"Concubine Chen's purpose for helping us is really just to win over my mother and son?"

"Concubine Zhen is funny, you doubted me when I showed you all kinds of goodwill, and now, you doubt me again, and suddenly my sister doesn't know what to do. If it weren't for the purpose of enlisting my sister to deal with the queen together, what else do I think I want from you and His Royal Highness the Great Prince? ”

Since the last time I saw Concubine Chen, there has always been an illusion lingering in her mind, deep or shallow, and it will never linger. She seemed to ask, and she seemed to mumble to herself, "Maybe... Maybe you don't want anything! ”

Shen Zhen's voice was extremely soft, but it was like a heavy hammer in Mu Qing's ears, which shook her heart. Oh, yes! What is the purpose of helping them in such a way?

Mu Qing asked herself repeatedly in her heart: Since she was reborn, every step she took had a purpose and a plan, but what was she helping Shen Hao for this time? Suppressing the Queen? Eliminate the wings around the Queen? Or is it to curry favor with Shen Zhen? She knew in her heart that it wasn't, in the final analysis, it was just that she couldn't see Shen Zhen suffering, and she couldn't see her son hurt. She kept saying that Shen Zhen had lost her brother, and she was no longer friends with her, but deep in her heart, Shen Zhen was still the girl who used to be gentle and talented, and she was still the playmate who accompanied her through those childhood years. At this moment, Mu Qing seemed to realize that she couldn't let go, she couldn't hate... But she can't forget it!

Mu Qing suddenly laughed, his smile was particularly evil, and his eyes exuded a chilling cold light as he looked at Shen Zhen. "Niangniang has been in the palace for so long, and she is still so naïve, and she still believes that there is kindness in this palace that is not reciprocated?"

Shen Hao was stunned by the other party's ruthless and straightforward words, and she laughed at herself in her heart: It turns out that she is not her....Did she think too much after all?

Shen Zhen sorted out her ups and downs, her face regained her former tranquility, and said softly: "In any case, thank you Concubine Chen for coming to the rescue this time." However, my attitude and thoughts have not changed, I don't want Xi'er to join the turbulence in the palace, so I have to disappoint Niangniang, and ask Niangniang to forgive me. ”

After speaking, Shen Hao lifted the hat of the cloak, covered most of his face, and turned to walk outside the house. At the moment when she was about to step out of the door, Shen Zhen turned her back to Mu Qing and said slowly: "Please also ask Concubine Chen to be careful of the queen in the future and take care of herself." Although Shen Hao knew that with Concubine Chen's intelligence, it was not difficult to guard against the queen's secret arrows, and she also knew that her reminder was basically nonsense, but she still couldn't help but say these words.

After Shen Zhen left, Mu Qing bowed down abruptly, squatted on the ground and coughed heartbreakingly, his face was blue and gray, which scared the dogwood who came to check on his hands and feet stiff. Zhu Yu hurriedly took the pill left by Qiu Feng, and asked Mu Qing to take it, and after a while, Mu Qing's gray face gradually eased, and he collapsed on the soft couch panting. Zhu Yu looked at her master like this, and she only felt a burst of distress, not to mention how much she regretted letting her master interfere in Concubine Zhen's affairs, every time the master saw Shen Zhen, there was almost nothing good.

Zhu Yu looked at the few pills left in the medicine bottle in her hand, and said in a dumb voice: "Niangniang, the pills that Gang Master Qiu gave you have almost eaten, do you want me to send a message to Gang Master Qiu and ask him to bring some more medicines." ”

Mu Qing closed his eyes and gasped, and did not open his mouth to answer Zhu Yu's question, but nodded silently in approval. Zhu Yu kept soothing Mu Qing's back, and after a while, Mu Qing finally eased up. Mu Qing turned his head to look at the night sky outside the window, and asked in a thin voice, "Tomorrow is the Shangyuan Festival, right?" ”

Zhu Yu replied: "Yes, the princes and ministers will come to the dinner tomorrow, and King Rui will also come." ”

Mu Qing was still staring out the window in a daze, silent, noncommittal. Zhu Yu thought that she should not mention King Rui at this time, so as not to make the master's mood that had finally calmed down make waves again, so she hurriedly closed her mouth.

The clouds over the sky gradually thinned, and the bright full moon quietly showed its face, and the sky was beautiful, as if to add joy to the upcoming festival tomorrow.

Folk customs, starting from the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, every street and alley will begin to hang lanterns to prepare for the Lantern Festival, and the palace is no exception. However, due to the previous affairs of Yunyi Palace and the affairs of Tang Meiren, the haze in the palace has not dissipated, but the inner chamberlain has long been prepared, not only preparing the necessary rice balls for the Lantern Festival for each palace, but also hanging all kinds of charming lanterns in front of the gates of each palace.

Emperor Liang Yinhao couldn't go out of the palace to participate in the folk lantern festival because of his identity, so he had a whim this year and invited all the royal family and concubines to enjoy the lanterns and guess riddles in the palace, which can be regarded as feeling the atmosphere of the festival in the palace. On the fifteenth day, the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden is full of long rows of lanterns, like a winding fire dragon, illuminating the water pavilion on the shore brightly, and the scene is very spectacular. There is a lantern riddle hanging under each lantern, and the form and play are the same as those of the folk, and the mind is ingenious. Since today's dinner is in the form of a lantern festival, and the venue is set in the open space by the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden, the whole banquet is not as rigorous as before, and everyone can feel free to leave their seats and walk into the garden to watch the lanterns and guess the lantern riddles.

Mu Qing drank a few glasses during the banquet, and saw that the emperor Liang Yinhao and the queen were accompanying the queen mother to enjoy the lantern walk by the water pavilion, so Mu Qing took this opportunity to walk alone on the lakeside, and Zhu Yu was not worried about the master's body, so he also followed in the distance.

Not long after leaving, Mu Qing saw King Rui also standing alone by the lake, looking into the distance with his eyes slightly distracted. Mu Qing didn't evade, stepped forward and saluted: "See His Royal Highness King Rui." ”

When Rui Wang Liang Yinhuan saw Mu Qing, he was not as shocked as last time, and greeted with a smile: "Concubine Chen." ”

The two exchanged a few polite words, and Mu Qing made a gesture to leave. At this time, Liang Yinhuan suddenly asked, "Concubine Zhen's matter was helped by you, Niangniang, right?" Although it was an inquiry, the tone was very firm.

Mu Qing didn't expect the other party to mention this matter without warning, and said in confusion: "Why did Your Highness say this?" ”

Liang Yinhuan continued to ask: "The person who caught the Tang Beauty Palace Maiden is Commander Yin, will the time and place be too coincidental?" ”

Mu Qing denied it lightly: "It's Tang Meiren who has done a lot of injustice herself, and my father just happened to find the palace maid, not deliberately." It's His Highness who thinks too much. ”

"Oh? I heard that during the period when Concubine Zhen was grounded, only Niangniang you went to visit Concubine Zhen in Yiqian Palace. Liang Yinhuan said again.

"Your Highness seems to care about Concubine Zhen?" Mu Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, and said coldly, "Forgive me for talking too much, now there are thousands of eyes staring at His Highness, for the sake of His Highness's reputation and the safety of Concubine Zhen, His Highness will still be better to care less about this kind of thing in the future." ”

"Concubine Zhen, she belongs to an old friend of mine..."King Rui wanted to explain something in a hurry, but suddenly felt that he shouldn't say too much about the past in front of Concubine Chen, so he changed his words in time, "This king just didn't expect that there would be such a warm-hearted mother in this harem where rights were invaded." ”

"This palace doesn't understand what Lord Rui meant."

Liang Yinhuan lowered his head and smiled lightly, and he didn't say anything, "It's okay, just think it's me talking nonsense." ”

Both of them bowed and bowed, and left the river. After Mu Qing walked away, Zhu Yu followed closely and asked puzzledly, "How could King Rui care so much about Concubine Zhen's mother and son?" He used to have such a good relationship with Yun Gongzi, shouldn't he be the same as Niangniang, and have resentment towards Shen Zhen? Why do you care so much? ”

Zhu Yu's question also bothered Mu Qing, was it because King Rui was thinking about the old acquaintances, or was there something in it that she didn't know?

Mu Qing said in a deep voice: "You go and check if King Charui has had any contact with Shen Hao over the years, and then see if he has any connection with the Bachelor's Mansion." ”

Zhu Yu bowed her head and took the order, "Yes! (To be continued.) )