Chapter 347 Difficulties
Shen Qingtan looked at Concubine Shu who was not far away. Her pair of narrow, willow-shaped eyes were both charming and cold, and there was a hint of hatred in the look as she looked at her.
She guessed the other person's identity from this look.
The concubine in front of me is probably Concubine Shu.
After all, when they came to Northern Qi, they did not make enemies with anyone else except Concubine Shu.
Shen Qingtan bowed and saluted: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Concubine Shu glanced at her coldly, snorted, and entered Changle Palace.
I don't even bother to do superficial work.
Shen Qingtan frowned slightly, fearing that there would be a tough battle to fight today.
Liu Yue said worriedly, "Princess, the Concubine Shu is too lazy to even pretend. I'm afraid it will embarrass you later."
Before entering the palace, Shen Qingtan had already anticipated this situation and had made preparations.
She whispered, "This is in the Queen's bedroom. No matter how much Concubine Shu hates me, she will always be more restrained with the Queen's pressure and will not dare to embarrass me openly."
The queen's father was originally a captain of the Yiyong Guard. After the Northern Qi Emperor ascended the throne, he conferred the queen's father the title of Shou'an Hou and promoted him to the commander of the Jinwu Left Guard.
The Empress's mother's family was powerful, and the Emperor of Northern Qi respected her very much. Even though Concubine Shu was favored by the Emperor of Northern Qi, she did not dare to be too arrogant in front of the Empress.
It’s a pity that the queen was frail and had always lived in seclusion, only seeing the Emperor of Northern Qi on the first and fifteenth day of every month.
The concubines were also exempted from paying respects on weekdays.
Shen Qingtan brought Liu Yue into the hall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the concubines sitting on both sides of the hall. She walked to the front of the hall without looking away and bowed to the queen: "I pay my respects to the queen. May the queen be blessed with good health."
The queen's cold voice rang out: "No need to be so polite."
Shen Qingtan stood up and looked up at the Queen. She was wearing a green woven embroidered cloud-patterned jacket and a yellow woven golden skirt with a cloud-sea pattern. She sat upright in a rosewood and birch wood armchair with a phoenix pattern. Her eyebrows reached her temples, and her phoenix eyes were so majestic that no one dared to look directly at her.
The Queen ordered the ladies-in-waiting, "Give Princess Guangling a seat."
The female official brought a chair and asked Shen Qingtan to sit down.
Concubine Shu saw that Shen Qingtan was sitting opposite her and put her fingers on the armrest: "Princess Guangling is so arrogant. You came so late and made the Queen wait for you alone."
Before Shen Qingtan could reply, Concubine Shu continued, "That's right. Prince Guangling is no longer the same as he was before. He has made great contributions to the fight against the plague. The people regard you as the reincarnation of a living Bodhisattva. The Imperial Preceptor also looks at you differently and has spoken highly of you in front of the Emperor."
She changed the subject: "If you want to see Princess Guangling from now on, I'm afraid you'll have to ask for an imperial decree."
Shufei's words imply that Zhao Yi had done a good job in controlling the plague, and he had a very high reputation among the people. He was also appreciated by the emperor's teacher, and his status in Northern Qi was rising.
Shen Qingtan, relying on her power, acted arrogantly. She was late when she first entered the palace to pay her respects to the Queen, showing no regard for her at all. It's likely that the Queen won't be able to invite Shen Qingtan in the future.
If you think about it more deeply, Zhao Yi has the support of the people and is also supported by the emperor's teacher, so he is suspected of trying to seize the throne.
The Prince of Qi was born to the Queen, a legitimate son, and was most likely to be appointed as the crown prince.
What Concubine Shu said was obviously intended to provoke the Queen's dissatisfaction with Shen Qingtan and hostility towards Zhao Yi.
"Your Majesty, you are embarrassing me and the prince. Compared to what Lord Lin diligently does for the Emperor, what the prince has done is really not worth mentioning."
Shen Qingtan joked to herself, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the Empresses. The Emperor arranged for the Prince to do this job, but the Prince was not very capable and nearly lost his life. If it weren't for the Prince's strong luck and the Imperial Preceptor's help, I wouldn't have the blessing of seeing the Empress today."
The concubines present all covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs after hearing this. Because they knew the grudge between Concubine Shu and Zhao Yi, they only then heard the wit in Shen Qingtan's words.
Concubine Shu then said that Zhao Yi had dealt with the plague well, was appreciated by the imperial teacher, and had a very high reputation among the people, and was deliberately trying to seize the throne.
Shen Qingtan then brought up Concubine Shu's brother, who worked diligently for the emperor and always grabbed the limelight. Doesn't that make him even more determined to win the throne?
Secondly, Shen Qingtan openly belittled Zhao Yi as useless and unable to even complete a task, which was actually an allusion to the danger Zhao Yi faced in controlling the plague.
If Zhao Yifu hadn't been so lucky, he would have died at the hands of Lin Yi long ago. With such little ability, how could he have competed for the position of crown prince?
Finally, it was stated that Lin Yi attempted to murder the royal heir and burned civilians but failed. The crimes he committed were serious enough to result in the confiscation of property and the extermination of the clan.
Except for Lin Yi who died at the hands of Zhao Yi, the other members of the Lin family still hold high positions and have not been held accountable.
However, Zhao Yi, who had made great contributions to the control of the plague, angered the emperor because he executed Lin Yi. He needed the imperial teacher to say a few good words to save his life.
Compared with the Lin family's status in the emperor's mind, Zhao Yi is really not worth mentioning.
As for why the imperial tutor spoke for Zhao Yi, Shen Qingtan didn't need to say much, as the concubines knew it.
Because of Zhao Yi's special identity, keeping him can restrain the Great Zhou.
Such a comparison actually highlights the great favor of Concubine Shu.
Everyone's eyes became a little subtle.
Concubine Shu's face turned pale. Shen Qingtan's words not only stabbed her in the heart, but also put her on the spot, cleared Zhao Yi of the suspicion of usurping the throne, and also praised the queen.
She originally wanted to stir up conflict between the Queen and Shen Qingtan, but now she is shooting herself in the foot.
Before she could speak, she saw Shen Qingtan kneeling on the ground, apologizing to the Queen: "Your Majesty, I don't know the rules and am late. Please punish me."
The Queen looked at Concubine Shu's face turning pale and blue, and she was speechless, and slowly shifted her gaze to Shen Qingtan.
From the moment she entered the palace, she was calm and composed, neither humble nor overbearing, and acted gracefully. She responded to Concubine Shu's challenges with clear logic and clear answers, word for word.
"We usually come to pay our respects at this time. You've arrived just in time and haven't broken the rules." The Queen instructed the court lady beside her, "Luzhi, help Princess Guangling to her feet."
Luzhi hurriedly helped Shen Qingtan up.
Shen Qingtan thanked him.
Concubine Shu wanted to say a few more words, but she was concerned about the Queen and did not dare to be too presumptuous.
The queen was cold and arrogant, and not very warm towards others. After asking Shen Qingtan a few questions, she gave Shen Qingtan the gift she had prepared and asked everyone to leave.
The concubines were used to protecting themselves and were afraid that they would be used as excuses by Concubine Shu to attack Shen Qingtan, so they left Changle Palace one after another.
Shen Qingtan deliberately waited in the hall for a while, and only prepared to leave after Concubine Shu left.
At this time, Luzhi called her and said, "Princess, this is another gift that the Queen has prepared for you."
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