Meng Qi saw Princess Duan laughing so hard that the butterfly hairpin on her head swayed after listening to the two concubines' discussion. She stood up, walked slowly towards the two concubines with a teacup in her hand, and before anyone could react, she twisted her hand and poured the whole cup of tea at them.
One of them, who was older, dodged quickly, while the other instinctively reached out, his sleeves full of tea leaves.
Fortunately, the tea was not hot and people were wearing warm clothes at that time, but even so, it still scared everyone present.
The young one was Concubine Xu. She stood up suddenly and asked, "Princess Rui, what is this doing?"
Meng Qi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Xu, my hand slipped. However, it doesn't matter if my hand slipped. Either you go back and change clothes, or I'll have someone bring you some fabric as compensation. But if I slipped my tongue and said the wrong thing, I can't sew your mouth shut, can I?"
Concubine Xu spoke angrily about you while going to see Princess Duan.
Princess Duan really didn't expect Meng Qi to do this. She was still so shocked by Meng Qi's sudden move that she hadn't recovered yet.
Ms. Li hurriedly stepped forward and took the teacup that Meng Qi was about to throw away, without daring to say a word.
Meng Qi looked at Princess Duan and pressed his brow. "What did Second Sister-in-law ask me just now? Look at my memory. I've forgotten everything Second Sister-in-law said in such a short time. Second Sister-in-law has a good memory. You remember everything that happened in our palace a few days ago so clearly."
Meng Qi returned to her seat and clapped her hands. "I remember now. My second sister-in-law asked if it was a vixen? Alas, it was such a big one, lodging itself in our prince's study and refusing to leave. Our prince is soft-hearted and generous, never speaking harshly to anyone. He couldn't be beaten or scolded, so I didn't know what to do. So I had to intervene, and guess what?"
Princess Duan saw Meng Qi squinting her eyes. The shock she had just felt had passed. She straightened up again, acting superior and said disdainfully, "How should I know?"
"You don't know? How could you not know? You know about things like this between the prince and me. I thought you knew everything about our mansion. But it doesn't matter if you don't know. I'll just tell you."
Meng Qi chuckled, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, "Kill her and throw her into a mass grave, and let the wild dogs eat her. What do you think of my idea, Second Sister-in-law?"
Princess Duan looked at Meng Qi. The fighting spirit she had just shown was completely gone. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt, but didn't want to lose her aura. She said calmly, "Whether it's good or bad is none of my business. There's no such shameless person in our mansion."
Meng Qi nodded. "That's right. Shameless people have come to our house. We can't help it. They are too thick-skinned. They can get in even with the door closed. Second sister-in-law, please teach me when you have time how to keep those annoying and unwelcome people out."
Princess Cheng heard footsteps outside and said to Concubine Xu, "My lady, you should go back and change your clothes. The Empress will be in the court as soon as we speak."
Lady Xu blushed, walked around the table, and glared at Meng Qi fiercely as she passed by her.
Meng Qi tilted her head. "Is Lady Xu trying to compete with me to see who has bigger eyes? You can't tell like this. Let me tell you, either ask the Empress to judge, or..."
Lady Xu said in a muffled voice, "How about this?"
"How about digging it out and putting it there so we can measure it?"
"You, you, how can you do this?" There was fear in Lady Xu's voice.
"Whether it's right or wrong is not up to you or me, we have to ask the Empress to make the final decision. Why don't you go change your clothes? When the Empress arrives, tell her about it and let her give you an explanation. If Concubine Xu feels it's not enough, it's okay. His Majesty will be here soon, so you can ask His Majesty to make the final decision."
Princess Cheng said sternly, "Is Lady Xu not going yet?"
Concubine Xu lowered her head and passed Meng Qi. This dress was new. Although several pieces were sent to the old nanny beside the imperial concubine that day, this one was the best-looking and was also the emperor's favorite color.
She had paid the embroiderer to painstakingly create a pattern of julibrissin flowers, all in the name of catching the Emperor's attention today. As an unloved concubine, Concubine Xu's anxiety was palpable. Her rank was too low, and she had no children. To make matters worse, the Emperor's headaches had been getting worse since the beginning of last autumn. Forget summoning them to attend to her, even the chance to see him, or even to exchange a few words, was rare. If she didn't seize the moment to make some plans, she feared the Emperor would be consigned to the mausoleum after his death.
Being able to go to the cemetery is good, but if one does not make arrangements clearly and goes to the "Rongyang Palace", Concubine Xu dare not think about it anymore.
The Great Xia Dynasty did not have the custom of burying concubines alive with the emperor. After the old emperor passed away, sons could follow their sons to their fiefdoms, while daughters could continue to live in the original palace and be honored with the title of "Tai Fei". Some childless women, but of high rank, who had achieved the title of concubine during the emperor's lifetime, would also be honored with the title of Tai Fei.
The "Rongyang Palace" was a place for those without children and of low social status. While the name sounded appealing, the conditions inside were no better than the cold palace. Initially, if you had money, you could still manage things, but later on, when the money ran out, you had to do all the dirty work yourself, sometimes not even having a hot meal.
Even the most menial eunuchs could be scolded at will, and people of some status would not come to such a place. The former emperor's concubines who entered here would be left to fend for themselves.
Every night, people living near Rongyang Palace would hear wailing coming from inside. The situation there was only slightly better than that of Hanyuan.
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