"Oh, you two sisters are so generous today." The queen smiled and walked to the young eunuchs and slowly looked through the gifts.
"Jinyutang's premium donkey-hide gelatin, Nanyang's golden bird's nest, Yupintang's deer placenta cream, Changbai Mountain's century-old ginseng... wow, wow, wow, these things are more valuable than their weight in gold."
"Have you two sisters made a fortune recently? These daily visiting gifts are much more valuable than the gifts for the princess's full moon." The queen said sarcastically.
[Oh my god, my mother has opened my eyes again. Doesn't the book say that the Empress is gentle and generous? She suffered so much from the schemes of the Empress Dowager and the treacherous concubines. She can actually be sarcastic and sarcastic?!]
[Good job, mother. Even if you are the queen, the mother of the country, you can't always be kind and tolerant.]
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Concubine Lin and Concubine Li fell to their knees with a thud, their voices trembling.
"Ah, what are you doing? I didn't scold you, I just said a few words casually. Why are you kneeling? What crime do you want me to forgive?" The queen glanced at the two of them with disdain.
"You keep kneeling down and begging for mercy from me. You look so pitiful. If the Emperor saw you, he would think I was bullying you."
Lin Zhaoyi and Lipin's faces turned from pale to black, then from black to yellow, and beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. After the Queen's words, they felt that it was neither right to stand up nor to continue kneeling, and they were in great torment.
"It's all because I'm blinded by greed and I'm stupid. But my sister Lipin and I are not deliberately trying to make things difficult for the Empress. We are just afraid of Concubine Jiang... No, Jiang Cainu's power!" Lin Zhaoyi cried.
"Yes, yes, we are afraid of the power of the Jiang family. It is not easy for concubines to survive in this palace, and we concubines have to join the Jiang family because of the situation." Concubine Li raised her eyes and glanced at the queen's expression.
[Humph! These two are quite good at whitewashing themselves. With just a few words, they've made themselves look like innocent little white lotuses. Do they think everyone else is stupid?]
[My dear Queen, you must not be soft-hearted. They are not that innocent.]
[To curry favor with a treacherous concubine, to cling to her thighs, isn't it just to use her influence to climb the ladder? If one simply wants to live a peaceful and stable life in the palace, why would one go to such lengths to harm others?]
[Look at Concubine Shu. Ever since she came to the Qiandi Palace, she has never taken sides and has always kept herself clean. Although she is not favored, she still lives a good life.]
Xia Miaoyuan lay in the nanny's arms, watching the show and complaining at the same time.
The Queen glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "I know everything you did in the past, so there's no need to say such nonsense."
"I can let go of those past grudges. However, in exchange, you must also show sincerity. How I treat you in the future will depend entirely on your performance."
"If she works diligently for me, I will ensure her safety in the palace. If she is two-faced and treacherous, don't blame me for being cold-blooded."
"You should know that I am a brave woman from the Northern Frontier. I can ride a horse across the battlefield and wield a sword to kill the enemy! I am not some soft, gullible woman."
[Wow! Mother is so majestic, so powerful! Miao Er is holding the banner for her!]
After hearing the Queen's domineering speech, Xia Miaoyuan danced excitedly. The nanny was startled and almost couldn't hold her.
Ever since the incident at the little princess's full-moon banquet, both the harem and the court have been quite quiet.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. The empress dowager repeatedly told Xia Zhengqi that she had fully recovered, and only then was she allowed to see guests.
That morning, the Empress Dowager summoned Xia Zhengqi, the Empress, Consort Shu, and the five princes to Shoukang Palace.
The Empress Dowager sat upright in the middle, with the Emperor, Empress, Consort Shu, and the Fifth Prince sitting on either side.
The queen was curious and wanted to eat some melons, so she hugged Xia Miaoyuan over.
[The old woman must have been holding her fart in! ]
Xia Miaoyuan lay in the Queen's arms, chewing her fingers and looking at the Queen Mother with a squint.
"I called you here today for no other reason than to discuss the future arrangements for Chengshun." The Queen Mother said with a serious expression.
[What are the future plans for the Fifth Prince? In my opinion, it would be most appropriate to leave him with Concubine Shu to raise. Concubine Shu is from a distinguished family, well-educated, well-mannered, and of noble character.]
"What? You have an objection? I'm afraid you want to take the baby in and raise him?"
The queen looked down at her daughter and thought to herself, my daughter is so smart.
"Mother, please just say what you want to say. We are all family, there is no need to beat around the bush." Xia Zhengqi said indifferently.
"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point." The Queen Mother paused.
"Chengshun is the flesh and blood of Qiqiu and Zhengqi, and Qiqiu is my niece. Speaking of which, among all these grandchildren, he is the one who is closest to me."
"Now that Qiqiu has been confined to the cold palace and Chengshun has lost his mother, I am truly worried about him."
"That's why I want to raise him myself." The Queen Mother looked up at Xia Zhengqi.
[Wow, haha! I was right! Old woman, why are you so worried? He wasn't born to an adulterous concubine, and he has no blood relationship with you at all. You just don't want to give up this chess piece.]
[The treacherous concubine is out of the picture. If Xiaowu is raised by another concubine, he will basically be out of the picture too. Only by raising him under your wing can there be hope of him becoming the crown prince in the future.]
In order to hide his expression of excitement, Xia Miaoyuan pretended to play with his gold bracelet.
The fifth prince listened attentively to Xia Miaoyuan's thoughts with bated breath. Just when he wanted to hear about his own life story, Xia Miaoyuan stopped talking. He was so anxious that he scratched his palm hard.
"Mother, I understand your feelings. However, I still feel it is inappropriate for you to raise the fifth prince." Xia Zhengqi said in a calm tone.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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