coobybook Chapter 306 Threat to Enter the Palace
Chapter 306 Threat to Enter the Palace
When Zhao Fangyu entered the palace, the palace maids along the way seemed to dare not even move their eyes, and the atmosphere seemed tense.
In the past, it was Lan Ye who came to the palace gate to pick up Zhao Fangyu, but now a strange female official came to pick him up. Zhao Fangyu showed nothing on his face, but he was still worried in his heart whether something had happened in Yanyun Palace.
Only after arriving at the place and seeing the personnel configuration in Yanyun Palace did Zhao Fangyu breathe a sigh of relief.
Meng Yanzhen's pregnancy was not looking good, and the emperor particularly favored her, so everyone in Yanyun Palace served her attentively.
I heard that there were a few people who were not serious about the work and were noticed by the emperor. They were directly exiled to the Ye Ting and were not even accepted into the Shang Gong Bureau. They could only do hard labor in the Ye Ting for the rest of their lives.
The main lady in Yanyun Palace, Meng Yanzhen, is pregnant, and because of the previous experience with Li Shumin, Zhao Fangyu is one of the few family members the emperor is willing to let Meng Yanzhen see.
Meng Yanzhen was wearing a beige Shu brocade dress with white plum blossoms in the snow, a tube top with peony flowers and a light and comfortable folded skirt. Even though she was pregnant, she was still extremely beautiful.
It is totally unlike some ladies who become bloated once they get pregnant.
Meng Yanzhen was pregnant and needed someone to accompany her everywhere. However, there were six palace maids standing at the three doors leading to the entrance.
Meng Yan was embroidering a bellyband for her unborn baby. When she saw Zhao Fangyu coming, she waved at the door and the maids went downstairs.
Lan Ye stepped away from Meng Yanzhen and, as usual, took a few of Meng Yanzhen's maids to guard the room.
These extra palace maids and eunuchs who were sent to guard the palace were all people transferred by the emperor from the Shanggong Bureau, and one of them was an old mother who came from the imperial court.
However, to this day, the entire Yanyun Palace is under the control of Meng Yanzhen, so it is still relatively safe.
The two sisters were whispering to each other, while Nong Bo was talking to Lan Ye.
In the room, the two sisters were whispering to each other through their actions.
Zhao Fangyu rarely enters the palace, and Meng Yanzhen has rarely received news from outside the palace these days. First, there was the Chenzhou case. Although it had little to do with the harem, the harem was closely related to the previous dynasty, so it was inevitable that there would be panic.
Then something happened in the Northern Pacification Office again. The palace was under complete martial law and an investigation was carried out inside and outside. One of the maids who was originally delivering the information was accidentally killed.
Later, rumors about the third prince arose again, and the entire palace was investigating. Meng Yanzhen was fine because he didn't use information much in normal times, so after several rounds of screening, nothing was found. The emperor was inevitably more satisfied with Meng Yanzhen.
"A lot of people have died in the palace in recent days, and everyone is keeping a close watch on the situation."
Zhao Fangyu understood that these two things were related to her family. The fact that she was able to get through the investigation safely showed that she had real roots in the palace.
"Where is the Third Prince's mother...is there any movement?"
The third prince was involved in the Chenzhou case. Originally, the third prince planned to go to the Qian-Gan border to redeem himself and return to the court. However, he was plotted against by the Cui family and ended up in the current situation.
With the imperial concubine's personality, it makes no sense for her to do nothing.
Meng Yanzhen chuckled, "It's not that I didn't make any moves, but as soon as I tried to make a move, I was caught by the Queen. Later, when the Jinyiwei investigated, it was revealed again. If it wasn't for the Third Prince's face, he would have been sent to the cold palace directly."
The third prince's biological mother was desperate and tried every possible means, but she forgot that her favor was no longer as great as before, and now was no longer the time for her to act arrogantly.
Nothing lasts forever. Even Meng Yanzhen, who is now the most powerful, is cautious. If she makes a lot of noise, she will naturally die the fastest.
Zhao Fangyu asked the Jinyiwei a few more questions, and Meng Yanzhen took the initiative to say:
"When you were imprisoned, your family pushed Pei Yan when Jiang Qianchi stepped down in order to protect you and make plans for the future. Later, his two brothers returned the favor and took good care of me in the palace, and took the initiative to send me news several times."
Zhao Fangyu had not expected this, but since the two brothers of the Pei family had come to power, with the help of their own family, this would be easy to deal with.
The soybean-sized Jiaodounu is Ni'er's favorite snack. Because it is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive to make, Meng Yanzhen usually does not allow him to use it.
Zhao Fangyu held the delicate silver stick, slowly poked the soft bean with a crispy shell onto the silver stick, and put it into his mouth.
Each soybean-sized dumpling is filled with soft bean paste, and some are filled with sour and sweet pickled plum cubes.
The sweet ones taste sweet, and the refreshing ones taste crispy.
The things that can be sent to Yanyun Palace are naturally the most elaborately made.
Not only Ni'er likes it, but Zhao Fangyu also likes it.
After eating a few, Zhao Fangyu couldn't help but smile. It was true that eating sweets would make people happy. The next moment, the words spoken by this soft face made Meng Yanzhen gasp.
"If there is a chance, it would be best to bring them both under my command."
"If not, I'll have to trouble my cousin to find a way to get a token from Pei De."
Zhao Fangyu said it lightly, as if it was something that could be easily done, but
Meng Yanzhen looked at Zhao Fangyu in surprise, and after confirming that she was not joking, he couldn't help but reach out and touch Zhao Fangyu's forehead.
"It's broad daylight, why are you talking nonsense?"
Zhao Fangyu put the Jiaodou Nu into his mouth and went to the imperial kitchen to order another portion.
"Sister, there are a lot of good things here. I'll bring some back to Sister Shu."
Zhao Fangyu did not answer, but her meaning was obvious, she was really not joking.
Meng Yan really didn't know what to say. This was too difficult.
Then he thought of the chaos in the capital city, and it seemed that Zhao Fangyu was the shadow behind them.
A bold guess came to Meng Yanzhen's mind. Before Meng Yanzhen said anything, he touched his round belly to comfort the restless child.
Then he said in a very low voice: "I'll try my best."
The palace was not in a position to reveal the reason, but the fact that Zhao Fangyu could come to the palace in person to tell her these things must mean that there must be some huge involvement behind it.
Zhao Fangyu did not intentionally enter the palace to cause trouble for Meng Yanzhen.
"Don't worry, cousin. If Pei De doesn't agree, his brother's life will be taken by Hanging Wall."
Of the two brothers of the Pei family, Pei Yan is Pei De's heaven. If Pei Yan dies, then Pei De's heaven will really fall.
Speaking of which, Pei Yan once saved Pei De's life. The two grew up together, and Pei De had been Pei Yan's little follower since childhood.
As soon as he heard that Pei Yan was in danger, he would definitely take the bait.
The two brothers are each other's weaknesses, and they are also the only two remaining male members of the Pei family who are still in the Jinyiwei.
Meng Yanzhen paused, tapped the table lightly, and thought about it. He felt that it was feasible, but it would be better if there was some help: "Is there any evidence to support it?"
It is hard to believe that they can just say that the other person's brother's life is in their hands.
Zhao Fangyu shook his head: "There is no proof, but the cliff has now reached Chenzhou. He can't afford the gamble."
Mentioning the name Xuanbi, Meng Yanzhen still had some impression, because Ni'er especially liked to play with Zhou Qinghe, the good-tempered second brother. Meng Yanzhen knew the second prince quite well, because he often went in and out of the palace, and Ni'er liked Zhou Qinghe, so he had also heard of Xuanbi who followed Zhou Qinghe every day.
Seeing that Zhao Fangyu continued to eat Jiaodounu peacefully, Meng Yanzhen thought that she had won the battle and couldn't help but feel relieved about the matter.
"In that case, that's fine."
If you have leverage, your chances of winning are always greater.
The most important things have been discussed, and the rest are some family matters. In fact, when Zhao Fangyu thought of this trick, she thought it would be best to let her meet Pei De, but these days, the Hewang Mansion has been too conspicuous, so it is better to wait for Pei De to come to her.
Soon, Ni'er came over following the scent of Jiaodou Nu, and kept sticking to Sister-in-law Zhao Fangyu, calling her sister-in-law all the time.
Zhao Fangyu gave the remaining half plate of Jiaodou Nu to Ni'er, and asked someone to go to the imperial kitchen to get two plates, one for himself and one for Shu Jie'er.
This thing can only be made in the palace, no one can make it outside of this place.
Zhao Fangyu was not polite to Meng Yanzhen, and Meng Yanzhen also liked her straightforward style.
Moreover, since Zhao Fangyu had moved against the Jinyiwei, she could only win the battle for the throne and not lose. Otherwise, the Jinyiwei would inform the new emperor, and even with the Longxi Li family, she would have a hard time getting away.
Meng Yanzhen never expected Ni'er to ascend the throne. The emperor's health was getting worse year by year. The eldest prince stationed troops, the third prince embezzled disaster relief funds, the fourth prince was disabled, the sixth prince's reputation was ruined, and the seventh prince married Princess Sana of the Musky tribe...
The older children in front are mostly useless, but the third prince is favored by the emperor, the second prince has the Li family behind him, and the fifth prince is tepid and has no sense of existence. Sometimes you really can't even remember that he exists.
The fifth prince's biological mother was one of the four concubines. She was also a concubine with no sense of existence in the palace and was bedridden all year round.
"Pay more attention to the Fifth Prince."
Zhao Fangyu hummed, intending to check it out after he went out. The next moment, he heard Meng Yanzhen say, "After several rounds of screening in the palace, apart from me, the fifth prince's biological mother was the safest one. She was even assassinated by someone. In the medicine bag she took all year round, cobalt blue grass, which conflicts with the original medicine, was placed."
Zhao Fangyu's eyes moved slightly: "What a coincidence?"
What a coincidence, despite being frail, he was able to hold the position of the Four Concubines for many years. From the first to the seventh, only the Fifth Prince was healthy and grew up safely until now. Even when the Sixth Prince was almost sentenced to death for joining the army, the Fifth Prince was able to safely become a prince...
At this critical moment when everyone is in danger, she is like a lotus in clear water, not only is she untainted by the mud, but because she is too innocent, she is implicated...
Zhao Fangyu didn't believe that there would be such a pure and harmless woman in the harem. A person without ability couldn't even give birth to a child. The Fifth Prince could grow up to this day, and it must be due to the protection of this lady behind him.
Zhao Fangyu turned her eyes to the window, and seeing that it was getting late, she was about to leave. She turned around and saw Meng Yanzhen was about to stand up to see her off, so she said it was not necessary.
"If there is a chance, cousin, please help Concubine Li without endangering yourself."
After all, she is Zhou Qinghe's mother. It would not be good for them to enjoy a good life outside while the mother-in-law is treated harshly in the palace.
Meng Yanzhen nodded in agreement and insisted on sending Zhao Fangyu out. When he reached the door, he said, "Please tell my mother that everything is fine in the palace. If I'm pregnant, don't tell her."
Zhao Fangyu knew that she was doing this for others to see, so he was not surprised. He just followed her words and said, "Of course, if my aunt has any news, I will definitely come to tell you. Only if you are well, she will feel at ease."
With Zhao Fangyu's departure, Yanyun Palace became quieter again. Ni'er was still reluctant to leave, but when she heard that she would come back after a while, she stopped complaining.
Then, not long after Zhao Fangyu walked out of Yanyun Palace, he met the queen who was being escorted out of the palace in a sedan chair on the palace road.
Zhao Fangyu stood at the edge of the palace road and saluted the empress. The empress had just returned from somewhere and looked extremely tired, with a pale face.
"It's a rare opportunity for you to come to the palace to accompany her. There aren't many of her family members left in the capital. If you have time, come to the palace more often to accompany Concubine Dan."
"It just so happens that the wind is strong now, so you can go to the palace and save yourself the trouble."
Zhao Fangyu nodded his head and agreed, saying that he would enter the palace to accompany Concubine Dan after the birth, and then he sent the Queen away.
It was a very ordinary conversation, but only the Queen and Zhao Fangyu knew that this was no ordinary encounter.
The situation outside was tense, and the Queen specifically called her into the palace to accompany Concubine Dan to clear her suspicion, which meant that the Emperor was probably still suspicious of Zhao Fangyu.
The emperor's suspicion does not need to be justified.
Fortunately, Zhao Fangyu was born into a noble family and had a mistress who loved her very much. Otherwise, if she were an unfavored one, she would have been in the coffin long ago.
Zhao Fangyu returned home and sent Jiaodou Nu to Shu Jie'er's room. After watching Shu Jie'er finish her homework for the day, he went back to his own room to write the invitation to the beauties.
The ink licked onto the white paper little by little. She was the only one in the room. It was quiet enough for her to think deeply.
Zhao Fangyu was wondering where else she had exposed her flaws, and where else she could be exploited...
She couldn't plan everything for the best. Even though she came here early and had enough understanding of this feudal era, she still couldn't fully integrate into this era.
She is like a husky disguised among wolves. Even though they look similar, their essences are different. So no matter how similar they are, they can never be completely the same kind of people.
But the only thing that can make people feel fortunate is that she has learned to be cruel and to kill people. She has learned to combine her desires with external things little by little. Her actions are not fair and aboveboard, but for her at this moment, being effective is enough.
Zhao Fangyu did not enter the palace again. Cui Fu came to see her every few days, and her body gradually recovered. Her previously pale complexion now had some vitality, and she finally no longer looked as thin as paper, which made people fear that she had already stopped breathing.
The Nanzhao caravan is speeding up its exploration, the underground palace in Jiangnan is being excavated, everyone in the fourteen states is now a mistress, and the fragrant dew of the Nanzhao caravan is sold all over Daliang because of Qianjinlou.
The gold came like water and went like water, back and forth, as if it had only passed through Zhao Fangyu's hands for a short time.
Food outside Daliang is not so easy to buy. Whether it is the subsequent wars or the future internal strife, food is the key.
Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time, otherwise she really wanted to get involved in the shipping business and find out high-yield crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes.
But unfortunately, there was not enough time.
"Princess, there's an urgent letter from the shop downstairs."