in2ebook Chapter 154: It's Not the First Time I've Seen You (Revised)
Chapter 154: It's Not the First Time I've Seen You (Revised)
Before this, she, like most people in the palace, thought that the Emperor's appointment of Empress Xian was compensation for the Shi family's loss of the Crown Princess. She was envious and jealous, but since she didn't have a sister who lost the title of Crown Princess, there was nothing she could do no matter how jealous she was.
She also had to be careful not to let Concubine Xian notice her, so as not to remind her of the incident when she snatched the cat during the Wanshou Festival.
If she is retaliated by Concubine Xian by then, her life, which is already difficult due to her demotion, will be completely over.
I understand these principles in my heart, but understanding is one thing. It is really crazy to see the sickly people whom I used to look down upon rising to the top and enjoying great success while I am being trampled underfoot.
It was with this mentality that Lan agreed when he heard Concubine Nianhulu say that she liked the lion cat.
After being demoted, she analyzed that she was demoted because she had committed insubordination to Concubine Guo Luoluo and refused to give in, which made the emperor angry and demoted her. However, the emperor had left at that time and had forgotten about her. In the end, she was demoted because of the cat that made the emperor remember her.
So although she regretted her decision to leave the table and meet the emperor that day, people like to escape, and Lan Da Ying is no exception. She blamed her miserable situation on the cat named "Xixi".
From then on, she took her anger out on all cats. When she heard that Concubine Nianhulu liked cats so much that she named them after her maiden name, she sneered in her heart.
"Nana" is pronounced the same as "Nana", which is just another way of winning favor by imitating the emperor's practice of giving homophonic names.
No, are you following the emperor’s example and giving yourself a homophonic name?
But the emperor named the cat "Xixi" because it was sunset when the cat was brought to the Qianqing Palace. The emperor named the cat "Xi", but felt that the meaning was not good, so he changed it to the homophonic "Xi".
Since Concubine Nianhulu wanted to win the emperor's favor, she must have learned to name herself after the emperor. How could she use the last character of her maiden name to come up with a homophonic name?
Lan Da Ying was not particularly smart, but she had been in the palace for several years, and it was a bit of a scheming move for her to be promoted to a noble lady.
I immediately had a guess. Could it be that "Xixi" is not the "Xi" which means sunset, but the last character of someone's maiden name, just like the name given by Concubine Nianhulu?
This bold guess shocked Lan so much that she agreed. Veins appeared on the back of her hand that was clutching the handkerchief.
She thought it was impossible in her mind, but once she had this guess, she couldn't stop it. Her intuition told her that this was the truth.
He immediately started to guess frantically which concubine's maiden name ended with "Xi". At this moment, he heard Concubine Xian thanking Concubine Nianhulu.
"Sister Imperial Concubine is very considerate. She is just concerned about my new arrival. Why should I worry too much? I should thank you for your concern."
"Sister Xian, you are too polite. We are all sisters. From now on, we will serve the emperor well, live in harmony with him, and give birth to a son for him."
As Concubine Niuhulu spoke, she secretly increased the strength of her hands. "Nana" felt uncomfortable instantly, and kept meowing, trying to break free from Concubine Niuhulu's hands. Concubine Niuhulu seemed to be startled and subconsciously increased the strength of her hands.
"Na Na" is a cat that does not have the intelligence of a human. The more it is imprisoned, the more it struggles. Concubine Nianhulu pretended to panic.
"What's wrong? Don't move, don't move, I'm holding you..."
The concubines below were shocked and panicked when they saw this scene, fearing that the cat would go crazy and attack people, but they did not dare to leave their seats.
Shi Nanxi knew that a big show was about to begin. She quickly calculated in her mind the time when Kangxi would leave the court. Seeing that it was almost time and there was no need to delay, she followed the same expression as the crowd.
Sure enough, the next moment, Concubine Tong saw that Concubine Nianhulu couldn't be coaxed into saying "Nana", and as if a light bulb had flashed on her head, she looked anxiously at Shi Nanxi.
“Forgive me for overstepping my bounds. I heard that when Empress Xian was still a concubine, she once happened to see the Emperor holding Xixi to sober up during the Emperor’s birthday celebration. The first time Xixi saw you, she ran from the Emperor’s arms and was not at all unfamiliar with you.
At that time, the Emperor thought it was strange and allowed you to hold "Xixi". I and the others have also heard about it. It can be seen that the Queen has a good relationship with cats and is naturally loved by cats. I wonder if you can help the Royal Concubine to coax "Nana"? "
After hearing this, everyone came back to their senses from their nervousness and panic and looked at Empress Xian. Those who were more thoughtful immediately noticed something unusual.
The cat that was fine just now suddenly went crazy, and Concubine Tong took this opportunity to point out that Concubine Xian had a connection with cats, intending to let Concubine Xian come into contact with the cat that might go crazy. Concubine Tong was Concubine Nianhulu's person.
Why is it so calm to greet you today? Feelings are waiting here.
I heard that Empress Xian was timid and cowardly. She was lucky not to be scared, let alone coax a mad cat. It seemed that this was Concubine Nianhulu's way of showing her power.
However, everyone guessed wrong. When Concubine Niuhulu heard what Concubine Tong said, she didn't wait for Shi Nanxi to react. She hugged the struggling "Nana" in her arms and frowned and scolded:
"My dear Tong, you are confused. My sister, Concubine Xian, is of noble status. Something seems to be wrong with "that" thing. We must not let my sister get hurt." As he spoke, his eyes seemed to inadvertently glance at Lan Da Ying below.
Mrs. Lan was originally trying to guess frantically which concubine's maiden name ended with the homonym of "Xixi" when she suddenly heard Concubine Tong mention that on the day of the Emperor's Birthday, Princess Shi, who was not yet Concubine Xian, was favored by the Emperor's cat.
She was one of the people who witnessed the incident and had never thought that the name "Xixi" had a deep meaning before. Now that she discovered it, based on the circumstances at the time, everyone was trying to run into the emperor by chance, but the emperor happened to be met by Princess Shi Er at the time.
That’s not all. Shi Ergege happened to be favored by the emperor’s cat. In the end, she was demoted by the emperor just after she asked for the cat from Shi Ergege.
What a coincidence, how can there be so many coincidences.
At this time, Lan Da Ying suddenly remembered something. A few days ago, she accidentally heard a young eunuch gossiping with others. He said that he had seen the emperor taking the cat to the Fairy Tower outside the Chuxiu Palace many times before, but for some reason he hadn't seen it for more than a month.
She suddenly thought of a possibility and bit her tongue hard. A sweet and fishy taste like rust immediately filled her mouth. However, she didn't care about anything else. She grabbed the hand of the maid beside her and asked anxiously in a low voice:
"Huan'er, what is the maiden name of Concubine Xian?"
Huan Er was suddenly grabbed by her master's hand. She was startled and didn't know what was going on. She replied subconsciously:
"Empress Xian's maiden name is Shi Nanxi."
Shinanxi, Shinanxi, the last character "xi" just happens to lead to "xi", so could it be that the emperor liked Shinanxi and had a secret affair with her, but couldn't let anyone know at that time, so he used her maiden name to name her?
This idea is too bold, but if it is true, everything makes sense.
Why could no one find the emperor on the birthday of his father, but Concubine Xian happened to meet him? Because the two of them were having a secret meeting at that time.
Why did "Xixi" seem so close to Empress Xian when they met for the first time? Because it was not the first time they met.
And why did the emperor demote her in front of Princess Shi when she said "Xixi" to her? It was because he couldn't bear to see her snatching the cat from Concubine Xian.
Also, why did the emperor insist on leaving the name card of Princess Shi Er at the palace selection site despite the four concubines' objections?
Why did he take it so seriously just after leaving the name card, and make an exception to let the other party bring palace maids and eunuchs to serve outside the palace!
Why was it unprecedented for Shi Ergege to be directly canonized as Empress Xian?
Lan, who had learned all this, was shocked. It turned out that the real reason why she was demoted by the emperor was because of Concubine Xian!!!
All the humiliation and hardship I suffered was because of that bitch!!!
An exquisite incense burner not far away emitted wisps of white smoke, which drifted around and slowly spread to the corner.
Lan Da Ying in the corner pinched her palms tightly, and a strong feeling of resentment and unwillingness suddenly surged in her heart. She could not suppress her emotions for a while. Concubine Nianhulu, who had been paying attention to Lan Da Ying, curled her lips slightly, and the next moment she let go of her hand and let "Nana" jump out of her arms.
The jumping "Nana" landed right at Shi Nanxi's feet. Before Shi Nanxi could react, it rose and fell a few times and disappeared. Shi Nanxi, who had just said that she had a destiny with cats and was naturally loved by cats, was embarrassed.
Everyone looked at each other, picked up their tea and started drinking. Tong Guiren pretended to look embarrassed at Shi Nanxi.
"Empress Xian, look at my mouth. It must be because my voice is too loud that scared "Nana". If it were normal, "Nana" would definitely be the same as "Xixi". Even if it was the first time we met, she would..."
"No, it wasn't the first time that Empress Xian met "Xixi" on her birthday!"
Lan Da Ying's sharp voice suddenly interrupted Tong Guiren's words.
All of a sudden, everyone looked at Lan Da Ying.
Then he looked towards Heather Creek.