The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 318 Southern Xinjiang Tribute Medicine

After taking a walk around the Magnolia Pavilion, Concubine Jing became suspicious.

"When I first entered the palace, I had no grudges against anyone. I'm afraid the person who harmed me did so because I threatened her."

Concubine Jing picked up the scissors, brought them close to the red candle and cut it gently.

The delicate eyebrows and eyes were illuminated by the light, making her look graceful and beautiful.

"Xie Run... or Fang Yuaner?"

She has a good family background and entered the palace as a concubine, which may have posed a considerable threat to these two people.

It is normal for them to harm her and make sure she will never be favored again.

He attacked her and destroyed her appearance... He was truly vicious.

Putting down the scissors, Concubine Jing suddenly felt a little tentative.

She said to the palace attendant beside her, "I remember there are a few boxes of tribute medicine from Southern Xinjiang sent by my maternal grandparents in the storeroom. I'll send them to Concubine Zhao Shu and Concubine Gong Xiurong tomorrow morning."

"Your Majesty, that medicine is extremely rare. Your maternal grandfather was fighting in southern Xinjiang and searched the entire region for three boxes. The Emperor specially gifted two boxes to your maternal grandfather, and they were later given to you..."

Concubine Jing said calmly, "Go ahead if I tell you to."

"Yes."

"After delivering them, send someone to investigate and see what they did with them."

"The slaves obey."

Xie Run received the tribute medicine from Southern Xinjiang sent by Concubine Jing early in the morning, and was a little puzzled.

"Why did your queen think of giving me ointment?"

The palace maid who delivered the gift had dimples on her cheeks and smiled very sweetly: "The Queen said that her beauty has faded and she is afraid that such a good ointment will be wasted."

"No matter how good the ointment is, it can't be kept for long. It's better to give it to the two ladies to add a bit of brilliance. The emperor will be happy to see it."

Xie Run asked curiously, "Who else did you give it to?"

"Empress Gong Xiurong." The maid spoke kindly, "Our Empress said that Empress Shufei and Empress Gong Xiurong are both old servants of the Emperor, and are the most favored by the Emperor. Now that she can no longer serve the Emperor, she wants to do her part so that when the Emperor sees the two Empresses, he will think of us. It would be best if he could be considerate of them."

Xie Run was curious.

Is Concubine Jing giving her gifts as bribes, hoping that she will speak well of her in front of the emperor?

Xie Run never did such things, so he refused without thinking.

After several polite refusals, the other party always brought up the injuries on Concubine Jing's face.

"To be honest, Madam, ever since our Madam injured her face, she can't stand seeing these ointments and powders. When she was cleaning the storeroom yesterday, she saw these and cried for a while. Today, she asked this servant to send them all out."

Now that things have come to this, it would be inappropriate for Xie Run to refuse.

She asked the man to accept it and said a few polite words so as not to offend anyone.

After sending Concubine Jing's men away, Xiao Shu asked: "The sun is rising from the west?"

"Your Majesty has never had any contact with Concubine Jing. I've never seen anyone from her set foot in our palace. Yet, today she suddenly sent such a precious ointment."

"The weasel is sending New Year greetings to the rooster, it's unkind!"

Dan Tao patted her shoulder and said, "What nonsense are you talking about!"

If Concubine Jing is a weasel, what becomes of their master?

Xiao Shu changed the subject and leaned closer to ask Xie Run, "My Lady, what do you do with this ointment?"

Xie Run paused and said, "Put it in the warehouse first."

Her storehouse was filled with gifts from the emperor, including beauty-enhancing ointments that she could not use up in her lifetime.

Xie Run: "I'm afraid Concubine Jing's sudden move is because of what happened to Wu Baolin last night."

"She must have always suspected that her disfigurement was caused by someone, but she just couldn't find any evidence."

"Now that Wu Baolin's incident has emerged, it has further confirmed her suspicions, so she's starting to suspect Fang Yuaner and me."

Many things in the palace are actually not difficult to guess.

Xie Run also laughed and said, "She will probably send someone to see how we deal with the ointment she gave us."

Xiao Shu and Dan Tao were both a little worried, afraid of getting into trouble.

After all, the resentment and targeting of the women in the harem are really hard to guard against.

Xie Run was quite calm: "When the enemy comes, we will stop them with soldiers; when the water comes, we will block it with earth."

There is no need for her to feel guilty about something she has never done.

"The Queen will go to pay her respects in two days when she feels better. You should keep an eye on her."

"Yes."

Xie Run received the tribute medicine from Southern Xinjiang sent by Concubine Jing and put it directly into the warehouse.

Fang Yuaner received the medicine, but immediately had it thrown away.

Like Xie Run, she guessed what Concubine Jing was thinking, but she was more efficient and decisive than Xie Run.

After throwing away the ointment, he did not cover it up at all, but instead asked Concubine Jing's people to deliver the message.

Her actions made Concubine Jing very angry.

As for whether Concubine Jing found out anything when she delivered the medicine, Xie Run and Fang Yuan'er were not sure.

Life in the palace was hard, but with a child to keep him company, it passed quickly.

Two days later, some news came out from the palace.

It was said that the eunuch who was in charge of preparing meals for the Fifth Prince and Hua Chongyi was recommended by the governor of Yunzhou.

The implication of this statement is that Xian Zhaoyuan harmed Xie Run and Hua Yu.

Xie Run heard the news and went to ask the emperor a few questions.

The emperor patted her shoulder and soothed her softly, "The man was indeed recommended by the Yunzhou Governor, but I'm afraid it was someone else who actually did it."

Xie Run leaned against the emperor's arms: "Tao Tao and I both believe in the emperor."

After a hearty meal and a good drink, Xie Run suddenly became curious: "Your Majesty, have you heard any rumors in the palace?"

The emperor hugged her lazily and asked, "When have there ever been fewer rumors in the palace?"

"Sui Sui, you never liked to talk to me in such a roundabout way before."

Xie Run was startled and immediately changed his strategy. He sat up and pulled the emperor to sit opposite him.

This kind of behavior is actually inappropriate, and to be more serious, it is a bit offensive.

But the emperor did not show any anger. Instead, he looked at Xie Run with a smile, with a doting look in his eyes, and let her be unrestrained.

Xie Run said straight to the point: "Your Majesty, I don't know when there was a rumor in the palace that Concubine Wan is not dead."

"She's a female doctor by training, and she's best at poisons. She might even know witchcraft. If she's still alive, maybe she was the one who harmed Tao Tao this time?"

The emperor raised his hand and rubbed her head, his tone slow and gentle: "I have also heard these rumors."

Xie Run continued, "Your Majesty, it's not just a rumor. Gong Xiurong once told me in person that Concubine Wan is still alive."

She glanced at the emperor and continued boldly, "She also said that Concubine Wan's death in Qiang Wu was planned by Concubine Wan herself, and she wanted to use her life to harm her."

"She also said that Concubine Wan had long since given up on living with her original identity, which was why she had the idea of escaping death. Before she died, she wanted to put the blame on Gong Xiurong..."

When Xie Run said this, he suddenly remembered something very important.

The emperor had been on the throne for some time, but he had never mentioned posthumously conferring titles on those concubines in the palace who had died young.

Wan Linlang died in the earthquake while trying to save the emperor. Logically, she should at least be posthumously awarded the title of Concubine.

There was also Concubine An, who gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and Concubine Sun, the eldest prince's biological mother...

No matter how many mistakes these people made in their lives, they must be given the honor they deserve after their death.

Even if the emperor did not give it, his ministers would urge him to give it.

But until today, Xie Run hadn't heard a single word about it.

Her mind suddenly focused.

She hazarded a guess.

Could it be that the emperor actually knew all along that Wan Linlang was not dead?!

The emperor spoke in a calm tone, and his face showed no surprise at all when he heard these outrageous news.

"You should avoid interacting with Gong Xiurong in the future. She has evil intentions and cruel methods. You can't mess with her."

Xie Run was really shocked.

The emperor used the four words "evil intentions, cruel means" to describe Fang Yuaner, which means that he really knew a lot of things.

The reason why he didn't deal with it might be that he didn't care, or maybe he had his own plans.

Xie Run opened his watery fox eyes and said obediently, "I will listen to whatever the emperor says. I will not have any contact with her in the future."

She paused, then added, "I've never associated with her before, but I just happened to run into her on the road, and she always likes to chat with me."

The emperor didn't say anything after hearing this, but just squeezed Xie Run's hand.

Knowing that the emperor was aware of the situation, Xie Run slept more peacefully.

The queen's health gradually improved, and the six palace maids resumed paying their respects to her.

Xie Run still got up early in the morning and had someone help him get dressed.

This time she didn't bring Taotao with her, and just went there in a sedan chair.

When they arrived at Fengyi Palace, they talked about daily trivial matters.

However, Xie Run looked around and found that Xian Zhaoyuan was nowhere to be seen.

She discovered this, and naturally others also discovered it.

Lady Fang asked softly, "Why isn't Xian Zhaoyuan here?"

Hui Xiuyi said calmly, "Xian Zhaoyuan isn't as foolish as us. She's quite favored by the Empress Dowager. I sent a letter to the Empress Dowager today, asking her to go to the Cining Palace to serve the Empress Dowager, and not come to the Fengyi Palace to pay her respects."

After hearing this, Xie Run's first reaction was that the Queen Mother was still trying to make trouble.

She took a handkerchief and pretended to wipe her mouth, lowering her head to hide the smile in her eyes: "With Xian Zhaoyuan taking care of the Empress Dowager, we can rest assured."

The Queen: "Consort Zhao Shu is right. Queen Mother has been feeling unwell for a while now, so someone needs to be there to serve her all the time."

"I am not in good health and cannot fulfill my filial duties to my mother. Now I have to trouble Xian Zhaoyuan."

The Queen was always generous. When she reached this point, she waved her hand and said, "Come here, take the jade ruyi that I received last year to Xian Zhaoyuan. Tell her that it is a reward from me for taking care of the Queen Mother."

Ting He bowed and immediately went down to do what he was told.

With the Queen Mother's support, everyone thought that Xian Zhaoyuan would not come.

Who knew that when the greetings were almost over, she suddenly came hurriedly with her palace maids.

Concubine Jing smiled and said, "Why is Xian Zhaoyuan here? The Queen Mother still needs your service."

Xian Zhaoyuan humbly bowed before replying to Concubine Jing: "The Empress Dowager has summoned me to serve her, and I am naturally overjoyed, but I cannot fail to pay my respects to the Empress."

"Even though I came late, at least it's my sincere contribution."

The Queen smiled and said, "You have already fulfilled your filial duty to the Queen Mother on my behalf. It doesn't matter whether you come or not. I know your sincerity."

"Please sit down and have a cup of tea first. I guess you rushed here from the Cining Palace and didn't even have a chance to catch your breath on the way."

Xian Zhaoyuan was surprised at the queen's tolerance and gentleness.

Although she was honored by being favored by the Queen Mother, she also did not want to offend the Queen, so she could only try her best to balance the two sides.

But Xian Zhaoyuan also knew that if she tried to please both sides, she would easily offend both sides.

The Queen Mother treats her well now, but she is afraid that she will offend the Queen due to her lack of respect and be targeted by the six palaces.

It's just that the queen let her go, while the other people in the harem couldn't bear to see her have an easy life.

Just as Xian Zhaoyuan sat down, she heard Concubine Jing speak: "I recently heard a piece of news. I can't tell whether it's true or not, but I'm really curious. I've been holding it in for a long time, but I still want to ask Sister Xian Zhaoyuan a question."

Xian Zhaoyuan said gently, "Sister Jingfei, please speak. If I can help you solve your doubts, I will not dare to hide anything."

Concubine Jing smiled meaningfully, "I didn't see Hua Chongyi when I came to pay my respects today, and then I remembered that she had a stomach injury from the poisoning incident, and she's still recovering."

"Back then, the Fifth Prince was also nearly poisoned. This incident shocked everyone inside and outside the palace, but to this day, the murderer has not been found."

Concubine Jing deliberately didn't ask directly, but said something else in a roundabout way, watching the smile on Xian Zhaoyuan's face disappear little by little.

Finally, he said calmly, "I heard that the imperial chef who poisoned the Fifth Prince and Hua Chongyi was personally recommended by Xian Zhaoyuan's father, the Governor of Yunzhou."

"I don't doubt that Xian Zhaoyuan wants to harm the Fifth Prince and Hua Chongyi, but I'm really curious, is this true or false?"

Xian Zhaoyuan couldn't keep the smile on her face and was about to say a few polite words to get over it.

Hui Xiuyi, who was standing by, said calmly, "The Governor of Yunzhou is Xian Zhaoyuan's biological father. Xian Zhaoyuan, don't say you don't know what he did."

Xian Zhaoyuan felt a bitter taste on her tongue. "I really don't know about these rumors."

She looked at Xie Run with her autumn eyes: "I was lucky enough to enter the palace. I haven't been in contact with my family for a long time, and I don't know what my father has done."

"Therefore, I cannot assert that the imperial chef was not recommended by my father, but I cannot be sure that he is my father's man either."

"I only hope that Sister Zhao Shufei will understand. How could I dare to murder the prince and the empress? Even if I had ten times the courage, I would never dare to do so. I dare not even think about it."

Xie Run changed his usual gentle and good temper and did not just brush it off. He just said, "Then I'll ask Xian Zhaoyuan to ask your father for help. When he recommended the imperial chef, did he foresee what would happen today?"

Whenever it comes to the Fifth Prince, Xie Run is not as easy to talk to as expected.

The women in the palace all have their own methods and connections.

The news that the imperial chef was recommended by the Yunzhou governor had been circulating in the palace for a long time, and it was confirmed to be true.

Xian Zhaoyuan now wanted to just brush it off with a vague word, but Xie Run refused to allow that.

Since Xian Zhaoyuan wanted to pretend to be confused, Xie Run exposed her confused appearance with just one sentence and asked her to go directly to ask the Yunzhou governor.

Xian Zhaoyuan's smile was very forced. "I will definitely write a letter to ask my father. If he dares to interfere in the affairs of the harem, I am sure the emperor will not let him off easily."

Xie Run smiled faintly, "That would be the best."

This visit ended in a bad mood.

Xian Zhaoyuan left Fengyi Palace feeling aggrieved, but before she returned to her own palace, she suddenly received news.

The governor of Yunzhou was demoted for corruption and has been taken to prison awaiting trial in the Dali Temple.

Xian Zhaoyuan stood there, suddenly lost in thought, and a sense of panic arose in her heart.

Could it be... that my father really tried to murder the Fifth Prince and Hua Chongyi?!