Chapter 347 Zhao Hede 8
Ban Jieyu stood aside and watched the whole process, and was somewhat surprised at Zhao Zhaoyi's quick eloquence.
He glanced at the other person, but was then stunned by her compelling beauty and looked away in embarrassment.
Queen Xu, who was standing by, thought that the wind and sand were just too strong today. When she saw her turn her head, she kindly changed seats with her, which made Ban Jieyu feel a little embarrassed.
After all, she was on good terms with Empress Xu, so naturally she had a good relationship with Madam Xu as well. Although she knew that she was always extreme and sharp-tongued, she had never seen her like that before.
She had some opinions about Zhao Hede, who was favored by the emperor after entering the palace, but it was mainly because she realized that the emperor's love for this new favorite was almost to the point of "playing tricks on the princes with beacon fires". The expenses of Zhaoyang Palace in just one month and the grace of the Zhao family were all secretly shocking to her.
But she was not in the mood to participate in this kind of verbal battle. Xu Ye had provoked her first, so she deserved to be retaliated by the other party.
Ban Jieyu, who disdained such behavior, only hoped that the Queen Mother would come soon and finish the business as soon as possible so that she could get away from all the troubles. Wouldn't it be nice to go back to the palace and read books?
Ban Jieyu didn't know whether she really thought so or was trying to hide something. After rejecting the Queen's kindness, everyone was speechless with thoughts in their minds. Only Zhao Hede was still having fun. If she had another fan in her hand, she would probably have pounced on a few cabbage butterflies to play with her.
At this moment, the Queen Mother slowly approached.
Several people hurriedly bowed and said, "Your servants respectfully wish the Empress Dowager well."
Wang Zhengjun's gaze slowly passed over them, and finally stopped at Zhao Zhaoyi, who was the most popular person in the harem but whom she met for the first time.
"Stand up, everyone is here."
"Your Highness, everyone is here."
Wang Zhengjun met the other man's gaze, her gaze drawn to the luminous pupil. After a moment's pause, she finally asked. After receiving the answer, she turned around and resumed her usual dignity: "Get up and plow."
On the second day, Zhao Hede continued to arrive on time, and this time her appearance caused an even bigger sensation.
Apart from her usual shameful appearance, what was more important was the quju skirt she was wearing, which was similar in color and shape to Xu Ye's.
Xu Ye, who was dressed up carefully, looked at the other party's lotus-like appearance in pure water and almost gritted his teeth.
This evil concubine did it on purpose!
The other people's eyes kept wandering between the two of them, with sympathy, relief, and even schadenfreude in their eyes.
Fortunately, Mrs. Xu stepped forward yesterday, otherwise they might have been the ones making a fool of themselves today.
After all, as the saying goes, it’s not scary to wear the same clothes as others, but it’s embarrassing for the ugly one.
Xu Ye, a daughter of a prominent family, naturally couldn't be called ugly. But now, sitting opposite Zhao Zhaoyi, the two of them were wearing almost identical clothes, yet the contrast between them was earth-shattering.
This is really terrible for these noble ladies.
Wang Zhengjun naturally discovered the problem at a glance. Looking at Xu Ye's unconcealable anger and Zhao Zhaoyi's innocent eyes, she could only sigh silently in her heart and pretend that she didn't know about the lawsuit.
“Haha…”
Zhao Hede raised her hand to half-cover her face, unable to suppress a yawn. Although she hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night, she had arrived before dawn. Ever since entering the harem, with Liu Ao's support, her daily routine had become like that of modern people. Every day, after being dragged by the emperor to exercise, she would fall asleep and sleep until sunrise the next day. This was the first time she had gotten up so early.
Xu Ye seemed to have some kind of handle on him, and immediately laughed shrilly, "Oh, Zhao Zhaoyi hasn't woken up yet, has she just woken up?"
"Does Her Majesty wish to leave the management of Eternal Lane to me?"
Zhao Hede ignored Xu Ye at all. She turned around and grabbed Empress Xu, who seemed weak but always waited for her sister to finish speaking before interrupting her, and asked directly.
Xu Ye, who was eager to protect his sister, could not help but say, "How dare you! The Empress is the master of the Eternal Lane. It is the Empress's duty to manage the Eternal Lane. What does it have to do with a mere Zhaoyi like you?"
"Oh, so you know you shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs. Then when did I, a little Zhaoyi, come into being? What does this have to do with you, 'Madam Xu'?"
Zhao Hede carefully put on her veil. Seeing Xu Ye was about to open it, she pointed at the beehive held up by the palace maid and said with a smile, "Look, the bees are about to sting you."
This was said in a playful way, and several of the younger concubines couldn't help laughing.
No one noticed that Yu Kezi behind her slowly retreated after hearing this.
The next second, Xu Ye screamed in shock: "Ah—bees, bees are coming in!"
The queen next to her quickly stood up, and several palace maids also surrounded him. After a while of chaos, they finally succeeded in swatting three bees off the crazy Xu Ye.
Unfortunately, she reacted too much and startled two of them. One stung her in the corner of her mouth and the other stung her in the eye.
For a moment, there was no other sound in the beehive except Xu Ye's cries of pain.
Everyone's eyes kept shifting between Zhao Hede and Xu Ye, and the timid ones couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.
Wang Zhengjun's expression also became somewhat solemn.
Only Zhao Hede leaned on the table and said sarcastically: "Look, I told you long ago that bees can sting you."
"Mrs. Xu, please stop staring at others next time."
As she was speaking, she suddenly covered her mouth, blinked her eyes and exclaimed: "Oh, I didn't sleep well tonight, I can't even count, and now my lady has only one eye."
"You vicious woman, you clearly murdered me, yet you still dare to speak so rudely!"
The fear of being disfigured or blind ignited Xu Ye's anger. Her reckless insults not only displeased the Queen Mother, but also frightened others by her crazy appearance.
Liu Ao, who happened to arrive, had an even gloomier expression. He strode forward, grabbed Xu Ye's hand, and threw it aside. He turned around and protected the frightened He De behind him.
"She behaves like a madwoman within the palace, and even offends the Queen Mother, delaying the promotion of beekeeping. Why doesn't someone come and drag her out of the palace?"
"Your Majesty, Xu Ye was just stung by a bee and got frightened. It was not intentional."
Wang Zhengjun quickly persuaded them, then gently instructed the Queen, "Your Majesty, please take Xu Ye away first. Although these bees are not very poisonous, you still need to take care of your health."
Now the queen didn't dare to let her sister continue to make trouble, so she quickly helped Xu Ye to leave.
Wang Zhengjun turned around and was about to lecture the emperor when she saw that he was completely focused on Zhao Zhaoyi. The tension and care in his eyes were something that even Yin Huan had never received before.
"Your Majesty, weren't you in Xuanshi Hall discussing matters? Why did the bee forest suddenly appear?"
Wang Zhengjun asked the emperor, but her eyes were looking at Zhao Hede who was pretending to be pitiful in her son's arms. There was indifference in her eyes as if she had already seen through her tricks.
Zhao Hede laughed secretly in her heart. This empress dowager was really interesting. She always acted like she knew everything, as if no one's lies in the world could escape her discerning eyes.
But when the time comes, she is always unable to give in, relying on the people around her who are willing to die for her, while she sits on the throne with peace of mind without being stained by blood, and in the end she even sighs about how miserable her fate is.
So Zhao Hede deliberately trembled her body and hid in Liu Ao's arms again.
Liu Ao, who had been paying attention to Hede, noticed her abnormality at the first time. He looked up and met his mother's gaze, and his anger became even more intense.
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