nycdaug Chapter 164 Brothers and Brothers Respect
Chapter 164 Brothers and Brothers Respect
Zhen Huan felt relieved and drank two large gulps of the liquid, ignoring the scorching heat. Although it was so hot that her tongue was numb, the pain in her stomach was relieved immediately and the blood flow in her limbs seemed to have resumed.
After coaxing Pei'er to drink a few more sips, Zhen Huan asked her carefully, "How old were you when you entered the palace? How many people are there in your family? What do they do?"
Pei'er's smile disappeared, she fell into memories, and said slowly:
"When the late emperor was alive, there was a famine. My father sold my mother to survive those days. Later, my father fell in love with a widow and couldn't force her to marry him. He threatened to sell my sister and me to marry a clean wife. It happened that the palace was selecting palace maids and the bondservants' mansions were recruiting, so I took the initiative to sell myself. At that time, I sent my monthly silver back home, so my father kept my sister. It was not until the year before last that my sister reached the age of marriage. I sent all my annual bonus back, hoping that she would reply to my letter, but she never replied. I only found out after asking her."
Pei'er started to cry softly, sobbing and continuing:
"I just found out that my father had sold my sister a long time ago, to a widower from my hometown. I've traveled all over the world and will never see my sister again. She's also been detained in the palace. That's why I want to follow my wife out of the palace and take care of her for the rest of my life..."
Zhen Huan's nose also felt sore after hearing this. She hugged Pei'er distressedly and said, "Pei'er, if you are willing, I will give you some of my money and set you free."
Pei'er's face was covered with tears and snot. "I forced him to inquire about his sister and threatened him not to send money back, but all I found out was that the widower had died of illness and his sister was forced to be buried with him. I, what else do I need to do with myself? If my wife wasn't my master, I would have wanted to die and put an end to it all."
Zhen Huan felt very uncomfortable, and her sad memories came back to her. She quickly changed the subject, "From now on, the three of us will depend on each other. Don't call yourself a servant anymore. Good Pei'er, Jin Xi didn't beg for brown sugar even after all her humble efforts. Did you buy this brown sugar with silver?"
It really works!
Pei'er blinked, "My lady is so smart. That hairpin belongs to me, ah, I brought it out from the palace. I will spend the rest of my life in a nunnery anyway, so I might as well exchange it for some brown sugar to warm my lady."
The two chatted until Cui Jinxi came to replace Pei'er and ate
After reluctantly parting, Zhen Huan was completely relieved.
After closing the door and facing the pitch-black night, Pei'er's face was filled with coldness.
Except for the fact that her sister is dead, what Pearl said is indeed true, but the truth she concealed is:
The year before last, when Pei'er heard about her sister, the widower was already ill and near death. She hadn't slept all night, and even cried a little, only to be met with a barrage of cold words from Huanbi, who had just failed to seduce the emperor.
In the past, in order to get more rewards, Pei'er had tried to please Huanbi. She saw Zhen Huan's indulgence of Huanbi, so she had to ask Jing'er, who used to clean the Sui Yuxuan with her, to meet Jiang Ruyin.
The night wind was chilly and cut Pei'er's face like a knife.
Pei'er walked into the kitchen in the dark and washed herself with lukewarm water without saying a word. She knew in her heart: Only the queen is my master.
......
......
Since last year, Longkodo has been under house arrest, and the emperor is fully aware of all his crimes.
To this day, Longkodo's relatives have been exposed for forcibly abducting women and occupying land. It has even been implicated that officials, in order to get promoted, continuously sent their daughters, maids or Yangzhou skinny horses to Longkodo's mansion.
The emperor was furious, and the empress dowager seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, but she still hoped that the emperor would spare Longkodo's life.
Zhuxi came to invite him repeatedly, and the emperor could not avoid him, so he ran around Yiku Palace, Yongshou Palace, and Yanqing Palace.
It had just rained a little in the afternoon, and the sky was covered with a layer of gray gauze.
The air was filled with the earthy smell of soil mixed with new grass and trees.
After sending Hongxuan to the Yanx Palace, Jiang Ruyin met the emperor's carriage in front of Yongshou Gate.
"I heard that the Empress Dowager has summoned the imperial physician several times recently. I was just about to go to Shoukang Palace to visit her. It seems that the Emperor and I are in perfect sync."
Jiang Ruyin said this with a smile, and the emperor had a hint of embarrassment on his face.
"No hurry, I'll go with you later."
As he said this, he pulled Jiang Ruyin back to the main hall.
"Why isn't Hongxuan here?"
The tea was a little cold, but luckily Hongxuan’s favorite milk was always available. The hot drink was heart-warming and the cold drink was refreshing.
Jiang Ruyin presented the cup to the emperor and looked at him with a smile.
After entering the hall and sending his servants away, the emperor felt much more relaxed.
"I miss Hongxuan when I can't see him, but when I see him, I find him too noisy."
Jiang Ruyin covered her mouth and smiled, "I feel the same way. Fortunately, Hongning doesn't mind his noise, and he also likes talking to Hongning."
Seeing that the emperor was interested, Jiang Ruyin continued,
"The peach blossoms behind the Qin'an Palace are in full bloom. Two days ago, Concubine Qian and Concubine Gong agreed to go pick the petals and entrusted Hongning to me. I was bored, so I took the two boys to wait in the pavilion on the mountainside..."
"...I asked them both privately. Hongxuan said it wasn't his fault that his brother's voice was too soft, nor was it the palace maid's fault that she didn't hear him. He said that by being the bad guy, he could protect his brother's reputation while preventing the palace maid from being punished unnecessarily. Hongning said that he had actually hit his brother a few times and felt bad about it, but his brother didn't say anything about it. Hongning knew that his brother didn't mean to stop him, so he quietly apologized to Hongxuan. The two reconciled on the spot. It was really interesting."
The emperor was amazed. "Hongning has a disability and is more sensitive than other children his age, but he is respectful and friendly to his brother and corrects his mistakes promptly, which shows that he is a child of excellent character. Hongxuan, on the other hand, is so thoughtful at such a young age and responds so promptly, which shows that he is precocious."
Jiang Ruyin seemed not to have caught the deeper meaning behind the emperor's words, and said proudly, "This makes me have to brag about myself. Every time Hongxuan gets naughty and needs me to comfort him, I read to him from the Records of the Grand Historian. I didn't expect him to actually remember so much. He can recite Bu Shi of the Western Han Dynasty, Boyi and Shuqi of the Spring and Autumn Period, and Kong Rong and Kong Bao of the Eastern Han Dynasty by heart."
The emperor was speechless. If it was someone who was good at flattery, he might be able to persuade him a little, but if it was someone like Jiang Ruyin and Concubine Qi who were so straightforward and frank, he was speechless.
Rubbing Jiang Ruyin's soft and plump earlobes, the emperor asked, "Okay, I'm not bragging, but Yin'er, can you tell me why you want to read the Records of the Grand Historian?"
Jiang Ruyin smacked the emperor in embarrassment. "At first, I read the Thousand Character Classic. The more Hongxuan listened, the more lively he became, and he had the energy to play mischief. He could recite it after reading it many times. It's okay for normal times, but this is a book for sleeping. I thought the Records of the Grand Historian was boring and long, with so many names on one page, so it was perfect to read it to Hongxuan."