atypical prostitute

Chapter 173

The Lantern Festival was just around the corner. When Li Ci, who was summoned to the palace to meet the queen, walked through the imperial garden with the female officials, what he saw was the busy scene of the palace people decorating the branches with brocade satin leaves and wrapping the trunks with colorful palace lanterns.On the day of the Lantern Festival, envoys from all nations will be entertained in the imperial garden, and tens of thousands of colored lanterns will be lit together.

But I don't know if there is also a romantic story of "suddenly looking back, but the man is in a dimly lit place" among the fiery trees and silver flowers all over the sky.

As soon as Li Ci felt it, he couldn't help but his thoughts raced, thinking about some absolutely impossible situations, until the female officer leading the way suddenly stopped, only to find that Concubine Lin Shu and Concubine Pei Xian were walking side by side at the corner of the corridor.

After entering the palace for only half a month, Lin Langya's temperament and demeanor are completely different from when he was in his boudoir.The round face has become much thinner, the blue silk is tied into a woman's bun, and a pale pink beautiful peony is placed on the hairpin, which is lifelike, and there are seven or eight pearl hairpins and tassels on both sides. Wearing jingle bells when walking, the whole body exudes a sense of complacency.

Compared with her, Pei Linger is much more low-key.Ever since Zhao Wanru broke the Pei family's calculations at that family banquet, she has deliberately distinguished herself from Li Ci in terms of dress. Li Ci is still red, so she uses white, and Li Ci loves pearls, so she prefers amber... ...In order to avoid taboo, Pei Ling'er even refused the king's blessing three times in a row.

But she is so pretentious, but she seems to be trying to cover it up. Even people who originally ignored Zhao Wanru's words have begun to compare them together... It can be said that the concubine Li Ci least wants to meet now is Pei Linger, Pei Linger Fu Lici was also the last woman she wanted to see.

It's a pity that the more you don't want to meet, the more you will meet.

Li Ci was open-minded in her heart, so naturally she would not feel embarrassed because of meeting her. Seeing Pei Linger approaching, she went straight forward, bowed to say hello, and a series of movements were as natural as flowing clouds and flowing water.

Before she got up, Lin Langya had already posted it enthusiastically, helped Li Ci up, and said affectionately: "My sister misses me so much."

Everything she owns now is due to the Queen and Li Ci, not to mention that she is the most favored among the four concubines and nine concubines, so she knows the most, so she dare not cross the river and tear down the bridge.

Li Ci glanced at Pei Ling'er, who had unfriendly eyes, and teased: "Now you are a noble concubine Shu, and you should set an example in the harem. Why are you still so childish. You will be laughed at!"

"What His Majesty likes is my innocence. If I lose this childishness, I will worry about falling out of favor."

Lin Langya said innocently, took Li Ci's hand, and said courteously: "But I don't know why my sister entered the palace today?"

"Your Highness has an errand to order."

Li Ci said lightly, she knew that Pei Ling'er was afraid of the empress, and Lin Langya was her own, so there was no need to avoid her in such matters.

Sure enough, when Pei Linger heard that the queen had summoned Lici, her expression changed again, and she stepped forward and said politely: "Since Mrs. Shaohou entered the palace by order, Her Highness the Queen shouldn't have been kept waiting for a long time. It's just that there have been some gossips inside and outside the palace recently. , I wonder if Madam heard about it?"

"Appreciate further details."

Li Ci said pretending to be humble, but kept her anger hidden: the counterfeit is actually trying to obliterate the real one, is there any reason in this world! ?

It's a pity that Pei Ling'er didn't understand Li Ci's subtlety. She raised her head with cold eyes: "It's not a big deal, but I heard that the women His Majesty likes have certain similarities in appearance and personality—"

"This Chang'e flying to the moon lantern is pretty good."

A light and fluttering voice sounded just right, Pei Linger's cold complexion froze immediately, and turned into humility at random, leading a group of palace people to salute, and said: "His Royal Highness."

"Exemption."

Speaking arrogantly, Ye Wurong, who was wrapped in white tiger fur, turned a blind eye to the countless palace people who knelt down when they saw her, and walked past Pei Linger without paying any attention. "I just thought about it. With Fang Guan leading the way, why the time has not come yet. I didn't expect to meet the virtuous concubine Shu."

"Your Highness forgive me!"

Pei Ling'er said humbly, silent as a cicada.

She was afraid of Ye Wurong not only because she was the queen.

Although the fourth concubine entered the palace, she assumed a posture of not caring about worldly affairs, but there was a terrifying murderous aura lingering around her body. Every time she saw her, Pei Linger would think of her beheading Princess Rose of Xiliang. The beautiful woman in the past returned to the loess in a blink of an eye.

If I touch her reverse scale, I am afraid I will be beheaded by her too!
In front of an opponent with absolute force, all intrigues are ridiculous.

But she offended Fu Lici and the queen's confidants!
"Concubine Xian is really worried about that rumor."

On the top of the head, Ye Wurong spoke lightly, and every character spit out by the tip of his tongue shocked Pei Linger's heart.

"Chen and concubine dare not."

She was talking nervously, the silk flower on top of her head had already touched the golden brick.

However, Ye Wurong sighed, and said: "If you really care about rumors that much, you can seal your face and disfigure yourself, and refuse the grace from now on. Why do you have to get the benefit of a similar appearance, but you have to separate your relationship and pretend to be noble?"

The sharper interrogation pierced Pei Ling'er's heart. In the harem, Ye Wurong's words are the truth, whether it is fallacy or truth.

Knowing this well, Pei Ling'er was so frightened that her shirt was wet with sweat.

"The concubine knows that she is wrong, please forgive me, Your Highness."

Pei Ling'er knelt on the ground humbly, trembling, begging, she was terrified in her heart, and even suspected that Ye Wurong's next word would kill her.

Ye Wurong glanced at Li Ci, saw that she was calm, so he stretched out his hand to pull out a hairpin with thousands of leaves and rubbed the tip of the hairpin with his fingers for a long time, before throwing it in front of Pei Ling'er suddenly.

"What to do, I don't need to tell you."

Pei Ling'er was startled, the thousands of branches and leaves shining under the warm winter sun looked like poisonous snakes that might come to life at any time in her eyes, she timidly raised her head to look at Ye Wurong, and the female officials behind the empress, who begged silently several times Finally, trembling, he picked up the hairpin.

"The concubine...the concubine respectfully obeys...the decree..."

Not reconciled to speaking, but also powerless, holding the pearl hairpin in both hands, when it was about to be delivered to the throat, Li Ci knelt down.

"The concubine dares to be bold, Your Highness, please forgive me and give the concubine Xian a chance."

"Why do you give her a chance? She has an impure heart and intends to murder the royal family. Why do you plead for her?"

Although it was a question, the tone was extremely flat, as if Ye Wurong knew that Li Ci would intercede for Pei Ling'er.

Li Ci was not surprised either.

Ye Wurong is not a bloodthirsty person who is easy to kill, not to mention how strange what happened today, she suppressed it uncharacteristically, obviously deliberately giving Li Ci a chance to sell Pei Linger's favor, so even though Ye Wurong glared at her, Li Ci was eloquent And Tan, said: "I have heard that Concubine Xian has a gentle personality and is fair in dealing with things. If no one provokes her, how could she target her concubine like this? Concubine Xian and Concubine Xian only met once."

She spoke softly, and the focus of her words fell on provocation and a relationship. Although Lin Langya was innocent, he also woke up at this time, and accompanied Li Ci to intercede for Pei Ling'er.

"Sister is right. Sister Xianfei hates sister because some people say that sister is similar to Sister Xianfei. Sister Xianfei is proud, how can she tolerate such words. But they don't want to, Xianfei Sister Concubine's grandmother is Emperor Xuan's sister, and her sister is... With this blood relationship, it is only natural that Sister Concubine Xian and her elder sister look similar. As for the similarities in words and deeds, the Eldest Princess You are the number one beauty in the empire, whose wife didn't use the eldest princess as a model when she was raised? It's clear that someone is chasing rumors and stirring up trouble."

Li Ci knew that the Pei family really took herself as a model for raising Pei Linger, so Pei Linger had a dirty heart because of gossip.But Lin Langya's stupid words made people feel that Concubine Zhao De made a fuss out of a molehill.

This is the so-called suspicion of neighbors and stealing axes.

Pei Ling'er is not a person who knows how to live and die. Seeing Ye Wurong's complexion softened, she quickly echoed, "Sister Langya is worthy of being Your Majesty's interpreter, she solved my knot in a few words."

Li Ciqiao said with a smile: "Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, I'm gratified."

Pei Ling'er also pretended to be cheerful and said: "I actually...please forgive Madam Shaohou..."

When she said this, she kept peeking at Ye Wurong from the corner of her eye.

Ye Wurong didn't speak, she didn't dare to get up.

Fortunately, Ye Wurong is not a harsh person, since the purpose of establishing prestige and benevolence for Li Ci has been achieved, naturally he will not pursue it any further, but said with a cold face: "Concubine Xian knew she was wrong?"

"I know I'm wrong. Your Highness, please take back the thousand-branch and ten-thousand-leaf pearl hairpin."

"No need, this pearl hairpin will be rewarded to you, wear it every day, just as a warning."

After finishing speaking, he took Li Ci's hand and said, "If you don't retreat immediately, go back to your Lingyun Palace and think about your mistakes behind closed doors!"

"The courtiers and concubines would like to obey Yi's orders."

Pei Ling'er, who turned around before the gate of hell, stood up with difficulty with the support of the female officer. She was covered in cold sweat, but there was a strong hatred rolling in her heart.

Zhao Defei!
I am at odds with you!
……

……

"Why did Your Highness let Concubine Xian go so easily?"

As soon as he turned into the corridor, Lin Langya couldn't wait to ask questions.

"Concubine Xian did not make a big mistake after all, not to mention that the Pei family is quite powerful, cutting it off too soon will not do me any good."

Talking casually, Ye Wurong stopped in his tracks, looked at a clump of orchids luxuriantly nourished by the hot spring beside the rockery, and said, "Si Niangzi, do you think that Concubine De has ulterior motives?"

"As far as the current situation is concerned, among the women entering the palace this time, she is the most scheming. But the scheming on the surface may not necessarily be the scheming in the heart, not to mention that her vision is too narrow and her ambition is too blatant."

"So she can't become a big climate."

Ye Wurong said softly, and ordered Lin Langya and the female officials to step back temporarily.

Lin Langya got the order, he didn't dare to disobey, and led the female officials out in a file, with a very humble attitude.

Seeing her going back, Ye Wurong let out a foul breath: "Lin Langya is not smart, but she knows the wisdom to live on."

"It's a pity that this is the harem. In the harem...it doesn't mean that if you don't offend people, people won't offend you."

Li Ci sighed, she knew that Ye Wurong didn't completely trust Lin Langya, but among the women in the harem, who could she trust with all her heart?
Lin Langya, who was supported by them alone, would still obey Ye Wurongyan after being favored, which is rare and honest.

"Indeed, Lin Langya knows the wisdom of living, so she doesn't dare to betray me, and I don't have to include her in the scheme. Right now, my headache is Shangguan Mingzhu, she is actually domineering on the surface!"

"Domineering on the surface?"

Li Ci was slightly taken aback, she knew that Shangguan Mingzhu was not simple, but she didn't expect this person to--

"Yes, domineering on the surface. She knew that no matter how cautious she was, she couldn't please His Majesty, so she simply turned herself into a type that His Majesty had never come into contact with. Your Majesty is a born conqueror. The rarer a woman is, the more capable she is." Make him possessive."

"Hard to play?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Ye Wurong said indifferently: "Langya is the most favored in the palace now, but she is following the path of pretending to be innocent, and she can not gain much benefit for us, but Shangguan Mingzhu has successfully aroused His Majesty's interest, I think Zhao Wanru will most likely choose to form an alliance with Shangguan Mingzhu and Pei Linger at the same time, sell out on both sides, and reap the benefits of the fisherman."

"So she deliberately planted a demon in Pei Ling'er?"

"It's not that simple to want to swim on both sides and benefit from both sides."

Ye Wurong said with a smile: "At least she, Zhao Wanru, is not so good at it!"

Although his tone was indifferent, Li Ci could hear a faint resentment, Ye Wurong still cared about him after all.

Sui said: "There is something unclear about Lici, please give advice from Your Highness."

"what's up?"

"I have no grievances with the Zhao family, so why is Yixing Hou's son targeting me, and Concubine De also...has a lot of resentment towards me?"

Before the age of ten, Fu Yuci was just an unknown concubine, not to mention that the Fu family and the Zhao family had no relationship, so it was impossible to cause trouble.

A smile flashed across Ye Wurong's face, and he said: "When the late emperor was here, the Zhao family had a close relationship with Prince Ai. If Prince Ai can take the throne, the Zhao family can also turn into a dragon in the face of wind and rain. Unfortunately...the one who ascends the throne is His Majesty , Your Majesty... How could he reuse Prince Ai's confidant? The Zhao family's son is full of knowledge, but he is destined to be a conservative Marquis."

Ye Wurong said vaguely that the death of Prince Ai seemed to be the result of countless accidents, but it actually contained necessity.At that time, he was just a vassal king, and if he wanted to gain the title of righteousness, he must sacrifice Prince Ai.

It's just that the death of the crown prince, the investment of the Zhao family for more than ten years and the prosperity and wealth of the next 20 years have all been in vain, how can we not hate it!He didn't dare to target Jinshang, so he took Ye Chuan, who was in charge of protecting Prince Ai in the third year of Chengshi, as the object of hatred.

"In this way, I have suffered an unreasonable disaster."

Li Ci pretended to be relaxed, and Ye Wurong said again: "Zhao Wanru's entry into the palace this time also meant to appease the Zhao family. It's a pity that Concubine De is too careless. If she keeps messing around like this, I'm afraid it will hurt the Zhao family." There are hundreds of harms but no benefits!"

"Your Highness means—"

Li Ci subconsciously lowered her voice, Ye Wurong said softly: "If she wants to fight, then fight! I want to know who dares to stand in my way in this small harem!"

There is a sense of killing in the words.

"But--"

Li Ci couldn't help feeling worried, since the Zhao family was determined to confront the Ye family, how could it be possible not to count Ye Wurong's counterattack?
But her worry was in Ye Wurong's expectation, and she suddenly said indifferently: "But there is one thing Defei is right, Pei Ling'er was indeed trained with you as a template. Although I temporarily suppressed the rumors Yes, but with Pei Linger's spirit, she probably won't let it go."

"So it will be a matter of time before we meet Pei Linger."

Li Ci said quietly, she didn't want to know why the Pei family used her as a template to train Pei Linger, and she didn't want to know what it meant for Xiao Zhiqian to choose Pei Linger.She was only sure of one thing, Pei Ling'er was an enemy, not a friend.

"Don't you want to know why?"

"I don't want to. If you know too much, it's easy to be paranoid, which is not a good thing."

Li Ci said coldly, digging her nails into her palms, suppressing the turmoil in her heart with piercing pain.

Regarding her performance, Ye Wurong did not show any surprise, she folded off the little blue flowers that bloomed due to the nourishment of hot spring water, and said casually: "If you are not the illegitimate daughter of the eldest princess, and you are sitting in the queen's seat now, Maybe it's you."

(End of this chapter)