This year's palace banquet is indeed much more lively.
Bai Shiwei lived up to everyone's expectations, taking first place among the other selected ladies and becoming a Qingcai Ren, personally appointed by the Emperor. Su Yin, however, fared slightly worse, becoming a non-titled concubine. The other three selected ladies were all unremarkable concubines or concubines.
The promotion that the Queen Mother had promised herself was also put on the agenda.
Concubine Jin was rewarded for giving birth to the second prince and was promoted to the first-rank Lady Yuluan, and Concubine Rong was promoted to Concubine Rong.
Wei Shuyi, pregnant with the royal heir, finally ascended to the position of a fourth-rank imperial concubine. Shu Wanyi was also promoted to Shu Ronghua, and became extremely popular for a while.
As for the other concubines, they were promoted one level each as a consolation.
After all, it was a family dinner, and Concubine Jin was the center of attention, surrounded by the concubines. Everyone envied her good fortune, and Wei Shuyi, suppressing his discomfort, also stepped forward to tease the Second Prince.
Whenever she touched this child, she couldn't help but think of her own daughter. If what happened back then hadn't happened, Zhaohua would be a lively and lovely imperial sister now, right?
"My lady, if you're not feeling well, why don't you go out and get some fresh air? It's better than staying inside."
Wen Yu noticed something was wrong and quickly whispered a warning.
Wei Shuyi nodded and left Penglai Palace step by step.
"Everyone says I'm lucky. It hasn't been that long, but I've made it this far. Not only do I have the Queen Mother's support in Yonghua Palace, but I also have the Prince helping me outside the palace. I'm truly a woman of good fortune. But who knows the hardships I've endured along the way?"
Wen Yu sighed and asked tentatively, "I wonder... what did the prince say when he took the queen away that day? Ever since you came back, your whole state has not been right, which really makes me uneasy."
"Nothing. The prince showed me some truths. It turns out that sometimes what you see is not what you think."
She muttered to herself towards the rockery not far away, and added lazily.
At this moment, Nangong Heng passed by with his entourage. Even though he had told him many times that they needed to avoid suspicion between them, he never took it to heart.
"Huh? You finally got promoted, but why don't you stay inside to accept the congratulations? Instead, you want to come out for some fresh air?"
"Today's protagonist is the Second Prince. Who doesn't know this? Why would the Young General say such a thing?"
"What's the Second Prince? In my heart, Princess Zhaohua is the best in the world!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Heng suddenly realized that it would remind her of sad things. He looked up nervously and checked her expression. After finding that there was nothing unusual, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Actually, that happened a long time ago. There's no need to keep it in your heart and make yourself uncomfortable."
Wei Shuyi shook his head: "You don't understand."
"How do you know that I don't understand your feelings?! Think back to when my grandmother left..."
Before she could finish her words, she interrupted Nangong Heng: "Your grandmother is definitely different from my daughter. She lived for most of her life and reached that age. She was not sick and died in her sleep. It can be considered a natural death. But what about my little princess? Not only did she not have time to celebrate her first birthday, but she died in my arms while vomiting blood and getting worse! How can I forget it so easily, how can I let it go?!"
When Nangong Heng heard this, he couldn't think of any other way to comfort her.
He could only lean on the rockery beside him and stare at Wei Shuyi in a daze.
"Qing Shi, after so many years of separation, have you ever thought of me and the Wei family?"
When he first heard Wei Shuyi calling him by his nickname, he didn't react and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say.
Facing Nangong Heng's confused gaze, she continued to ask softly, "So much time has passed. Could it be that you have forgotten everything that happened between us?"
"Hush!" He looked around cautiously, and when he saw no one was approaching, he stepped forward and said, "Sister Yi, you know perfectly well that this kind of thing can't be said in the palace! If someone with ulterior motives hears it, you'll be the only one who'll suffer in the end!"
"But now, I can't care about anything else. There is something urgent that needs external help."
Nangong Heng understood the seriousness of the matter from her eyes.
He nodded solemnly: "Sister Yi, if you want me to do something, just tell me! I will listen to you!"
Sure enough, it was just as she had guessed: the eight-foot-tall man in front of her had already noticed her identity and helped to conceal it.
Wei Shuyi's eyes quickly flashed with tears, and he asked with a choked voice: "Do you know the truth about my family's treason?"
"I haven't heard of it at home...Father rarely brings up such old stories."
"Yes, after all, everyone in the Wei family is a traitor! Who would dare to bring it up openly?" She gave a wry smile and stared at his bewildered face. "I only learned the truth not long ago. You know what? Our whole family was murdered by traitors, and now, they are still alive and well!"
Nangong Heng's shadow trembled: "I know! I believe that Lord Weiguo would not do such a treasonous thing! But... this happened a long time ago, and words are not enough. I can't find any real evidence..."
"It's because I found evidence that I want to ask for your help!" Wei Shuyi approached him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "It's not easy for me to move around in the palace. You're in the capital, so please help me keep an eye on the Qu family."
Hearing that it was this mansion, Nangong Heng quickly realized something: "Could it be that Qu Wenhe is interfering?! To the point that..."
"There's no need to say anything more. I'll tell you the truth once this is done." Wei Shuyi interrupted him in time and stood up straight. "It's time to get some fresh air. If you don't go back, it will probably arouse suspicion. Let's do it like before. I'll go back first and you can follow. Don't miss the time!"
"good!"
When she re-entered Penglai Palace, she found that the emperor had been looking for her.
"Yao'er, you're pregnant now, so you can't walk around casually. If you accidentally bump into something, I'll be the one who'll be worried and scared!"
Facing Xie Yanci's concern, she felt no more emotion in her heart: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for reminding me! I just couldn't stand the smell of alcohol, so I went out."
As she spoke, she looked towards the second prince's seat, her face full of anticipation: "I hope that after ten months of pregnancy, I can also give birth to a little prince like this for Your Majesty."
"You, whether you give birth to a prince or a princess, I will love you!"
She didn't say what was in her heart.
In her heart, there is still a daughter's wronged soul waiting for her to take revenge! And the one who can send Concubine Jin to an endless purgatory is often the one she cares about the most.
For example, the position of the Eastern Palace.
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