Chapter 50 Seizing Opportunities

Previously, although Empress Dowager Xiao was indifferent to everyone, they were also very frightened of her, but compared with her frosty rage at the moment, it was just a small thing.

No one expected that a jade stick offered by Ruyi would catch fire.

When the following accompanying readers don't know what happened, they are anxious and dare not speak up.

The Liu Gonggong, who came to offer the jade Ruyi, felt a chill in his spine. Without hesitation, he immediately knelt down and shouted, "The Empress Dowager, calm down!"

Others are right in front of the steps.

Empress Dowager Xiao kicked her and raised her hand, calling her left and right. She shouted loudly, "Someone, take down this rebellious party! Send them to the Ai family and interrogate the Shen Xing Si carefully!"

Liu Gonggong's face suddenly changed.

Although he came to offer Yu Ruyi, he had no idea what the secret behind her was. Hearing Empress Dowager Xiao's cold drink, he was already scared out of his wits and his seven souls were detached. He quickly slammed his head onto the ground and cried, "I'm wronged, I'm wronged! I was just ordered to offer Yu Ruyi, but I don't know where I angered the Empress Dowager. Please forgive me, I'm wronged."

Shen Zhiyi and Xiao Shu were sitting next to Empress Dowager Xiao. Just now, they only vaguely caught a glimpse of the handwriting behind Yu Ruyi, but did not see clearly what it was. Suddenly, they encountered this incident and dared not ask.

Empress Zheng was also startled.

She knew that although Empress Dowager Xiao's temper had never been good and had its harshness, such a reaction was bound to be a big deal, and she claimed that Duke Liu was "rebellious", so she guessed that the matter was not small.

Although Yu Ruyi broke it, there were several pieces of broken jade that were quite large.

Empress Zheng did not interrupt and only walked down from the palace, picked up one of the broken jade pieces and saw the words "Yi Tong" on it. Her face changed greatly, and she was no better than Empress Dowager Xiao.

The left and right have already come up to restrain the Duke Liu.

Empress Zheng glanced at the girls who were still standing trembling as accompanying readers below, and forcefully suppressed the shock in her heart. She said to them, "You should step back first."

Empress Dowager Xiao's face turned pale with iron, and she didn't say much this time.

===Kunning Section 63===

Everyone wanted to know that this matter was significant, and it was not something that these new palace attendants should know. Upon hearing Empress Zheng's words, they quickly bowed and left.

Xiao Shu also stood up from her seat and bid farewell to Empress Dowager Xiao.

Shen Zhiyi still sat there in a daze.

When Xiao Shu left, she quickly grabbed her and took her out of the Cining Palace together.

Jiang Xuening walked out of the gate of the Cining Palace when she was caught by a wind with a hint of early winter chill outside, and only then did she realize that she was sweating profusely from behind!

This is the Ruyi case that was widely implicated in the previous life.

The Jade Ruyi, which was selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be presented to Empress Dowager Xiao, was actually engraved with words of great rebellion and heresy, pointing directly at the emperor of this dynasty. As soon as the incident occurred, it immediately sparked a bloody storm. Many people served in the palace were implicated in the Nine Clans, and there were also influential families from the previous dynasty involved, so it was not a problem to steal the family and exterminate the clan. Although the incident at the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion may not be related to this case on the surface, the two facts are very close, which makes people have to doubt it.

Thinking of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion, Yan Lin, and the various causes and consequences of her previous life, she suddenly became restless and shook her hand tightly, which was hidden in her sleeve, before finally calming down.

What should come always comes.

The more times it is, the less one can act recklessly, and the more one must do what one should do in the midst of chaos. How could one know that a drop in the bucket cannot save water and fire, nor can one help in times of crisis?

Shen Zhiyi was pulled out by Xiao Shu and was still a bit confused. She asked in a daze, "What's going on here?"

Xiao Shu lowered her gaze and remained silent.

Shen Zhiyi glanced up and saw Jiang Xuening standing on the edge of the crowd. She walked over and asked with concern, "Ning Ning, are you okay? Your face is so pale?"

Jiang Xuening remembered Zheng Bao, who had been kneeling at the entrance of Kunning Palace before, and his eyes flickered slightly. He thought to himself, "There's nothing else I can do," so he forced out a smile. However, his expression showed a hint of fear and anxiety, and he whispered, "You're scared of me."

Shen Zhiyi was actually scared.

But she thought to herself that she was the eldest princess, someone who had promised to protect Jiang Xuening, so she immediately put on an ordinary and small scene in the palace and grabbed her hand, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Isn't there still this princess here?"

Her palm held Jiang Xuening's slender fingers, and she felt that her fingertips were icy cold.

Jiang Xuening only looked at her and remained silent.

But the thick and long eyelashes trembled gently on a pair of beautiful eyes, like a deer shot down by a sharp arrow on the snowy plain, stirring up emotions and fragility. Her fingers also grasped Shen Zhiyi's hand.

At such a moment, Shen Zhiyi could strongly feel that the friend in front of her, who had once wore a bright smile on the cherry blossom petals at the corner of her eye, urgently needed and relied on her.

I should have gone back to the palace each time I came out of the Cining Palace.

Shen Zhiyi's residence in Mingfeng Palace and Yangzhi Zhai were originally in two different directions, so they should go their separate ways at the entrance of the Cining Palace.

But now she feels like she can't just leave like this.

Shen Zhiyi held her hand in the opposite direction, curled her lips, and raised a bright smile as if she was innocent. She pulled her and headed towards Yang Zhizhai, saying, "You're so timid, I'll accompany you back."

After finishing speaking, he said to other humanists, "Let's go."

So everyone followed in their footsteps.

Along the way, Shen Zhiyi talked to Jiang Xuening about some interesting stories and pleasures in the palace. She also talked about how sometimes when she got stuck, she would call Xiao Shu and Chen Shuyi to pick her up.

Xiao Shu is fine, she has remained silent all along.

Chen Shuyi, on the other hand, had already formed a grudge against Jiang Xuening. However, when Princess Leyang spoke up, she couldn't refuse and had no choice but to tell Jiang Xuening a joke with a stiff face.

Jiang Xuening only felt that if it weren't for the significant events today, she would have laughed out loud.

However, at this moment, even oneself has to despise oneself.

It's just a matter of coaxing the stinky man in the previous life, at least I didn't take any action on my fragrant and soft daughter's house. Unexpectedly, I have been living a heavy life for a lifetime, and I am becoming increasingly powerless and inferior!

Shen Zhiyi was completely unaware of this.

The group walked towards the direction of Yangzhi Zhai.

When they arrived, they avoided the direction of Kunning Palace, but when they returned, firstly, no one paid attention, and secondly, Shen Zhiyi and Jiang Xuening walked ahead, so they naturally took the nearest road that would pass by Kunning Palace.

As early as when the walls of Kunning Palace could be seen from afar, Jiang Xuening's heart had already been lifted, silently praying that she must catch up.

As I turned the corner of the palace wall, my heart almost jumped to my throat——

The palace path ahead was silent.

The applause I had heard before is gone.

At this moment, Jiang Xuening almost thought she had missed the opportunity.

Fortunately, the next moment when she turned onto the palace path, she saw the figure kneeling at the entrance of the palace.

Zheng Bao is still here!

Just before she could breathe a sigh of relief and show a slight smile, as soon as she lifted her eyes, she saw another figure not far ahead who was also standing in front of the palace gate.

A python robe and luxurious attire, with a jade belt tied around the waist.

Who is Shen Jie, not the Prince of Linzi, with a tall and elegant figure and a refined face? At this moment, he was looking at Zheng Bao, who was kneeling for a long time and couldn't stand up. He raised his head and was about to say something to the palace attendants at the entrance.

Jiang Xuening's eyelids twitched, but she dared not let Shen Jie speak like this to save Zheng Bao. In a hurry, she came up with a clever idea and deliberately tripped her left foot and stepped on the corner of her skirt, causing her body to lose balance while walking. She let out a low scream and fell to her knees.

She didn't react much.

Shen Zhiyi, who was still telling jokes to her while walking beside her, panicked and shouted, "Ning Ning!"

Shen Jie, who was about to ask the eunuch why he had been punished at the front palace gate, heard the sound and immediately turned her head to look. She saw the accompanying reader over there and quickly recognized Jiang Xuening who had fallen.

Being interrupted by this, normal people will forget what they were supposed to do.

Shen Jie is the same.

He quickly walked towards them, but because there were other accompanying readers present, it was not easy to get too close. He only spoke warmly and said, "Although the long path in the palace has been in use for a long time, it was only repaired a few years ago. How could Miss Jiang be so careless?"

When the accompanying readers last entered the palace, they also encountered Shen Jie and knew his identity. When they saw him approaching, they all bowed and bowed, saying, "I have seen His Highness the Prince of Linzi."

Jiang Xuening's heart sank when she saw him walking over.

In their previous life, they were the closest and most distant couple, and her death could barely be considered as the burial of Shen Jie. What happened to snatch him a chance in this life? Consider it as the labor and life compensation money that Shen Jie gave herself.

Anyway, he is the King of Linzi, and he will not lack a Zheng Bao when he becomes emperor in the future.

But she is very lacking.

With this thought in mind, Jiang Xuening somewhat dispelled the guilt of snatching the opportunity and quickly said, "Your Highness, I just went to visit the Empress Dowager. Feng Wei is profound, and it was only under a daze that I stumbled upon myself and made you laugh."

Xiao Shu looked at her quietly.

Shen Zhiyi personally helped her up and, upon hearing her words, pouted at Shen Jie, "Brother Wang, you were not here just now. Your mother was really scary."

Although Shen Jie had a humble and gentle temperament, she was born in the palace and was deeply influenced by them. Just by hearing their words, she knew that something was going on in the Cining Palace. So she frowned lightly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shen Zhiyi then said, "Just a jade like Ruyi, I don't know how to say it..."

She wanted to sort it out a bit, but she didn't know where to start and spoke in confusion.

Shen Jie was completely confused upon hearing this.

In the end, Xiao Shuyan succinctly said, "Liu Gonggong from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was ordered by the Holy Emperor to give a jade Ruyi as a tribute from Qinghai. However, there seems to be some outrageous words engraved behind that Ruyi, which has angered my aunt. Currently, the Empress is also in the Cining Palace and is dealing with this matter."

Shen Jie couldn't help but look up at her.

Upon hearing Xiao Shu's concise words, Shen Zhiyi quickly nodded and said, "Yes, that's it. Brother Wang, go take a look."

Shen Jie was originally going to pay respects to Empress Dowager Xiao, but after a moment of contemplation, she said, "I'll go take a look."

When he said this, the matter of the eunuch had long been forgotten.

He lifted his steps towards the direction of the Cining Palace, but as he passed by the accompanying readers, he caught sight of Jiang Xuening, who had just fallen and stood up, lowering his head and caressing his knee. He couldn't help but laugh and joked, "You can even fall on flat ground. Miss Jiang Er needs to keep an eye on the road, otherwise she would have broken her face before inviting me to apologize for that meal. But I don't know who would be heartbroken when I turn around!"

Jiang Xuening was taken aback for a moment and didn't realize what "apology wine" was. It wasn't until Shen Jie turned around and left that she remembered that she had misunderstood when she just came back from her rebirth. After slapping Shen Jie in the face, she once said she would invite a wine to apologize another day.

Words are naturally polite.

But unexpectedly, Shen Jie still remembered.

The accompanying readers saw that Shen Jie had only paid attention to Jiang Xuening when she came over, and their eyes were already somewhat strange.

After hearing the three words "apology wine", I couldn't help but look at her with my eyes.

Xiao Shu stood next to Shen Zhiyi, with a calm face that also showed a hint of confusion. When she looked back at Jiang Xuening, her eyes had already deepened a bit.

Jiang Xuening glanced at everyone's reaction and secretly complained in her heart.

She wanted to explain that she and Shen Jie were actually not very ambiguous.

But the Prince of Linzi has already left after speaking, where is there time for her to explain? And should she say that she once slapped Shen Jie, and this apology wine is just a slap?

Is it rumored that you don't want to die?

Shen Zhiyi asked curiously, "Apology wine?"

Jiang Xuening smiled bitterly and said, "In the past, when I was ignorant and wandering around in the neighborhood, I had some misunderstandings with His Highness the Prince of Linzi."

Shen Zhiyi still wants to ask what kind of misunderstanding it was.

But at this moment, Jiang Xuening's gaze had already turned to the front, landing on the eunuch Zheng Bao kneeling at the entrance of the palace. His expression changed several times, as if he couldn't help but show a hint of sympathy.

Shen Zhiyi naturally followed her gaze and saw that it was just a small eunuch kneeling in front of the palace gate. She didn't pay attention, but was surprised by her reaction. So she said, "It's common for someone in the palace to be punished. I think they must have made some mistake by kneeling."

Jiang Xuening whispered, "When I came, I saw him kneeling here..."

Her voice was already weak, and she deliberately made a sorrowful and anxious posture. Even the sympathy and fear that were originally only three parts fake, she performed a genuine and empathetic fear.

After all, a scene in the Cining Palace that had just happened recently.

As soon as Empress Dowager Xiao saw them, she made them kneel down without shouting, and gave them a big downward force. Those who were not brave would indeed be frightened.

Shen Zhiyi hasn't even forgotten.

At this moment, seeing Jiang Xuening's expression and the young eunuch kneeling beside her, she naturally guessed that she had seen the eunuch being punished and remembered her experience in the Cining Palace just now, arousing fear of this deep palace. She felt like this eunuch, deeply trapped in the danger of being easily blamed

She couldn't help but complain in her heart that her mother was too strict, and also couldn't help but complain that her sister-in-law chose to pick someone at this time if she didn't punish anyone early or late. What would she do if she scared Ning Ning?

Immediately, she raised her eyebrows and the majesty of the Heavenly Fairy returned to her body.

Shen Zhiyi said directly to the female official standing in front of the Kunning Palace, "What mistake did this eunuch make?"

The female official was busy bowing and bowing before answering, "His name is Zheng Bao, and he may not have been aware of it when serving today."

"I don't want to hear it!"

Although the question was asked by Shen Zhiyi, it was also her who interrupted. With an impatient attitude, she waved her hand and gave the order directly.

"People have already been punished and have been kneeling for so long. It's almost enough. Give him a break. When the imperial sister-in-law asked later, she said it meant 'this princess'."

Princess Leyang was already favored in the palace, and the emperor invited her teachers from the Hanlin Academy to attend school for her. She also selected accompanying readers, and the female officials served by the empress's side. Naturally, this was clear to all. How could one dare to refute her words?

===Kunning Section 64===

Immediately take the shortcut: "Yes."

Then he instructed the left and right, "Quickly, help the person up and don't obstruct His Highness's eyes or scare people here."

The eunuchs on both sides immediately stepped forward and helped the person up.

Zheng Bao had been kneeling on this palace path for some time now, his knees already sore and numb. When he first got up, he almost knelt down again, and his originally delicate face was marked with finger marks, except for those eyes that were as bright as paint.

He raised his head and glanced at Jiang Xuening.

However, to his surprise, what seemed to come into his eyes was not a shy and timid face like the voice he had just heard, but a pair of calm eyes hidden under the softness, which were also quietly looking at him at the moment.

The clear and delicate appearance of flowers made him feel like there were thorns growing inside.

Jiang Xuening's eyelashes trembled, and she gently lowered her gaze. When she lifted it up again, she smiled at Shen Zhiyi and said, "Your Highness, it's really nice."

Shen Zhiyi's face turned red again.

She coughed and made a calm and composed appearance, snorting softly, "That's not it!"