"It was him?" Xue Rong's reaction clearly showed that she had heard of Yu Qizhe. She said, "I also heard about what happened on the day of the palace examination. I heard that this number one scholar was from a poor family and was a student of the second assistant Liu Yu. Shang'er, why did you fall for him?"
Xue Qingshang was afraid that Xue Rong would have a problem with Yu Qizhe being Liu Yu's student, so she hurriedly said, "He is a very talented person. Sister, don't believe the rumors outside. Last year, he won the first prize in the poetry competition in Xinglou and matched my couplet. However, he was not like those young masters in the capital who became Liu Miwu's lover. He just waived the money for the food and wine and left quietly."
"Later, by chance, I met him in Zanmao Hutong. He was neither humble nor arrogant in front of me. He did not take advantage of my status to curry favor with me. He was very indifferent to fame and fortune!" Xue Qingshang said protectively, "He should have been the top scorer of this year's exam. It's not like what people say outside that he stole someone else's place."
Xue Rong smiled. Seeing her like this, it was clear that she liked Yu Zhuangyuan very much. "Sister, I heard that he is also very handsome. Recently, he has won the favor of the emperor. The emperor often summons him to Fengtianzhai. Not long ago, he was promoted to the fifth rank tutor and is on duty in the Yangxin Palace."
"He got promoted?" Xue Qingshang was really happy for Yu Qizhe. She had previously learned that he was only a sixth-rank editor, not as high-ranking as Xiao Yantai, who won the third place in the imperial examination. She felt very unfair for him and even went to ask Prime Minister Shen for help on his behalf.
Xue Rong laughed and said, "He's just a fifth-rank tutor, but you're as happy as if he were in the cabinet!"
Xue Qingshang felt embarrassed by what she said, her face turned even redder, and she called out in shame and anger, "Sister!"
Xue Rong smiled and leaned close to her ear to coax her, "Forget it, go to the Yangxin Palace to bring a bowl of ginseng soup to His Majesty on behalf of my sister."
Xue Qingshang understood what her elder sister meant. She wanted her to meet Yu Qizhe in the name of delivering ginseng soup to the emperor. She had indeed not seen Yu Qizhe for some time, and she had no reason to do so on weekdays.
Xue Rong teased her deliberately, "If you don't want to, forget it. I'll personally bring some ginseng soup over some other day so that we can take a good look at what that number one scholar looks like and why our Shang'er is so interested in him."
"Sister, I'll go!" Xue Qingshang said quickly with a flushed face.
The maid went to the small kitchen and brought Xue Qingshang a bowl of ginseng soup. Xue Qingshang left the bedroom and saw Yu Jiao bent over the table, still writing a prescription. She said, "My sister asked me to go to the Yangxin Palace to deliver ginseng soup to the emperor. I will not leave the palace with you later."
Yu Jiao nodded. Not long after Xue Qingshang left, she took the prescription into the bedroom and gave it to Xue Rong. If the fetus is less than three months old, it is very easy to have a miscarriage. Xue Rong's health was not good to begin with, so Yu Jiao carefully reminded her of some precautions, from small matters like diet and daily life to big matters like traveling by car.
After leaving Changle Palace, Yu Jiao looked at the palaces in the harem, feeling somewhat uneasy. Xue Rong was pregnant, and this seemingly peaceful palace was likely to be in turmoil.
On the palace road, a young eunuch dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Household Department seemed to have been waiting for a long time. When he saw Yu Jiao coming, he hurried forward and smiled and said, "Miss Liu San, Master Cheng ordered me to wait for you here."
The little palace maid who sent Yu Jiao out of the palace was the same one as before. She subconsciously looked at Yu Jiao.
As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar. Yu Jiao was not as resistant as last time. If Cheng Ying wanted to see her, she would always find a way. She could avoid her on the first day, but not on the second day. With Cheng Ying's all-powerful skills in the palace, she should have known that Xue Rong was pregnant with the prince.
Yu Jiao asked the young palace maid to return to Changle Palace and nodded to the young eunuch, "Lead the way."
The young eunuch led Yu Jiao towards the direction of Donghua Gate. Yu Jiao didn't pay attention at first, but later she noticed that they were going to Duanben Palace. She frowned slightly. Duanben Palace was the palace where the prince lived, also called the East Palace.
She had noticed before that the princes who had not been given titles all lived in the five east and west buildings of the Imperial Garden, which were quite far away from the main palace and the harem, and few people came and went.
Why did Cheng Ying meet her in the prince's Duanben Palace?
Yu Jiao felt strange. Cheng Ying did not accept Empress Feng's solicitation, so how come she became close to the prince?
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