The current emperor has only been on the throne for more than three years. Although he has many concubines, the harem is relatively stable because of the queen's good management. Although there are some small quarrels, they have not caused any major troubles, so naturally they have not been demoted. The abandoned concubine in the cold palace.
However, the former emperor was different. As an emperor, the late emperor had mediocre political achievements and no merits. But as a man, he was much better and more seductive. When he was alive, the words "three thousand harems" were not just words. Even if he did not have three, Thousands, maybe hundreds. If so many women come together, won't they fight to the death? Naturally, many useless concubines lived in the cold palace.
After the death of the late emperor, His Majesty ascended the throne, and he himself had concubines, so the harem could hardly accommodate so many people. In the end, the Queen Mother made a decree to let the concubines of the late emperor who had children leave the palace to live with his son, while those who had no children moved away. Qiyang Palace, a palace in the suburbs.
However, it is not clear whether Du Shichu dealt with the deposed concubine in the cold palace.
She glanced at the peeling paint plaque of the palace in front of her. The plaque said Huiqiu Palace. This name was unlucky. No wonder it was Leng Palace.
Du Shichu walked in with the little lion in his arms. The palace had not been renovated for a long time. Many tiles on the roof had fallen off, and the fallen leaves on the ground had fallen all over the ground. There were also many insects burrowing in and out.
"Princess! Let's not go in and leave quickly..." Zhichun was so frightened that he pulled Du Shichu's sleeve and begged.
"Meow..." The little lion cried out and jumped out of Du Shichu's arms and went into the house. Du Shichu quickly followed it in.
The little lion sniffed east and west, as if occupying territory everywhere. Du Shichu followed it aimlessly. Although the Huiqiu Palace was dilapidated, it was still very spacious.
Zhichun was about to cry. He was so scared that he didn't dare not follow Du Shichu. He was as panicked as an overly frightened little rabbit.
"Otherwise, don't come in with me and wait outside." Du Shichu, who was not a ruthless person, said to Zhichun.
Zhichun shook his head like a rattle: "No, no, I have to follow the princess, I don't dare to be alone..."
"Then just follow closely. Don't worry, I won't ignore you." Du Shichu comforted her.
"Princess! Did you, did you hear anything?" Zhichun suddenly jumped in fright, and immediately grabbed Du Shichu's ears and sleeves tightly, his eyes were frightened, and he asked Du Shichu in a trembling voice.
Du Shichu listened carefully and seemed to hear some sounds, so he said: "I heard it, it sounded like a child crying..."
"The cry of a child?!" Zhichun was so frightened that his whole body trembled, "The princess, the princess, the servants heard that many children died in the palace, could it be those children?"
Apparently she had thought about unnatural supernatural events, which frightened herself so much that her face turned pale.
Du Shichu "shushed" her and said, "Don't make any noise, I'll listen again."
Zhichun immediately covered his mouth and looked at Du Shichu in fear.
Du Shichu listened attentively to the sounds around her. Her sensitive ears and internal strength allowed her to hear sounds from farther away.
"It is indeed the cry of a child." Du Shichu said with certainty, "Let's go and take a look."
"Don't... Princess, maybe it's those things?" Zhichun did not forget to persuade Du Shichu even though he was trembling.
Of course Du Shichu is not afraid of any supernatural events. After all, this is a normal world and there are no such unnatural existences. Of course, even if there are, she is not afraid at all. After all, she is a more terrifying existence than ghosts.
Therefore, Du Shichu was not persuaded by her. He patted her on the back, picked up the little lion who was digging dirt in the corner, and walked towards the cry.
Although Zhichun was frightened, he still followed with difficulty dragging his legs that were as soft as noodles.
Du Shichu followed the cry of the child and walked around several side halls of Huiqiu Palace. When he walked outside the innermost room, which was relatively well-preserved, he could clearly hear the sound of a weak child. The cry came out.
Zhichun could no longer walk at all. Her legs were shaking like chaff. She wanted to say something to Du Shichu, but she couldn't make a sound at all. She was so scared that she couldn't even speak.
Du Shichu gently tapped an acupuncture point on the back of Zhichun's neck. Zhichun closed her eyes instantly and fainted. Du Shichu immediately caught her body and moved her to sit against the wall.
This maid is too timid. If she continues to be so frightened, she may get sick from fear, so it is better to let her faint.
After Du Shichu settled Zhichun, he stepped into the dark little hall without hesitation.
She never thought that she would see such a scene. She thought that the child's cry might be the cry of a wild cat or the hoot of an owl. In short, it could not be that of a human child.
But she never expected that the possibility that she thought was not true turned out to be the truth. It was not a cat meowing or a bird chirping, but a real child crying.
Du Shichu looked at the large and small people huddled in the corner, his eyes widened in astonishment. How could there be children in this cold palace? !
The huddled woman in ragged clothes and disheveled hair like a crazy woman raised her head and saw Du Shichu. She was so frightened that she immediately shrank even smaller while holding the crying child in her arms, and looked at Du Shichu with a look of horror.
Du Shichu opened his mouth and didn't know what to say. The woman holding the child was so skinny and her face was so dirty that she couldn't tell. The child she was holding was even more miserable. He was only wrapped in a rag. The rags were not even clothes, and they could not cover many children's bodies.
There was no flesh on the child's body, his ribs were clearly defined, and his little arms and legs were so thin that they were only a handful of bones. He was truly skinny. If he hadn't been crying, Du Shichu might have thought that he had died long ago, but A skeleton.
But now he is no more than a skeleton. His cry is weak and weak, so it's hard for him to still cry.
Du Shichu couldn't tell how old he was, but with that small ball, it was possible that he was a child under one year old, but how could there be a child under one year old in the palace? His Majesty's youngest sixth prince is now three years old.
"Who...are you? Who is this child?" Du Shichu finally couldn't help but asked in a difficult voice.
But no one answered her. The woman lowered her head, her long and messy hair covering her face. She seemed to be delirious.
A delirious woman with a child of unknown origin was still living in the cold palace, alive, but no one noticed. Du Shichu couldn't help but rub his forehead, only knowing that he had discovered something this time. An incredible thing, curiosity killed the cat.
