Gu Qing leaned forward slightly and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, Gu Qing, greets the Imperial Concubine."
The room was filled with the aroma of tea, and she had heard that the imperial concubine loved tasting tea the most in her life.
A clear, mellow voice came from the other side: "No need to be so polite, Madam Chen, please stand up."
"There's no one else here, and the palace maids are all serving outside. You don't have to be so formal, just be casual." The imperial concubine raised her hand and motioned Gu Qing to sit down.
Mu Xin ran over with a smile and stuck to Concubine Shu, "Aunt, what kind of tea do you have today?"
"I'm so greedy! Auntie hasn't made tea in a long time!"
Concubine Shu had no daughters, only one son, the Third Prince. However, Li Xiangji had been self-disciplined and polite since childhood, and was a gentle and respectful person, without the cute and clingy nature of girls.
Therefore, Concubine Shu doted on Mu Xin very much and treated her like her own daughter.
She handed her a bowl of jade-green tea and asked, "Would you like to try it?"
As she spoke, Concubine Shu also handed a cup to Gu Qing: "Madam Chen, try it too. I haven't made tea for a long time, so I'm not very good at it."
She was humble, and Gu Qing felt very close to her. He took it with both hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Mu Xin drank it all in one gulp, while Gu Qing first put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it, then tasted it carefully.
The tea has a rich aroma, and the refreshing and pleasant taste lingers for a long time after entering the mouth. It takes a lot of skill to make such a fine product.
Gu Qing's eyes were filled with admiration: "Good tea!"
The imperial concubine's eyebrows curved slightly when she heard this, but she said to Mu Xin angrily: "You should learn from Madam Chen and behave in a dignified and polite manner. As a princess, you should pay more attention to your words and actions."
Her words sounded like criticism, but her tone was full of doting.
Mu Xin was fearless and curled her lips and said, "I can't learn it, I can't learn it. If my aunt forces me to learn those etiquettes every day, she might as well kill me."
"You kid." The imperial concubine shook her head helplessly and touched Mu Xin's head. "The kitchen has made some new peach blossom wine. Go and try it."
Mu Xin was a smart man. He understood that his aunt wanted to talk to Gu Qing alone, so he stood up and said with a smile, "Then Xin'er, can you take some home? Let my old man have some too."
"Of course, my brother likes the peach blossom wine I make the most. You can bring some back."
When Gu Qing heard what the imperial concubine said, she found that she was really humble. In front of her family, she did not call herself "this concubine", but called herself "I".
After Mu Xin left, the imperial concubine slowly stood up and sat on the couch, looking more and more dignified.
Gu Qing couldn't help but become serious: "Your Highness, do you have any important instructions?"
"Since you are good friends with Xin'er, how about I call you Qing'er?"
Gu Qing was a little surprised, feeling that the name was a little too intimate.
When dealing with people in the palace, even if they look like Bodhisattvas, you should not take them lightly.
Gu Qing nodded and said carefully, "Your Majesty, I am deeply overwhelmed by your kindness."
The imperial concubine understood Gu Qing's thoughts and did not say anything more. She continued, "I called you here today because I want you to do me a favor."
"Your Highness would like to hear the details."
The imperial concubine was very pleased with her attitude, but her brows were a little serious: "Princess of Northern Frontier, have you heard?"
"I've heard of it." Gu Qing answered her carefully without saying too much.
"I won't play riddles with you. When Chen Zhizhou came to the palace to help me solve a problem, the Princess of Northern Frontier only wanted to see him. No one in the palace knew about this."
As she spoke, the imperial concubine looked at Gu Qing's expression.
Gu Qing did not hide anything and said frankly: "I heard about this matter from the princess before I came here."
"Very good. I see that you are also someone who understands the overall situation. No matter what the Northern Frontier Princess's purpose is, I'm afraid that the only person who can see her now, besides Chen Zhizhou, is you."
"And I want you to ask her what her purpose is in feigning illness?"
Gu Qing raised his eyes, his eyes darkened.
Not to mention whether the Princess of Northern Frontier is willing to see him, I'm afraid she will never admit that she is pretending to be sick.
Mr. Huang was a traveling doctor, so she could say that his medical skills were poor and his diagnosis and treatment were random.
The Imperial Concubine resorted to this desperate measure, probably because His Majesty has already put pressure on the Zhongcui Palace.
"I am willing to give it a try."
The imperial concubine nodded, showing some appreciation: "It seems that Chen Zhizhou is right. You are a courageous woman."
"Looking around the world, I see that you are the most compatible with him."
Hearing this, Gu Qing lowered her head and smiled: "Your Highness, you are too kind."
After the two of them finished talking, Gu Qing was led into the side hall by Nanny Yuzhu.
Although it is a side hall, the furnishings inside the hall are complete, no less than those in the imperial concubine's hall. Even the walls are painted with gold, which is enough to show how much His Majesty values this princess from the northern border.
Outside the hall, two pairs of women with exotic looks were waiting on the left and right, both wearing northern border clothing.
"Who are you?! Princess, don't see anyone, get out!"
Gu Qing was standing at the door when a maid blocked her way.
Yuzhu Ma Ma said with a serious expression: "Tell your princess, this is the wife of the Third Young Master of the Chen family, and she has something to say to her."
The maids glanced at each other. The person who had been talking lifted the beaded curtain and went in. The voices of women talking could be heard from inside, speaking in the Northern Frontier dialect. After a while, the maid came out, looked Gu Qing up and down, and said in a cold voice, "Go in."
Faced with their rudeness, Yuzhu Mama was unhappy, but Gu Qing smiled faintly: "Thank you, Mama. I will come out later."
"Madam Chen, please go." Nanny Yuzhu was guarding outside the house. Gu Qing held up the hem of her skirt and walked into the house under the watchful eyes of four maids.
Inside the house, red veils covered the setting of the house.
Gu Qing walked around the outer room and past the screen, only to see the legendary Princess of Northern Frontier. She had jet-black hair, fair skin, and delicate features. She wore a gold-embroidered gauze veil on her head and a crimson silk dance dress. Her waist was slender, with delicate bracelets around her wrists and silver bells tied to her feet. Even just lying sideways on the steps, she exuded a seductive charm.
The rumors were not wrong, the princess of the Western Regions was peerless in beauty, but Gu Qing felt that it was just an empty shell of beauty. Her emerald eyes were like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of life.
"Are you Gu Qing?" Like her, Naiza's voice was lazy and flat, like the world-weary voice of a dying person.
Gu Qing looked at her, like a rose in the desert that was about to dry up and die, rotten yet beautiful.
"Yes." Gu Qing stood with his hands behind his back, not like the other people in the palace who were fawning or cautious.
And because Naiza wanted to harm Chen Zhizhou, she disliked her and even had some murderous intentions.
"You want to kill me?" Naiza suddenly spoke, and Gu Qing's expression changed slightly.
"Princess, why do you say that? This is the first time I've met you. How could I possibly want to kill you?"
Naiza stood up from the couch, her snow-white feet stepping on the floor, leaving a few red marks: "Your eyes, tell me."
Gu Qing's heart trembled slightly: "Princess, you are worrying too much. I know that you are not a shy person. Why are you pretending to be sick?"
After these words were spoken, Naiza's lifeless expression finally showed some signs of improvement.
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