Duan glanced down and didn't notice anything strange: "It's her handwriting and tone, I don't see anything wrong." ”

Chu Xiaocheng insisted, shook his head and said, "No, there is a problem." In my letter to her, I not only mentioned your injury, but also mentioned to her that the Miao Jiang clan was going to assassinate Helian Hongyi, and according to common sense, she should ask me about this, after all, it is related to Helian Hongyi's safety, but she didn't say anything in the letter...... I think it's probably not just a matter of distrusting me. ”

Chu Xiaocheng has been born and died by Chu Yanzhang's side for so many years, and his ability to peel off the cocoon is naturally not comparable to the Duan family, and after thinking for a long time, he looked up at the Duan family and said solemnly:

"Mother, I don't think Gu Banqin dared to mention Helian Hongyi in the letter, there must be a problem, could it be that the Miao Jiang clan has already started to do something to Helian Hongyi?"

Chu Xiaocheng's guess made Duan stunned, and he looked down at the letter again: "This ...... No way. ”

"How could it not? Their intention to join the WTO is so resolute, because you are unwilling to compromise, for fear that you will affect your father and emperor, and even you will do it. More than 20 years ago, did you forget the example of Hong Siniang? ”

"Back then, it was also the WTO faction that wanted to win over the emperor of the northern country and let Hong Siniang go around, but Hong Siniang had a heart and didn't want to go, and broke away from the Miao Jiang clan, didn't they also do it to her?"

"The gang led by Elder Leqing has no conscience at all. Now that the father has accepted them, he wants the Miao Jiang clan to intervene in the Chu State, the father is already a fool, Le Qing sees that he has been named a national teacher, and he is addicted to pills and dogs and horses all day long, but Le Qing is not satisfied. '”

"If you send someone to contact Helian Hongyi in private, I see that Helian Hongyi is not the kind of person who will compromise, and it is not impossible for them to do anything to him, and even ...... It will also be the power of the Chu State that will be used...... At that time, an assassination will become not simple, he wants to provoke a war between Chu and Daqi, and wants to poison the world again and become a purgatory. ”

Chu Xiaocheng's words were reasonable, Duan's eyes were silent, Chu Xiaocheng couldn't bear to hurt her, and said:

"So, I wrote a letter to Gu Banqin on your behalf before, and it deliberately mentioned the news that the Miao Jiang clan might assassinate Helian Hongyi, how could Gu Banqin ignore it?"

Duan hesitated and said, "Maybe she has already told Helian Hongyi and asked Helian Hongyi to take precautions." ”

Chu Xiaocheng shook his head thoughtfully: "I don't think it's like it, if Helian Hongyi is really prepared, then Gu Banqin is confident that he is fine, and at least he will mention a word of thanks in the letter, but you look at her letter, from beginning to end, she didn't mention a word, as if she didn't see it." ”

"What do you mean...... Did she deliberately avoid it? Duan guessed.

"Well, it's just deliberately avoided. If she simply didn't trust me, she should have at least written two sentences in the letter, but she didn't say a word, so I think it was possible that she knew that Helian Hongyi was in danger, but she couldn't tell whether I was a friend or foe, so she simply didn't say anything. I think that's probably what she meant, I'm not sure if I can help Helian Hongyi, but at least I can keep it from causing trouble for Helian Hongyi......"

Chu Xiaocheng squinted his eyes and guessed Gu Banqin's mind based on his feelings.

Gu Banqin, who was far away in Daqi, sneezed three times in a row on the corridor, so frightened that Liu Wu and Qingyun came over to ask, Gu Banqin took out a handkerchief and tucked it under his nose: "It's okay, it's okay, my nose is a little itchy." ”

Qingyun took a thin cloak for Gu Banqin from inside, and when Gu Banqin saw it, she hurriedly refused:

"Ouch, it's June soon, you still put this ...... on me"

Liu Fu agreed with Qingyun: "Niangniang, look at the sky, it is estimated that it will rain later, so let's wear it, not for yourself, but for Your Highness." ”

Gu Banqin looked down at her belly, wiped her loose clothes back, her little belly was indeed a little protruding, she touched it with her hand, it was hard, and she felt happy spontaneously, looking up at the increasingly dense dark clouds in the sky, Gu Banqin took a deep breath and secretly prayed that Helian Hongyi would come back soon.

After lunch, Fang Liangyuan brought a few palace concubines to Lihua Palace to say goodbye.

Gu Banqin asked them to compose poems and play in the study on the second floor of the Splendid Pavilion, while she was crooked at the window, watching the wind blowing on the top of the trees outside.

Fang Liangyuan walked up to Gu Banqin and sat down: "Is Niangniang thinking about the emperor?" ”

Gu Banqin looked at her and smiled, and nodded: "Yes." I don't know how the emperor is doing. ”

Fang Liangyuan looked at Gu Banqin for a long time and didn't speak, Gu Banqin raised her eyebrows: "Huh? What's wrong? ”

Fang Liangyuan shook her head and smiled: "It's nothing, I just feel that there is a missing person in my head, and I don't know what it feels like." ”

Gu Banqin looked at her, and after thinking about it, the other party Liangyuan asked, "Are you ...... Regretting entering the palace? ”

Fang Liangyuan didn't hide it, and nodded directly: "Hmm." I regretted it a long time ago. It's not right, in fact, I have never dreamed of entering the palace, but women are floating in the world, after all, they are rootless duckweed, and if there is a family, they should sacrifice for the interests of the family, and they must have no complaints, Niangniang is an understanding person, and I am not afraid to say these words to Niangniang. ”

Gu Banqin sighed, and turned her eyes to the window when the storm was coming, Fang Liangyuan is the niece of the Queen Mother, the Fang family is a relative, a family like her, it is a very common thing to send a woman to the palace, but no one has considered the feelings of the person concerned.

"At that time, I was the last one who knew that I was going to enter the palace draft, before entering the palace, my family taught me to have a place in the emperor's heart, and after entering the palace, the queen mother also taught me so, but I sent soup and water to the emperor, sachets, handkerchiefs and clothes...... The emperor didn't even look at me, and at that time I knew that I would definitely not be able to do this task given to me by my family, so I didn't want to work hard. ”

Fang Liangyuan felt that she must be crazy, so she actually sat here and talked about these things with Concubine Xian, but she just felt that Concubine Xian was a person who could understand her.

Saying these words did not make Concubine Xian angry, sure enough, Gu Banqin listened to Fang Liangyuan's words, there was no anger on her face, only deep sympathy, Gu Banqin put her hand on the windowsill, her chin hung on her arm, and sighed faintly:

"It's not a bad thing that you could see this earlier. I didn't say these things to you because I was favored, I was ready to live in the cold palace for the rest of my life before serving the emperor. ”

"So you see that I take care of my own land in the palace, growing vegetables and melons in it, if there is no emperor, I don't know how hard I have lived today. I wasn't selected by the family to be sent to the palace for the draft like you, I was sent into the palace by the Gu family to make things, in this palace, all women's lives are the same, and I was just a little luckier, I met someone I liked in the palace, and the person I liked also happened to like me. ”

Fang Liangyuan felt that talking to Gu Banqin could forget all the constraints of identity, and also learned from Gu Banqin's example, put her arm on the windowsill, put her chin up, and faced Gu Banqin, the two looked at each other, and laughed together, Fang Liangyuan said:

"I went to the Queen Mother a few days ago to ask for peace, and the Queen Mother told me that the mother wants the concubines to be promoted based on their knowledge and expertise, isn't it?"

Gu Banqin nodded: "Yes." What do you think? ”

Fang Liangyuan raised his head, his eyes lit up: "I think it's great." Instead of being lonely in the palace, it is better to find something to do, and if there are other ways to be promoted, then why don't we give it a try. ”

Her remarks impressed Gu Banqin, but after Fang Liangyuan was excited, she was a little disappointed on her face: "It's a pity, listening to the tone of the Queen Mother, she seems to be ...... I don't agree with it, and I don't know if Niangniang's idea can be realized in the end. ”

Gu Banqin smiled firmly: "Don't worry, I think this matter is reliable, and the Queen Mother will agree." ”

Fang Liangyuan couldn't hear the meaning of Gu Banqin's words, when she didn't enter the palace before, she felt that the Queen Mother Fang was the master of the harem, but after she really entered the palace, the more she stayed, the more she felt that the Queen Mother could not really be the master of the emperor.

And after the emperor handed over the right to manage the harem to Concubine Xian, Fang Liangyuan's idea became even more certain, now, let alone the emperor, I am afraid that it is Concubine Xian, and the Queen Mother will not be able to be the master.

Fang Liangyuan faintly saw the trend in the harem in the future, no matter whether the emperor would make Concubine Xian the queen in the future, Concubine Xian's power in the harem would only get bigger and bigger.

In addition, the matter of Concubine Xian's punishment of Lanyue Hall last time was widely spread in the palace, and everyone in the palace praised her in every way, and it was these little things that kept happening that made Fang Liangyuan completely cut off the idea of competing for favor.

Because she knows that she will never be able to be a virtuous concubine, so, no matter how hard she tries, she can't make the emperor like herself, there is a gap between people and people, and identity is only the most superficial layer of gap.

No matter how noble a woman is, no matter how high she is, she marries into a high court, and becomes a housewife, if she has no ideas and talents, she is just a very noble and expensive Buddha in her husband's family, and she cannot be sincerely praised by others.

Outside the window, there was a loud thunder, dark clouds were thick, and the wind began to pour into the study, and Du Liangyuan, who was composing poems on the side, came over and asked:

"It's going to rain outside, let's not bother Concubine Xian."

Before Fang Liangyuan could speak, he heard Gu Banqin say, "It's going to rain, it's here, it's okay." ”

"Okay, don't be polite, Concubine Xian is hospitable, so you won't drive us away, we have to rely on Concubine Xian Niangniang here to enjoy the rain and compose poems today, I have heard that the small kitchen in the palace of Concubine Xian is not inferior to the imperial dining room, I haven't tasted it." I don't know if Concubine Xian is willing to entertain us. ”

Fang Liangyuan said to Gu Banqin like this, enlivening the atmosphere in the study, Gu Banqin leaned against the window and replied with a smile: "If you can't invite you on weekdays, how can you refuse to entertain?" Dining here today, it's rare for everyone to have the same interests, and always have a good chat. ”

The people who came with Fang Liangyuan today are all some talented girls, indifferent to fame and fortune, Gu Banqin knows that this is Fang Liangyuan's thoughts, it seems that she is really interested in Gu Banqin's proposal, so she will take the initiative to bring these girls to Gu Banqin.