Because of the good news coming from the palace one after another, this year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was much more grand than in previous years.
The Empress, having regained control of the Six Palaces, was the undisputed choice to oversee the planning of this grand banquet. While Imperial Concubine Jin and Consort Rong were tasked with assisting, their preoccupations, one preoccupied with thoughts, the other disdaining to attend, effectively left the Empress with little time to herself.
"All you do now is quarrel with me and find fault with me! God bless you, and finally let me live a peaceful life."
Jinhan massaged her legs, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
The Queen noticed something was wrong: "Normally, you can't hold back your words, why are you so quiet today?"
"Your Majesty, there's news from the Master." Jin Han stopped what he was doing and leaned closer to relay the message, "It says that during this Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the Imperial Concubine will be making some small moves. You should pay attention."
"Her?! Impossible!"
"Why is Your Majesty so sure? Have you forgotten? Before, the Imperial Concubine played the piano and danced, always wanting to be the first to show off everything! This forced the other truly talented concubines in the palace to temporarily change their talents. This Mid-Autumn Festival, she might be using the same trick again!"
When the Empress mentioned this, she was filled with endless joy. "She's too busy feeling sorry for herself right now to even think about winning favor. I've already sent people to investigate. Chengqian Palace has been very quiet lately. Imperial Concubine Jin hasn't been out of the house yet, so she can't be bothered with anything!"
Jin Han was still worried: "But, the message from the master is definitely not groundless. Otherwise, the queen should pay more attention to it."
Is this really such a ridiculous thing?
Pretending to be decadent while secretly preparing for the show?
The Queen nodded perfunctorily and replied, "I know what's going on. There's no need to mention this matter again."
In the side hall of Fengluan Palace, Wei Shuyi and Liang Cairen were sitting together, busy making small clothes.
"Ouch! After all this hard work, I still don't have any talent. Look, several of my fingers are about to be pierced!"
Wei Shuyi looked at the pattern in her hand, feeling somewhat amused and helpless. "Other people embroider flowers, birds, insects, and fish, or at the very least, some cute rabbits or elk. Why did you insist on embroidering meat?"
"I don't expect my children to achieve much. Having enough food, warm clothes, and the ability to distinguish right from wrong is enough." Liang Cairen stared at the half piece of braised pork. "When I was a child practicing martial arts, the thing I wanted most was a chopstick of meat. What a pity, these damn people only care about worshipping that bitch and don't care about me at all! I can only dream on an empty stomach. I will never let my children go through this again."
Mentioning such bittersweet memories, Wei Shuyi couldn't help but recall his time at the laundry house. He was equally starving, and being able to eat a few whole vegetable leaves was a luxury, let alone delicious meat!
She held the needle and thread and stopped moving: "Sister, you still have me! Even if the child encounters such a disaster after birth, I will try my best to protect him..."
"Minmin! Listen to me!" Liang Cairen threw aside the small dress and held her solemnly. "I, I'm pregnant, and it's not intentional to steal your favor. The emperor rarely comes here, and he saw you were asleep and didn't want to disturb you, so he stopped by to see me. This child came so suddenly that I was embarrassed to explain to you before, but now I must make it clear! I don't want to be honored by my son, and I don't want to be estranged from you because of him. Can you understand my feelings?"
Liangcairen is still the same. Sometimes when he gets excited, he even stutters.
Wei Shuyi had never made any malicious speculation about her, and he would not distance himself from her just because her best friend was pregnant.
At present, in addition to maintaining her own position, she also needs to build connections and cultivate her own power. Liang Cairen, the woman who once sacrificed her life to save her, is an important part of this.
"Sister, you're making wild guesses again. You and I have walked hand in hand, and each of us has received blessings. That's the icing on the cake. How could I question your intentions?"
"Minmin, I'm glad you're not angry! I've been worried for days, especially the day I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to hide under the quilt and disappear from view! I was afraid you'd abandon me. Then this child wouldn't be a blessing to me, but a curse!"
Sometimes she couldn't figure out Liangcairen's thoughts.
For example, why should her position be placed before the royal heir?
——
In the autumn of the fifth year of Emperor Yunwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held as scheduled in Penglai Palace.
Royal relatives, nobles, and important court officials still have the right to enter the palace and attend banquets.
This time, Wei Shuyi finally didn't have to worry about what talent to use to win the emperor's favor. Now pregnant, she just had to sit back and enjoy the show.
Xie Yanqing still had that cynical look on his face. He glanced over from a distance, then quickly waved open his folding fan to cover most of his face and turned his head to look away.
Wen Yu also saw this scene and reminded her in her ear: "The prince told the young lady to be careful of the imperial concubine."
"How do you know this?!"
"I have lived in the palace for a long time. His every word and action has special meaning. I remember it in my heart, so it is not difficult for me to judge his intentions."
Wei Shuyi couldn't help but admire the "evil-minded" King Lian, who had spent years training orphaned girls, dispersing them across the land to serve as his spies. Besides his ability and determination, his endurance was also not to be underestimated.
Tonight's banquet was unremarkable. The emperor mentioned the talented woman and promised to promote her after she gave birth. This was followed by a song and dance performance arranged by the court ladies, all praising the Great Zhou Emperor.
"Oh, I really want to see the Hu Xuan Dance again!" Jing Ning yawned, "Sister Wen Yu, you don't know! Back then, our young lady danced all over the world and directly won the reputation of Lotus Goddess!"
"Indeed, tonight's show is just the same old show, lacking much heart."
As the two were whispering, they saw a folk circus troupe enter the main hall.
The man sitting in the minister's seat immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have been frequently inspecting the lives of the people recently and have discovered an interesting acrobatic troupe! If you don't mind, could you please let them perform?"
Most of the concubines in the palace had only seen one or two acrobatic performances in the capital with their families at home. When they learned that there would be such a good show tonight, they all sat up straight and looked in that direction.
Xie Yanci naturally wouldn't let everyone down: "Great! This is the first time the Minister of the Central Secretariat has prepared a performance for me and the Queen Mother. How can I refuse?"
Wait! Who?! The Minister of the Central Secretariat?
Wei Shuyi's eyes fell on the thin and short figure, and he remembered the information provided by Xie Yanqing: when one person in the Qu family succeeds, the whole family will prosper, and Qu Wenhe is now the Minister of the Central Secretariat!
Is he the imperial concubine's father?
The moment the man turned around, she captured his facial features: sunken cheeks, long face, and eyes the size of green beans that always make people hallucinate mice at first glance, spinning around as if planning something.
Although you can't judge a person by his appearance, but...
Wei Shuyi suppressed the discomfort spreading in his heart and shifted his attention to the stage: Is he really the one who pleads for the Wei family?
"Bang!"
Thick smoke suddenly rose on the stage, interrupting her thoughts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
