Chapter 180 What are you hiding? Let me see
He Yanchen ignored the Queen's words and asked directly, "What's the matter, Queen?"
The Queen then realized she had been staring at that woman for a long time. Coming to her senses, she quickly replied, "Your Majesty, it's tonight's palace banquet. Concubine Zheng came to me and complained that Concubine Jin hadn't allowed her to see the Crown Prince for a long time. She wanted me to arrange for her to sit with the Crown Prince tonight."
The Queen said in embarrassment, "But the eldest prince is now raised by Concubine Jin. If he sits with Concubine Zheng, Concubine Jin will definitely not be happy. Both of them have come to me, and I really can't decide."
After hearing this, He Yanchen felt that the queen was extremely stupid and those two people were just bored.
Although the eldest prince is the biological son of Concubine Zheng, Concubine Zheng has a low status and is not qualified to raise the eldest prince. He has already ordered Concubine Jin to raise him. Now Concubine Jin is the eldest prince's official mother. What's the point of being so entangled about such a small matter?
Even if the queen wants to balance the two, why not arrange for the eldest prince to serve the queen mother? That way no one will have any objections.
He Yanchen felt that the Queen was looking for trouble.
He was in a bad mood, so his tone was naturally even worse: "In that case, neither of them should go. Let the Queen Mother bring the eldest prince to the palace banquet."
The Queen was startled: "This..."
"The Queen has something else to say?" He Yanchen was impatient.
The Queen always knew He Yanchen's temper. Seeing that he was already unhappy, she naturally didn't dare to say anything more: "Yes, I understand."
"I will take my leave first."
The Queen came out of the Imperial Study, and Dong Xu supported her as they walked out. "Have you noticed who His Majesty favors more?"
The Queen sneered, "Perhaps His Majesty is impatient with both of them, and has suggested that the Queen Mother bring the eldest prince to the palace banquet."
"Concubine Zheng is unfavored and of low rank, so she is not to be feared. Now it seems that His Majesty does not look down upon Concubine Jin either. Your Majesty can rest assured."
Dong Xu didn't know why the queen looked in a bad mood. After all, this was a good thing for them.
The Queen unconsciously glanced back and asked, "Do you know who I saw in the Imperial Study just now?"
Dong Xu shook his head: "I don't know."
"It's the new Consort Yu." The Queen's eyes darkened slightly. "I've seen that His Majesty dotes on her very much. They're very affectionate with each other. He even has her by his side when he's reviewing memorials."
Dong Xu was somewhat surprised: "That Concubine Yu has been in the palace for half a month, and she hasn't even come to pay her respects once. Your Majesty is so indulgent towards her, isn't this just emboldening her?"
The queen was a little uneasy. She always felt that Concubine Yu looked very familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her for a while.
She walked along the palace path, thinking about it all the time.
Suddenly, the queen stopped abruptly.
"My Lady, what's wrong?"
The queen grabbed Dong Xu's arm tightly, and she remembered.
Isn’t Concubine Yu the one who sat next to Xiao Mingcheng at the palace banquet on New Year’s Eve?
She looked unfamiliar at the time, and the Queen asked the Queen Mother, who said that she was Xiao Mingcheng's concubine.
But...but how did she become His Majesty's favorite concubine?
The Queen hurriedly ordered Dong Xu, "Send someone out of the palace to find out if there's anything unusual happening in Shou'an Marquis's Mansion recently."
"Marquis Shou'an's Mansion?" Dong Xu was puzzled. They had no connection with Marquis Shou'an.
The queen said nothing, but the gloom between her brows grew heavier.
*
He Yanchen was still meeting with ministers in the afternoon, and Yueli felt bored so she went back to Linde Hall by herself.
It was Feilan who accompanied her today. As they were walking back, Feilan whispered, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Shou'an Marquis and his family will also be attending the palace banquet tonight."
Yue Li suddenly felt a little nervous. She didn't want to see Xiao Mingcheng.
Although Xiao Mingcheng was not as kind to her as He Yanchen before, it cannot be said that he had done anything wrong. However, she had suffered losses because of the Xiao family several times, and Yue Li could not swallow this.
Originally, Xiao Mingcheng should have been in the wrong, but since she hooked up with He Yanchen, she suddenly became the one in the wrong.
If they don't meet, they can pretend nothing happened, but if they meet, Yueli feels that she will feel guilty.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've asked Nianxia, and the seats for the concubines and the officials' wives are separate. You won't be sitting with him, and he wouldn't dare to act recklessly in public."
Yue Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to go to the palace banquet tonight.
After returning to Linde Palace, Yueli was a little hungry, so Feilan said she would bring her some pastries.
It is not time for dinner now, but there is a small kitchen in Linde Hall, so you can just order whatever you want to eat.
Yueli waited for a while, and then saw Feilan hurried in.
"What's wrong?"
Fei Lan closed the palace door and then took out a small note from her sleeve: "Your Majesty, the kitchen was out of your favorite crab cakes. I wanted to go to the imperial kitchen to get some, but on the way I saw Xiao Lu beside General Xiao."
"General Xiao has entered the palace and is now in Yanfu Palace talking with the Queen Mother. Xiao Lu asked me to give this to you."
Yueli took the note and took a look at it. It was written by Xiao Mingcheng.
Xiao Mingcheng wanted to see her.
But Yueli didn't want to see him.
For her, there was nothing difficult to let go of in the past year, especially when compared with He Yanchen. Yue Li only regretted that she had not met He Yanchen earlier.
But she couldn't say that she hated Xiao Mingcheng that much. She just hoped that they could go their separate ways in the future and not bother each other anymore.
Yueli threw the note into the charcoal brazier and watched the flames slowly engulf it.
"I won't go." She was not stupid. It would be bad if He Yanchen found out.
"But Xiao Lu said that General Xiao will be waiting for you there..." Fei Lan said, "General Xiao asked you to meet him in the Chonghua Palace in the east. Although it is uninhabited and close to the cold palace, it would be bad if he was discovered and implicated you."
Yueli frowned irritably: "If I go to see him, I'll be giving him something to hold against me."
"Write him a letter for me and send it to him so that he won't give up."
Yueli had been quite thoughtful, having Feilan write for her. Even if her handwriting wasn't discovered, she'd have room for excuses. But if Xiao Mingcheng, that stubborn person, had been left waiting there, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be criticized.
"What does your Majesty want to write?"
Yue Li thought for a long time but didn't know what to say. She felt that Xiao Mingcheng was really stubborn.
Can't she just live a peaceful life?
"Just write that I'm fine now and don't want to see him. Tell him not to come to the palace to look for me in the future."
Feilan said "oh" and picked up the pen and started writing quickly.
Just when the two were about to finish, the door of the hall was pushed open from the outside with a creaky sound.
"Why are you closing the door in broad daylight?"
He Yanchen walked in.
Yueli was startled and subconsciously hid the letter behind her.
He Yanchen took in all her little movements. He walked slowly towards her, his voice gentler than ever before:
"What are you hiding? Let me see."
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