Chapter 76 Shen Mingzhu steals Shen Qingtan's limelight
Shen Qingtan learned from Zhao Yi that she would have to go to the palace to meet Concubine Ling, so that night she went to discuss the matter with the old lady.
At dawn the next day, she got up, dressed, and went to Shi'an Hall.
The moment Shen Qingtan stepped into the main house and saw the old lady, her eyes suddenly lit up.
Because the old lady is the wife of the State of Zhao, she has to dress formally when entering the palace.
At this moment, the old lady was wearing a phoenix crown, a pearl hoop inlaid with pearls and peonies on her forehead, and a round-necked robe for ladies of high rank. The collar was embroidered with colorful Ruyi cloud patterns, and the body of the robe was embroidered with cloud shoulders, sleeves, knee-length cuffs, cloud pythons, and Shoushan and Fuhai patterns.
Shen Qingtan looked at the old lady carefully. After she put on the auspicious dress for a lady of noble birth, her whole aura became even more majestic.
She bowed and said, "Greetings, Grandmother."
"Tan'er, have you had breakfast yet?" The old lady held the cane bestowed upon her by the emperor, her face kind. "It's still early. If you haven't had breakfast yet, you can have something to eat here."
"My granddaughter-in-law has eaten." Shen Qingtan supported the old lady as they walked out, saying softly, "Second Master ordered the kitchen to make meat and rice porridge, mixed with chicken broth, and added minced meat, wild bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and pine nuts. It's very fragrant and delicious."
At this point, she seemed to be still savoring the memory, and smiled, "I heard that he got the recipe for this meat and rice porridge from you."
"He has to avoid certain foods, and he can't eat this or that, but he loves to search for gourmet recipes." The old lady perked up at the mention of food, smiling and saying, "Next time, tell the cook to use shrimp soup. It's incredibly delicious. And pair it with some pickled vegetables for a more flavorful taste."
Shen Qingtan said with a smile: "I'll ask the cook to make it later."
The grandfather and grandson came to the corner gate talking and laughing.
Shen Mingzhu had been waiting at the corner gate. When she heard Shen Qingtan and the old lady chatting and laughing, the smile on her face disappeared completely.
She tried to please the old lady, but she didn't buy it. She was very polite to her and not as friendly as she was to Shen Qingtan.
"Grandmother, second sister-in-law." Shen Mingzhu calmed down and bowed, "Yesterday, the Imperial Concubine invited my granddaughter-in-law to the palace, and I'm waiting here for you to come in with me."
Earlier, Emperor Jing'an invited Shen Qingtan to the palace to meet him. Shen Mingzhu wanted to go to the palace with him, but was rejected by the old lady.
Therefore, after receiving the invitation from Concubine Ling yesterday, she did not approach the old lady, for fear that it would cut off her chance to enter the palace and see the world, so she waited at the corner gate early this morning.
Apart from that, I also have a little bit of a desire to show off in my heart.
Even if they didn't take her with them, she could still enter the palace to meet the nobles.
The old lady frowned when she heard this. How could she not see through her little thoughts?
She didn't want to say more: "Get in the car."
Seeing that the old lady's attitude had turned cold, Shen Mingzhu bit her lower lip a little aggrievedly and followed Shen Qingtan into the carriage.
The old lady got into the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.
Shen Qingtan fell into deep thought, trying to figure out what Concubine Ling was thinking.
Shen Mingzhu sat aside, secretly observing the old lady and Shen Qingtan.
They were indifferent to her entry into the palace and were not surprised.
It was like the surprise she had been planning for a long time, intending to secretly astonish everyone, but in the end, everyone's reaction was mediocre, causing her to feel a huge sense of loss.
She secretly had the idea of competing, intending to win the favor of the imperial concubine and suppress Shen Qingtan.
The few of them were silent all the way until the carriage stopped outside the imperial city, and then they changed to a sedan chair and came to Concubine Ling's Yanxiang Palace.
Shen Qingtan supported the old lady's right hand and entered the hall together.
Shen Mingzhu hurriedly supported his left hand and observed Shen Qingtan carefully.
As soon as she entered the palace, she was stunned by the grandeur and magnificence of the palace. She kept her nerves tense and didn't dare to glance around. She acted just like Shen Qingtan.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
Shen Qingtan looked straight ahead and saluted with the old lady in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
Shen Mingzhu was very nervous, her palms were sweaty, and she saluted stiffly.
"Madam Zhao, there's no need for such empty formalities." Imperial Concubine Ling sat upright in the main seat and ordered her maid to help the old lady into her seat. "I have specially invited you into the palace today. I have no choice but to do so."
The old lady smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty is thinking about the late queen and wants to organize a grand sacrificial ceremony for her. As her biological mother, it is natural for me to contribute my part."
Seeing that the old lady was not dissatisfied, Concubine Ling seemed relieved.
"My sister has been appearing in my dreams for several days now, and I've been reminiscing about her life. Especially during the time I stayed at the Duke's Mansion, we were like real sisters, eating the same food, wearing the same clothes, sleeping on the same bed and playing together. You treated me like a half-daughter back then, but ever since I entered the palace, I can no longer visit the Duke's Mansion to be close to you like before."
As Concubine Ling spoke, her eyes reddened and she pressed her handkerchief against the corners of her eyes. "I miss my sister, and I want to see you even more. That's why I'm asking you to come to the palace on the pretext of my sister's funeral."
The old lady looked sad and her eyes were red.
"I lost my composure and caused you grief." Concubine Ling slowly calmed down and turned her gaze to Shen Qingtan and Shen Mingzhu beside her. Her tone was intimate: "I have made a fool of myself for you youngsters."
Afterwards, he ordered tea and snacks to be served. The snacks were prepared with great care and were all what Empress Yuanrong liked.
The old lady was deeply saddened by everything she saw and found it difficult to extricate herself from her sorrow.
Seeing this, Shen Qingtan quickly said, "The Queen's affection for my aunt is so touching. How dare the younger generation laugh at her?"
Shen Mingzhu followed up with, "The relationship between the Empress and my aunt is closer than blood, like the love between Guan Yu and Bao Yu. How dare the younger generations laugh at you?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ling couldn't help but glance at Shen Mingzhu.
Shen Mingzhu got the attention of Concubine Ling, and her heart was pounding wildly. She couldn't hide her excitement, and there was a hint of pride that overshadowed Shen Qingtan.
Shen Qingtan's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't help but glance at Shen Mingzhu.
Shen Mingzhu caught it out of the corner of her eye, and seeing Shen Qingtan's expressionless face, she felt even more relieved.
Shen Qingtan must be jealous of her at this moment, right?
Jealous that she stole the spotlight!
The next moment, Concubine Ling frowned slightly. Is this woman the daughter of Marquis Cheng'en who was wandering in the countryside?
Guan Bao’s friendship can actually be read as Guan Bao’s friendship.
He can't even recite the book fluently, yet he dares to show off.
Concubine Ling really looked down upon him and turned to look at Shen Qingtan who was standing beside her.
She was wearing a short-sleeved gown made of Xiang Fei's colored silk and woven with gold, which just covered the waist of her woven with gold horse-faced skirt, making her figure look tall, graceful and charming.
Especially that beautiful face, with almond-shaped cheeks and rosy cheeks, and a watery look that can captivate people.
No wonder Zhao Yi was bewitched by her. No matter how the emperor tried to persuade him yesterday, he insisted on returning to the Duke's Mansion. It was obvious that he was reluctant to leave the beautiful lady in his room.
After all, before Zhao Yi got married, if his condition worsened, he would stay in the palace to recuperate before returning to the Duke's Mansion.
It was precisely because Zhao Yi valued Shen Qingtan that she wanted to summon Shen Qingtan.
When Concubine Ling saw Shen Qingtan letting her look at her, she was gentle and calm, not showing any timidity at all. She also spoke appropriately and did not show off.
Her brows, which were furrowed because of Shen Mingzhu's words, slowly relaxed.
"Yier brought his wife to the Emperor before, but he didn't bring her here for me to see. Seeing how well he hid her, I became even more curious, so I summoned you all to the palace today to see her." Imperial Concubine Ling smiled and said, "Now that I see her, she's truly beautiful. Not just Yier, but any man who marries her will have to carefully protect her."
Shen Qingtan's cheeks turned red with embarrassment at the teasing.
Shen Mingzhu was stunned and couldn't help but clench her hands in her sleeves.
It was clearly her words that caught Concubine Ling's attention, so why did Concubine Ling praise Shen Qingtan?
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