"Your Majesty, rest assured. Xiyan will do her best to paint a portrait that will satisfy you."
Hearing this, Xuan Ling's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Then he climbed onto the tall and mighty horse without saying another word.
He waved his whip, turned his horse's head, and led the many mighty and majestic Jinwu troops to gradually disappear at the end of the wide road outside the palace gate.
After noon, in the Cining Palace, the palace maids reported something that made the Empress Dowager furious.
"Ridiculous! Go call the Queen. I want to ask her some questions."
After a cup of tea, Empress Duan rushed to the Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager asked directly, "Empress, I heard that you encouraged the Emperor to take a widow into the palace?"
Empress Duan said, "Your Majesty, you misunderstood. It was the Emperor's order. General Qi Yan's wife is a woman of great virtue and kindness."
The Empress Dowager rebuked her, "That's unacceptable. And you're letting her bring the child into the palace—that's a joke! Let's just leave it at that. You're the Empress, and you should be admonishing the Emperor."
Empress Duan agreed perfunctorily, left the Cining Palace, and gave some instructions to the palace maids.
The palace maid understood and went directly to the Yangxin Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Empress is not feeling well."
Xuan Ling put down the memorial and asked, "Has the imperial physician examined it?"
"The queen came out of the Cining Palace because she felt unwell."
Xuan Ling immediately understood that the Empress Dowager knew that Sheng Xiyan was going to be taken into the palace.
Not long after, a maid from the Cining Palace came to greet him, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager would like to invite you to dinner."
Xuan Ling said coldly, "Tell the Queen Mother that I am very busy and will go to the Cining Palace another day."
The Empress Dowager must have had two things to say when she invited him. First, she must have said that it was unreasonable to take a widow in, and second, she must have wanted to let her niece Su Yunluan enter the palace.
Originally, he was still thinking about how to bring Sheng Xiyan into the palace properly. Now that the two things have happened at the same time, Xuan Ling is not in a hurry anymore. Conditional exchange is the easiest way to achieve his goal.
We just need to make the Empress Dowager anxious for a few more days, and she will definitely take the initiative to agree to let Sheng Xiyan enter the palace.
Although the government is now stable and Xuan Ling holds great power, he still does not want to spend too much time dealing with the affairs of the harem. The checks and balances method is the simplest way to solve it.
In Zhongcui Palace, Concubine Liang came in with a smile on her face, "Sister Shu, I am here to bother you."
At this time, Concubine Shu was choosing material for making dresses in the inner hall.
"Liang Fei is here, you can help me with these two pieces of fabric."
Concubine Liang fanned herself, caressing the fabric and praising it, "A fleeting glimpse of light. Anything made from fine material is top-quality. If I remember correctly, this is the floating glitter brocade the Emperor gave me at the New Year's banquet, right?"
Shufei had a sweet smile on her face. That day, she sang a Kunqu opera, which won the praise of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xuanwu, and they gave her many gifts.
Concubine Liang hooked her round fan, and a palace maid came forward, holding a square box.
"The elder sister's shimmering brocade dress will surely stun everyone. The younger sister will also give her a small accessory to enhance the brilliance."
When you open the box, you're greeted by a fragrant aroma.
Concubine Shu has always loved burning incense and would light some calming incense before going to bed every night.
"Is this a hand-blowing fragrance pendant? It's really exquisite."
Hold it in your hand and smell it gently, you can enjoy a light and elegant fragrance.
There is a hole in the middle of the fragrant cake, which can be worn with a silk ribbon. It can be used as an ornament and can also serve to perfume the body.
"Sister, when you wear it, it will emit a light fragrance when you walk around. The emperor will definitely like it. Unlike my sister, she has never attracted the emperor's attention and rarely has the opportunity to show it off."
Concubine Liang felt a little sad when she talked about it. Xuan Ling was very cold to her and she had never had the chance to sleep with him since she entered the palace.
Everyone thought that Concubine Shu had a miscarriage due to accidentally stepping on firecrackers during Empress Duan's wedding a few years ago, but only Concubine Liang knew that this was not the case.
She hated Concubine Shu. She was obviously beautiful and entered the palace with her, but why did the emperor never go to Chuxiu Palace but to Zhongcui Palace instead?
She had never been favored by the emperor, so how could she possibly watch Concubine Shu give birth to the emperor's eldest son?
Seeing that she was in a daze, Concubine Shu comforted her with polite words: "There will be a chance in the future. The emperor is still fair."
Concubine Liang smiled and said, "Sister, there's no need to comfort me. I can take it easy. A new person is coming in soon, and I have no chance."
Concubine Shu thought she was talking about Sheng Xiyan and did not respond.
But she said, "Sister, do you know? The Queen Mother wants to let the Emperor take Su Yunluan from the Duke's Mansion into the harem."
"The Empress Dowager's niece? Su Yunluan is a well-known beauty in the capital."
Shufei understood why Liangfei came to her today. It turned out to be for this matter.
"You are the Queen Mother's niece. Are you afraid of a niece entering the palace? I envy you. You will soon have a wonderful sister."
Concubine Liang jokingly said, "Sister, the Emperor went to the Eastern Suburbs Palace yesterday. I heard from the servants that he went to see that young widow. Sister, you must know about this, right?"
Concubine Shu forced a smile and said, "I know."
Concubine Liang said with interest, "That day at the banquet in Jiaotai Palace, I saw that your sister-in-law was no ordinary person. She was very capable and she set a precedent for the Emperor by entering the palace once."
Concubine Shu, if you want to find someone to come in and consolidate your favor, I will just watch you two fight each other.
The purpose of Concubine Liang's visit today is to make Concubine Shu wary of Sheng Xiyan's charm.
After Concubine Liang left, Concubine Shu fell into deep thought.
The head nanny said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager just called the Queen over and reprimanded her, and told her to drop the idea of bringing Sheng Xiyan into the palace."
"How could the Emperor change his decision? Since the Empress has no other options, I will go ahead and persuade the Empress Dowager. If this is accomplished, the Emperor will surely be delighted."
Shufei knew that she did not have the support of the Empress Dowager in the palace like Liangfei, nor did she have a father like Empress Duan who was the Grand Marshal and held a high position in the court. In the past, she had her brother Qi Yan, the invincible general, to bring her glory, but now she can only rely on herself.
Empress Duan is pregnant, which makes many things inconvenient. The harem needs a capable person to manage the six palaces, and her chances of success are still very good.
In the Cining Palace.
Concubine Shu knelt down and said respectfully, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I have come to apologize."
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "What do you mean by that, Concubine Shu?"
"Sheng Xiyan is my sister-in-law. It is my fault that the Empress Dowager is displeased by this matter."
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