Chapter 280 Flower Appreciation Banquet
It is true that Emperor Jing'an's favor for Zhao Yi has reached a point where there is no bottom line.
Just because he is the nephew of Empress Yuanrong, Emperor Jing'an cannot do this, right?
Concubine Ling once suspected that Zhao Yi was Emperor Jing'an's biological son.
However, the Duke's Mansion would only be willing to raise him if Zhao Yi had the Duke's Mansion's blood flowing in his body.
Thinking of this, Concubine Ling gave up her guess.
It is absolutely impossible for Empress Yuan Rong to give birth to a child.
The maid asked, "My Lady, is the dinner according to the recipe you prepared?"
Concubine Ling's eyes suddenly turned cold, the scene in Taiji Hall flashed in her mind, and a feeling of suffocation surged in her chest.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the humiliation in her heart, glanced at the palace maid, and said calmly: "Your Majesty will not come to Yanxiang Palace today, everything will remain the same."
The palace maid felt a chill run down her spine at this glance and retreated tremblingly.
Concubine Ling swept her eyes across the layout of the palace. Every place here was arranged according to the bedroom she lived in before.
That year, Empress Yuan Rong died of complications during childbirth.
In order to win the sympathy of Emperor Jing'an, she deliberately created the illusion of a difficult labor when she was giving birth.
Emperor Jing'an had just experienced the tragedy of Empress Yuanrong, and seeing her step into the gates of hell, he did feel a little more pity for her.
Especially when she successfully gave birth to the eldest prince, the moment Emperor Jing'an saw the child, a smile appeared on his face, as if the arrival of this child had a different meaning to Emperor Jing'an.
Emperor Jing'an not only rewarded her generously, but also gave her the Yanxiang Palace.
She wanted to regain the favor of Emperor Jing'an, so she specially ordered the palace maids to redecorate the palace today. She wanted Emperor Jing'an to see the familiar scenes, remember what happened in the past, and feel some sympathy for her.
Concubine Ling thought about everything she had suffered in Taiji Hall and suddenly came to her senses.
Over the years, she took advantage of Empress Yuanrong's favor and relics to easily gain the favor of Emperor Jing'an, which led her into a dead end.
She wholeheartedly wants to capture the heart of Emperor Jing'an and get the power she wants.
Now she finally understood that even if Emperor Jing'an was temporarily favoring her, it was only for the sake of Empress Yuanrong, and this favor was only temporary.
Because next time she will have to think of other ways to please Emperor Jing'an in order to gain a little bit of mercy.
For example, this time when Prince Yu committed a crime, Emperor Jing'an took back all his favors for her.
Instead of pinning all hopes on the favor of Emperor Jing'an, it is better to strive for it through your own efforts.
After Concubine Ling figured it out, she instructed Huichun beside her: "Everything in the palace must be removed and rearranged according to my preferences."
Huichun was startled: "All?"
"All of it." Concubine Ling held the teacup on the small table, lowered her eyes, and took a sip. "When a man's heart is cruel, it is harder than stone. If I keep clinging to him, it will only make him annoyed."
After watching it for a long time, she became tired of it.
But this method works.
Now all of this is useless, so what's the point of keeping it?
Huichun also remembered what happened to Concubine Ling in Taiji Palace, and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, the Emperor wants to marry Princess Guangning to His Highness. What should we do?"
"The Emperor's wishes naturally follow my wishes." Imperial Concubine Ling raised the corner of her lips slightly. "The chrysanthemums I have carefully cultivated are blooming. Please invite Princess Guangning to the palace to enjoy the flowers."
Huichun had been with Concubine Ling for many years and had some understanding of her character. She knew that Concubine Ling would not let Princess Guangning marry Prince Yu.
Whether Princess Guangning will marry Prince Yu depends on this flower-viewing banquet.
As expected, Huichun heard Concubine Ling continue to say, "Invite the wives of officials of the third rank and above to the palace for a banquet. It will be more lively with more people."
Huichun agreed.
Concubine Ling put down the teacup in her hand and said quietly, "It is imperative that the wife of the Grand Duke's mansion and General Qi's granddaughter Qi Chuyin enter the palace."
Although Huichun was a little confused and didn't understand why Concubine Ling emphasized inviting Qi Chuyin, based on her understanding of Concubine Ling, she knew that it must be useful.
Huichun calmed down and left the hall to make preparations.
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Shen Qingtan came back from the palace and was so tired that he lay down on the Arhat couch.
Seeing that she didn't look well, Zhao Yi couldn't help but think of her first time last night. She returned to the Duke's Mansion from Xishan early this morning and then went to the palace without stopping.
She had been sitting in the palace for an hour or two without a good rest, and she must be tired.
Zhao Yi turned Shen Qingtan over, let her lie on the couch, and massaged her lower back.
Shen Qingtan's waist had become stiff from sitting for so long. The man massaged it gently, and the pain dissipated, and she slowly relaxed.
"Tingxue said Pei Wuyan was beaten. You just found an excuse and sent him out of the palace." Shen Qingtan was drowsy. "Prince Yu is a smart man. After Pei Wuyan was expelled, he would naturally give up this chess piece. The people in the capital are all shrewd. No one will make use of Pei Wuyan."
After all, Pei Wuyan came to the capital under the pretext of visiting relatives and was driven out of the house by his relatives. Anyone with a discerning eye would definitely guess that he had offended the Duke's Mansion.
How could I offend the Duke's Mansion for Pei Wuyan?
"Unless Pei Wuyan is a man of great talent, or someone can profit from it... Unfortunately, he has neither of these qualities." Shen Qingtan turned over and said sleepily, "Maybe we can use Pei Wuyan to fish."
"I'll make the arrangements." Zhao Yi pulled a thin blanket over her and said, "You get some sleep."
Shen Qingtan was a little drowsy. After hearing what Zhao Yi said, he closed his eyes and fell asleep with a thin blanket in his arms.
In a daze, I heard the voices of Liuyue and Tingxue.
Shen Qingtan looked at the two people with sleepy eyes, and his voice was filled with laziness: "What time is it?"
"Xu Shi." Liu Yue came to the bedside and helped Shen Qingtan sit up: "You slept for almost two hours."
Shen Qingtan held his dizzy head. The longer he slept, the less awake he became, and even more uncomfortable.
Tingxue handed over a cup of warm water.
Shen Qingtan took a few sips of water from her hand to wake himself up: "You were just talking about the palace. What happened in the palace?"
"Noble Concubine Ling has sent someone to invite you to the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet." Liu Yue handed Shen Qingtan a note covered with gold powder. "The time is set for three days from now."
Shen Qingtan glanced at the post: "The Imperial Concubine is organizing a party... Who will be attending?"
"The wives of officials above the third rank." Liu Yue said solemnly, "and Princess Guangning."
Shen Qingtan understood that this flower-viewing banquet was prepared for Princess Guangning.
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A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the day of the flower-viewing banquet, Shen Qingtan dressed up specially and took a carriage to the palace.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the palace, Liu Yue got off first and moved the wooden ladder to set it aside.
When Shen Qingtan emerged from the carriage, she saw a luxurious carriage parked next to hers. She looked at the sign hanging on the carriage and saw that it belonged to Princess Guangning of Northern Qi.
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