Sheng Xiyan smiled gently. The more you talk, the more mistakes you make, especially when the other party is clearly looking for trouble.

When they arrived at Zhongcui Palace, Concubine Shu walked in with a swagger, holding the hand of a palace maid, and left Sheng Xiyan alone in the courtyard.

Hongxiu came out and said with a smile, "Miss Sheng, the Queen is a little tired. She needs to change her clothes and have a good breakfast. Then she will rest for a while and see you again."

Hua Xia couldn't help but say, "Our young master didn't have breakfast either."

Hongxiu ignored him and went into the main hall.

Then several palace maids brought bowls and plates into the hall. Sheng Xiyan said with a smile, "I should have listened to Meixiang and had a bowl of soup right after getting up. Are you hungry? Why don't you go back and get some food so we can have some too?"

Hua Xia thought that it would not do to leave Sheng Xiyan alone in a den of wolves and tigers after all this going on, so she had to give up.

"My lord, please wait."

She went straight to the small kitchen of Zhongcui Palace and saw freshly-baked walnut and milk buns on a steamer. She grabbed two with a silk handkerchief. The nanny next to her looked surprised and stopped her, saying, "Who are you?"

Hua Xia smiled and said, "My master asked me to get it."

Before the nanny could react, Hua Xia had already left the small kitchen.

"My lord, please eat."

Sheng Xiyan took one and said, "You eat the other one."

The master and servant stood under the persimmon tree in the courtyard and ate. The two maids in the kitchen sneered, "How surprising! They're so shameless to go to another palace to get food without any courtesy. They're so shameless."

"This is Sheng Chongyuan. She's our queen's sister-in-law. Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, no wonder he looks familiar. He doesn't have the demeanor of a master. He makes his maids eat the same food as him. He doesn't act like a master."

After finishing the walnut and milk buns, Sheng Xiyan said with a smile, "This snack tastes good. I'll ask Meixiang to try making it later."

"My dear, your throat is dry, isn't it? Please wait."

Hua Xia cleverly ran into the small kitchen again and saw soup in the porcelain bowl on the steamer.

"That won't do. This is the Queen's bird's nest soup." The nanny blocked the porcelain bowl.

Hua Xia said familiarly, "Why are you so stingy? Even if our young master drinks it, you can come back to Guanju Palace with me and I will give you another one."

The nanny rolled her eyes and said disdainfully, "Bird's nest is not something your young master of this rank can eat."

Hua Xia scooped up a bowl of scallop porridge and said, "This is a gift from the Emperor. Do you think I can eat it?"

He carried the bowl of porridge to the courtyard and said, "My lady, please use some to moisten your throat."

Sheng Xiyan leaned against the persimmon tree and picked up the porcelain bowl to taste it carefully. "It's quite fresh. You should try it too."

He fed Hua Xia a bite and said, "It's delicious."

The two of them chatted and waited without getting bored.

In the main hall, after changing her clothes, Concubine Shu came out in a dark green Epiphyllum brocade skirt and sat at the table to have breakfast.

Hongxiu teased, "It's a good thing the master and servant came to Zhongcui Palace, otherwise they would have embarrassed all the people of the Empress."

Concubine Shu looked out from behind the pearl and jade curtain and saw Sheng Xiyan and Hua Xia chatting and laughing while holding bowls under the persimmon tree.

"Having a good attitude is also an advantage. If someone else were left out in the yard by me, they would definitely be angry and scared, but she is like nothing happened."

Concubine Shu picked up the bird's nest soup and sipped it elegantly. She noticed something was wrong and asked, "Why is it white bird's nest instead of snow bird's nest?"

The emperor and the empress dowager in the palace enjoyed top-quality golden swiftlets, the empress enjoyed snow swiftlets, and the concubines enjoyed white swiftlets. There was no bird's nest in the rations of those below the rank of concubine.

Shufei was originally Baiyan, but Emperor Xuanwu promoted her to Xueyan two years ago.

Hongxiu explained, "The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that they will not accept Xueyan's top-quality purchases this month. First, they will satisfy the Queen and Shen Wanrong. The two are pregnant. The Empress Dowager also gave Concubine Jia an allowance, and the Emperor also gave..."

Concubine Shu put down her spoon and asked, "Whose portion did the Emperor give Xueyan?"

Hongxiu looked outside the hall and Concubine Shu understood what was going on. She was so angry that she lost her appetite.

"Go and call her in."

"Yes, my lady."

Sheng Xiyan walked in and saw Concubine Shu lazily leaning on the chaise longue, looking at her with a complicated look.

"What's wrong with you, Madam?"

Concubine Shu stared at her for a long moment, then chuckled softly, "I underestimated you. You used to run around like that in the palace, ordering Ah Yan around. Now, after entering the palace, you've managed to coax the Emperor into giving you a monthly allowance and even a peony flower in your hair. You're quite resourceful!"

Speaking of peonies, Concubine Shu felt like vomiting. The material for the peony brocade was clearly a reward from Emperor Xuanwu during the New Year. However, she made the clothes and put them on with great joy, only to receive a look of dissatisfaction as if she had overstepped her bounds.

Sheng Xiyan smiled faintly and said, "I have only been in the palace for a short time, and I don't know what the monthly allowance is. Since the emperor wants to wear a peony flower, I can't refuse. Don't you agree?"

Concubine Shu's beautiful face was slightly distorted with anger. "I'm not feeling well. Come over and give me a massage."

Sheng Xiyan went over, but saw that there was no palace blanket next to the chaise longue. She clearly remembered that there was a palace blanket when she first came to the palace for acupuncture.

"Your Majesty, could you please spread a blanket for me?"

Concubine Shu rolled her eyes at her and closed her eyes in silence.

Hongxiu and several other palace maids pretended not to hear.

Sheng Xiyan squatted beside her and massaged her shoulders, arms, legs...

After half an hour, I was sweating profusely and could no longer squat, so I had to kneel down and change my posture.

"My lady, the massage is done."

Concubine Shu felt very comfortable being kneaded, and she closed her eyes and ordered: "There are still jade feet that have not been massaged, Sheng Xiyan, please don't take shortcuts."

Sheng Xiyan wished her eyes could turn into needles so she could poke the woman's feet in front of her. She had never had anyone's feet massaged in her life!

However, when they were at the palace, Qi Yan washed her feet and gave her a massage.

Forget it, I'll just give his sister a foot massage as a way of repaying him.

She used such force that Concubine Shu opened her eyes in pain, "Do you want to crush me to death?"

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