I was led into the main hall by the head nanny, while Xiao Cui, Xiao Tao, Xiao Feng and Sister A Zhu were temporarily stopped outside the hall.
When I went in, I found that the scene was bigger than I had imagined. The Queen Mother was sitting in front of the hall, and Princess Rushuang was sitting on one side, holding the Queen Mother's hand with a worried look on her face; Song Heng was sitting on the other side, stroking a white porcelain teacup, and Song Yu, who was sitting in the lower seat, winked at me. Opposite him was the Queen, who wanted to eat me alive, and behind her stood A Jian, who had a gloating look on his face.
I stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the ground, paying my respects to each one, then waited for the Queen Mother to speak. Though she sat high up in the hall, her benevolent features made her seem less intimidating and more approachable.
"Is Lady Mu feeling better?" the Queen Mother said slowly, "I haven't seen you for a long time."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am feeling much better now."
The Queen Mother nodded without further ado. "I heard that Lady Mu broke into Fenghua Palace today and injured the Queen's maid, Ajian?"
"To your Majesty, I did not break into Fenghua Palace," I said calmly, "but I did hit Ah Jian, but I don't know if he was injured."
"You know I don't like it when the masters in the harem take advantage of their status to bully the servants..."
"Yes, I will keep it in mind."
"Then today you..."
"Replying to the Queen Mother, there is a hidden story behind this matter."
"you say."
"This morning, the Empress came to the Chenxiang Pavilion with her maids. I was not feeling well and had not yet gotten up. My maid, Xiao Cui, tried to inform the Empress, but was slapped in the face. Then the Empress went straight into my room."
The Queen Mother glanced at the Empress, who immediately said aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, that servant was very arrogant at the time. She had no idea of respect and etiquette and even offended me. Ah Jian wanted to teach her some manners so that she wouldn't bring disgrace to the royal family in the future."
"So you went to Fenghua Palace to stand up for your maid?" The Queen Mother did not reply to the Queen and continued to ask me.
"Your Majesty, that's not entirely true." I half-knelt respectfully on the wood floor. "After all, it was my illness that ultimately led to this incident. Perhaps the Empress also had something urgent to do."
"You seem to be quite sensible, so why did you end up going to Fenghua Palace?"
"But the Queen came in and didn't say anything. Instead, she suddenly knocked over the quilt at the head of my bed and stepped on it a few times before leaving." I deliberately omitted the part where the Queen questioned me about my duty. I was too embarrassed to say it for her because she was almost a shrew.
The Empress laughed sweetly. Song Yu coughed a few times after taking a sip of tea. Some of the maids in the palace also seemed to be suppressing their laughter. The Empress Dowager hesitated. "So, Lady Mu is here for a quilt..."
Before I could reply, the Queen said to me in an exceptionally gentle voice, "Sister, you are rude. You don't realize how much I value a quilt. Tomorrow, I will make ten of the finest quilts and send them to you as an apology!"
The laughter in the hall finally couldn't be suppressed and dissipated.
I lowered my head slightly. The show is coming. The show is coming. It’s starting. Just watch.
My voice suddenly cracked with tears, and I sobbed, "Sister, you don't know... that quilt... but, but it was His Majesty who personally turned it over and folded it step by step, and placed it at the head of my bed..."
The laughter in the hall stopped instantly, and the queen's face changed color like a chameleon. The whole hall was silent for a moment, with only a gentle breeze blowing slowly from outside the hall.
"I...I also know that there are countless concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards. The sisters are all as elegant as orchids and as talented as fairies. Your Majesty has many sisters and sisters accompanying him day and night..." I wiped the corners of my eyes: "But...but I only have Your Majesty!"
"When I wake up in the morning and see the quilt that Your Majesty has folded personally by the bed, I can't help but have... some little girlish thoughts." I felt embarrassed and ashamed: "I just want to keep it well, hide it carefully, and not allow anyone to get close to it, not let anyone touch it..."
Song Yu couldn't help coughing a few times, his reaction even more pronounced than before. I looked at him innocently with tears in my eyes. He swallowed his tea and gave me a look that said, "I admire you, please continue."
"But there's no time to do all this..." I sobbed even louder. "This quilt was actually... actually spread out on the ground like this, and it was stepped on a few times... Not only is it wrinkled, but there are also stains..."
I stopped talking and just kept sobbing, "pear blossoms with rain", or "pear blossoms with rainstorm".
"You, you..." The Queen looked at me with fear and anger. I quickly wiped my tears and blinked at her: "Sister, don't you believe it... I even brought that quilt..."
At the Queen Mother's signal, the nanny considerately brought Xiao Cui in, holding the quilt. The lake blue maple-patterned quilt had been folded neatly, but it still had some wrinkles and stains.
I stood up like a mother seeing her own child, picked up the quilt and knelt down again. The Empress Dowager also coughed lightly and said, "Lady Mu is truly deeply in love with the Emperor..."
I looked up at the Queen Mother, my face still stained with tears, and said seriously again, "Actually, I know I shouldn't hurt the sisterly bond between me and the Queen because of such childish thoughts."
"Oh?" The Queen Mother was slightly surprised.
"After much deliberation, I finally decided to go to Fenghua Palace because I took 'royal face' into consideration." The four words "royal face" were exactly what I learned from the Empress, and it's a good opportunity to put them into practice.
"A quilt is nothing but cotton wool; but in my eyes, it was folded by His Majesty himself, perfectly square. Even if it weren't for my little girl's desire to treasure it, I think this also shows the current His Majesty's 'meticulous, cautious and strict'!" I had a face full of "beauty in the eyes of a lover" and a protective expression on my face, just like the original owner's "spoiled and arrogant, I am right" look: "But suddenly it was trampled on and even knocked to the ground in Fenghua Palace. For the sake of 'royal face', I had no choice but to beat Ah Jian... Am I wrong to do this... Am I wrong..."
In my heart, I was despising myself for blowing up a quilt so thoughtlessly, but Ah Jian, standing beside me, was so frightened that she knelt down in front of the Queen Mother and said, "Queen Mother, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't know that it was Your Majesty who made it... I was blind and couldn't recognize it..." What a great help...
The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Song Heng and said, "Heng'er, did you really make that quilt?" Suddenly, everyone in the palace focused their attention on Song Heng. I was stunned. I'd actually forgotten about this. I hugged the quilt tightly, staring at him intently. He wouldn't be embarrassed later and deny it the moment he opened his mouth. Then I'd really...
"My Queen Mother, it was your son who did it." His face was calm and his tone was steady.
Song Yu, who was sitting below him, started coughing violently again, and a few drops of the green tea in his hand fell to the ground.
"Are you feeling unwell today, my dear brother?" Song Heng turned his head and glanced at Song Yu who was coughing and gasping for breath.
"No, no, no, it's very suitable, very suitable!" Song Yu quickly replied: "You continue, you continue..."
"Alright, alright." The Queen Mother waved her hand gently. "I am satisfied that no master has abused his status to bully a servant. As for the quilt incident, ignorance is not a crime the first time, and Lady Mu acted reasonably and fairly. Let's leave this matter at that."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I expressed my gratitude to Ajian beside me. Before Ajian stood up and walked back, I handed the quilt to Xiao Cui and bowed respectfully again: "Your Majesty, I have something else to say..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
