Turning her head to glance at Sun Yun, Hao Shumei's appearance was comparable to Sun Yun's; Sun Yun was arrogant, while she was charming.
"Rise," the Empress Dowager said calmly. "Take a seat."
"Thank you, Empress Dowager." Everyone, including Consort Hao, bowed again before taking their seats.
As Hao Shumei walked to her seat, she suddenly turned around and walked to Zhao Shu, bowing gracefully. "This concubine greets Princess Jun. I came in a hurry and did not bring a gift for you. Please do not be angry. These bracelets of mine were recently bestowed by the Emperor. They are tributes from the South Seas. If you do not mind, I will give them to you as a birthday gift."
Giving gifts and asking others if they want them means the two must have a relationship that's easy to joke about. Zhao Shu smiled faintly; Hao Shumei had embarrassed her on their first meeting.
Everyone's attention was focused on Hao Shumei and Zhao Shu. No one noticed that the Crown Prince's face was extremely pale. A sense of dejection seemed to quickly envelop him like rolling dark clouds. When his eyes, which had been slightly bright, looked at Hao Shumei, they were filled with grief.
"These are tribute items from Southeast Asia. I don't think I've ever seen them before. Since the Imperial Concubine is willing to part with them, I will accept them without hesitation. They weren't given to me by my uncle, so I suppose I can sell them. These are tribute items from Southeast Asia, so I'm sure I can get a lot of money. In early spring, you can handle this matter. I was just short of some capital to open the shop, and now that's good. I should have raised the capital. I must thank the Imperial Concubine."
Hao Shumei's face stiffened. She hadn't expected Zhao Shu to actually accept it. Before she could retaliate, Chu Chun walked up to her and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
"No need to be so polite, I greatly admire the princess's frankness and loveliness." This tone indicated that she was acting like an elder, and she then took off a pair of bracelets from her wrist and placed them in Chu Chun's hands.
However, Zhao Shu had no intention of giving in. A concubine is a concubine. If she wanted to be her elder, she should become the empress first. Besides, Consort Hao must know that she was also at Chamei Manor that day, and she must hate her to death now. Since they were destined not to be friends, then she should not give in from the beginning. "This princess has my own grandmother and aunt who like her. Consort Hao is exempt from this."
Hao Shumei must like this straightforward and honest approach even more.
Hao Shumei suppressed her anger and maintained a polite smile, saying, "The princess is indeed lovely in her frankness."
“This princess is extremely adorable without you having to tell me, don’t you think, Grandmother?” Zhao Shu smiled gently.
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Hao Shumei gracefully bowed again and said, "When I was first pregnant with the Emperor's child, the master of Huguo Temple said that I needed a real phoenix to suppress the dragon energy in my womb. However, my element is water, while my sister the Empress is earth. The master said that when I was pregnant with the Emperor's child, Ziwei (the Purple Star) governed the south. His Majesty felt sorry for me and granted me permission to come to the Empress Dowager to fulfill my filial duty and protect the Emperor's child. The journey was long and arduous, and I did not have time to obtain the Empress Dowager's permission before I came in haste. I beg the Empress Dowager not to blame me for the sake of the Emperor's child in my womb."
Even the master has been brought out. Zhao Shu knows that it is definitely not the abbot, Master Miaokong. "I wonder which master made the Imperial Concubine travel all the way to this poor and remote place of Guanzhou to protect her pregnancy. I am very curious."
Hao Shumei smiled and looked at Zhao Shu, "That master is a good friend of the princess's father. He has been ordered to escort me here and is waiting outside. I wonder if the Empress Dowager wishes to summon Master Yuan for an audience?"
"Resolve a karmic connection?" Zhao Shu immediately understood what was going on; she disliked the idea of resolving karmic connections.
The Empress Dowager said calmly, "I have not been paying homage to Buddha recently."
Hao Shumei smiled dignifiedly, without any embarrassment, and then said something that made Zhao Shuzhi want to kill her: "The master also said that the dragon fetus in my belly has too much dragon energy, and I need to find a woman whose birth chart is very compatible with mine to accompany me so that I can rest easy. Now that woman has come, and she is your aunt, Princess."
Zhao Shu's smile vanished instantly, and she looked at Hao Shumei with a leisurely gaze. "Isn't Jiang Yue from the family temple? It is said that women who enter family temples are either morally corrupt or have committed serious mistakes. The Imperial Concubine is with Jiang Yue every day. As the saying goes, 'One is influenced by one's company.' I think the Imperial Concubine should find someone else."
They actually took Jiang Yue out of the ancestral temple! What audacity! What a grand conspiracy!
"I have observed that Miss Jiang is extremely virtuous and well-mannered. Princess, please do not believe the rumors and miss out on a good person. Your Majesty, Miss Jiang has fallen ill due to the long journey and is unable to come to pay her respects. Please do not blame her." She appeared very close to Jiang Yue and even begged the Empress Dowager not to blame her.
The Empress Dowager had no feelings for Jiang Yue. With Huo Danlan around, she had long forgotten about Jiang Yue. "Since you are ill, you should not come out and make a scene."
Hao Shumei bowed and expressed her gratitude before taking her seat. Just as she sat down, a voice announced from outside the hall, "Miss Huo has arrived."
The Empress Dowager was extremely displeased at this moment, but upon hearing that Huo Danlan had arrived, she immediately perked up and ordered, "Summon her."
Huo Danlan wore a long, flowing dress with a dark floral pattern, cinched at the waist with a moderately wide belt that accentuated her graceful figure and curves. Her face was still covered by a veil, revealing only her beautiful eyes and long, black hair, which was styled with a few simple yet elegant hairpins with dark patterns.
She walked gracefully towards us, followed by three women from different ethnic groups dressed in different attire. There was a Miao woman whose every step produced a clear and pleasant sound, a Bai woman with a simple and refreshing style, and a Mongolian woman with a strong grassland vibe. Each of them was beautiful and had an elegant demeanor.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, and greetings to the Princess." Huo Danlan led the way in bowing, and the three women behind her also imitated Huo Danlan's gestures in very broken Mandarin.
The Empress Dowager was a little confused and asked Huo Danlan, "What are these?"
"Your Majesty, these are all birthday gifts from the Prince to Princess Yu. They are all extremely skilled embroiderers, and each of them has remarkable talents."
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