mesbooks Chapter 232 Instructions
Chapter 232 Instructions
Yongqi still had a smile on his face when he entered the Yikun Palace. He walked with a brisk pace, his heart full of longing for meeting Ruyi.
However, by the time he left Yikun Palace, his face was already gloomy. The bright smile he had once had disappeared, replaced by a heavy gloom.
"Master, would you like to pay your respects to the Empress of Yongshou Palace?"
The attendant beside him approached cautiously, his voice very low, his eyes filled with caution and tentativeness.
Seeing Yongqi's bad face, he even spoke carefully, for fear of angering his master.
In the Forbidden City, everyone has to learn to read people's expressions, especially the servants who serve their masters.
At this moment, the attendant was filled with uneasiness. He didn't know why Yongqi looked so gloomy after coming out of Yiku Palace.
Normally, when the master visited Yikun Palace, he would stop by Yongshou Palace. Today, he looked unwell, so it was obvious that the Empress had said something. The attendant speculated secretly, a hint of worry in his eyes.
If there was anyone in the palace who could comfort his master, it would be the Empress of Yongshou Palace. The attendant thought to himself, full of admiration for the Empress of Yongshou Palace. In his opinion, the Empress of Yongshou Palace was exceptionally intelligent and understanding, and perhaps she could resolve his master's frustrations.
Yongqi shook his head upon hearing this, that slight movement filled with helplessness and entanglement. His face was full of complex expressions, and his eyes were intertwined with confusion, bewilderment and pain.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the large, gold-plated characters on the plaque of the Yikun Palace. The characters shone brightly in the sunlight, but they could not dispel the gloom in his heart.
Yikun Palace, a place once filled with warmth and memories, now weighed heavily on him. His conversation with Ruyi there still seemed to echo in his ears, those words like sharp blades, piercing his heart.
His mother didn't love him, and even the Empress Dowager was using him.
The two closest relatives are not as good as Empress Ling, with whom they had no previous contact.
He felt so insignificant, so helpless. The large, gold-plated characters seemed to remind him of the heavy responsibility and mission he shouldered.
"It's okay. There's no need to bother your Majesty with these trivial matters. Besides, the Empress Dowager has always had a grudge against you, so it's better not to cause her any trouble..."
The attendant looked up at the sky. It was already afternoon, and dusk would be approaching in less than half an hour. The sun was gradually setting in the sky, and its afterglow cast a golden glow on the glazed tiles of the palace.
A trace of anxiety welled up in the attendant's heart. He knew that time was running out. Now that the Fifth Prince was a married prince and had his own household, he could not stay in the Forbidden City for long without an official mission or the Emperor's permission.
Although the Fifth Prince has a noble status, he is no exception.
The attendant coughed lightly and said cautiously, "Master, it's getting late. We should go back home."
There was a hint of worry in his voice, fearing that the Fifth Prince would make an inappropriate decision due to his bad mood.
The Fifth Prince seemed not to have heard the attendant's words, he was still immersed in his own thoughts. The attendant sighed helplessly and could only stand quietly aside, waiting for the Fifth Prince's response.
Beneath the palace walls, time seemed to stand still, with only the occasional breeze gently ruffling the hems of clothes. In this long silence, the air seemed to grow heavy.
The person standing before him finally made a move. He stirred slightly, as if waking from a deep sleep.
The subtle movement broke the silence, like a ripple on the calm surface of a lake.
Yongqi shook his head with difficulty, his movements filled with struggle and helplessness. He looked sideways at the palace road stretching out beneath his feet. The long road seemed to have no end.
He said calmly, "No hurry, let's go and meet an old friend..."
His voice was calm and low, but it carried an indescribable complex emotion.
"So, where are we going?"
The attendant asked cautiously, with a hint of doubt and uneasiness in his voice. He looked at Yongqi's deep expression, his heart filled with curiosity and worry.
"Leng Gong."
After saying this, a hint of disappointment appeared on Yongqi's face, and that disappointment was like a faint cloud, quietly spreading in his eyes.
There was also a subtle indifference. That indifference, as cold as ice, was hidden beneath his expression. Perhaps it was because he had experienced too many twists and turns and hardships that his heart had gradually become hardened.
"...Ling Yunche, the cold palace guard, is an old friend of mine. You've met him when you were young. Now, he's been banished to the cold palace by the Emperor for working for me and your mother..."
Ruyi's words were filled with deep emotion and helplessness. She recalled her past with Ling Yunche, the friendship and trust they once had, but now, due to various reasons, it had become so difficult.
Yongqi listened to Ruyi's words, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart. He thought of Ling Yunche, whom he had met in his youth, although that figure was a little vague in his memory.
"...Now that the affairs of the Six Palaces are no longer under my control, if you have time on weekdays, you might as well help him out and assign him to a lighter task elsewhere..."
One never comes to the palace for no good reason. Ruyi's words in Yikun Palace echoed in his ears. Those words seemed to carry an unspeakable heaviness, weighing on Yongqi's heart.
Yongqi originally thought that the Queen Mother of Yiku Palace came to see him specially to check on his recent situation and to show her motherly love.
He walked into the Yikun Palace with anticipation and joy, eager to feel the long-lost warmth and love from Ruyi. However, reality gave him a heavy blow.
Who would have thought that the drunkard's real intention was not to drink...
A bitter feeling welled up in Yongqi's heart. He had thought Ruyi's concern for him was pure, but he had never imagined that it was mixed with self-interest.
He felt that he had been used, and his original respect and expectations for Ruyi collapsed in an instant. A trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes, as if true family affection and love were so rare in this Forbidden City.
Yongqi walked silently, his heart full of contradictions and struggles. He didn't know how to face Ruyi. Yongqi walked silently, his steps heavy and slow.
He didn't know how to face Ruyi. Should he continue to obey her request and help Ling Yunche?
Or reject her and stand your ground?
Yongqi fell into deep thought. He knew that no matter what choice he made, he would face different consequences. In this complex palace, every decision could affect his future and destiny.
He took a deep breath and stopped in front of the cold palace.
Ling Yunche was banished to the cold palace by the emperor himself. Although he was his son, he had now become a subject.
Asking him to secretly rescue Ling Yunche, isn't that going against the Emperor's will?
Yongqi was well aware of the serious consequences of his actions. He did not want to go against the emperor's will, but he could not bear to refuse Ruyi's request.
As a minister, he is disloyal to his king; as a son, he is unfilial to his father.
He had been taught since childhood to be loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and filial to his parents, but now he was faced with such a difficult choice. He didn't know how to balance the loyalty between the emperor and his subjects with the love between mother and son. No matter which side he chose, he would be in a situation of disloyalty and unfilial.
The Empress Dowager has always been extremely intelligent and would not have failed to think of this, but she just wasn't thinking about him and didn't consider him.
A sense of loss and resentment welled up in Yongqi's heart. He had always respected Ruyi and regarded her as his support in the palace, but now, he felt that he was being ignored by Ruyi.
Yongqi let out a long, foul breath, which seemed to contain his inner frustration and helplessness. With a gloomy expression, he strolled along the long palace road, which seemed to have no end, just like his confused state of mind at the moment.
He was caught between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and although the Empress Dowager told him to listen to her before she left, he was not a stone-faced man and could tell right from wrong.
It is precisely because he is an outstanding prince and upholds his own justice that he is caught in a dilemma in such a situation.
You know, the old people who had served in the Yikun Palace for many years, Rong Pei and San Bao, had never received the Empress Dowager's instructions, and now they were still suffering in the laundry department and the flower room. Those who had once served Ruyi loyally were unable to receive her protection when she was in trouble.
This made Yongqi even more puzzled about Ruyi's behavior. Why did the Empress Dowager only care so much about Ling Yunche and ignore these old friends who had been with her for many years?