0p0 Chapter 309 Zhenpin
Chapter 309 Zhenpin
A few days later, Yongzheng arrested Longkodo and confiscated his property for forming a clique for personal gain and secretly hoarding the imperial edict. Court officials, sensing the tide of change, filed impeachment petitions. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court and the Censorate accused Longkodo of forty-one offenses, including forming a clique for personal gain, deceit and deceit, abuse of power, and unbridled greed. Furious, Yongzheng ordered his imprisonment in Changchun Garden. His eldest son, Yue Xing'a, was dismissed from his post, and his second son, Yuzhu, was exiled to Heilongjiang.
Not long after, Longkodo died of illness.
At the same time, the Queen Mother's body slowly collapsed.
Inside the Cining Palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed suffocating.
The Queen Mother lay quietly on the couch, her eyes closed, her cheeks extremely thin, and her face was completely bloodless, revealing her endless weakness and sickness.
The queen sat upright in front of the couch, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with deep worry. She stared at the empress dowager intently, and the handkerchief in her hand was unconsciously twisted into a ball.
Shen Meizhuang and Feng Ruozhao stood aside with their hands hanging down. Their graceful figures could not hide the sadness on their faces.
"Have you reported to the Emperor?" The Queen finally raised her head, breaking the uncomfortable silence, her voice a little hoarse and tired.
Feng Ruozhao bowed slightly and said softly, "I've already reported it, but the Emperor is busy with state affairs and said he would come to visit the Empress Dowager when he has time."
The Queen sighed inwardly. She had keenly sensed the Emperor's growing indifference toward the Queen Mother over the past few days. The respect and affection they once held seemed to be fading. But as Queen, she could only watch helplessly as this unfolded. She prayed silently, hoping the Queen Mother would find the fortitude to overcome this life-or-death situation.
After staying at the bedside for a while longer, Feng Ruozhao and Shen Meizhuang quietly went outside the hall to talk. Feng Ruozhao looked around and said in a low voice, "Sister, there's no need to call Concubine Xi and Sister Wen, right?"
Shen Meizhuang nodded gently and said calmly, "Huan'er is pregnant and has difficulty moving around, so it's not appropriate for her to come and take care of the sick. The emperor has issued an order forbidding Rong'er to come to the Cining Palace. The two of us will take care of her here. Besides, the Empress is in charge of the overall situation, so I don't think anything will go wrong."
Feng Ruozhao nodded slightly: "That's the best."
Meanwhile, Zhen Huan, who was serving as a scribe in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, was overjoyed, but her expression dared not betray the slightest hint of inappropriateness. In front of Yongzheng, she spoke with care, appropriately demonstrating her concern for the Empress Dowager. Her words were sincere and gentle, and she repeatedly expressed her deep regret and guilt for not being able to attend to her in the Cining Palace due to her pregnancy. Her words were heartfelt and moving.
Seeing how sensible and polite she was, Yongzheng's dissatisfaction with the empress dowager grew even stronger.
An Lingrong felt relieved, as if the sword that had been hanging high above her head, ready to fall, had finally been quietly removed. The haze in her heart dissipated, and she felt relaxed and refreshed all over.
Look at the spring scenery in the imperial garden at this moment, with colorful flowers and dancing butterflies, and vitality everywhere, as if every scene is endowed with new magic. It is interesting and pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at it.
"Mom, look, this fish is so beautiful!" Longyue stood by the Thousand Carp Pond, stretched out her tender little hand, and excitedly pointed at a red-tailed carp in the pond. Her chubby little face was full of excitement and joy, and her big eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
An Lingrong looked at Longyue's lovely appearance, a gentle smile on her lips, and nodded gently in response: "It is indeed very beautiful. Then you should feed it a few more bites."
"Okay!" Longyue responded crisply, then obediently took the fish food handed to her by Xiaoluzi and carefully threw it towards the direction where the carp was.
The fish food drew a small arc in the air and landed next to the carp.
The carp seemed to smell the fragrance of the food. It swung its tail nimbly, turned over very quickly, caught the food neatly, and swallowed it in one gulp.
Along with this series of actions, some water splashed on the surface of the pool, rippling in circles on the calm surface of the pool.
Long Yue found the carp's eating very interesting and couldn't help clapping her hands and laughing: "Mother, it eats so fast, it must be very hungry."
As he spoke, he sprinkled a few handfuls of fish food, which attracted the surrounding carp to gather. For a moment, the Thousand Carp Pond was very lively, and colorful fish swam back and forth.
An Lingrong gently embraced Longyue and said softly, "Wanwan, be good. Don't feed too much at once, otherwise the fish will get too full."
Long Yue blinked her big eyes and nodded, not quite understanding: "Then I'll feed it later."
Zhen Huan watched their interaction from the side, a smile on her face, and said, "Longyue, shall we go and look at the flowers over there?"
"Okay!" Longyue answered obediently.
The two of them were enjoying the flowers with Longyue with great interest, and soon they saw Shen Meizhuang.
An Lingrong hurried over and asked, "Sister, didn't you go to the Queen Mother's place? Is there something wrong?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Shen Meizhuang had a faint smile on her lips and said softly, "The Queen Mother has gone to bed, and the Queen is waiting. I went to Yongshou Palace and heard from the servants that you came to the Imperial Garden, so I came over!"
An Lingrong's eyes rolled slightly when she heard this, and she subconsciously looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she leaned forward slightly, moved closer to Shen Meizhuang, and lowered her voice to a very low voice: "How is the Queen Mother?"
Shen Meizhuang lowered her head slightly and responded in a low voice: "I don't think it's good!"
An Lingrong was secretly delighted, but she didn't dare show it on her face. She tried her best to control her inner emotions, biting her lower lip tightly, suppressing the corners of her mouth that wanted to rise. Then she took Longyue's pink and tender hand and said, "Wanwan, the flowers over there are the most beautiful. Let's go over there and take a look!"
But her cheerful tone and brisk pace completely betrayed her good mood.
Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan looked at each other and smiled. When they looked up again, they had regained their calm expressions, exuding the awe-inspiring demeanor of concubines!
After admiring the flowers for a while, she heard a charming voice: "This concubine pays her respects to the three ladies!"
The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw Concubine Zhen and Concubine Kang walking slowly along the winding path. They moved with graceful steps and soon approached, kneeling gracefully in a salute.
Zhen Huan wore a gentle and kind smile on her face and said softly, "No need to be polite, my two sisters!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two of them expressed their gratitude in unison.
"Where are you two going, sisters?"
The smile on Concubine Zhen's face was like the flowers in full bloom beside her. "My concubine and Sister Kang heard that the Empress Dowager was unwell and were extremely worried. We went to Baohua Palace to pray for her. We just finished and since it was still early, we wanted to go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden. We didn't expect to run into the three ladies and the princess. It is truly an honor for me to come and pay my respects to the ladies!"
Zhen Huan nodded slightly and praised, "Your kindness is truly commendable. The Queen Mother has always been kind and compassionate. With the Buddha's blessing and the sincere prayers of my two sisters, I'm sure you will recover soon."
"Your Majesty is right. The Empress Dowager is blessed with great fortune and will surely live a long and healthy life!" Concubine Zhen and Concubine Kang echoed.
Listening to their words, An Lingrong frowned. Long live the Queen Mother! What should I do?
Concubine Zhen and Concubine Kang were completely oblivious to the subtle change in An Lingrong's expression, and continued to flatter her, saying, "Your Majesty is pregnant with the prince, and the Emperor dotes on you. You must take good care of yourself. When you give birth to a prince safely, we will be sure to congratulate you warmly!"
Zhen Huan waved her hand and replied calmly, "You are too polite, sister!"
After the polite words, they had no more topics to talk about and the atmosphere became a little awkward.