When Huo Qinghe returned to Yanxi Palace, she was indeed a little hungry. He Yunzhong, on the other hand, was quick-witted and had been waiting on the palace road. When he saw Huo Qinghe from afar, he first bowed and then hurried off to the imperial kitchen.
After Huo Qinghe returned to Yanliang Pavilion, she sat down and drank a cup of hot tea. She then listened to Granny Wang talk about Consort Meng's visit that morning. Soon after, He Yunzhong returned with a hot meal.
He not only brought back food, but also news.
"After Lady Zhou returned to the main hall, I heard she threw a tantrum. She didn't even have lunch, and right now there's a huge group of palace maids standing under the eaves of the main hall."
Huo Qinghe was starving. When she was fed sweet water by the Emperor, she had to swallow with great difficulty. The Emperor was sick and sleeping soundly. When she was in the Funing Palace, she admired Consort Xie and Consort Fu. They stayed in the Funing Palace for so long without drinking a drop of tea.
She ate her meal first, leaving only Green Willow and Green Heart in front of her. Green Locust and Green Cloud had followed her from Xianfu Palace to Funing Palace all day, and they deserved a breather.
"There's no rush with Consort Meng. I'll get up early tomorrow and prepare a larger breakfast. I'll also have Baosheng go to Xianfu Palace and tell him that Consort Xie and Consort Fu are in Funing Hall. I went in to see the Emperor once, but he was asleep. Then several senior officials came, and I stayed with them until noon before returning."
Of course, Huo Yiyun still needs an explanation, otherwise she would be getting impatient waiting in Xianfu Palace.
If Huo Yiyun were truly anxious, she might summon Consort Fu for questioning after Consort Fu returned, and Huo Yiyun would naturally find out why the Emperor had kept her behind.
There was no need for Huo Qinghe to bring it up deliberately.
It is more credible to learn from others than from Huo Qinghe herself.
After saying this, Huo Qinghe stopped talking and focused on her meal.
She couldn't stand being hungry, and nothing was more important than eating.
After lunch, Huo Qinghe drank some herbal tea and rested for a while. Just as she was about to take a nap, someone from Consort Zhou's side came to her.
It was Yu Zhi, the head palace maid who served Consort Zhou.
"I heard that Lady Huo has returned from the Funing Palace. Our Lady Zhou is worried about the Emperor's health, so she would like to see Lady Huo and hear what she has to say about how the Emperor is doing?"
Since Consort Zhou had already invoked the Emperor's name, Huo Qinghe naturally couldn't refuse him under any circumstances.
Indeed, Consort Zhou was wronged in front of the Emperor today, so she was naturally holding back her anger. Huo Qinghe was also there at the time, so it would be easy for her to make things difficult for Huo Qinghe now.
After thinking for a moment, Huo Qinghe took Granny Wang with her to the main hall.
Consort Zhou still ate lunch in the main hall, not wanting to harm her health by going hungry, but she didn't forget to deal with Xiao Huo.
Seeing Huo Qinghe approaching from afar, Consort Zhou raised her hand, and the arrow in her hand flew out, swaying as it passed over the arrow-shaped pitch-pot, finally landing at Huo Qinghe's feet where she had stopped.
Huo Qinghe paused for a moment, then became much less pretentious in front of Consort Zhou: "May Lady Zhou be blessed."
Consort Zhou was somewhat surprised to see that Xiao Huo was not frightened, but she simply assumed that Xiao Huo was putting on a brave face.
"Since it has fallen to Lady Huo's feet, then I will trouble Lady Huo to pick it up."
Upon hearing the sound, Granny Wang stepped forward.
Consort Zhou raised her eyebrows and shouted, "What I want is for your mistress to pick up, you fool, what are you doing?"
Huo Qinghe showed no annoyance at Zhou Pin's bossy attitude. She slightly bent down to pick up the arrow, and then slowly walked forward to Zhou Pin.
"It is my honor to serve Lady Zhou."
Huo Qinghe's short sentence directly set a trap for Consort Zhou.
Zhou Hengping was naturally not going to fall for it. She immediately rolled her eyes and retorted, "You think you're worthy of...serving me?"
She would never associate herself with the Huo sisters; what would that make her?
Huo Qinghe raised her hand and placed the arrow into the arms of the palace maid beside her. The series of actions were not out of place, and strangely made people forget her previous actions.
“Zhou Niangzi’s pitch-pot technique is quite similar to His Majesty’s, but His Majesty is currently ill. When the concubines returned at noon, His Majesty was still struggling to see the senior gentlemen.”
Huo Qinghe spoke again, directly taking control of the conversation.
Consort Zhou sat up straighter in her armchair and subconsciously replied, "Of course, I have served His Majesty for so long. Not to mention pitch-pot, we are very similar in other ways as well."
But after Huo Qinghe finished speaking, she suddenly frowned and waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies: "Take all these things away..."
The Emperor is currently ill and worried about state affairs, yet she's playing pitch-pot here. If others find out, who knows what will happen?
She was sweating profusely, but she still glared fiercely at Huo Qinghe: "Keep your mouth shut."
Huo Qinghe lowered her eyes and did not meet Zhou Pin's gaze.
Only after saying this did Consort Zhou realize the real reason she had summoned Xiao Huo.
"Seeing that you don't seem tired while staying in the Funing Palace, it seems you haven't been sincere enough in serving His Majesty. I won't let you copy books anymore, so people won't say that I'm torturing and tormenting people. Go kneel down in the corridor and sincerely recite the scriptures, so that His Majesty and I can hear your sincerity."
This trip was certainly not easy.
Huo Qinghe curtsied slightly: "Yes, thank you for your guidance, Madam Zhou. I will remember it sincerely."
Consort Zhou was not as malicious as she seemed; she even provided a prayer cushion for Huo Qinghe to sit on while she chanted sutras in the corridor.
Consort Zhou probably didn't want others to know, so she didn't have any palace maids guarding the corridor. Only Huo Qinghe and Wang Mama, the mistress and servant, were there.
Although a prayer cushion was prepared, kneeling and chanting scriptures was still quite grueling.
Fortunately, Huo Qinghe had learned quite a few characters while copying Buddhist scriptures during the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration last time; otherwise, she might not have been able to recognize all the characters now.
It was the hottest time of day, and the feng shui of Yanxi Palace wasn't great. Huo Qinghe was kneeling under the eaves, so she wouldn't be exposed to the sun. That was probably the only thing she could be thankful for.
Although Consort Zhou tried to conceal this matter, she couldn't hide it from the Emperor.
Inside the Funing Palace, Pei Yuanhui lazily listened to several people outside, whose hair was mostly white, talking about this year's autumn imperial examinations. He was lying on his side inside the screen, eating fresh watermelon without complaining about the coldness at all.
After finally settling the matter, Jin Yang cautiously mentioned the Yanxi Palace matter when she came in to serve him.
Given the relationship between Consort Zhou and the Zhou family, Pei Yuanhui naturally had people keeping an eye on things.
"She certainly knows how to make trouble. Am I about to die? And she still wants someone to chant sutras for me... And Little Huo, is he just letting Consort Zhou do whatever she wants?"
Jin Yang lowered her head and muttered to herself, "Consort Huo lives in Yanxi Palace, and Consort Zhou is the head of Yanxi Palace. Does Consort Huo dare to go against Consort Zhou?"
As soon as Pei Yuanhui spoke, he thought of Huo Qinghe's temperament. He threw away the handkerchief he was wiping his hands with annoyance, and lost his appetite for the watermelon on the silver plate next to him.
Xiao Huo's personality is such that he still has some courage in front of him.
Like a cat whose claws and teeth haven't fully grown in, it doesn't know how to scratch or fight back.
"Go and invite Consort Zhou here."
Consort Zhou knows how to torment people, but Pei Yuanhui knows far more tricks up his sleeve.
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