"A way to treat my beloved concubine?!"
Emperor Shu was sitting on the dragon chair drinking wine. He was already slightly drunk. After hearing this, he looked ecstatic. He placed the wine glass heavily on the table, stood up, and grabbed the man's collar:
"What did you just say? Princess Wu of Nanchen found a way to cure her beloved concubine? What is it? I order you to tell me quickly, quickly!"
Emperor Shu was very excited.
Since Zhang Meiniang became ill, he has successively found several substitutes, but no matter in terms of appearance, personality, or dancing skills, none of the concubines in Xinna can compare with Zhang Meiniang!
He is empty, lonely and cold!
In the days without Zhang Guifei's company, Emperor Shu felt that his life had lost its meaning.
It's just that Zhang Meiniang's damn infectious disease... Alas, Emperor Shu was still calm. Between beauty and life, he resolutely chose the latter.
Suddenly, when someone said that Chen Keyan had a way to cure Zhang Meiniang, Emperor Shu was so excited that he even ignored the emperor's majesty.
"Your Majesty, please... please be patient and calm."
The man was a young eunuch. When he saw Emperor Shu like this, he was frightened to death on the spot and said hurriedly:
"I don't know the specific details, but your Majesty can summon the envoys from Nanchen. They are already waiting outside the palace."
"Envoy Nanchen, right?"
Emperor Shu was in a good mood and loosened the collar of the little eunuch.
He finally realized that his behavior just now was a bit extreme, turned around, dragged his fat body back to the dragon chair, sat down, straightened his posture, and said loudly:
"Envoy Xuannan Chen."
"The foreign minister pays homage to His Majesty the Kingdom of Shu!"
The envoy Nanchen turned around and entered the palace, performing the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers.
"Your envoy is exempt from the courtesy." Emperor Shu raised his hand to support him. He seemed to be unsteady on the dragon chair. He wanted to get up and approach the envoy Nanchen, but in the end he resisted the urge:
"I heard that Princess Wu of your country found a way to cure my beloved concubine's disease? Yes or no?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, yes, the princess has indeed found a way to cure Concubine Zhang's illness. This is why the foreign minister is sent to your country as an envoy."
"Great!" Emperor Shu couldn't hold it back after all, and clapped his hands and stood up, with the flesh on his face trembling with excitement: "It's good now, my beloved concubine is finally saved!"
"Your Majesty." Envoy Nanchen stepped forward, bowed and said:
"But... that method takes a lot of effort, and I'm afraid it won't be effective in a short time. I hope your Majesty will know beforehand."
The smile on Emperor Shu's face faded slightly, and his excitement calmed down a bit, but he was still very excited. He waved his hand and said with a smile:
"It's okay. As the saying goes, illness is gone like silk. As long as I can cure my beloved concubine, I can wait as long as I want. By the way, no matter what medicinal materials or conditions are needed, your envoy can just ask, and I will accept everything!"
Envoy Nan Chen maintained his bowing posture and hesitated for a moment: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this method is quite special. I need to ask the imperial concubine to move and go there in person...Nan Chen!"
Come and try it quickly. 】
Emperor Shu still had a smile on his face and waved his hand: "Easy to say, easy to say, go to Nanchen... Uh, what did you say? Let my concubine go to Nanchen?!"
Emperor Shu was stunned for a moment.
The smile on his face suddenly stiffened.
He stared at Envoy Nanchen with his eyes fixed on him, and his expression gradually turned gloomy.
Zhang Meiniang was his favorite concubine. She was the emperor's woman. How could she leave the palace so easily?
Even if a man outside looks at her, it is a crime of beheading.
Nanchen was thousands of miles away, and even beyond the reach of Emperor Shu.
Who knows what will happen to the gorgeous Zhang Meiniang when she goes to Nanchen?
no!
no!
Too risky!
Emperor Shu looked gloomy, shook his head repeatedly, and said in a deep voice: "Let my concubine go to Nanchen? No, this is impossible! I will not agree. What method requires my concubine to go to Nanchen in person?"
Envoy Nanchen still maintained his bowing posture. He seemed to have anticipated Emperor Shu's reaction and said calmly:
"Your Majesty, the method that the princess found requires the use of mountains and water in Nanchen, and it needs to be taken and used at any time. If it is transported to Shu for treatment, it will definitely have no effect!"
"If Your Majesty does not agree to the Imperial Concubine's departure and to go to Nanchen to receive treatment in person, then the Imperial Concubine's illness may not be cured for the rest of her life. I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"
"you……"
Emperor Shu's expression changed several times, with a look of confusion and hesitation on his face, and he finally sat back on the throne, no longer as excited and excited as before.
After a long time, Emperor Shu rubbed his eyebrows, waved his hand gently, and said: "Your Majesty, please go down and rest first. I still need to think about this matter..."
"The foreign minister obeys the order."
After Nan Chen's envoy exited the hall, Emperor Shu put his hands behind his back and walked up and down the hall with messy steps and a heavy belly, frowning and thinking.
Finally, Emperor Shu stopped.
I seem to have an idea in my mind.
He called a palace maid and said, "Go to my concubine's palace in person, tell her about this, and then ask her what she thinks."
"According to the order."
The palace maid took the order and exited the main hall, heading straight to Zhang Meiniang's bedroom.
At that time, Zhang Meiniang was reading in the bedroom.
Her hair was disheveled, she was wearing pajamas, no makeup, no jewelry, she was holding a thick book in her hand, and she was reading fascinatedly.
Since "recovering from illness", Zhang Meiniang has almost never stepped out of this room.
She also became "lazy". After getting up every day, she didn't comb her hair or wash her face. She only held a volume of books to relieve her boredom.
However, Zhang Meiniang is naturally beautiful. Even if she doesn't comb her hair or wash her face, she still has an alluring appearance. Her disheveled hair is also a kind of beauty. No matter how you look at it, she has a seductive charm!
Suddenly, Zhang Meiniang's ears twitched slightly and she heard slight footsteps coming from outside.
She quickly returned to Xiangtan, shrank back into bed, pulled the quilt over and lay down quickly. She also hid the thick book under the quilt so that no one could see it.
winter!
winter!
There was a knock on the door as promised.
"Ahem!" Zhang Meiniang covered her lips with her hands, coughed twice, and asked in a weak tone: "Who is it?"
"Your Majesty, I am a slave." The voice of a personal maid came from outside the house.
"Come in." Zhang Meiniang "coughed" as she got out of the bed. She leaned against the bed with her back, her hair disheveled, her face pale, and she looked very weak.
Squeak!
The door was pushed open, and a palace maid walked in quickly. The palace maid was holding a tray in her hand, and in the tray was a bowl of steaming soup.
The palace maid first placed the tray on the table, then walked to Zhang Meiniang's bed and whispered softly: "Your Majesty, it's time to drink the medicine."
"good."
Zhang Meiniang did not resist. She was supported by the palace maid and walked to the table. She sat down, picked up the medicine bowl and drank in small sips, her brows always furrowed.
She was not sick to begin with, and the decoction was extremely bitter, and she was resistant to it from the bottom of her heart.
But there is no way, in order to pretend to be more realistic, she has to endure the hardship and drink medicine every day.
The maid next to her said with a smile: "Your Majesty's complexion is getting better and better. Maybe she will be completely recovered in a few days. I would like to congratulate you first!"
"I'm afraid my illness will never be cured."
Zhang Meiniang shook her head, her eyes were dull, and there was a kind of pain between her brows... Of course, that was because she drank the medicine. This medicine was really bitter.
"My Majesty, please stop saying dejected words. The weather is nice today. Please help your Majesty take a bath. After bathing, I will give you a beautiful make-up. Your Majesty has not dressed up for a long time!"
"Ahem!" Zhang Meiniang covered her mouth with a snow-white handkerchief, coughed twice, slowly stood up and walked towards Xiangtan, and said dejectedly:
"With my situation like this, what's the use of putting on beautiful makeup? It's better not to bother... Ahem, help me get up and rest."
Zhang Meiniang kicked off her embroidered shoes and got into bed. She did not lie down immediately. Instead, she leaned against the bedside and chatted with her personal maid...
Dongdong!
Suddenly, there was another knock on the door outside the house.
The personal maid stretched her neck and asked, "Who is outside?"
"Your Majesty sent a servant to see the Imperial Concubine, and brought a message and a question." Someone outside the house replied.
As soon as Zhang Meiniang heard that the people outside were sent by Emperor Shu, her eyebrows moved, and then she coughed violently, slowly slipped into the bed, completely lying down, and weakly ordered:
"Come in……"
The palace maid entered the room, raised her head and glanced at Zhang Meiniang's posture. Without paying much attention, she directly reported: "Your Majesty, your Majesty has found a way, which may be able to completely cure your illness!"
"Really...?" Zhang Meiniang's heart sank, but she maintained an ecstatic smile on the surface. Of course, she couldn't look closely at her smile.
In fact, since she "recuperated", Emperor Shu had been searching for famous doctors for her in an attempt to cure her infectious diseases.
For this reason, Zhang Meiniang had worried countless times, fearing that her lies would be exposed.
Fortunately, she was an imperial concubine, and the doctors did not dare to do anything to see her. They had to use a thread to diagnose her pulse. This made her "illness" more and more mysterious, and it became an established fact that there was no cure.
"Your Majesty, this method was discovered by Princess Wu of Nanchen, and she even sent an envoy." The palace maid said again.
"It's her..." The "ecstasy" on Zhang Meiniang's face faded slightly. When she mentioned Chen Keyan, she couldn't help but think of that dark and windy night.
That night, she lost her virginity to that man. Her most precious thing was taken away by that man wantonly.
And the instigator of what happened that night was none other than her good friend, good sister, and bestie—Chen Keyan!
After that night, Chen Keyan seemed to disappear. No one was sent to see her again, and she never wrote a letter. It was as if the two had never known each other.
If asked, does Zhang Meiniang hate Chen Keyan?
The answer is yes.
Although she has a good impression of Su Xian, she is not good enough to give her body.
It was all because of Chen Keyan and that good best friend that she made one mistake after another and fell into some kind of vortex from which she could not extricate herself...
Suddenly, she learned that Chen Keyan had found a way to cure her disease, which made her suddenly confused. She subconsciously thought that this hateful best friend was causing trouble again!
"But your concubine, Princess Wu's method is quite special. You need your concubine to go to Nanchen in person for it to be effective!" the palace maid continued.
"Let me go to... Nanchen?!" Zhang Meiniang was surprised again.
She subconsciously thought that with Chen Keyan's evil nature, how could she go to Nanchen and still be eaten to pieces! No, we can't go, Zhang Meiniang immediately had this thought in her mind.
As soon as she thought about it, she had already figured it out. She looked at the palace maid and said, "I accept Princess Wu's kindness. This trip to Nanchen... even if I nod, I'm afraid your majesty won't agree."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, this is why you sent your slave here. Your Majesty wants to know your true thoughts," the palace maid replied.
"Your Majesty, he..."
Zhang Meiniang was stunned, with a face of disbelief.
She understands Emperor Shu, and she understands men better. This Emperor is both a man and an emperor. No matter what, she is still Emperor Shu's noble concubine. No matter what, Emperor Shu will not let her go to Nanchen alone!
What's the difference between this and giving your woman away?
You know, she is Zhang Meiniang, one of the strange women who is ranked among the "Four Beauties in the World".
What man wouldn't be jealous when he saw that?
What man wouldn't want to get involved when he saw him?
What man wouldn't want to snatch her away and make her his own?
Emperor Shu could not be so "generous".
However, hearing what Emperor Shu meant, if she nodded in agreement, Emperor Shu would also nod in agreement... How is this possible? Zhang Meiniang also wanted to use Emperor Shu's hand to politely reject Chen Keyan, but it seemed that this move failed.
"So what does the empress mean?" the palace maid asked.
Zhang Meiniang frowned and began to think deeply.
Suddenly, she raised her head abruptly with firm eyes: "I appreciate Princess Wu's kindness, but the road to Nanchen is far away, and my body is weak, so I can't bear the bumps..."
"I understand what I mean. Your Majesty, please rest early. I will go back to Your Majesty right now."
The maid bowed her head and bowed out of Zhang Meiniang's bedroom.
The personal maid also withdrew.
There was only Zhang Meiniang in such a large dormitory.
She lay down on her back, closed her eyes and prepared to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what. Her mind kept replaying what happened that night, that man, and everything that man did to her...
"Eh!"
Zhang Meiniang finally lifted the quilt and got up. She walked lightly to the dressing table and held up the bronze mirror that she had not used for a long time with her two snow-white and thin hands.
…
The other side.
It is said that after the maid left Zhang Meiniang's bedroom, she went directly to see Emperor Shu to convey Zhang Meiniang's wishes.
After hearing this, Emperor Shu was silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and told the people around him: "Send someone to tell the envoy Nanchen that I appreciate their good intentions."
"According to the order!"
Soon, Emperor Shu's words reached the post house.
Envoy Nanchen, deputy envoy Nanchen, and the entire envoy were dejected.
This mission failed. When they return to Nanchen in the future, they cannot bear the princess's anger.
"Let me just say, there is no way this mission will succeed!" a member of the mission complained.
"Yes, no matter how you say it, Concubine Zhang is still Emperor Shu's concubine. How could Emperor Shu let his woman escape his control?"
"Even if Emperor Shu wanted Concubine Zhang to die, he would not let Concubine Zhang go to Nanchen alone..."
"..."
"I don't think so. There is still hope for this matter!" Envoy Nan Chen suddenly spoke, silencing all the complaints.
Everyone looked at him and saw that he looked confident, so they hurriedly asked: "What else can we do?"
The envoy smiled and said: "Behind Concubine Zhang, there is still the entire Zhang family standing, and the Zhang family has a transcendent status in the Kingdom of Shu. Perhaps we should pay a visit to the Zhang family."
