Since late autumn has entered, the wind in Youzhou City has begun to become more and more fierce. Bao Zhu couldn't help but tighten her clothes, fearing that the cold wind would get into her collar.
Since accepting the favor in early summer, the Li Kingdom's harem has gradually shown a situation where the two forces of Baozhu and Shuguifei are inextricably intertwined.
When it comes to favor, Concubine Shu is always inferior to Baozhu. But what puzzled Baozhu was that although Concubine Shu was very angry about being favored, she never did any other excessive behavior except for her usual teasing.
Yesterday, Qi Junce came to eat with Baozhu after court as usual, and Baozhu became more and more immersed in this tenderness.
Qi Junce also brought another news. In seven days, he would go on a private visit incognito to patrol the salt, so that Baozhu could also be prepared.
Baozhu, who was scooping porridge for Qi Junce, felt helpless. Being a concubine was already annoying enough, but she had to accompany Qi Junce to do such dangerous things.
"Your Majesty," Baozhu asked hesitantly, "Although Your Majesty is visiting incognito and privately, you can't go to court without showing your face. This will only make people with ulterior motives suspicious."
Qi Junce took the porridge from Baozhu's hand and took a slow sip before answering Baozhu's words: "Do you still remember my brother Yangcheng King?"
Baozhu recalled the King of Yangcheng whose face was comparable to that of a woman, and nodded silently.
"At that time, I will announce to the public that I have a rash, which disfigures my appearance. King Yangcheng will go to court on my behalf and hide the truth." Qi Junce said with some pride.
Baozhu looked at Qi Junce in surprise, not looking like he was joking.
Qi Junce felt Baozhu's surprised gaze, and then said again: "He grew up with me, and he is the only one I can trust."
Hearing this, Baozhu put down his chopsticks, pouted and turned his back slightly to Qi Junce. "Your Majesty's words make me really sad."
Qi Junce couldn't stand Baozhu's behavior the most, so he quickly pulled her arm back and asked, "What's going on? Why are you sad?"
Baozhu raised his watery eyes, hooked his hands around Qi Junce's neck and said, "Isn't that concubine someone worthy of your Majesty's trust?"
Qi Junce looked at Baozhu. The tenderness of the past few months had made him forget how he was full of unknown disgust for this woman in the first place.
As they got along with each other day by day, Qi Junce rarely felt guilty about this. And his guilt turned into countless jewels and wealth on Baozhu.
And he unconsciously handed over his heart step by step, and the orb was placed in the palm of his hand to play with.
"Yes," Qi Junce's tender eyes were filled with lust, "Of course the treasure is."
Before leaving, Qi Junce told Baozhu to be ready to go to Jiangnan with him, and he reluctantly held hands for a long time before leaving.
He watched Qi Junce leave with a nod and a smile. When he disappeared from the shadow door, the corners of Baozhu's mouth suddenly dropped, and he turned around and returned to the house.
Ah Zi, the youngest, couldn't hold back the excitement in her heart and said: "Our concubine is really amazing, your Majesty has always been so interested in us."
Bao Zhu gave a faint smile and asked the others to retreat. Yue Nu asked Baozhu concernedly if he was feeling unwell. Baozhu shook his head and lazily leaned back on the couch.
"It's great that the girl can let go of the past now, and His Majesty really takes the girl into his heart." Yue Nu said while pouring tea for Baozhu.
Bao Zhu hummed somewhat self-deprecatingly, looking at the fallen leaves in the courtyard.
"Yue Nu, do you still remember that there was Feng Xiaoniang in our family before?" Baozhu asked.
Yue Nu thought hard for a long time before bursting out with a loud oh, and then said excitedly: "Is she the lady who was loved by the master as soon as she entered the house, but died young in the end?"
Baozhu looked at Yue Nu's excited look. It seemed that even though times had changed, this Feng Xiaoniang was still impressive.
"I was only ten years old at that time, and that Feng Xiaoniang was an honest official brought up by my father." Baozhu said.
"Yes," Yue Nu sat down and continued: "It's strange to say that Miss Feng is not very beautiful, but she has won the heart of the master, even..."
Yue Nu was talking enthusiastically, but suddenly stopped and looked at Baozhu with some embarrassment. Bao Zhu smiled in relief, "Even more than my mother, right."
Yue Nu swallowed her saliva and her voice became much softer: "I am very puzzled. The eldest lady is famous for her beauty, but Feng Xiaoniang is not as good as three points, but she has won the master's love."
Yue Nu sighed, "This is really strange."
Bao Zhu smiled bitterly and shook his head, poking at Yue Nu, who looked cute and unique in her double-snail bun.
"Silly Moon Slave, beauty is your trump card, never your trump card." Baozhu said, "Feng Xiaoniang relied on grabbing my father's heart and making him fall willingly."
Yue Nu looked at Baozhu with some confusion. How could an inexperienced girl understand such a truth.
"She never cries like a shrew, and she never begs for a man's love." Baozhu picked up a grape and put it into his mouth, which was slightly sour.
After it slowly slid into the throat, she continued to speak: "Whenever my father was worried, she was willing to lower her profile and be a flower that could explain his words. Therefore, in her father's backyard, she was always the only one favored."
Yue Nu listened intently, looking thoughtful.
"And the most important thing is that she has the guilt of her father." Bao Zhu said earnestly.
"Guilty? Where do you start talking about this?" Yue Nu leaned forward and asked in surprise.
"Because she once had a child, but unfortunately she had a miscarriage. But she didn't cry, and even blamed herself in front of her father, which made him feel guilty and distressed. From then on, he loved her even more."
Baozhu showed a sly smile, "Skinbags will eventually get tired of it. I've learned a lot since Feng Xiaoniang has been in the house for three years," Baozhu said.
"So, girl, have you never been attracted to His Majesty?" Yue Nu lowered her voice and asked cautiously.
Baozhu's eyes were misty like morning mist, so bland that no emotion could be seen.
"Yue Slave, don't forget." The words spoken by Baozhu seemed to be full of ice, "He was the one who abandoned me. Everything I did was just to live a better life."
Yue Nu's eyes suddenly changed and she held Baozhu's hand tightly.
Seven days later, the two carriages hurriedly left the palace under the cover of night, and the group headed towards Songjiang.
The country of Li is vast and covers a wide area. The further south you go, the more rolling the mountains become, while the plains slowly recede behind you.
Baozhu could not help but open the curtain and take in the mountain scenery greedily. Compared with the vastness of the plains, Baozhu loves the passionate mountains and rivers more.
Only three days after setting off, the group came to a quiet town, and Concubine Shu proposed to rest here.
Yue Nu helped Bao Zhu get out of the carriage. The bumps for many days made Bao Zhu's legs a little numb. Qi Junce was currently dressed like an ordinary folk man, but he still couldn't hide his noble aura.
"Why doesn't the Queen come with us?" Yue Nu asked.
"The Queen Mother is ill, so she must serve the decoction." Baozhu said, but she always felt a little uneasy in her heart.
"There is also Yue Slave. Your Majesty has ordered that you are not allowed to call me concubine outside. You must call me madam." Baozhu said.
Yue Nu chuckled and said, "Okay, okay, then I will serve the master and his wife well."
At this time, Concubine Shu, who came from behind, snorted and walked over contemptuously. Such situations occurred one after another along the way. Yue Nu was a little angry and wanted to rush forward to argue, but was stopped by Baozhu.
Qi Junce walked over and his eyes lit up when he saw Baozhu, who was dressed plainly in lavender.
"These ordinary clothes look very good on you." Qi Junce said with a smile.
Bao Zhu smiled slyly, tilted her body and bowed softly. "Thank you for the compliment, sir."
The treasure made Qi Junce laugh, and Concubine Shu refused to show weakness and shouted to the two of them to hurry up. If they were a little later, they would not be able to have a good meal.
Baozhu and Qi Junce looked at each other with smiles and walked into the inn side by side.
Perhaps it was because it was sparsely populated and there were not many guests in the inn. Concubine Shu glanced at her with disdain, but Baozhu was very happy to be quiet.
After sitting down, Ma Dong looked at the three of them with some worry. Baozhu noticed his gaze and raised his head and asked, "What's the matter, Manager Ma?"
"My servant is afraid that the food here is not safe. Your Majesty is..." Before Ma Dong could finish his words, Qi Junce coughed.
Ma Dong immediately changed his title and whispered: "I'm afraid the master and his wife are not used to eating."
As soon as he finished speaking, a tall woman with a cloth draped over her shoulders came over. "Hey, this official, despite the small number of people in our shop, he is famous in this Shenmu Town."
The three of them heard the sound and looked over. The woman's face was as bright as a silver plate and she smiled brightly. She seemed to be the shopkeeper here.
It is quite unusual for a woman to run a shop, Bao Zhu thought silently in her heart.
"Oh? Really? I just don't know what mouth-watering dishes the boss lady has here." Qi Junce asked.
The woman stood still in front of her, cleared her throat and began to sign up for the dishes as if playing allegro. Bao Zhu listened attentively and realized that they were all fresh dishes, maybe you could try them.
Qi Junce also became interested after hearing this and said that he would like to have a portion. But the woman took out a sign and put it on the table, which said don't waste it.
The expression on Qi Junce's face was so funny that Baozhu couldn't help laughing.
"Then I'd like to trouble you to serve some seasonal dishes. They shouldn't be spicy. Our master can't eat them." Baozhu came out to break the awkward atmosphere, and Qi Junce also acquiesced.
"Sister Ah Heng," Bao Zhu looked at Concubine Shu with a smile in her eyes. When Bao Zhu suddenly called out, she was inevitably a little stunned.
"I wonder what sister likes to eat. We can add two more dishes." Baozhu said.
Concubine Shu's original name was Jiang Heng. After officially entering the palace, Baozhu had a general understanding of the life and past of the women in the harem.
It is said that if you know yourself and your enemy, you will be victorious in any battle. Bao Zhu raised an eyebrow provocatively.
Jiang Heng looked at Baozhu, the ugly expression on his face returned to normal, and said calmly that no need.
After the dishes were served, Ma Dong cautiously tested the poison one by one, while the landlady looked on in shock. Yue Nu quickly said, our master is more cautious.
The proprietress covered her mouth with a smile and left. Ma Dong said it was ready to eat.
After drinking and eating, Bao Zhu found that the surroundings were too quiet. Counting their table, there were only two or three tables of guests dining.
Although the town is quiet, it's not that bad.
Just as he was thinking about it, the landlady came to clear away the dishes. She looked up at the two beauties Baozhu and Jiang Heng, and finally couldn't help but speak.
"Officials and ladies, please go back to your room to rest as soon as possible after eating. Do not go out unless necessary."
Qi Junce was a little confused, "Why did the boss lady say that?"
The proprietress bowed her body and said in a low voice: "There has been some unrest in the town recently, and beautiful girls are missing."
