Chapter 40: Harem Women
In the palace, the prince caught up with Li Jing and went to Changshou Palace.
The Empress Dowager's original surname was Qian, and she was not the Emperor's biological mother.
She gave birth to a son in her early years, but lost the baby.
There are not many concubines of the previous emperor left.
She had no children, and she did not set any limits for the emperor to ascend the throne. Therefore, she became a winner in life and sat on the throne of the empress dowager.
On weekdays, he just enjoys wealth and glory, doesn't care much about other people's affairs, and doesn't act like an elder.
The emperor gave her a lot of face.
She usually does things prudently, and even when her mother's family is in trouble, she will take the initiative to persuade the emperor to "act in a fair manner."
So, life is very stable.
Speaking of which, it was the divination that was revealed by the Taoist Tianji, whom she knew, when he entered the palace that became the beginning of a series of tragedies.
However, that Taoist priest was always elusive and was well-known for his magical powers.
The Queen Mother was always convincing, so no one blamed her.
But she couldn't get over it. She was grief-stricken and angry, regretful and frightened. She fell seriously ill and almost died. After that, she became a little confused.
The past is gone...
At this moment, she was hugging the little girl named Qian Xiangqing, and playing mahjong with several concubines of the emperor.
When the Crown Prince and the King of Qi came over, some palace maids went up to greet them and pay their respects, while others hurried into the house to report the news.
"Your Highness, the Queen Mother, our Crown Prince and Prince Qi are here!"
The Queen Mother, with gray hair, surrounded by pearls and jade, and dressed in silk and satin, is truly a rich old lady in the world!
She put down the leaf card in her hand and said with a smile: "Oh? Let them in!"
The prince came in, bowed with a smile and said, "Grandmother, please look, who is this?"
The Queen Mother first looked at the Crown Prince with a smile, then followed the Crown Prince's hand to look at Li Jing, her eyes somewhat confused...it seemed that she did not recognize him.
She turned around and whispered to the maid next to her: "Who is this big black guy?"
The maid replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, this is our Prince Qi."
"Oh, King Qi... who is he?"
Concubine Shu smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, he is the seventh child!"
"Oh, Old Seven! You're so strong!"
"Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen Mother!" Li Jing saluted the Queen Mother.
"Hurry up and get up! Let me take a closer look... Oh, it's quite handsome, but it's too dark!"
Li Jing did not respond to this, but turned around and saluted to Concubine De and Concubine Shu: "You two ladies!"
That attitude... was very perfunctory.
Shufei and Defei are the elders around the emperor.
Concubine De was Li Pu's biological mother. She had a grudge against Li Jing for breaking his arm. Moreover, she indirectly cut off her son's path to success. Now, she could only follow the prince and do things for him to get some benefits.
So she hated Li Jing the most and sat there with a gloomy face and said nothing.
Shufei didn't care and nodded in response with a smile.
"Has it been a long time since I last saw you?! Last time..." The Queen Mother tried hard to recall.
The maidservant next to her helped her: "Empress Dowager, the last time we saw each other was at your Qianqiu Banquet. The prince has been away for more than two years!"
"Oh, yes, yes. Here I am... Hey? The ointment I just offered..."
"...Astragalus Pearl Cream." The palace maid replied.
"Yes! That poor fellow has good use for it! Hurry up and get him eight or ten jars. Go back and apply some!"
The prince smiled and said, "Grandmother, won't you leave some for your grandson?"
"The prince is already very handsome. What's the need for that? Xiaoqi, you..." The queen mother was about to say something, but forgot the words when they reached her lips.
"Empress Dowager, the Emperor came to tell you a few days ago that the prince is back and is getting married, and he wants you to help him choose a princess!" The maid had just reminded the empress dowager when she felt a chill on her neck and shrank.
I quickly turned around and saw that the King of Qi had his eyes downcast and was not looking at me...
"Yes! Xiaoqi, whatever kind you like, I'll find it for you!"
"There is no rush for this matter." The King of Qi said indifferently and didn't want to talk about it at all.
The Queen Mother did not see it, "How can that be possible? Look at your brothers, who doesn't have a princess? You are so old, how can you live without a wife? You have to take care of the household affairs, have children, and there are so many things to do!"
The prince laughed again: "Grandmother, I have to whiten my face first. Otherwise, this charcoal-black hair will scare the girl to tears!?"
Everyone laughed again.
Li Jing didn't care what they said and just went his own way: "Empress Dowager, I brought some gifts with me. I'll carry them in later. You can distribute them. I just came back and I have a lot to do. After seeing the Empress Dowager, I have to leave the palace."
The Queen Mother didn't care about his attitude. "The Queen is busy right now. You can go to Zhengyang Palace to see her! Tell her to come over after you're done. I want to discuss with her about welcoming you."
Li Jing nodded slightly, turned and walked out.
As they were almost at the gate, a beautiful lady in palace dress came in from outside in a dignified manner.
They came face to face with Li Jing who was walking out, and neither of them showed any intention of giving way.
Li Jing took big steps and arrived in front of the beautiful woman in the blink of an eye.
But the beautiful woman was arrogant to begin with, and she came here on purpose to cause trouble. But she never expected... this bastard would not let her go at all. If she took another step, she would bump into him.
What kind of words are that?
She hesitated...and the maid beside her quickly stood in front of her.
"How dare you!" screamed the beautiful woman.
The prince finally reacted, followed a few steps, pulled Li Jing, and pleaded, "Seventh brother!"
Before the beautiful woman could speak again, Li Jing said coldly: "Who dares to offend me?!"
The beautiful woman looked at him hatefully, and the maid spoke on her behalf, saying sternly, "Your Highness, Prince Qi, this is our Imperial Concubine!"
"Royal Concubine?" Li Jing glanced at the beautiful woman but did not speak to her. He turned to look at the maids in the Empress Dowager's palace.
"Who is the manager of Changshou Palace?" he asked loudly.
A middle-aged eunuch nearby hurried over and said, "Your servant Wang Wang greets His Majesty!"
Li Jing didn't even look at him, and said in a cold voice: "Why, is this Changshou Palace a grocery store? Anyone can just barge in without notifying anyone? Or is it that the palace can't afford to keep a gatekeeper?"
In one sentence, everyone was ridiculed...
No matter what he thought in his heart, Wang Wang's face was still very nervous. He knelt down quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty!"
Li Jing flicked his sleeves and left without even greeting the imperial concubine.
The prince had been trying to smooth things over, and seeing this, he was quite surprised: "Hey?! Seventh brother!" He bowed deeply to the imperial concubine awkwardly, "Please don't blame me, Imperial Concubine, my seventh brother's temper..."
The beautiful woman's eyes widened with anger, which made her even prettier: "I'm going to ask the emperor how to punish this disrespectful dog!"
The Queen Mother asked the people around her: "What's wrong? What happened?"
Wang Wang quickly got up and ran over and said, "Your Majesty, I did something wrong and let His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi pick on me... Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
"That's punishment!" The Queen Mother said and that was it. "You're here?" She looked at Concubine Dong.
"Empress Dowager!" Little Concubine Dong came closer to the Empress Dowager angrily.
Concubine Shu and Concubine De looked at each other and said nothing.
When the prince came out, Li Jing had already walked away. He shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Seventh brother's temper has not changed at all over the years."
As a prince, he has his own dignity and it is impossible for him to always follow Li Jing.
The subordinates hurriedly gave him an excuse: "Your Highness, it's OK for you to accompany Master Qi here! There are several adults waiting for you to talk to them! Master Qi is going to the Empress. Don't you know about the Empress? She is very tolerant, so don't worry about it."
"Well! Mother will never find fault with him!" The prince smiled and turned to leave the palace.
(End of this chapter)
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