Twilight GL

The concubine Xian was implicated by the five princes, she had already been deposed as a concubine, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in the cold palace.

The palace servants carried the jade stick, Zheng Mi and Concubine Shu stood in front of each other, both of them looked serious.

A line of palace guards serving in front of and behind him, none of them dared to make a sound, they all stretched their heartstrings tightly.

After staying in the palace for a long time, the palace people can smell the breath of rain coming at this time.

The cold palace is bleak, the palace rooms are dilapidated, and a few guards are arranged outside the palace gate.

This place is remote and no one cares about it, and the people in it are just women who have committed crimes and are not favored.The guards here are naturally leisurely.

The few guards stood crookedly, leaning against the palace wall and chatting.

The jade carriage of the two empresses came, and the guards saw them, and quickly restrained their laughter, and hurriedly bowed and bowed, feeling uneasy in their hearts, wondering if the sloppiness just now had been seen.

Yu Yu stopped, Zheng Mi was in front, got off the bus, and walked straight inside, followed by Concubine Shu.

They walked very fast, and when they crossed the threshold, Zheng Mi almost tripped because of her haste, but Yun Sang was alert and helped her up.

Concubine Shu was behind her, and wanted to remind her to "slow down", but she couldn't make a sound, her throat seemed to be blocked by a stone, and her lips were trembling.

From hearing the maid mention the name Li Huai, both Zheng Mi and Concubine Shu had guessed.

Concubine Xian walked out of the dilapidated palace gate, and some palace people immediately stepped forward and scolded: "The empress dowager and the dowager empress are here, and the sinful woman, Mrs. Zhang, hasten to kneel down to welcome her!"

Concubine Xian's eyes lit up when she saw the two of them, then her complexion turned pale. She used to be so proud and beautiful.

But now the two people in front of them are still dressed in bright clothes, high above the clouds, but she has been crushed into the mud.

"Sinful lady Zhang, I pay my respects to the empress dowager and the concubine." Concubine Xian bowed on her knees.

Zheng Mi glanced behind her, Yun Sang understood, bowed lowly, and led all the palace people to stay in the court.

Zheng Mi and Concubine Shu walked into the hall.Concubine Xian lowered her head, watching them pass by her, Fang stood up, and she glanced at the many palace servants standing outside.

Now, even these eunuchs and maidservants whom she despised the most in the past are all more noble than her.

The outside is dilapidated, and the inside of the palace is naturally not much better.It's just that Zheng Mi and Concubine Shu both had other things to worry about and didn't bother to watch.

After entering the palace, Concubine Shu said directly, "Speak up, tell me everything you know."

Concubine Xian stood in front of her, there were only three of them in the hall, it seemed that there was no need to put on a show or say anything to save face.

But Concubine Xian still knelt down and said: "Mingchen has been ill for several days, please send an imperial doctor to take a look at him. The prison is damp and cold, and the disease is hard to recover. If you don't delay the doctor to ask for medicine, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain."

Concubine Shu said: "Okay..."

Concubine Xian was a little surprised that she agreed so simply.

Zheng Mi said: "Mingchen committed the crime of treason. His Majesty cared about his brotherhood and never took the responsibility seriously. He was only demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple Prison. It is kind. I hope he will live up to it for the rest of his life. Holy Grace, regret your mistakes."

What this said was that the emperor was magnanimous, and he was already lenient to the fifth son of the emperor, Ming Chen.

In fact, he was telling Concubine Xian that Ming Chen would spend a lifetime in prison, whether it was good or bad, it all depended on her will, if she wanted her to accept it.

Concubine Xian could tell, but this secret matter she was holding was her last bargaining chip.

But the rest of Ming Chen's life still has decades to go, Concubine Xian has no choice but to ask for some more grace.

"Your Majesty is benevolent. Destiny belongs to all people. Mingchen is a sinner and has just spent her life in a prison cell. The criminal woman has no other wish. She only hopes that Mingchen can live her life completely. Heir, so that his bloodline will not be cut off, and there will be no one to sacrifice after him."

Zheng Mi frowned, she was impatient to deal with Concubine Xian again, and even more impatient to hear her make an inch, and was about to speak, but she heard Concubine Shu say: "Okay, I agree."

Zheng Mi was surprised, she turned her head to look at Concubine Shu, but saw that Concubine Shu's expression was extremely calm.

Only the voice trembled slightly: "Say what you know."

Concubine Xian got her wish, so naturally she didn't delay anymore, she stood up from the ground and said, "It's the day the princess returns from Jiangnan."

She used the old name and called Mingsu the princess. After finishing the first sentence, she looked at Concubine Shu with fear and pity in her eyes.

That day when the princess came back from the south of the Yangtze River, the journey was full of dust and turbulence, she was so thin that only a bone remained, her energy seemed to have been drained, and she looked extremely haggard and embarrassed.

She was brought into the palace to meet the emperor.

After meeting the emperor, she still pleaded for Zheng Mi.

But she has no confidence.

When the Zheng family was overthrown, she tried her best and almost took her own life, but it was useless, let alone fled out of Beijing at this time and was captured by someone.

She was only in her teens at that time, and she was stubborn and infatuated, with a stubborn temper, so she identified someone else.

Even if she was abandoned by her, even if he was in danger, and his life and death depended on other people's thoughts, he still thought about it, wanted his sweetheart to live, and wanted to find a way out for her.

"Your Majesty stayed in my palace the night before, and at that time he had already received the report that the princess would enter Beijing the next day.

The Zheng family is gone, and the empress is also dead. The situation in the court has already been turned upside down, and it is different from before.

The princess is just a woman, and she is disgusted by His Majesty, so what can she do when she returns to Beijing?

I casually asked how His Majesty planned to deal with the princess, but he didn't answer, but his face was very playful.

I have served him for many years, so I know him well. Seeing his expression, I know that the princess will have a hard time after returning to Beijing. "

The three of them didn't find a place to sit down, so they just stood in the dilapidated and drafty hall. Concubine Xian didn't delay much, but she couldn't help but think about how to speak clearly. After all, it had been a long time, and many details, It's all blurred.

"Your Majesty has a servant by his side, surnamed Zhou, who was recently appointed. During that time, some people in the palace were imprisoned for being involved in Zheng's rebellion. The latter, he has just come to serve His Majesty, his foundation is shallow, and he hasn't done much research yet, so I made friends with him in private, and wanted to leave an introduction, and it would be convenient if I want to inquire about any news in the future."

This is what the concubines often do, to show their kindness to the palace people around the emperor, and to show some kindness.

But Concubine Xian obviously did not just want to show some kindness in her actions, she wanted to put eyeliner on the emperor's side.

This courage surprised even Zheng Mi.

"For those who serve in front of the imperial court, the first thing is to speak carefully. The servant in Zhou Nei has a bright future. Naturally, he greeted me with a smile and declined me. I am not discouraged, and I still order people to give him some property."

"On the night when the princess returned to Beijing, Zhou Neishi suddenly knocked on the back door of my palace in the middle of the night.

He was covered in blood, as if he had just crawled out of a pool of blood, his face was full of panic and panic, the head of the servants in my palace recognized him, and because he knew that I had shown favor with him, he led him in. "

Concubine Xian looked at Zheng Mi, then cast her gaze on Concubine Tai's face, and said, "I just listened to what happened that day."

On that day, the princess was taken to the Zichen Palace, and the emperor had been waiting for her for a long time.

He was in a very good mood that day, he didn't do anything all day, but he took out a manuscript from a wooden cabinet, placed it on the imperial case, and flipped through it again and again.

Zhou Neishi knew that those were all handwritten by Zheng Taifu. After Zheng Taifu was convicted, all the poems and essays he wrote in his life were burned, sentenced to be banned books, and no one in the world could keep them privately.

But the emperor kept a lot of them here. These handwritings are not poems or odes, but notes written by Zheng Taifu in the past for the emperor to read.

A cabinet full, I don't know how much effort.

The emperor flipped through it triumphantly for a while, as if he was playing with some playthings, until he heard the report from the palace man that the princess had entered the palace gate, he seemed to have found more interesting playthings, and ordered them to burn all the manuscripts .

Zhou Neishi served in the palace, and he was shocked when he saw the princess entering the palace.

His Highness Xin Guo, everyone in the palace is known to be handsome and gentle, but the people who enter the palace are haggard, with a sallow complexion, wearing a suit of clothes on her body, as if hanging on a dead tree, empty, and the whole person does not know how thin. what happened.

When she entered the palace and saluted, she was pleading guilty, and after pleading guilty, she begged the emperor to let Zheng Mi go.

Zhou Nei waiter held his breath and closed his eyes, listening to the princess begging for a while, the emperor finally said: "Okay, then you will do something for me."

The princess naturally agreed.The waiter Zhou Nei couldn't hold back, he raised his head, and saw the emperor's face with a gloomy smile, looking at the princess, like a civet cat teasing a mouse.

The emperor stood up, and Zhao Liang wanted to follow him as usual, but the emperor stopped him, looked around the hall, casually called a few palace servants, and said, "I will serve you."

Zhou Neishi is one of these people.

Attendant driving is a good thing that everyone in the palace dreams of, but Zhou Neishi is instinctively a little scared, and has a premonition that this trip is definitely not a good thing.

But the emperor had spoken, so there was no room for his little servant to say no.He had to keep up.

The emperor led the princess to a prison.

There is a prison in the palace to detain palace servants and concubines who committed crimes.The prison was built in a low-lying place, and it was cold and damp inside, and it was too dim to see clearly at a glance.

The emperor was full of interest, but the princess was very tired, her legs were shaking when she walked, but she still cheered up and tried her best to stay awake.

When they went to the innermost part, there was a person hanging on the rack. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were soaked in blood, and there was no good place on his body. He was still breathing while hanging on the rack.

The emperor stood aside, smiling, but didn't speak.

The princess looked at it from a distance first, and when she noticed something, her complexion changed a bit, she staggered forward, and said, "Li Zhongguan!"

I don't know how she saw it, she stepped forward and pushed the man's hair scattered in front of his face, revealing a bloody face.

Zhou Neishi looked at it for a while before he realized that this was indeed Li Huai, the most important servant next to the empress.

Li Huai was born in a family of officials and eunuchs. His father and grandfather committed a crime, so he was made a slave and became an eunuch.

Because at the time of the accident, he was already over ten years old, and the gentleness and elegance infiltrated by more than ten years of poetry and articles and the peaceful and happy years had already penetrated into the marrow of his bones. Nature is always the same.

Everyone in the palace knew that Li Huai was extremely loyal to the Queen and Princess Xinguo.

Especially for Princess Xinguo, since she was young, Li Huai has been concerned about everything and has taken good care of her. The master-servant relationship between the two has been cultivated through years of care.

Things that have been together for a long time, even if it's just a dog, will inevitably give birth to a lot of affection.

What's more, he is a living person with emotions, joys and sorrows.

The princess wanted to release Li Huai from the torture rack, but she couldn't untie the tightly tied knot. She was so anxious that she wept, but when Li Huai saw her, she was very happy and called her His Highness, asking her not to worry about him. A dying man is laborious.

The emperor watched from the side, smiling unabated. He waved his hand and ordered Li Huai to be put down.

Li Huai's tendons and hamstrings were broken, and he couldn't stand at all. As soon as he put it down, he fell to the ground. The princess was in a hurry and hurried to help him. The emperor looked at him leisurely, and then said slowly: "What I want you to do , this is it.”

As he spoke, he unhurriedly pulled out the sword hanging on the wall, walked to the princess, and put the sword in her hand.

The meaning couldn't be more clear, the princess was stunned, the sword fell out of her hand and fell to the ground with a sharp and crisp sound.

The emperor looked at her condescendingly, she shook her head: "No..."

The emperor smiled, and said lightly: "If you want Zheng Mi to live, you have to kill him yourself."

The princess couldn't do it, tears flowed down unconsciously, her hands were trembling, her whole body was trembling, she knelt on the ground, and begged: "Change one, Father..."

"This is it." The emperor did not back down at all, and his tone was surprisingly soft, "You know the taste of running away. The person I want can be found by turning the world upside down. If you kill him, I will forgive Zheng Zheng." Mi, spare her life, if you dare not do anything, I will order people to continue to arrest Zheng Mi, kill her on the spot, and bring her head to you."

He pressed on step by step, holding her lifeline.

The princess lowered her head and looked at Li Huai.Li Huai didn't have much strength, his face could hardly be seen from his original face, his voice was hoarse, but his words were extremely gentle: "The little one can't survive, your highness just do it, and the young one is free. Your highness doesn't do anything, Even the little ones can't escape the word "death."

He didn't mention Zheng Mi.Zhou Neishi could tell that he did it on purpose, and he didn't want the princess to think that his life was exchanged for Zheng Mi's, so as to leave a shadow in His Highness's heart.

The princess picked up the sword, her hands were shaking, and she pressed the sword against Li Huai's chest.She couldn't help it, her eyes were full of tears.

Zhou Neishi couldn't bear to look, and lowered his head, but he heard the emperor's voice.

"This can't be done. How can a rebel die so quickly."

Zhou Neishi took a look, and saw that the emperor pushed aside the princess's sword and aimed it at Li Huai's shoulder.

The princess seemed numb.

The emperor sighed, and said: "If you can't even do this trivial matter for me, how can you be sincere? I don't have time to spend here with you. Zheng Mi is a treacherous criminal and will never be pardoned."

He said he was leaving.

There was a scream, and Jian Feng sank into Li Huai's shoulder.

All the people present hid their faces and could not bear to witness.

"There are more." The emperor said.

The princess drew out her sword and stabbed it into Li Huai's leg, screaming again.

Blood flowed out, and the smell of blood made one's hair stand on end.

The waiter Zhou Nei didn't dare to look at it, and he couldn't even remember how many swords there were. He only knew that later, Li Huai fell into a pool of blood, twitching, but he couldn't stop breathing, couldn't close his eyes, and he didn't know how long he had suffered. torment.

And the princess seemed to have lost her mind, with blood splashed all over her body and face.

"Remember, you exchanged Li Huai's life for Zheng Mi's today." The emperor said finally.

Concubine Xian finished speaking.

Concubine Shu asked, "Where's the waiter during the week?"

"Your Majesty silenced that night and ordered people to kill those who knew about it. I dare not keep Zhou Neishi." Concubine Xian said.

I'm afraid not only dare not, but also order someone to kill Zhou Neishi, and cover up the traces of his presence, so as not to cause trouble to the upper body.

Before Zheng Mi came, she had a vague guess, but she never expected that the truth was a hundred times more terrifying than what she had imagined.

Mingsu exchanged Li Huai's life for hers, but at that time, she had already been assassinated outside Rongcheng.

The emperor tricked Mingsu into torturing Li Huai to death with a false story.

Zheng Mi didn't dare to think about how it felt when Mingsu found out that she had been deceived, and how painfully she had lived with self-blame and regret these years.

Concubine Shu walked out, and Zheng Mi followed.

Seeing this, Concubine Xian hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, don't forget to promise the sinful woman!"

No one answered her.

At the beginning, when several princes competed for the reserve position, although Concubine Xian felt that Princess Xinguo was domineering and extreme, she never put her in her eyes, and even persuaded the fifth prince not to compete with her because she knew about this secret .

Such a person played by His Majesty is already doomed to be an abandoned child, and His Majesty will never spare her life, and will definitely kill her after using her.

Who would have thought that this abandoned son would dare to force the palace.

She even never dreamed that this world would be hers in the end.

But she and Mingchen became sinners, and they could only rely on her kindness to survive.

Concubine Xian watched them leave in a daze, she didn't expect anything now, she only hoped that the Empress Dowager and Concubine Shu would keep their promises, and tomorrow morning would be safe and sound.

Zheng Mi and Concubine Shu left the Leng Palace. Concubine Shu's expression was dull, and she returned to Nanxun Palace without even saying hello.

Zheng Mi watched her leave, and ordered: "Go to the Chui Gong Hall."

In the Chuigong Palace, Mingsu was still sitting behind the imperial case. She was better, but her heart was still in a terrible panic.

She had read the two memorials and wanted to see Zheng Mi, but she was afraid that Zheng Mi would think she was too clingy. She had already given her a very serious order this night, asking her not to sneak into her bedroom again tonight.

Mingsu was not very happy, she knew that Zheng Mi was afraid that she would catch the cold, but she forbade it so clearly, as if she didn't want to see her at all.

Mingsu got up and paced back and forth in the hall.

After walking around for a few times, she thought again, well, she just happened to be quiet for a while.

She went to see A Mi every day, but in fact, every time she was with A Mi, she suffered a lot and felt guilty.

She shouldn't be with A Mi, she is ashamed of Li Huai.As long as she still has a sliver of conscience, she shouldn't be entangled with A Mi anymore.

But she was reluctant, and couldn't let go.

Mingsu coughed twice, his heart tightened and he felt sharp pain.

She slowed down her breathing, wanting to take it easy, when the palace door suddenly pushed open, and Zheng Mi came.

Your Majesty has already ordered that the Empress Dowager come here, and there is no need to pass it on.The palace people have long been familiar with the strangeness. As soon as the Queen Mother entered the palace, she closed the palace door again.

Mingsu was stunned for a moment, not knowing why she came suddenly.

"Everyone back down." Zheng Mi said.

Several servants in the hall looked at Ming Su hurriedly, Ming Su nodded, and then everyone saluted and retreated.

The temple door closed again.

Mingsu smiled, her complexion was ugly, her lips were white, and her brows were very haggard.

But her eyes were always gentle. Looking at Zheng Mi, she smiled nonchalantly and said, "Why are you here? Did you miss me?"

Zheng Mi didn't answer, she came over, walked up to Mingsu, took her into her arms, and hugged her tightly.

The author has something to say: why did I write such a dark story.