Chapter 55: Blood Slave
Along the falling snow's line of sight, one could see Yu Fang's aunt carrying a brocade box walking in.
Pang Luoxue admired the exquisite painting on the box, and this one box was already priceless. At this time, Pang Luoxue did not notice the smile on the queen's and Ruofang's faces.
When she first came in, Ruofang saw the blood jade hairpin on Pang Luoxue's head. Although she was surprised, Yu Wang's eyes were not bad. This second miss of the Pang family was born into a famous family and was the darling of General Pang and his wife, which was also a help to Yu Wang.
The queen had discovered it too, when the emperor bestowed this hairpin on Yu Wang, if he had a crush on a girl, he would give it to her. This child was quite quick to make a move, but he was also satisfied with Pang Luoxue, who came from a prestigious family and was meticulous in her thoughts. Originally, she was also satisfied with Pang Luoyu, but her performance at the peony banquet had made her extremely angry. Moreover, how could she have survived in this deep palace without being cunning? As the eldest daughter of the Peng State Duke's mansion, although she was born out of wedlock, she was not inferior in birth. Yet, she was despicable enough to frame her own younger sister. Fortunately, at that time, she had not given Yu Er the choice to become his concubine, but instead gave Yu Wang the right to choose, and this child did not disappoint her.
Ruofang brought the box before the empress and said, "Your Majesty, the princess's things have been brought."
The queen picked it up and placed the box in Pang Luoxue's hands, saying: "Xu'er, open it and take a look!"
Pang Luoxue was also curious, what could be inside such an expensive box. She slowly opened the box and saw that it contained a pair of blood-red jade bangles. The red color seemed to be flowing like blood, and she couldn't help but take them out and exclaim: "How beautiful! This blood jade is different from ordinary blood jade, it seems to have life."
The queen cast a look of approval, and this little girl's eyes were not bad: "This is the blood jade that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Nan Gong family when I got married. This pair of bracelets has been passed down in our Nan Gong family for many years. At that time, Ben Gong was still a young girl, naive and innocent. This blood jade was put on me by my mother when I got married."
"Why doesn't the queen wear it anymore?" Pang Luoxue asked curiously.
The empress seemed to recall something unpleasant and said: "This is also thanks to Concubine Yao. If it weren't for her, how could the blood of my family not see the light of day?"
"What's the point of saying this"
"Wang Ruoyao, that lowly woman, is now deeply favored by the Emperor. One day, while she was still a concubine, she had a dream about an inauspicious blood curse and told the Emperor about it. The Emperor then ordered the Imperial Observatory to calculate her fortune, saying that the blood curse was caused by human blood turning into evil spirits. They said that the auspicious energy of the palace could only temporarily suppress them for the time being, and the best method would be to scatter and subdue them. Otherwise, it would be unfavorable to the dynasty." The Empress grew more and more angry as she spoke.
"How did the queen mother keep them from being taken away?"
The queen smiled and said, "That little trick of hers, how could I not see through it? If Fang had already found a pair of similar blood jade from outside, using special techniques to soak them, and the Qintian Bureau chose the hour of midnight, I would have switched them quietly, leaving them here. So all these years, our Dongqin country's fortune has been prosperous, proving that those words were false."
"This jade bangle is exquisite, it must have gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to transform into this, all of these are auspicious signs, how can they be inauspicious omens? It seems that this matter is not as simple as it seems."
The queen frowned and thought for a moment, "What you said is also right. At that time, I only thought about how to keep this bracelet, without thinking too much. It seems that at that time, Wang Ruoyao thought I would not be willing to destroy this bracelet and made a big fuss with the emperor. I was willing to destroy that blood jade, she was surprised at that time."
"Could the Empress Dowager have thought about why Consort Gui wanted to do that? Xue'er thinks that because of a dream, such a treasure was ruined, it's not simple."
The queen thought to herself: "This is something that I have also suspected, my mother told me that our Nancheng family left behind a treasure trove worth a country's wealth 100 years ago, and this blood jade is the key to unlocking it. However, after 100 years of changes in the world, where can we find it? Only this bracelet was left for future generations. Our Nancheng family doesn't have the heart to search for that elusive thing anymore."
"Does His Majesty know?" asked Pang Luoxue cautiously.
The queen frowned, and Pang Luoxue was startled, quickly kneeling down and saying: "Please forgive me, Mother. Snow shouldn't have spoken out of turn."
The queen smiled faintly and helped Pang Luoxue up, saying: "It's still my daughter who sees things clearly. The empress has lived in this palace for over a decade, but she doesn't see things as clearly as you do, girl. Xue'er is right, the legend of the treasure of the Nan Gong family, the emperor also knows about it."
"When I first married the Emperor, this treasure was part of the dowry from the imperial family. The Emperor saw it and gave it to me, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Thinking back, it was because the Empress Dowager hadn't yet taken over the inner palace, and Wen De Gui Fei was still in charge. She had found fault with me multiple times, but the Emperor always sided with me. I also heard from Ruofang that privately, the Emperor comforted Wen De Gui Fei, telling her to be patient. At the time, I didn't understand, but it seems that over the years, the Emperor's favor towards me was largely due to the treasure of our Nan Gong family." The Empress's melancholy expression pained Pang Luosuo.
Pang Luo Xue knew that in the end, it was the Emperor's decree that deposed the current Empress, and Wang Guifei finally took the throne. Wang Guifei herself revealed the truth, saying that if the Empress had indulged too much in the Emperor's emotions, she would not have ended up well. The Emperor has not yet appointed Prince Yu as Crown Prince, probably also because he is worried about the fate of the Nan Gong family's treasure.
"The queen can sit in this position, the emperor must also be truly fond of the queen. The peony trees planted by the two of them in this courtyard are also left for Dong Qin as a beautiful story."
"I can sit in this position, the emperor may have some role, but more is my Nangong family's military achievements. Xue Er doesn't need to comfort me, I am also blinded by this position. I am already the empress of Dong Qin, and my child is also noble, but the crown prince position is still uncertain, which is the best explanation."
The queen pulled Pang Luoxue's hand, as if she hadn't spoken her mind for a long time. Pang Luoxue thought that the queen leaving a warning was also good, so as not to follow the old path of her previous life. This queen was also a pitiful person.
"Since Wang Guifei entered the palace, the Emperor rarely came to Chenxi Palace. Her Kun Ning Palace is luxurious and majestic, making it seem like the central palace. In recent years, the Wang family's influence has been vast, and they must have had thoughts of usurping the throne. This palace has been yielding and compromising in every way, but unfortunately, the Emperor likes her youth, beauty, and gentleness. I have no other desires, only hoping that Yu Wang will make a good showing and live a peaceful life."
"The Empress Dowager is kind-hearted, Xue Er feels inferior. The King of Yu also respects the Empress."
"Foolish child, I have also regarded you as my own daughter all these years. It's been a long time since I've spoken so many words. Fortunately, Xue Er is a clever one. It seems that the empress dowager has indeed grown old."
Pang Luo Xue said with a smile: "Snow is so close, but I don't see any signs of aging on Mother's face. It can be seen that Mother is still young, don't say such depressing words."
The queen let out a loving smile "Silly child, since you've come today, the empress also has something to give you."
The queen said, pulling Pang Luoxue's hand and personally putting the bangle with blood jade on Pang Luoxue's hand.
Pang Luoxue was startled and hastily declined, "Your Majesty, this is too valuable, I cannot accept it." The Empress's actions truly shocked Pang Luoxue. Although she knew the Empress liked her, she had not expected to be given her dowry.
"Xue Er, don't be modest. I treat you as my own daughter. Look at how beautiful this bangle looks on you. It's a treasure of the Nan Gong family, how could I possibly let it get broken easily?"
"In Yixue's opinion, Queen Wang was afraid that Prince Yu would get the treasure, so she said those nightmare words. Moreover, although this matter has no basis, the emperor must have had some doubts in his heart. He probably took advantage of this opportunity to make this decision. After all, for men, the throne is the most important thing."
"Yes, Xue Er, will you promise me one thing?" The empress asked with a pleading expression.
"The empress's words are indeed seeing outsiders, since Her Majesty treats Xue'er as her own daughter, your matters are also Xue'er's matters."
The queen's face was filled with relief, thinking that she had indeed not misjudged this child, who was truly a person of noble character and kind heart. "In my life as the empress dowager, I have been through countless storms, but the one thing I couldn't let go of is Prince Yu. She may be a good child, but she values fraternal bonds too heavily, which is a good thing, yet she can't distinguish between wolves and tigers. Now that this child has a connection with you, perhaps he will listen to your words. I don't expect him to fight for the position of crown prince, but I hope he can live a peaceful life."
