Chapter 17: The Trouble with the Courtesan in Jingren Palace
"What's wrong? I heard you were looking for me in a hurry?"
When Cao Qinmo heard that Concubine Li had asked someone to invite her over, she thought for a while in the room and then followed the palace maid to Concubine Li's palace.
"Oh, you're finally here."
As soon as Concubine Li saw Cao Qinmo, she hurriedly pulled her to sit down.
The two of them have been with Nian Shilan for so many years and have spent quite a long time together. Although they would occasionally have some arguments because they wanted to show off in front of Nian Shilan, Ke Lipin thought that they were all on the same front and should be able to help her with some ideas.
After the two of them sat down, Lipin briefly told her what had happened. Of course, she only briefly mentioned why she thought of asking Kang Luhai to come over.
“You…”
Cao Qinmo pretended to be surprised and looked at Concubine Li.
"This Wan Changzai is now so close to Concubine Hua, how could you be so confused? In Concubine Hua's eyes, this is deliberately instigating the relationship between them."
Did this idiot really think that a few vague words from him could convince her that this was just a coincidence? It was obvious that the Queen had ulterior motives behind this.
Looking at Cao Qinmo's serious expression, Lipin felt even more nervous.
She was really confused for a moment, but what should she do now?
"Good sister, please stop talking to me like that. Please help me think of a solution. The Queen hasn't come to me to ask questions yet, and I'm always worried."
"Your Majesty has probably been busy with the New Year's Eve banquet these days. It's only two days away, and the Queen is not feeling well, so the burden must have fallen on Your Majesty. You are only adding to her troubles."
Cao Qinmo originally thought that she was incapable of shaking Nian Shilan because of her low position, but she still had ways to deal with the people around her, and now, the opportunity came to her.
"Well, now we don't know what the Queen's attitude is towards this matter. Maybe she just wants to temporarily use Zeng Huan and Shen Meizhuang. Why don't you..."
Cao Qinmo leaned over and whispered softly in Lipin's ear.
"Well, your method is better. Let's try it first."
After getting advice from Cao Qinmo, Lipin seemed to have found her backbone again and invited Cao Qinmo to chat here for a long time.
The next day was another morning when we had to pay our respects to Jingren Palace.
This time, Nian Shilan got up early and started packing, and she was rarely late.
What she didn't expect was that everyone sat in Jingren Palace for a long time, but Chen Meizhuang still didn't arrive.
Nian Shilan raised her head slightly and glanced at Zhen Huan casually. Zhen Huan shook her head slightly when no one was paying attention. She was also wondering, because Sister Mei would never make mistakes in such things.
Since Zhen Huan entered the palace and fell ill, she has only recently started to appear in front of the public. I still remember that the Queen gave her a few pointed words at that time, and Zhen Huan accepted them all respectfully. As for what she thought in her heart, the Queen had no way of deciding.
"Oh my, it's only been a short time since Consort Shen entered the palace, but she's already become so arrogant that she can't even afford to pay respects."
Lipin looked at the empty seat in Shenmeizhuang and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction, and she and Cao Qinmo looked at each other.
Nian Shilan looked towards Lipin and happened to catch the eye contact between the two. It seemed that she could not sit still anymore. She had wanted to find a fault in her secretly, but she did not expect that she was so impatient. And this Cao Qinmo, she thought how long she could endure.
In her previous life, she remembered that Chen Meizhuang was also late on this day due to some reasons. She was very sure that this incident was definitely not done by Cao Qinmo and Lipin. It seemed that the person behind the scenes had found a fool to take the lead this time.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was delayed on the way and am late. It was really unintentional."
At this time, Shen Meizhuang walked in with hurried steps and paid her respects to the queen first.
"It's okay. It's cold and the roads are slippery. Being late once or twice is not a big deal. Come and sit down."
Shen Meizhuang thanked her and took a seat.
"Noble Lady Shen is acting so arrogantly now that she's even late for her greetings to the Empress. Even though the Empress is kind and generous, she can't break the palace rules. What if others follow her example?"
Seeing that the Queen didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter, Concubine Li became a little anxious.
"Yes, from now on, if any sister is too lazy to greet you and just casually says that it wasn't intentional, then we don't have to greet you at all, right?"
Concubine Qi smiled and fanned the flames.
Although she usually disliked Concubine Li, she didn't mind adding fuel to the fire in this matter.
The queen just watched everyone talking quietly, with a dignified smile on her face, not revealing any of her inner thoughts.
Chen Meizhuang was favored as soon as she entered the palace, and now the emperor has given her the right to learn and manage the affairs of the harem. How can she not be angry?
It would be fine if she could just behave herself and follow her own arrangements, but she didn't expect that she, Zhen Huan and Nian Shilan would get so close. This was something she could not tolerate.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but this is not a reason to make mistakes at will."
Lipin had made up her mind to attack Chen Meizhuang today. Firstly, she wanted to see if Hua Fei would help her out, so that she could know the value of Chen Meizhuang in Hua Fei's heart. Secondly, she wanted to show her goodwill in front of the Queen, so that she could always leave herself a way out.
"Your Majesty, my young lady really didn't mean to be late. We left early, but halfway through, a young eunuch accidentally spilled water on her. When she returned to change her clothes and came back, she was already late. Please understand, Your Majesty."
Caiyue, who was standing behind Shen Meizhuang, heard Lipin and Qifei singing the same tune, and was afraid that they would be punished by the Queen, so she hurried to explain for Shen Meizhuang.
"The little eunuch splashed water on Concubine Shen. What a coincidence! What an excuse..."
Qi Fei's unfinished words, coupled with the meaningful expression on her face, all showed everyone her inner doubts.
Nian Shilan saw Shen Meizhuang preparing to stand up and spoke out immediately. After all, Shen Meizhuang was only a nobleman now and had no chance of winning against them.
"Concubine Qi, your aggressive attitude is really a bit unmannerly. How can you guarantee that you will never encounter any accidents? The Queen Mother didn't say anything about this matter, but you are here with an unforgiving look. What's the matter? Do you think the Queen Mother is too kind and needs you to help her manage the harem?"
Nian Shilan gave Concubine Qi a sharp look, the deep meaning contained in the look made Concubine Qi shrink back and dared not speak again.
Concubine Hua is still the same Concubine Hua. Once she speaks in a strong tone, no one will tolerate any objection.
Lipin, who felt the majesty of Nian Shilan, was like a quail at this time, reducing her presence. She seemed to have just felt the warning from Nian Shilan.
"Okay, this isn't a big deal. Lady Shen didn't do it on purpose. My sisters don't have to be upset about it."
The Queen originally wanted to use someone else to punish Shen Meizhuang, but she didn't expect that Nian Shilan would interfere.
Even though she was worried, she always looked kind.
"I'm not feeling well today, nothing much to do. My sisters, please leave first. Concubine Hua, I'm sorry to have troubled you with the New Year's Eve banquet."
"I will do my best to fulfill my duty. Your Majesty, please rest and recuperate. I will take my leave."
After Nian Shilan finished speaking, she casually bowed and left Jingren Palace first.
The others also quickly stood up and bowed to leave.
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