"Silver Candle?!"
"Liu... This servant greets Master Xi!"
Wei Shuyi certainly didn't want his old friend to kowtow before him, so he quickly helped her up and said, "You seem to be free today, why didn't you take care of the affairs in Shoukang Palace and come to my courtyard?"
"Who said I'm not busy?" Yin Zhu winked at her playfully and cleared her throat, "Xi Baolin, listen to your orders!"
"..." With Wen Yu's help, she slowly squatted down and waited for orders.
"The Empress Dowager has issued an oral order: Baolin Yushi, filial and respectful by nature, and virtuous by nature, is hereby promoted to the rank of Seventh Rank Consort, and her title shall remain with her as a token of commendation. I decree this!"
It was actually the Queen Mother who raised her position!
Wei Shuyi quickly accepted the order and returned to the inner hall to accept Yin Zhu's congratulations: "Hehe, it's worth it that I often mentioned your contribution to saving the emperor in front of the Queen Mother! Until today, she finally showed her favor! In a while, you can give birth to the royal heir safely. In the future, mothers will be honored by their sons, and it will be no surprise that you will be promoted to a concubine."
"She's a second-class maid in Shoukang Palace, how could she be so rude?"
Yin Zhu leaned close to her ear and responded in a lower voice, "Because you are my only friend, I hope you are well! To be honest, if the emperor ever gets tired of the queen and wants to depose her, I hope you can take that position!"
Deposed Queen...
She hasn't thought that far ahead.
Why would Yin Zhu bring this up out of the blue? Could it be because she heard rumors in the palace?
"Hush, don't say that again! The Queen is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. She has steadily risen through the ranks from Crown Princess to the lord of Fengluan Palace. How could the Emperor easily depose her?"
"Oh! I just mentioned it casually!" Yin Zhu slowly walked towards the Mo He painting. "Before, I heard the Queen Mother say that the Queen loved painting when she was still in the Eastern Palace. I don't know if it's true or not. Anyway, during my time in the palace, I sent gifts during festivals and holidays, but I never saw the Queen demonstrate her painting skills."
As the two were chatting, they saw a number of young eunuchs staggering into the courtyard in groups of three or five, carrying heavy objects, and no one knew what they were planning.
"What's going on outside?"
Yin Zhu looked around curiously, causing Wei Shuyi to look outside as well: "Are these people also sent by the Empress Dowager? Why haven't I seen them before?"
"Eh? Not really! The Queen Mother only sent me here, and I don't even know those palace maids."
She immediately became alert and walked out of the inner hall holding Wen Yu's hand.
In the courtyard, the group of people were still busy.
After spotting Wei Shuyi, they all knelt, with the foremost eunuch explaining, "My Lady Xi, the Emperor has learned of the Empress Dowager's order and has specially arranged for the servants to deliver a gift! Once the Emperor has finished his political duties, he will explain everything to you, my Lady!"
Gift?
Looking at the water tanks of different sizes in front of her and the cotton cloth covering them, she really couldn't guess what kind of surprise the emperor had arranged.
"Can you take it off and let me see it?"
"My lady, please wait a moment! After we have put the vat in the right place, we will definitely remove the cloth."
"Okay, then you guys go get busy first."
Wen Yu brought a reclining chair for Wei Shuyi and handed a low stool to Yin Zhu. "This is the first time I've seen this. I find it fresh and I want to accompany you to find the answers."
The young eunuchs followed the blueprint and moved the water tank to the corresponding position little by little. After checking it repeatedly, they used a ladder to lift the cotton cloth on the high place!
It’s an ice sculpture?!
The more Yin Zhu looked at it, the more familiar it seemed to her: "My Lady Xi, is this the painting on your desk? Look at the position of the flowers, and the drooping of the lotus leaves..."
"Yes!" Wen Yu also remembered it, his tone excited, "The emperor has only seen it a few times, but he can remember all the details and even have someone make it?!"
This year's sweltering heat arrived exceptionally early, and Wei Shuyi, still pregnant, was even more susceptible to the heat. The ice cubes sent by the Imperial Household Department often melted completely by the middle of the night, frequently waking her up from the heat. Sweat clung to her clothes, and she tossed and turned for hours before falling asleep.
Wen Yu once mentioned that the emperor came to Sang Yuxuan one day before attending the morning court. He happened to see her sweating profusely, paused at the table for a moment, and then left.
Unexpectedly, not long after, a completely replicated Mo He picture appeared in front of her in the form of an ice sculpture!
"My dear lady, the Emperor has instructed that you don't have to worry about it melting. After sunset, you can come to the courtyard to enjoy the cool air. Furthermore, the Emperor has prepared other ice sculptures, which I will move to the inner chambers shortly. You will be able to enjoy a cool summer."
"It won't melt?!"
"Indeed, the Imperial Master traveled the world and found precious materials... As for what they were called, I don't know. I only know that the Imperial Master assisted the Emperor in creating this ice sculpture."
Before Wei Shuyi got close, she felt that the heat wave was weakened as it passed through it, turning into a cool summer breeze that gently caressed her face.
The emperor actually noticed this detail and took the trouble to prepare such a gift for her. It would be self-deception to say that he was not touched.
She felt at ease and couldn't help but reach out and touch her swollen belly. "Look, your father loves you so much. He was afraid that you wouldn't get enough rest, so he took away the imperial teacher's treasures. You must grow up well and don't let us down."
"We" is a word that she feels is presumptuous.
She was not the emperor's first wife, nor was she his beloved, but at this moment, because she felt the feeling of being cared for, she began to have some delusions.
Such a big commotion in Sang Yuxuan naturally could not be hidden from others.
In Yongshou Palace, several maids took turns fanning themselves, still unable to endure the heat. "Your Majesty, why don't you ask the Imperial Household Department to get some ice sculptures? It'll be better than..."
"It's not even the hottest days of summer yet, and you're already so afraid of the heat?" Rong Zhaoyi snorted coldly. "If you didn't know better, you'd think you were the pampered masters, delicate and fragile, unable to withstand the heat or cold!"
They were most afraid of displeasing their master, so even if it was a kind reminder, they did not dare to talk back and could only wave the fans even harder.
"I heard that there is another happy event in Lin'an Palace?"
"That's right," the head maid Qingtan bowed and replied, "The Empress Dowager has decreed that Xi Baolin be promoted to a concubine. Not only that, the Emperor also sent a gift and mobilized dozens of people to move the ice sculpture. This movement is known to everyone in the palace."
"What about the one in Fengluan Palace? She just lost the emperor's heart and had a quarrel with him. She wouldn't dare to throw a tantrum now, would she?"
Qingtan shook her head. "I don't know how the Empress is doing these days. After the argument last night, she locked herself up in the palace. She also skipped her morning and evening visits today. I guess that's related to this incident."
This Imperial Concubine Jin is quite resourceful!
The emperor has been on the throne for several years. She seems to be non-competitive, but she is trying to sow discord between the emperor and the empress over various trivial matters, causing them to gradually become alienated.
The Queen has always had a hot temper and can't hold back her grievances. It's really refreshing that she has calmed down and acted as if nothing had happened!
Rong Zhaoyi waved her hand lazily, dismissing the servants. When she looked at Qingtan again, her eyes were sharper.
"Have you dealt with the matter outside the capital?"
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