Chapter 107 The Birthday Gift Cracked...
"Mother, the banquet is still some time away. Why don't you let Concubine Rong take the ladies for a stroll around the Imperial Garden?"
After the Queen finished speaking, she looked at the Queen Mother and asked for her opinion.
"Okay."
Along the way, Concubine Rong was distancing herself from Chen Yuan intentionally or unintentionally.
The Eastern Palace was without a master, and Concubine Rong, the mother of the Fourth Prince, became the object of everyone's flattery.
The official's wife who had been standing side by side with Concubine Rong looked at Chen Yuan and suddenly said, "Madam is so stunningly beautiful, no wonder the Prime Minister is so obsessed with you that he even ignored the rumors a few days ago and wanted to bring you into the palace."
"What rumor? Tell me about it." Concubine Rong said casually.
"Your Majesty, a few days ago, people on the streets were talking about the Prime Minister's wife having an affair with her own brother-in-law."
Concubine Rong covered her mouth and looked at Chen Yuan in disbelief, "No way? The Prime Minister's wife looks dignified."
"As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not his heart. Although things were later clarified, there is a saying that goes, 'There is no smoke without fire.'"
Chen Yuan paused, faced the gazes of the people around him, and walked towards the gossipy woman.
"Where there's wind, there's waves! I think your tongue is longer than the waves!"
Shen Yuan raised his hand and slapped the woman hard in the face.
The woman covered her face and looked at Chen Yuan in disbelief, "You, you dare to hit me!"
“Bang!”
Another loud slap, Shen Yuan shook his hand, "I'm hitting you."
Rong Fei's face darkened, "Madam Gu, you are too presumptuous!"
Chen Yuan looked at Concubine Rong, "Is she so presumptuous? Wasn't she the one who provoked me first? After slandering my master like this, Your Majesty still keeps her in the palace?"
"How did she slander your parents?"
Shen Yuan said in a loud voice, "She said that my Prime Minister is cuckolded!"
"I'm already quite tolerant. The last person who slandered my master had her tongue cut out and is now locked up in the woodshed. I only slapped her twice."
"If your Majesty thinks I'm going too far, you can ask my master to judge for you!"
Rong Fei glared at her coldly. Even if Gu Huailing came, he would only protect her!
She hated Chen Yuan, but she didn't want to really offend Gu Huailing.
Rong Fei looked at Chen Yuan's arrogant face and gritted her teeth and said, "It's hot and you're all bound to be a little angry. There's a pavilion in front of you. You can go and take a rest to cool down."
The eunuchs and palace maids in the pavilion had already prepared tea.
Everyone sat down, and Concubine Rong held up a cup of tea. "Ladies, please try this. This is the fruit tea that the Emperor specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to brew for you. It's sour and sweet and refreshing."
Several noble ladies picked up their teacups. Concubine Rong stared at Chen Yuan, "Why isn't Madam Gu drinking? Doesn't she like the Emperor's tea?"
Rong Fei's eyes were filled with ill intent. Chen Yuan picked up the teacup and covered it with her sleeve, trying to spit the tea into her sleeve.
"Madam Gu, please hold the teacup steady. If even a drop of tea spills, it would be a great disrespect to the Emperor."
"What disrespect?" A majestic voice sounded from a distance.
Gu Huailing came over with the emperor and the fourth prince.
Everyone knelt down and saluted.
"Stand up." Emperor Tiansheng said. He seemed to be in a good mood, and his overall complexion looked much better.
Holding the fruit tea in her hand, Chen Yuan walked over to Emperor Tiansheng and bowed, "I heard from Concubine Rong that this fruit tea was specially brewed by the Emperor's kitchen. I am grateful for His Majesty's grace and would like to ask His Majesty to drink it first."
Concubine Rong's eyelids twitched!
She's going to die!
She wasn't stupid enough to poison Shen Yuan, but there were many ways to embarrass someone.
If the emperor drank that cup of tea, he would be in diarrhea until dawn.
Emperor Tiansheng was about to take the teacup when Concubine Rong stopped him. She held up her own teacup and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please drink this cup from me."
Gu Huailing looked at Chen Yuan, who blinked at him.
Emperor Tiansheng frowned, and Shen Yuan quickly turned around, "Then if Her Majesty drinks this, it will be a good story to drink with the Emperor."
Rong Fei's teeth were almost broken from biting.
"Madam, please don't be naughty. The Emperor and His Majesty are naturally deeply in love."
A low-mellow and refreshing voice sounded.
Emperor Tiansheng looked at Concubine Rong, who took the teacup stiffly.
Under Shen Yuan's gaze, he drank the fruit tea in one breath.
Concubine Rong was planning to trick Chen Yuan, so the laxative was very effective in scaring her.
As soon as she drank the tea, her stomach growled.
Then his face changed drastically. He didn't even bother to bow and ran to the toilet, holding his stomach.
The Fourth Prince looked at Concubine Rong's back with a puzzled look on his face.
"What has mother been doing? She looks unhappy."
"Maybe my stomach is uncomfortable." Shen Yuan said meaningfully.
Emperor Tiansheng still had something to wonder about. He looked at Gu Huailing and said, "My dear Gu, this is your wife's first time in the palace. Please take her for a good stroll in the Imperial Garden."
After they left, Shen Yuan looked at Gu Huailing with a smile like a proud little peacock, "My lord, I followed your instructions today and didn't suffer any loss at all."
Gu Huailing's eyes were as if blended with the light from the imperial garden, delicate and gentle.
As the sun sets, all the glass lanterns outside the nine-story palace light up, like a galaxy of stars.
The Queen Mother sat back on a gilded phoenix chair, dressed in bright yellow court robes embroidered with gold, and a phoenix crown dotted with kingfisher feathers on her head. She looked majestic but not stern.
The Emperor and Empress sat beside the Empress Dowager and accepted congratulations from everyone.
The hall is magnificent, with seventy-two golden pillars with coiled dragons standing tall.
"A tribute--"
The eunuch's shrill voice pierced the sky.
"I respectfully wish the Empress Dowager a life as long as the Eastern Sea and as long as the Southern Mountains."
The leading prince knelt first, and a South China Sea coral as tall as a person was carried in.
All kinds of rare treasures were presented one by one.
Shen Yuan's palms were covered with sweat, and his heart began to beat unconsciously.
Gu Huailing gently held Shen Yuan's hand under the table, "Madam, don't be nervous."
Shen Yuan nodded slowly. She stood up, stepped forward, and knelt before the Queen Mother. "Your servant, Gu Shen, respectfully wishes the Queen Mother good health and a long life."
The Queen Mother nodded with a smile.
The eunuch in front of the hall sang loudly: "The wife of the Prime Minister presents a hand-carved white jade Guanyin."
After that, the rosewood box was opened.
Rong Fei held her stomach and endured the pain and said, "The Prime Minister's wife is really thoughtful. It is said that she carved it herself. Quickly bring out the white jade Guanyin and let everyone open its eyes."
She had made herself suffer for a whole day, so she had to kill Chen Yuan today to relieve the hatred in her heart!
The eunuch took out the white jade Guanyin, and the hall instantly became quiet.
Concubine Rong covered her mouth and said in disbelief: "How could this happen!"
Then her expression changed and she pointed at Chen Yuan, "How dare you, Gu, offer a broken Guanyin statue to the Queen Mother? What are you thinking?"
The jade Guanyin statue was broken in appearance and cracks were clearly visible.
"How dare you!" The Emperor was furious. "On the Queen Mother's birthday, you offered a broken object. What are your intentions, Shen?"
The Queen Mother looked at Chen Yuan with shock and anger!
The Queen frowned, "I think the Prime Minister's wife was also careless. Don't be angry today, Your Majesty, as you are so happy today."
Concubine Rong was extremely proud. She stared at Chen Yuan with a vicious look in her eyes, "The Queen is kindhearted but she doesn't know that this Gu is cunning and treacherous. I am not surprised by anything a person like her does."
"In my opinion, deliberately disrupting the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet deserves death by beating!"
After those words were spoken, the hall became eerily quiet!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
