Chapter 54: All Regulations of the Queen
Chang Ying came in with small steps, wearing a dark purple flying fish suit and a three-peaked hat. His temples were slightly gray, his eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and he looked like an old scholar.
But his voice was totally inconsistent with his appearance; it was a typical eunuch's voice, shrill, soft and strange.
He flicked the whisk in his hand and said, "I greet the Empress Shufei and Yang Shangyi."
Concubine Wei Shu's expression froze for a moment, and she slowly wiped the tears from her face, "It's so cold, what's the matter that you have to trouble Chief Steward Chang to come here in person?"
Chang Ying is the chief steward of the current emperor. Even though she is the prince's biological mother, she has to give him full face.
Who made it so that the person sitting on the throne now is neither her husband nor her son?
When the current emperor inherited the throne, the crown prince was just one year old and still ignorant, so Queen Mother Jiang and Queen Xu were still able to maintain their dignity.
The most frustrated person in the palace is Concubine Wei Shufei, who missed the position of Empress Dowager. She is still relegated to the position of concubine and is only one of the concubines of the previous emperor.
Chang Ying said, "I came here for Yang Shangyi's birthday. I don't know where the Concubine Shu heard this nonsense from, but Yang Shangyi's birthday party must be held in the palace."
Concubine Wei was slightly startled when she heard this.
Yang Manyan was also confused. She would at most hold a small birthday party in the East Palace. What did it have to do with Chief Butler Chang?
Chang Ying's eyes also shifted to her, and he smiled flatteringly, "The emperor said that the palace hasn't held the Queen's Thousand-Year-Old Festival for many years. Since this is Yang Shangyi's first birthday since entering the palace, we will hold it according to the specifications of the Thousand-Year-Old Festival."
Yang Manyan was filled with shock and really didn't understand what the emperor meant.
Concubine Wei Shu's face changed slightly. This was completely different from what she had expected.
Chang Ying continued with a smile, "The emperor has also asked Yang Shangyi to accept the congratulations of the ladies of state in Kunning Palace on the birthday. The Ministry of Rites and Guanglu Temple have already started preparing for the birthday banquet, and the Imperial Household Construction Department is also rushing to purchase the dress and accessories for Yang Shangyi to wear on that day."
What he didn't dare to say was that the dress and accessories that the emperor had ordered were all designed by the queen. If he said it out loud, it might scare the soft-hearted Yang Shangyi.
Concubine Wei Shu tried her best to hide her shock. She didn't understand who this Yang was and how she could have bewitched the emperor and the prince.
The last time the prince was in Qingning Palace, he had humiliated his biological mother in person because of Yang's matter.
Now that the Cining Palace incident has happened again, the emperor not only has no intention of changing the crown prince's principal wife, but also wants to celebrate her birthday according to the standards of the queen's birthday...
Yang Manyan hesitated and said, "This is not a good idea, is it? I feel ashamed to have gone through so much trouble."
Chang Ying naturally did his best to flatter this girl who was held in the apple of his emperor's eye.
"Oh, Yang Shangyi, don't worry. You are the future queen mother, so this is not too much of an overstep. Besides, the emperor has left the position of queen vacant, so maybe you will have to take care of the affairs of the inner court in the future."
"Please just wait patiently! When the Ministry of Rites and Guanglu Temple have arranged everything, I will come over and explain the process to you in detail."
Yang Manyan smiled awkwardly, with some subtle and indescribable emotions arising in his heart.
There was a rumor in the palace just now that she would be deposed if she couldn't survive her 18th birthday. It just so happened that the emperor was going to hold a grand birthday party for her, which would dispel the rumor in one fell swoop.
Yesterday the emperor promised her the position of queen to coax her, but she actually didn't take it seriously at all and rejected it without thinking.
Now he made an exception and celebrated her birthday according to the rules of the Queen's Thousand Years Festival...
Yang Manyan was immersed in thousands of thoughts, but Concubine Wei Shufei couldn't wait any longer.
Concubine Wei Shu put on her signature gentle smile, took Yang Manyan's hand and patted it with an apologetic look.
"It's great that nothing happened. I almost believed the rumors just now. Damn it. Will Yang Shangyi blame me?"
"Of course not. I know that Concubine Shu is just concerned about me." Yang Manyan also smiled back.
Concubine Wei's behavior before Chang Ying came had already made her certain that Concubine Wei had missed the appointment to appreciate the Epiphyllum on that day on purpose.
However, she has not yet obtained the evidence that Concubine Wei Shu has framed her, so she still has to put in some superficial effort.
Concubine Wei Shu's eyes were filled with relief. "Good boy, as long as you and the prince are doing well, your mother will be relieved."
"I won't stay here to delay your work at the East Palace. I'll go back now. It's cold today, you and the Crown Prince should take good care of yourselves and don't stay in the cold. Do you understand?"
She spoke sincerely and cared about the child's well-being, just like a loving mother.
Yang Manyan agreed to all of her requests obediently. After sending her away, Chang Ying, who came to deliver the message, did not stay any longer.
However, while Yang Shangyi was personally seeing off Concubine Shu, Chang Ying quietly ordered someone to place the crystal go board prepared by the emperor as a birthday gift on a shelf elsewhere in the palace.
The emperor knew that even if she accepted his birthday gift, she would definitely put it aside, so he might as well order Chang Ying to put the crystal go somewhere in the East Palace when she was not paying attention.
Chang Ying naturally had no choice but to do as he was told.
After noon, Yang Manyan discovered that there were two exquisite emerald green glaze go jars on the rosewood museum shelf on the east side of the main hall.
When they opened them one by one, they found that there was a set of Go pieces made of rose quartz and amethyst and smoky quartz.
In the sunlight, each one is crystal clear, with a warm luster, and looks very valuable.
"Who put this here?" she asked around.
Xingyun Suyue and the other palace maids in the palace all shook their heads.
As soon as Concubine Wei Shu arrived in the morning, she dismissed everyone. During the half a quarter of an hour that Chang Ying and others stayed there, there happened to be no one guarding the palace.
Xingyun was just about to say that it might have been left by Manager Chang, but Yang Manyan's mind raced and he thought of another possibility.
She blushed and whispered, "It must have been secretly placed there by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He said earlier that he would prepare a birthday gift for me."
Apart from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who else would know that she likes Go and be able to get such a precious treasure?
Yang Manyan couldn't help but mutter, "It's still half a month away, how come he sent the things out so quickly?"
Having said that, she couldn't let go of this exquisite Go set. She placed it on the table and played with it carefully for a whole day. The more she looked at it, the happier she became.
That night, for some unknown reason, the prince had not returned to the East Palace until nearly midnight. Yang Manyan forced himself to cheer up, sitting on the couch with his knees hugged, waiting for him.
When the man returned slowly in the moonlight, she jumped off the bed and rushed towards him like a cannon.
With a "thump", she crashed into Xiao Yan's arms.
Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, a smile flashed in his eyes, and he opened his arms and hugged Yang Manyan who threw himself into his arms.
Yang Manyan was born slightly plump and round, but fortunately, although Xiao Yan was thin, she exercised all the year round, otherwise a weaker person would probably be knocked to the ground by her.
Tong Lin, who was standing not far away, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
The crown prince, who had just been cold and aloof in front of the civil and military ministers, was so doting and intimate in front of Yang Shangyi, as if he had become a different person.
Yang Manyan stood on tiptoe again, put her arms around the man's neck, and said with a smile: "I like the birthday gift Your Highness sent me very much. Thank you Your Highness!"
Xiao Yan was slightly startled. He was busy winning over court officials today, and the birthday gift he was preparing for Yang Manyan had not yet been carved.
"Yuanyuan has seen it?" He felt a little guilty.
Yang Manyan nodded, "Well, although it's not time yet, I like it very much!"
After that, she took the man's hand and went to look at the beautiful, flawless crystal Go set.
Xiao Yan's heart suddenly shuddered.
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