Traveling to the ancient harem

Chapter 197 Ningyuxuan is a haunted house

Ningyuxuan.

Thanks to the playfulness between the prince and Xiao Xiangzi, the atmosphere in the entire Ningyuxuan became much more relaxed. The master looked very amiable, and the two senior palace maids did not put on airs. The palace maids and young eunuchs also breathed a sigh of relief. It was a blessing for them, the servants, that the master was easy to serve.

In the dining room of Ning Yuxuan, Huang Ye, Aunt Fanghua and Xiao Xiangzi were sitting around a brazier, warming themselves by the fire. Hong Dou was watching outside the door, not letting anyone approach the room. The situation was unclear right now, and it was not known who could be trusted.

"Aunt, will the emperor come over tonight?" Huang Ye asked Aunt Fanghua.

"In my opinion, the emperor will not go anywhere tonight." Fanghua spoke with certainty.

"Tell me about it." Huang Ye wanted to know if his idea was correct.

"That Concubine Xu is from the emperor's maternal family. Given the emperor's dislike for her, he will not go to her place. But if he goes somewhere else, he will be slapping himself in the face. So for the sake of balance, it is safest not to go anywhere. Your Majesty can rest early if you have nothing to do." Fanghua said in one breath.

Huang Ye felt that it was similar to what she thought: "I slept in the afternoon, and now I am not sleepy. If you two are not sleepy either, you can tell me about the situation in the palace. You also know that I am outside the palace, and what I know is only superficial."

Fanghua thought this was a good idea. The Queen had just entered the palace, so it was necessary for her to understand the situation there.

Xiao Xiangzi gestured to Fanghua to speak first, and he would see if there was anything to add, because his aunt knew much more than he did.

"Now in the palace, in addition to the empress who came in today, there are two other concubines, a royal concubine, two beauties, a concubine, and a talented woman." Fanghua said slowly.

"One of the two concubines is Concubine Du, who lives in Feiyu Palace and was born in the Marquis Zhenguo Mansion. Speaking of Concubine Du, there is one thing that people talk about the most, and that is that she always sends a bowl of bird's nest to the emperor every day without fail." Fanghua said.

"Has the emperor eaten yet?" Huang Ye was very curious. No matter how good the food is, you will get sick of it if you eat too much.

"As far as I know, the emperor has never eaten it once."

"Then she is free, right?" Huang Ye said this was hard to understand.

"Who said it wasn't?" Xiao Xiangzi interrupted.

"The other concubine, Concubine Liang, was born in the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion and entered the palace at the same time as Concubine Du. Concubine Liang doesn't talk much, but she has won the emperor's favor and is usually doted on." Fanghua continued.

"There is only one Concubine below the Concubine, and that is Concubine Lin. Concubine Lin is pretty, but unfortunately she is a sick beauty. She falls ill every other day. The Queen sympathizes with her and exempts her from paying respects every day."

"Auntie, what you mean is that if Concubine Lin wants to pay her respects, she can go. If she doesn't want to go, then she must be sick." Huang Ye asked humbly.

"That's what I mean. As for whether she is really sick or not, no one knows except her." Fanghua said meaningfully.

"Below Concubine Lin are two beauties, Concubine Gao and Concubine Ai. They both served in the Eastern Palace before. After the emperor ascended the throne, they were promoted to beauties. With their previous friendship, they are still favored by the emperor."

"A tall beauty and a short beauty, is it such a coincidence?" Huang Ye found it interesting.

"Yes, that lady Gao, she is extremely beautiful and has a good family background, but her temper... Your Majesty will know tomorrow."

"Below the two beauties is Concubine Yi. This Concubine Yi is a scheming person." Fanghua mentioned her specifically.

"In fact, Yipin, Jin Cairen and the deceased Madam Yu were all wives of the emperor when he was in the Eastern Palace. They were promoted to talented women after the emperor ascended the throne. At that time, the empress and the queen mother were struggling for power in the harem and were not on guard against the concubines. Yipin was a lucky one. The emperor went to her that time and she became pregnant."

Yipin had found a way to hide her pregnancy from the imperial physician who was checking her pulse. She was plump to begin with, and by the time the queen found out, she was already more than six months pregnant. However, despite all her precautions, she was still ambushed.

"When the eldest prince was born... he didn't cry. The doctors in the Imperial Hospital tried their best to save his life. But I heard that he is still very weak. Now he is over one year old and still can't walk. Concubine Yi also keeps a close eye on him and doesn't let him out easily, for fear that he will be harmed again."

"Then... have you found the person who harmed the eldest prince?" Huang Ye asked.

"It is said that the maidservant who served her was resentful because she was punished by her, so she drugged her and beat her to death on the spot." Aunt Fanghua lowered her voice and said, "No one is investigating the specific truth. Concubine Yi also knows it, but she doesn't dare to investigate it. She and the eldest prince still have to make a living in this harem."

Huang Ye understood that it was most likely the Queen who did it: "What about the Emperor? Didn't the Emperor pursue the matter?"

"The emperor had just ascended the throne at that time, and he would review memorials until very late every day. At that time, he also trusted the queen very much, so whatever the queen said was the truth, and the matter was left unresolved."

"Aunt, what you mean is... the emperor used to trust the queen a lot, but now he doesn't trust her as much, right?" Huang Ye sensitively heard the difference in Fanghua's words.

"Now..." Fanghua paused: "Maybe after fighting with the Queen Mother for several years, the Queen is tired and doesn't care so much about her image now. She used to establish an image of being virtuous and kind, but now..."

"Let's just say that the Ningyuxuan she chose for you was a bad move on her part. To guard against you, she arranged for you to live in a palace where someone had died. Although people have died in every palace, the people who died suddenly are different. This Ningyuxuan is clearly a haunted house."

"The emperor also knows this. Tell me, when the emperor sees her making such an arrangement, will he not feel uncomfortable? In the emperor's heart, it is not certain whether she still has the reputation of being virtuous and kind."