Imperial Capital 12. Queen Hyeonjo
Concubine Xian Zhao is the current head of the Li Palace, but she is not the biological mother of Li Wang Mo Jing Li. Mo Jing Li and the current emperor were both born to the Queen Mother. Concubine Xian Zhao is the Queen Mother's cousin. The two entered the palace at almost the same time, but they did not fight overtly or covertly like other concubines. Instead, they supported each other for their whole lives. Concubine Xian Zhao originally had a daughter, Princess Lin'an, who married the general of Zhenguo a few years ago and followed the general to guard the border. Concubine Xian Zhao was taken out of the palace by the Li King to be raised. In fact, the Queen Mother was worried about her little son living alone outside the palace, so she asked Concubine Xian Zhao to take care of him.
Ye Li changed her clothes and followed the housekeeper to the Rongyue Hall of Old Lady Ye. It was a harmonious and happy place. Old Lady Ye sat with Concubine Xianzhao. Wang naturally accompanied Ye Ying, and there were also several noble ladies who looked like ladies of the royal family sitting below. What surprised Ye Li the most was that Mo Jingli was also sitting below the Concubine. After a moment of hesitation, Ye Li suddenly remembered that the barriers between men and women in this world were not as strict as those in ancient times that she had heard in her previous life. There was no rule that men and women could not meet before marriage. Of course, the daughters of the rich families had to be accompanied by maids and nannies when they met their fiancés. If not, how could Ye Ying have had the opportunity to hook up with Mo Jingli.
"I pay my respects to the Queen Mother and His Royal Highness Prince Li. I have met the grandmother. I have met all the ladies."
The noblewoman sitting on the first seat was of noble character and quite dignified, with a pair of slightly raised eyes. Although she was old, there was not a single wrinkle on her well-maintained face. This Concubine Hyeonjo was not extremely beautiful, but she had a noble and elegant aura that made people linger.
"Madam, is this the Third Young Miss?" The concubine looked at Ye Li and asked Madam Ye with her head tilted.
Madam Ye smiled and said, "My Lady, this is my third daughter."
The concubine nodded and said with a smile: "She is a lovely and good child, but it's a pity... our Li'er is not blessed." The concubine pulled Ye Li to her side to praise her, and took off an ice jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Ye Li's hand, which immediately made Ye Ying's eyes darken who was standing next to Wang. Ye Li didn't dare to accept the bracelet from the Concubine Dowager, and quickly declined it, saying, "Thank you for the compliment, but such a precious thing should only be worn by the Concubine Dowager. Ye Li doesn't dare to accept the Concubine Dowager's generous gift." The Concubine Dowager held her hand as she tried to take off the bracelet, and said in feigned anger, "Girl, are you disliking my bracelet? This bracelet was given to me by the late Emperor. I am older now, but you young people still look good wearing it, and I am happy about it." People said it was a gift from the late Emperor. If I refused it again, wouldn't it be considered as disliking the late Emperor's things? Ye Li gave up, bowed and smiled, saying, "Thank you for the gift, Concubine Dowager. I will definitely keep the Concubine Dowager's gift carefully."
The concubine seemed very satisfied with Ye Li's performance. She nodded with a smile before letting Ye Li go. Ye Li then walked obediently behind Wang and stood side by side with Ye Ying.
The ladies present who came with the imperial concubine were all a little surprised to see Ye Li. Miss Ye San's reputation in the capital can be said to be as famous as Ye Ying, who is known as the most beautiful woman. However, one is talented, beautiful, and virtuous, while the other is untalented, virtuous, and beautiful. It sounds like it is hard to believe that they are from the same family. However, this Miss Ye San is also a weird person. She has rarely participated in the gatherings of the ladies in the capital. She only said to the outside world that Miss Ye San has been in poor health since the death of the first lady of the Ye family. Seeing Miss Ye San today, she has a beautiful and elegant appearance, speaks elegantly, and behaves in a measured manner. It vaguely reminds people of the grace of Mrs. Ye from the famous Xu family. How could such a woman be spread in such bad ways? Not only did she lose such a good marriage opportunity with Prince Li, but she was also betrothed to Prince Ding. Her life is truly ruined.
Ye Li stood respectfully behind Wang, not noticing that Mo Jingli had been staring at her with a gloomy face since she entered the room. He just listened to the people accompanying the concubine to say flattering words, while staring at the crystal jade bracelet on her wrist, his mind racing. If she said that the concubine liked her or felt guilty about Prince Li's breaking off the engagement and gave her the emperor's relics as soon as they met, not only she would not believe it, but also the others present would not believe it. Moreover, the concubine just mentioned Prince Li as if nothing had happened, and now Ye Ying and Mo Jingli were present, clearly wanting to embarrass her. So what was the meaning of the concubine's behavior?
"You young people must find it boring for us old ladies to talk here. Why don't the Third and Fourth Miss take Li'er out for a walk?" Queen Dowager Xianzhao suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Wang and Ye Ying's faces suddenly became a little stiff. Old Madam Ye was also stunned, but she quickly came to her senses and smiled, "The Concubine is right. It was my inconsiderateness that made Prince Li stay here with us and waste our time. Ying'er, Li'er..."
Ye Li's heart skipped a beat, and she took a step forward and smiled at Old Madam Ye: "Grandmother, Fourth Sister and His Royal Highness Prince Li are in love with each other, so naturally they will miss each other. Li'er dare not go and make a big red lantern and annoy people for no reason." After saying that, she stuck out her tongue and made a face at Old Madam Ye. Her cute and naive look made Old Madam Ye and Wang Shi, who were used to Ye Li's indifferent look, a little confused. Ye Ying blushed immediately after being told what was on her mind. She glared at Ye Li and then shyly glanced at Mo Jingli. Her beautiful smiling face was slightly flushed and she was so beautiful that she was beyond description. Mo Jingli's face became even uglier after hearing what Ye Li said. He snorted coldly and stood up and said to Ye Li, "It's good that you know yourself!" Ye Li raised her eyebrows, still smiling, and said, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? I am a very tactful person. How could I disturb the fourth sister and her brother-in-law. I'd better stay to accompany my grandmother, the concubine and all the ladies. I admire the concubine's style and manners, and I beg the concubine not to dislike me."
The concubine looked at Ye Li deeply and said with a smile: "In that case, Li'er should stay."
Mo Jingli snorted and took Ye Ying out. Ye Ying naturally followed Mo Jingli happily. The concubine frowned slightly at the step in front of her, but soon relaxed her eyebrows and continued to talk to Old Madam Ye.
Ye Li continued to stand behind Madam Wang helplessly, listening to the chattering of the noble ladies in the capital while she picked out a few chapters from "The Art of War" and recited them silently twice. This habit was developed in her previous life. Ye Li was born in a military family in her previous life. Her great-grandfather was from a poor family and participated in the Anti-Japanese War. To put it bluntly, he was a rough man. But the last thing this rough man did was to be called a rough man by others, so starting from Ye Li's father's generation, they were all trained in the direction of Confucian generals. The old man's biggest hobby was to punish the younger generation in the family to recite books, and they were all ancient books. The younger generation in the family could not bear the torture. Basically, the scores in school were lower than the others, and they would never go home on holidays. However, after more than ten years of hard work, the young people have benefited a lot.
The ladies present were all well-known figures in the capital. Although they chatted with a proper look on their faces, they did not ignore Ye Li behind Wang. The longer they watched, the more they felt that this Third Miss Ye was different from the rumors. No matter what they were talking about, there was no curiosity or surprise on this lady's face. Even when talking about the marriage between Prince Li and Fourth Miss Ye, there was no grievance or resentment. Whether it was true or false, being able to make them who had seen through people's hearts so long ago unable to see it was a skill. Not to be surprised by such a favor, not to mention the ladies of the imperial court, even few men can do it.
"Come to think of it, we rarely see the Third Miss in the capital. I wonder if she will attend the Hundred Flowers Festival this year?" Ye Li was reading silently when a woman suddenly asked.
Without waiting for Ye Li to answer, Madam Ye smiled and said, "Li'er has gotten much better in the past two years, so she will definitely attend this year." The old lady naturally understood Wang's intention of not letting Ye Li attend in the past, but now that the two girls' marriages have been decided, it would be unreasonable to not let Ye Li attend. Although she valued Ye Ying more, the shrewd Madam Ye did not intend to let this granddaughter who was about to become Princess Ding be disappointed with the Ye family.