Chapter 171 Stay in the Palace
"This world belongs to me. How can anything belong to others?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Queen Mother knew that he had made up his mind and she had no chance to refute him.
The hall was silent for more than a moment. The Queen Mother was so shocked by the news that she didn't know what to say.
He Yanchen slowly twirled the ring on his finger, his tone calm, "What are you hesitating about, Queen Mother? I am your own son. Are you going to act like Xiao Mingcheng and reject my opinion?"
The man raised his eyes, his meaning unclear: "It's hard to say, though. The Queen Mother always values others more."
Other mothers protect and spoil their sons, but his mother is just the opposite. She hates her son.
The sneer on He Yanchen's face hurt the Queen Mother's eyes. She clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand and said bitterly, "I know you hate me, but this matter is of no small importance. How can you compare it to me?"
"No small matter?" The mockery in He Yanchen's eyes grew stronger. "How is it no small matter? In the final analysis, she is just a concubine of Xiao Mingcheng. Did she go through the three matchmakers and six betrothals, or was she included in the Xiao family tree?"
Fortunately, that fool Xiao Mingcheng did nothing, and Yue Li had nothing but a contract of sale in his hands.
He Yanchen tapped the tabletop lightly with his knuckles, feeling an inexplicable sense of pleasure as he watched the empress dowager's face gradually turn pale. "So, after Xiao Mingcheng leaves the capital, after a few months, no one will know that there was a woman by his side."
Anyway, Yueli doesn't like him, and the Xiao family doesn't like Yueli either.
Except for Xiao Mingcheng, everyone was happy.
The Queen Mother was powerless to refute. She sighed heavily, "Since Your Majesty has made up his mind, why bother looking for me again?"
He Yanchen chuckled softly, "I want to keep her in the palace. I'd like the Queen Mother to issue an oral order to help me cover up a few things so that her reputation won't be damaged."
The Queen Mother almost couldn't breathe.
His own reputation is in a mess, and he's still concerned about other people's reputations?
"In that case, the girl should stay in Yeonbok Palace for the next few days."
"No need." He Yanchen refused without thinking. He brought Yueli into the palace to enjoy himself, not to let her be tortured by the Queen Mother.
Although people in the palace usually say that the empress dowager has a kind nature, He Yanchen doesn't think so.
Seeing the wariness and displeasure in his eyes, the Queen Mother was so angry that her chest ached.
He Yanchen achieved his goal and did not want to stay in Yanfu Palace for long, so he left.
He went back to Linde Hall today to worship his ancestors, but Yueli was still asleep, so he didn't wake her up.
At the palace gate.
The Empress, dressed in a phoenix robe, was already waiting beside the carriage. She saw the imperial carriage approaching from a distance and immediately bowed, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The imperial carriage did not stop, but passed in front of her and stopped in front of He Yanchen's carriage.
The queen's face turned red and white. In front of so many ministers, His Majesty didn't even give her a little dignity.
He Yanchen boarded the imperial carriage, which led the way out of the palace, followed by all the civil and military officials.
Xiao Mingcheng was also in the ancestor worship team. He couldn't sleep all night and waited anxiously for news from the palace, but there was no news of Yue Li's whereabouts.
Chu Yi was on horseback, leading the imperial guards on a tour of the surroundings, when he saw Xiao Mingcheng approaching from behind, "Commander Chu!"
Chu Yi turned around and his face stiffened the moment he saw Xiao Mingcheng.
Of course he knew what Xiao Mingcheng was going to ask. Miss Yueli was sleeping on the dragon bed in the Linde Palace at this moment, but how could he answer?
"Commander Chu, is there any news about Yue Li in the palace?"
Chu Yi laughed awkwardly and said, "I've looked for her. Miss Yueli is in Yanfu Palace."
"Yanfu Palace?" Xiao Mingcheng's face changed. Could it be that the Queen Mother believed her mother's words and deliberately kept Yueli in the palace to teach her the rules?
Xiao Mingcheng was extremely anxious and just wanted to go to the palace to see Yueli as soon as possible.
However, ancestor worship is a major event of the year, and all officials above the fifth rank must accompany it, so he had no way to leave.
*
At that time, the imperial palace.
Since the queen was not in the palace, the concubines naturally did not need to go to Fengyang Palace to pay their respects. The imperial garden and the area around the lotus pond were more lively than usual, with concubines gathered in groups of three or four to talk.
Jiang Ronghua asked the palace maid to pick a few branches of wintersweet flowers and smiled at Shen Zhaoyi, "Sister, look, this year's wintersweet flowers seem to be in full bloom than in previous years."
Shen Zhaoyi was a bit uninterested, but she still cheered up and echoed Jiang Ronghua's words: "The wintersweets in the plum forest are in full bloom. I'll have someone pick a few branches and bring them back to the palace. I guarantee the whole palace will be filled with fragrance."
Jiang Ronghua became interested as soon as she heard it. They were not far from Meilin, so she pulled Shen Zhaoyi towards Meilin.
Shen Zhaoyi was a little absent-minded.
Since the Queen was leaving the palace, all matters in the harem would naturally be handled by Concubine De, who usually assisted in managing the six palaces, and her.
The Queen had instructed them two days ago. When Shen Zhaoyi looked at the account book of the Ministry of Internal Affairs this morning, she found that a lot of perfumed dew was requested from the Linde Palace last night. The account book of the Shangfu Bureau also recorded that people from the imperial court came a few days ago and took away a lot of brightly colored fabrics. Those fabrics were used by the women in the harem to make clothes, and His Majesty would never use them.
Perfume and fabrics, these are clearly things used by women.
But I haven't heard that His Majesty has rewarded any concubines recently, and it is also recorded in history that His Majesty has not entered the harem for quite some time.
Shen Zhaoyi suddenly felt a sense of crisis. She had a hunch that something was wrong. Could there be a woman hiding in Linde Palace?
Thinking of this, she felt uncomfortable all over. She hurriedly said a few words to Jiang Ronghua and left on the pretext of feeling unwell.
Shen Zhaoyi did not go back to Yihua Palace directly, but took a detour and took another road that would pass through Linde Hall.
He Yanchen was not in the palace, but the guards outside the Linde Hall were still very strict. She only took a look from a distance but did not find anything unusual.
Shen Zhaoyi stood there, wondering if she was just being overly suspicious.
She was about to leave when she saw the imperial maid Nian Xia coming towards her with two little girls.
"Miss Nianxia." Shen Zhaoyi walked out from under the shade of the tree.
Nian Xia hurriedly bowed and said, "This servant greets the Empress Zhaoyi."
"Miss Nianxia, there's no need to be so polite." Shen Zhaoyi glanced at the two girls calmly. They looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, but they looked very unfamiliar and definitely not from the imperial court.
"Where are you taking them, Miss Nianxia?"
Nian Xia said, "It's just a few new palace maids in the imperial court."
Shen Zhaoyi hummed and didn't ask any more questions: "In that case, Miss Nianxia, please go quickly. I won't keep you any longer."
"I'll take my leave."
Only after Nian Xia and the two men disappeared into the gate of Linde Hall did Shen Zhaoyi's expression completely change.
There has never been a new palace maid in the imperial court for so many years. All these unusual things are enough to prove that there must be a woman who is not allowed to be seen in public in the Linde Palace.
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