Bongjun's Life and Death Tribulation

In Yonghe Palace, all the eunuchs and maids were busy moving things from Kunning Palace, Chu Xiran seemed very calm about returning to live in Yonghe Palace.

"Master? Really don't need to ask the emperor for clarification?" Xiao Shunzi accompanied him with some anxiety.

"What are you asking? Are you asking why he asked me to move out of Kunning Palace? Or why he wants to accept a noble concubine? Or ask him directly, do you still want me as a queen?" Chu Xiran sighed, Looking at the figures coming and going outside the window, he said helplessly: "If he really doesn't want me as a queen, it's easy to handle. At worst, I'll just slap my ass and leave! I'm afraid it's because of other reasons. Even if I want to leave now, I will leave." worried!"

"The emperor's recent behavior is quite different from the past, and even the servants find it strange." Xiao Shunzi said that He Lan Ruoming missed the morning court for several days in a row.

Chu Xiran was thinking about it, when suddenly he saw a familiar eunuch rush in, greeted him and said, "My lord, something happened to the crown prince!"

"What?" Chu Xiran was startled, and only then remembered that the little eunuch was working in Yuqing Palace, "Tell me clearly, what's wrong with the prince?"

"The prince hasn't seen the emperor for several days, so he was thinking hard, so he quietly ran to the Qianqing Palace to look for the emperor, but he bumped into the emperor and Concubine Xiang..." The little eunuch's tongue circled, his words were a little vague, Chu Xiran immediately understood what he meant, and felt that it was time for the crown prince to disturb He Lan Ruoming's romantic and happy life.

"What about after that?" Chu Xiran's face darkened.

"The emperor kicked the prince in a fit of anger, and fined him not to leave Yuqing Palace for a month! The prince is young, but his temper is very stubborn, and he refuses to bow his head to admit his mistake. Now he is still kneeling at the gate of Qianqing Palace! The slave looks at the sky He is about to change his face, if there is a thunderstorm and it rains, the prince is delicate and fleshy, what should I do?"

Chu Xiran glanced at the sky outside, and saw that there were dark clouds and a cool breeze, and it seemed that there would be a thunderstorm in a short time.Thinking that the crown prince Helan Ruoxi was only eight years old, he felt angry and anxious.

"Since I have been working with the prince, I have never seen the emperor get so angry with the prince. In the past, there were small reprimands, but no matter what, everyone knows that the emperor loves the prince. I really don't know how it is today. The servant was so anxious that he didn't know what to do, so he could only come and beg the queen to let the prince decide."

"Get up, it's more important to go to the Qing Palace as soon as possible!"

Chu Xiran didn't even have time to change her clothes, so she hurriedly led a group of people towards Qianqing Palace.

After passing the Qianqing Gate, walking along the white marble corridor to the gate of the Qianqing Palace, I saw the prince's small body kneeling outside the hall, with his back straight and unconvinced.Chu Xiran stepped forward quickly, squatted down and took a look, and saw He Lan Ruoxi's face was dripping with tears, and the right cheek was still a little red and swollen, but he insisted on not crying out.

"Who hit you?" Chu Xiran's anger surged up.

"Father beat me!" Seeing Chu Xiran coming, Crown Prince He Lanruoxi pursed his lips, a sense of grievance welled up in his heart, and he threw himself into his arms crying, "Father, Father doesn't love my son anymore!" Is it? My son came to Qing Palace only because he missed his father, but he would rather accompany that concubine than his son! Is it wrong for me to miss my father? Why beat my son! My son refuses to obey!"

Faced with the tearful accusation of an eight-year-old child, Chu Xiran's heart was disturbed, and he only wiped the tears from He Lan Ruoxi's face and comforted him: "Qi'er, go back to the palace with father and queen first, okay?"

"But the father said that without an oral order, the minister can't get up." He Lanruoxi stretched out his arm and wiped his nose, trying to suppress his sobs.

"Okay, Empress Father will ask for this oral order for you!" Chu Xiran got up and stepped on the steps, and was about to enter the main hall of Qianqing Palace, when the guards at the side immediately stretched out their arms to block the door.

"Get out of the way, don't let me say it a second time!" Chu Xiran gave them a cold look, and continued to walk a few steps in. The two guards were stunned. To be honest, they couldn't see what happened today, but they Do not disobey the emperor's decree.

"Queen, please stop!" The guard on the left was about to draw his sword, but heard a high-pitched eunuch's voice approaching, "Master, can I ask the slave to pass it on for you?"

The person who came out was Xiao Linzi, and he was holding a cup of bird's nest and chicken soup in his hand, apparently about to enter the palace.

Seeing that Xiao Linzi kept winking at him, Chu Xiran could only take a step back and said, "Let's pass it on."

"Master, wait a moment." Xiao Linzi pushed open the door of the palace and walked in. After a while, he came out again and said to Chu Xiran, "Master, the emperor announces you to enter the palace."

Xiao Linzi led Chu Xiran all the way to the East Nuan Pavilion, then leaned over behind the screen and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived."

"Come in." He Lan Ruoming's calm voice came out.

Chu Xiran walked around the screen, and saw that He Lan Ruoming was wearing only a yellow inner garment and Xiang Guifei was half leaning on the bed. Xiang Guifei had undressed, with long black hair and only a purple cloak on her body. The red outer shirt faintly reveals the big red bellyband inside.

Chu Xiran looked at Concubine Xiang without hesitation. Although her appearance was not the best in the harem, her enchanting aura was very seductive.

"Empress, have you seen enough?" He Lan Ruoming picked up the quilt and wrapped it up for Concubine Xiang, then put down his feet, waiting for Xiao Linzi to put on his shoes for him.

Chu Xiran withdrew his eyes, looked at He Lan Ruoming who hadn't looked at him all this time, his heart became cold again, and said softly: "The emperor is so elegant, he hides in the bedroom during the day to enjoy the blessing of a beauty, but let the age The little prince is kneeling outside, I don’t know when the emperor is going to let the prince kneel down? The concubines can also wait for the time to call the imperial doctor for the prince.”

"Is the queen blaming me?" He Lan Ruoming raised his voice and said dissatisfiedly: "As a prince, he ignores the rules of the palace, breaks into the Qianqing Palace, and even speaks disrespectfully to the noble concubine. Why shouldn't I punish him? Or, the prince Those nonsense were taught by the queen?"

Hearing this, Chu Xiran finally understood that it turned out that He Lan Ruoming was angry and punished the prince because he might offend Xiang A Duo because the prince said some nasty words.

"Oh? What did the prince say? Why don't the emperor tell the concubines?" Chu Xiran smiled coldly, seeing He Lan Ruoming staring at him, he said again: "The concubines really don't know what the prince said. But what kind of concubines are uploaded by the court, but they have to know.

"The concubine waits for the emperor in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the morning, and in the imperial study room in the afternoon, but what about the emperor? Has the emperor counted the number of days he has not gone to court? Have you ever seen that the piles of papers in the imperial study room are faster than hills?" It’s too high! Has the emperor ever paid attention to it? Could it be that after the emperor conferred the title of noble concubine, he planned to become a foolish emperor who said, "The spring night is bitter and the day is high, and the king will never go to court early"!"

Chu Xiran's words were very serious, but every sentence made sense. Even if He Lanruo Minggui was the emperor, he couldn't argue.

"Please punish the concubine's crimes, Queen." Concubine Xiang suddenly rushed out and knelt on the ground, her weak shoulders looked pitiful, but it seemed that Chu Xiran had bullied her.

"Concubine Xiang, do you think that I really dare not punish you for your crime?"

"How dare you!" He Lan Ruoming stood up and shouted in front of Xiang A Duo.

Chu Xiran looked at him from head to toe, looked around three times, and then sighed: "Your Majesty, don't forget, the harem is ruled by the concubines!"

He Lan Ruoming replied with a sinister smile: "Queen, don't forget that I am the emperor, I can give you the throne, or take it back."

"Oh? Did the emperor forget this?" Chu Xiran took out the white jade dragon and phoenix heart pendant from his bosom, and presented it in front of He Lan Ruoming, "Does the emperor still recognize it?"

"This is..." A trace of confusion flashed in He Lan Ruoming's eyes, and he looked back at A Duo as if asking for help.

"The emperor really forgot the jade pendant that he personally bestowed to his concubines four years ago?" Chu Xiran took the jade pendant back into his arms, but there was a softness in his eyes. Yes. The emperor said at that time that the jade pendant had a dragon and phoenix totem on the front and the words "Queen of Tiancheng" on the back, which symbolized that the concubine was the only queen of Tiancheng. The courtiers and concubines were abolished.

"The emperor also said that you will keep Tiancheng's successor for me, and you will wait for me to come back in a year, two years, or ten or twenty years. Could it be that the emperor also forgot?"

He Lan Ruoming didn't answer, just looked at Chu Xiran's deep and bright eyes, as if being sucked in.

"Now the concubine is back, but the emperor doesn't remember?" Chu Xiran took a step forward, approaching He Lan Ruoming, and said with a slight smile, "Everything the concubine said just now, the emperor is also in front of the court. All the ministers have made decrees in front of them, so even if the emperor has the heart to abolish the empress, he can't abolish it, unless the concubines don't want to be the empress anymore!"

He Lan Ruoming looked at Chu Xiran who was suddenly approaching, his eyes that were full of hostility gradually softened, and then he hesitated for a while. Just when he was at a loss, Chu Xiran said again: "Ruoming, don't tell me that every four years has passed? Have you all forgotten?"

"Xi Ran..." He Lan Ruoming blurted out two words, just as he was lost in thought, his heart felt a familiar colic pain, he had to cover his heart and go back to sit on the side of the bed, gasping for breath, his face was so painful Twitching.

"Your Majesty!" Xiang A Duo immediately rushed forward and hugged He Lan Ruoming, while patting his back to appease him, "Your Majesty, the old injury is not healed, so don't get angry, beware of relapse!"

During this tugging, He Lan Ruoming loosened the skirt of his inner jacket a few inches to both sides. Chu Xiran caught a glimpse of the scar on his chest, was taken aback, and immediately realized that it was on the battlefield, where He Lan sacrificed his life to save him. I didn't expect the scar to be so obvious after so many years.

"Xiao Linzi, go to the imperial doctor Xuan quickly."

Chu Xiran's throat was astringent, and he stepped forward worriedly. He didn't want to take a step closer when he heard He Lan Ruoming yelling: "Get out, I don't want to see you!"

"Your Majesty!" Seeing that he seemed to be in more pain, Chu Xiran suddenly stopped, thought for a while, and then took a few steps back, seeing that He Lan Ruoming's face looked better.He Lan Ruoming's angina seemed to be related to his closeness, Chu Xiran thought of this, and looked at A Duo.

Xiang A Duo seemed to know that Chu Xiran was looking at him, so he slightly raised his head and looked back at him, "Queen, the emperor is not feeling well, let's talk about other things later."

"In the future? How long will the prince be kneeling?" Chu Xiran asked coldly.

"Allow him to go back to the palace!" He Lan Ruoming slowed down, his face was still a little pale, he waved his hands softly, and said, "I'm going to rest."

"The concubine thanked the emperor for forgiveness on behalf of the prince."

Although he was still a little worried about He Lan Ruoming, Chu Xiran knew that he could not act rashly until he got the news from Leishan County, so he finally took a look at the two people in the room, and asked Xiao Linzi to take good care of him, and then walked out Qianqing Palace hugged the kneeling prince in his arms and hurried back to Yonghe Palace.

The next day, the emperor made a decree to move the bedroom to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, to live in the East Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and to set up the Pavilion of West Nuan to handle government affairs. Hall, but also keep the Kunning Palace as the main hall of the imperial concubine.After the decree, there was another commotion in the harem. There was no doubt that the noble concubine was favored, and the brows of the other concubines in the palace frowned even tighter following the news.

"Master, your concubine, concubine Li, please see me." Xiao Shunzi interrupted Chu Xiran who was in a daze.

"What's the matter?"

"I just said that I came to say hello to the master."

"Let them come in." Chu Xiran knew that these two women must have done more than just greet her, but if they didn't announce it, they probably wouldn't give up easily.

"My concubine pays her respects to the empress, and the empress is blessed!" Your concubine Mu Yun and Li concubine Huo Fei'er saluted together.

"Queen, now that the imperial concubine favors the harem alone, so that the emperor abolishes the early court for days, it is a disaster! The empress should punish the imperial concubine for seductively seducing the Lord according to the harem rules!" It was the noble concubine who said this.

"Oh? Then according to your opinion, what should be the sentence?" Chu Xiran took the tea bowl handed over by Xiao Shunzi, lifted the lid and only lowered his head to smell it, then put the tea lid back on and put it aside.

"If it's light, you'll be thrown into the cold palace, if it's heavy, it's a foot of white silk!" Your concubine didn't even bat an eye when she said this.

Chu Xiran snorted coldly in his heart, but with an easy-going smile on his face, he turned to Concubine Li and asked, "Concubine Li, tell me your opinion."

"According to what the concubine thinks, it is better to send her out of the palace. Firstly, Xiang Guifei was brought back to the palace by the emperor himself. The origin is not clear, so it is most appropriate to send her out of the palace; secondly, if Xiang Guifei is bestowed dead, the queen will be left behind." It even aroused the resentment of the emperor."

Chu Xiran nodded noncommittally, and said, "Go down first, I have my own opinion."

"Queen..."

The noble concubine still wanted to speak, but she heard Li concubine say leisurely: "The concubine will take my leave first."

"The concubine has also resigned." Seeing Concubine Li leave, Concubine Gui rolled her eyes and followed suit.

After the two left the Yonghe Palace, Chu Xiran raised the tea bowl on one side and took a sip, then asked Xiao Shunzi, "What do you think?"

Xiao Shunzi has been rolling around in the harem with Chu Xiran for ten years, and naturally he is not a fuel-efficient lamp. He smiled and said, "From my servant's point of view, your concubine has the heart to kill two birds with one stone, and she is ruthless in doing things. It's a pity that she's not very smart, but Li Pin has a careful mind and her words are provocative, so she needs to be on guard."

"Your concubine wants me to die to your concubine, but the emperor will be furious if this happens, and they will naturally benefit from it; Li Concubine's words have revealed your concubine's mind, she looks kind, and her words are also aimed at me, the queen, but... Will the emperor not blame me if Xiang Guifei leaves the palace?" Chu Xiran shook his head and smiled for a while, then stood up and walked to the window, but his thoughts drifted far away, only to hear him sigh and say: "Xiao Shunzi, do you still remember Yao Xiran, the nobleman of Yao?"

"Remember." Seeing his master's appearance, Xiao Shunzi knew that he remembered the sad past, "It's been so many years, master, don't take it to heart."

"Don't you think it is very similar to the past now? Xiang A Duo was brought back by the emperor himself, and he was only favored in the harem. It is exactly the same as Yao Guiren's situation. The only difference is that Yao Guiren is a man, while Xiang A Duo is a woman. .”

Chu Xiran pondered for a moment, and then said: "A woman is indeed more suitable to rule the harem than me. If she has no problems and the emperor really empathizes with him, then I will willingly hand over the Phoenix Seal and then leave the palace to live in seclusion. In the mountains and forests, continue to live the ordinary life before. I believe that one day, I will forget it."

"master……"

"However, things are not that simple now. His words and deeds are completely opposite to those in the past, and the matter of the prince also makes me worry. I always feel that things are getting weirder and weirder." Chu Xiran raised his eyebrows The lock was deeper, "He used to block the sword for me with the body of the emperor, and almost lost his life. Now, let me guard the harem for him. No matter how hard it is, I will endure until the day when the truth comes out."

A few days later, news came back from the shadow guard.The shadow guard who came back was called Ying Ye, and he was one of the two shadow guards who stayed in Leishan County to investigate. To Chu Xiran's surprise, it was Ying Yue who came with Ying Ye.

"Yingyue, why are you here too?" Seeing Yingyue standing in front of her, Chu Xiran felt even more uneasy.

"Back to the queen, it is about the safety of the emperor. As the head of the shadow guards, Yingyue is duty-bound. Besides, the emperor ordered before his disappearance that all the shadow guards should obey the queen's orders. After the report from Shadow Leaf, the master has to decide." Yue pushed Yingye beside her, and said in a low voice, "Say it."

"Yes." Ying Ye, who was also wearing a bronze mask, took a step forward and told the facts one by one, "There are many branches of the Miao people in the west of Hunan. Among the mature seedlings that have been Sinicized, the most inaccessible and deeply hidden ones are the Gu seedlings.

"According to my subordinates and Yingfeng's separate investigations, I learned that Baha Miao village is just an ordinary Miao village, and they don't know Gu skills. The Miao people in the village get along well with the Han people in Leishan County, and they often communicate with each other.

"However, three years ago, a man in the Miao Village in Baha provoked a Gu seedling outside. He was poisoned and almost died. Fortunately, a passing Miao man saved him, and this Miao man from a foreign land is now Great wizard. The old village owner valued him very much, and the people in the village would seek medical treatment from the great wizard regardless of their serious or minor illnesses, so this great wizard with a mysterious origin has a high status.

"After asking many people, my subordinates found out that except for the old village master, almost no one has seen the real face of the great wizard. The subordinates and Yingfeng felt strange, so they searched around, and only found out the Gu technique of the great wizard Very powerful, but his origin has never been found.”

"He knows how to use Gu?" Hearing this, Chu Xiran already knew in his heart, "Did he cast the Gu himself or did he teach A Duo to do it?"

"Returning to the master, judging from the situation of the emperor, it should be that he has been hit by the peach blossom Gu. The person who has been infected by this Gu will be completely devoted to the person who cast the Gu, and once he is tempted by others, he will be backlashed by the Gu poison, causing angina and pain, just like ten thousand ants gnawing at the heart. So , this Gu should be directed at A Duo."

"But the emperor doesn't seem to remember much about the past, is this related to peach blossom Gu?"

"The subordinates don't know either, maybe it's related, maybe it's other witchcraft."

"Is there a solution to the Peach Blossom Gu?"

"This..." Ying Ye lowered his head and replied, "I haven't found a way to undo the Gu yet, so Ying Feng will continue to stay in Leishan County to look for it."

"Yingyue, if you send more people to Xiangxi, it's not limited to Leishan County, you must inquire about any place where there are Miao villages."

"Yes!"

"How did the emperor appear in Baha's cottage, can we find out?" Chu Xiran continued to look at Yingye and asked.

"It was only found out that Xiang A Duo saw the injured and unconscious emperor on the mountain, so he went back to the village to find someone to help carry the emperor back to the Miao Village. On the surface, it seemed that Xiang A Duo and the people from Baha Miao Village did indeed save the emperor. , but the strange thing is that Leishan is some distance from the place where the emperor was assassinated, how did the emperor escape there alone and then passed out?"

"It seems that only the emperor and Xiang A Duo can answer this question for us." A hint of chilling flashed in Chu Xiran's eyes, "Send people to watch outside the Baha Miao village, especially the old village owner and the great wizard. Report any abnormalities immediately.”

"Yes!"

After Yingyue and Yingye left, Xiao Shunzi dimmed the candle and waited for Chu Xiran to fall asleep.

Unexpectedly, he didn't sleep for a long time when he was woken up by the noise outside. He sat up abruptly, called Xiao Shunzi and asked, "What's the noise outside?"

"Master, it's the young eunuch from Yuqing Palace who broke into Yonghe Palace at night."

"Inside the Prince's Palace? Pass it on quickly!"

Xiao Shunzi brought the eunuch who was stopped into Dongnuan Pavilion, the little eunuch was the one during the day, and saw him kneeling on the ground with a plop, crying, "I beg the queen to save your highness the crown prince!"

"What's wrong?" Chu Xiran asked anxiously while sitting on the bedside wearing a coat.

"The prince is poisoned!"

"What?!" Chu Xiran was so frightened that his hands and feet were cold, he shouted, "Why don't you pass on Doctor Yu?"

"The imperial doctors who are on duty at night are all in the imperial pharmacy of the Nansan Institute. The position of the slaves is low, and they cannot enter the Xiqing Gate without a handbook. So the slaves just went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to ask for the handbook of the emperor, but they were blocked at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Come out, the slave can only come to find the queen master!"

"Xiao Shunzi, take your badge and call the imperial doctor to the Palace of Yuqing! Who dares to stop and kill Wushe!" Chu Xiran was completely sleepless at the moment, with sparks in his eyes, "Others just follow suit." I am going to Yuqing Palace!"

When they arrived at Yuqing Palace, they saw Prince Helan Ruoxi lying on the bed with a pale face, his whole body was hot and convulsed.Chu Xiran sat on the side anxiously, and after a while, Imperial Physician Zhou trotted in.

"You don't need to be too polite, let's see for the prince first, what kind of poison has been poisoned?"

Doctor Zhou wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, sat on the chair and took the prince's pulse, then rolled his eyelids, observed his five sense organs, and replied: "The queen, the prince is poisoned by datura flowers. Fortunately, I don’t eat much, so I can take it several times after decocting mung bean coat, silver flower, and licorice.”

"Go do it!"

"Yes, I'm going to grab the medicine now."

"Wait a minute, little Dezi." The little Dezi Chu Xiran was talking about was the little eunuch who broke into the Yonghe Palace at night.

"The slave is here."

"Accompany Imperial Physician Zhou to the imperial pharmacy to get medicine, Xiao Shunzi, and let someone set up a stove in the prince's palace to prepare the medicine!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Dezi received the order and hurried to the imperial pharmacy with Zhou Yuyi.

After a busy night, the prince finally got better after being fed several times of medicine, and Chu Xiran finally let go of his hanging heart.

"Doctor Zhou, what exactly is this mandala flower poison?" Chu Xiran still felt terrified when he recalled it.

"Returning to the Queen, Datura flower poison is the so-called love flower poison. This flower is sun-loving and grows on hillsides, river banks and other places. If you eat its seeds, fruits, leaves, or flowers by mistake, you will be poisoned. After a long time of poisoning, you will be poisoned. He fell into a coma and even died of breathlessness. Fortunately, the prince was not deeply poisoned, and he was discovered early, if it is delayed for a few hours, it will be dangerous."

"Understood." Chu Xiran nodded, and said again: "It's been hard work for Imperial Physician Zhou, you should go back and rest first, and I will call someone again if something happens."

"Empress Xie, I'm leaving." After the imperial doctor Zhou left, Chu Xiran followed Xiao Shunzi to close the gate of Yuqing Palace, and called the eunuchs and maids who were on duty all night in the palace to come to him.

"Xiao Dezi, you are the prince's personal eunuch, tell me, what did the prince eat tonight?"

"Master, after the prince finished his dinner, he didn't drink a bowl of white fungus soup until before going to bed." Xiao Dezi replied.

"Tremella soup? Whose hands have passed through it? Stand up for me." As soon as Chu Xiran finished speaking, she saw a eunuch and a court lady kneeling on the ground with a plop, and they were already trembling with fright.

"Don't be afraid, tell me who went to the imperial dining room, who picked it up and sent it to the prince's bedroom, did you meet anyone along the way?"

"Back to the queen, it's the imperial dining room where the slaves go. This is the prince's habit. He always drinks a small cup of soup before going to bed. Every time the slaves fetch it." The little eunuch kneeling on the left kowtowed back.

"What's your name? When did you enter the palace? How many years have you been with the prince?"

"Back to the queen, the slave is called Xiaoquanzi. He entered the palace at the age of 12 and has been serving the prince by his side. It has been three years."

"Did you meet anyone along the way?"

"no."

"What about you?" Chu Xiran asked the little maid on the right.

"Back to the queen, my maidservant is called Chun'er. She entered the palace at the age of 13 and Yuqing Palace at the age of 15. She has served the prince for two years. It was the maidservant who took the tremella soup from Xiaoquanzi and sent it to the prince's bedroom, and then handed it over to Xiaodezi. , I haven’t met anyone else during this period.”

"Empress, I suddenly remembered that when I first entered the imperial dining room, I saw the lady-in-waiting of your concubine bringing out a bowl of bird's nest porridge." Xiao Quanzi interjected.

"Your concubine?" Chu Xiran frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he glanced at the group of eunuchs and maids in front of him one by one, and said, "I have decided that from now on, the crown prince will move into Yonghe Palace to live with me. Good life to tidy up for the prince, and move the things that the prince often uses there after dawn. Xiao Dezi, you come with the prince, and everyone else stays in Yuqing Palace."