Fang Qing answered their questions without making any mistakes.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, a palace servant came in and said that Lord Zhao had something to discuss with Madam Zhao.
Everyone present could see that Zhao Shi'an was about to take the person away.
"Go quickly, let Lord Zhao show you around the palace."
Fang Qing took her leave.
As soon as they stepped out of the Empress's palace, they saw Zhao Shi'an.
Why did you get here?
Men from outside the palace are not allowed to move around in the inner palace without permission.
I'm worried about you.
"What's there to worry about?"
Zhao Shi'an took Fang Qing's hand and led her to a quiet place.
"Did you just go to Consort Xian's palace?"
"Um."
"Did they upset you?"
"Do you think that's possible? A bunch of people with brainstem deficiency, I can't be bothered with them."
Zhao Shi'an smiled and squeezed her hand.
Fang Qing thought for a moment and asked, "This Consort Xian seems to have some inexplicable hostility towards me. Is there some kind of conflict of interest between us?"
Zhao Shi'an looked at Fang Qing.
"You forgot?"
"Forgot what?"
Zhao Shi'an chuckled and shook his head.
"That's true, you don't need to remember these people."
"Who is it?"
Fang Qing was curious.
"She was the woman I rejected on the street a few years ago when I was the top student in my high school class."
Fang Qing did have a vague recollection of it.
"At that time, the Emperor and the Third Prince were fighting fiercely. Consort Xian's father took sides. After the Emperor ascended the throne, Consort Xian was sent to the palace and was favored by the Emperor. After giving birth to two children for the Emperor, she was made a Consort. Her father was also valued by the Emperor. She was very popular."
Fang Qing then thought of the people in the Imperial Concubine's palace.
No wonder, she is currently favored by the Emperor and has two princes by her side. Compared to the Empress, who comes from a respectable background, Consort Xian does indeed have a better future.
"Has His Majesty appointed a crown prince?" Fang Qing asked.
"No, but the Empress's eldest and second sons grew up by the Emperor's side and are highly valued by him. Even if the Emperor has not yet established a Crown Prince, Consort Xian cannot dream of her son ascending the throne. She thought that she could reach into the court by relying on the Emperor's favor, but she did not know that she had violated the Emperor's taboo."
Zhao Shi'an spoke very frankly; these could be considered secrets of the imperial court.
"Are you saying that Consort Xian still has some influence in the court?"
"Yes, led by her father, they always oppose the cabinet. Although the late emperor had planned to abolish the cabinet, now that the emperor is implementing new policies, the cabinet's power is not as great as before. It is also the emperor's most capable department."
"Those pedantic scholars are clueless about the situation. They always think they can reform the government and help the emperor to be remembered for eternity. It's ridiculous. They can't even guess what the emperor is thinking. They're just like clowns."
Zhao Shi'an's tone was full of sarcasm.
Fang Qing felt that he always had a good grasp of the situation in the court.
"I just argued with them in Consort Xian's palace. Do you think she might hold a grudge against you?"
Zhao Shi'an squeezed Fang Qing's hand.
"It's alright. Consort Xian won't last long. Although the Emperor dotes on her and her two children, he himself suffers greatly from the struggles in the harem. How could he allow Consort Xian to outmaneuver the Empress? This situation won't last long."
Judging from Zhao Shi'an's words, Consort Xian's glory days probably won't last much longer.
Now that they've reached a crowded area, Fang Qing hasn't asked any more questions.
When Zhao Shi'an appeared holding Fang Qing's hand, it attracted a lot of attention. After walking a short distance, many people came up to Zhao Shi'an and said something.
Zhao Shi'an engaged in a calm conversation, then took the opportunity to slip away from the group and walk to the outer perimeter to admire the scenery of the palace.
The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was held in a palace filled with mimosa trees, and the decorations were very elaborate.
Zhao Shi'an led Fang Qing on a tour of the area, where Fang Qing noticed that the lanterns were decorated with gold powder.
"That's truly extravagant."
"Who hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet for you this year?"
Fang Qing paused for a moment, looking at Zhao Shi'an's smiling face under the light, and she already knew the answer in her heart.
"No way? Isn't there still the Empress?"
No wonder there were so many people in Consort Xian's palace; it turned out that she was the one who organized this palace banquet. Therefore, in the eyes of those people, Consort Xian already had the strength to replace the Empress.
"Foreign envoys are attending this Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. If anything goes wrong, what do you think the consequences will be?"
The Emperor is setting a trap for Consort Xian.
"The issue of local government officials forcing people to buy and sell seeds and grain can be resolved today," Zhao Shi'an said.
Fang Qing understood instantly.
Consort Xian's extravagant spending clearly indicated that she had used her own private funds, which the Emperor happened to discover.
After that, Fang Qing and Zhao Shi'an stopped talking about Consort Xian because she met Princess Min'er.
This time she entered the palace with the delegation.
Fang Qing spoke with Princess Min'er for a while, and when she turned around, Zhao Shi'an was talking to someone. Fang Qing and Princess Min'er then entered the palace first.
The Emperor, accompanied by the Empress and Consort Xian, arrived a quarter of an hour later, after everyone had already taken their seats.
The envoys from various countries paid their respects and offered their blessings. Then the emperor delivered another congratulatory speech, and the palace banquet began.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, many people raised their glasses to toast Zhao Shi'an, who politely exchanged a few words with him, never leaving Fang Qing's side throughout the entire event.
The plate in front of Fang Qing already contained many shrimp peeled and crabs prepared by Zhao Shi'an.
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