These words were full of irony, and everyone immediately laughed softly, looking at Su Lijin with anticipation.
The Queen Mother snorted in dissatisfaction, "Are you imitating her and yawning in public? You're really bringing shame to the royal family!"
Su Lijin was amused in her heart, and without even looking up, she said, "Making hairpins is not easy. It takes a hairpinmaker with more than ten years of experience to be able to make an excellent hairpin.
"Could it be that these were made by our craftsman, Zan Niang?"
Concubine Shu clenched her fingers in guilt and said angrily, "Your Majesty, please stop slandering me. This was clearly done by me."
Su Lijin waved her hand: "Why are you so anxious? I haven't finished what I want to say yet."
She laughed and continued, "Not to mention, if the materials used are not good, it can easily cause poisoning. Don't blame me for not warning you."
The Queen Mother suddenly slammed her chair and angrily said, "Queen, what do you mean by this? Are you cursing me?"
Concubine Shu wiped her tearless eyes with a handkerchief and pointed at Su Lijin, saying, "Empress Dowager, it doesn't matter how the Empress Dowager wronged me, but the Empress Dowager said the hairpin was poisonous and cursed the Empress Dowager. No matter how I think about it, I feel wronged and angry!"
Su Lijin curled her lips and smiled, but said nothing.
The others looked at her, enjoying the fun.
"I know. You wish I would die soon, don't you? Do you think I can't deal with you?" The Queen Mother was furious. She glared at Su Lijin, wishing she could deal with her immediately.
"That's not what I meant." Su Lijin shook her head, calm and composed.
Concubine Shu wiped her eyes and said, "Queen Dowager, calm down. The Empress Dowager holds the Phoenix Seal and is the master of the harem. In other words, she is also the master of us concubines."
Su Lijin looked at her and had a premonition that Concubine Shu was setting a trap.
The Queen Mother's face darkened upon hearing this. How could she not know the power of the Phoenix Seal? How could she ever be inferior to anyone else?
"I forgot that the Queen holds the Phoenix Seal in her hand."
The Queen Mother sneered, "With this Phoenix Seal in hand, you are extremely powerful and majestic. You don't even take me seriously."
Su Lijin said, "I have always been committed to my duties. Your Majesty, please do not listen to other people's instigation."
"Do I need you to teach me how to do things?" The Queen Mother was so angry just looking at Su Lijin that she had no rationality at all.
When the situation was tense, a deep male voice suddenly came from the door.
"What's all the commotion?"
Su Lijin turned around and saw Xiao Shengxing walking in wearing a dragon robe.
When everyone saw the emperor, they all bowed.
"Your Majesty, you are here. I have carefully embroidered a pillow. When can Your Majesty come and see it?"
"Your Majesty, you are very busy and exhausted. My father brought some new tea. Would you please make it for you?"
After the ceremony, the concubines smiled and showed their courtesy, surrounding Xiao Shengxing tightly.
However, the lively atmosphere was like a sleeping drug to Su Lijin. The more she listened, the sleepier she became. Her eyelids drooped and she felt drowsy.
Xiao Shengxing looked past the crowd and fixed his gaze on her. He could immediately see the dark circles under her eyes. Her listless appearance was very different from her usual self, which made him laugh.
The Queen Mother glanced at Su Lijin and snorted heavily, "How shameful!"
"Mother, the Queen must have been mentally unstable just now, which led to some misunderstandings. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize on behalf of the Queen."
Now that the emperor had spoken personally, the empress dowager could no longer lose her temper and turned her head away in displeasure.
Concubine Shu took a look at the situation, secretly hated Su Lijin's good luck, and dared not say anything more.
Su Lijin was very sleepy. She listened vaguely and glanced at Xiao Shengxing.
"Since you are all here, I will make an announcement." Xiao Shengxing said.
"What's up?"
Everyone became interested.
"I'm thinking of holding a calligraphy and painting conference. I can grant the first-place winner one request."
As soon as the words fell, a burst of joy was heard.
"If we can get first place, wouldn't that mean we can reach the top in one step?" someone said expectantly.
"Reach the top in one step?" another person was puzzled.
The man laughed and said, "The Emperor didn't say what the request was, so can we just ask for anything?"
"Really?"
As they talked, they had already imagined themselves becoming the first and being favored by the emperor.
Others also have their own little thoughts.
Listening to these voices, Su Lijin rubbed her eyes and raised the corners of her lips slightly: "This meeting must be very exciting."
She could imagine that the concubines would use all their strength to compete for the first place.
Everyone dispersed happily, and Su Lijin also returned to the palace.
The first thing I did when I got home was to fall into bed and catch up on some sleep.
While she was sleeping soundly, a maid quietly came in and whispered, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao has news for you."
Su Lijin opened her eyes suddenly, and most of her sleepiness disappeared: "What news?"
The maid said, "One of the Mongols wants to see you."
Su Lijin sat up and said, "I understand."
Half an hour later, she arrived at the prison where prisoners were secretly held.
Zhao Heng greeted her and said, "Your Majesty, the person has been interrogated here."
Following Zhao Heng, Su Lijin soon saw the Mongolian.
The man was tall and strong, and one could tell at a glance that he was from Mongolia.
"Are you here to see me?" Su Lijin looked at him and asked directly.
The Mongolian also looked at her for a long while, gritted his teeth, and said: "I can tell you one thing, but you must protect me."
Su Lijin sat down in the main seat, the corners of her lips curled up, and she said, "If we want to negotiate, we need to bring something heavy enough in exchange."
"This matter is absolutely important," the Mongol assured.
"As long as what you say is important enough, I can guarantee your safety."
"are you sure?"
The Mongols seemed a little hesitant and did not particularly trust Su Lijin.
"Go ahead and tell me. As long as I think what you say is reliable, you can rest assured that I will definitely protect you." Seeing his hesitation, Su Lijin tempted him.
After a moment's silence, the Mongolian looked up and said, "We are not the only ones who have come to this Central Plains."
Su Lijin's expression was unclear and she fell into deep thought for a moment.
This news about the Mongols is somewhat weighty.
However, she didn't believe that the entire vast Mongolia would only engage in such a small-scale attack on the Central Plains.
The events behind this must be wider and even more secretive than she imagined.
But it's always good to know the news, at least you can make some preparations in advance.
"Since you have shown your sincerity, I will fulfill my promise to protect you."
Su Lijin turned to Zhao Heng and said, "Take him out and assign someone to protect him."
Zhao Heng immediately untied the chains on the Mongol and then asked several people who followed him to take him out of the cell.
The Mongolian man was overjoyed. He didn't expect Su Lijin to really do what he said.
He was a little nervous at first, and after saying this, he kept observing Su Lijin's actions. He felt very risky in his heart before revealing the exchange news.
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