The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 308 Xian Zhaoyuan is not Wan Linlang

Concubine Lu had heard before that the Empress Dowager disliked the Queen.

But at that time, it was Concubine Rou who disliked Princess Jing. Now that their identities in the palace have changed, their positions should also change.

But the Queen Mother still disliked the Queen.

Xie Run saw through it: "There can only be one master in the harem. Concubine Rou has been waiting for most of her life, and finally she sits on the throne of the empress dowager. I'm afraid she also wants to taste the taste of power."

The Queen Mother never liked the Queen in the first place, and now she showed her dislike on her face simply because of a conflict of interests.

Lady Lu: "Looking at the Queen Mother's behavior today, it seems that she wants to promote Xian Zhaoyuan and challenge the Queen?"

"We just arrived at the harem and are not very familiar with this Xian Zhaoyuan. We don't know what her personality is like and whether she will be favored by the Queen Mother."

Just looking at Xian Zhaoyuan's performance today, you can see that she herself was caught off guard.

Xie Run thought for a moment and said, "The Emperor will not allow the Queen Mother to interfere in the affairs of the harem."

So it doesn’t matter whether Xian Zhaoyuan is respected or not.

Even if the Queen Mother initially intended to promote Xian Zhaoyuan to compete with the Queen, she would no longer set her sights on Xian Zhaoyuan if she failed to gain the upper hand once or twice.

Lady Lu misunderstood and nodded, "That's true. I think Xian Zhaoyuan is just like Hua Chongyi. Their hearts and eyes are full of the emperor. I'm afraid they won't do anything that the emperor doesn't like."

Thank you for your kindness.

I thought, hasn’t Hua Chongyi done enough things that displeased the emperor?

Speaking of Xian Zhaoyuan, Lady Lu added, "Today at the gate of the Cining Palace, before the Empress even opened her mouth, Xian Zhaoyuan came up to greet the Emperor with a look of concern."

"From the way I see her, it's not that she's naturally arrogant. I'm afraid she's been getting along with the Emperor like this since before you entered the palace."

Lady Lu looked at Xie Run with a hint of worry in her eyes: "Sister, aren't you worried?"

Xie Run shook his head. "It's not time to worry yet."

Compared to Xian Zhaoyuan, Xie Run was more worried about Wan Linlang who might have escaped and disappeared.

As they passed by Huanxi Pond, Xie Run reached up and plucked a willow leaf, asking softly, "Do you think... Xian Zhaoyuan and Concubine Wan are somewhat similar?"

Lady Lu was bewildered. "Xian Zhaoyuan and Wan Shiqie?"

She thought for a long time and shook her head seriously, "Forgive my poor eyesight, I really can't see how these two people are similar."

In order to collect information about Concubine Lian for Xie Run, Lady Lu had dealt with Wan Linlang a lot and was quite familiar with her.

Lady Lu was a little puzzled and asked, "Concubine Wan is already dead, why did Sister Xie suddenly mention her?"

Xie Run broke off a willow branch and casually pulled off a leaf with his fingertips. "Xian Zhaoyuan was valued by the emperor because of her epidemic disease prescription. It reminds me of Wan Linlang who was also in the same situation back then."

Seeing that Lady Lu was still hesitant, Xie Run lowered his voice and said, "Back then, at Concubine Wan's funeral hall, Gong Xiurong said something when she saw me."

Lady Lu asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Xie Run: "She said, 'Do you really believe she's dead?'"

Lady Lu opened her mouth subconsciously, but raised her hand to cover her mouth for fear of appearing too surprised.

After a while, Concubine Lu regained her composure. "At first, Concubine Wan and Gong Xiurong accompanied the emperor to Yunzhou together. Later, Concubine Wan died. There were rumors in the mansion that Concubine Wan was killed by Gong Xiurong."

Xie Run whispered, "This is true."

Lady Lu's mind raced, "Since Gong Xiurong is so certain, there's a real possibility!"

She was also a person who dared to think, and she really thought of the idea of using someone else as a substitute.

Lady Lu tried hard to think of the similarities between Xian Zhaoyuan and Wan Linlang.

After a while, she said helplessly, "I really don't find any similarities between these two people. Not to mention their temperaments, their statures and foot sizes are also different."

Xie Run was enlightened by her words.

"Stature and feet?"

Lady Lu gestured with her hand, "When Concubine Wan had her hair done up in a bun, she was as tall as me. But today, with her hair done up in a bun, Xian Zhaoyuan is an inch shorter than me. It's not obvious, but I still remember to ask for it."

It’s not that Concubine Wan and Xian Zhaoyuan are short, but Concubine Lu is tall enough.

"Besides, I once saw Concubine Wan and Concubine Fang making shoes together. The sizes were slightly different from the ones I saw today."

Lady Lu paused and said softly, "I guess Sister Xie didn't notice that Xian Zhaoyuan was born with a pair of small feet."

Xie Run doesn't like embroidery and usually doesn't pay attention to these little things.

However, after hearing Lady Lu's analysis, the possibility that Xian Zhaoyuan was Wan's concubine was ruled out.

Lady Lu's expression also froze. "Could it be that Concubine Wan has a secret relationship with Xian Zhaoyuan? Was it Xian Zhaoyuan, who was helping Concubine Wan, who offered the epidemic prescription this time?"

At this point, she had already assumed that Wan Linlang was still alive.

Xie Run: "This is just speculation right now. We still need to find evidence to prove it."

Lady Lu's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Sister. I think Xian Zhaoyuan is also a person who is easy to get along with. I will go find her in a couple of days and get closer to her to see if I can get any information."

In fact, Lady Lu herself was also very curious about the relationship between Xian Zhaoyuan and Wan Linlang.

She was even more curious about whether Wan Linlang was really alive or not.

As a gossipy person, if she doesn't get to the bottom of this matter, Miss Lu will be worried and anxious when she goes to bed at night.

Xie Run thought for a moment and said, "You don't have to go out of your way to find out anything. Just treat her as a normal friend. If you become suspicious, we'll talk about it later."

Lady Lu nodded repeatedly: "I will definitely know my limits in this matter."

When the gossip came up, Lady Lu added, "I heard that Concubine Yang and Concubine Jing were close friends. Now that they've both entered the palace, they should be closer than others. But it seems to me that they don't want to have anything to do with each other."

Xie Run: "We are not from a prominent family, so naturally we don't know how the big families in the capital get along with each other or how they educate their children."

The reason is not difficult to guess.

These two people entered the palace to gain favor, so they were natural competitors.

The best thing about the emperor's harem now is that there is no factionalism.

Even if there are calculations to compete for favor, they all act independently.

Under such circumstances, how could Concubine Yang and Concubine Jing still be close?

"These two have similar family backgrounds and are probably equally talented. But Concubine Jing's appearance has been ruined, so I'm afraid she'll rarely receive favor in the future."

"Yang Concubine is new to the palace, and it's a fresh start. I'm afraid she'll become a bit popular after a while, and Concubine Jing might not be able to get close to her."

Concubine Lu agreed when she heard this. "Concubine Jing and Xian Zhaoyuan came to Fengyi Palace together today. I think Concubine Jing's dissatisfaction is about to overflow."

"Sister, you came late. You didn't know that when we were in Fengyi Palace, Concubine Wu and Concubine Ye had already separated."

"Talented Lady Wu is younger than Talented Lady Ye. In the past, she always called Talented Lady Ye "Sister" in the mansion. After entering the palace, they are both talented ladies, so it is reasonable to follow the old rules."

"But today at Fengyi Palace, Concubine Wu arrived a little later than Concubine Ye. As soon as she arrived, she called Sister Ye and asked Concubine Ye to move a seat for her so that she could sit above Concubine Ye."

The seats in Fengyi Palace are not arranged randomly. The positions from high to low represent the status from high to low.

Wu Cairen asked Ye Cairen to give up her position because she was pregnant and felt that her status was higher than Ye Cairen's.

Xie Run: "Fengyi Palace is full of people. Concubine Wu asked Concubine Ye to give up her seat in front of her. Concubine Ye was afraid that things would get out of hand, so she probably couldn't refuse. But she's not an articulate person, so I'm afraid she can only suffer this loss in secret."

"Isn't it?" Lady Lu said with a smile, "Others looked down on the fight between these two and didn't pay any attention."

"I was sitting nearby. When I saw Ye Cairen and Wu Cairen swap seats, my face turned red and the handkerchief in my hand was about to be torn to pieces."

"It wasn't noticeable when she was in the palace, but now that she's in the palace, Concubine Wu has become arrogant, relying on her belly."

Xie Run sincerely hoped that Concubine Wu would give birth to the child safely so that the emperor could have more healthy sons.

But seeing Wu Cairen's actions as soon as she entered the palace, Xie Run began to worry about her.

Among these people in the emperor’s harem, which one is a vegetarian?

After chatting for a while, Lady Lu followed Xie Run to Showa Palace to see Taotao.

Lady Lu teased Taotao for a while and said with a smile, "I think the Fifth Prince has gained some weight. I made a tiger-head hat a while ago when I was bored. I only need to finish the last two stitches. When it's finished, I'll give it to our Fifth Prince. He will definitely look very majestic!"

Xie Run smiled and said, "You are good at embroidery, unlike me..."

Xie Run was only halfway through his words when someone suddenly came to report, "Madam, Consort Wu has fallen into the lake."

Lady Lu stood up excitedly, her eyes sparkling: "Did she fall into the lake by herself or was she pushed?"

"Which lake did it fall into?"

Lady Lu continued, "She had to pass by Wenchang Lake on her way back. Could something have happened there?"

"I remember that Ye Cairen and Fang Meiren were also going back that way."

In order to save trouble, the queen arranged all the concubines below the nine concubines to be nearby except for the nine concubines who were scattered among the six palaces.

Because of her closeness to Xie Run, Lady Lu was arranged to live in Luoyue Pavilion next to Showa Palace.

Lady Lu glanced at Xie Run and said, "Sister Xie, Lady Wu is pregnant after all. As someone from a wealthy family, I must go and see her."

She blinked as she said this.

He didn't go to visit Concubine Wu at all, he clearly wanted to go to the theater.

Xie Run smiled helplessly and said, "Go ahead and take a look for me too."

Concubine Wu is just a talented person, and Xie Run is now the highest-ranking person in the harem except for the queen. It would not be good for her to run to someone else's palace for just a small matter.

Lady Lu couldn't wait to say, "Then I'll go first."

Xie Run couldn't help laughing when he saw her hurried footsteps.

Even Xiao Shu couldn't help but say, "This beauty Lu really loves to watch the fun."

Xie Run: "Everyone has his or her own temperament."

As soon as Lady Lu arrived at Lady Wu's Magnolia Pavilion, she saw Lady Ye, who looked like a drowned rat.

Lady Lu felt a little proud in her heart. It seemed that she was right. There was a conflict between Concubine Wu and Concubine Ye.

She was just about to go in to see Concubine Wu when the eunuch at the door called out, "The Empress has arrived."

Lady Lu followed the crowd in paying her respects.

As soon as the queen entered, Concubine Lu immediately stood up and trotted in, holding up the hem of her skirt.

The kingfisher behind her kept pulling at her skirt, trying to calm her down.

Wu Cairen was lying on the bed with a pale face. When she saw the queen coming, her eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Please, Queen, please help me!"

The Queen asked calmly, "What happened? Why did you fall into the water out of the blue?"

Wu Cairen lowered her head and wiped her tears. The senior palace maid Yu Shan beside her stepped forward and said in a tearful voice, "Your Majesty, it's Ye Cairen!"

"My master was talking to her peacefully when she suddenly came and pulled my master, and pushed him into Wenchang Lake!"

Ye Cairen immediately said, "I didn't! I didn't push her. She was the one who pulled me first, and she deliberately fell into the lake to frame me!"

"Please, Queen, clear this concubine's name!"

As she spoke, Lady Ye lifted her sleeve to reveal the bloodstains on her wrist, "Look, Madam, this is where Lady Wu scratched my hand when she was pulling on me!"

Ye Cairen added, "I was born in Fujian Province and have been able to swim since I was young. It was I who rescued Wu Cairen."

"If it was really me who pushed Concubine Wu, why would I bother to save her?"

Lady Wu raised her eyes, her eyes full of shock, tears rolling down from the corners of her eyes like transparent beads.

"Sister Ye, this is the first time in my life that I know you are such a person who can confuse right and wrong!"

"The scars on your hands are clearly from me grabbing you when you pushed me into the water."

"You pushed me, probably wanting to hurt me. You saved me later because I dragged you into the water with me. I was still holding you in the water, and you couldn't break free, so you pulled me out of the water with you."

Wu Cairen said with a distressed look, "Sister Ye, when we fell into Wenchang Lake, you kicked me several times. There are still footprints on my dress. And you still say you didn't do it on purpose?!"

Ye Cairen was stunned, "You..."

She turned and saluted the Queen. "Please understand, Your Majesty. I was also startled when I fell into the water, and Concubine Wu pulled me down with her."

"I swam as hard as I could, so my hands and feet naturally had to move. With Concubine Wu hanging on me, how could she not get kicked?!"

After hearing this, the Queen asked, "Were there only the two of you and your maidservants at that time?"

Ye Cairen: "Indeed. And because Wu Cairen said she wanted to have some private conversation with me, she also specifically asked me to send all the maids away."

Ye Cairen glanced at Wu Cairen with hatred: "She kept saying that I was deliberately harming her, but she was the one who called me to speak first, and she was the one who started to pull me. In my opinion, she was afraid that she would use the child in her belly to harm me!"

Wu Cairen was also shocked and burst into tears. "Sister Ye, if I hadn't been holding on to you in the water and refused to let go, you would have pushed me into the water and drowned me. Now you are turning around and accusing me of framing you?!"

"You are so cruel!"

Ye Cairen also said: "How can it compare to your cruelty of using the emperor's child to frame me?!"

The two men accused each other and insisted on their own opinions, and there was no third person present.

The Queen's expression turned cold after hearing this. "Talented Lady Wu, Lady Ye said that you were the one who spoke to her first and even had the servants around her dismissed?"

Wu Cairen wiped her tears and said, "Yes."

"What did you say?"

Wu Cairen: "I offended Sister Ye in Fengyi Palace today. When I left, Sister Ye kept giving me the cold shoulder. I thought that we were sisters after all, and I didn't want to become estranged from each other. Who knew..."

There is no need for Wu Cairen to say more about the rest.

Keep accusing others of harming others and talking too much will only make people feel disgusted.

Ye Cairen also followed suit: "I am also very curious."