Chapter 244: Sweet as Pie
When these words came out from the window, the faces of the palace servants guarding the door turned pale instantly.
Regardless of what kind of temper this lady had in the past, she is now the master of the harem and the queen who rules the country. Saying such words is defiance and she should be charged with disrespect.
However, the person in the room... is also from a prominent background.
Can anyone who can become the empress dowager's guest of honor be an ordinary person?
The palace maids in the courtyard, some were timid and some were waiting to watch the fun, all stared at Meng Yan's face.
Ruizhu stepped forward and whispered, "My Lady, would you like me to inquire about this?"
Meng Yan raised her slender hand slightly and smiled faintly, "No need." Then she said to the palace servant guarding the gate, "Inform the Empress Dowager that I have arrived."
Those who were waiting to watch the fun were greatly disappointed. The Queen Mother did not explode on the spot when she heard such unreasonable words.
Meng Yan lifted her skirt and walked up the stairs calmly.
If she had heard this a few days earlier, she would have been very angry even if she didn't lose her temper on the spot.
However, ever since Lu Haozhi opened up to her, she had become more open-minded about many things, and when she heard such words again, she just laughed it off.
She didn't care, and didn't need to care, who was speaking in the room.
She was just another girl from an old-school family who was trying her best to squeeze into the palace.
It is a waste of energy to look at someone who is about to be swept into dust for even a second.
She stepped over the vermilion threshold and walked towards the east warm room where the sound of people talking could be heard.
But after hearing the sound of footsteps, a slender figure emerged from inside.
The woman had her hair covered with pearls and jade, and was dressed in gorgeous clothes. She was young and quite pretty.
She had just left the warm room and passed the soft wall when she suddenly bumped into the Queen. A look of panic flashed across her face, and she quickly stepped aside and bowed deeply, "Your servant Li Minghua pays homage to the Queen. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
Meng Yan didn't even look at her, nor did she get up, and floated away from her side.
Li Minghua's face flushed red and blue, and she bit her lower lip, feeling ashamed and resentful. She was the granddaughter of the dignified Duke Zhongguo, the apple of the eye of the Right Prime Minister. Meng Yan's biological father was only a marquis, and her brother was only recently granted the title of Duke Huguo. They were newcomers to the court, with little foundation. But she couldn't compare to her Li family, whose family roots were deep and aristocratic, whether in the past or the present. Who would dare to look down on them? She was just lucky enough to have won the emperor's favor and become the empress. Otherwise, why would she be so superior to him? Who was she trying to show off to?
Tomorrow, she will tell her father and ask him to report Meng Changyuan to the court to see if she can still be so arrogant!
Even though he thought this in his heart, Li Minghua did not dare to show his anger on his face. He could only endure it and kneel on the ground.
The palace has strict rules and regulations. If you are not careful and the Queen catches you, it will be a huge embarrassment.
The sound of the queen's skirt dragging on the ground was getting farther and farther away, but there was still no sound of death. Li Minghua only felt the sweat dripping down her neck, soaking her tight clothes. It felt like countless insects and ants were gnawing at her chest and back, making her feel itchy and painful, but she didn't dare to scratch.
How often has she suffered such hardship since she was a child?
Meng Yan entered the soft wall, and Yunxiang quickly caught up with her from behind, whispering, "My Lady, that woman seems to be unable to hold on any longer, she's kneeling on the ground and swaying."
Meng Yan chuckled. "With such little ability, she still wants to enter the palace. Forget it, go and tell her to get up. The Queen Mother's territory is not suitable for trouble."
Yunxiang left as ordered, while Meng Yan held Ruizhu's hand and walked into the east warm room.
Entering the room, I saw Empress Dowager Jiang still leaning on a soft pillow made of autumn-scented gold-woven satin and goose feathers as usual, with her eyes closed and resting. A little palace maid was gently massaging her legs with a beauty's hammer on the ground.
Meng Yan stepped forward, bowed slightly, and greeted.
Empress Dowager Jiang opened her eyes, looked at her, paused, and then said, "You are pregnant, so there is no need to be so formal. Please sit down."
At that moment, a palace maid brought a jujube wood armchair and placed a pillow on it.
Seeing that the empress dowager was indifferent, Meng Yan did not dare to talk or laugh on her own. She knew in her heart that the empress dowager must have something to say today, so after thanking her, she sat quietly without saying a word.
Empress Dowager Jiang played with the Jialuo bracelet in her hand without saying a word for a long time. "It's hot, Yan'er, you must be thirsty after all this journey. Bring me some tea."
Hearing the Queen Mother still calling her by her childhood nickname, Meng Yan felt a little relieved. She smiled and said, "It's almost July, and the weather is getting really hot. I'm usually too lazy to go out, but today I'm so grateful that the Queen Mother summoned me. I can come and have a cup of good tea."
Empress Dowager Jiang couldn't help but smile at her playful words, and her expression relaxed a little. "You are now the most precious person in this palace. You have all the good things you want, and yet you still need a cup of tea from me! You are just pretending to be so lazy to win favor!"
Meng Yan giggled, "Since mother has seen through it, please love Yan'er more."
The two chatted and laughed for a while, and everyone in the room relaxed a little. Just at this moment, a man walked in with a tea tray in his hand.
Meng Yan took a closer look and was slightly stunned.
The one who came with tea was Bai Yuxin.
Bai Yuxin was still dressed simply, even wearing only a plum blossom jade hairpin on her head, without any other jewelry.
She walked up slowly, placed the tea bowl on the yellow wooden table next to Meng Yan, then bowed and retreated.
"Lady Bai has a good temper. She is quiet by nature and does things carefully and properly. I like her, so I often keep her here to serve."
Empress Dowager Jiang looked at Meng Yan and spoke slowly.
Watching Bai Yuxin retreat out the door, Meng Yan calmed herself down and smiled softly, "My mother has a keen eye for talent, and it's her blessing."
Empress Dowager Jiang continued, "She serves me well, and I am happy, so I want to promote her." Before she finished speaking, she stared at Meng Yan's expression and said, "She and you have always been good friends. When the harem grows in the future, she will be able to serve as your arm."
Meng Yan bit her lip, made up her mind, looked directly at Queen Mother Jiang, and said sternly, "Mother, Yuxin has no intention of staying in the harem. I... intend to let her go."
"snort!"
Empress Dowager Jiang slammed the bracelet in her hand onto the coffee table with such force that the tea in the tea bowl beside it splashed everywhere.
Meng Yan immediately stood up and knelt before the Queen Mother.
After the Queen knelt, all the palace maids in the room also knelt, leaving only Empress Dowager Jiang sitting high on the Arhat bed.
"I knew it was Hao'er and you who were in cahoots, making up such a willful story!" Just as she finished speaking, Empress Dowager Jiang looked at Meng Yan, who was kneeling on the ground, and glanced at her slightly bulging belly. She sighed, "Get up. You're getting heavier, and you keep kneeling for everything. We still need to use these rules when we talk. Ruizhu, help your mistress to her feet. You're all so impulsive. She's pregnant, and you're not careful. If anything goes wrong tomorrow, I'll see how I'll punish you!"
After receiving the order from the Queen Mother, Ruizhu hurriedly got up from the ground, helped Meng Yan up, and sat down on the chair again.
Empress Dowager Jiang looked at her unadorned, pure and elegant face and asked earnestly, "Do you know who just left?"
Meng Yan nodded slightly, "I know, she is the granddaughter of Duke Zhongguo and the daughter of the Right Prime Minister."
Empress Dowager Jiang continued, "Do you know how many people, like her, are trying every possible means to enter the harem?"
Meng Yan shook her head and said, "I don't know, but I imagine it must be quite a lot."
Empress Dowager Jiang took a long breath. "The list of candidates for the imperial selection sent by the previous dynasty contains a total of thirteen names, all of whom are daughters of aristocratic families! Behind each of these beauties is a powerful family, and each of them carries the hopes of their family. Hao'er is a young emperor, and it is natural that he may be confused and willful for a while. As his queen, you should have been more cautious and restrained. How come you are also acting recklessly now? I thought you had made great progress recently, but now it seems that you are far from enough!" After saying this, she thought that her words were too harsh, so she took a breath and continued, "Yan'er, you and Hao'er love each other, and I understand it in my heart. However, the royal family is not like ordinary people, and there are many things that cannot be done arbitrarily. Hao'er was able to help you become queen, and you can grow old together. It is already a great honor. If you ask for anything else, I am afraid it will bring disaster."
Meng Yan listened quietly to the Queen Mother's words, then whispered, "But mother, have you ever considered that Li Minghua is not a concubine in the palace, nor does she have an imperial decree? She is just a commoner, yet she dares to discuss the affairs of the harem. Does she take the Lu royal family seriously? Mother, Yan'er dares to ask, at the risk of being disrespectful, if we blindly give in to these aristocratic families for the sake of stability, then who will rule the country, the Lu family or those families?"
"you!"
Empress Dowager Jiang was so angry that she opened her eyes wide but could not utter a word.
Meng Yan stood up, took a step forward, and knelt at the feet of Empress Dowager Jiang again, looking up at her, "Yan'er has often been willful and caused trouble since she entered the palace. Queen mother protects Yan'er like her own daughter, and Yan'er understands it in her heart. It's just that the emperor wants to work hard to govern the country and want to accomplish great things, so he must take this step. Yan'er just wants to lend him a hand. If Queen mother wants to blame, blame Yan'er. Yan'er could not dissuade the emperor and failed to fulfill her duty of persuasion. No matter how Queen mother punishes me, Yan'er will have no complaints." As she spoke, two lines of tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, slid down her smooth face to her chin, and finally dripped onto the ground.
Empress Dowager Jiang lowered her head in silence. The setting sun shone in through the window lattice behind her, shining on the old man and casting a heavy shadow.
After an unknown amount of time, Empress Dowager Jiang suddenly raised her hand, ruffled the bun on Meng Yan's head, and wiped away the tears on her face.
"Don't kneel. I've told you so many times, but you never remember. Women shouldn't cry when they're pregnant. It's bad for their eyes."
She ordered the palace maid to help Meng Yan up and sighed deeply, "I am old and no longer have the energy to take care of my children. You should go back and take good care of yourself. From now on, I will only wait to hold my grandchildren."
Meng Yan was stunned at first, but then she understood and couldn't help laughing.
Empress Dowager Jiang looked at her and said in a deep voice, "Girl, do you know what you will have to face in the future? What will the court, the people, and even the history books a hundred years from now, say about you?"
Meng Yan's face was full of solemnity. "Yan'er understands. No matter what kind of insults I receive, Yan'er is happy to accept them."
Empress Dowager Jiang nodded slightly and raised her hand, "You can go back."
Meng Yan hesitated for a moment, then bowed and left.
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