The season has entered early summer, and the weather is getting hotter day by day.
Since moving into Shuhuang Palace, Chu Yunfei has been accustomed to wearing an inner coat and a loose silk skirt when going to bed at night instead of thin pajamas.
If an unexpected situation occurs at night, you can save time on dressing and avoid being disheveled.
After all, the palace is not your own home, so there is no harm in being cautious.
Tonight seems to be an unusual night.
"Empress! Empress!" An anxious voice suddenly sounded outside the closed palace door. The sound was so loud that even Chu Yunfei in the side hall could hear it clearly. "Empress, I have something to ask for! Please!" See you, the Queen!"
Chu Yunfei opened her eyes in shock and quickly stood up from the bed: "Who is making a noise outside?"
"Princess, are you awake?" Sheng Xia, who slept in the side hall at night, immediately got up and came to the bed with a lamp. "The voice sounds like the Concubine De, but I don't know what happened to be so anxious."
Chu Yunfei got up, tied up her clothes, held the lamp and walked out.
In the main hall, the queen obviously heard the commotion. The yellow curtain embroidered with phoenix patterns has been lifted up, and the queen is changing clothes under the service of Aunt Cai and the maid.
Looking up and seeing Chu Yunfei coming out, she frowned slightly: "Did I wake you up?"
"My daughter-in-law just lay down and hasn't fallen asleep yet." Chu Yunfei slowly shook his head with a solemn expression, "I just don't know what happened outside to make such a big noise."
The queen said calmly: "It's Concubine De."
Chu Yunfei hummed. The sound she heard just now was indeed similar, but the palaces were closed. Concubine De had always been gentle and calm, so she suddenly knocked on the door so late at night to ask to see the queen...
Probably something happened in the previous meeting.
Chu Yunfei shuddered slightly. The situation in the palace was changing rapidly. No one could predict what would happen tomorrow.
"Let Concubine De come in." The queen changed her clothes and sat down in front of the phoenix couch. "The other concubines have gone to bed in the evening. Her shouting and screaming will probably cause panic in the harem."
"Yes." Ah Cai walked out.
"Mother." Chu Yunfei sat down next to her. Her voice sounded quiet and soft at night, "Father has not been to the harem for some days. There must be too many affairs in the court and some confidential matters. Father doesn't want to let her go." The harem knows.”
The queen understood what she meant and nodded slowly: "Don't worry, I understand what should be said and what should not be said."
Chu Yunfei responded yes.
"Empress!" Concubine De stumbled in. She was dressed in white, with disheveled hair. She was in an unprecedented state of embarrassment. She knelt down with a plop as soon as she entered the palace, "Empress, help me, Empress, help me!"
There was silence in the hall, and there was an uneasy current in the air for no apparent reason.
"Concubine De, where has your previous demeanor and demeanor gone?" The Queen frowned, her tone calm and authoritative, "What on earth made you so panicked?"
Concubine De's eyes were red and full of fear: "Prince Yu has been imprisoned. Please save him, the Queen."
The queen was startled: "Prince Yu?"
"Yes." Concubine De's face was pale, full of anxiety, and her voice was trembling, "Tonight, the emperor suddenly issued an order to seal the Duke Protector's Palace and Prince Yu's Palace, and everyone in the two palaces was sent to prison. Please The Queen——”
"Concubine De." The queen frowned slightly and interrupted her, "You really don't understand the rules. The emperor ordered the two palaces to be searched, but the harem didn't get any information. It's because the emperor deliberately didn't want us to know, but you came to this palace. Are you making such a fuss to alert the entire concubines in the harem?"
Concubine De shook her head anxiously: "I don't mean this. I am just afraid. I am just a son. Please...please the queen save King Yu..."
"Have you forgotten that the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics?" The queen frowned, "I don't even know why Prince Yu was imprisoned, so how can I save him? Do you want me to go to the emperor to plead for mercy? If that is the case, wouldn't I be in the same trap? The crime of interfering in politics in the harem?"
King Yu's imprisonment was so sudden that the Queen had not heard anything about it beforehand. However, it was not surprising that the Emperor did not come to Shuhuang Palace for four or five days in a row. The Queen was not able to take the initiative to intervene in court affairs, so the news was somewhat blocked.
But at this moment, she couldn't help but guess whether the raids on Prince Yu's Mansion and Duke Protector's Mansion might be related to the case Rong Cang went out to investigate?
However, according to common sense, the Shuozhou case is inseparable from the Gu family. If the emperor wanted to investigate, he should first investigate the Prime Minister's Mansion and Prince Chen's Mansion. How could the Duke's Mansion be confiscated first?
Concubine De was confused and at a loss when she heard the words: "Queen, I am my concubine... I am your concubine..."
"You should go back first." The queen composed herself and said calmly, "Although I don't know who leaked the news to you, but the emperor doesn't want the harem to know things, you can only pretend not to know, and besides, you are only in custody for the time being. You have not been convicted yet. If you let the emperor know that you broke into Shuhuang Palace in a hurry so late at night, I am afraid he will be dissatisfied with you."
Concubine De was shocked, her face was as pale as paper, and she couldn't hide the fear in her eyes.
She doesn't want this either.
Originally, she had undressed and was getting ready to go to bed, but she was struck dizzy by this sudden thunderbolt from the blue. In panic, she ran straight to Shuhuang Palace without having time to think about anything.
When the queen said this, she realized how outrageous it was for her to beg the queen. It was as if a basin of cold water suddenly poured down from her head, chilling her heart.
Not to mention that the queen had no right to interfere in politics at all. Even if she could speak in front of the emperor, she would not be able to plead for Prince Yu at this juncture and risk angering the emperor.
She just hoped that King Yu would die soon.
"Go back." The queen rubbed her brows, "Although I don't know what King Yu did, the emperor sent people to arrest King Yu and imprison the Duke Protector so late, so something earth-shattering must have happened."
Isn't this nonsense?
If it wasn't an earth-shattering event, why did they raid the Prince's Mansion and the Duke's Mansion?
One of them is the emperor's biological son, and the other is from the son's father-in-law's family. They are also important ministers in the court, and they have come from a noble family that has been deeply respected by the emperor for their merits in serving the dragon.
The sword in the emperor's hand struck them immediately.
Concubine De lowered her head without saying a word, stiff and absent-minded. After an unknown amount of time, she finally stood up from the ground, bowed respectfully and left.
But before turning around, she turned her eyes slightly and glanced at Chu Yunfei calmly. That look was gloomy and indifferent, full of indescribable chill.
Chu Yunfei squinted his eyes slightly, thoughtfully.
