All the concubines came to the Qiwu Palace to pay their respects and had to sit down in order according to their rank. Because the Imperial Noble Consort and the Rou Consort were under house arrest, the two chairs in front of the Empress were almost covered with spider silk.
When paying respects today, the Queen said a lot of empty words as usual, and then her eyes fell on the two empty chairs in front of her.
"Both were punished. Concubine Rou gave up on herself, while Imperial Noble Concubine truly repented. Because of her sincerity, I intend to let her out to listen to a play during the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. Do you have any objections?"
Concubine Jin was inattentive and did not listen to the Queen seriously. She did not speak, express her opinion, or discuss anything.
Concubine Zhen gave the empress a favor for the first time and bowed, saying, "The empress is wise. I have no objection."
The Queen was very pleased with Zhen Fei's behavior and rewarded her with three pieces of Hui ink and three strings of Buddhist beads made of Lantian jade.
When Zhenfei received the reward, Xiaoyu immediately bent down and stepped forward. Xia Chan clapped her hands, and two palace maids came out with a tray. Xiaoyu took it and stood back beside Zhenfei.
"Thank you for the reward, Queen."
When the queen smiled, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. She was only twenty-three years old, but there was no vitality in her body. She looked so old and gloomy that people couldn't like her.
Zhenfei adjusted her skirt and sat down gracefully.
Concubine Xian Gui looked at the other concubines silently. She saw that all of them were wearing new clothes, and the golden hairpins on their heads were also shining. The strong fragrance from the incense burner could not cover up the jewels and gems on the concubines' bodies.
Zhenfei noticed the inquiring gaze of Concubine Xian Guipin, gave her a contemptuous look, and then made a hair-lifting gesture.
Smiling sideways and lifting hair is an exclusive action of the Imperial Noble Consort. When she first entered the palace, the master praised her for her beautiful smile, so she developed this habit.
The reason why Zhen Fei imitated the Imperial Noble Consort was because she wanted to tell the Consort Xian Guipin to make new clothes for the concubines. The money for the new hairpins came from the Imperial Noble Consort.
The Imperial Noble Concubine paid so much money, no wonder the Queen wanted to release her during the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet.
Gu Yingxia was concentrating on eating melon secretly. The more she watched the eye contact between Concubine Xian Guipin, Concubine Zhen, and the Queen, the more excited she became.
Gu Yinwei doesn't care about the Queen's words and deeds. So far, the Queen has not directly broken off with her except for instigating others to attack her. The Queen is willing to maintain the illusion, and Gu Yinwei is not in a hurry to expose her.
After all, her current strength is still too weak, and she needs to bide her time.
The queen glanced at everyone, and when she looked at Zhao, Qian, Sun and Li, her eyes were slightly contemptuous.
When she looked at Concubine Jin, she felt a little resentful, and when she looked at Gu Yinwei, the anger in her heart rose rapidly.
There is no shortage of beautiful women, knowledgeable women, or intelligent women in the harem.
Until Gu Yinwei appeared, there was no woman in the harem who could combine all the advantages. Concubine Jin was young and beautiful, but lazy and playful; Concubine Zhen was also beautiful, but she lacked interest; Concubine Rou was beautiful, but vain and impetuous; Concubine Huang was outstanding in appearance, but had a vicious heart.
The rest, such as Concubine Xian Gui, the four Shuyis Zhao Qian, Sun Li, Qi Gengyi, and Concubine Fang, are mostly not to be feared.
The queen's mind was in turmoil, and when her eyes swept over Gu Yingxia, her heart was beating violently.
This is not a heartbeat, but a wake-up call.
Gu Yingxia, also known as Shurong, lives in Hefeng Hall. She is a sister of Gu Yinwei and also a strong rival.
These restless women in the harem were as numerous as weeds, which grew back again after being pulled out. The queen fell into a long silence.
Concubine Jin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to attend to. I will take my leave first."
As soon as Concubine Jin left her seat, the four chess partners also stood up and said goodbye.
Zhen Fei received a reward from the Queen and planned to stay for a while. However, the Queen had no time to deal with Zhen Fei and she just wanted to get rid of Gu Yinwei as soon as possible.
"I'm tired." The queen looked sad.
The concubines said goodbye in unison and walked out of Qiwu Palace one after another.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Qi changing his clothes, lowering his head, wringing his handkerchief and looking at his toes.
"How's the stage at Lanyue Pavilion going?"
"Your Majesty, the stage is almost finished."
"The day the stage is completed is the deadline I give you."
"I will do my best."
"I don't want you to do your best. I want you to fight with your life. If you don't risk your own life, how can you take the lives of others?"
Qi Gengyi knelt on the ground and trembled, tears falling one after another. She thought about bringing down Gu Yinwei, but she didn't think about killing anyone.
"If Gu Gengyi is still alive when the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner begins, you won't have to live."
After being scolded by the Queen, Qi Gengyi quickly ran back to Cangzhu Palace. She rummaged through the boxes and took out the gold leaves and silver notes that the Queen had given her.
Using both hands, he grabbed the money and stuffed it into the wooden box. He wiped the tears from his face and went out carrying the wooden box.
The windows in the room were tightly closed, and the room was dim. The door was only slightly open, and there was bright sunlight outside. She held the wooden box and stepped over the threshold with her left foot.
She paused for a moment, then quickly retracted her foot as if she had been burned.
He smashed the wooden box to the ground, and banknotes, silver coins and gold leaves scattered all over the floor. Qi Gengyi knelt on the ground and cried bitterly.
Money is not so easy to get, not to mention that she is taking the queen's money.
Since moving to the Pepper House, Gu Yinwei has rarely had time to return to the Cangzhu House. Today, she accompanied Chuchu to the laundry to pick up the washed clothes. Passing by from afar, she felt as if she were in another world.
The gatekeeper came forward from a distance, wagging her tail and trying to please him, "Good luck to you, Gu Gengyi."
Gu Yin nodded slightly, and the old woman immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
"Don't kneel down, our master has no money to reward you." Chu Chu despised people who flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. This woman had made things difficult for her and didn't allow her to keep a cat. If it weren't for Concubine Xian Guipin's help, she would have spent a lot of money in vain.
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