Chapter 52 The Queen Mother doesn’t seem to like her very much

Mu Yuan's expression was grim. "I don't know. I only heard from the eunuch in front that the Empress Dowager secretly avoided His Majesty's people, so..."

Concubine Chen rubbed her brows and said, "Mu Yuan, send the people you have arranged to Shoukang Palace to serve the Queen Mother. Mu Hua, ask the kitchen to prepare some food. I will go and call Xihe."

I'm afraid there will be some trouble when the Empress Dowager returns to the palace this time. Children get hungry easily, so it's better for them to eat something.

"I obey your command."

"Mother~" Xihe was wearing a white nightgown, holding the doll that Concubine Chen had sewn for her, and she obediently poked her little head out from behind the screen.

Concubine Chen quickly stood up and took the person into her arms, wrapping her in her cloak. "Why don't you call mother now that you're up? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"Xihe heard mother talking and wanted to come find her."

The little girl likes to stick to Concubine Chen more and more, especially when she just wakes up, she must see her.

Concubine Chen smiled and tapped her little nose, her tone full of helplessness, "Okay, go find mother, mother is holding Xihe."

Then she thought of the Queen Mother and said, "Xihe, let me dress you. We'll eat something and then go out."

"Are you going to pick up the Queen Mother?"

Concubine Chen nodded and said, "The Queen Mother respects the gift. Xihe will just follow Mother for a while. If...what the Queen Mother says is unpleasant, don't worry about it. Let Mother speak for herself, okay?"

It goes without saying what the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Xihe is. There will inevitably be a conflict, but Concubine Chen does not want her child to retort. If the news gets out, it will inevitably damage Xihe's reputation.

This kind of thing is suitable for her as a noble concubine to do. Even if the empress dowager is angry, she can only reprimand her. If she punishes her too harshly, her brothers in the court will not be vegetarians and will sooner or later skin the Yun family alive.

Concubine Chen understood this principle, and the Empress Dowager understood it even better.

The little girl nodded ignorantly, then shook her head, "Then... Mother can't be wronged!"

She didn't want to be wronged, but she also didn't want her mother to be wronged.

Concubine Chen was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and hugged her little daughter, calling her "my little darling".

*

I don’t know if it was intentional, but the empress dowager’s ceremony was ridiculously grand, almost catching up with the ceremony when Emperor Jingyuan crowned her empress. It was as if she was afraid that no one would know she was back.

As soon as the phoenix carriage arrived, a palace maid opened the curtain of the carriage and welcomed a graceful and elegant woman to get off.

Emperor Jingyuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. I have traveled all the way by boat and carriage, and you have worked hard."

The empress dowager was over fifty years old. Although she took good care of herself, there were many fine lines around her eyes, and her eyes were full of sharpness.

"The emperor is here."

"Your humble servant (grandson) pays homage to the Empress Dowager (Grandmother). May you be well and at peace."

The Queen Mother glanced at them calmly, then raised her hand and asked everyone to stand up, "Everyone, get up."

At this moment, a woman came out from behind the carriage, walked straight over, and took the Queen Mother's hand, "Sister..."

The Queen Mother's expression brightened a little, and she patted her hand soothingly.

Emperor Jingyuan's eyes turned cold, "Madam Yun, didn't I order you to be under house arrest? What's going on? Are you treating my imperial decree as a joke?"

Emperor Jingyuan took a tough stance on the Li Xihong incident, and Marquis Xining was also a smart man, so he demoted his wife to a concubine when he returned.

Now Yun can no longer be called "Lady of the Marquis of Xining".

Madam Yun's face froze. The days of fear and the ridicule of the people in the capital had long made her lose her usual arrogance. Coupled with the incident of Zhao Wanyu, the Marquis of Xining was also having a hard time in the army. He was filled with anger and would scold her every time he was not satisfied. His life was extremely difficult.

The Empress Dowager's expression turned grim, and her tone became heavier. "What do you mean, Emperor? She's my biological sister, your aunt! She was worried about my health, so she came all the way here to take care of me. What's your attitude?"

Not far away, Concubine Chen's face suddenly darkened.

What did the Queen Mother mean? She reprimanded her own son in public for the sake of a minister's wife.

Have you become stupid from chanting Buddha’s name?

Emperor Jingyuan subconsciously frowned, "Oh? Your Majesty, are you saying that from now on, no one will take my imperial edicts seriously?"

The Queen Mother's face was grim, and she squeezed out a few words from between her teeth, "That's not what I meant. The Emperor is worrying too much."

Emperor Jingyuan replied lazily, "That would be best."

He looked up at Madam Yun and said, "Since Madam Yun wants you to accompany me, then please do so. However... Madam Yun's house arrest will be extended for another six months. What do you think, Madam Yun?"

The Queen Mother was about to argue when Emperor Jingyuan suddenly interrupted her.

"Does the Queen Mother miss Yun Hou?"

When the empress dowager looked up, she met Emperor Jingyuan's warning eyes. Her heart sank, and she gave up the idea of ​​pleading for Madam Yun.

After a long while, he replied awkwardly: "Then let's do as the emperor says."

Emperor Jingyuan obviously won this round, but he was not happy at all. His deep eyes were filled with darkness, and a chilling aura lingered around him.

Suddenly, he felt a softness in his palm.

As soon as Emperor Jingyuan lowered his head, he met Xihe's clear and beautiful eyes.

The little girl curved her eyes and opened her mouth to say, "Daddy, I'm here."

A warm feeling flowed through Emperor Jingyuan's heart, and he tightened his grip on her hand.

The Queen Mother had long known of Xihe's existence and looked at her unkindly, "Are you Xihe?"

Xihe took a step forward and looked at the Queen Mother with wide eyes and a smile, "Hello, Queen Mother. I am Xihe."

The whole person is extremely well-behaved.

The Queen Mother had already heard Madam Yun's comments on Xihe, and her expression was even more unhappy at this moment. "At such a young age, he knows how to flatter. He is truly a low-class person."

Xihe uttered an "Ah," blinked her eyes, and with a confused look on her face, she lowered her head and asked, "Grandmother Queen Mother, did Xihe do something wrong?"

It seems like she hasn't done anything yet?

The Queen Mother looked away in disgust, her words tinged with disdain, "I thought you were just teaching me. How dare you talk back at such a young age! How did Concubine Chen raise her child? She's so unruly."

One sentence belittled two people.

Xihe pursed her lips and slowly lowered her head.

Hmm~ It seems that the Empress Dowager doesn’t like her very much.

Seeing his little daughter being wronged, Emperor Jingyuan's originally cold expression was covered with a layer of frost, "Xihe is still a child, why does the Queen Mother have to be like this?"

The Queen Mother said sternly, "I just said a few words to her and she dared to refute me. Where has her filial piety gone? Is it possible that I am wrong?"

The Empress Dowager was extremely partial to Emperor Jingyuan. She had no way to deal with him, so she just tortured his children.

It used to be Zhao Jinyuan, and now it’s Xihe.

My heart has never changed.

Emperor Jingyuan's brows were tinged with impatience. "Only when the grandfather is kind can the grandson be filial. Mother, you were so malicious when you first met Xihe. Have you ever lived up to your words?"

The Empress Dowager was humiliated and her expression turned extremely grim. "Is the Emperor trying to embarrass me?"

The mother and son have been at odds with each other for many years. In the early years, Emperor Jingyuan would still give the empress dowager some face, but as the other party frequently interfered in state affairs in recent years, he no longer had a good face.