"Don't joke around!" The strong desire to survive that he had developed in his previous life made Song Qingshu very clear-headed to avoid this topic.
"I'm telling the truth." Su Quan twisted her body and burrowed into his arms. "By the way, your princess has left. Aren't you going to send her off?"
Song Qingshu replied, "She has already left."
"So you just came from her place." Su Quan was clever and immediately understood the hidden meaning in his words. She suddenly wrinkled her nose and sniffed him. "Hey, there's no fragrance on Zhao Min's body. Did you just take a bath?"
Song Qingshu was sweating profusely. "Do you have a dog's nose?" Each of his women was more shrewd than the other. Sooner or later, he would be swallowed up by them without any residue left.
"I have a fox's nose." Su Quan snorted proudly, but soon her expression became a little lonely. She sighed faintly. "The first thing you did when you came back was to find Zhao Min instead of me. This proves that she is still more important in your heart."
Song Qingshu's smile froze. He didn't know how to comfort her.
Fortunately, Su Quan quickly regained her smile. "But at least you took a bath, changed into a new set of clothes, and came to find me with a new face. You're kind, so I forgive you."
"I've made you feel wronged." Song Qingshu said apologetically.
"There's nothing to feel wronged about. I'd rather be the concubine of a hero than the wife of a mediocre man. I chose the man myself, so I have to bear the corresponding consequences." Su Quan chuckled. "Besides, you're a little unfaithful and spend less time with me. There's nothing wrong with that."
Song QingShu smiled bitterly. Why did this kind of compliment sound so awkward?
"Alright, alright. Don't feel guilty. It's not easy for you to come back. Have a good talk with me." Su Quan could see his awkwardness. She was a smart woman and knew when to stop.
Then, Song Qingshu hugged her like this and listened to her talk about what happened to Liao during this time. At the same time, he told her everything that had happened to him during this time.
Time passed very quickly in the warmth between lovers. A few hours had passed, but the two of them did not feel tired at all.
After dinner, Su Quan suddenly said, "When you are free, go and see Consort Hui. I see her crying every day, as if she has lost her spirit. If this goes on, I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on for long."
"Imperial Concubine Hui?" Song Qingshu was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.
Su Quan explained, "It is the Southern Dynasty Crown Princess, the Shen family's young lady who was kidnapped by Yelu Yixin."
"Shen Bijun!" Song Qingshu finally remembered. At that time, Yelu Yixin had disguised Shen Bijun as Xiao Xiama's sister and sent her to the palace. Then, she was given the title of Consort Hui. In the end, when Yelu Yixin's rebellion broke out, she was also implicated. In order to protect her, she was banished to the Cold Palace.
"This Shen family's young lady is truly an outstanding beauty. Even though she has a sad face every day, some of the little eunuchs in the palace are infatuated with her. Every concubine that was banished to the Cold Palace was lonely in front of their door. Even the palace maids didn't like them, but when it came to her, it was as crowded as a marketplace. It is a strange sight in the Cold Palace." Su Quan couldn't help but sigh.
"Okay, I will go and see." Song Qingshu didn't dare delay. After all, the person in charge of Sichuan was Shen Xiaolong, Shen Bijun's elder brother. When he heard that the Shen family had been destroyed, his heart had died. Song Qingshu had told him about Shen Bijun, which gave him hope. If something happened to Shen Bijun, although they wouldn't become enemies, it would definitely affect the relationship between the two sides.
Although it was called the Cold Palace, there was no palace in the Imperial Palace specifically called the Cold Palace. Instead, it was some of the most remote rooms. The deposed concubines were often sent to those places. Over time, that place became the Cold Palace in everyone's hearts.
Because the inner palace didn't allow imperial guards and ministers to enter, and because the Cold Palace was remote, there weren't many people there. Even if they occasionally met people on the way, with Song Qingshu's martial arts, he could avoid them in advance. Thus, he didn't disguise himself and walked directly there.
When he arrived near Shen Bijun's palace, he saw a few little eunuchs carrying lunch boxes out. As they walked, they whispered to each other:
"Consort Hui is really pitiful. I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my life."
"Her Majesty the Empress is not inferior to her."
"Her Majesty the Empress is high above. I don't dare to think about it."
"Che, even if Consort Hui was banished to the Cold Palace, she is still a concubine. Isn't she also high above? Someone with our status can think about it."
"So what if we think about it? We've already been cut down below … …"
… …
At this point, the two eunuchs fell silent. After a long time, one of them said, "When we grow old and leave the palace, we must bring our treasures with us. We will rest in peace with our bodies intact. In our next life, we will not be people without roots."
After the two left, Song Qingshu flashed out from behind the fake mountain. Looking at their backs, he sighed inwardly. These eunuchs were all pitiful people. However, in this era, there was no way to abolish the system of eunuchs. They could only order the eunuchs of the Greeting Office to be completely voluntary and ensure that they would have proper arrangements for the rest of their lives after they left the palace.
Inside the Cold Palace, the rooms were extremely dilapidated. The cloth curtains were extremely dim. It was unknown where they had been discarded, but it was a stark contrast to the splendor of the other places in the Imperial Palace.
A thin and beautiful figure sat by the window, quietly staring at the sky outside in a daze. A young palace maid at the side urged, "Niang niang, eat something. The food of the other people in the Cold Palace is either cold or rotten. It's only thanks to those little eunuchs that they bring you hot food every time. Don't waste their good intentions."
Song Qingshu stilled. When he left, hadn't he told Su Quan and Zhao Min to take good care of her? How did she end up relying on eunuchs?
In reality, this was a misunderstanding. Su Quan and Zhao Min had people take good care of Shen Bijun. Everything was according to the previous standards. In the beginning, the people below did as they were told, but later, seeing that the Emperor had no intention of restoring Consort Hui's status, the people below gradually became negligent. The Imperial Palace had always been this cold. Who knew how many concubines in the Cold Palace hoped to make a comeback, but the Emperor would occasionally add new people to his side. Very quickly, these women were completely forgotten. Everyone was used to it.
"I don't have an appetite …" A gentle female voice rang out. "Also, don't let those little eunuchs give me things. Their salary is not much, and some of the things are clearly … embezzled from some place. If someone finds out, it will bring about a fatal disaster."
In the past, Shen Bijun's eyes were always clear and gentle, like the flowing water in the spring wind. Her hair was bright and soft, and her waist was as soft as a willow branch in the spring wind.
But now, she had changed. She had become quieter, more melancholic, and more haggard. However, these changes did not harm her beauty. On the contrary, she appeared even more lovely and beautiful. It was a beauty that could intoxicate one's heart.
"But how can you not eat? Niang niang is becoming thinner and thinner. If this continues, your body won't be able to support it," the young palace maid said anxiously.
Shen Bijun looked at the sky outside and faintly said, "So what if I can support it? In the end, I am still imprisoned in this world, like a canary in a cage."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
