Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

So, very early the next morning, Concubine Zhou, who for some unknown reason got up and went to the waterside to kneel down and kowtow nine times, slipped and fell into the Taiye Lake while crying.

The palace maids who followed her screamed in fear, and tried their best to reach Zhou, who was struggling in the water, but could not. The guards who were alarmed heard the noise and rushed to rescue her.

However, Concubine Zhou was obviously still too weak, and the imperial physician tried his best but was unable to save her.

Knowing that Emperor Chongzhao had been very irritable in the past two days because of the death of the Empress Dowager and the lack of news on the return of the Emperor, the imperial physician and the palace maids tremblingly pulled each other together to report the bad news.

Emperor Chongzhao waited for the news for most of the night and finally fell asleep at four o'clock in the morning.

No one dared to make a fuss. Some smart ones simply sent letters to Yinyu Palace and Penglai Palace.

Emperor Chongzhao was awakened from his sleepy state. He thought it was news from the Supreme Lord. With fear in his eyes, he looked at Changying beside the bed and said, "Speak."

"There is no news from outside the palace." Chang Ying comforted him first, and then whispered, "It was Zhou. She went to worship the pond early in the morning, slipped and drowned, and she couldn't be rescued..."

He had just suppressed his anger, but when he heard that someone had died, Emperor Chongzhao was shocked again: "What happened?"

Chang Ying sighed softly, moved closer, and whispered, “The maid said that she had a nightmare last night, talked in her sleep, and begged for mercy from the Queen Mother.

"In the dream, she said that the dispute between the first Chenghui Mo family and the Zhou family was actually her plan, but she didn't expect that the Mo family would dare to kill her. She almost lost her life and lay in bed for three years...

"The Queen Mother became increasingly distant from His Majesty because of this, and the Mo family was forced to return to their hometown in disgrace...

"She also said that it was Madam Zhou from the Li family, her aunt and the mother of the late Li Shuren, who forced her to do it, saying that she would not let the Mo family have an easy life..."

The more Emperor Chongzhao listened, the gloomier his expression became. Hearing this, he couldn't help but refute: "Li's evil deeds, and God has nothing to do with the Queen Mother, right? Why did she involve Mo? "

"Perhaps this is to provoke the Queen Mother to be dissatisfied with the Queen?" Chang Ying guessed.

Emperor Chongzhao shook his head, thought for a while, and then said, "Inform the Zhou and Li families of the death, saying it was an accident, and allow Madam Zhou and Madam Li to enter the palace to visit He Ke."

Chang Ying was surprised: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine..."

Emperor Chongzhao threw off the quilt and got out of bed, rubbing his temples: "Let the imperial concubine go to Penglai Palace, I will talk to her and the queen together."

Seeing his exhausted face, Chang Ying swallowed his words, agreed softly, and said:

"You have slept too little. Why don't you take a rest in Penglai Palace? Can I bring your clothes with me?"

Emperor Chongzhao shook his head, closed his eyes and lowered his head: "No. The queen is ill, I will not disturb her.

"The Imperial Concubine will have to arrange Zhou's funeral, and Yinyu Palace will be very busy...

"I'll come back to sleep later."

Is it possible that there is only one Yinyu Palace in the whole palace where you can take a nap? Then are your three palaces and six courtyards just for decoration?

Chang Ying complained in his heart, frowning: "You can't sleep here... Otherwise, go to Geng Ronghua? It's quiet there."

Emperor Chongzhao thought for a moment and said, "Let's go see Shi Ronghua."

Since he knew that she was pregnant, Emperor Chongzhao had not had time to visit her, and he did not know how her pregnancy was going.

"Yes. Nanny Duan is already taking care of it over there. You would feel more comfortable if you go over there to rest." Chang Ying felt relieved. He hurriedly called Jianzhong to help the emperor wash, and went out to tell someone to pass on the message.

However, as for the body of Concubine Zhou, neither the master nor the servant mentioned that they should go and take a look.

After coming out, he first ordered people to go to Yinyu and Penglai to pass on the emperor's words, then dismissed the imperial doctors, and asked the palace maid to go back and wait for the imperial concubine to come and deal with Zhou's funeral;

After hesitating for a moment, Chang Ying called a trusted eunuch and ordered him to inform Chen Duo of the matter immediately and convey the emperor's oral order: In the name of the queen, choose the words carefully and take the message to the Li and Zhou families far away in Shanxi immediately.

Finally, he ordered breakfast.

After dealing with all the pieces, Changying returned to the back hall of the Zichen Palace.

Emperor Chongzhao had already finished washing up. Seeing Changying's solemn and worried face, he couldn't help but smile slightly:

"Okay, the emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is.

“The moon waxes and wanes, and people have their ups and downs.

“All things are impermanent.

"No matter what happens to anyone, don't we the living have to struggle to survive?

"The troops will come to block it, and the water and earth will cover it!"

Chang Ying heaved a sigh of relief after hearing what he said, and smiled:

"Your Majesty is wise. I am just an ordinary person. Seeing so many things coming at me, I feel worried and panicked. I don't know what to do."

As he spoke, he showed his trembling hands to Emperor Chong Zhao, "Look, I look calm, but I have been sweating profusely."

Emperor Chong Zhao looked at him with a smile, and besides teasing, he also had a sense of relaxation and relief: "You are a small man, and you have never experienced the bloody storm that concerns the whole country and the lives of several people, so it is normal for you to feel uncertain.

"Even I was just a bystander from afar and never got involved..."

With a soft sigh, he lowered his eyes to look at the clear and warm tea in the golden-threaded Jun porcelain plum blossom teacup in his hand.

"This is only the first wave of storm. If we can withstand it, we, the king and his subjects, will be able to live safely here.

"If you can't bear it, then..."

Chang Ying didn't wait for him to finish and interrupted him: "You will be able to withstand it! Your Majesty is wise and wise, and you care about the world. No matter what kind of storm, it can't defeat you!"

Emperor Chong Zhao chuckled and nodded: "Okay! No matter what kind of storm it is, don't think you can defeat me!"

As the master and servant were talking, breakfast was delivered from outside. It was a bowl of bird's nest porridge, two fresh vegetables, a few slices of meat, and a few shrimps.

"I can tell at a glance that this is what your Imperial Concubine uses to coax her children, and now she's given me one too. You're treating me like your child!" Emperor Chongzhao snorted.

Chang Ying smiled and said, "It's not necessarily that she treats you like a child, but it's true that the Imperial Concubine wants to coax you into eating all these good things."

Emperor Chongzhao snorted coldly, ate everything in no time, rinsed his mouth, and stood up: "Let's go!"

At this time, Emperor Chongzhao had food in his stomach, strength in his body, loyal servants by his side, and a virtuous wife in the backyard - well, or a virtuous concubine for the time being. He felt that no matter what kind of storms and waves there were outside, he could withstand it steadily with a few helpers!

As soon as he stepped into Penglai Palace, he saw Wang Xifeng hugging He Ke, who was sobbing with his head down, and sitting beside Empress Mo's bed, sighing.

It seems that they have also heard about what happened to Concubine Zhou.

First, He Ke was sent back to Princess Zhai to be comforted. Emperor Chong Zhao then explained the reason why Zhou drowned and made the final decision:

"She is my cousin. She should not have suffered in vain for all these years. I must get to the bottom of this matter."

Queen Mo had a puzzled look on her face and lowered her eyes in agreement.

Wang Xifeng looked at her reaction and her heart moved slightly.