The next day, when he went to pay his respects to the Queen, he was indeed caught by Concubine Liu.
On the way back to the palace after paying her respects, Concubine Liu suddenly appeared, and Ning Yuxi thought to herself that something was wrong.
She said that just now in the Queen Mother's Palace, Concubine Liu did not make things difficult for her. It turned out that she was waiting for her here.
She was probably afraid that the Empress would speak up for her. After all, the Empress and the Imperial Concubine had been at odds for a long time. If Imperial Concubine Liu didn't like something, the Empress would definitely go against her, whether she liked it or not.
If it is a blessing, it will not be a disaster. If it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided. Ning Yuxi had no choice but to step forward and salute respectfully.
"I pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine."
Concubine Liu looked down at her with disgust. After a long while, she said slowly, "Now that Concubine Ning has gained power, she doesn't even care about me? She won't even kneel down and pay homage to me when she sees me?"
Ning Yuxi's heart skipped a beat. Usually, the concubines in the harem would perform the usual etiquette, and only on important days would they perform the kneeling ceremony, but they would do it from the seat below the main seat to the seat above the main seat.
She is now the mistress of a palace. She only needs to kneel and kowtow when she meets the emperor, empress, and queen mother on important days. She does not need to do this when she meets the imperial concubine.
Ning Yuxi hesitated for a moment, and Concubine Liu said in a deep voice, "Why, I'm not ready to kneel down and pay homage to you?"
"I assist the six palaces and hold the same rank as the Vice Empress. If you want to kneel down and pay homage to the Empress, you must also kneel down and pay homage to me!"
There was no such thing as Imperial Noble Consort in the Jin Dynasty. The next highest rank below the Empress was Noble Consort. If she was also in charge of assisting in the management of the six palaces, her position would be even more honorable, but there was no such thing as kneeling and bowing to her.
But she knew that if she disobeyed Concubine Liu today, the emperor would not favor her when he found out. After all, the emperor did not particularly favor her.
Even if she was particularly favored, it was nothing compared to the tremendous power of Concubine Liu's mother's family.
Concubine Liu knew all this, so she was so fearless.
Ning Yuxi gritted her teeth, changed from squatting to kneeling, and performed the kneeling ceremony with a respectful expression.
However, Concubine Liu did not let her go easily. She still thought that since Concubine Ning refused to obey, she had reason to punish her. This bitch could really endure it!
"I heard that Ning Fei's third prince fell ill last night. I am very worried. Please bring him to me so that I can have a look. I will feel relieved."
Ning Yuxi's heart sank, and she hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The Third Prince has not recovered from his cold, so it is not appropriate for him to go out in the open..."
Concubine Liu interrupted her impatiently, "What's wrong with that? If you're afraid of catching a cold, just wrap yourself in a few more layers of quilts. I can endure the cold in this wind and snow, so why can't he?"
Seeing Ning Yuxi still kneeling without moving, Concubine Liu was furious: "What, Concubine Ning is going to disobey me?"
Ning Yuxi bowed and said, "Please understand, Your Majesty. The Emperor has ordered that the Third Prince rest well and it is not appropriate for him to be moved."
Even if it meant offending Concubine Liu, she couldn't let her son go out and catch a cold. The fever had finally subsided last night, and if it recurred, he would probably hurt his body.
Concubine Liu's face was filled with anger: "Well, you dare to use the emperor to pressure me, Yu Cong, go and slap me in the face!"
"Yes, my lady."
Yu Cong walked forward, sneered, raised his hand high, and slammed it hard on Ning Yuxi's face.
Ning Yuxi clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tightly.
When the third blow came, a young eunuch hurried over, knelt before Concubine Liu and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has come to Changle Palace and is waiting for you."
Concubine Liu's face lit up with joy, and she no longer wanted to waste time with Ning Yuxi. She had plenty of time to deal with her.
She ordered, "Yucong, you stay here and watch her. Kneel for two full hours before you can get up!"
Yu Cong hurriedly said, "Yes, my lady."
Concubine Liu got on the sedan chair and left with a group of palace maids.
Ning Yuxi and Luoying knelt on the snowy roadside. Yu Cong beside them looked at her intently. Whenever she moved, she would glance at her threateningly.
"Empress Ning, I advise you to be more honest. If you make her unhappy, you will suffer the consequences!"
Luoying was furious that a servant dared to threaten her master, and she immediately retorted: "You..."
Ning Yuxi stopped her, saying that now was not the time to argue.
It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge. As long as the Liu family does not fall, no matter how arrogant Concubine Liu is, she will be fine. What's more, General Liu is leading troops to fight in the north, so the emperor will not touch Concubine Liu.
She knelt in the snow for two hours. Fortunately, she understood medicine and often studied medicinal foods to nourish her body. She was stronger than most people, otherwise she would have collapsed long ago.
Things are different now. It's not like last time when she fainted because she was pregnant and it was a big deal. If she fainted now, no one would care about her, and it would anger Concubine Liu again.
When the time came, Yu Cong snorted and left.
Luoying wanted to help Ning Yuxi up, but she also knelt for two hours, and was not much better than Ning Yuxi.
At this time, Ruyi came with Xiangru and Mujin. Seeing that her master had gone to pay her respects and had not returned for a long time, she went out to inquire. After inquiring, she found out that her master was punished by Concubine Liu to kneel.
A heater and a thick cloak were immediately prepared. It was still snowing, and the master's clothes must have been wet.
Several people helped Ning Yuxi onto the sedan chair, changed her wet thick cloak, put a heater in her hands, and Ruyi held an umbrella for her. Then they quickly ordered the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair to return to the palace.
A cloak was also prepared for Luoying. After she put it on, Mujin and Xiangru helped her walk.
The group returned to Shuqing Palace. Ning Yuxi changed her wet clothes, and Ruyi had already ordered someone to boil a lot of hot water and ginger soup.
Ning Yuxi drank the ginger soup and took a hot bath with the help of the palace maid. It was not until she lay on the warm bed that Ning Yuxi felt alive again.
At this time, the imperial physician also came. He examined Ning Yuxi's leg, prescribed medicine, and told her to take good care of herself, otherwise it would easily leave a root of the disease.
Ning Yuxi knew that if she didn't take good care of her knees, it would indeed cause problems.
She asked about Luoying's condition again, told her to take good care of herself in the next few days, and only felt relieved after sending her some medicine.
Fortunately, Cheng Zhao's fever has completely subsided, and Ning Yuxi can finally put her mind at ease.
Only then did she lie down on the bed and have a good sleep.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. The emperor had not come to her during these days. He either went to see Concubine Jing or Concubine Liu.
Perhaps because of the emperor's comfort, Concubine Liu did not continue to cause trouble for her.
There were quite a few fewer people at the palace banquet.
Concubine Zhou and Concubine Xie were under house arrest, as well as Concubine Feng in Concubine Qin's palace.
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