Pei Yuanhui, sitting at the very head of the table, looked most at Cao Shanlu, who had started the conversation, but just a glance from him was enough to silence Cao Shanlu.
Although Cao Shanlu obediently shut up, you could see a hint of grievance in her expression.
She naturally felt wronged; she hadn't said anything wrong, she was just telling the truth.
Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday, so she can't even say a few words about Consort Zhou. Does that mean she can't say anything about other people?
Consort Cao has always been the most unrestrained in her speech. She was like that before she was pregnant, but now that she is pregnant, she naturally says whatever she wants.
"It's been a while since I've seen Consort Yi. She looks much worse than before. What's wrong?"
Consort Cao and Huo Yiyun were both former members of the Prince's residence, although there was a gap in the years they entered the residence. However, Consort Cao's address of "elder sister" sounded disgusting no matter how you looked at it.
Huo Yiyun raised her hand to adjust her temples, her tone calm: "Thank you for your concern, sister. While you were in confinement reflecting on your mistakes, I felt quite well. I suppose you must have misjudged me."
She only had one chance to leave Xianfu Palace and see the Emperor today, so she couldn't be bothered to waste time arguing with Consort Cao.
She still had nearly two months of confinement ahead of her, and who knew when she would see the Emperor again.
Her gesture of adjusting her hair did not attract much attention from the Emperor. Instead, Huo Yiyun's inner thoughts drowned out the noise in the hall, giving Pei Yuanhui a headache.
"That hairpin with pearls and gold branches and leaves in your hair looks familiar. I remember it was a gift from me when you first came to serve in the Prince's residence."
Seeing that the Emperor had finally noticed the hairpin at her temple, Huo Yiyun raised her hand to touch it again, her smile obvious: "Yes. Your Majesty has a good memory. On such an important day as today, I wore this hairpin."
Huo Qinghe glanced over upon hearing the sound. She remembered that when she changed clothes at noon, she hadn't seen Huo Yiyun wearing the hairpin the official had mentioned.
Then Huo Yiyun can only change it after returning to the palace at noon.
As expected, Huo Yiyun wouldn't let the fact that she was relieved of her confinement today go unpunished. Such a method of getting the Emperor to remember their past relationship is not uncommon in the harem.
Sitting next to Huo Qinghe, Meng Meiren exclaimed in surprise as soon as Huo Yiyun finished speaking.
"It seems I should keep all the Emperor's rewards carefully. Who knows, I might need to rely on this method to remind the Emperor when I fall out of favor in the future."
That makes a lot of sense...
Huo Qinghe smiled silently, without replying.
Xue Yinjia, sitting beside Pei Yuanhui, raised her hand to cover her mouth and coughed once upon hearing the sound: "Your Majesty, I just remembered it when you mentioned it."
Pei Yuanhui hummed in agreement and looked at Huo Yiyun: "I remember that the birthday gift you prepared for the Empress Dowager today was also excellent. It was kind of you to put in so much effort while you were under house arrest."
It was impossible to tell from the official's tone whether it was a genuine compliment or just a casual remark.
However, during the more than one month that Huo Yiyun had been confined to her quarters, the Emperor's praise at this moment was enough to bring tears to Huo Yiyun's eyes.
People only feel content after they've learned their lesson.
Consort Cao couldn't help but roll her eyes; she felt annoyed by the way the Emperor spoke to Huo Yiyun.
“Your Majesty is biased. Consort Yi received a gift from you when she entered the Prince’s residence. Now, Consort Huo has also received a ruby earring from you when she entered the palace. Unlike my sisters, how could we be worthy of the jewelry specially bestowed by Your Majesty?”
Huo Qinghe thought that it would be calm and peaceful at night, just like during the day, but she didn't expect that Consort Cao was still thinking about her.
The Emperor bestowed the red jewel upon Consort Cao half a month ago, yet Consort Cao still remembers it now, which shows just how much she still holds a grudge.
Huo Qinghe didn't speak rashly; she waited for Huo Yiyun to speak first.
Huo Yiyun finally turned her head and glared at Cao Shanlu.
"Consort Cao's words make it sound as if His Majesty never rewarded you. When you first entered the Prince's residence, you certainly boasted about the rewards His Majesty bestowed upon you."
Empress Dowager Zhou sat back and watched the show, while secretly glaring at Consort Zhou below who wanted to interrupt.
"I see that the Emperor's harem is becoming more and more lively. The Empress is ill, and Consort Chi, who is assisting in managing the six palaces, should also be more disciplined. There was never anything like this in the late Emperor's harem."
Consort Cao's rank was clearly lower than Huo Yiyun's, yet she repeatedly spoke disrespectfully, which was indeed quite inappropriate.
Consort Chi stood up: "This concubine has failed in her duty. Please punish me, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
After being lectured by the Empress Dowager, Consort Cao slowly stood up and said, "I apologize for my offense."
Seeing the commotion, Chunbai, who was by Empress Xue's side, quietly brought the medicine from behind.
Xue Yinjia drank the medicine soup as if it were water. After she finished, she wiped the water from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"I remember the flower room said that there were peonies that Yang Guifei had just finished bathing recently. I forgot to have them brought in for everyone to admire during the day, but it is still quite interesting to admire them under the moonlight."
Once Empress Xue spoke, Huo Qinghe had no choice but to remain silent.
Consort Zhuang was the most accommodating: "That's truly thanks to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, and the Empress."
Ruan Jieyu chimed in, "I've really had my eyes opened today."
Everyone echoed their words of honor.
However, Green Locust and Green Cloud behind Huo Qinghe exchanged a glance and silently suppressed their laughter.
None of the concubines in the harem had ever seen the peonies that Yang Guifei had just emerged from her bath, but there were four pots of them in their own private quarters.
Pei Yuanhui remained silent, but he did not object.
Chunbai, who was behind Xue Yinjia, clapped his hands, and soon the maids from the flower room outside the palace brought in pots of peonies that resembled Yang Guifei after her bath.
At night, the sight of Yang Guifei emerging from her bath, with pots of peonies arranged in the center of the main hall, was truly captivating.
Pei Yuanhui glanced at it and said, "It was right for the Empress to have these Yang Consort peonies displayed at night. If they had been displayed during the day, I'm afraid Chi Qinlin would have taken them in less than a quarter of an hour."
Consort Chi covered her mouth: "Your Majesty. The peonies that Consort Yang is bathing in are beautiful. Not only does Yu Lin want them, but I also covet them."
Consort Chi spoke, and before everyone had had enough of admiring the peonies, they now had to see how the Emperor would distribute the peonies that Consort Yang had just emerged from her bath.
The lower-ranking concubines had no expectations and simply watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
Xu Changzai had already counted how many pots of Yang Guifei's peonies were in the center of the main hall.
"There are only fourteen pots in total, which is probably a bit..." not enough to go around.
That's right, there are too many monks and not enough meat.
Pei Yuanhui pondered for a few seconds, then looked at the Empress Dowager: "Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday, so let's choose an auspicious number and send six of the best pots of Yang Guifei's peonies to the Empress Dowager's palace."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and said, "I am getting old, and these flowers and such are just sitting there in Cining Palace. Let's move half of them to the Empress's palace. Today's birthday gift for Fuming is my favorite. It can be said that the Empress has taught Fuming well."
Xue Yinjia quickly stood up to thank him.
After receiving another subtle hint from Empress Dowager Zhou, Consort Zhou no longer dared to ask the Emperor for it.
The officials on both sides gave it to the aunt, and since the aunt had it, then she also had it.
If you were to ask who Consort Zhou feared most, it would undoubtedly be Empress Dowager Zhou.
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