Empress with no Virtue Chapter 15: 混香

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Since Concubine Li was grounded, Ye Zhenzhen couldn't see her bickering with Xi Bin and others, so she lost a lot of fun.

Seeing that Concubine Li was suppressed by the queen in front of her and favored by the virtuous concubine later, many people thought that she would never recover from the fall. The forces in the harem were gradually divided into two groups: the queen and the virtuous concubine.

On this day, Ye Zhenzhen was patrolling around the harem, looking for a more open place to practice archery. When passing by the Hanguang Hall, she stopped and looked up, admiring the golden plaque across the two osmanthus trees. . More than a hundred years ago, there was an emperor who was very accomplished in calligraphy and was very fond of himself. Therefore, he personally wrote and replaced all the large and small plaques in the palace. The three characters "Hanguang Palace" in front of me are written with thick and heavy strokes, and the ink is simple and full. There is a strong and restrained atmosphere in the simplicity, which is worthy of everyone's handwriting. Ye Zhenzhen nodded repeatedly after seeing this, but it was a bit incongruous to place these three immovable characters in the residence of the emperor's concubine. Thinking of this, she shook her head again.

A **** outside the Hanguang Palace saw Ye Zhenzhen. He was probably too nervous. He originally wanted to say "See the Queen," but as soon as he said it he said, "The Queen has arrived——"

When Concubine Zhuang heard this, she hurriedly came out and led the maids and eunuchs to salute Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen: "..." I am really just passing by...

But now I have to go to Hanguang Hall to sit for a while. Concubine Zhuang ordered someone to bring some snacks. Ye Zhenzhen took a bite and found that they were not bad.

"This snack is made from the sweet-scented osmanthus picked this year. I am clumsy. I wonder if the queen is still used to eating it."

Ye Zhenzhen was a little surprised, "Did you do it?"

Concubine Zhuang nodded reservedly, "I did it with my own hands."

"Very good."

"The Queen's award was just for the sake of enjoying the flowers." In fact, she made this snack for Ji Wu Jiu. The method is not difficult, but it takes a lot of effort to make. So since picking osmanthus in mid-August, she has only made two small dishes in more than a month. Ji Wu Jiu never praised her cooking skills, but she knew that he liked to eat, and the snacks she gave him every year were all eaten.

Ye Zhenzhen, who was known to be short-tongued, now had a bit of a friendly expression on her face, smiling and chatting with Concubine Zhuang. Concubine Zhuang felt flattered for a moment. You must know that this queen is not a tiger made of paper. She has never been close to anyone. Today she came to my Hanguang Palace. Could it be...

"Qian'er heard that Concubine Li hit the empress and frightened the empress. I wonder if she is okay now?" Concubine Zhuang suddenly mentioned this topic.

"Please worry about me, I'm fine now." Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself, you didn't hear about it, you clearly saw it.

Concubine Zhuang sighed, "Concubine Li's temperament is still so reckless. I have tried to dissuade her over the years, but I just didn't listen. After your concubine came and took charge of the harem, she was somewhat restrained. You must know that before In recent years, she has been even more lawless than she is now."

Ye Zhenzhen bit her snack and did not answer. She knew that Concubine Zhuang was surrendering to her because of Concubine Li's dark history. As long as she asks, Concubine Zhuang will definitely reveal a few earth-shattering events, which may make Concubine Li never turn over. As expected, everyone pushed against the wall.

Ye Zhenzhen had long expected that Concubine Zhuang would make this move. A concubine who was not of high birth and was not favored had to find someone to support her if she wanted to live comfortably in this harem.

In Concubine Zhuang's eyes full of expectation, Ye Zhenzhen said slowly, "This snack of yours is really good, give the rest to me."

To operate in the harem, you do need allies, but if you don't refuse anyone who comes, and everyone is attracted to your account, then it is likely that these allies will kill you. Concubine Li had just been punished, and Concubine Zhuang hurriedly chose a new branch, which shows that this person's moral integrity is very limited. Moreover, apart from her extraordinary talent in arguing, Ye Zhenzhen has not found any shining points in her yet.

Actually, besides Concubine Zhuang, there were quite a few people who showed their kindness to Ye Zhenzhen overtly and secretly in the past few days.

Ye Zhen Zhen knew that if she blatantly formed a clique, Ji Wu Jiu would definitely dislike her even more and would frequently cause trouble for her. And she herself doesn't want to get too involved in the harem fights. The so-called fight is nothing more than a fight for power and a fight for favor. She doesn't need to fight for the former, but she doesn't care about the latter. Therefore, as long as those little wives don't draw the blame on her, she is happy to watch on the sidelines.

So Ye Zhenzhen always has an indifferent attitude towards those who want to stand by her side.

"Your Majesty, I look at you. The Queen has not done anything else in the past few days. After teaching Concubine Li a lesson, has she really stopped?" The palace maid Qiu Feng held a cup of ginseng tea and said to Concubine Xian.

"She is a queen, so naturally she can remain unchanged and adapt to all changes." Concubine Xian replied, frowning and shaking her head. If Ye Zhenzhen didn't take the initiative, she wouldn't be able to do anything. Ji Wu Jiu likes people who are obedient and well-behaved.

"Even so, the emperor is still thinking of you, my empress. Didn't you send Eunuch Feng to come here yesterday to ask if you wanted to go see the hunt? Your Majesty, I think of you in everything I do." Qiu Feng's mouth was very sweet .

So what, the emperor was looking for Wen Jieyu’s brand yesterday, Concubine Xian thought to herself. Ji Wu Jiu was a man who could be affectionate at one moment and as cold as ice at the other. She didn't know how to please him.

How could Qiu Feng not understand Concubine Xian's thoughts at this time, so he comforted her and said, "I dare to advise you, my Majesty, don't think too much about it. It is very common for men to have three wives and four concubines among the people, let alone the emperor. Since ancient times, there has been no mercy. In the imperial family, how can the emperor favor only one person? As long as he has you in his heart, thinks of you in everything, and protects you in every situation, that is enough."

Concubine Xian nodded, and finally let out a long sigh.

***

Both the two major camps in the harem stood still, which made many people who were gearing up feel powerless and useless.

Ye Zhenzhen finally found a good place to practice archery: after leaving Jingyun Gate, there was an open space between the three front halls and the Prince's East Palace. It was wide and long. Not to mention practicing archery, it was probably enough for riding a horse. This is the vestibule, and people from the harem are not allowed to enter without permission; and the East Palace is currently uninhabited, and the Jingyun Gate is a forbidden gate. Officials below the second rank are not allowed to approach without permission, so few people come and go here. It can be said that the time and place are favorable and the people are harmonious. .

Ye Zhenzhen asked Wang Youcai to stand far away. She bent her bow and set an arrow, then let go. The arrow was like a flying rainbow, knocking off Wang Youcai's hat. Wang Youcai shivered.

Su Yue and others couldn't help but applaud.

Later, Ye Zhenzhen felt that it was not enough, so she asked the eunuchs of Kunning Palace to stand in a row. She nocked three arrows at once, raised the arrows with her hand, and with a swipe, the hats of the three eunuchs fell off in response.

There was another burst of cheers and cheers.

In the East Palace, there is the Jie Fang Hall.

Ji Wu Jiu walked around the hall and finally stopped in front of a painting. The woman in the painting is wearing a scarlet cloak, standing in the white snow, holding a sweet white porcelain thin-neck vase with a red plum in full bloom in her hands. The woman is smiling coquettishly at the person outside the painting.

While Ji Wu Jiu was ecstatically admiring this beautiful painting of white snow and red plum blossoms, he suddenly heard a burst of noise coming from outside.

"Who is outside?"

"Back to the emperor, it is the queen who is practicing archery."

That woman is probably the only one who dares to make such a noise in a place like this. Ji Wu Jiu shook his head.

"Your Majesty, do you need to stop the Queen?"

"No need. The palace is lonely here. It would be nice to add some laughter and people." Ji Wu Jiu said and sat down at the table. Although no one lives here, it is cleaned every day, so it is very clean. He recalled the nearly ten years he spent in the East Palace with vivid memories, remembering every detail clearly. He was also very busy at that time, dealing with some political affairs in the Wenhua Hall every day, or listening to the old guy Ye Xiu Ming scolding him. His dislike for Ye Xiu Ming has been planted since then. No matter who is scolded by an old guy like his third grandson all day long, he will not have a good impression of that person.

What a pity, Ye Zhenzhen happened to be this man’s granddaughter.

Ji Wu Jiu’s thoughts wandered a little far. After a while, there was conversation outside.

"This is where the emperor lived?" This was Ye Zhenzhen's voice.

"Back to the empress, when the emperor was still the prince, he lived in Duanjing Hall. This is the Xiefang Hall, which is one of the residences of the palace people. Empress Li Fei and Empress Xi Concubine both lived here."

After hearing this, Ye Zhenzhen handed the bow and arrow to the side, and Wang Youcai quickly took it. She walked to the Xie Fang Hall and looked up at the inscription on the plaque. It was obvious that it was not written by some crazy and narcissistic calligraphy enthusiast, but rather looked like Ji Wu Jiu's handwriting, which was both vertical and horizontal, elegant and eclectic.

Ji Wu Jiu raised his hand to stop Feng Youde who was about to walk out. He sat in front of the open window and looked at Ye Zhenzhen quietly. This woman is dressed in a smart outfit, with her hair simply pulled up, making her look dashing. The clothes fit tightly against her body, outlining the exquisite curves of her body, which is very graceful. She had just practiced martial arts, and her breath was still a little unstable at this time. There was a red glow like peach petals on her face, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her head. She was staring at the plaque with wide black and white eyes.

"The queen has been watching for so long, but don't you recognize those words?" Ji Wu Jiu sat in front of the window, raising his eyebrows slightly and jokingly.

That’s when Ye Zhenzhen discovered him. At this time, the afternoon sun shines through the window and shines on his face, making his face lose its usual gloom and appear gentle and calm; there is a little gentleness on his brows, like a person in a painting dyed with ink dots.

"Collect flowers, collect flowers," Ye Zhenzhen pondered, and suddenly smiled, "Isn't it just picking flowers?" She looked at Ji Wu Jiu with a half-smile, "It's quite appropriate for the occasion."

"..." Ji Wu Jiu felt a faint feeling of being teased.