Chapter 120 Tianji Secret Order 1

Xiao Jingheng really annoyed Concubine Ning this time.

It has been three days since he returned to the palace, and he has never even mentioned her, let alone visited her.

Concubine Ning seemed to be angry with him. She did not take the initiative to look for him, nor did she pay her respects to the Queen. She locked herself in Yonghe Palace every day and did not see anyone.

As for Song Zhao, she seemed quite concerned about the Queen's pregnancy.

Ever since the news came out, she has been serving in Fengluan Palace almost every day, and she is as attentive to the Queen as possible. Others always think that she is trying to please the Queen on purpose.

Two days ago, when the Queen Mother visited the Queen in the palace, she pretended to dislike Song Zhao.

"You kid, on the way back from the farm, you said you would come to my palace often to accompany me after you return to the palace, but now you are following the queen every day."

Although his words were reprimanding, his face was filled with a kind smile.

Seeing that Song Zhao seemed a little overwhelmed, the Queen Mother hurriedly said, "Look, I was just joking with you, but you took it seriously? You are thoughtful and well-educated. With you by her side, the Queen will never feel bored during her pregnancy."

The Queen also smiled and said, "Yes, Concubine Song is with me here. She tells jokes every day to make me laugh. I like her very much."

"I feel embarrassed to hear the Queen Mother and the Empress praise me so much." Song Zhao smiled and continued, "When the Emperor and the Empress learned that you were pregnant, they said they would bring all the concubines in the harem to burn incense and pray to the Buddha, asking the gods to protect you and have a safe and smooth birth. So I have started to eat vegetarian food in the past two days. When I go to worship Buddha, I will pray sincerely for you to have a safe and smooth birth."

The queen smiled and said, "You are thoughtful."

The Queen Mother said, "The Emperor is the same. He only said that you were pregnant, but he kept the matter of praying to the Buddha a secret from me."

She held the queen's hand and said in an almost intimate manner, "When the time comes, I will be included in the prayers. I have been worshipping Buddha all year round, so I will naturally pray for you, my daughter-in-law."

The queen was overjoyed and flattered, saying, "Thank you, Queen Mother."

The day for praying for blessings was set on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year.

On the night of the twenty-seventh day of the lunar year, Xiao Jingheng turned over Song Zhao's nameplate, and the servants of the Jingshifang carried her to Chaoyang Palace early.

As the two of them were having their meal, Song Zhao asked casually, "Today we will pray for the Empress together. Has the Emperor decided where to go?"

Xiao Jingheng said: "This time we are praying for the queen, and the concubines will go together. It is not convenient to leave the palace during the New Year. I think it is better to go to the Ten Palaces Bodhisattva Temple on the top of Yuntai."

Song Zhao was serving food to Xiao Jingheng, but when he heard the word "Yuntai", he was startled and the bamboo shoots in his chopsticks fell onto the table.

"I am so clumsy that the emperor will laugh at me."

Seeing that she looked a little nervous, Xiao Jingheng asked, "What's wrong?"

Song Zhao hesitated and said, "I am a little worried, but I am afraid that if I tell the emperor about this, it will implicate innocent people..."

She hesitated, which further whetted Xiao Jingheng's appetite, "Just tell me, I promise I won't blame you."

Song Zhao then said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the amulet that the Empress gave you before you went to the hot spring villa? The amulet was presented to the Yuntai by the Empress herself, and then because the Empress had a heart attack, I took it back personally."

Xiao Jingheng nodded in agreement, "You brought the amulet back for me, so I have been wearing it all the time."

Song Zhao recalled the past and told Xiao Jingheng in detail the whole process of how she almost fell off the platform that day.

Then she said, "Later, I went to check and found that the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs had reinforced the iron chain. But the steps of the Yuntai are steep. It's okay if there aren't many people going there on weekdays, but if so many concubines go up there tomorrow, it would be bad if one of them loses strength and slips and falls off the Yuntai."

"You didn't tell me earlier about this happening." Xiao Jingheng put down his chopsticks, took Song Zhao's hand, his eyes full of concern.

Song Zhao said, "I am fine, so if you tell me, won't it make the emperor worry?"

Xiao Jingheng knew Song Zhao's personality.

She is kindhearted by nature, always considers others and always puts herself last.

She didn't say it that day because she was afraid that the palace servants in the Ministry of Internal Affairs would be held accountable;

I’m saying it now because I’m afraid something unexpected might happen and hurt others.

Xiao Jingheng held her hand tightly, "You are right. But I promised the Queen this matter, and I can't go back on my word."

Song Zhao thought for a moment and said, "The most important thing in worshipping Buddha is to be sincere. And the Queen Mother was very happy when she knew that the Queen was pregnant, and she said that she wanted to go to pray with the Emperor. The Queen Mother is old, and the Yuntai is even more out of her reach, so it's not good to ask her to go with me."

Song Zhao accidentally mentioned the Queen Mother, which reminded Xiao Jingheng of something. "The Queen Mother's Palace originally had a Buddha statue made of pure gold. The Queen Mother was a devout Buddhist and worshipped Buddha all year round. There was no more pious place in the palace than the Xianshou Palace. Why not gather all the concubines to the Queen Mother's Palace to pray for the Queen, which would save the Queen Mother from running around."

Song Zhao did not make any further comments. He continued to serve Xiao Jingheng dishes with a calm expression on his face, and replied casually,

"Everything is subject to the emperor's arrangements."