Chapter 76 From then on, the king no longer held court early

Soon, Jiang Zhen dressed neatly and walked into the side hall with Guizhi supporting Yingying. The concubines immediately stood up and knelt to salute, saying respectfully in unison: "May the queen be blessed with good health."

Jiang Zhen was wearing the queen's regular dress, with only a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin inserted in her flying phoenix bun, which was simple yet elegant. Her pair of delicate white hands rested on Guizhi's hands, and her nails were transparent and round. They were not like the concubines in the palace nowadays who dyed their nails with various colors of cardamom juice, or even beautiful tortoise shells. Although it was extremely simple and plain, she looked more graceful and elegant among the concubines who were dressed differently.

"Dear sisters, please stand up. We are all sisters. There is no need to be so polite." Jiang Zhen sat down on the throne slowly, leaning slightly on the pillow with a string of Buddhist beads in her right hand. Her hair was as black as ink, her skin was as white as snow, and there was a gentle and decent smile on the corner of her mouth.

"Thank you, Queen." After thanking, the concubines returned to their seats.

After everyone was seated, the empty seat under the Queen's seat was particularly conspicuous. Jiang Zhen glanced at it and then looked away, smiling slightly, "It's a hot summer day, but the spirits of my sisters seem to be getting better and better, but I am always listless. It seems that I am really getting old."

As she said this, she yawned with her mouth half covered with a silk handkerchief.

"Your Majesty is in her prime, how could she look old? She must be serving the Emperor so she is a little tired." Concubine Hui said with a smile.

When she said this, Jiang Zhen thought of the unbearable breakfast in the morning. She frowned with a headache, then smiled and shook her head: "The emperor has his own people to serve him, so why does he need me? It's just that the emperor didn't want to disturb the good dreams of the sisters, so he came to me for breakfast."

The concubines all thanked the emperor and the empress for their consideration, but as for what they thought in their hearts, that was not certain.

At this moment, the voice of the chief eunuch of Kunning Palace, Li Gonggong, came from the palace gate: "Noble Concubine Gao is here——"

After a while, Gao Baoxi came in gracefully. She had her hair combed into a bun, and a phoenix hairpin was shining brightly among the jewels on her head. She was wearing a peach-colored double-breasted pleated skirt that dragged slightly on the ground. The pearls and gold threads on the hem of her skirt complemented each other, making her extremely eye-catching when she moved.

Everyone bowed to each other and sat down. Gao Baoxi admired her newly done nails and said lazily, "I'm so sorry, Queen, I was sleepy and missed the time to pay my respects."

Jiang Zhen could tell that Gao Baoxi wanted to embarrass herself in front of the other concubines. This was not the first time she had done this. She smiled and said, "It is better to arrive in time than in time. I was delayed for a while today. I arrived less than half a quarter of an hour earlier than my sister."

Gao Baoxi paused for a moment, then asked in a half-doubtful tone, "Oh, really?"

Jiang Zhen didn't comment, but Concubine Xian, who had been robbed of her bed by Gao Baoxi, laughed sarcastically and said, "Why, doesn't Concubine Gui know that the Emperor went to the Empress's palace to eat early this morning. I heard that the Empress fed the Emperor herself. Now the news has spread all over the palace."

Gao Baoxi's face suddenly turned pale. He looked up at Jiang Zhen who was leisurely sitting in the main seat, and jealousy surged in his heart.

I really underestimated Jiang Zhen. She actually seduced the emperor to drop his government affairs and go see her first. I wonder what kind of love potion this vixen gave the emperor!

In terms of looks, I am not much worse than her, and in terms of family background, we are equally matched. Why should I be inferior to her?

"... To be honest, among all the beauties in the harem of the Great Qi, the emperor still likes the queen the most. I am really envious of you."

While thinking, Concubine Xian was still chattering. Gao Baoxi's face was gloomy. The more she listened, the angrier she became. Seeing Concubine Xian open her mouth, she sarcastically said, "What is there to envy? Serving tea and water, serving dishes and scooping soup are the jobs of palace maids and eunuchs. We just need to be good concubines to the emperor. Why do we want to be so lowly?"

As she spoke later, the implication in her words couldn't be clearer.

Everyone in the hall looked as if they were used to it. It was as if the empress and the imperial concubine were born to be at odds with each other. Since the first day she entered the palace, the imperial concubine would always blame the empress for everything, and the empress would always just laugh it off. No matter what schemes or tricks the imperial concubine used, the empress would always get away with it, and sometimes she could even turn the tables.

Concubine Xian also knew that the Imperial Concubine was saying this to the Queen, but on the surface she was saying it to herself. If someone didn’t know, they would think that the Imperial Concubine was calling her a lowly person and she didn’t dare to talk back!

Being humiliated, and seeing that this was an enemy, looking at the smug look on Concubine Gao's face, Concubine Xian's brain got hot and she blurted out, "Sister Concubine, what you said is not right. I heard that not only did the Empress feed the Emperor with her own hands, but the Emperor also fed the Empress with his own hands. This back and forth was for fun. In this huge harem, who else besides the Empress has this honor?"

Everyone was amazed when they heard this. Although many people had already received the news, they still had to pretend.

Jiang Zhen took small sips of tea and accepted everyone's sincere and fake compliments with a faint smile.

Of course, except for Concubine Gao, she was furious at this moment, her chest was heaving slightly, her pretty face was gloomy, and her cold eyes shot out cold rays of light that pierced straight at Concubine Xian. Looking at her smug smile, her eyes flashed fiercely, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She said casually: "Concubine Xian knows a lot. I guess there are a lot of spies in the harem, right?"

"Don't slander me!" Concubine Xian turned pale, glared at Gao Baoxi and said harshly, then hurriedly turned around and knelt down and said, "Empress, even if you give me a hundred bear galls, I dare not spy on the emperor and the queen's every move. Everyone in the harem knows about this, and I heard it from others. Concubine Gao slandered me, please help me."

"Someone, slap her in the face!" Concubine Gao snorted coldly, "Concubine Xian has committed treason by accusing me of slandering her. Everyone present has heard that I know nothing about what is going on in the Queen's palace, but she speaks so convincingly. My suspicion is reasonable."

Gao Baoxi's maid took two steps forward in response. The hall was silent. Seeing that the slap was about to hit Concubine Xian's face, Jiang Zhen slammed the table and shouted, "Stop! Who dares to be so presumptuous! This is my Kunning Palace. Are you all going to rebel?"

Everyone was frightened and immediately knelt down and shouted "We dare not" in unison. The senior palace maid was also frightened and knelt down in a daze, only turning her head to look at Gao Baoxi.

Gao Baoxi's mood had calmed down by now. She bowed lazily, but her mother's advice came to her mind. Her father had just been stripped of his power, and it was really not appropriate for her to fall out with Jiang Zhen at this critical juncture.

Thinking of this, she tilted her head almost inaudibly, and the senior palace maid retreated dejectedly.

"Everyone, stand up. Concubine Xian, you should stand up too. I believe in you." Jiang Zhen raised her hand. After Concubine Xian thanked her and sat down, she took a sip of tea and said calmly, "We are sisters. It's not worth arguing about a small matter. The emperor is busy with government affairs. He came to the harem to find some quiet time, not to listen to your intrigues. When the emperor left today, he said he would show his favor to the harem. Instead of wasting time, you might as well go back and dress up and see if you can give birth to a child for the emperor."

"We will follow the Empress's instructions." Everyone said respectfully, with joy on their faces. Even the high and mighty Gao Baoxi was overjoyed when she heard it. After nearly half a month, the Emperor finally set foot in the harem again.

After chatting for about a cup of tea, everyone, whose minds had already drifted away, got up and left. Having received such valuable information, they had no choice but to make some careful plans.

Watching the people going away, Jiang Zhen rubbed his forehead impatiently. He didn't know which ancestor had set this rule of paying respects. He was really asking for trouble.

Guizhi stepped forward and gently massaged Jiang Zhen, asking in a low voice: "Your Majesty, are you tired? Do you want to go back to the palace to rest?"

Jiang Zhen glanced at the bright sunshine outside the window and said, "Let's go for a walk in the Lotus Lake in Xiyuan. It's a good opportunity to pick some lotus seeds and make cakes."

…

Xi Helan didn't need to pay her respects. She slept until she woke up naturally. When she woke up, she heard Wen Qing talk about the Queen and the Emperor having breakfast, and she also learned about the Emperor's decision to show favor to the harem.

She almost bit her teeth, unable to believe what she heard.

Xi Helan couldn't understand why the person who was so affectionate with her just a few days ago was now flirting with someone else in the blink of an eye?

What about being together for life? It's all lies. In this world, the thing you should never trust the most is a man's sweet words.

Although she had never believed in a man's promise, she was unwilling to give up!

She is extremely beautiful, considerate, gentle, virtuous, talented and intelligent, but she still can't capture a man's heart. You stud, you scumbag, I don't even care about you!

"Don't be sad, my dear. It's not worth it to get sick from anger. The Emperor likes you so much that they don't even feed each other, so how could he and the Queen..." Wen Qing saw that her master had a bad complexion, so she said in a flattering way while combing her hair.

"Shut up." Xi Helan shouted, "Get out, I want to be alone."

"Yes." Wen Qing was startled and walked out of the room trembling.

Xi Helan looked at her blurry face in the bronze mirror. The face was very beautiful, but very unfamiliar. She stroked the bronze mirror and carefully imagined it. She couldn't help but think of herself in her previous life.

Her parents divorced when she was young, and she lived a hard life with her mother, so she has a very strong personality and a very strong self-esteem. But she happened to be ugly, so she was bullied and ridiculed since she was a child.

After finally growing up and getting married, the scumbag started an affair soon after. Not only did he eat and use his own things with the shameless mistress, he also laughed at her for being vulgar and ugly. In anger, she killed both of them and then committed suicide. She thought she was doomed, but God did not let her go. He allowed her to travel through time and be reborn, and also gave her the most important golden finger - a system that could upgrade her to become the queen.

Therefore, she didn't care about the emperor's favor at all. It was really stupid for a group of women to revolve around a man all day long and fight to the death for a man's love.

Thinking of this, a look of contempt appeared on her face.

What Xi Helan wants is power and influence. She wants to become the Wu Zetian of this time and space!

She wants to change this backward and pedantic dynasty, she wants to build an equal and free country, and she wants to become the first female monarch in history!

Just when she was about to fulfill her ambition, a familiar voice rang in her ears: [The host has not completed side quest 3, and has taken back "Affectionate Eyes". ]

As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Helan saw the eyes in the bronze mirror that seemed to be hesitant to speak just now suddenly dimmed, which made her heart ache.

At the same time, Xie Fei returned to the Golden Palace. The civil and military officials below had been kneeling for more than an hour. The officials inside the palace were still better off, but those outside the palace were already sweating profusely, their clothes were soaked with sweat, and they were in great pain.

"I will give you two more days. After two days, I want to see an effective and good plan, not just opening the warehouses and releasing grain. If no one offers any suggestions, I will choose another virtuous person." As he said this, he waved his hand, and Zhang Dezi hurriedly stepped forward to announce the adjournment of the court.

The Left Prime Minister limped out of the Golden Throne Hall and walked towards the palace gate. Halfway there, he saw Aunt Jiang from afar. She was waiting there anxiously. After seeing the Left Prime Minister, she hurried forward to support him.

On the other hand, Xie Fei went to the imperial study after retiring from court. After instructing Zhang Dezi not to allow anyone to disturb him, he sat down at his desk, took out a pen and paper, and sorted out the effective strategies for flood control that he knew in his mind. He was so busy that he forgot about time.

…

After taking a walk, Jiang Zhen felt much better. Following behind her were several laughing and talking little palace maids, who were holding wet baskets filled with sparkling lotus seeds that sparkled like pearls in the sun.

In the entire harem, except for Jiang Zhen and Xi Helan, the concubines in each palace were busy. They sent people to guard the road that the emperor had to pass, and they chose clothes and jewelry, vowing to dress up to outshine all the other beauties. For a while, the harem was extremely lively.

However, everyone waited from morning till night, the palace maids and eunuchs were replaced several times, the concubines were sweating due to the heat and changed their underwear several times, but there was still no sign of the emperor. Just when everyone suspected that the queen was making fun of everyone, Xie Fei finally sat on the golden throne and slowly entered the harem.

When the concubines heard this, they didn't care that they hadn't put on their clothes yet, and walked out one after another while having their personal maids tidy up their appearance. However, the emperor looked at the beauties kneeling down and simply said, "My beloved concubines, please stand up," and then ordered them to go to Kunning Palace in the expectant eyes of everyone.

The concubines walked back angrily, but saw Concubine Gao sitting on a chair and stopping the emperor. They all stayed to see whether the Concubine was more skilled or the Queen was more favored.

It can be seen that Gao Baoxi dressed up specially. She wore a crabapple red lotus-pattern dress, had the most beautiful bun at the time, and wore several crabapple hairpins of the same color. Her red lips were slightly curled up, and her eyes were charming and ambiguous. When she blinked her long eyelashes, the mist in her eyes revealed a hint of sadness and expectation.

Gao Baoxi held onto the armrest of the chair and came to the throne. She bowed gently and said delicately with a pout, "Your Majesty, you haven't been to my Changle Palace for half a month. The flowers and trees in the yard have almost forgotten you."

Xie Fei laughed loudly twice and said, "I will definitely come when I have time, but not today."

"Why?" Gao Baoxi stamped her feet in disapproval. "Didn't the emperor just go to Kunning Palace this morning? How come..."

"Hmm?" Xie Fei hummed softly. Gao Baoxi immediately stopped talking and just looked at him with aggrieved eyes. Xie Fei continued, "I will come to see you another day. Go back."

"Yes, I respectfully see your Majesty off." Gao Baoxi bowed reluctantly until the emperor walked away. She turned around and sat on the chair. She bit her lip and pounded the armrest. She opened her red lips and uttered a few words through gritted teeth - Jiang Zhen, just wait and see!

Seeing that the Golden Throne was still moving towards the Kunning Palace, the group of concubines who were also rejected suddenly became happy. Since the imperial concubines who were more powerful and beautiful than themselves could not invite the emperor, they had nothing to be embarrassed about.

In just a short while, the news that Concubine Gao had tried to stop the emperor's carriage but was slapped in the face spread throughout the harem like the wind and became everyone's after-dinner talk. Those who had been persecuted by Concubine Gao were of course very excited, but more concubines felt pressured.

The Queen is truly favored by the Emperor. Among the three thousand concubines in the harem, she can be said to be the only one who enjoys His Majesty’s favor.

In Kunning Palace, Jiang Zhen had washed up early. She was leaning on the couch in a simple thin shirt, reading a book in one hand. Perhaps because she had just taken a bath, her fair cheeks without makeup had a slight blush, and her black hair was wet. Guizhi was holding a handkerchief and gently wiping the water from behind her.

When Xie Fei walked into the house quietly, he saw such a leisurely scene.

Guizhi and the others were startled when they saw the emperor, and they immediately bowed and were about to speak. Xie Fei quickly signaled for everyone to be silent, and while reaching out to take the handkerchief from Guizhi's hand, he waved his hand for them to leave.

Although Jiang Zhen's eyes were on the book, what she was thinking about was the flood that Aunt Jiang had mentioned. She was also upset that the emperor had taken away her father's power, but she did not agree with her father's use of this to threaten the emperor. Now it was the common people who were suffering. It was already hard enough that their families were broken up and they were displaced. They should not be given more pain and misfortune, nor should they be tortured with the emperor's mistakes.

It is true that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it. Using riots by disaster victims is indeed a faster way to threaten the emperor and take back one's own power. However, if the water is not inexhaustible, it can even flow to other places.

If a country loses its people and the support of the people, it will no longer be a country.

There are intrigues in the harem and deceptions in the court, and all people see is favor, status, power, and money... No one considers the bitterness and suffering of those at the bottom of society who defend their country and work hard. This is truly the tragedy of the Great Qi Dynasty.

I, Jiang Zhen, am the queen of a country. I cannot persuade my stubborn father to back down, nor can I convince the emperor to give up power...

Jiang Zhen closed her eyes, sighed deeply, frowned her pretty eyebrows, put down the book, clasped her hands together, held the Buddhist beads, and made a wish.

Xie Fei leaned down slightly, put his thin lips close to her small ear, and asked softly: "What is my queen sighing about, and what wish did she make? Tell me and I may be able to satisfy her."

Jiang Zhen was startled when she suddenly heard the emperor's voice. She turned around and stared at the person with her eyes wide open. After a while, she stood up and saluted in a panic: "Your Majesty, I didn't know you were coming. This is a breach of etiquette. Please forgive me."

"You don't have to be so polite, Queen." Xie Fei held a handkerchief behind his back with one hand, and helped Jiang Zhen up with the other hand, holding her hand tightly. "It's cold at night, Queen, you should wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold."

As he spoke, Xie Fei threw away the handkerchief, picked up a cloak beside him, put it on Jiang Zhen, and tied the belt carefully.

The two were very close to each other. Jiang Zhen lowered her head slightly and could feel the warm breath gently blowing across her forehead. A pair of large hands with thin calluses were slowly tying the strap around her neck.

It was only a few short breaths, but Jiang Zhen felt as if a very long time had passed, so long that she couldn't help but secretly look up at the person in front of her.

He lowered his eyes and stared at his neck seriously. His long and thick black eyelashes blinked occasionally. There were dots of sweat on his high nose bridge and his thin lips were slightly pursed.

Jiang Zhen's heart began to panic. She calmed herself down, pulled her cloak and took a step back, pretending to be calm and said, "Your Majesty, I will do it myself."

Xie Fei was stunned, his eyebrows slightly raised, he put his fist to his lips and coughed softly, lowered his eyes and said: "I, this is the first time I do this kind of thing, it's a bit ugly, I will do it more often in the future It will look better."

Jiang Zhen paused as she was about to tie it again. She looked up and saw that the emperor seemed to have blushed. His dark eyes, which avoided her gaze, were filled with a hint of anticipation, which was awkward and cute. She raised a faint smile that she didn't even notice, rubbed the strap with her fingertips and smiled slowly, "I think the emperor tied it very well."

Xie Fei was delighted when he heard that, a faint smile flashed across his eyes. He took a step forward, took Jiang Zhen's hand and rubbed it gently and slowly. The room was silent for a while, and neither of them spoke.

The only sound in the room was the occasional crackling sound of candles. Jiang Zhen felt that the atmosphere was a little weird. If it weren't for the varying strength of her hands, she would have suspected that the two had been acupunctured.

only……

How long will you keep pinching her hands? Her skin is about to break!

Ahhhh, my legs are sore from standing. Can I sit down and massage them slowly?

As she was lost in thought, Jiang Zhen lowered her head and looked around. Suddenly, she felt that the handkerchief that the emperor had just dropped on the couch was very familiar. A guess emerged in her mind. After a pause, she asked in a low voice, "Why did the emperor come here suddenly without telling me and scared me?"

"It's because the Queen is absent-minded. I have already dried your hair but you didn't notice." Xie Fei curled the corners of his lips, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

It is just as I expected. I can only blame myself for thinking too much.

Xie Fei looked at her puffy face in annoyance, raised his eyebrows and chuckled, then changed the subject: "The Queen hasn't answered my previous question yet, what are you sighing about, and what wish have you made?"

Jiang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then blinked: "Did your concubine... sigh? I don't seem to remember it."

"Playing dumb with me?" Xie Fei pulled her into his arms and held her. He lifted her chin with his other hand and looked at her closely. She looked away, and then he laughed softly. "Since you don't want to say it, I won't ask. It's late at night. Please help me change clothes and rest."

Jiang Zhen was startled and looked at him in disbelief: "Your Majesty is speaking to me?"

"Of course. Is there a third person here?" Xie Fei said with a smile on his face. He took her hand and walked to the bed. He spread out his hands and waited for her to serve him.

Jiang Zhen hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward with a red face. It was her first time to undress someone else, so she was very unfamiliar with it and it took her a long time to take off her coat. Xie Fei looked at the little head on his chest, his eyes filled with a bright smile. After a while, he slowly raised his hand and covered her hand, and led her to untie the belt and buttons bit by bit.

"It seems that this is the Queen's first time as well. She needs to practice more in the future." Xie Fei lowered his head slightly, and his deep voice sounded faintly in Jiang Zhen's ears.

Jiang Zhen's already blushing face turned even redder, and her head drooped even lower. Through her thin undershirt, she could feel the burning temperature of Xie Fei's chest between her fingertips, and her heart was a little confused.

Is this person really the emperor?

Why is the emperor like this?

Why was her heart beating so fast?

…

A lot of questions were circling in Jiang Zhen's mind. When she came to her senses, the two of them were already lying on the bed with intricate carvings, hugging each other.

The author has something to say:

I wrote 6600 words in the last minute~~