sbdcsierra Chapter 1356: Arousing Concubine Kang's Sympathy (173 million reward points added)
Chapter 1356: Arousing Concubine Kang's Sympathy (173 million reward points added)
Shen Zhinian's words were soft and gentle, as if he was simply offering the most reasonable suggestions from the perspective of a concerned subject.
Nangong Xuanyu narrowed his deep eyes slightly, and his mind instantly flashed back to the scene a few months ago when he and Nian Nian went out of the palace incognito and accidentally saw it at the bustling temple fair.
In the dim light, Bai Mufeng was leaning slightly to the side, protecting a well-dressed woman, who was none other than the reclusive Princess Wenshu.
Princess Wenshu was one of his imperial sisters, with a gentle temperament and noble status.
If she is betrothed to Bai Mufeng...
Nangong Xuanyu remained expressionless, and simply said, "Starting a family and building a career is reasonable."
"I will carefully consider Lord Bai's marriage."
He neither agreed nor rejected immediately, and did not even mention the chance encounter at the temple fair that night.
But Shen Zhinian caught a glimpse of a slight relaxation from the emperor's momentary hesitation and his bottomless eyes.
She knew very well that too much is as bad as too little, so she smiled and stopped dwelling on the matter.
Shen Zhinian leaned softly towards the emperor, her fingertips drawing circles on his chest, and cleverly changed the subject: "Your Majesty is wise and will make his own decision. It is I who have said too much..."
"It's late, and Your Majesty has an early court tomorrow. Why don't you get some rest?"
Nangong Xuanyu took the opportunity to embrace Shen Zhinian, feeling the warmth and softness in his arms, the elegant fragrance of her hair lingering around his nose, and he hummed softly.
The curtain fell, and in the darkness, Shen Zhinian snuggled up to the emperor, with an imperceptible curve at the corner of his lips.
She didn't need Nangong Xuanyu to nod immediately. It would be enough to plant a seed in his heart and make him feel that this was the best solution after weighing the pros and cons.
Princess Wenshu was a softhearted woman, and her maternal family wasn't prominent. By assigning her to Bai Mufeng, who seemed to be favored by the emperor but actually had no connections, the emperor preserved his reputation of being a benefactor without worrying about his relatives becoming too powerful.
Shen Zhinian believed that the balance in Nangong Xuanyu's heart had already tilted.
……
Cold palace.
Baharguli curled up on the hard wooden bed. Her once bright dress had long been stained and faded, becoming dull and lifeless.
Her skin, once as healthy and radiant as the pale hue of wheat, was now covered in a layer of gray. Her eye sockets were sunken, and her eyes, once so captivating and exotic, had lost their former brilliance, leaving only resentment and anxiety.
Every day here is like being fried in a frying pan.
Spoiled food, cold bedding, dust and cobwebs everywhere.
And those women who sometimes laughed foolishly, sometimes cried and howled, completely crazy...
All this made Baharguli feel sick and terrified!
She was once the most dazzling pearl in the Western Regions, a brilliant chess piece carefully selected by His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin and sent to the harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could she rot and die in this damn place?
She is not reconciled!
Prince... Prince must not have given up on her!
He must have been tripped up by something, or the timing was not right.
A man as calculating as the prince would never give up a useful chess piece easily.
Yes, that must be the case!
Baharguli clenched her fists tightly, digging her nails deep into her palms, using the pain to force herself to calm down.
She can't just sit there and wait for death, she must find a way out!
Otherwise, not only would she have to rot and stink here for the rest of her life, but the prince would also be completely disappointed in her, which would be an ending more terrifying than death!
Baharguli was thinking rapidly in her mind.
The prince did have some thorns buried in the palace, such as a few insignificant eunuchs...
However, these secret agents were of low status and could only pass on some information on a daily basis. It was a pipe dream to want them to help her escape from the heavily guarded cold palace.
Moreover, these nails are of vital importance and must not be exposed easily unless it is a matter of life and death.
What else can be done?
Who else can help her?
A seemingly gentle face, but with a hint of lingering sadness between its eyebrows, suddenly broke into Baharguli's mind.
Concubine Kang!
Yes, Concubine Kang Zhang Youran!
In order to gain a firm foothold, he had deliberately made friends with several concubines.
Concubine Kang's temperament seems gentle, even a little timid. Because she lost her son in her early years, there is always an indelible melancholy between her brows.
Baharguli once took advantage of her exotic charm and deliberate flattery to have a fairly close relationship with Concubine Kang.
We admired flowers together, drank tea, and talked about personal matters.
Concubine Kang also seemed to like her liveliness and straightforwardness, which was different from the women in the Central Plains.
Later, she fell out of favor and was banished to the cold palace. At first, she hoped someone would speak for her, but there was no news from Concubine Kang.
Yes, most of the people in the harem are trying to curry favor with the powerful and protect themselves.
Since he was already an abandoned child at that time, it was normal for Concubine Kang to avoid him.
But this is Baharguli's last hope.
Although Concubine Kang's favor was mediocre, she raised the fifth prince after all, so she still had a foothold in the palace.
The most important thing is that Concubine Kang is soft-hearted, especially towards mothers who have lost their children, she has an inexplicable empathy...
Perhaps, we can start from here?
Baharguli's heart was pounding, and a vague plan began to take shape in her mind.
She couldn't directly ask Concubine Kang to rescue her. That was too risky. Concubine Kang might not be willing or able to do so.
But she could complain and show weakness to arouse Concubine Kang's sympathy.
Even if it was just to let Concubine Kang send someone to bring in some food occasionally to improve her situation, it would be good.
As long as there is a connection, there is an opportunity!
She can slowly test and plan...
Concubine Kang is the only life-saving straw she can grasp at the moment!
Baharguli suddenly sat up from the bed, and the light in her eyes rekindled.
She walked to the blurry bronze mirror, looked at her haggard and disheveled reflection in the mirror, and took a deep breath.
No, I can't keep looking like this.
She needs to tidy herself up, even if it's just to comb her hair neatly and wipe her face clean, so that she can look a little like her former self, so as to gain better sympathy.
Baharguli looked around the cold, damp room, searching for anything she could use.
The water was cold and the mirror was stained, but she didn't care.
The desire to survive burned in her heart like wildfire.
Guli will never let the prince down!
She must get out and return to where the prince needs her!
She will repay the suffering she has endured these days a hundredfold to those who pushed her into this place!
Baharguli faced the blurry mirror and tried hard to force out a smile that was both exotic and pitiful.
But deep inside that smile, there was a poisonous light hidden.
At noon that day, the creaking broken wooden door was reluctantly pushed open a crack.
A young eunuch came in with his neck shrunk, and placed a coarse earthenware bowl on the stained stool at the door with a clang.
The bowl contained half-solidified porridge with a sour smell, and a few rotten vegetable leaves were sticking to the edge of the bowl.