Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

Chapter 163 Dazzling Light

In the quiet corridor, every word Hua Rong spoke echoed in Ji Anni's heart.

I didn't expect that everyone in this palace was tied up in heavy shackles. I didn't realize it before, but after listening to Hua Rong's detailed explanation of everything, I suddenly realized that I had already been deeply trapped in the palace and couldn't get out.

Ji Anni subconsciously looked up at the sky. It was a sunny and windy day.

But under this bright sunlight overhead, there are countless dark clouds lurking in all directions.

As long as the sunlight above your head dims a little, the dark clouds that are ready to attack from all around will immediately gather together.

Although the weather is sunny at this moment, it may change at any time in the next moment.

A storm and snowstorm can replace the sunny day in the blink of an eye - it always feels a bit realistic and a bit scary.

"Your Majesty, please take a bath and change your clothes first." Hua Rong said as she helped Ji Anni to the bathing area.

Ji Anni followed her and asked, "Hua Rong, I seem to have heard that Yun Zhen and Baogui Fei were childhood friends who grew up together. The relationship between Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of War should be harmonious."

Hua Rong said, "They were harmonious, but that was more than ten years ago. Since the old minister passed away and the new minister took office, the relationship between the two families is not as harmonious as before. The new minister is the father of Lady Bao. Ten years ago, before Lady Bao entered the palace, the Yang family had already planned to marry Lady Bao as a daughter-in-law, but later, for some reason, after the Queen Mother met Minister Bao, Minister Bao resolutely sent Lady Bao to the palace despite the opposition of Lady Bao and the Yang family. It was probably because of this incident that the two families buried the rift. And since then, Minister Bao has supported all the decisions of the Queen Mother without asking the reason, which has aroused great dissatisfaction in the Yang family and caused the contradictions between the two sides to become more and more serious... Now, the two families don't interact much anymore."

It turns out there is such a deep connection between them. Ji Anni sighed softly and asked, "Since Minister Bao is loyal to An, why did the Queen Mother make such a fuss about the matter between Concubine Baogui and Yun Zhen this time?"

Hua Rong said, "Hasn't the queen discovered it yet? ... The Queen Mother only interrogated the Imperial Master, and didn't touch a hair of Queen Bao. Maybe the Queen Mother wanted to execute Yun Zhen directly without Queen Bao knowing, but she didn't expect the queen to make a scene at the execution ground, disrupting all her plans. Now that most of the day has passed, I'm sure the whole palace should know about Yun Zhen's affairs."

What this means is that Empress Bao should also know this.

Ji Anni immediately became worried about Concubine Baogui and said hurriedly, "Huarong, I want to go visit Concubine Bao."

"No." Hua Rong directly denied Ji Anni's plan with two simple and clear words, "Your Majesty, if you go to visit Baogui Concubine now, do you know the consequences? ... Yesterday, the Imperial Master came to visit you in the right courtyard, and today you made a scene at the execution ground to save the Imperial Master. Now you are released from the dungeon and immediately go to visit Baogui Concubine... In the eyes of anyone, your Majesty is inseparable from the Imperial Master and Baogui Concubine's conspiracy to leave the palace... Maybe, your Majesty will be regarded as the Imperial Master and Baogui Concubine's accomplice and be questioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"Just investigate, why are you afraid of him!" Compared to the interrogation, Ji Anni was more worried about Bao Niangniang's situation.

"This is just one of the reasons. The more important thing is, Your Majesty... The West Palace has been sealed off by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. No one is allowed to enter except the Queen Mother and a few officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Your Majesty should not forcefully confront them again."

"Why...what on earth do they want to do?" Ji Anni was so anxious that she had a headache.

Suddenly I felt that the imperial palace was shrouded in white terror.

The opponent's power was too strong. With just a wave of his sleeve, he could cover the sky and the sun. He had been suppressed and could do nothing.

***

After washing off the blood stains on her body and changing into new clothes, Ji Anni couldn't bear to look at her haggard self in the mirror.

Hua Rong combed Ji Anni's hair while asking, "Why didn't the queen go to visit Prince Ming? I heard that the queen only met Prince Ming once at the Queen Mother's dinner on the first day of entering the palace, and she didn't see Prince Ming again for a whole month. Rumors are spreading in the palace that the queen is too cold to Prince Ming, saying that the queen is not like Prince Ming's biological mother."

Ji Anni muttered in her heart: She is not my biological mother.

"Why don't you go visit Prince Ming?"

"It's not that I don't want to visit Prince Ming, but I don't want to see Concubine An's face." Why did my son have to be fostered by Concubine An? Ji Anni would never take the initiative to visit Concubine An's East Palace.

"My queen, you don't care about Prince Ming. Isn't Prince Ming too pitiful?"

"It's pitiful..." Ji Anni had to admit that children born by mothers but not raised by them were pitiful. But how could she have the time to take care of Prince Ming now? It was good enough for her to take care of herself.

Hua Rong whispered in Ji Anni's ear: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so nosy. No matter how close Concubine Baogui and the Imperial Master are, they are still outsiders, but Prince Ming is your own flesh and blood..."

"Okay, I got it." Ji Anni interrupted Hua Rong, fearing that Hua Rong would keep nagging if she didn't agree. "But... I can't go to see Prince Ming yet. Look at my face, it's as white as a ghost, what if I scare him? But Hua Rong, I promise you, as long as the matter between Baogui Concubine and Yun Zhen comes to an end, I will go and get close to Prince Ming, and it would be best if I can get Prince Ming back from Concubine An. Anyway, I am also a concubine now, and I have my own palace, so they won't have anything to say."

The reason why Prince Ming was fostered in the care of Concubine An was because Zhao Ji was just a small concubine, living in a large courtyard-like concubine palace with only one room, and there were a lot of palace etiquette to learn every day, so it was inconvenient to take care of the child. Now that the etiquette learning has finally ended and she has her own side courtyard, is it time to let Prince Ming return to his mother's arms?

Although she thought so, as long as she tried to imagine the painful life of raising children like a nanny in the future, Ji Anni suddenly felt physically and mentally exhausted. However, if she continued to let Prince Ming and Concubine An live together, they might learn bad things.

Therefore, no matter how hard it is, for the sake of the deceased Zhao Ji and for the future of his son, he must get Prince Ming back!

At this time, Hua Rong had already put on the crown for Ji Anni, and while tidying up the dressing table, she asked, "What are your plans next, Madam?"

"Planning..." Ji Anni stood up blankly and walked to the window. Looking at the flowers blooming in the yard, she felt so depressed that she couldn't muster any interest.

I originally wanted to visit Concubine Baogui, but since the West Palace has been sealed, I have to give up.

That's right! A thought flashed through her mind, and Ji Anni suddenly looked up and said to herself, "Although the Queen Mother sealed the West Palace, at least the dungeon was not sealed, right?"

"What does your Majesty want to do?" Hua Rong hurriedly stepped forward, fearing that Ji Anni would do something shocking again.

"Don't be nervous, Huarong, I just want to go visit Yunzhen." Ji Anni turned around and smiled at Huarong. Even if she heard Huarong's earnest advice again, she would not change her mind.

When did it start? Yun Zhen became so important... I always think of him unconsciously.

As long as I can't see him for a moment, my heart will become very anxious.

"Hua Rong, is there any way to absolutely not cry?" Ji Anni asked this question so suddenly that Hua Rong was stunned for a moment. Ji Anni smiled and explained, "I went to comfort Yun Zhen this time, not to make him worry... So if he saw me crying, he would definitely be very anxious. Hua Rong, I heard that you never cry, why is that?"

Hua Rong lowered her head, smiled softly, and replied in a weak voice: "My queen, don't feel weak just because you cried. You should be happy that your heart still hurts, because you are still alive so vividly..."

And I was dead, three years ago, as a member of the Xi family.

What is left is just a body filled with resentment and hatred.

My lady, you shouldn't ask me, nor should you learn from me.

I don't know what path I will lead you down...

But even without me, sooner or later you will be a woman standing behind the emperor.

Because you have such a dazzling light, more and more people besides me will see it.