Murong Hong almost didn't sleep all night and had no energy to attend court the next day.
But he didn't have time to catch up on his sleep, because today was the Queen Mother's birthday, and he had to congratulate her together with the Queen and the concubines in the harem.
Ever since the Queen Mother fell into the water last time, the people around her have undergone a major change, and now the palace is full of unfamiliar faces.
As soon as the soft curtain opened, Xiao Qizi came out. He had changed into the uniform of the head eunuch. When he saw Su Man, he exchanged a subtle glance with her. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty and the Empress pay their respects to the Empress Dowager."
As the queen, Su Man walked in side by side with Murong Hong, and the concubines could only follow behind.
As soon as she entered the warm room, Su Man smelled the scent of sandalwood.
The Queen Mother sat at the head of the table, holding a jade bracelet. Although she was already old, she still vaguely showed the elegance of her youth.
Su Man only took a glance and then lowered her head. She and Murong Hong congratulated each other and said, "Greetings to the Queen Mother. I wish her good health and long life."
"Okay, okay, get up."
Murong Hong only bowed symbolically in greeting, and he stood up straight as soon as the empress dowager finished speaking.
When he was still a prince, his mother had a bad relationship with the empress dowager. Unfortunately, his mother died early, so he could only posthumously confer the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager on her as a token of filial piety.
Next came the audience with the emperor from the imperial concubines.
Murong Hong sat at the top with the empress dowager, and Su Man sat on the chair brought by the nanny, watching the concubines bow and greet each other in rows.
The order of ceremony in this link is generally determined by the rank, first the Noble Concubine Li, then the Noble Concubine Rong, and the Noble Concubine Xian. After the concubines are finished, it is the turn of the noble ladies.
Su Man saw Concubine Shu next to Concubine Song at a glance.
Her attire today was unremarkable, a pale yellow palace dress that accentuated her fair skin. Her hair accessories were minimal, but among these bejeweled concubines, she stood out like a lotus flower emerging from the water, fresh and pleasant.
Murong Hong hadn't seen anyone else since she came. Although he was restrained, the tenderness that occasionally leaked out still revealed some of his thoughts.
Shu Meir has a delicate appearance, thin eyebrows and a small nose, which makes people feel pity for her at first sight.
No wonder Murong Hong likes her so much. For a cautious man like him, if she were a girl from aristocratic family, excessive pampering would inevitably make her become spoiled.
And this noble lady Shu is pure and simple, and seems to have no scheming at all. She is the kind of sweet talker that all men like.
Haha, but whether it is a lingering plant or a carnivorous plant remains to be discussed.
...
"Noble Lady Song, Noble Lady Shu, and Noble Lady Wang pay their respects to the Empress Dowager."
Several nobles kowtowed side by side and said a few auspicious words.
The Queen Mother glanced around, "Who is Concubine Shu?"
Concubine Shu stepped forward and bowed gracefully, "Your concubine greets the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother nodded. Although her eyelids were drooping a little, it still did not affect her aura.
"I heard that Concubine Shu had a miscarriage some time ago. She is so thoughtful to come visit me even though she is feeling unwell."
Concubine Shu glanced at the emperor timidly and said sweetly, "It's the Empress Dowager's birthday. I will bathe in her grace and get better faster."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "She is a delightful one. Come, bring me my pair of golden bracelets and give them to Concubine Shu."
Concubine Shu raised her hands above her head and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "No need to thank me. You have been wronged, so you need to take good care of yourself."
“…”
Hearing this, Murong Hong's face looked obviously not very good.
Su Man thought silently in her heart, what an old fox.
Everyone said that Concubine Shu fell into the water because of the Queen's jealousy. The Queen Mother brought up this matter in public just to annoy Su Man and Murong Hong.
If Suman was still the original Guman, she would definitely feel ashamed because of this incident, and would also be annoyed by the Queen Mother's preferential treatment of Shu Guiren and bring up the old matter again.
Guman represents the Gu family, and the Gu family is in cahoots with Murong Hong. The more discord they have with each other, the more beneficial it will be to the Beiping King's party.
Wow, he is worthy of being the champion of the previous palace fight.
The skill of sowing discord, five stars.
For the sake of Su Man and the Gu family's reputation, Murong Hong had to speak up, "You are joking, Empress Dowager. The Empress takes care of the harem, and Concubine Li assists in managing the six palaces. Everyone in the harem is sincerely convinced. How could they feel wronged?"
The Queen Mother seemed oblivious to the warning in Murong Hong's tone and said with a smile, "I am old. Never mind. I am about to take a nap too, so I won't keep you here any longer."
Su Man stood up at the right time and said, "See you off, Queen Mother."
...
Because of the Queen Mother's "instigation", Murong Hong had lunch in Su Man's Kunning Palace.
The emperor's meal was much richer than when Su Man ate alone before. Moreover, every dish was exquisite and delicious, which made Su Man very happy.
Of course, it would be better if Murong Hong wasn’t sitting opposite.
"Queen, how are the arrangements for the birthday banquet tonight going?"
Su Man swallowed the crab soup dumpling in her mouth, wiped her mouth and said, "Didn't the emperor entrust the birthday banquet to Concubine Li? Concubine Li has assisted in the management of the six palaces for many years, so naturally there will be no mistakes."
Murong Hong looked at Su Man. Although her words were high-sounding, he could still hear some dissatisfaction with Concubine Li being in charge.
Murong Hong was completely relieved.
Concubine Li's family consists of military generals, while the Gu family consists of civil officials. It would be bad if these two people joined forces to form a clique and disrupt the government.
"Haha, look at what you said. You are my queen. My original intention was to ask Concubine Li to help you so that you don't have to work too hard. You can't just sit there and do nothing."
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