In the Xia Palace, Concubine Yu had just finished breakfast, and she was bored on the soft couch, holding a small pair of gold scissors and repairing her green jade fingers more than an inch long.

Suddenly, Concubine Rong took Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu with Aunt Yu, the head of the inner court of the Shen Criminal Division, followed by three deputy directors and a few deacons, and the group came in a mighty way, and broke into the inner hall without passing the word.

She was taken aback when she saw Concubine Rong's violentness, and hurriedly got up and curtsied, and asked, "Why is Concubine Rong here, and how can she move the people like this?" ”

Concubine Rong sneered and said sharply: "You naturally understand what dirty things you have done, so let's confess your guilt quickly, save us a lot of trouble!" ”

Concubine Yu was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "Niangniang and the concubine are joking, the concubine is bright and fair, and she has not done anything unseemly." Presumably the mother was mistaken. ”

Concubine Rong glanced at her from the corner of her eye, and said arrogantly: "This palace sees that you don't eat toasts and eat punishment wine." Then let you understand it well! He waved back and said sharply: "Search the palace!" A few people in the back rushed up at the order.

Concubine Yu shouted: "Slow! This palace is also the lord of the first palace, how can you trample on it at will! Do you have the Emperor's Divine Decree? ”

Concubine Rong showed a token and said proudly: "Naturally, I have the emperor's Shengyu, otherwise how can I convince you." Don't be verbose, search the palace! ”

Seven or eight people flocked into the hall, rummaged through the cabinets, searched all over the palace, and for a time the boxes were opened, and the ground was full of messes.

Seeing this, Concubine Yu asked coldly: "Please tell Concubine Rong what crime the concubine has committed?" Why such a big move? ”

Without waiting for Concubine Rong to speak, Concubine Shu stepped forward and said pitifully: "Sister Yu and I have had a lot of disagreements in the past, and if you have any dissatisfaction, you can come to me, but poor Yuning is young and ignorant but has to suffer from this." As he spoke, tears trickled down his face, and he pulled out his handkerchief and tapped the corners of his eyes.

Seeing the confused look on Concubine Yu's face, Concubine Xian said: "Sister Concubine Yu, you dried and ground the nettle into powder, and secretly put it into the belly pocket that the noble Ying gave to Princess Yuning while people were unprepared, causing the princess to have a rash and unbearable itching. Can you admit it? ”

Concubine Yu sneered: "Joke! That belly pocket was obviously given by the noble Ying, but you didn't go to search Yuruntang, but came to me to spread wild, what is the reason? ”

Concubine Shu choked up and said: "That day, the noble Ying sent a belly pocket, and it happened that my sister was also in my palace. The concubine was busy with Yuning's birthday and didn't pay attention to it, and she didn't want your sister to take advantage of my turn around to do something. ”

"It's just a mouthful!" Concubine Yu shouted, "What evidence do you have to prove that this palace did it?" ”

The corners of Concubine Rong's mouth raised, and she laughed: "This palace sees that you don't cry when you don't see the coffin, so I will convince you today." Autumn Butterfly is here! ”

I saw a woman with a long face and slightly delicate eyebrows walking forward, it was the second-class palace maid Qiu Die next to Concubine Yu, she raised her head to meet Concubine Yu's eyes, she was not cowardly, and said crisply; "Concubine Yu Niangniang since a few days before Princess Yuning's birthday, ordered the slave maid to find a lot of nettles, spread them on the backyard porch to dry, and let the slave maid grind into powder, the nettle is extremely difficult to grind, the slave maid took a lot of effort to grind a small handful, put it in a small bottle. Yu Concubine Niangniang also asked the slave maid to go to the Sizhen Bureau to make a hollow silver needle, and the slave saw Niangniang put the nettle powder into the silver needle, presumably to secretly blow the nettle powder into the princess's clothes. ”

Concubine Yu gradually changed color, and said sharply: "You are talking nonsense! Eat things inside and outside, who are you getting the benefit of, to frame this palace! ”

Qiu Die stepped forward and said fearlessly: "Don't you admit what Niangniang has done by herself?" The slave maid couldn't bear to be wronged, so she went to the Criminal Division to expose the mother. ”

Concubine Xian said: "Concubine Yu's move not only took revenge on Concubine Shu, but also blamed the noble people, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone." ”

Concubine Yu sneered: "There is no basis for what you say!" Just based on the words of a yellow-haired girl, do you want to punish this palace? ”

At this moment, one of the deputy directors of the Shen Xing Division of the search palace shouted: "Something has been found!" As he spoke, he presented a small glass bottle and a slender silver needle to everyone. Open the bottle and pour out the extremely fine powder from it, which is none other than nettle powder. When Concubine Yu saw it, she immediately panicked and turned pale.

Concubine Rong said proudly: "The evidence is all in front of you, what else do you have to say!"

Concubine Yu said dejectedly: "Let's go! Cease! You have premeditated, and this palace has fallen for your tricks! I'm going to see the emperor! The emperor will redress my grievances. ”

Concubine Rong's eyes were sharp, and she said, "The emperor won't see you." This palace will go to tell the emperor, and you will wait for the fate! With that, the group brushed their sleeves away.

The emperor's Shengyu was soon passed on by Li Zhong to the Xia Palace: the Yu concubine Shen harmed the emperor's heir, framed the innocent, and was reduced to the last official woman, confined in the Xia Palace, and was not allowed to go out without a call.

Concubine Yu wore her hair in the palace, crying and crying, and shouted vigorously to see the emperor. The guards at the door were unmoved, no matter how they cried inside. At the same time, Sheng Yu also immediately spread to Yurun Hall: Ying Guiren is really innocent, and the ban has been lifted.

In the afternoon, Lu Yuan stepped out of Yurun Hall, looked up at the clear sky like jasper, took a deep breath, and walked towards Qin Fangzhai.

The vermilion paint on the main entrance of Qinfangzhai has begun to peel off, and the iron nails on the door have also rusted, and everything looks ruined.

Lu Yuan gently knocked on the door, and opened it without wanting to respond, and the maid Yingqin stood in the door, and said with a smile: "Our mother expected that the noble little master would come over this afternoon, and asked the slave and maid to wait here, the little master, please hurry." ”

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded and walked inside, this was the first time she had stepped into Qinfangzhai. The vestibule is very small, only a few steps wide, but it is very clean, there are only a few pines and cypresses in front of the house, and there are no other flowers and plants.

Entering the room, the inner room is very plain and clean, like a snow cave, there is no furnishings and utensils, one of which is a wide ebony bookcase, there is only a few dried begonias inserted in a clay bottle, and a few books, tea cups. There is only a green gauze tent hanging on the bed, and the quilt is also very simple.

Lu Yuan thought that after Concubine Shun fell out of favor, the minions of the Internal Affairs Office would definitely deduct their share, but she didn't expect her to live such a hard life, and the furnishings in the house couldn't even catch up with the ordinary rich and noble.

Yingqin let Lu Yuan take a seat, called the little girl Zhihua to pour tea, and said with a smile: "Wait a minute, little master, our mother will come immediately." After that, he quit.

Lu Yuan picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea slowly, only to feel bitter, without any tea fragrance, and frowned slightly.

A thin figure walked into the room and said softly: "The tea here is naturally not as good as the imperial tea given by the emperor Yurun, it just quenches your thirst, and the noble people can't get used to it, right?" ”

Lu Yuan hurriedly got up and said with a smile: "Sister Shun is serious, I don't dislike this tea, but I am disgusted with those slaves who worship high and low, and deduct my sister's due share." ”

Concubine Shun waved her hand slightly, motioned for her to sit down, and she also sat on the side.

Concubine Shun was fifteen years old when she entered the palace, and now she is only twenty years old, but she looks old, without powder, her face is pale, her clear eyes are idle, and her two thin lips are gently pursed, looking calm and calm, although she is slightly haggard, but she can still see that her appearance is extraordinary.

Seeing Lu Yuan looking at her, Concubine Shun said leisurely: "Time is urging people to grow old, I have been in this natural cage for five years, and I can't compare to you being young and beautiful." ”

Lu Yuan hurriedly looked away and concealed: "My sister is exaggerating, in my opinion, my sister is still good-looking. Fu got up again and said: "Thanks to my sister's help this time, my sister is grateful, please accept it!" He bowed down and saluted.

Concubine Shun held her hand and said lightly: "Don't thank me, I have already said that I will help you for myself." ”

Lu Yuan was puzzled: "How do you say this?" ”

Concubine Shun stared out the window and said quietly: "When I was born and fell out of favor, Concubine Yu relied on the support of the queen, humiliated me several times in front of and behind others, and even spurned me in front of my face, and even bought Qin Tianjian to frame me for ominous stars. That's why I made a scapegoat. I have endured it for the past few years, and I have understood the warmth and coldness of human feelings, and I have also seen through the king's injustice. Now I've decided to fight back and get revenge on those who have fallen for me. I see that you are a decent person, and you do not cling to the queen or concubine Rong, so I want to be an ally with you. ”

After hearing this, Lu Yuan still had some doubts, so she asked, "How did my sister turn Concubine Yu's maidservant against her?" ”

Concubine Shun smiled slightly and shouted outside the house: "Qiu Die, come in!" ”

I saw a woman dressed as a palace maid walk in, bowed her head and saluted, and when she looked up, it was the second-class maid Qiu Die next to Concubine Yu.

Seeing Lu Yuan's surprise, Qiu Die said: "I was originally serving by Concubine Shun's side, but later because Niangniang fell out of favor, Concubine Rong dismissed a lot of those of us who were serving in front of me, and I was assigned to Concubine Yu Niangniang as an errand." Although I am in the Xia Palace, my heart is always here with Niangniang. When my mother was seriously ill, if it weren't for my mother's generosity, giving me money and looking for a doctor, my mother would have gone to Huangquan a long time ago. The slave is deeply favored by the mother and does not dare to forget it. It is a blessing for a slave to be able to do a little bit for the mother! Moreover, the palace maids in the Xia Palace are beaten and scolded by the concubines from time to time, and most of them hold grudges, and now they have sent out the concubines, which is also a very happy thing. ”

"What a loyal servant!" Lu Yuan exclaimed: "I also want to thank you well." As he spoke, he took off the emerald ring on his finger and put it on Qiu Die's finger, and Qiu Die hurriedly thanked him.

Concubine Shun said: "Now that Concubine Yu has been reduced to an official woman and is confined in the palace, and the people who serve around her have been dismissed, I want to ask you to find a good place for Qiu Die, I will just do it here, and it is not appropriate for you to avoid suspicion there." ”

Lu Yuan thought for a while and said with a smile: "Sister Xian Concubine is kind and lenient to her subordinates, which is a good place to go." ”

Concubine Shun also smiled: "Then there is Sister Lao's arrangement." ”

Lu Yuan hurriedly said: "Sister Hugh wants to say this, why should you and my sister be polite." ”

Concubine Shun remembered something and said: "In the future, you and I will be the same as before in front of people, and you must not show affection, if you come, just click the door knocker three times at night, and I will know that you are coming." Since I have the heart to fight back, I may do something in the future, so I don't want to implicate you. ”

Lu Yuan held her hand and said, "I'm not afraid of being implicated, but because I am now favored in this harem, I am afraid that some people will be jealous and hateful, and my sister will be affected." ”

Shun Concubine said: "I have seen a lot of deception in the harem, blindly tolerating others who can only indulge in step by step, and there is no way back, and you must not be soft-hearted for those who want to harm you." ”

Lu Yuan nodded and said, "I wrote it down." ”

Out of Qinfangzhai, when she looked back, Concubine Shun was still standing under the door, her figure was thin, her expression was indifferent, and she watched her silently.