Chapter 102: Injured Four

The next day after the ceremony.

Ning Wanyin had people watch Lady Zhu’s departure time in advance, and intercepted her in a small garden on the way to the Immortal Palace.

“Clang!”

Lady Zhu had just walked out of the corner street when she collided head-on with Ning Wanyin’s palanquin, which was coming out of the small garden.

“Who’s so blind, almost knocked this concubine over?” Ning Wanyin supported the palanquin, looking down coldly at the person who had been knocked to the ground.

Lady Zhu fell to the ground, she was furious and wanted to scold, but seeing that it was Ning Wanyin, she could only swallow her anger and hold back her words.

She, like Lady Feng yesterday, was a noble lady from a prestigious Duke’s family.

She had never put a declining Duke’s family like the Ning family in her eyes.

If it weren’t for the palace, where Ning Wanyin was favored and had a higher rank than her, if they were outside, a Ning family girl like her, wouldn’t she be able to bully her at will?

She glared at Ning Wanyin with resentment, feeling indignant.

Lianrui announced loudly, “Master, this is Lady Zhu, who almost knocked Miss down into the pond yesterday…”

“It seems she’s quite good at bumping into people.” Ning Wanyin raised her eyebrows slightly:

“Lianrui, give her two slaps. Let her learn a lesson, and watch where she’s going in the future.”

Lianrui immediately rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward, slapping Lady Zhu twice, the sound was crisp.

Lady Zhu was stunned, “You, you, you…”

“Lady Zhu, how did you learn your etiquette? This concubine is rewarding you, don’t you know how to thank me?” Ning Wanyin said leisurely.

Lady Zhu was burning with anger, but suddenly remembered that Ning Wanyin had also slapped Xue Jin’yan like this…

She even dared to hit Lady Xue.

Lady Zhu’s heart turned cowardly, she bowed and said, “Thank you for your guidance, Lady Ning.”

Ning Wanyin touched her earlobe, pretending to say, “Where’s my earring? I guess you bumped into me and knocked it off. Lady Zhu, since you lost it, you have to help me find it!”

Lady Zhu understood that she was deliberately tormenting her.

But Ning Wanyin had a higher rank…

She cursed in her heart, but on the surface, she could only swallow her anger, “This concubine will help you find it…”

Lady Zhu searched around Ning Wanyin’s palanquin, but couldn’t find it, she said, “Forgive this concubine’s poor eyesight, I couldn’t find it…”

“That’s because you didn’t look carefully, you didn’t search the flower bed in front.” Ning Wanyin pointed to the garden she had just passed.

“Your earring couldn’t have fallen that far, could it?” Lady Zhu retorted.

Lianrui snorted, “That earring was a gift from His Majesty to my master. You lost an imperial gift, our master is giving you a chance to make amends, and you’re still being ungrateful. Then we can only report it to the Department of Justice and let them deal with you…”

Lady Zhu’s face changed slightly, “This concubine will search carefully, I’ll definitely find it!”

She plunged into the small garden.

The palace maid accompanying her, holding a prayer lamp, was at a loss.

Lianrui glanced at her, “What are you still standing there for? Don’t you go find the earring with your master!”

The palace maid hurriedly placed the prayer lamp on a stone table nearby and quickly went to find the earring as well.

…

Lady Zhu and her maid searched the flower bed.

They still couldn’t find the earring.

“Master, it’s getting late, if we don’t go, we’ll be late!” Lianrui reminded.

Ning Wanyin then slowly took out an earring from her sleeve, and said perfunctorily:

Ah… so it fell on me. It’s hard for Lady Zhu to search for so long, Little Xiazi, tell Lady Zhu that the earring has been found, she should be more careful next time she walks.

Little Xiazi accepted the order.

Ning Wanyin rode in her palanquin and left.

Lady Zhu then came out of the flower bed. The soil and the thin layer of ice on the winter flowers had stained her dress and shoes, making them wet and dirty.

But it was getting late.

If she didn’t hurry to the Immortal Palace, she would be late!

“Hurry to the Immortal Palace! That damned Ning Wanyin, she’s so arrogant just because she’s a little bit favored.” Lady Zhu’s eyes were full of resentment, she decided to go to Xue Jin’yan to complain immediately.

Obviously.

Ning Wanyin came to her today to vent her anger for Tang Miaoling.

And this task was assigned to her by Xue Jin’yan.

She had to find Xue Jin’yan to stand up for her!

Ning Wanyin and Lady Zhu arrived at the Immortal Palace one after the other.

The ceremony began.

The priests chanted and danced the ancient and complex sacrificial dance…

The concubines held prayer lamps, their expressions solemn as they paid their respects.

After the sacrificial dance…

The concubines, according to their rank, lit the lamps one by one and placed them on the table in front of the spirit tablet.

At this time, the concubines who hadn’t had their turn went to the side hall to rest and wait.

Lady Zhu finally got the chance to complain to Xue Jin’yan.

“This concubine greets Lady Xue…” Lady Zhu said aggrievedly.

Xue Jin’yan saw the redness on her face, “You were beaten?”

“It was Ning Wanyin who hit me…” Lady Zhu had just started speaking.

Someone behind her bumped into her.

Lady Zhu stumbled.

The prayer lamp she was holding fell into the charcoal brazier in front of her with a clang.

The weather was cold these days, and there were several charcoal braziers placed on both sides of the Immortal Palace.

Besides Ning Wanyin’s, the rest were occupied by the Xue and Cen parties.

In this palace, without favor or backing, even a brazier for warmth was hard to get.

The prayer lamp fell into the brazier…

The next moment.

“Bang!”

There was a loud explosion.

Three or four concubines surrounding the brazier were blown to the ground.

Everyone was stunned.

As the prayer lamp exploded…

The lamp oil spilled on the ground, and a fire blazed up…

The concubines panicked and fled.

…

In a moment.

The Imperial Guards arrived in time, and the fire was extinguished as soon as it started.

Lady Shu was lighting the lamps in the main hall, when she heard that the brazier in the side hall had exploded, she ordered someone to report to the Emperor, and sent someone to invite the imperial physician.

Soon, Helian Qi arrived.

“Your Majesty, Lady Lü and Lady Xue were both burned on their arms, Lady Shi was injured on her face, and Lady Zhu was the most seriously injured, with most of her body burned…” Zhao Yuanpan reported.

Lady Zhu was closest to the prayer lamp.

Lady Lü and Lady Xue were lucky, the splashed lamp oil only splashed on their arms.

Lady Shi was less fortunate, a few drops of lamp oil splashed on her face, burning several bloody holes on her cheeks.

Helian Qi’s face showed no sign of joy or anger, he looked at Chief Eunuch Wu Mi:

“What happened?”

“Your Majesty, after this servant’s inspection, the source of the fire was the lamp oil in Lady Zhu’s prayer lamp, it’s a rare and secret fire oil from overseas. This oil is colorless and odorless, it looks exactly like ordinary lamp oil. But once it encounters an open flame, it will explode.” Wu Mi presented the charred prayer lamp and reported:

“The prayer lamp fell into the charcoal brazier, which caused the explosion and fire…”

Everyone looked at each other.

Lady Zhu and Lady Shi were both carried to a palace on the side for treatment.

Xue Jin’yan hadn’t left yet, she was sitting behind a screen on the side, being treated by a female physician, and her face changed slightly when she heard this.

This fire oil…

Shouldn’t it be in Ning Wanyin’s lamp?

How could it be in Lady Zhu’s lamp!