…

After meeting once in the Plum Garden, Jiang Rao never saw Bai Yushu there again. She felt relieved for the time being, but she never went to the Plum Garden alone again.

Before lunch, Concubine Yun sent a maid to fetch her. "There is a luncheon at Lianzhi Courtyard. The Queen sent me an invitation. I saw that some of the other concubines brought their own women, so I wanted to take you with them. The Emperor came back from hunting yesterday, so he might be at the luncheon. Ask Mingshao to help you dress up, and come with me later. When the Emperor sees you, he will think of your marriage to His Highness the Ninth Prince, and might mention Huaizhou."

On the way, Jiang Rao told Concubine Yun about Bai Yushu. Concubine Yun actually laughed and whispered to Jiang Rao, "Why didn't the Queen think of using this method to deal with me? I am the same as your mother. I like to see the handsome boys in the capital the most. Unfortunately, after entering the palace, I no longer have the opportunity. I can only arrange some good-looking palace maids and eunuchs around me."

Jiang Rao tilted her head, helplessly looking at the improper smile on Concubine Yun's face. Thinking about how her aunt once wanted her to keep a whole yard of handsome men, it was not surprising that she could say such words.

"Your mother said that your brother is clamoring to go up the mountain to catch birds. She will send someone to send him here soon. I rarely see him. After dinner, I will go with you to pick him up."

Jiang Rao nodded and walked forward slowly. Only a few dozen steps away from Lianzhiyuan, two figures appeared at the other end of the same road.

Empress Jiahe and Emperor Zhaowu held the same umbrella and appeared at the end of the snowy road together.

Emperor Zhaowu did not see them. After walking a few steps, he turned and entered Lianzhi Courtyard.

But Empress Jiahe saw it, and the glance she gave her was filled with indescribable pride.

After entering Lianzhi Courtyard, Jiang Rao sat separately from Concubine Yun and sat in the seats for female members. After a while, a palace maid came over and said that the emperor allowed her to sit next to Concubine Yun.

"Did my aunt send someone to call me here?" Jiang Rao went over, but she felt vaguely strange in her heart, so she asked Concubine Yun.

Concubine Yun shook her head and just smiled and said, "It's good for you to be by my side, so I don't have to listen to other people's ridicule and mockery."

Jiang Rao was surprised and confused. If it wasn’t her aunt, then it could only be...Emperor Zhaowu?

The palace maids quickly brought the dishes. On the table in front of Empress Jiahe and Emperor Zhaowu, there was a cloud-blue square plate with a silverfish soup in it.

Empress Jiahe picked up a small piece with the tip of her chopsticks and handed it to Emperor Zhaowu.

She watched from the side while reading the bowl of rice. She had not eaten her meal. She was looking at Emperor Zhaowu's face and thinking about the scene when she met Jiang Rao when she came here.

Even if Jiang Rao did nothing, just looking at this beautiful girl made her feel disgusted.

She looked at the silverfish soup with dissatisfaction in her eyes. She smiled and said to Emperor Zhaowu: "I remember that he liked this dish the most when he was a child. Whenever it was served on the table, he would always occupy it and not let others pick up their chopsticks. In order to teach him etiquette, I scolded him many times. As a result, recently, when we dine together, he won't touch this dish. I'm afraid he is angry with me."

"Thinking about how he is suffering in Huaizhou right now, I feel bad for him. When he comes back, I will definitely not be so strict with him anymore. I will ask the kitchen to make a good soup to reward Xiaojiu."

Jiang Rao's hand holding the chopsticks paused in mid-air.

She is usually unwilling and will not speculate on what others say with malice.

Kejia and the Queen had seen a lot of cruelty and evil. She knew that this kind of person had a vicious temper. Even if he said something as ordinary as "the weather is nice" to her face, she would probably think too much and wonder if there was some intention to lure her out of the house.

What's more, Queen Jiahe's words were really harsh.

She portrayed herself as a mother who cared about her children and gave them kind advice, using the children's bad qualities to highlight her own good qualities.

If you take all the food yourself and don't let others start eating, you are selfish; if you don't listen after being scolded several times, you are unruly.

Rong Ting is not such a person.

Jiang Rao suddenly lost interest in eating.

Emperor Zhaowu suddenly said to Empress Jiahe, "I see that Lord Jiang's daughter is unhappy. Is it because the food in this temporary palace is not to her taste?"

Empress Jiahe glanced down.

Jiang Rao sat next to Concubine Yun, blocked by her. She was dressed appropriately and not ostentatious, but her appearance was outstanding. Her face was fair, soft and charming. She looked two or three points similar to Qin Yun. Both were beauties, and sitting together, they were even more eye-catching.

Since the emperor had spoken, she had no choice but to ask. Feeling unhappy, she asked the palace maid to call Jiang Rao to her side.

Emperor Zhaowu noticed Jiang Rao, so he must have glanced at Qin Yun a few more times. Even though Emperor Zhaowu was with her every day, she was worried that he would see Qin Yun again and be bewitched by her like he had been in the past. Queen Jiahe was slightly alert in her heart. When Jiang Rao came to her, she smiled and stretched out her hand to pull Jiang Rao in front of her. "Good boy, come and talk to your mother. Why don't you eat?"

Seeing Emperor Zhaowu's words to Earl Ning'an

The Queen always had some favoritism towards Jiang Rao, and she was very affectionate towards her. Even if Jiang Rao had not married into the family, she would have called herself the Queen Mother first.

She was not afraid of what Jiang Rao would say in front of Emperor Zhaowu.

Da Zhao has always had a strict order of seniority. If Jiang Rao dared to be presumptuous or give her a cold look, it would mean that she was disrespectful to her as an elder.

She thought that if Jiang Rao had any hint of favor, she would just follow her hand, and maybe she would stop wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. But the girl stopped one step away and did not move forward. She lowered her head and bowed, as if she did not see the hand she stretched out, thus avoiding her hand.

Although the gesture of greeting was proper, it revealed a sense of unfamiliarity and evasion.

Queen Jiahe's face turned cold and she withdrew her hand.

When Jiang Rao raised her eyes, she glanced at Empress Jiahe and then at Emperor Zhaowu.

She didn't know if what she said was a trade was wrong, but Emperor Zhaowu couldn't have asked her to come over just for such a trivial matter as whether the food suited her taste. She was at most his daughter-in-law, not his daughter. Jiang Rao's palms were slightly sweaty, and she didn't know if her guess was right, so she said, "Excuse me, your humble servant."

"I personally think that what Your Majesty just said was a mistake."

She vaguely felt that Emperor Zhaowu's favor for Empress Jiahe and his favor for her aunt were two different things.

Emperor Zhaowu asked the empress to call her over, it must be for something else.

Empress Jiahe looked at Jiang Rao and knew that the visitor had bad intentions. She said calmly, "Xiaojiu was raised by me personally. I remember everything about him. How could I have made a mistake?"

"His Highness is taking medicine now, and his diet is light, and he should avoid meat and fish, so he never eats meat soup. Did the Queen forget what medicine he is taking and what he should avoid eating?"

The Queen's face turned red with embarrassment. She had hinted to Emperor Zhaowu more than once that she knew all about Rong Ting's condition. How could she possibly admit that she didn't remember?

Jiang Rao carefully observed the expression of Emperor Zhaowu.

He was drinking tea, and his face showed no dissatisfaction with her, nor any preference for Empress Jiahe.

Jiang Rao recalled that when her aunt was favored, it was not like this.

If someone had secretly criticized her aunt like she did to Empress Jiahe, the emperor would have certainly spoken out to defend her.

As an outsider, she pondered Emperor Zhaowu's attitude and felt that it was not as her aunt said. Now that her heart was completely on the empress, she felt much more at ease and said boldly, "Not only is this one wrong, there is another one."

"Your Highness the Ninth Prince is not a selfish and greedy person. Even when he was a child, he would not occupy the plate and not let others use their chopsticks. What the Queen said just now is really easy to be misunderstood."

Today, Empress Jiahe said bad things about Rong Ting behind his back. It would have been fine if she hadn't heard it, but since she heard it, she couldn't just let it go.

"At the beginning... you left the capital with your father for many years, and you have never seen him before. How can I know him as clearly as you do?"

Jiang Rao stopped looking at her and knelt before Emperor Zhaowu, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being so rude again."

"The Emperor can find out what the Ninth Prince's personality is like by sending someone to the Egret Academy. The Ninth Prince is not a selfish and greedy person. Even though I didn't have the blessing to meet the Ninth Prince when I was young, I feel that it is difficult to change one's nature, and how he is today is not much different from how he was in the past."

Jiang Rao felt like there was a rabbit in her heart, beating very fast.

She was really timid, and when she mustered up the courage to say these words in front of Emperor Zhaowu and Empress Jiahe, her breath seemed a little unsteady.

But what needs to be said still needs to be said.

If Rong Ting expressed his dissatisfaction with Empress Jiahe in front of Emperor Zhaowu, he would be considered reckless and unfilial.

But if she came, the reputation of being unfilial and reckless would only fall on her, which would not affect Emperor Zhaowu's impression of Rong Ting and would not cause any major problems.

Empress Jiahe had never expected that Jiang Rao would speak up for Rong Ting even at the risk of being criticized. She was furious and sneered, "What I just said did not mean that Xiaojiu was selfish and greedy. You are too suspicious, child."

Emperor Zhaowu's indulgence of Empress Jiahe in the past six months made her addicted to it, and she even forgot how to write the word "tolerance".

She glanced at Jiang Rao. Even though she couldn't say a few bad words about Rong Ting in front of Emperor Zhaowu, there were always countless ways to deal with a little girl.

Jiang Rao bumped into her on her own, so don't blame her for being ruthless to her.

Her tone gradually became sharper. "People say that those who are good will see good, and those who are evil will see evil. You are young, but you still care about the smallest things."

Those who are Buddha see Buddha, and those who are evil see evil.

It's clearly saying that Jiang Rao has a vicious mind.

There was complete silence in the hall.

Qin Yun dropped the handkerchief in his hand, anger rising to his face, and he couldn't help but speak a word for his little niece.

Emperor Zhaowu, who had been drinking tea next to Empress Jiahe, put down his teacup and glanced down.

Having sat on the throne of the emperor for a long time, he exuded an aura of majesty without even getting angry, and his glance made the hall even quieter.

The timid ones are

Then lower your head.

Only Qin Yun looked at him, not looking away at all.

Jiang Rao blinked and glanced at Qin Yun.

When Emperor Zhaowu favored her, she was not so worried about her aunt's willful behavior.

The Emperor Zhaowu's thoughts are hard to fathom now. Although she feels that the Emperor Zhaowu does not seem to truly dote on the Empress, it is only a guess after all. What if she guesses wrong... She is afraid that her aunt will stand up for her again, and she is afraid that she will get into unnecessary trouble.

She will have to take responsibility for today's matter by herself. If Emperor Zhaowu speaks up for the Queen later, she will admit her rash mistake.

The matter of Zuo You Rong Ting had been explained clearly, so Emperor Zhaowu did not have any bad impression of him. Even if she gets punished a little, it's worth it.

Concubine Yun knew that she was in a disadvantageous position, and her personality wouldn't allow her to bow her head or swallow this humiliation. However, when she saw the man beside the empress had cold eyes and no intention of supporting her at all, she knew her current situation very well. If she insisted on supporting her, it would only give Empress Jiahe more things to say. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth and turned her face away.

She was used to being arrogant and this was the first time she had been treated like this. Her eyes were red with anger.

Empress Jiahe felt secretly proud when she saw Concubine Yun being humiliated.

Even if Jiang Rao has reasons and evidence, the emperor's order is the only right thing in the world.

As long as Emperor Zhaowu stood on her side, she would always be invincible.

What does she have to be afraid of?

"You have met me this time. I will not blame you for anything. Don't be so reckless and fussy as you are elsewhere." Her mood improved again. She spoke to Jiang Rao in a seemingly comforting but actually derogatory way, while she smiled faintly and poured tea for Emperor Zhaowu.

But the man next to him didn't even answer. He tapped his fingers on the table and said, "I think there's nothing wrong with being petty."