Chapter 361 Zhao Hede 22
Zhao Hede had never expected that the funeral had just begun, and the foot-feet empress dowager couldn't wait to come and cause trouble for her. She herself had attracted the emperor to become his favorite concubine by washing his feet when she was young, so why did she start teaching others to follow the rules and know etiquette when it was the turn of the newcomers?
It's really funny. Back in the day in Yongxiang, Feng Yuan was the most simple-minded among her family members. She was noisy and heartless all the time, and she made small mistakes all the time.
This kind of person suddenly became the empress dowager and started to care about her background and pomp. The environment really changes people.
"No."
Faced with Liu Ao's invitation, Zhao Hede directly rejected him.
"Hmm? Why not go? The Empress Dowager Zhongshan is my stepmother. Since she specifically asked you to go, we should give our elders some face."
Liu Ao hadn't expected Hede to refuse. He realized that she had probably guessed that Queen Mother Zhongshan had bad intentions. He wasn't angry, but instead tried to persuade her gently and with reason. Seeing that Hede remained unmoved, he reassured her:
"I will take care of everything tomorrow. Besides, the Empress Dowager Zhongshan has a cheerful and kind disposition. We are just going to a banquet, nothing will happen."
"Do I really have to go? I have a feeling that the Empress Dowager Zhongshan doesn't like me very much. What if she embarrasses me tomorrow?"
Hede tilted her head and leaned on Liu Ao's shoulder with an expression that said "I'm so scared", acting pitifully and coquettishly, and it seemed that she was really reluctant to go.
Seeing the other party like this, he couldn't help but feel soft-hearted and wanted to agree, but then he thought that the Queen Mother Zhongshan would probably stay in Chang'an for a while this time. If the two elders really had a conflict with Hede tomorrow, with him watching, he could at least protect one or the other. So he hardened his heart:
"Hede, you are the Queen. It is inevitable that you will have to deal with these people in the future. Even if you don't go this time, there will be another time. But I may not be able to get to you in time next time, right?"
Zhao Hede knew when to quit. She had planned to participate in the first place, but she just wanted to leave the impression in Liu Ao's mind that it was not her initiative.
"I understand. I will follow your majesty's arrangements."
………
The next day, Wang Zhengjun looked at Feng Yuan, who was dressed up and looked particularly solemn, and couldn't help laughing. She thought that she was so old but still had the mentality of a child. But in the end, she did not stop her behavior.
Still sitting in his seat, doing nothing and caring nothing, just watching silently.
Zhao Hede and Liu Ao came together, and they each bowed and greeted the empress dowager.
The Empress Dowager Zhongshan, who was sitting below the Empress Dowager, smiled kindly, but the cunning in her eyes made her look like a naughty child who liked to play tricks on others.
"Queen, this is our Zhongshan biscuit. It's the softest, most delicious, and sweetest. I give it to you as a reward."
Zhao Hede was not very angry when she saw this familiar scene. The big box full of cakes and snacks was indeed very good, and some of them looked almost the same as what she had come up with.
Hede, who had a good appetite due to her pregnancy, even felt a little hungry when she smelled the sweet aroma of the pastries. She stepped forward to take the cakes with both hands, but her movements of bowing and expressing her gratitude were a little clumsy and not quite standard.
Seeing this, Feng Yuan couldn't wait to laugh and said, "The Queen has been in the palace for quite some time, how come she still doesn't learn the rules so well?"
Seeing this, Liu Ao hurriedly said, "The Queen is still young and has only been in the palace for a short time, so she is not very experienced yet. Please don't blame the Empress Dowager Zhongshan."
"How can she be younger than a child? She's simply of humble origin and refuses to study." Empress Dowager Zhongshan refuted Liu Ao's words before sternly addressing Hede, "When you were Zhaoyi, your bad manners only earned you a few laughs. Now that you are the Empress, you should set an example for the other concubines and be a role model for the nation."
Zhao Hede didn't even look up, but when Liu Ao was about to speak to defend her, she reached out to stop him.
When the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Zhongshan saw that the Emperor just followed her hand and stood there obediently, they looked at each other. Empress Dowager Zhongshan, who had been feeling a little proud, could no longer smile.
"The Empress Dowager Zhongshan is right. I have learned your lesson."
After saying this, she casually bowed her head, turned her head and smiled gently at Liu Ao, and said in a soft voice: "Your Majesty, please~"
As he spoke, he extended his hand, and Liu Ao quickly helped her up. Seeing the strange looks from his mother and the Empress Dowager Zhongshan, he didn't think anything was wrong. He thought they were unhappy with Hede's less than standard kowtow. Instead, he explained to them, "The Empress has been unwell recently, and I didn't mean to do that."
During the meal, the Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, Liu Ao at her side. The Empress sat opposite the Empress Dowager Zhongshan. An unconvinced Empress Dowager Zhongshan continued to criticize Hede for not paying her respects to the Empress Dowager for over half a month. Liu Ao, knowing his stepmother to be a simpleton and a man of integrity, was not angry. He simply declined to take up the conversation and brushed it off.
Seeing the Emperor's constant defense, the Empress Dowager Zhongshan felt even more distressed for her sister's plight. However, she also knew that it was important to be measured in her involvement in such matters. Since the Emperor was unwilling to give her face, further discussion would be pointless, so she had no choice but to redirect the conversation to the Empress.
"Since Your Majesty is so busy, the Empress should have time to show her filial piety to the Empress Dowager, right? Speaking of which, the Xu family was very diligent in the past. It's impossible that the current Empress can't match her, right?"
Feng Yuan turned her head to look, but Hede was yawning with his sleeve covering his face. It was only when Liu Ao beside him called out to him twice that he blinked twice as if waking from a dream:
"Did the Empress Dowager Zhongshan speak just now? I'm so sorry, I've been feeling very short-tempered lately. I can't help but feel sleepy when I hear people telling those old stories."
Hede apologized without any apology, turned around and said with a smile: "Has the Empress Dowager Zhongshan finished speaking? Can we start the meal now?"
Feng Yuan was so angry that she almost fell backwards.
Wang Zhengjun also shook her head helplessly. However, when Liu Ao heard Hede speak, he was afraid that his precious queen would be hungry, so he also said: "It's getting late, and I feel a little hungry too. Why don't we eat first?"
As he spoke, he picked up some food for the Empress Dowager Zhongshan. Seeing this, Feng Yuan had another idea and quickly said with a smile, "The dishes picked by the Empress are still more delicious."
Zhao Hede picked up a piece of the rabbit meat in front of her, and before she handed it to Feng Yuan's bowl, she heard her continue to laugh and say, "The color of the rabbit meat is not very good today. I'd rather eat fish."
Hede's eyes lit up, and she slowly picked up the fish. Before Feng Yuan finished asking the Queen to help her, Hede vomited with a vomiting sound.
The hall was instantly thrown into chaos. The Empress Dowager was stunned and Feng Yuan was at a loss.
Only Liu Ao, who was closest to the place, reacted immediately. He stood up and came to Hede's seat. He didn't care about the smell and hurriedly supported Hede. Seeing that Hede's face was pale, Liu Ao was frightened and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. He shouted loudly: "Call the doctor, go call the doctor——"
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