Chapter 140 Close Friend
Shen Yiqiu knew he was referring to Zhang Heze, and calmly retorted:
"After all, not everyone is as fortunate as His Highness the Crown Prince."
Xiao Yongjing chuckled softly, then solemnly reminded him:
"The palace has prepared a grand welcome for you. But there's no need to worry too much. The Empress Dowager is kind and gentle; otherwise, I wouldn't have grown up to be what I am today. As long as you don't make any mistakes, she won't make things difficult for you."
Shen Yiqiu caught the message in his words:
"Mother?"
Xiao Yongjing explained, “The Imperial Noble Consort is Zhao Ke’er. Speaking of which, she and your maternal grandmother, Shen Zhaohua, were once close friends and old acquaintances. She was overjoyed to hear about our marriage and has been looking forward to seeing you ever since.”
Shen Yiqiu's heart stirred slightly. Her grandmother's best friend?
She didn't show it on her face, and obediently asked:
"Will Consort Zhao come too?"
"Of course. When the Empress Dowager hosts a banquet, most of the prominent concubines in the harem will attend."
Shen Yiqiu felt a little relieved. As long as Zhao Jieyu was present, the chances of finding Zhao Xuan would be much greater.
Xiao Yongjing looked at her, his expression unusually serious:
"Don't worry, since you are the Crown Princess I have chosen, no one in this palace will dare to openly harm you. Go ahead and do what you want to do, I will protect you."
Shen Yiqiu knew this was a promise he had made, so she didn't respond, but simply nodded slightly.
Even before the palace banquet officially began, Shen Yiqiu's arrival had already attracted much attention.
She then realized that the banquet was not only for the palace but also for many noble ladies from prominent families, making it a grand event.
She spotted Princess Xingrong at a glance.
Compared to her usual arrogant and domineering self, she had lost a lot of weight. Surprisingly, when she saw Shen Yiqiu, she did not provoke him and exuded a listless and dispirited aura.
Xiao Yongjing whispered a reminder from the side:
"I heard that Zhang's family has already arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of the Minister of Personnel. That's probably why she acts this way. But don't be fooled by her appearance; this princess will still explode if you touch her."
Shen Yiqiu understood, scanned her surroundings, and quickly spotted Zhao Jieyu in an inconspicuous corner.
The other person clearly avoided her gaze, looking guilty.
Xiao Yongjing followed her gaze and said approvingly:
"Good eye, you found the person so quickly. However, Zhao Xuan isn't with her right now; she's probably been sent away to handle something."
"Given Zhao Jieyu's usual affected and pretentious nature, she can't do anything without Zhao Xuan taking care of her. Zhao Xuan will definitely show up to serve her at the banquet later."
Just then, a majestic voice came from above:
"Qiu'er?"
Shen Yiqiu looked up and saw that the Imperial Noble Consort Zhao Ke'er, sitting on the phoenix throne at the head of the table, was looking at her with a smile.
This Imperial Noble Consort was younger than I had imagined. Although she was five years younger than my grandmother, she was well-maintained and looked to be about the same age as my mother, Shen Ruyi.
She possesses an elegant and noble demeanor, with a kind and gentle expression in her eyes.
Zhao Ke'er waved to her and said kindly:
"Come here, come to my side, let me take a good look at you."
Shen Yiqiu followed her instructions and stepped forward slowly. The inexplicable resistance in her heart lingered, but she still maintained proper etiquette.
Zhao Ke'er took her hand affectionately; those hands were warm and soft. She gently removed the tortoiseshell nail guards from her fingers and tenderly stroked Shen Yiqiu's cheek with her fingertips.
"It's so similar...it's really too similar. The heroic spirit between the brows, the stubbornness in the eyes...for a moment, I thought it was Sister Zhaohua standing in front of me again."
She sighed deeply, and when she looked up again, her eyes were glistening with tears.
"I never imagined that I would see something like this again in my lifetime..."
Without saying another word, she took off the priceless jade bracelet from her wrist and slipped it onto Shen Yiqiu's wrist.
The touch was cool and warm, and Chen Yiqiu subconsciously wanted to decline:
"Your Highness, this is far too precious, this humble woman..."
Zhao Ke'er gently pressed her hand, interrupting her:
“Child, take this. This is a piece of warm jade that your grandmother and I found together in the southern border region. We each made a bracelet from it, and we agreed that it would be passed down from generation to generation.”
"Your grandmother and I were once the closest of confidantes in the capital. We practiced martial arts together, studied together, and talked about almost everything. But... later, due to some trivial matters, we had a misunderstanding. We were both young and hot-blooded, and neither of us was willing to back down first..."
"We were stuck like that for a short while... Who could have foreseen that fate would play such a cruel trick? Before we could reconcile, she... she suddenly passed away. This has become an eternal pain and an eternal regret in my heart..."
She looked away, refocusing her gaze on Shen Yiqiu's face, and patted the back of her hand:
"Now that I see you, and that you and Jing'er are so in love and have become husband and wife, I am truly... truly overjoyed. This bracelet is rightfully yours to wear, and it can be considered... fulfilling the friendship between Sister Zhaohua and me from back then."
As Shen Yiqiu listened to this heartfelt story, the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.
She finally understood where that uncomfortable feeling came from... a contradiction.
If the Imperial Noble Consort was truly as close as she claimed, and so intimately connected with her grandmother, why had she never heard her grandmother mention the name Zhao Ke'er even once during the more than ten years she had grown up by her grandmother's side?
Grandmother Shen Zhaohua was not a secretive person. She would talk about interesting things in the army, reminisce about her fallen comrades, and comment on the figures in the court, but she never mentioned her best friend.
This is illogical.
Shen Yiqiu lowered her eyes and bowed:
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kind favor. It is my great honor to have the opportunity to see Your Majesty's beautiful face and hear about my grandmother's past."
Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu watched all this from a short distance away. After being exposed, Song Sangyu obviously stopped pretending. Although her limbs were still slender and long, her whole body was noticeably pregnant.
She looked enviously at the bracelet on Shen Yiqiu's wrist and said sourly:
"Sister, you are so lucky to be favored by both the Crown Prince and the Imperial Noble Consort."
Shen Yiqiu smiled slightly:
"Is your position as the Earl's Consort comfortable?"
How could Song Sangye not hear the sarcasm in those words? Her face immediately darkened.
"you!"
Before the words were finished, the sound of eunuchs announcing the birth could be heard from behind.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The people followed his advice and performed the rituals accordingly.
Even with so many people on the field, the Emperor still spotted the ethereal and beautiful woman at a glance, a rare flicker of emotion appearing in his usually murky eyes.
"Minister Shen... you are truly otherworldly today."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yiqiu noticed out of the corner of her eye that Zhao Ke'er's face turned ashen, and her eyes revealed a hint of resentment.
What does this mean?
Now that she is the Crown Princess, she has no conflict of interest with her whatsoever, so why does she see her that way?
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin."
Zhao Ke'er gave a coquettish laugh, showing a maturity beyond her years, still acting like a little woman in front of the Emperor.
She walked down, extended her hand, and the Emperor laughed heartily as he took it.
"Then we shall do as my beloved consort says!"
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