Palace Scheming: the Queen In the Cold Palace I

Chapter 49: The moon is not always full, the spring is easy to grow old (1)

"Miss, aren't we going to Fangyi Palace?" Under the dark night, Yun Qing walked directly to Jinfeng Palace accompanied by Bitao and Murong Chong.

Bitao held the lantern and watched the young lady becoming silent after coming out of Zhuhua Palace, and then walking straight in the direction of Jinfeng Palace, so she couldn't help but ask softly.

“No, let’s go back to the palace directly!” Yun Qing’s voice was cold, and Bi Tao was a little confused.

She knows that the young lady has always been very serious about her work, and that everything in the harem that she handles must be meticulous so that she can feel at ease. How could she ignore the selection banquet that is going on in the Fangyi Hall today?

 “But the Emperor is still in Fangyi Hall, if…”

A cold sneer appeared at the corner of Yun Qing's lips, and he interrupted: "It's okay, Xiao Taohong and Ling Ge are staying there, and they will take care of the rest!"

"Oh, miss, are you angry with the emperor?" Bi Tao felt that the miss was angry, and was very surprised. The usually calm miss seemed to be angry with someone.

As for Concubine Hua, Bi Tao knew the lady's temperament well, and no matter how cunning she was, the lady would not take it to heart.

Then, is it for the emperor? The emperor seemed to behave ambiguously towards the young lady in the main hall. Could it be that...

 “I’m not angry, I’m just feeling a little sentimental!” Thinking of that person, Yun Qing felt unhappy in his heart. She didn't know why she felt indescribably uncomfortable when she saw his cold expression.

 In fact, she knew that he must have seen through Concubine Hua's pretense to be so calm, but she couldn't accept that he could be so ruthless to a person she loved while trying to gain his affection.

 That night, Xiao Taohong came back and told Yunqing that the emperor looked bad after they left, and was not interested in the other women's performances afterwards. The dinner ended in a dull manner.

All the women tried their best to win the emperor's favor, but in the end, no one got the emperor's favor; although all of them received the emperor's rewards, no one was turned over by the emperor.

Yunqing listened to Xiao Taohong's reply without any change in his expression. He just nodded lightly and said he understood, then asked Xiao Taohong and the others to retreat and rest.

The next day, Yunqing went to the Queen Mother's Palace to report the results of the emperor's selection. He heard that the emperor did not choose an attendant that night. The Queen Mother only frowned slightly and said nothing. Yunqing then discussed with the Queen Mother the matters of offering incense and worshiping Buddha for the royal family members on the first day of the next lunar month, and determined the members traveling that day, the amount of donations, the fasting ceremony, etc., as well as the carriages, escorts, and distribution tomorrow. Notices on the imperial list and other matters were handed over to Yunqing arrangers for processing.

 At dinner time, Yun Qing was about to eat when he saw Xuanyuan Ze coming to Jinfeng Palace.

There was a pleasant smile on his face, and he extended his hand to Yun Qing, who was saluting, to let him go. And Yun Qing quickly straightened up and backed away, with his usual light smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with coldness. Xuanyuan Ze's original smile froze slightly.

"Oh, I came at the right time. I can taste the delicious food in the Queen's Palace tonight." He couldn't figure out what Yun Qing's expression meant. He laughed deliberately and went straight to the table to eat as usual.

 Xiao Taohong and others were busy adding bowls and chopsticks in preparation for the emperor and empress to eat together.

"If the emperor likes the taste of the food here in Yunqing, Yunqing can send the imperial chef from Jinfeng Palace to the emperor's palace for the emperor's dispatch." After a faint response, Yunqing did not refuse, but quietly watched him raise his hand. Picking up vegetables with chopsticks.

His handsome face dimmed slightly, and Xuanyuan Ze's bright mood immediately disappeared. He couldn't help but smile, and his handsome eyes stared at her tightly, saying in a deep voice: "The queen seems unhappy to see me! She left me alone last night I don’t care about the affairs of Fangyi Palace; why is the queen still so indifferent to me today?”

"Yun Qing doesn't dare!" He smiled softly, and Yun Qing's smile was like a blooming snow lotus, cold and cold: "Yun Qing wanted to go to Fangyi Palace after sending sister Hua Fei back to the palace last night, but suddenly she had a headache. Feeling uncomfortable, I also thought that Fangyi Hall was a place where all the beauties competed for beauty. As the empress, if Yun Qing was not present, it would have no impact on the emperor's selection of beauties or on the beauties' performance, so Yun Qing returned to the palace first. As for today, the emperor only visited the Jinfeng Palace for a short time. Yun Qing strictly abided by the palace rules and did not attend the table without the emperor's permission. I wonder if the emperor is dissatisfied with Yun Qing for saying this? He knows his mistakes and corrects them immediately.”

Her voice was calm, her expression was gentle, and every word she spoke was sensible and reasonable, but to Xuanyuan Ze's ears, it didn't taste good at all.

Looking at her closely, he saw that her beautiful, clear eyes were just looking at him calmly. That kind of look was even more indifferent than before, making him frown and confused.

"Really?" He said in a doubtful voice. After he couldn't figure out the reason, he had to give up: "Does the Queen know what I want from you?"

"I don't know!" Listening to the still cold answer, Xuanyuan Ze suppressed his unhappiness and continued to laugh: "Haha, I came here to tell the queen some good news! This time, the emperor went to Guyang to make a great contribution to me. Today I received a letter from him quickly this morning, saying that the riots in the northwest were caused by Feng Lai's provocation against Tianque. Feng Lai originally wanted to take advantage of General Yuan's illness to attack the border secretly. If we did not send troops to suppress it, they would take advantage of it. Taking advantage of the turmoil, I invaded and swallowed up the northwest territory. Fortunately, the emperor's brother advocated for the suppression of the rebellion. As soon as he arrived in Guyang, he took the lead in letting the military divisions prepare for training. Otherwise, I fought a beautiful defensive battle on the night of Feng Lai's first invasion. This is the first time I will be harmed by those ministers who love comfort..."

Yun Qing raised her eyebrows and looked at Xuanyuan Ze who was talking happily. Her heart moved and she was secretly happy for the good news sent back by Xuanyuan Moyu.

After hearing what Xuanyuan Ze said, she only said to him lightly, "Your Majesty is blessed with great blessings and has made wise decisions. This victory at the border is really gratifying." Xuanyuan Ze's handsome eyes immediately sank. , the anger hidden in her heart was finally irritated by her perfunctory attitude.

"Pah!" He put down the jade chopsticks in his hand heavily. He looked at Yun Qing's expressionless face angrily, his chest rising and falling slightly, and said angrily: "Damn, what's your attitude? You're trying to make me angry on purpose, aren't you? "

 After finishing all the official duties, he came to see her with joy and longing in his heart.

 Her indifference went away last night, and he felt that she seemed to be angry with him. Although he didn't know why, he still wanted to see her.

He wanted to share his joy with her. He wanted to have this dinner with her happily. His bright and cheerful attitude was just to break the silence that she had been avoiding for the past two days.

But…

He can endure her retorts to him, he can endure her angry beautiful eyes looking directly at him arrogantly, he can endure her organizing talent shows for him and all the other things he is not keen on! However, he couldn't bear her being so cold, so disdainful and distant towards him.

 He couldn't understand why, despite all the efforts he had made, she not only failed to accept him at all, but instead rejected him more and more?

 He suddenly felt so tired of this tiring waiting! She even doubts herself. Will her heart really be able to tolerate her?

Xuanyuanze's "Damn it" scared Xiao Taohong and Bi Tao. They bowed their heads and knelt down, not daring to look at the emperor's finally furious face.

They could see that the young lady's attitude towards the emperor was more indifferent than before. They were also puzzled as to why the relationship between the young lady and the emperor had eased over the past few days, but why it suddenly became so tense again.

"Yunqing doesn't dare, please calm down the emperor!" Silently lowering his head, Yunqing ignored his angry face and just said lightly, "I wonder what the emperor wants Yunqing to do to satisfy him?"

 “Raise your head!” Xuanyuan Ze’s handsome eyes narrowed, and his voice contained a toughness that she could not refuse.

He didn’t believe that she didn’t know what she was angry about, let alone that she didn’t understand what he wanted from her.

"Yes!" Yun Qing didn't want to face his angry eyes, let alone figure out why he was angry. Wen Sheng just raised her face and looked at him obediently, but she saw that his eyes reflected deep frustration and sadness, as if some belief in his heart had been broken, and there was a kind of silent pain.

 Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated a little, her eyes flashed, but she still couldn't look into his eyes calmly.

"Why, the queen understands now, why am I angry?" His heart continued to sink. He regarded her actions that she did not dare to look at as a sign that she did not want to see him. He smiled self-deprecatingly at the corners of his lips, and his voice There was a trace of powerlessness.

After a long while, Yun Qing finally looked up at Xuanyuan Ze who was waiting for her response, and said calmly: "Your Majesty, please have your meal first. If you wait any longer, I'm afraid the food will be cold."

 “You!” Xuanyuanze’s heart froze, and he saw his own anger in her indifferent eyes.

She really has the ability to make him unable to control himself. Every time he faces her, his temper becomes uncontrollable, and he is always flustered and annoyed by her plain words.

 Damn it, she was driving him crazy.

Strutting up to Yun Qing, he stared intently at those calm and beautiful eyes, clenched his fists tightly, then without saying a word, he flicked his sleeves and walked away angrily.

The moment he stepped out of the palace door, he paused, turned his back to Yun Qing unwillingly, and said in a deep voice: "Even if you are angry, you should let me know the reason! You are rejecting me thousands of miles away like this, do you know? I also have a heart and it hurts!”

There was a sudden bang in his heart, and Yun Qing's eyelids twitched suddenly. The feeling that he had deliberately ignored was brought out by his clear reminder.

She is Yunqing, not Concubine Hua. If he wants to feel sorry for Concubine Hua, he should feel sorry for Concubine Hua. Why did he say these words to her.

 Ha, that’s ridiculous! Has his love actually transferred to himself?

He told himself so seriously last night that his infatuation only wanted to be given to one person. Could it be that he changed his mind so quickly and easily?

"There are so many melancholy feelings in life, the moon is not always round, and the beauty of spring is easy to grow old. Yun Qing really does not understand the emperor's heart! Yun Qing only saw that the emperor could be so indifferent last night when Concubine Hua was unwell. As an emperor who loves her deeply, how could he be so heartless if he had the intention?" Yun Qing sighed secretly, with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

 Whether he is affectionate or ruthless, it has nothing to do with her.

 She doesn’t want to understand him, let alone be confused by his affectionate and ruthless nature! He is the emperor, and he is only used to making all women feel sad for him, and how can he understand the pain those women will feel?

With his heart tightening, Xuanyuan Ze couldn't help but froze in place when he heard the metaphor in her words.

 The moon is not always round, and the spring scenery is easy to become old.

 He did not expect that she would be so concerned about her attitude towards Wan'er, which surprised him.

What she said probably means that her love for Wan'er is no longer as deep as before!

Perhaps she was right. Her performance last night was indeed a bit too calm. But she didn't know that after discovering some of Wan'er's schemes that he didn't want to face, how could he still love her as before?

"Do you think I am such a heartless person?" Xuanyuan Ze sighed in his heart and his voice was a little heavy.

He thought that with her intelligence, she should have been able to see last night that Wan'er had clearly knocked over the utensil on purpose!

At that time, the reason why he didn't blame Wan'er was because he wanted to take care of her face and didn't want to embarrass her too much. But Yun Qing, in her heart, has she become a ruthless and unjust person?

 After a long while, after hearing that the person behind him made no more noise, Xuanyuan Ze finally tightened his palms and left sadly.

 “Send you off to your Majesty!” The palace servants outside the palace knelt down to see him off, but Yun Qing stood there silently without turning around.

That night, Yunqing heard a Luanfeng chariot passing by outside the palace wall. The wind chimes were singing in the night as the wheels turned. It was so joyful that one could almost feel the joy and excitement of the people in the chariot.

At midnight, the bell started ringing again, and after a soft tinkling sound, the previous tranquility was restored again.

When Yun woke up the next day, Bi Tao informed Xiao Chongrong that he would go outside the palace to say hello early in the morning and was waiting respectfully for the queen to wake up and serve Xiaoxian tea.

Yun Qing looked calm and asked Bi Tao to dress up for him before going out to see Xiao Chongrong. As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw a beautiful and gorgeous woman sitting quietly in the hall. Seeing the queen coming, she immediately smiled coquettishly, stood up and respectfully greeted the queen, saying: "My concubine, Mrs. Xiao, meets the empress. Good luck to the empress!" "

"Xiao Chongrong is exempt from courtesy. From now on, you and I only need to be sisters, and there is no need to be so lavish." According to Tianque Palace regulations, all the emperor's women below the concubine should meet the emperor and empress as concubines. In the past, when all the beautiful women saw Yun Qing, they all called themselves ministers or people's daughters. Just like today, Xiao Yuran calls herself a concubine, which proves that she has now become the emperor's woman.

Yun Qing felt relieved and looked at her gently, but saw that her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her beautiful eyes were smiling, and there was a hint of ambiguous blush on her cheeks, and she was happily saluting Yun Qing again.

"Well, Bitao, bring the daily note." Yun Qing took a look at the waist tag handed over by Xiao Chongrong who looked shy, then ordered Bitao to bring the daily note, and carefully wrote it down for Xiao Yuran with a pen. The time of sleeping.

After chatting with her for a while, he asked Xiao Taohong to take out a pair of jade bracelets with red blood and red hearts and give them to her, and told her to serve the emperor well in the future and live in harmony among the sisters in the palace. Soon the masters of other palaces also followed suit. He came to pay his respects to the queen and congratulate Xiao Yuran. It was so lively all morning, and Yun Qing finally dismissed everyone, and it was rare for him to have some leisure time.

In the afternoon, she was busy with worshiping Buddha again, and ordered Ling Ge to take her golden seal to summon Murong Qian, the commander of the Imperial Forest Army, to arrange for the **** on the first day of the new year.

After the assassination incident during the last ancestor worship ceremony, Yun Qing believed that even though he was only in Tiancheng this time, he must not be careless. After all, the imperial list has been posted. If there are still people who want to harm the emperor, they will definitely not miss this opportunity.

She discussed with Murong Qian and Murong Chong in the meeting hall all afternoon, and agreed that Murong Qian would first send the imperial guards to clean up all the idle people inside and outside the Huangjue Temple, and guard the surroundings of the temple tightly, and no strangers would be allowed to enter.

When traveling, the first-class palace guards and the Yulin Imperial Army were sent to protect the safety of the emperor and the queen mother. The city guard army dispatched a small team of people to clear the way and clear the streets of people and passers-by to ensure smooth travel.

When they arrived at Huangjue Temple, all the imperial troops went to great lengths to protect the surroundings of the temple, while all the first-class guards were scattered around the emperor's personal bodyguards, not only to ensure the normal holding of the incense-burning and Buddha ceremony, but also to protect the safety of the emperor and the queen mother at all times. Everything must be done to prevent the last incident from happening again.

 “What about you, Madam?” After everything was agreed upon, Murong Qian remembered a detail that he almost missed, and couldn’t help but clasping his fists and asking.

"I should be with the Emperor and the Queen Mother at that time. Commander Murong does not need to worry. The Queen Mother will move her capable bodyguards to my side. I believe that if something happens, Murong Chong will protect me. And you will carry out the original plan. , No matter what, the safety of the Emperor and the Queen Mother comes first, do you understand?”

“Yes!” After hearing the Queen’s clear instructions, Murong Qian’s eyes lit up and he deeply appreciated the Queen’s decision.

 “The empress is thoughtful and thoughtful, and her subordinates admire her.” In Murong Qian’s opinion, the empress really has the ability to impress people. Not only is he brave, his strategy is also rare among women.

"Haha, Commander Murong still needs to worry about everything. I can talk about it on paper, but it is not enough in the face of changes. If Commander Murong needs to make changes, he only needs to make it clear to me, and there is no need to worry." Yun Qing smiled gently, looking at this man who looked similar to Murong Chong. The somewhat similar man also had a great liking for him.

This man was not as taciturn as Murong Chong, but his words were always to the point, and he was unique, which she admired very much.

It’s no wonder that he became the commander of the Royal Guards at such a young age. His ability not only reassured the Queen Mother, but also gained the Emperor’s utmost trust.

"I understand! Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to my high expectations and will do my best to complete the tasks assigned by Your Majesty." Murong Qian stood up and saluted respectfully. The respectful look on Murong Qian's face made Yun Qing nod with satisfaction and said: "Well, that's all thanks to Commander Murong! You go make arrangements first!"

 “Yes, I’m resigning!” With another salute, Murong Qian hurriedly exited the palace.

"Murong Chong, are you an elder brother or a younger brother?" Looking at Murong Qian's disappearing figure, the queen suddenly said something that Ling Ge didn't even react to.

 “Back to you, my dear, I am your younger brother!” Murong Chong responded quickly, as if he already knew his curiosity about Yun Qing.

"Haha, you two brothers are very interesting. You didn't even exchange a word when we met. If it weren't for your similar names and looks, I would never have thought that you two were brothers!" The queen shook her head, thinking of the three of them together just now. The two brothers didn't even say a word about the situation.

As the queen, she sat in front of them. She originally wanted the two of them to discuss together, but she didn't expect that the two of them would only have opinions to raise with her. They didn't say a word to each other, which really made her a little curious. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Isn't it because there is some dispute between you brothers?"

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Murong Chong was stunned for a moment, then nodded and acknowledged aloud under the queen's light and casual smile.

 “Oh, what’s that for?” the queen was curious.

 “This subordinate once killed the woman he loved most!” After pondering for a moment, Murong Chong lowered his handsome eyes and spoke in a calm tone. His casual words frightened the queen. The topic she didn't want to ask casually shocked her so much: "Why?"

Murong Chong had no expression on his face. He was not surprised to see the queen's surprise.

 The reason why he told the queen was because she was his current master. He won't hide anything from her, even private matters. As long as she asks, he will answer.

"That woman is the daughter of our father-killing enemy!" He said this coldly, and Murong Chong's calmness was in sharp contrast to the queen's shock.

 She couldn't understand why Murong Chong was so calm when he said this. Could it be that men's feelings are really so rational?

 “Does that woman deserve to die?” she asked lightly, suddenly feeling some sympathy for Murong Qian.

　　The older brother fell in love with the daughter of an enemy, but the younger brother killed her. Alas, no wonder Murong Qian was so indifferent to him. If it were anyone else, he probably wouldn't be able to let it go.

"No!" Murong Chong's handsome eyes darkened, he didn't expect the queen to ask this.

In his heart, his father's revenge must be avenged. He has no way to personally avenge his father, but he will not let go of the daughter of his father's enemy.

Just like the queen who is asking him at this moment, she is the queen and he is her current bodyguard. Then she is his master, and no matter what her orders are, he will never disobey her.

 (End of this chapter)