Chapter 649 General Election
"laugh!"
When Xuan Qiwen turned around, she saw Fu Jinrou looking embarrassed, and she immediately mocked her:
"Who is that person? Why would he play with you? And you even approached him. Will he pay any attention to you?"
Fu Jinrou's eyes flashed with gloom, but her face showed a bit of disappointment: "I thought we were friends..."
Xuan Qiwen sneered: "You treat me as a friend, but I don't treat you as a friend. Don't get close to me and make a fool of yourself."
She was a little annoyed that when Fu Jinrou was getting along with her, she was still trying to please Qian Qiyue and the others, so she spoke particularly harshly.
Princess Huan hated Tang Ning and Qian Qiyue, and she also hated Fu Jinrou. She also took her anger out on Fu Jinrou for the embarrassing incident in Shoukang Palace that day.
She originally planned to find an opportunity to teach Fu Jinrou a lesson, but this little bitch actually won the favor of the Queen Mother.
Now that she saw her humiliated, Princess Huan was naturally happy. She was even happier to see the Fu family quarrel with Jiyun Lane and the Qian family. It would be best if the quarrel could happen on the spot and make them embarrassed.
Princess Huan spoke even more harshly than Xuan Qiwen:
"Although your last name is Fu, you are not of the Fu Ang lineage. Qian Qiyue is the legitimate daughter of the Qian family, and Song Tangning is a princess with a marriage contract with the Duke of Ding. How could they look down on you with their status?"
"It's thanks to the Fu family that you can enter this palace, otherwise..."
Princess Huan glanced Fu Jinrou up and down. Although she didn't say the rest of the words, her contempt and disdain were as if she wanted to peel off the skin of her.
Fu Jinrou had been pretending to be disappointed, but after hearing what Princess Huan said, she felt as if she was back to the embarrassment she had just experienced when she entered the palace.
Many people around looked over here, but there was no Qian Qiyue to fight for her today, and she couldn't fight herself, so she could only pinch her palms hard.
Just as he was about to say something, someone came out from the inner hall.
"What are you guys chatting about? It's so lively?"
Nanny Ran asked casually with a smile, and without waiting for an answer, she turned to the people outside and said:
"It's freezing cold outside. The banquet in the palace is ready. Princesses and ladies, please come in quickly and continue your conversation after you've warmed up."
"There's nothing much to talk about, just a few words. Nanny Ran, how is the Queen Mother today?"
Princess Huan turned around and walked into the hall first, asking as she walked.
Nanny Ran smiled and said, "The Queen is fine. She will be here soon."
"Everyone, please come in."
After Princess Huan entered the palace, the others followed in one after another. Rong Yue said to the people around her, "Let's go in too."
The banquet was held in the main hall of Shoukang Palace. It didn't look too big, and tables had already been set up in the hall. The long table with exquisite carvings was surrounded on both sides, revealing the area at the top and in front of the door.
There are exquisite utensils on the table, and in between you can see a few four-color camellias in full bloom.
There were plum blossoms in a tall vase with a narrow neck at the corner of the hall. The faint fragrance filled the entire hall, and the warm air that came to their faces made everyone who were still feeling uncomfortable due to the cold wind feel relieved.
Tang Ning took off the cloak and placed it aside. Qian Qiyue looked at the camellia on the table with curiosity.
"This flower is really well-maintained." She whispered, "It's freezing outside, but it's still blooming."
Madam Cao and Madam Fu were sitting next to Tang Ning and the others.
As if hearing Qian Qiyue's words, Madam Cao whispered, "The flowers are blooming so well because someone is taking care of them. I heard there's a flower room in Shoukang Palace with a charcoal fire burning every day. The room is warm like spring, so the flowers can maintain their bright colors and not be affected by the cold wind."
"Look at those flowers outside in the corridor. That pot is worth a hundred taels of gold, but you can't see it from outside."
Qian Qiyue was amazed: "So precious?"
When she saw it before, she just thought it was strange, but she didn't expect it to be so expensive.
"That's nothing." Madam Fu said, "The orchids grown in Fengqi Palace in the past were truly exquisite. They used Bishan soil and were watered with mountain spring water. Just one flower required several people to tend to it. Back then, the Queen even held a special orchid banquet. It was a lively one..."
"ah!"
Mrs. Fu was originally about to express her feelings about how precious the orchid was, but she was halfway through her words when Mrs. Cao suddenly pulled her, causing her body to tilt and almost hit the corner of the table.
“What are you doing…”
Mrs. Fu was just about to ask you what you were doing when she saw that everyone else was looking at her.
Mrs. Fu only realized belatedly that the man in Fengqi Palace was a criminal.
Empress Lu committed a heinous crime, cheating on the royal family. Even the prince might not be of royal blood, making the royal family a huge joke.
After her death, no one buried her body. I heard that His Majesty secretly had her bones crushed and scattered. All the people in Fengqi Palace died, and Fengqi Palace became a taboo in the palace, and no one dared to mention it.
After Mrs. Fu realized what was happening, she looked annoyed and quickly shut up.
The others around pretended not to hear, but the taciturn Mrs. Xu looked at the camellia on the table and said:
"I didn't expect a single flower to be so expensive. I heard earlier that the Ministry of Revenue didn't even have enough money to quell the rebellion."
"When I woke up this morning, I heard from the palace that it snowed so heavily these past two days that some areas outside the capital were hit by disasters. The heavy snow collapsed many houses, leaving many people homeless."
"The money I earn from raising a single flower is probably enough to keep the entire village warm during the winter..."
The Empress Dowager's palace used the best red charcoal and silver charcoal. Since they were shipped back to the capital from other territories, they were extremely expensive and ordinary people could not afford them for heating. However, they were used to burn around the clock to serve flowers and plants.
Although Madam Xu was born in the Cao family, she still felt it was too wasteful. However, her words offended Princess Huan.
Princess Huan suddenly shouted, "Are you accusing the Queen Mother of extravagance?"
Mrs. Xu was shocked: "I don't have it!"
She just said it casually.
Princess Huan said, "Everyone in the capital knows that the Empress Dowager loves camellias. This four-color camellia is an extremely rare treasure. Let alone offering it over charcoal, even if it's carved in gold or cast in silver, what difference does it make? As long as it can make the Empress Dowager happy, any effort is worth it."
"What's more, what is the status of the Queen Mother? What are the status of those people? You are comparing those untouchables to the Queen Mother. It's totally unreasonable!"
Mrs. Xu's face looked a little unhappy: "That's not what I meant..."
"What do you mean?"
Princess Huan has never been a good-tempered person. She looked up at Madam Xu as if she wanted her to say something.
Madam Cao saw that Princess Huan had asked Madam Xu questions that left her at a loss for words. The Xu family girl also turned pale. She looked sullenly and said, "We were just chatting for a few minutes. Why is Princess Huan being so aggressive?"
Madam Fu said angrily, "That's right, are you using the Empress Dowager as a scapegoat for just a few idle words?"
"Besides, we are just talking over here, why is Princess Huan listening so fast? It's not enough for you to be quiet from such a distance."
Mrs. Fu was indifferent to Mrs. Xu, but she loved her niece, the daughter of the Xu family.
Seeing her niece's face turned pale with fear, Madam Fu said directly:
"Thank goodness Princess Huan admitted her fault to Madam Rong and the others that day. It's only been a few days since you've forgotten the Queen Mother's advice to stop interrupting. You seem too talkative."
"You!" Princess Huan was furious.
Tang Ning: “…”
Princess Huan glared at Madam Fu fiercely, and when she looked towards them, she seemed to want to kill someone.
Tang Ning felt that he had suffered an unexpected disaster. This Mrs. Fu was indeed unreasonable and really knew how to offend people.
Madam Cao did not expect Madam Fu to come up with such a brilliant idea, so she quickly pulled Madam Fu aside.
"Don't talk nonsense."
This is simply making Princess Xiangning hate you.
"Your Majesty has arrived, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
When the situation in the hall was tense, a voice suddenly came from outside.
Everyone quickly stood up and walked forward to bow down, just as they saw Emperor An leading the Crown Prince in from outside the palace gate.
Emperor An was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and was thin, but he looked energetic.
The prince walked behind a step slower, wearing a dark blue brocade robe embroidered with python patterns.
After the two entered, they were followed by other people. Everyone saw from the corner of their eyes that the two people who came in from behind were Concubine Zhao Guipin and Concubine Xianfei, who were dressed in luxurious clothes.
When she saw the virtuous concubine, Mrs. Cui was stunned and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
After the Cui family got into trouble, Cui Lin's affairs eventually implicated Concubine Xian. Concubine Xian was young and had only been in the palace for a few years, but she fell out of favor without leaving any offspring.
Two days ago, when Madam Cui went to see Concubine Xian, Concubine Xian was quite silent. She said that although she retained her position as a concubine in the palace, her status was actually awkward, and she had not accompanied the emperor for a long time. Why did she suddenly come to Shoukang Palace today?
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty."
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Your Majesty, and Your Majesty, Your Majesty, may your Majesty live long into the future."
Emperor An and his companions walked ahead of the crowd. Before they could call people to get up, they heard a voice coming from the back hall.
"The Queen Mother has arrived."
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen Mother." Everyone hurriedly bowed again.
Emperor An looked at the Queen Mother who was being supported by Nanny Ran and smiled immediately: "I haven't had time to ask my mother yet, and you're here. My mother looks in good spirits today."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Doctor Wu is a highly skilled doctor, and with these people as well, if I still can't recover, then the King of Hell will definitely not spare me."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince said, "Grandmother, please don't say that. You are in good health and will surely live a long life."
The Queen Mother's smile remained unchanged, but upon closer inspection one could see that it was a little distant.
"Please, Prince, give me your blessing. I hope to live a few more years so that I can see you and the Emperor being a loving father and filial son, and your descendants living in harmony."
The Crown Prince seemed not to understand the meaning of the Queen Mother's words. He only bowed and said, "Grandson should be filial to his father and grandmother."
Emperor An's eyes darkened, but he smiled: "The prince is a filial son."
He personally supported the Queen Mother and said, "We can talk about it later. Mother, please let them get up first."
"Look at my memory," the Queen Mother said, "get up quickly."
After Tang Ning and the others stood up, the Queen Mother was helped to sit at the head of the table. She looked at everyone in the hall and said softly:
"I have been ill for a long time, and I have troubled you to come to the palace to take care of me. I have been waiting for such a long time."
"Now that I'm feeling better, I thought I'd treat you to a feast to thank you for your hard work. This feast is all prepared by me, the imperial kitchen. Please feel free to eat and drink as you please. Just treat it as an ordinary family dinner. No need to be formal."
Emperor An, sitting beside the Empress Dowager, smiled upon hearing this and said, "The Crown Prince and I are just accompanying guests today. I would like to thank you all for warding off the bad luck for the Empress Dowager. You don't have to worry about me or anyone else. Just follow the Empress Dowager's wishes."
"Thank you, Queen Mother, and thank you, Your Majesty."
After everyone returned to their previous seats, palace servants came in one after another carrying various delicacies.
After everything was laid out, Emperor An smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager is feeling better. The Crown Prince and I are extremely happy. Thank you all for your hard work."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Entering the palace to attend to the sick is the duty of our subjects and I."
"The Empress Dowager is blessed with good fortune and the protection of the Buddha. She is in good health and has no worries."
The Queen Mother laughed and said, "You are so sweet-talking. My recovery is truly a blessing from my ancestors, and your contributions cannot be ignored."
She tilted her head:
"Emperor, I cannot drink alcohol yet. Could you and the Crown Prince toast them on my behalf?"
Emperor An smiled and said, "Of course." He gestured for a palace attendant to come forward and pour wine. Then, holding up his glass, he said to the group, "I'm very busy with my duties at court. Thank you ladies for taking care of my mother. This toast is in your honor."
Everyone at the table raised their glasses.
Tang Ning saw Emperor An, who was sitting at the top of the table, drink up the wine in his cup in one gulp. The Crown Prince and Concubine Zhao were also there with him. However, she just covered her mouth with her sleeves and did not take a sip. Qian Qiyue and Rong Yue, who were sitting next to her, also did not touch the wine in their cups.
As the banquet became lively, the Empress Dowager seemed to be in very good spirits, chatting and laughing with several fawning ladies. Although the others were reserved because of Emperor An, they were all happy at the thought of leaving the palace.
After a while, the Queen Mother suddenly turned her gaze over.
"Why is the Qian family girl so quiet today?"
Qian Qiyue was stunned for a moment before she realized that the empress dowager was talking about her.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I remember that you loved being lively, why are you silent today?"
Qian Qiyue quickly smiled widely: "Your Majesty, I misunderstood you. I'm just embarrassed to see you."
"You know I'm shy and shy. Besides, before I entered the palace, my mother repeatedly told me to be quiet, lest I, like an annoying person, disturb the Empress Dowager with my noise."
The Queen Mother was immediately amused: "I see you are very shameless."
Qian Qiyue said mischievously: "Where is it thick? Look, my face is red."
Puff!
This time, not only the Queen Mother, but everyone else in the hall also laughed, even Emperor An and the Crown Prince had smiles in their eyes.
Princess Huan rolled her eyes and secretly cursed Qian Qiyue for always pretending to be good and making a fool of herself.
The Queen Mother was overjoyed: "You little girl always act like a mischief, but I really like you. Why don't you stay in the palace and keep me company?"
Tang Ning's heart skipped a beat, Rong Yue also looked up suddenly, and even Mrs. Xu, who had been worried beside her, was stunned.
The palace was full of cunning people. Zhou Yuchang suppressed her uneasiness and spoke tentatively:
"It's all right if the Empress Dowager likes Sister Qian, but we won't let her be the only one to accompany you. You can't favor her alone."
The Queen Mother smiled upon hearing this and said, "I would like to keep you, but I heard that you are already engaged."
"The palace hasn't held a general election in a long time. Your engaged person cannot stay."
general election
Everyone in the hall's expression changed.
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