Chapter 283 Test
"You don't know?" Shen Qingtan looked surprised and said slowly, "The maidservant beside the imperial concubine left Yinyin and asked her about the dietary taboos of Northern Qi."
"I was so focused on Princess Guangning that I didn't notice anything else. I thought it was Miss Qi who didn't catch up."
Huichun explained, "There are many rules in the palace. I'm worried that Miss Qi might have offended someone unintentionally, and Your Majesty won't be able to help."
Shen Qingtan raised his eyebrows when he heard this.
Who among those whose rank is lower than that of Concubine Ling dares not to give Concubine Ling some face?
Only Concubine Xian, who is in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, can compete with Concubine Ling.
Now Concubine Ling and Concubine Xian are competing.
The noble lady mentioned by Huichun is the virtuous concubine, implying that the virtuous concubine has a difficult temper and if you offend her, it will probably not end well.
A thought flashed in Shen Qingtan's eyes. Huichun would not mention this sentence for no reason. It seemed like she was laying the groundwork for what was about to happen.
Is Concubine Ling going to take action against Qi Chuyin and put the blame on Concubine Xian?
"Yinyin's personality is a bit straightforward, but she is also a noble lady who understands the rules and will not offend a noble person. If she offends someone, it is probably just a misunderstanding."
Shen Qingtan said calmly, "If it's a misunderstanding, the noble concubine can come forward to clear it up, and the nobles in the palace won't hold it against Yinyin."
After a pause, she continued, "I see that all the nobles are very kind and easy to get along with."
Huichun was choked and unable to refute Shen Qingtan's words, otherwise it would mean that the nobles in the palace were unkind and difficult to get along with.
If these words were to get out, her death would be imminent.
Huichun quickly said, "I was too worried about Miss Qi and said the wrong thing."
"No matter where you are, you must always remember to 'be careful with your words and actions', otherwise you will cause trouble." Shen Qingtan said casually: "Fortunately, you follow a master with an easy-going temperament. If you followed someone with a bad temper, you would inevitably suffer physical pain."
Huichun thought of Concubine Ling's temperament, tightened her fingers, lowered her head, and bowed to Shen Qingtan: "This servant will remember the county lord's instructions."
Shen Qingtan said, "Alright, go to the main hall to entertain the guests."
Huichun retreated.
Shen Qingtan looked at Huichun's back as she left, recalling what Huichun said, and wondered how Qi Chuyin was doing.
She arranged for secret guards to follow Qi Chuyin, so that if Concubine Ling made any movement, it would reach the ears of Emperor Jing'an in no time.
With Concubine Ling's scheming, she shouldn't be so stupid, right?
Even if they wanted to frame Qi Chuyin, they would guide her to make mistakes. This way, they wouldn't be able to trace the cause back to Concubine Ling.
However, given Qi Chuyin's personality, Concubine Ling's roundabout schemes might not succeed against her.
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Qi Chuyin stood at the gate of the garden behind the side hall, holding a menu handed to her by a palace maid.
She took a quick glance, then looked at the palace maid holding the pen and ink.
"How would I know what the princess ate in Northern Qi?" Qi Chuyin casually threw the menu on the tray: "Why don't you go to the Four Barbarians Pavilion and ask the people in Northern Qi."
After she entered the palace, she felt uncomfortable all over.
Everyone wears a mask on their face and speaks with hidden meaning.
Not as comfortable as the North.
The palace maid hurriedly said, "Miss Qi, the imperial kitchen is about to prepare lunch. If I go to the Four Barbarians Hall to ask now, I'm afraid it will be too late."
"Don't you prepare in advance?" Qi Chuyin asked in confusion, "If the imperial kitchen doesn't have the ingredients, will you ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to go outside the palace to buy them?"
The maid explained, "Your Majesty originally wanted Princess Guangning to experience the flavors of the Great Zhou, but she was worried that she wouldn't be able to get used to them, so she thought of preparing one or two specialties from Northern Qi."
"You're asking the wrong person." Qi Chuyin said this and planned to go to the side hall.
The maid knelt before Qi Chuyin and pleaded, "Miss Qi, you and your soldiers have captured several cities in the northern border, so you should know the flavors of Northern Qi. Please help me write down two dishes at random. If I mess up..."
"That's enough." Prince Yu came out from a narrow door and interrupted the maid's second half of the sentence: "Miss Qi doesn't know, you don't have to force her."
When the maid saw Prince Yu appear, she turned pale with fright. She swallowed the words "I will be punished" and left in a hurry.
Prince Yu heard the conversation between Qi Chuyin and the maid next door. Qi Chuyin was very firm in her stance and would not get involved in the affairs of the harem.
As a woman, she fought on the battlefield in the north and was worthy of being called a female hero. She was naturally strategic, so how could she not see through such a trick in the harem?
If the maid knelt down to beg for mercy, not only would it not convince Qi Chuyin, but the more she said, the more mistakes she would make.
Prince Yu looked at Qi Chuyin. She was wearing a black robe and wrist guards. She was tall and heroic.
Apart from Empress Xiaoen, the Zhou Dynasty also had a female general like her.
"Miss Qi, I've broken my rules. Please forgive me." Prince Yu's expression was gentle, his bright eyes tinged with a smile. "Are you here to admire the flowers in the back garden?"
"It's okay." Qi Chuyin looked at Prince Yu, who was gentle, and didn't want to say more: "I'm just passing by. Goodbye."
Qi Chuyin clasped her fists towards Prince Yu, then turned and left.
Prince Yu looked at Qi Chuyin's back thoughtfully.
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When Qi Chuyin stepped into the front yard of the side hall, she saw Shen Qingtan standing at the door of the hall, as if waiting for her.
"Cousin." Qi Chuyin quickly came to Shen Qingtan and asked, "Is Princess Guangning okay?"
"The princess was frightened in the back garden and fell asleep in the side hall." Shen Qingtan wanted to ask something, but then remembered that this was in Concubine Ling's palace and she was afraid that someone was following her secretly, so she stopped talking.
Qi Chuyin saw through Shen Qingtan's thoughts and whispered in Shen Qingtan's ear, "The Queen asked me to write a few dishes from Northern Qi, and Prince Yu came to the rescue."
In Qi Chuyin's opinion, Prince Yu was not trying to rescue her, but to stop the palace maid from speaking, fearing that she would reveal her flaws if she said too much.
"Don't worry, I rejected them all." Qi Chuyin didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the harem. Only by keeping a low profile could she protect herself and avoid being ambushed.
Shen Qingtan breathed a sigh of relief, probably understanding Concubine Ling's thoughts.
If Qi Chuyin wrote down a few dishes without any precautions, and Princess Guangning ate these dishes and something happened, she would definitely be in trouble.
Just as Shen Qingtan was about to speak, he saw Princess Guangning sit up and whisper, "I'll tell your cousin about what happened today when I get home."
Qi Chuyin nodded.
Shen Qingtan came to the couch, poured a glass of water and handed it to Princess Guangning: "Princess, how are you feeling? Should we send someone to call the imperial physician to check your pulse?"
Princess Guangning held the water cup in both hands and said gloomily, "No need, I'm feeling better now."
"I'm glad you're okay. I also have an explanation for the Empress." Shen Qingtan had a vague suspicion about Princess Guangning's shock, and tentatively asked, "Princess, there are rumors out there that you're going to marry Prince Yu. If this is true, it's fine. If it's just a rumor, it will hinder you if it continues."
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