pdf-ebookys Chapter 1424: Good news in succession
Chapter 1424: Good news in succession
After saying this, Baharguli no longer looked at Concubine Dun’s instantly pale face, gently pulled Yingxiang beside her, turned around and walked straight out of the hall.
The back figure was extremely glaring in Concubine Dun's eyes.
She stared at the figure disappearing outside the palace gate, and suddenly waved her sleeve, sweeping the teacup on the small table beside her to the ground!
There was a crisp "crack" sound, and broken porcelain splashed everywhere, just like Concubine Dun's shattered sanity at the moment.
She must let that foreign tribute know what the consequences will be if he offends her!
……
Changchun Palace.
An apricot-yellow figure leaped out excitedly.
"Guli! Yingxiang!"
The eldest princess tilted her little face up, her eyes sparkling, her heart full of joy.
She grabbed Baharguli's hand and said happily, "You're here!"
"From now on, you will be serving in Changchun Palace. Don't worry, with Yun'er here, no one will bully you!"
Baharguli lowered her eyelashes to hide the flash of sarcasm in her eyes. When she raised her eyes again, she was smiling.
She bowed and saluted, her voice gentle: "I thank the Grand Princess for her compassion. It is my great blessing to have the Grand Princess's protection!"
Yingxiang, who was standing by, also hurriedly followed suit and saluted with a respectful attitude.
The eldest princess was so delighted by Baharguli that she held her hand and chattered non-stop.
Baharguli listened with a smile, occasionally responding softly, which made the eldest princess smile.
After a while of excitement, Ruoji came out and led Baharguli and Yingxiang to the main hall to pay a visit to Concubine Zhuang.
Concubine Zhuang was still wearing a simple and elegant palace dress, holding Buddhist beads, sitting at the top.
The hall was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which made her appearance look solemn, gentle and calm.
The two knelt respectfully and saluted: "Your servants pay their respects to the Imperial Concubine. May the Imperial Concubine be blessed with good health!"
Concubine Zhuang's gaze lightly swept across Baharguli, lingering for a moment on her enchanting and charming face, which was very different from that of the women in the Central Plains.
She could see clearly that Baharguli's humble expression did not hide her desire to be content.
"Since you've come to Changchun Palace, you must abide by its rules."
Concubine Zhuang's voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard: "Do your job well, serve the princess well, behave yourself, and you will have a bright future."
"If you have any inappropriate thoughts..."
At this point, she paused, her fingertips gently moving a Buddhist bead. Her voice was still gentle, but with an invisible pressure: "You know the rules of the palace!"
Baharguli immediately leaned forward, her forehead touching the ground lightly, her voice becoming increasingly gentle: "I will remember the Imperial Concubine's instructions and will strictly abide by the palace rules and serve the Grand Princess with all my heart and soul. I will never dare to overstep the boundaries!"
Yingxiang also kowtowed in response.
Concubine Zhuang seemed satisfied and waved her hand: "Go down and settle down."
"Slave, please leave!"
After their figures disappeared outside the palace gate, Xiao Caizi, who was standing beside them, took a few steps closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, look at Baharguli. She pretends to be submissive, but who knows what she's up to!"
"The eldest princess is young and simple-minded, so don't be fooled by her."
Concubine Zhuang continued to twirl her Buddhist beads, a hint of coldness curling up at the corner of her lips: "Yun'er has been drugged by her. She won't listen to anything I say."
Didn't she want to eliminate this hidden danger immediately? But...
Baharguli had just entered Changchun Palace. If anything went wrong at this time, everyone's eyes would fall on her.
A trace of calculation flashed across Concubine Zhuang's eyes as she said, "Let them rest in peace for a few days."
"Keep a close eye on them. Don't let them serve the eldest princess closely, and don't let them enter the inner hall."
Little Caizi bowed and replied, already having a plan in mind: "Yes, I understand."
This matter spread throughout the harem like a gust of wind.
Some people curled their lips after hearing this: "The eldest princess isn't naive, she's stupid, isn't she? It's not enough to forgive the man who almost poisoned her, but she actually brought him into her palace. Isn't this just inviting a wolf into the house?"
Some people pondered further, muttering privately, "If Baharguli was truly responsible for the poisoning, why would His Majesty release her so easily? And why would the eldest princess treat her so affectionately? There's something else going on here... isn't it?"
However, all these discussions were only in private, and no one dared to make them up in public.
……
Prince Jin's Mansion, study room.
A confidant dressed in black bowed his head and reported, his voice extremely low, yet his excitement could not be concealed: "Your Highness, the latest news from the border is that the war between the Great Zhou and the Xiongnu is becoming increasingly tense. His Majesty has decided to dispatch another 20,000 elite troops from the capital camp to provide assistance."
"In this case, the defenses around the capital will inevitably be empty!"
Under the candlelight, Prince Jin was playing with a warm mutton-fat jade pendant with his well-defined fingers, and paused when he heard the words.
His eyebrows were lowered, and not much emotion could be seen on his handsome and gentle face. Only a very faint curve seemed to appear at the corner of his lips.
This is indeed exciting news.
Just at this moment, the study door was gently pushed open, and Concubine Qi walked in wearing a scarlet dress.
She bowed slightly to Prince Jin and said straight to the point without further ado, "Your Highness, Zhuying from the laundry department has finally delivered news today."
Prince Jin looked up and asked, "What news?"
Concubine Qi said respectfully, "Zhuying has been keeping a close eye on things for a while now, and has noticed a subtle atmosphere within the Imperial Guards. After much investigation, I've finally learned that there seems to be some discord among the deputy commanders."
"Especially the two under Zhan Weiran. They had a grudge against each other as early as last year over who should be credited with killing the rebels during the autumn hunt."
Concubine Qi's eyes flashed with shrewdness, as if she had discovered her prey's weakness: "If we can find a way to win them over and offer them generous rewards, we might be able to pry open a gap between them..."
"Then, the palace guards might be of use to us!"
As soon as she finished speaking, another confidant in charge of contacting court officials bowed and added, "Your Highness, in recent days, three or four more officials have secretly submitted letters of surrender."
"Two of them hold real power..."
As good news came one after another, the atmosphere in the study became a little more heated.
Prince Jin slowly raised his eyes. Those eyes that always contained a gentle smile were now bottomless under the candlelight, like two ancient wells that had absorbed all the light.
He gently put down the jade pendant in his hand, narrowed his eyes and said, "Is it really so easy for my royal brother to demobilize the troops in the capital?"
"The commander of the Imperial Guards, Zhan Weiran, is a loyal dog. How could his men, at such a critical moment, fight among themselves over merit?"
As he said this, Prince Jin stood up and walked to the window, looking at the dark night outside, his eyes full of thought.
Concubine Qi said cautiously, "Your Highness means..."
Prince Jin sneered, "How glorious was the Zhenguo Mansion in the past? The Dingguo Mansion also once held immense power."
"They all thought they had victory, but underestimated the one sitting on the throne, leading to their entire family's downfall."