After noon the next day, before entering the palace, Shen Zhixiu specially sent someone to Prince Ning's Mansion to pick up Lin Wanyin, Bai Sulian, Shen Yue and Su Shunci to come to the Shen family.
Su Qingyu personally went to the door to welcome the few people into the mansion, chatting with a smile.
Lin Wanyin pulled her aside and asked, "You don't look well. Did you not sleep well last night?"
Even though Su Qingyu got up early and put on a lot of powder, Lin Wanyin could still see that she looked tired and exhausted.
Su Qingyu explained: "Last night, this little guy kicked me and woke me up, and I couldn't fall asleep again."
In fact, she had been thinking about today's events last night.
If Shen Zhixiu had simply made a guess, he wouldn't have made so many preparations. Based on her understanding of Shen Zhixiu, she was afraid that the situation in Beijing would completely change today.
All she could do was to protect the Shen family and not let Shen Zhixiu hold her back.
After welcoming Lin Wanyin and others to Qingyuanju, Su Qingyu hurried back to the west courtyard.
Shen Zhixiu was already dressed and ready to enter the palace.
As soon as Su Qingyu entered the room, she walked up to him and hugged him.
"Third Master, no matter what happens in the palace today, you must protect yourself."
"You must remember that my mother, my unborn child and I are waiting for you."
She knew in her heart that Shen Zhixiu's heart was with the Great Zhou, and she was really afraid that he would impulsively do something to sacrifice his life for his country.
The casualties in the struggle for the throne were no less than those in the border towns' fight against the Tartars.
As she spoke, Su Qingyu suddenly felt a soreness in the corners of her eyes.
She had been thinking a lot during her pregnancy, and when she thought about the dangers posed by Shen Zhixiu entering the palace today, Su Qingyu felt a dull pain in her heart.
Shen Zhixiu was afraid of squeezing the child, so he didn't dare hug her hard.
He could only stroke her back and comfort her, "Master Ci'en said that your husband would live to be eighty and die of old age. What else is there to worry about?"
Su Qingyu chuckled and thought to herself, if Master Ci'en's predictions were accurate, why did he die young in his previous life?
Seeing her smile, Shen Zhixiu said softly, "I have experienced storms bigger than this. If you can't even handle this, how can you survive in the court?"
After a moment, Su Qingyu took a deep breath and the worried look on her face disappeared.
It’s useless to think too much at this point. It’s better to calm down and deal with what is about to happen.
"Don't worry, Third Master. I will take care of the affairs in the mansion. You just need to deal with the changes in the palace." Su Qingyu said solemnly.
Shen Zhixiu hugged her again, resting his chin on her shoulder, and murmured, "Wait for me to come back."
Sometimes he even felt that Su Qingyu and he were not only husband and wife, but also comrades fighting side by side.
Whenever something serious happened, Su Qingyu remained exceptionally calm. Not only did she prevent him from getting distracted, but she also helped him stabilize the situation at critical moments.
This alone is something that an ordinary lady in the inner palace cannot do.
After sending Shen Zhixiu out, Su Qingyu called Jiang Qi in and said in a deep voice, "Jiang Qi, all the guards in the mansion are in your hands today."
"Send guards to both the main gate and the corner gate. Pass the order down: no one in the mansion is allowed to enter or leave today."
Jiang Qi was not surprised by her words, as the Third Master had also given her instructions in the morning.
But he still asked in confusion: "Madam, what's going to happen?"
Su Qingyu shook her head. "I don't know either. It's always better for us to be careful."
In fact, even Shen Zhixiu only keenly sensed some anomalies, but had no idea what was going to happen.
After instructing Jiang Qi about the defense of the mansion, Su Qingyu got up and went to Qingyuan Residence.
Before entering Qingyuan Residence, she instructed Feicui, "Go to the first and second wives and tell them that today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a day for family reunion. Invite the first and second wives, along with a few young ladies and gentlemen, to come to Qingyuan Residence."
Feicui bowed in response and turned to pass on the message to each courtyard.
Su Qingyu led her people into the main house of Qingyuanju. As she reached the door, she heard laughter coming from inside the house.
The little maid below lifted the curtain at the door and bowed to invite Su Qingyu in.
When Su Qingyu entered the room, she saw her mother Lin Wanyin and the old lady sitting on the big kang by the window, talking and laughing.
Su Shunci and Shen Yue were accompanying her on the side, and the old lady kept holding Shen Yue's hand while she was talking.
Su Qingyu took a deep breath to calm her anxiety.
Then, with a smile on his face, he walked closer to the old lady and said, "Mother, I asked Madam Xiang and my second sister-in-law to come with the children. Let's have a good time today."
The old lady said, "I'll do as you say."
"We, the old and the young, just pick up what's ready."
Su Shunci joined in the fun, wishing Su Qingyu a happy new year and asking her to give him extra New Year's money. For a moment, the whole Qingyuan Residence was bustling with activity.
Soon, Xiangdong arrived with the eldest sons, the third and fifth young masters, Shen Xi and Shen Cheng. The second wife, Yang, also arrived with the fourth young master, Mo Mo, and the fourth young lady, Shen Qian.
The second master Shen Zhishu and the second young master Shen Hong were not at home today. They followed Shen Zhixiu into the palace.
This year's palace banquet on the fifteenth day of the lunar month attracted a large number of guests.
The wives of high-ranking officials of the second rank and above and the sons of the dukes, marquises and earls were all invited into the palace.
Su Qingyu didn't go because she was pregnant, and Yang didn't go because she still had to take care of the affairs of the mansion.
Even the Ning Palace received the invitation. However, Shen Yue was in mourning, and Lin Wanyin used the excuse of taking care of Shen Yue, so both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law declined.
When Shen Yue was chatting with Su Qingyu, she mentioned this year's Lantern Festival banquet and said in confusion, "The person who sent the invitation this year must be mentally ill. Everyone in the capital knows that I'm in mourning, but they sent me an invitation to come to the palace to attend the banquet and enjoy the lanterns."
Su Qingyu's heart sank. Was it a coincidence?
Or, they wanted to bring all these people into the palace and catch them in a trap. There were records of such things in history books.
*
Today the palace is decorated with lights and is filled with joy.
Lanterns were arranged in the Imperial Gardens ahead of time, and fireworks were also prepared. When the moon rose above the willows, the lanterns would be lit and the fireworks would be ablaze. The prosperity of the Great Zhou could be displayed at this moment.
This is what Concubine Xian said to Emperor Xuande before the Lantern Festival banquet in the palace.
Emperor Xuande did not think there was anything wrong with what Concubine Xian said. Now all the civil and military officials of the Great Zhou were gathered together, and he also found his legitimate son who had been lost for many years.
This legitimate son is as wise as the sea and has extraordinary strategy, making him a rare talent to be a king.
So no matter how you look at it, Emperor Xuande felt that this was a prosperous era sent by heaven.
So when the virtuous concubine mentioned that she wanted to hold a grand celebration this year, he did not object at all and even strongly supported it.
There were many people here today, and Emperor Xuande entertained civil officials, military generals, and young masters from various dukes and earls in the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The virtuous concubine brought the ladies and daughters of various mansions and the concubines in the harem to hold a banquet in a side hall.
At this moment, in a hidden corner behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Crown Prince said to the Second Prince, "All the things in the main hall and the side halls of the Hall of Supreme Harmony have been put away."
"The things on Yuntai Mountain are enough to make Father hesitate. If everything goes well today, we can accomplish our great cause without sacrificing a single soldier."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
