ground. Qiu Shuang was angry from the bottom of his heart, but before the person hiding in the dark ran out, he saw Mother Hong hit the red pillar under the eaves of the palace with great strength, almost using all of her strength.

With a "bang", Mother Hong's stiff body slowly slipped off the red pillar. Qiu Shuang was covering her mouth in horror when she saw this scene. She braved her courage to test Mother Hong's breath, which immediately seemed to burn her hands. Retract the same. She cursed a "lunatic", then quickly covered her eyes and ran out of the back door quickly.

In Bailu Palace, the person in front of the mirror heard the report and gently raised her soft and graceful eyebrows: "Zhuzhu died?"

Qiu Shuang lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Yes."

Concubine Shu threw the Luo Zidai in her hand to the ground with a bang, and the well-maintained face in the mirror showed a gloomy and venomous temperament completely incompatible with her temperament.

"Okay, she is not in vain, she can actually see the plan of this palace." Concubine Shu sneered, her eyes gradually became crazy, "Unfortunately, she still doesn't understand this palace enough. This palace wants to do it. When did things fail? Even if she died, it was impossible."

Concubine Shu stood up, and in a blink of an eye she regained the appearance of the concubine Shu that everyone in the harem was familiar with: "Come here, please."