The First Lackey Under The Empress

The Yuan Consort, with her oval face, silkworm eyebrows, and a perpetual air of melancholy, remained motionless.

Her pair of dull eyes, reflected in the bronze mirror before her, watched the maidservant who had entered behind her, looking constrained and timid, and suddenly she spoke:

"Does this palace inspire such fear in you?"

The maidservant was startled, nearly falling to her knees, but she simply lowered her head:

"Your Ladyship, please forgive me…"

Seeing the other's attitude, the Yuan Consort revealed a self-deprecating expression, her eyes filled with even more sorrow.

In the harem, everyone knew that the Yuan Consort had a bad temper, often beating and scolding her servants.

There had even been more than one instance of her maids being beaten to death.

As a result, very few servants were willing to go to the Yuan Consort's palace, and those who remained had developed a fearful and timid nature.

It was said that one's appearance reflected one's heart, and the Yuan Consort's yearly melancholy was the result of years of accumulated resentment.

Outsiders only said that the Yuan Consort was extremely harsh to her servants, a difficult mistress to serve.

But she had not always been this way.

In the past, Yuan Ruo had been a gentle and virtuous young lady from a prominent family, a "princess" cherished by her loved ones.

Until a decree bestowing upon her the title of Consort shattered Yuan Ruo's dream.

Only then did she realize that her father, who had always treated her so well, had secretly bribed the Grand Eunuch Wang Zhen for the sake of the family's glory, sending his own daughter to the bed of the decrepit old Emperor.

He hadn't even revealed a hint of it beforehand, so that by the time she learned of the news, it was a foregone conclusion.

That day, the youthful Yuan Ruo felt as though her heart had died.

Facing her pleading parents, she finally couldn't bring herself to reveal that she had already secretly pledged her heart to another, and was only a step away from a private betrothal.

She knew that if the news of her having a lover were to be exposed, the entire Yuan family would face annihilation for the crime of deceiving the Emperor.

And the man she loved would have his future ruined.

Thus, in early winter, Yuan Ruo was carried into the deep palace in a golden sedan, and from then on, the Great Yu Dynasty had a Yuan Consort.

The only thing worth rejoicing about was that the old Emperor was old and weak, and marrying her was more like proving something to the outside world, so he rarely visited her.

Yuan Ruo also resisted vying for favor, hoping day and night for the old Emperor to die soon.

After several years of hoping, the old Emperor really did die, but she was still not freed, and even because of the Empress's ascension to the throne, the "halo" around the Consort faded.

The family could no longer enjoy the benefits she brought.

This visit home was the most obvious example, even if everyone in the family was respectful on the surface, in reality… it was just maintaining a false pretense.

A "Consort" who could not get close to the monarch and bring benefits to the family was nothing more than water that had been poured out.

"Get up," Yuan Consort said with a sneer, "What is it? Why are you being so secretive?"

The maidservant got up and carefully walked closer, whispering a few words. The Yuan Consort's expression changed slightly.

The general idea was that an old friend of the Consort had asked someone to bring a letter to Your Ladyship.

It seemed… very important.

The maidservant only remembered the word "Qingping." The person said that as long as this word was mentioned, the Consort would naturally understand.

Qingping… old friend… Yuan Consort's face was filled with surprise and uncertainty: "Where is the letter?"

The little maid took it out from her bosom and said:

"This servant did not dare to check it privately."

Yuan Consort glanced at the wax seal on the envelope, confirming that it had not been opened, nodded slightly, and said:

"You may leave. Pretend you know nothing about this."

"Yes."

After the maidservant closed the door and left.

The Yuan Consort, full of noble aura, hesitated for a moment before tearing open the envelope and tilting it outward, first a piece of old jade pendant slid out.

The moment she saw the jade pendant, Yuan Consort's body suddenly stiffened, and her face became extremely unnatural.

And when she opened the letter in the envelope and saw the handwriting that had become somewhat blurred in her memory, she was struck by lightning.

Dead memories flooded her heart at this moment.

Yuan Consort read the words on the paper, reading those past events.

This concubine, who guarded her empty chamber alone, was extremely lonely, and had lost all affection and love, to the point that her temperament was eccentric, her eyes slowly reddened, her shoulders trembled, and unknowingly, she was already in tears.

"Li Lang…"

Although this letter was not signed, it was only by virtue of the old events mentioned above, which only the two of them knew, as well as the jade pendant token, that Yuan Consort had confirmed the other party's identity.

The content of the letter was unusually short. Apart from a few vague words of reminiscing, it was an invitation for her to meet in private somewhere tomorrow.

If she agreed, she should have someone send out a signal, and so on.

Nothing else was mentioned.

But these few words had successfully aroused Yuan Consort's countless fantasies.

Why… would he send this letter? A private meeting? Given their current identities, what was the need to meet?

Could it be that he could help her escape from this sea of ​​misery and leave the deep palace?

That's right, he is no longer who he was back then, but a pivotal figure in the "Li Party," and that old thief Emperor is completely dead.

The newly enthroned Empress does not care about the harem, and if he is willing to put his mind to it, there may not be the possibility of some "exchange"…

Yuan Consort was not a very smart woman, and she knew very little about the struggle in the court, so she just guessed randomly.

For a while, she was both happy and worried.

What worried her was that if her private meeting with the man was leaked, she would probably face big trouble.

What pleased her was that Li Yinglong still cared about her.

Yuan Consort wavered, in a dilemma, and panicked for a while. She sat blankly for more than an hour before finally hardening her heart.

She believed that with Li Lang's current status, the risk of meeting her was huge.

If Li Yinglong dared to seek her out, he must have made thorough preparations.

Besides.

What else does she have to give up now? Is it better to wither away in the cold palace, or to take a gamble? The choice is not difficult.

As for implicating the family… she no longer cared.

"Someone come," Yuan Consort collected her emotions and shouted.

The door creaked open, and the maidservant outside walked in again:

"What are your orders, Your Ladyship?"

… …

… …

The little episode that happened in the Yuan residence did not attract anyone's attention.

What was also unnoticed was.

That night, Xu Hanlin, who had recently listened to Chen Zhengru's admonition and refocused on his studies, met someone on his way home.

The next day.

The sun was not bright, and the sky above the capital was covered with dark clouds, seemingly foreshadowing unrest.

Early in the morning, Xu Mingyuan got up and dressed as usual, had breakfast with his family, and arrived at the Hanlin Academy as usual.

Along the way, he ignored the gazes of the other Hanlin scholars in the academy, whether they were gloating, disdainful, sighing, or sympathetic.

In the afternoon.

Xu Mingyuan packed up, found an excuse, left the Hanlin Academy, and went straight to the Ministry of Works.

Li Yinglong, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was working in the yamen at this time. When he learned of the clerk's report that Xu Mingyuan had come to visit, he couldn't help but frown.

With his status, he was unwilling to waste time on this small Hanlin scholar.

The clerk said: "Sir, Hanlin Xu said he came on orders."

On orders?

The pale-faced Little Chief Elder frowned:

"Call him in."

Shortly.

In a separate room, Xu Mingyuan saw the Little Chief Elder who had harmed him so much for the first time after being released from prison, but his face was full of respect and admiration.

"You said you came to find this official on orders?" Li Yinglong asked straight to the point.

Xu Mingyuan was not flustered, and cupped his hands and said:

"This student's mentor, Grand Scholar Chen, invites you to a meeting to discuss matters concerning the New Policies."

Chen Zhengru is looking for me?

Li Yinglong was stunned for a moment, and frowned. He didn't suspect it, after all, Xu Hanlin was indeed Chen Zhengru's student, and the two had a close relationship.

Xu Hanlin was not the first time he had conveyed a message for his teacher.

What he was puzzled about was, what did Chen Zhengru want from him regarding the New Policies… Could it be that something happened at the Hanlin Academy?

After all, Dong Xuan is the Head of the Hanlin Academy…

Li Yinglong did not dare to be careless, knowing that Chen Zhengru would never be bored enough to come and amuse himself. Since he invited himself, there must be important matters to discuss.

"Where is Scholar Chen now?" He was slightly more gentle.

Xu Mingyuan lowered his head and said respectfully:

"The teacher has found a quiet place, and this student will lead you there."

He was not worried that this lie would be exposed.

Because he was very sure that Chen Zhengru would not meet with the Little Chief Elder today to exchange information.

And not long ago, Chen Zhengru did discuss the New Policies with the rest of the Li Party.

"Alright," Li Yinglong nodded.

These days, he had been busy with work during the day and spent a lot of energy at the Sixth Madam's place at night. He was already overwhelmed and did not notice anything unusual:

"Prepare the carriage, and you shall lead the way for this official."

Xu Mingyuan said respectfully: "Yes, sir."

A pair of eyes hidden with hostility were hidden on his lowered face, disappearing in an instant.

… …

… …

Mingyue Residence is a quiet and elegant residence.

It is famous for its private rooms, combining a teahouse and an inn.

Mingyue Residence is across the street from an extremely lively area, with people coming and going, very bustling.

There is also a restaurant here.

At noon today, Zhao Doan came in plain clothes and leisurely entered the seat arranged by the little secretary.

To welcome today's guest.

"Is Envoy Zhao arriving so early? It is I who have been impolite," Dong Da, who had a mediocre appearance and an obscure reputation in the capital, but a prominent family background, walked upstairs and couldn't help but cup his hands in apology.

Zhao Doan smiled and waved his hand, got up to greet him, invited him to take a seat, and said with a smile:

"Brother Dong, don't be so polite, why call me Envoy? You and I should still address each other as brothers, as usual."

Dong Da was awed and impressed by his demeanor, sighing:

"There are too many mediocre people in the capital, who believe whatever they hear, repeatedly slandering Brother Zhao's reputation, saying that he is vindictive, but they do not know how broad-minded Brother Zhao is."

After the Zhaoyuan incident last time, the Dong residence sent a generous gift to express their apology.

Unworthy descendant Dong San was once again ordered to be confined, this time, Grand Tutor Dong personally spoke, throwing him out of the capital and into the southwestern border army.

Letting this first young master start as a soldier in the army and grind away his stubbornness is a very harsh result.

After all, general gilding is to go to a relatively safe military mansion, and the southwestern border army is where people can really die.

Especially the legendary General Zhao Shixiong, who never indulges any officials' children.

Even so, Dong Da still felt indebted.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Doan invited him to drink and reminisce today.

"Who says it's not…" Zhao Doan shamelessly accepted the compliment.

The two exchanged greetings for a while.

Dong Da curiously looked at the table, where bowls and chopsticks were placed, but no one was seen in the other empty seat:

"Brother Zhao has also invited a guest today? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Here, besides Zhao Doan and Dong Da, there was only Qian K柔 standing aside.

But the extra bowls and chopsticks obviously did not belong to either of them.

"Oh… she…"

Zhao Doan was considering how to answer.

He saw a girl at the top of the stairs, wearing a more ordinary dress, no longer so distinctive, walking straight over.

Without saying a word, she sat down on the empty seat with her little butt, and her somewhat scattered pupils slowly focused, saying ambiguously:

"The person has arrived."