Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

Chapter 172 Gratitude and resentment

That evening, a few crows perched on the eaves of the West Palace.

The hoarse and dry crows sounded particularly terrifying against the backdrop of the blood-red setting sun.

The aunt in charge of the palace asked people to drive away the ominous birds, but the birds flew back again after being driven away and could not be dispersed. Instead, they gathered more and more, circling around the empty courtyard of the west palace and couldn't go away.

When Hua Rong left the West Palace, she looked up at the group of pitch-black crows.

The birds' mournful cries seemed to cut a bloody wound in my heart, causing an endless pain.

That evening, the West Palace was completely shrouded in bright red rays of light and black bird wings, which looked very ominous.

Behind Huarong, Xiaoyao, who had already turned into a dead body, was still tightly holding the last letter that Baoguifei had written to Yunzhen. Her expression of regret and despair made everything that was about to happen in the future clear without any need for prediction.

Concubine An was right. If Xiaoyao did not commit suicide after reading this letter, she would not be Xiaoyao anymore.

After completing the task entrusted by Concubine An, Hua Rong quietly left the West Palace, which made her heart break just by looking at it for a second.

***

The next day, in the right courtyard.

Ji Anni woke up from her dream in a daze and heard a commotion outside the room.

There were not many palace maids in the courtyard on her right, and it was usually as quiet as a cemetery, and rarely lively.

Ji Anni scratched her hair and sat on the bed, calling Huarong.

Hua Rong came in in response, her face was pale and she couldn't even smile.

Ji Anni immediately realized that something big had happened and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong? Is there an accident?"

Hua Rong said as she sorted out the clothes Ji Anni was going to wear today, "Something happened. It happened in the West Palace last night."

"West Palace?" Ji Anni suddenly woke up and asked hurriedly, "Is Empress Bao okay?"

Huarong said nothing more.

Ji Anni rushed out of bed anxiously, grabbed Hua Rong and asked, "Hua Rong, please speak up, how is Empress Bao? Is Concubine An causing trouble for her again?"

Without waiting for Huarong to answer, he grabbed his clothes and put them on quickly, not even bothering to comb his hair, and rushed out the door.

"My Queen!" Hua Rong hurried forward and grabbed her, begging, "My Queen, don't be impulsive, I will tell you slowly."

"I'll go to the West Palace by myself!" Ji Anni shook her head angrily.

"My queen, the West Palace has been sealed off, you can't go there even if you want to!"

"What?" Ji Anni finally calmed down a little and looked back at Hua Rong blankly, "Banned? Why was it banned again?"

Hua Rong lowered her head, hesitated for a long time, and finally said: "...Xiao Yao was killed last night."

"What!" Ji Anni couldn't control her impulse and her voice suddenly rose.

"My queen, the West Palace is in chaos right now, so please don't make things worse."

"Who killed Xiaoyao? Was it Concubine An?" Ji Anni subconsciously blamed all the bad things on Concubine An.

"Your Majesty, please don't talk nonsense. Xiaoyao..." She couldn't say any more after saying this.

"Huarong, you're going to make me die of anxiety!" Ji Anni wanted to use an awl to pry open Huarong's mouth.

"My queen, please don't be anxious... Xiaoyao, Xiaoyao... was killed by Queen Bao."

"..." Ji Anni suddenly turned into a stone.

"Empress?" Hua Rong looked a little anxious.

"..." Ji Anni still had no reaction.

"Empress?" Hua Rong called again.

This time, Ji Anni lifted her face with a palm and glared at her angrily, "I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. I need to go to the West Palace."

After saying that, he rushed out the door again.

Hua Rongla couldn't stop her, and she shouted anxiously behind her: "Madam, whether you go or not, the result will be the same! Xiaoyao was killed by Bao Niangniang who pierced her throat with a hairpin. More than ten or twenty palace maids in the West Palace saw it with their own eyes. The evidence is irrefutable. Bao Niangniang herself admitted it. Now she is crazy and will not listen to anyone. People in the palace are talking about this matter everywhere, and the West Palace is even more chaotic. Madam, just be quiet!"

"Quiet? Quiet..." Ji Anni suddenly felt dizzy, and her body fell to the side and leaned against the door frame.

"Your Majesty." Hua Rong hurriedly stepped forward and supported her.

Ji Anni closed her eyes tightly, her eyes were in so much pain that she couldn't even cry. Her heart felt so heavy that it seemed like it could pierce her intestines.

"Is everything you said true?" Ji Anni took a deep breath and finally calmed down a little.

"My lady, it is absolutely true. I didn't dare to tell you because I was afraid you would be too impulsive."

"Why would Lady Bao kill Xiaoyao? Isn't she the best to Xiaoyao?"

"I heard that it was Xiaoyao who rushed into Concubine Baogui's bedroom first last night, and asked Bao Niangniang to kill her like crazy. Many palace maids came to pull her away, but they couldn't pull her away. Xiaoyao knelt in front of Bao Niangniang, grabbed the corner of Bao Niangniang's skirt, and insisted on forcing Bao Niangniang to kill her. Bao Niangniang didn't know what was going on, and she hugged Xiaoyao and cried. Xiaoyao kept saying that she was sorry to Bao Niangniang, Bao Niangniang said she didn't blame her, Xiaoyao said that she couldn't forgive herself and must die to atone for her sins. Bao Niangniang didn't know what was wrong, and she grabbed a hairpin and killed Xiaoyao. When Xiaoyao died, it is said that she smiled at Bao Niangniang and said thank you for helping her."

After hearing this, Ji Anni still couldn't believe it. She muttered with a distracted look in her eyes, "Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."

"Your Highness, ever since Xiaoyao betrayed Empress Bao, she has been looked down upon in the West Palace and was almost driven to death. She begged Empress Bao to kill her last night, which was totally expected and no one would find it strange."

"But what about Lady Bao? Did Lady Bao kill her just like that?"

"Even if Empress Bao didn't do it, Xiaoyao would definitely commit suicide. Rather than watching her commit suicide, it's better to send her off personally, and it can be considered as her last wish. The happiest person after this incident is probably Concubine An. Empress Bao is extremely mentally unstable now, she talks nonsense to everyone she meets, and the imperial physician also said that she might have epilepsy. If she continues like this, she will either be banished to the idle palace or exiled from the palace. When Empress Bao leaves, one of the four imperial concubines is missing. Concubine Gan is of low status, and Concubine Kang is still young. The ceremony of crowning the queen is coming in September. Without the pregnant Empress Bao, who else can take the throne of the phoenix crown?"

There was a hint of provocation in Hua Rong's words. She deliberately emphasized the benefits gained by Concubine An in order to stimulate Ji Anni.

Ji Anni really couldn't stand her deliberate words, and gritted her teeth in anger: "Anyone can be the queen, except her, An Ruoxuan!"

"Your Highness, if this continues, the throne will be in her pocket. Can't you guess what the emperor is thinking? He took you and Prince Ming into the palace just to let you enjoy wealth and glory. He deliberately stayed away from you and alienated you because he was afraid that you would become a victim of the struggle for the throne. If your Highness does not take the initiative, I am afraid that the emperor will undoubtedly make Concubine An the queen."

Hua Rong was very clever. She no longer tried to persuade Ji Anni on how to become the queen, but on how to prevent Concubine An from becoming the queen. Although Ji Anni herself had no intention of occupying the throne, after going through so many things, she would never watch Concubine An, who was as venomous as a snake and scorpion, get what she wanted, because Concubine An's glory was all built on the pain of Concubine Baogui.

Ji Anni was bewitched and asked, "How can I take the initiative?"

Hua Rong smiled and said, "My Lady, I told you when we first met in Renhe Hall. Noble Concubine An is not to be feared. What is to be feared is that she and the Queen Mother are in a party. As long as we succeed in driving the two of them apart, Noble Concubine An will be vulnerable."

"But the Queen Mother is Concubine An's aunt..." How can such a solid blood party be broken up?

"Although we are of the same clan, there are always times when we have different opinions. The differences between the Queen Mother and Concubine An have gradually been revealed in their treatment of Concubine Baogui these days - has Your Majesty not discovered it yet?"

After Hua Rong's reminder, Ji Anni finally got it.

Indeed, after Concubine Baogui became pregnant, Concubine An wanted to kill her, but the Queen Mother seemed to protect Concubine Baogui. The most obvious example was that Yun Zhen was imprisoned in the dungeon, but Concubine Baogui stayed in the West Palace without any trouble. Even the incident of Concubine An breaking into the West Palace to force the Queen Mother to take medicine happened without the Queen Mother's knowledge.

Hua Rong said: "The Queen Mother's attitude towards Concubine Baogui has always been strange. There must be some secret between them."

Although the Queen Mother kept this secret very secret, there is absolutely nothing perfect in this world.

There are always clues left behind, allowing others to follow the clues and get closer to the most secret center...

***

Meanwhile, in the West Palace.

The Queen Mother dismissed everyone and talked to Concubine Baogui alone.

Concubine Baogui had disheveled hair and a pale face. When she saw the empress dowager, she did not greet her but just curled up in the corner and smiled foolishly.

The Queen Mother was neither anxious nor angry. She sat calmly on the couch and poured herself a cup of tea. While sipping it, she said, "Bao'er, you have been in the palace for ten years. Your every move is under my eyes. Don't think you can fool me by pretending to be crazy. Do you think I don't know what you are thinking? ... You just want to be banished to the idle palace, right? If you can be banished from the palace, that would be even better, right? You think you can be with Yun Zhen this way, right?"

Concubine Baogui remained silent. Her clear eyes looked at the empress dowager sitting on the couch through her messy hair.

It seemed that everything was just as the Empress Dowager had expected, and Concubine Baogui was just pretending to be crazy and stupid.

The Queen Mother laughed, and her laughter grew louder and louder, arrogant and proud.

Amid the chilling laughter of the Queen Mother, Concubine Baogui whispered, "Queen Mother, why do you treat me like this? Why do you have to keep me in the palace?... Are you happy to separate Yun Zhen and me in such a bloody way?... It's been ten years, why can't you fulfill our wish? Queen Mother... Bao'er, please, let us go..."

"Let you go?"

The Queen Mother sneered, but her eyes became more vicious.

"Are you craving for my pity and charity? I can pity you... but who will pity me? I can also give you charity, but who will give me charity?... Baoer, everyone thinks you are beautiful and kind, but only I know how ugly and cruel you are!... Why did I use all means to keep you in the palace? Why did I use all means to prevent you and Yun Zhen... This is your punishment, a punishment for destroying all my happiness with your own hands... I let you enter the palace so that you will know the same pain as me... I let you enter the palace so that you will suffer the same torture as me. You want to live with Yun Zhen forever? Impossible... Baoer, as long as I live one day, I will let you suffer this torture that is worse than death!"