0p0 Chapter 967 [Ashes of Love: Red Mansion Tribulation 37]
Chapter 967 [Ashes of Love: Red Mansion Tribulation 37]
Time passed quietly, and after a long time, the night had already deepened, covering the entire palace like ink. Liang Jiugong hurried to the side hall, bowed respectfully to Yuanchun and said, "Madam, it is getting late now, and the night is getting darker. Do you consider returning to the palace to rest first? The emperor just summoned Prince Beijing to the palace for an audience, and strictly ordered that no one should disturb him. What do you think, Madam? Why don't you go back to the palace for the time being?"
Hearing this, Yuanchun slowly turned her head and looked out the window. She saw a few sparse stars dotted on the dark sky, shining faintly like bright gems. Seeing this, her maid Huan'er whispered, "Master, in my opinion, it is indeed late now. We should return to the palace early to avoid missing the time."
Yuanchun nodded slightly to show her agreement, and then instructed Liang Jiugong: "In this case, I would like to trouble Eunuch Liang to pass a message to the emperor on my behalf. Just say that I have something to present to the emperor, and ask the emperor to come to my palace to talk when he is free."
Liang Jiugong quickly agreed: "Yes, your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely convey your message to the Emperor."
After receiving a positive answer, Yuanchun took Huan'er and left the side hall, heading towards the palace where she lived. Along the way, the light of the lanterns shone through the hazy night, illuminating their figures as they walked away.
Soon, the two returned to the main hall of Fengzao Palace. Huan'er hurriedly instructed the other maids to quickly prepare dinner for Yuanchun. After a while, one after another exquisite and delicious dishes were served on the table, dazzling and fragrant. However, facing the sumptuous food in front of her, Yuanchun could not muster the slightest interest. She just glanced at the delicacies and said listlessly: "Forget it, take these dishes away and share them with others. I have no appetite today and I really can't eat anything."
Huan'er looked at Yuanchun with a worried look on her face and gently advised: "Madam, you must take care of yourself! As the saying goes, people are made of iron and food is made of steel. If you don't eat well, if something happens to you, how will you explain it to the Madam and the Master?"
Yuanchun nodded slightly, sighed softly and replied, "You are right, Huan'er. I understand. Let's eat now." As she spoke, she put mouthful by mouthful of the food that Huan'er had put into the bowl.
After finishing the meal, Huan'er cleaned up the dishes and asked casually, "Madam, are we going to the Palace of Heavenly Purity tomorrow?"
Yuanchun nodded without hesitation and replied, "Of course I have to go. How can I not go?"
Huan'er nodded obediently, and then asked: "What gift does the queen plan to give to the emperor tomorrow?"
Yuanchun thought for a moment and said slowly, "Just prepare some exquisite and delicious cakes. Remember to prepare them before the emperor's morning court session. I will go with you then."
"Yes, your Majesty, I understand and will make proper arrangements." Huan'er responded respectfully.
The next morning, the sun shone through the palaces onto the golden bricks and green tiles, reflecting dots of golden light. At this time, the morning court was almost over, and the atmosphere in the palace seemed particularly peaceful and solemn.
Yuanchun was dressed in a gorgeous brocade palace dress, with a graceful figure and a variety of manners. She was followed closely by the clever and obedient maid Huan'er, who carefully held an exquisite food box in her hands, which contained fragrant cakes. The master and servant walked lightly and slowly towards the Qianqing Palace.
Soon, they arrived at the gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Liang Jiugong was standing upright outside the gate. With his sharp eyes, he saw Yuanchun coming from afar, and hurried forward to greet her, bowing respectfully and saying, "Your servant greets Her Majesty Yuanfei, and may Her Majesty be blessed!"
Yuanchun smiled and said softly, "Please excuse me, Eunuch Liang. I wonder if the emperor is in the palace right now. I brought some freshly baked cakes for the emperor to taste."
Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment, then smiled and suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't you give this cake to me and I will take it to the palace to present it to the emperor."
Yuanchun was such a smart person that she understood immediately after hearing this. She thought that the emperor didn't want to see her today. But she still kept an elegant smile on her face and nodded calmly, "That's good. Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Liang. Huan'er, quickly give the cakes to Eunuch Liang."
"Yes." Huan'er replied, and then gently handed the pastry in her hand to Liang Jiugong.
Liang Jiugong took the cake and bowed again, saying, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will convey your thoughts to the Emperor."
Yuanchun nodded slightly and said softly: "Well, thank you very much, eunuch. I still have some matters to deal with in the palace, so I will go first." After that, she turned and left.
Liang Jiugong hurriedly bowed his head and said respectfully: "Your servant sees the queen off." After Yuanchun walked farther and farther away until her figure disappeared, Liang Jiugong turned around and entered the Qianqing Palace.
Along the way, Huan'er followed her master closely, her heart full of doubts and puzzlement. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Madam, why did you leave in such a hurry? And you handed the exquisite cakes directly to Eunuch Liang?"
Yuanchun lowered her eyes slightly, a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes, and she replied softly: "It is obvious that the emperor does not want to see me." Although her voice was not loud, it was full of helplessness and sadness.
Hearing this, Huan'er couldn't help but widen her eyes and retorted with confusion, "No way, Your Majesty! You haven't even stepped into the palace yet, how do you know that the emperor doesn't want to see you?"
Yuanchun raised her head, glanced at the innocent Huan'er beside her, and explained with a sigh, "Eunuch Liang told me."
However, Huan'er still seemed unable to understand the reason. She shook her head and muttered, "Okay, but...but I still can't figure it out."
Yuanchun patted Huan'er's hand gently and comforted her, "You, of course, don't understand now. When you have more experience in the future, you will understand the truth." After that, she continued to move forward slowly, leaving Huan'er standing there with a confused look on her face, thinking about something.
Returning to the magnificent palace with carved beams and painted buildings, Yuanchun sat down slowly and said softly to Huan'er who was standing obediently beside her: "Huan'er, you still need to deliver these items to the Qianqing Palace tomorrow. Remember? This time you have to deliver them. I will not go over."
Hearing this, Huan'er couldn't help but frown slightly, with a hint of doubt on her face. She asked carefully, "Madam, please forgive my ignorance, but I really don't understand why you insist on sending people to deliver things to the emperor every day even though you know that he doesn't want to see you now?"
Upon hearing this, Yuanchun raised a stubborn smile and replied firmly, "Humph! What if the emperor doesn't want to see me? I will appear in front of him every day, making it impossible for him to hide!"
After hearing this, Huan'er suddenly understood what was going on and nodded in response, "So that's how it is. I understand."
Since that day, for several days in a row, Yuanchun would carefully prepare all kinds of exquisite food and repeatedly told Huan'er to deliver it to the Qianqing Palace on time. And Huan'er did not dare to neglect it at all, and went to the Qianqing Palace on time every day as usual, rain or shine.
Time passed quickly, and more than half a month had passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Liang Jiugong was really miserable! It was because Empress Yuanchun often sent all kinds of delicious food, and the other concubines in the harem followed suit and kept sending it here. However, the emperor did not seem to be interested in this, and he gave all these delicacies to people like Liang Jiugong who served below.
As a result, Liang Jiugong and his companions had gained a lot of weight in the past half month. The clothes that once fit them now felt tight and they were not very agile when they moved.
On this day, when Liang Jiugong received a large amount of food again, he showed an extremely helpless expression on his face. He was seen carrying these heavy food boxes and slowly walked into the inner hall. After seeing the emperor, he hurriedly bowed and saluted, and then spoke carefully: "Your Majesty, do you want to see the Empress Yuan? I really can't eat anymore! Now I am so fat, if I continue to eat like this, I am afraid I can't even walk!"
The emperor couldn't help but frown when he heard this, and said with a hint of reproach: "How can you be so ungrateful, servant? So many people want to eat these things but don't have the chance, and you are here to pick and choose."
When Liang Jiugong heard this, he immediately shook his head and waved his hands, anxiously explaining, "How dare I have such thoughts! In fact, I have gained a lot of weight in the past half month. Not only me, but also the other eunuchs and maids in the Qianqing Palace have gained a lot of weight. So I dare to ask Your Majesty, can you please stop letting us eat these things?"