It rained all night, and as daybreak approached in the east, the rain gradually subsided.
The sound of the wind blew the wind chimes under the eaves, and the queen's heart was like the wind chimes, swaying in the wind.
Xia Chan came in, bending over, and delivered a message, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager invites you to dine in the Cining Palace."
"Meal?"
"I find this strange too. The Queen Mother has just finished breakfast at Qiwu Palace and it's still early for lunch. Why would she send someone to invite us at this hour?"
"In my opinion, the Queen Mother did not come to see me just to have a meal."
"If it's not for the meal, then it's for the servants. Madam, would you like me to go and invite the virtuous concubine?"
"Go and call her over. I will go to the Cining Palace with Concubine Xian."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xia Chan went out and told the palace maid to call Concubine Xian.
"Xia Chan, do you think it's a blessing or a curse that the Queen Mother is visiting me today?"
"Blessings and misfortunes are determined by heaven. Your Highness is the mother of a nation and the most blessed person in the entire harem. Even if misfortunes come, they will only harm others."
The queen agreed with Xia Chan's words, "If it is a blessing, it is not a disaster. If it is a disaster..." If it is a disaster, then the virtuous concubine will take the blame.
The virtuous concubine cried for most of the night and fell asleep in the second half of the night.
The wind and rain have not stopped today, so there is no need to pay respects to the Queen. She lies lazily, closing her eyes to take a nap to recuperate.
A palace maid came over holding an umbrella and told her, "My Lady, the Empress of Qiwu Palace invites you."
Concubine Xian Gui hurriedly got out of bed, washed up quickly, and followed the palace maid to see the queen.
The palace maid who delivered the message was a dull creature and could not get any useful information from her. She accepted the money but refused to say a single useful word.
"In short, once the virtuous concubine sees the empress, she will know everything."
The virtuous concubine lowered the curtain of the sedan chair and said no more.
She knew that the Queen might not be sincere in her treatment of her, but for now she could only let the Queen manipulate her. If she didn't hold on tightly to the Queen, Zhen Fei would be able to step on her like an ant with just one foot.
Concubine Xian was filled with hatred, and the eunuch shouted at the top of his voice: "Get off the sedan chair!"
The four eunuchs carrying the sedan chair lowered their bodies, and the sedan chair landed steadily on the ground. The palace maid opened the door of the sedan chair, and Concubine Xian got out of the sedan chair. Xia Chan stood at the door holding an umbrella and waited in person.
"Your Majesty, the Queen."
"You are here, have you had breakfast?"
The virtuous concubine got up late today and had not yet had breakfast. Seeing that she was hesitant, the queen ordered Xia Chan to bring breakfast.
"Thank you, Queen."
The virtuous concubine received the Queen's favor. She leaned against the low table, picked up a bowl of lei cha, and slowly put it into her mouth with the lotus cake.
The queen stood with her back to her against the wall. On the wall hung a piece of calligraphy that had just been written and the ink was not yet dry.
Concubine Xian didn't dare to let the Queen wait too long, so she ate a few bites at random.
The palace maid brought her water to rinse her mouth, and then she tidied her appearance before going to the study to see the queen.
"Come on, follow me to see the Queen Mother."
The queen walked very quickly, and Concubine Xian followed quickly.
The two of them came to the Cining Palace one after another. Aunt Fang saw Concubine Xian following behind the Queen and subconsciously took another look.
Concubine Xian understood the look in Aunt Fang's eyes. It turned out that the Queen Mother had not invited her at all today. She was afraid that the Queen Mother would find trouble with the Queen today. No, I have to run away quickly.
"Xian Guipin, why don't you leave?"
I suddenly feel unwell. "I'll take my leave."
"The Empress Dowager has worshipped Buddha for many years and has a deep connection with him. The Buddhist temple in the side hall of the Cining Palace enshrines statues of various gods and immortals. As for the minor ailments and pains that Xian Guipin has, as long as she enters the Cining Palace, all her ailments will be gone."
The queen stepped forward and took Concubine Xian's hand. Concubine Xian's hands were shaking and her face was full of fear.
"I can feed you, or I can leave you without food. The threshold of the Cining Palace is right under your feet. It's your choice whether to enter or retreat."
The queen said that she could make her own choice, but her eyes were sharper than a knife. If she retreated now, the queen would not let her off easily.
Concubine Xian lifted her skirt and stepped over the low threshold.
"I like your loyalty."
The queen uses her power to oppress others, and even the virtuous concubines cannot be disloyal.
Aunt Fang went in to tell the Queen Mother the news. She bowed her head at her feet and said, "Queen Mother, the Queen is here. She didn't come alone. She also brought the virtuous concubine with her."
"She's leaving herself a way out. Well, let the Queen come in."
Aunt Fang went to greet the Queen, while Concubine Xian was standing alone against the eaves. There was an open window in front of her, through which she could see the scene inside the house, which was a Buddhist temple with many statues of gods placed inside.
The statues were either sitting, or standing, or laughing, or solemn. The clay statues had their eyes open, like a group of man-eating wolves. Concubine Xian Guipin quickly turned her eyes away.
The Empress Dowager and the Queen were talking about something else. The door was closed and she was standing far away, so she couldn't hear any wind.
After a while, the door opened and Aunt Fang came to invite her in.
"Xian Guipin, the Queen recommended you to me, saying you are filial and know how to repay kindness. I want to ask you, are you such a person?"
When the Queen Mother asked this question, the Queen stood straight, not looking away.
The virtuous concubine trembled and replied, "I am grateful to the Empress Dowager and the Empress for their kindness. I will go through fire and water for you."
"Aijia, you don't need to go through fire and water."
The virtuous concubine knelt down and said, "I am stupid, please tell me clearly, Your Majesty."
"The Emperor has been on the throne for three years, yet he still has no children. Ultimately, it's all because of the incompetence of you concubines."
The label of incompetence weighed down on Concubine Xian Guipin, and her waist suddenly collapsed.
"Here is a secret recipe for you to drink. You will surely conceive a dragon fetus soon."
Aunt Fang, holding a brocade bag, came up to her. Concubine Xian Guipin spread out her hands, and the brocade bag fell into Concubine Xian Guipin's hands.
"You are a grateful person. After the dragon fetus was born..." The Queen Mother stopped talking halfway.
The Queen took over the Queen Mother's topic, "After the dragon fetus is born, it must be sent to the Cining Palace first."
Concubine Xian suddenly understood the key to the matter. The Empress Dowager and the Queen are using her as a tool to give birth to children. As soon as the child is born, the Empress Dowager will snatch the child away, and the mother and child will not be reunited. What is the point of her giving birth to a child?
"Empress Dowager, I have been weak since childhood."
"The Cining Palace doesn't have much else to offer, but it has plenty of tonics. Just rest assured, I'll be your backup."
The virtuous concubine was slow to respond, so the Queen Mother started to joke with her.
"A few days ago, Concubine Zhen also said that she was weak. I wanted to give her a few kilograms of old mountain ginseng, but she refused to accept my gift."
"I praised her for being sensible and for being able to raise cats, so Concubine Zhen made a fur coat for me. But how could I accept something from a young person? I asked someone to send it back to her."
"Xian Guipin, you are good friends with Zhen Fei. Have you seen the dress hanging on the west wall of Zhen Fei's main hall?"
The Queen Mother's words revealed too much information, so Concubine Xian Guipin had to agree reluctantly.
"I know you are a filial person. If you work for me, I will not treat you unfairly."
Concubine Xian Gui couldn't remember how she got out of the Cining Palace. She just felt dizzy. The maid who served her saw her sad face and said to her, "Your Majesty, you have caught the Empress Dowager's eye now. God has really opened his eyes."
"I don't expect God to open his eyes. God is blind."
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