Chapter 279 The Emperor's Favor
Zhao Yi: “…” It turned out that she had been waiting for him here for a long time.
He took the appointment document and glanced down.
Emperor Jing'an promoted him to the fifth rank academician, accompanying the emperor in reading and discussing academic matters. He was the emperor's close attendant and also served as an advisor, and had great opportunities for promotion in the future.
And the ministers who could become the emperor's tutors were, without exception, people trusted by the emperor.
Zhao Yi vaguely felt that Emperor Jing'an appointed him as a bachelor of imperial studies to pave the way for his future, and that he had other intentions as well.
Emperor Jing'an invited Zhao Yi into the palace. His main purpose was to see Zhao Yi with his own eyes after his recovery, and secondly to change his position.
Now that he saw that Zhao Yi's complexion had improved a lot, the wish that had been in his heart for a long time had been fulfilled. Emperor Jing'an's eyes became bright and energetic, and he was visibly happy. He specially invited the young couple to have dinner in the palace.
Emperor Jing'an knew very well that Shen Qingtan had made an indelible contribution to Zhao Yi's cure.
He became more and more satisfied with Shen Qingtan, and specially instructed the imperial chef to prepare Shen Qingtan's favorite dishes.
Seeing the food in front of her, Shen Qingtan looked at Emperor Jing'an with surprise. She had never expected that Emperor Jing'an would actually order the imperial kitchen to prepare her favorite dishes.
"My dear niece, please treat this place as your own home. Don't be too reserved." Emperor Jing'an said in a friendly tone, "If these don't suit your taste, I can ask the imperial kitchen to prepare something else."
Shen Qingtan quickly said, "Your Majesty, these dishes are very much to my taste."
Emperor Jing'an said amiably, "The one who cured Yi'er was your cousin? Is his eye disease better? I will find a famous doctor to treat his eyes."
Shen Qingtan replied politely, "Your Majesty, Brother Changsheng's eyesight has improved. You don't need to find a famous doctor for him. Envoy Chen can cure his eyesight."
After all, there will never be another person with better medical skills than Zhong Heng.
Shen Qingtan continued, "Brother Changsheng will no longer practice medicine from now on. Take good care of yourself, and your eyes will gradually get better."
Emperor Jing'an nodded, feeling a little sorry that Gu Changsheng could no longer practice medicine, but at the same time he was full of gratitude towards Gu Changsheng.
Gu Changsheng treated Zhao Yi regardless of his own health. This selfless dedication deserves his generous reward.
Emperor Jing'an took the chopsticks and moved them symbolically: "Eat."
Shen Qingtan held the chopsticks and waited for the palace maid to serve her the food.
Suddenly, a piece of apricot blossom goose meat appeared in the bowl.
She looked up and met Zhao Yi's dark eyes.
Because Emperor Jing'an was present, Shen Qingtan couldn't say anything. She just smiled at Zhao Yi, took a bite of the apricot goose, and ate it slowly.
Next, whatever dish she looked at, Zhao Yi would pick that dish for her.
Although the dishes in front of her were basically her favorites, she was very picky about food and ate very delicately. If some of the dishes had seasonings she didn't like, she would not like the whole dish.
Liu Yue and Ting Xue were not around to serve her, and the palace maids who served her did not understand her habits and would inevitably pick out things she did not like.
Zhao Yi probably knew this, so he took the initiative to serve her food.
Emperor Jing'an smiled knowingly when he saw the affection between the two people, but he couldn't help but think of the late queen, and his expression dimmed a little.
At this time, Eunuch Cao came in and whispered in Emperor Jing'an's ear: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is here and wants to see you."
Emperor Jing'an said in a deep voice: "No."
After a pause, he continued, "If the Imperial Concubine is bored, please invite Princess Guangning to the palace to accompany her and relieve her boredom."
When Eunuch Cao heard this, surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal and hurried to reply to Concubine Ling.
Concubine Ling and her maids stood at the palace gate, looking forward to it.
She hadn't seen Emperor Jing'an since the Qingzhou case was exposed. Today, she had come to ask for peace with him and invite him to dinner at Yanxiang Palace.
After a while, Concubine Ling saw Eunuch Cao coming out, and her expression returned to normal: "Eunuch Cao, what does the emperor say?"
"Your Highness, the Qingzhou case has been resolved, and the Emperor is busy dealing with the aftermath." Eunuch Cao said worriedly, "The Emperor hasn't been able to rest well these past few days, constantly attending to government affairs. I'm worried that His Majesty's health is not withstanding."
Concubine Ling knew that Eunuch Cao was a smooth man, and he deliberately brought up the Qingzhou case just to remind her why the emperor neglected them and their son.
Then, she mentioned that the emperor was so busy with government affairs that he had no time to rest. If she insisted on seeing the emperor, she would be a concubine who did not know the general situation.
If she gets such a reputation, she will be banished to the "cold palace" in the future and will never be able to receive the emperor's favor again.
But Eunuch Cao's next words made Concubine Ling break out in a cold sweat.
"Your Highness, Princess Guangning is a distinguished guest of our Great Zhou. Please invite Princess Guangning into the palace and treat her well, showing your hospitality."
At this point, Eunuch Cao added, "This is what the emperor told you."
The color drained from Concubine Ling's face. If she were in charge of the six palaces, she would not have taken it to heart if Emperor Jing'an had said this.
But now it is Concubine Xian who is in charge of the six palaces. Even if she wants to play the role of host and entertain Princess Guangning, it should be Concubine Xian who comes forward.
Emperor Jing'an personally appointed her to entertain Princess Guangning, so she had to delve into the meaning behind his words.
Emperor Jing'an had previously expressed his intention to choose one of the two eligible princes as Princess Guangning's husband.
So... Emperor Jing'an wants Prince Yu to marry Princess Guangning?
Once Prince Yu married Princess Guangning, he would have no chance of becoming emperor.
Imperial Concubine Ling was anxious, but she didn't show it on her face. She said calmly, "Eunuch Cao, as the Emperor's attendant, you should advise the Emperor to take care of his health."
After a pause, she continued, "Since I cannot help the Emperor with his worries, I will not stay here to cause him more trouble."
After saying this, Concubine Ling took the palace maid back to Yanxiang Palace, wrote a letter, and arranged for someone to deliver it to Prince Yu.
Emperor Jing'an planned to let Prince Yu marry Princess Guangning, which meant that in Emperor Jing'an's mind, Prince Yu was not the candidate to inherit the throne.
In Emperor Jing'an's mind, who will be the crown prince?
King Rui?
Concubine Ling's face was as cold as ice.
She worked hard in the harem for more than 20 years, and by virtue of her kindness to Empress Yuanrong, she climbed to the position of Imperial Concubine, paving the way for Prince Yu.
If Prince Rui were to succeed to the throne, how could she be willing?
At this time, a palace maid came in to report: "Your Highness, the Emperor summoned Master Xiao Zhao to the palace today and promoted him to be the Imperial Scholar."
Concubine Ling sat upright on the short couch, looking towards the Taiji Hall with a gloomy look in her eyes.
It was originally thought that Zhao Yi would die young, but unexpectedly his illness was cured and he was promoted to a close minister to the emperor.
This imperial grace is enjoyed by only Zhao Yi in the whole world.
Concubine Ling couldn't help but feel suspicious and asked herself, "Is the Emperor really so obsessed with Empress Yuan Rong that he's transferred his affections to Zhao Yi?"
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