When Song Ran returned to the palace, it was already dinner time.
When the little maid down below saw her coming back, she hurriedly came to report her. Earlier, the imperial concubine had sent someone to invite her.
"Concubine Chen?" Song Ran was confused.
"Yes, Princess. I said I want to apologize to you for what happened at the family banquet."
"Apologise to me, but you won't do it yourself?" Song Ran hesitated and sneered.
"Princess, I am a noble concubine after all." Hongqu handed the things he bought outside the palace to the little maid, and winked, asking the little maid to pass a cup of tea to Song Ran.
Song Ran opened the lid of the tea cup, looked at the tea in the cup, thought of something, and put the lid back on again.
"Shower and change."
Song Ran leaned against the barrel and closed her eyes. This morning at Prince Xuan's Mansion, dealing with Chen Chaobai had already cost her a lot of trouble. He should have returned to the palace immediately after leaving Prince Xuan's Mansion, but thinking about the difficulty of leaving the palace, he dragged Hongyao to stroll around the most lively main street in the capital for two days. This would have been exhausting. I don’t want to, I have to entertain this Concubine Chen when I come back.
"Princess Princess, why don't you send someone back to Concubine Chen, saying that you are too tired today, and it won't be too late to go tomorrow."
"She is the empress, and I am a minister after all. I have made enemies with her family, and if I continue to refute her face, how will I behave in the palace from now on."
"That's what the princess said. I'll give you a massage on your shoulders to relieve your fatigue." Hong Hao took a mat and knelt down beside the barrel.
"Hongyao, tell me why staying in the capital is more tiring than fighting. The art of war that I have learned since I was a child is of no use to people like me in the capital." Song Ran looked worried, sighed, and pursed her lips Xu Xu said.
"That's because the prince is smart. When you get married later -"
"Suffer!" Song Ran interrupted before Hong Hao could finish speaking.
"Look at what you said. Who's daughter doesn't want to marry a good man with both intelligence and intelligence?"
"What about you?" Song Ran turned around and looked at the red lotus with interest. The red lotus suddenly blushed on her cheeks, and she was too shy to look directly into Song Ran's eyes.
Song Ran teased her relentlessly and brought her face closer.
"What, you have a sweetheart?"
"Princess, what are you talking about? I will naturally follow you, how can I have such thoughts." Hong Yu lowered her head shyly, and the hand on Song Ran's shoulder was not as strong as before.
"This princess will definitely find you a good family."
"Your Highness, why don't you first consider finding a man for Bai Tiao?"
Bai Ting happened to hear this when she walked in with the barrel, and she trembled and knocked the barrel in her hand to the ground. The water in the barrel splashed and heat surged up.
Bai Ting fell to her knees on the ground like a frightened bird. The hot water soaked the hem of her skirt. Because the panic in her heart prevented her from paying attention to the pain of her legs burned by the boiling water.
The words seemed to be stuck in Bai Ting's throat. He was anxious but couldn't explain clearly. He coughed violently for a long time before shouting out: "Your Highness, this servant is following you. You are not looking for a husband. You are not looking for a husband." husband."
Hearing this, Song Ran and Hong Yu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Song Ran raised her hand, and her skin as clear as mutton-fat jade was exposed from the water. She leaned her hand against the edge of the barrel and rested her chin on her arm, her expression suddenly changing.
Bai Ting lowered her head and knelt there. Seeing that the princess had not moved for a long time, she couldn't help but secretly raise her eyes. At this moment, Song Ran's eyes happened to be caught off guard. Bai Ting quickly lowered her head again, and in an instant, cold sweat rolled down her forehead drop by drop.
Song Ran thought about it for a while and then slowly came back to her senses.
"You and Hongli have been with me since childhood. I have always regarded you as sisters. If you have someone you love, you must tell me. If you are here -" Song Ran paused and thought about it. After looking at Bai Ting in front of him, he sighed after a while and continued: "If you are in Nanjun, when my mother and concubine go back, I will ask her to take you back."
"If you don't come back, I will follow you." Bai Tiao's face turned pale with anxiety, and her voice was crying. She didn't know whether the tears were caused by the pain in her legs or because she was frightened by Song Ran's words. She couldn't tell for a moment. She looked up at Song Ran, and the tears that were still swirling in her eyes immediately fell down her cheeks.
"Seeing how anxious you are, that's what I said." Song Ran didn't mean to embarrass Bai Ting. She just thought of something suddenly and asked.
"Hong Hao, go and pull her up quickly. A person who has never experienced anything with me, who doesn't hesitate to kill an enemy on the battlefield, is crying just because he's looking for Lang Xu. I'm not afraid to tell anyone. People laugh.”
"My good sister, please get up quickly. If you keep crying here, the princess will catch a cold soon." Hong Hao bent down, held Bai Ting's arms with both hands, and pulled her up. Only then did Bai Ting realize that her feet were in severe pain, her legs and feet were weak, and she was still trembling when she stood up.
"Slave, slave, go get another bucket of hot water." Bai Ting picked up the bucket, endured the pain, and walked tremblingly outside the house.
"Did your Highness the Princess discover something?" Hong Hao roughly guessed it and asked tentatively.
"The person she likes is from Mu Ling's side?" After Bai Ting left, Song Ran and Hong Hao looked at each other and got a clear answer.
Song Ran softened her body and felt a dull pain in her head. She stretched out her hand to rub her brows, and the water droplets slid down her fair arms, caressed her calloused palms, and returned to the bucket.
"Princess, don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on Bai Ting. She has only met the young general a few times." Although Hongqu comforted Song Ran, he couldn't help but feel a little worried in his heart.
"What happened when the two armies made a truce and sued for peace, or when they were at war? I obviously didn't take her there much, how could it happen?"
"I don't know much about it. I just felt that she was depressed and worried for a while. When I asked her, she also changed her mind in two or three sentences. At first, I thought she was reluctant to let go of someone in the house, but then I felt vaguely that something was not right. Satisfied."
"Do you remember that shortly after the war between the two armies, Bai Ting reminded me that I hadn't gone to Xianxianglou to buy mung bean cake for a long time? I thought it was her, a greedy little cat, who wanted to eat it, so I agreed. Later we saw a man dressed in disguise there. Mu Ling. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but now that I think about it, maybe the young general found Bai Ting and specifically called me to go."
"The princess suspects that they have some secret relationship?" Hong Hao whispered.
"She is a silly girl, and she is simple. I believe she will not do anything rebellious to me. But once others know that the people around me have secret connections with the Wei State, the consequences will be unimaginable. Today I can consider it a slap on her face. Fan, I hope she can understand it herself. If I can cut off this love thread, she will be able to too."
"It's not a must, it's a must." Song Ran said again.
"This slave will definitely keep an eye on her."
"Well, that's it for now." Song Ran vaguely heard footsteps approaching in the distance.
When Song Ran went to Jinxiu Palace, Concubine Chen had already ordered her maid to wait at the gate of the palace. Seeing someone coming, he immediately welcomed her in.
As expected, it is the residence of a noble concubine. The lilies are in full bloom inside the house, and thousands of flowers are blooming outside. It seems that the Ministry of Internal Affairs took great pains to collect so many varieties of flowers and trees from nowhere.
Coupled with the various gold, silver and jade articles given by the emperor, it is really dazzling. In comparison, the Queen's Ningkun Palace is extremely simple and unpretentious.
Concubine Chen's previous aura had completely disappeared, and she pulled Song Ran to sit beside her with a smile on her face. I didn’t know, I thought they were some kind of sisterly friends.
"Today I came here specifically to talk to Her Highness the Princess. On the one hand, I want to apologize to Her Highness the Princess, and on the other hand, I want to make friends with the Princess."
Song Ran raised her eyebrows and listened calmly as Concubine Chen continued.
"What the princess doesn't know is that my mother's family is not a noble family. Just because when he was still in the palace, my father risked his life to participate in the crime of the then prince who abused his power to plunder civilian girls and kill innocent people indiscriminately. Above the deposed prince, Compared with the current queen’s mother’s family, my family has only made a small contribution. Only after the current emperor ascended the throne did he give the Wang family the honor it has today.”
Concubine Chen closed her eyes slightly and was silent for a moment, then raised her eyes and said leisurely: "I fell in the emperor's eyes because of the song "Chang Ying Breaking the Formation Song", and now I have the title of beloved concubine. I have come all the way. It’s not easy, and now I don’t even want to make an enemy of the princess because of my sister’s ignorance.”
"The imperial concubine is over-worrying. Although Miss Wang made rude remarks that day, she had the right reason. Miss Wang is infatuated with His Highness Prince Xuan, and my original intention is to fulfill my intention."
"Your Highness the Princess is a smart person. Your intention to confer marriage was originally the Emperor's. This is a fact that cannot be changed. Please let it take its course and relax. My sister is stubborn in her heart and does not want to admit the fact. Now I have I asked my mother to find a marriage for her as soon as possible so that she could give up her intention."
"Your Majesty, I don't want my sister to go deep into the tiger's den, so I just want to let nature take its course. This is not how I treat my friend."
"I don't know if Prince Xuan's Mansion is a tiger's den, but this capital city is by no means a place of ease for the princess." Concubine Chen's face was pleasant, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and she continued with a faint smile, "She will be there every day. Wherever my help is needed, I will do my best. I only hope that the princess will hold her hand high and not get her into this muddy water."
"As expected, the imperial concubine is transparent."
"I am afraid that the princess wanted to use my sister's talk to disturb the marriage that day, right? Your Highness, have you ever thought that if I can see it, why can't Prince Xuan see it? And the emperor and the empress dowager? "
Song Ran frowned, glazed over for a moment, and then slowly looked away.
"There are many dramas in this palace, and it's just that everyone acts together. A smart person like the princess will understand the drama better after being in the palace for a long time. If you have any questions, I am also willing to I’ll explain it to you in detail.”
Outsiders said that this noble concubine was extravagant and arrogant. The emperor was dissatisfied with the queen's jealousy and kept a canary around her to compete with her. But Song Ran didn't think so. Compared with the magnificent Splendid Palace, this noble concubine was definitely not what outsiders saw. It was not only the bright and peerless face, but also the song "Chang Ying Breaking the Formation Song" that penetrated into the emperor's heart.
The swaying steps on Concubine Chen's hairpin filled with gold and jade made Song Ran extremely uncomfortable. Her eyes were a little blurred, and she felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on her chest, and the air around her made her breathless.
"My dear concubine, don't worry. As long as Miss Wang doesn't jump in, I will never push her again."
"Thank you, Princess, for your understanding and righteousness." Concubine Chen smiled and said,
Just as Song Ran was about to get up and leave, the little eunuch's announcement sounded outside the house.
"The Emperor has arrived."
