TV Series: When the Villain Chooses to Stand by

In the Cining Palace, Hongli was stunned for a moment when he saw the empress dowager in front of him.

His face was pale, with dark circles around his eyes, high cheekbones, and he was so thin that he looked unrecognizable.

No matter how she dresses up, she can't hide her old age, and her eyes are no longer as gentle and warm as before.

The same face, but now there is a gloom and harshness in the corners of the eyes and eyebrows no matter how you look at it.

Although it was not the first time that Hongli saw the empress dowager's sick appearance, he was still shocked.

The imperial physician stayed here every day, using all kinds of precious tonics like water, and several Buddha statues were added to the small Buddhist hall.

The Queen Mother continued to age at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It had only been a short time since the emperor ascended the throne, but how beautiful Concubine Xi, who was once the most favored concubine in the six palaces, was. She was a beauty that the late emperor could not forget even after she left the palace.

"Is the Empress Dowager feeling better today? Shengjing has sent a batch of high-quality medicinal herbs as tribute, which are most effective for calming the nerves. My son has sent them over."

The Buddhist beads in the Empress Dowager's hand spun faster and faster. She suppressed the irritation in her heart and patiently pretended to be a loving mother and a filial son with Hongli.

"The emperor is thoughtful. I asked you to come here this time because I want to discuss something with you."

Before coming, Hongli had already heard the report from the people in the Cining Palace and knew exactly what the empress dowager was thinking.

"I have been dreaming about the late emperor for a while now. I would like to invite the master to the palace to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Hongli agreed immediately. He would never object to anything that could show filial piety.

The most important thing is that the Queen Mother's experience made him a little awed.

The Empress Dowager finally showed her first sincere smile on her face. When she was in the Old Summer Palace, she had thought about inviting a shaman to perform a ritual.

But at that time everyone knew that she fell into the lake and became ill. If rumors of her being possessed by evil spirits spread, it would affect her reputation.

Thinking of her purpose, the Queen Mother sighed, "Now I am ill, and all the concubines in the harem are pregnant."

"Your Majesty, would you like to summon the Imperial Observatory to inquire about this? If there is anything wrong, we can make arrangements in advance."

Hongli nodded slightly when he heard this suggestion, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for reminding me. I will remember it."

In Changchun Palace, Jin Yuyan and others all had serious expressions on their faces, and Gao Xiyue was so frightened that she dropped the cup in her hand.

Except for Hailan and Yihuan, none of the concubines present were happy.

Everyone was living a particularly comfortable life without Ruyi, and now she is coming back.

"Look at the expressions on your faces. The Queen Mother's health is important. If Concubine Xian's personal care can really help her recover, it would be a good thing."

Gao Xiyue realized that she had lost her composure and quickly spoke to make amends.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for my misconduct. However, I did commit a serious offense to begin with. Now that I'm out of the cold palace, it's a favor from the Emperor. Why should I still be the head of a palace?"

Langya sipped the tea in the cup slowly.

"This is the Queen Mother's intention. After all, it is for the Queen Mother's blessing. If the status is too low, I am afraid that I will not be able to suppress this blessing."

Upon hearing that it was the Queen Mother's intention, Bai Ruiji and Lu Muping, who had been indifferent, immediately became alert.

They were completely unaware of this.

Gao Xiyue also shut up indignantly. She couldn't say that the empress dowager's health was not as important as a concubine's position.

Under Langya's guidance, she already knew that the Queen Mother was resentful towards her father.

He was usually very cautious and never got close to the Queen Mother.

After paying their respects, Gao Xiyue and the others stayed. Without outsiders around, she couldn't wait to ask her questions.

"Empress, are we just going to let Concubine Xian out of the cold palace like this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory never said before that Ruyi's fate was compatible with the Empress Dowager's. Concubine Shu served the Empress Dowager wholeheartedly for such a long time, but in the end, she was not even born at a better time than her."

Jin Yuyan always speaks bluntly, and she is very disdainful of the Imperial Observatory's remarks.

Anyone could be bribed, and she didn't believe that any disease could be cured by requiring special personal care.

"Sister Jiafei, what you said makes sense. If this theory of fate is really valid, why not find an ordinary woman from the common people? Why did you choose Concubine Xian who is in the cold palace?"

Su Lujun got a headache when she heard Ruyi's name. She didn't understand why the emperor believed such an absurd reason.

Seeing that they all had worried expressions, Langya couldn't help but sigh at the power of the plot.

They clearly didn't do anything, but they insisted on making themselves look like villains.

"Why not? Concubine Xian poses no threat to us, and the previous conflicts have not escalated to an irreconcilable level."

"You already have the most important things for concubines: offspring and status. So what if Concubine Xian is favored?"

After Langya finished her last sentence, she stopped writing.

Chen Wanyin handed over the handkerchief at the right time, took the pen from Langya's hand and put it away properly.

She was the calmest one from beginning to end. She saw how stable the queen's position was and never worried about Concubine Xian being released from the cold palace.

"Your Majesty, the Queen's handwriting is so beautiful."

Langya laughed out loud and tapped Chen Wanyin's forehead. "You've always been the most honest person. When did you learn to lie?"

"My level can't really be called good. I'm just killing time."

Gao Xiyue and others were also persuaded by Langya's reasons and no longer focused their attention on Concubine Xian. They just thought that she was really capable of causing trouble.

The grudges between Jin Yuyan, Su Lujun and Ruyi were not serious enough to warrant killing.

They would not stain their hands with blood just for Ruyi.

"Empress Jia, how are the staff preparations going over at the Yu Clan? The good stuff there is very popular outside."

As soon as the interest was mentioned, Jin Yuyan's eyes lit up immediately. It was no big deal for Concubine Xian to leave the cold palace. Even if she gave birth to a prince today, it would have nothing to do with her.

"Everything has been prepared according to Her Majesty the Queen's instructions. I have selected reliable people, so there will definitely be no problems."

"Well, just arrange it. Tell them not to be too ostentatious."

Jin Yuyan knelt down and saluted very respectfully.

The sight of that belly made Langya feel frightened. She tried to stop him, but he didn't listen.

"Sister Jiafei has made a great harvest this time. If there are any good things, please leave some for us sisters. I still have to save up the betrothal gifts for Yongzhang. I can never have too much of these good things."

"Look at you, you look like a Pixiu. Aren't there enough good things in Jiangnan for you to collect?"

"Who told you that the Yu family has something unique?"

……

Gao Xiyue turned her head away proudly, unwilling to look at those two useless people.

Isn't it just taking advantage of the connections and geographical advantages of the mother's family to get on the Queen's boat? The money they earn is for their happiness.

I don't need these. She is the most important sister in the Queen's heart and doesn't need these external conditions at all.

The Queen would naturally take her along when she made money.

Gao Xiyue held her waist and raised her belly high for Langya to touch.

"Your Majesty, look, this little fellow is very worry-free. He will definitely be an obedient child this time."

As soon as Langya stretched out her hand, she felt the extremely active vitality.

He looked at Gao Xiyue with a look that was hard to describe. She was obedient, but she wasn't necessarily good enough.

After receiving the imperial edict, Ruyi was so happy that she couldn't sleep well all night.

"惢心, the emperor still cares about me. We can finally leave here."

"Yes, Master. I heard from Li Yu that the Empress Dowager's name was used, and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory gave the horoscope. I think the Emperor must have put a lot of thought into it."

The smile in Ruyi's eyes turned a little colder. She patted惢心's hand. The slightly rough feeling under her palm made her sober up a little.

You can't be angry. This is the loyal maid who suffered with you in the cold palace. She said this unintentionally.

"Next time, don't say such things carelessly. Since the Imperial Observatory has reached such a conclusion, it must be true. My fate is compatible with the Empress Dowager's. It's just that the Empress Dowager was in good health before, so it was not visible."

"Master, please forgive me. It was a slip of the tongue."

When惢心 heard this, she knew that Ruyi was not satisfied with her explanation, so she quickly knelt down and apologized.

"Are you feeling better now? Go and boil some water for me. I need to wash up properly tonight."

There was no bathtub in the cold palace, so even if water was boiled, Ruyi could only wash herself.

After washing up, Ruyi admired her armored hands in the moonlight.

Under the cold moonlight, some old armor looks particularly strange, but in Ruyi's eyes, this is the beginning of her new life.

"In the past, I only wanted the emperor's true love, but they all refused to let me go. Now, after all the hard work, I have finally achieved my goal. This time, let's see who will come out on top."

With her back to Ruyi,惢心 curled up into a ball. She didn't expect to hear such words in the middle of the night.

I was so scared that I was shaking, but I didn't dare to move too much for fear of being discovered.

Even though she is loyal,惢心 still doesn't quite understand Ruyi's thoughts.

Fighting is common in the harem. It was clearly them who attacked Wang Qin and gave him banned drugs, but why does the master seem to have forgotten about it?

The next day, Li Yu came to the cold palace early with the concubine's clothes.

Surrounded by the crowd, Ruyi dressed up and walked out with her head held high.

In the dark, Ling Yunche held the boots in his hands with tears in his eyes, feeling mixed emotions.

Ruyi finally left here. After all, the noble phoenix is ​​still a phoenix even if it falls into the mortal world.

But she talked to me late at night and gave me a pair of boots she made herself. She must have been interested in me. It was a pity that she was a royal concubine, and we were not destined to be together.

From this moment on, Ling Yunche decided to silently protect Ruyi for the rest of his life.

The sky was high and the air was crisp in autumn. In order to show her imposing manner, Ruyi deliberately put on the khaki silk cloak.

The soft golden light under the sunlight makes people look noble.

However, Ruyi fiddled with her collar inconspicuously, feeling a little hot.

Li Yu, with his sharp eyes, naturally saw this scene, and he wanted to slap himself twice in his heart.

It's only early autumn now, how come he brought this cloak here? Why didn't I notice it at the time?

All the palace servants along the way looked at Ruyi in a daze, and their greetings were a little flustered.

In Ruyi's eyes, all this meant that her beauty had conquered everyone, and her chin was raised even higher.

After she left, the palace people started talking about it.

"This is the Concubine Xian who was allowed to leave the cold palace. Why is she wearing a fur cloak in this season?"

"Who knows? Perhaps you are afraid of the cold."

"No wonder they say my fate is compatible with the Empress Dowager's. I'm afraid they've all..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you trying to kill yourself? Go away!"

Ruyi enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, just like the feeling of ascending to the throne step by step in a dream.

She did not go directly back to the Yanx Palace, nor did she go to pay a visit to the emperor and empress, but instead came to the city wall.

"I want to go for a walk on the city wall so they don't have to follow me."

Li Yu did not hesitate. With a relieved smile on his face, he and惢心 followed Ruyi up to the city wall.

Standing high in the Forbidden City, letting the warm sunlight shine on her, Ruyi narrowed her eyes slightly. The soft light on the cloak turned into a bright yellow color that only the queen could wear in her eyes.

Ruyi is full of fighting spirit, and one day she will take back everything that belongs to her.

She put on the bright yellow queen's costume and stood here again.

If I had not been late for the selection, the Ruyi, which symbolizes the legitimate wife, would have been mine.

She had seen in her dream that Hongli took Ruyi away from Fucha Langya and gave it to her, and that was what should be done right.

"Your servant respectfully welcomes the master back to the palace."

As soon as Ruyi entered the Yanx Palace, she saw Sanbao and everyone kneeling to welcome her, and she was very happy.

He personally stepped forward and helped Sanbao up.

"Get up, you and I have suffered a lot because of this."

"Whatever the master says, the servant should do for the master..."

When惢心 saw that the master and servant were having a pleasant conversation, the joy of seeing old friends disappeared.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the wound on his hand in a daze. Was Sanbao wronged?

She has also suffered a lot, so why has her master never said these thoughtful words to her? Hasn't she done enough?

"My Lord, the Emperor intends to transfer A Ruo back to the Yanxi Palace to serve, but A Ruo said that she is under investigation and is afraid that staying in the Yanxi Palace will bring criticism to the Empress, so..."

A trace of emotion appeared on Ruyi's face. She really had misunderstood. A Ruo still cared about her so much.

"Forget it. Since it's A'ruo's decision, I respect her choice. Sanbao, please send some clothes and snacks to A'ruo later. Don't make her life too difficult."

"Yes, the master is kind-hearted."

When paying her respects to the Queen, Ruyi dressed up specially, applied the most colorful lip balm, wore her favorite plum blossom hairpin and the longest armor.

He marched towards his battlefield with high morale and vigor.

She imagined that the concubines would look down on her and be extremely jealous of her.

But in fact, no one cared at all. Instead, Ruyi was the first to be stabbed in the eye by the big bellies in the room.

Seeing her kneeling down to pay her respects, Langya did not rush to ask anyone to stand up.

"Concubine Xian should be familiar with the palace rules by now. From now on, you must serve the Queen Mother wholeheartedly and never cause trouble again. If there is a next time."

"Even if you have an indescribably noble destiny, I will not let you off easily."

Ruyi kowtowed and listened to the lecture with a feeling of reluctance.

"I will follow the instructions of the Queen."

Langya led everyone to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and everyone was talking and laughing along the way.

But no one paid any attention to Ruyi, not even a word of sarcasm.

This made Ruyi extremely uncomfortable, but fortunately she had Hailan's company, and Yihuan also came over and said a few words to her.

"Sister, you suffered a lot there. You look a lot thinner."

"Hai Lan, don't be like this. I'm fine there. I'm self-sufficient and very comfortable. You know, I never care about these material things."

Hai Lan's voice was slightly choked, and she seemed to be about to cry. Only then did Ruyi's face look a little better.