"I remember now. When you two sisters entered the palace together, your elder sister committed a heinous crime that deserved death. However, the Emperor was lenient and did not implicate your mother's family."
Concubine Ping bowed deeply, a hint of uneasiness in her eyes. "Yes, the emperor's grace is immense, and the Qian family will remember it in their hearts."
The Queen Mother said indifferently, "We all prosper together, and we all suffer together. Although this matter was not your intention, your sister is wrong, and so are you. From now on, you will stay in your palace and reflect on your mistakes. Do not come out unless necessary."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ping bit her red lips tightly, her lowered eyes filled with unwillingness. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she finally looked up at the emperor sitting above her.
She bowed deeply and said, "I will obey the Empress Dowager's order."
Everyone present knew that Xiao Liu had nearly caused the royal family to lose its incense, and even the emperor himself had nearly lost his life.
Such a person, even if she only looks like Xiao Liu, how could the Queen Mother allow such a person to serve Zhao Yuancheng again?
However, Concubine Shu seemed to be completely unable to understand the Queen Mother's meaning. She smiled and said, "Queen Mother, this Concubine Ping is only a concubine's daughter. She didn't have much contact with Qian Shi in the past. Besides, it would be a pity if such a beauty died of old age in the palace..."
Before she could finish her words, the Queen Mother glared at her fiercely.
Concubine Shu's face froze, and she dared not say anything else. She could only smile awkwardly. For a moment, the atmosphere in the palace became awkward. Zhao Yuancheng held up a glass of wine and coaxed his mother, saying, "Today is New Year's Eve. If the Queen Mother is angry, I'm afraid everyone will be trembling with fear."
As she spoke, she set her sights on Consort Ping, the next in line. "You play the zither well. Since the Queen Mother is unhappy because of you, why don't you play another cheerful tune to make amends to her?"
"yes."
The sound of the piano rang out again in the hall.
A few more children gathered around their grandmother and chatted and laughed, finally making the empress dowager smile again.
When the music ended, Concubine Ping reluctantly walked away holding the zither, and then other concubines came forward to perform their talents.
But Fu Qianyu knew that the emperor's heart had long been seduced away by Concubine Ping.
After the banquet, everyone surrounded the Queen Mother and went to the front yard to watch the fireworks. When they stood up, Zhao Yuancheng silently winked at Zhu Yu.
Zhu Yu has been with him for so many years, how could he not know what the emperor is thinking.
He quietly walked out when no one was paying attention, and this scene happened to be seen by Concubine Shu, who raised her eyebrows and smiled triumphantly at Fu Qianyu.
It was as if she was saying, "Look, the emperor can't let go of the little Liu from the past. Even though you are the queen, you can't even get your husband's love. You are really pathetic."
Fu Qianyu looked calm on the outside, but her heart was as peaceful as still water.
As long as she is the mistress of the Central Palace and her son is the crown prince, what does it have to do with her who the emperor loves?
Faced with Fu Xiyu's indifference, Concubine Shu felt a little resentful, but she thought that her goal had been achieved and that she still held the trump card of Concubine Ping in her hand.
The anger in her heart gradually disappeared, and she smiled before enjoying the fireworks with everyone else.
Everyone stayed with the Queen Mother until midnight before returning to their respective palaces.
Zhao Yuancheng still has to go to Fengxian Temple to burn incense for his ancestors tomorrow, so he didn't summon anyone tonight. Fu Qianyu returned to the bedroom and let the maid help her wash and dress.
Lingyun took off her master's hairpins and rings and said quietly, "Looking at this, Concubine Shu is probably trying to promote Concubine Ping?"
Fu Qianyu closed her eyes slightly and said slowly, "Shu Fei, you are really stupid."
"That's right." Peirong snorted softly, "The incident with Xiao Liu that day was so serious, yet Concubine Shu actually dared to send her to the Emperor. I just saw that the Empress Dowager's face was very unpleasant."
Fu Qianyu rubbed her forehead, but Lingyun said, "But I see that the Emperor doesn't seem interested in Concubine Ping. Perhaps this time Concubine Shu's efforts will be in vain."
"You, after being in the palace for so long, your eyes are still not bright enough." Fu Qianyu looked at the person in the mirror and raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you notice that Zhu Yu is missing?"
Ling Yun was stunned: "Could it be that the Emperor is planning to do it quietly..."
She didn't continue the conversation. Fu Qianyu smiled calmly, "Tell me, even if Xiao Liu didn't like the emperor, how did she manage to make him so infatuated with her? To the point where the emperor suffered greatly from her, yet he still couldn't forget her. If Xiao Liu were still alive, I really would like to ask her."
Just as Fu Xiyu expected, after receiving the emperor's signal, Zhu Yu took advantage of the dead of night and quietly brought Concubine Ping into the Zichen Palace.
At the first dinner, Concubine Ping thought she had no hope and was feeling hopeless, but then Zhu Yu came in and said that the emperor wanted to see her.
At this moment, Concubine Ping was both excited and sad.
She was happy that she no longer had to suffer bullying because of her sister's mistakes. However, she was sad that she had won Zhao Yuancheng's favor.
But from now on, her grace is destined not to be shown to the public, and she will be a substitute who cannot be seen in the light for the rest of her life.
The charcoal fire in the Zichen Palace was burning very brightly. The moment one entered the door, the cold air brought in by Concubine Ping from outside was instantly dispelled.
The room was very quiet and all the palace servants had been sent out.
At this time, only Zhao Yuancheng was standing alone by the bed, his back reflected in the dim candlelight, with a hint of loneliness.
Concubine Ping paused at the door for a moment, took a deep breath, and then slowly walked towards Zhao Yuancheng. "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor."
Hearing the noise, Zhao Yuancheng turned around slowly. He did not immediately tell Ping Jieyu to get up, but just looked at her quietly. Until Ping Jieyu felt that her legs could no longer support her, she heard the emperor's gentle "excuse me" above her head.
Perhaps it was because she had been kneeling for too long, or because she was frightened by the emperor's majesty, but when Concubine Ping stood up, she felt her legs go weak.
When she was about to fall, the emperor's warm big hand held her arm steadily. When she raised her eyes, she clearly saw the pain in the emperor's eyes.
Taking a step back, Concubine Ping knelt again to apologize, but was stopped by Zhao Yuancheng: "I summoned you here to speak with you. If you keep bowing like this, it will be dawn soon."
"Yes, I have misbehaved."
"Can you drink?" The emperor's unexpected words startled Concubine Ping. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly reacted and nodded, "Yes."
As he spoke, Zhao Yuancheng had already led Concubine Ping towards the warm room.
There were a few small dishes and a pot of wine on the kang table. Zhao Yuancheng sat down cross-legged on the warm kang and pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "Sit down. There are only two of us here. No need to be so formal."
"yes."
After paying her respects, Concubine Ping sat down across from the emperor. She then picked up the wine pot and poured wine for Zhao Yuancheng. The emperor whispered to her, "You know you look a lot like Concubine Rou, right?"
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