Concubine Chen was promoted to noble concubine, but there was no joy on her face, instead she was filled with infinite sorrow.
Ah Xiang knelt down and gently massaged Concubine Chen's feet. Concubine Chen lay sideways on the soft couch.
The beaded curtain in front of her was swaying gently, the palace maids were coming in and out, everything in front of her was moving quickly, only Concubine Chen was still. She felt that she was somewhat out of place in the palace in front of her, and an irrepressible despair arose in her heart.
"A Xiang, my eyelids keep twitching."
"Your Highness, you have been overworked recently. I will wring out a hot handkerchief and apply it to you."
The warm handkerchief covered Concubine Chen's eyes, and her tense nerves finally relaxed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"Be gentle, the imperial concubine is asleep."
"Yes." The palace maids answered in unison.
Huayi Palace was previously decorated according to the standards for a concubine, but now it has to be decorated according to the standards for a noble concubine.
There were so many things that needed to be replaced that the servants worked for seven or eight days to get everything arranged.
The emperor gave Concubine Chen Minjun enough style. The number of servants around her increased day by day. She ate delicacies from land and sea, wore silk and satin, and had people carry her when she went out and greet her when she came in.
Everyone coming and going was there to congratulate, but Zhu Bifeng was not among them.
"Ah Xiang, go and find out where the Emperor is staying today."
Ah Xiang walked out backwards with her back bent, muttering to herself, "Oh no, it looks like I'm going to get scolded today."
Ah Xiang's eyes were dull as she walked out of Huayi Palace slowly. She did not go to inquire about the news immediately, but found a secluded place to sit down and rest.
As soon as she sat down, she sighed five times in a row. Her chest seemed to be blocked by a stone, as if she would suffocate if she didn't take a long breath.
Gu Yinwei was sitting in the pavilion sipping tea. She could hear Ah Xiang's sigh from a distance through the flower wall, and told Chuchu to call her over.
"If I remember correctly, you are a maid in Huayi Palace, right?"
"Hello, Empress Dowager. Your servant Ah Xiang pays homage to the Empress Dowager."
"Why are you sitting alone under the camellia and sighing when you're not serving the imperial concubine in Huayi Palace?"
"Concubine Chen ordered this servant to come out and inquire about the Emperor's news."
"Has Your Majesty not been to Huayi Palace for a long time?"
"Indeed, the Emperor has never been to Huayi Palace since returning from the ranch outside Beijing."
"Master Chen used his military power to change your queen's title to a noble concubine. Does your queen know about this?"
Ah Xiang was shocked. So this is how she got the title of Imperial Concubine. She had to go back and tell Concubine Chen.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. I will take my leave now."
Gu Yinwei stared at the camellia in a daze. Ah Xiang had left for a long time.
"Queen Mother, you are in a good mood today."
"It's not that I have the leisure to do so, it's just that I feel sorry for her."
"The Queen Mother has a kind heart."
"The Emperor has been staying either in Penglai Pavilion or Liangxiao Palace lately. If Ah Xiang tells the truth, Concubine Chen will surely lose her temper. The master is angry, and the servant suffers.
"It would be fine if I didn't see it, but since I did, I'd like to offer some pointers if I can."
The camellia flowers are full of buds, some have already bloomed, the flowers are as colorful as the morning glow, and some are about to bloom but emit a faint fragrance.
Chuchu took a pair of scissors to cut off the branches and took them home to put in a vase.
When she returned to the Cining Palace, Gu Yingxia had already ordered the palace maids to prepare the food and sit and wait for her to come back for lunch.
The two ginseng dolls' little feet swayed, and they smiled broadly when they saw Gu Yinwei.
Gu Yinwei raised her hand and stuck two puppet talismans on the ginseng doll's head, and told Chuchu to dig a hole and bury the ginseng.
"Third sister, I haven't had enough fun yet?"
"In a few days, the envoys from Dongzhou will come to Kyoto. There are many strange people in Dongzhou. The evil spirits of these two girls are overwhelming. If you don't bury them, you will be buried in the coffin."
Gu Yingxia pouted and thought to herself, "If I'm not allowed to raise a ginseng doll, I'll raise a parrot and a starling."
Gu Yinwei ate her meal slowly and chewed it carefully, while Gu Yingxia twisted her mouth, threw down her chopsticks and walked away.
"I'm stuffed."
Gu Yinwei ordered the palace maid to bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks, and ate with Chuchu Biantao.
The three of them chatted and laughed, and Bian Tao said with emotion: "The lotus root and pork ribs soup is really delicious."
Chuchu held the bowl with a smile on her face. Gu Yingxia was sulking for a while, but when she saw that no one was trying to comfort her, she returned to the dining table.
A pair of chopsticks fell from the table and Ah Xiang reached out to pick them up.
"Your Highness, your chopsticks fell off. I will replace them with a new pair for you."
"No need, I can't eat it."
Concubine Chen's hands were shaking violently. The news that Ah Xiang brought back was too shocking, and she found it difficult to accept it for a moment.
"A Xiang, who told you what you just said?"
"This servant left the palace to gather information. When I passed by the Imperial Garden, I overheard Empress Dowager Hengle talking about this matter. Look what I overheard while squatting among the flowers."
After hearing this, Concubine Chen fell silent.
After a long while, she slowly spoke, "No wonder my father hasn't replied to my letter. It turns out something so serious has happened."
What a fool! My father is so foolish.
Concubine Chen was extremely regretful. She should not have acted rashly against Concubine Mei, nor should she have been jealous of Concubine Xi.
The Chen family's military power is far more useful than the empty title of imperial concubine. My father really made a useless move.
"I don't know if my father received my letter. Ah Xiang, please grind the ink. I need to write another letter."
The letter sent from Huayi Palace was not delivered to the Chen family first, but to the emperor.
Zhu Bifeng opened the letter and read it quickly. After reading it, he found nothing unusual, so he gave it to Shuangxi to seal it and had the eunuch send it out of the palace.
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