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East Palace.
The sun's shadow is slanting westward.
An Qingran rubbed her lower back and leaned against the headboard: "Rosewood, what happened today? We have so many guests."
Ren Dong stepped forward and gently rubbed her shoulders: "Crown Princess, is this the first time you've seen Madam Yushi?"
"It's not the first time I've seen her, but it's the first time she's come to visit me."
"And the Grand Tutor's wife, she speaks really loudly, did they discuss this beforehand? Why are they here together?"
"I don't know. They were just talking and there was nothing important. I don't even know if they came here just to make me happy?"
The next day.
An Qingran felt that things were not that simple because she received a bunch of visiting cards, including the daughter-in-law of the Grand Secretary, the wife of the Grand Tutor, and the wife of the Prince's Guardian. An Qingran thought about it and invited them all in.
The ladies' jewelry jingled and the fragrance wafted in the air.
An Qingran smiled and stood there pretentiously: "Welcome, welcome. I didn't expect that you all would come together. This humble house of mine is really a credit to me."
"The Crown Princess is really good at talking. The Eastern Palace will not be prosperous because of our presence. Instead, it is people like us who are here to enjoy the noble fortune and blessings." The speaker was a woman in her twenties. She was the daughter-in-law of the Grand Secretary. An Qingran only knew her before but had never met her. The Grand Secretary did not have a very good relationship with her father because literati always had a kind of arrogance. Her father was also proud. It was normal for the two of them to dislike each other.
The middle-aged woman next to him also spoke up: "Crown Princess, we didn't expect to come to the palace together. It's better to meet by chance than to be invited. It's been a long day and there's nothing to do to cool off. I brought you some iced grapes. These are top-quality agate grapes. Each one is like agate and tastes very sweet and refreshing..."
As she spoke, she looked back and saw a little maid holding a warm food box. When she opened it, a puff of white mist appeared. It was indeed still cold. An Qingran felt a little hungry and smiled slightly: "Please come in quickly. The sun outside is too hot."
Everyone went into the room one by one, talking. Ice buckets were placed in the four corners of the room, making it very cool. The wife of the Crown Prince's Guardian said, "This room is so elegantly decorated. The Crown Princess is really extraordinary at such a young age. I have heard about her other things. She has solved many problems for the Crown Prince. We have discussed this privately, and I admire her."
"Thank you ladies for your praise. I'm just an early bird. I haven't done anything big." An Qingran didn't know how to be modest.
These people were so enthusiastic and kept praising her, it was really a bit embarrassing.
Fortunately, she had lived a lifetime and had seen the world, so she was able to cope with it quickly.
Everyone chatted happily for the whole morning. After they left, An Qingran couldn't remember at all what they had talked about.
Then she dealt with the affairs of the palace again. It was not until the New Year's meal that she had some free time. Dongfang Jin rushed in from outside, looking extremely hungry. An Qingran helped him take off his coat: "You look busy?"
"It's really busy." Dongfang Jin turned around, hugged An Qingran and kissed her, then let go and sat at the table. "We received a lot of people today..."
"Me too."
"You too? What happened in the palace?"
"It was outside the palace. Many noble ladies came in to chat with me. They were probably afraid that I would be lonely."
Dongfang Jin was stunned for a moment, and a wicked smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Lonely, find me, not them."
An Qingran Wan'er, he really knows how to find fun at the right time.
Soon, his expression became serious: "It seems that these people really understand the wind direction."
An Qingran nodded slightly: "The Queen Mother has been ill recently, and the emperor's health is not much better. It seems that we have to think of some way to let the emperor relax..."
"You have the best ideas, I will make the arrangements." Dongfang Jin added a piece of meat to An Qingran's bowl, "Eat more and grow stronger. You have become thinner again. The order will be sent tomorrow to decline the guests. My Crown Princess needs to take care of her health."
As he spoke, his eyes became meaningful again.
An Qingran's face turned red. This guy must have taken a detour and thought of something else.
********
Phoenix Palace.
The Queen Mother cut off a long branch of Milan, stood up, and looked at Aunt Rong: "The East Palace must be very lively recently, right?"
Madam Rong nodded: "Yes, I heard from the maids that there are carriages passing by the East Palace every day, and they are all some noble ladies in the palace."
"Throughout history, the world has been fickle, especially in the imperial palace." The Queen Mother sneered.
"Queen, we shouldn't just wait like this. We should do something."
"Do something? You know you did a very good job last time." The Queen Mother gritted her teeth, and Nanny Rong lowered her head. She only did one thing wrong, and the Queen Mother almost killed her. It didn't matter if she died, but her brother died. Now, she knew what the Queen Mother was thinking. It turned out that she had been by her side for so many years, but she was not smart enough.
Seeing her like this, the Queen Mother sighed, "You have been with me all my life, but you make me sad the most. Even if everyone in the world lets me down, I don't want you to be among them. Do you understand?"
"I feel guilty, Queen Mother, please calm down. I will never dare to act on my own again."
"I'm glad you know. By the way, spread the news that my health has improved a lot recently..."
Nanny Rong didn't understand, but she still went out.
Two days later.
Then the noble ladies came to visit the Empress Dowager's Phoenix Palace.
The Empress Dowager was ill a few days ago and was not fit to see anyone. Now she is better, and everyone is happy and has come to visit her.
The area in front of Feng Palace suddenly became lively.
The Queen Mother sat in the imperial concubine's bed, smiling: "I am very happy that you have come to see me. You tell me, I have virtuous children and filial grandchildren. It is the time for me to enjoy happiness, but I am unlucky and have been sick all the time. Instead, my children and grandchildren are worried. My heart aches for them, but I don't know what to do."
"Queen Mother, if you are unlucky, how can there be any lucky people in this world? Humans are not saints, and saints also have all kinds of disasters and hardships. You are just a little sick, and I think the sneaky people in the dark are taking advantage of your good fortune and are here to get some help."
The Queen Mother smiled and shook her head: "You only know how to make me happy. If I had known that you could comfort me, what would I need the Imperial Hospital for? I would just let you chat with me all day long."
“That’s really our blessing…”
Everyone was talking and laughing. The Queen Mother always had a kind smile on her face, and the group of noble ladies were also smiling beautifully, as if this conversation was a feast.
The Queen Mother suddenly spoke up, "I'm fine with everything except that I feel bad for the Emperor, who has been ill all this time. Sometimes I think if I could take away his illness, even if it lasts three to five years, I'll accept it. He is in his prime, and this illness is not a big deal, but it makes my good grandson suffer. He is so young, but he has to take on such a heavy responsibility. As a grandmother, I feel really bad for him."
"The Crown Prince is gifted with a mission that is different from that of ordinary people. I have also heard that the Crown Prince is now handling state affairs with ease. As the saying goes, like a dragon, like a phoenix, so it makes sense."
"Yes, I love this grandson of mine the most. He has suffered all kinds of disasters since he was a child. Now God has opened his eyes and finally made him healthy. Every day, I burn incense to the Bodhisattva and pray for them. As long as I am alive, I will not let my descendants suffer. I would rather bear all the sufferings. Speaking of the prince, I just feel sorry for him because he is too tired. Now the crown princess also has a lot of things to do. The young couple are very busy."
"Yes, the Crown Princess also has a lot to do."
"As a grandmother, I worry about these things. Sometimes I worry about their health. Sometimes, I'm worried that others can't serve them well. Sometimes, I worry that they are just too busy to take care of their offspring... Alas, I dare not tell them these things, as they would add to their burden..." The Queen Mother said this, as if she was tired. She picked up the water glass on the table, took two sips, and yawned. Seeing this, everyone quickly found excuses to leave.
After he left, the Queen Mother regained her spirits. She stood up and walked to the Milan flower scent, breathing in the aroma: "You say, can these people understand?"
Nanny Rong stepped forward and whispered, "Her Majesty, these people are all smart people, they will definitely understand."
"That's good. I don't want to put in too much effort. It's great to have someone do these things for me." The Queen Mother showed a proud smile on her face. "By the way, go and give the Emperor some sweet-scented osmanthus cakes and tell him that I am very worried about his health. Please take care of yourself."
The next day.
The prince came home from court with a livid face. He walked quickly to the imperial study, sat there, and sulked.
After a long while, he picked up the memorial. The eunuch next to him saw that he rarely got angry, and couldn't help but worry. He served him carefully. Fortunately, An Qingran came.
Dongfang Jin's complexion improved a lot. He stood up and walked closer: "Qingqing, how come you have time to come and see me today?"
An Qingran put the soup on the table and said, "Today, I excused myself from feeling unwell and didn't see many people. Your Highness, since you are the regent, we have to replace our threshold with a new one."
When this was mentioned, Dongfang Jin's face darkened again: "Don't worry about them. If you want to see someone in the future, you can see them. If you don't want to see them, there's no need to deal with them. These people are very good at changing their attitude according to the situation. You can't be sincere to them."
"Of course I know that, but you've worked hard, so you should take care of yourself."
"I feel great..." When Dongfang Jin said this, there was a smile in his eyes, which was very attractive.
An Qingran blushed when she thought of his possible deeper meaning, and she didn't know what to do next.
Dongfang Jin helped her sit down: "If you want to relax, I will accompany you back to the general's mansion later, okay?"
An Qingran shook her head: "You have a heavy burden now, so you should focus on state affairs. I am not depressed. If you want to relax, you can naturally go somewhere to relax. And with Honeysuckle to accompany me, I am not afraid of being bored."
"Really? Then you came to me not because you missed me?" Dongfang Jin started to act unserious.
An Qingran pushed him away, blushing. In fact, those palace servants had already lowered their heads and probably closed their ears.
"I'm leaving..."
Dongfang Jin hugged her waist from behind: "Qingqing, I miss you..."
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