The next day, Jiang Si went to the palace to pay his respects to the empress.
Previously, Princess Fuqing and the Fourteenth Princess had specially left the palace to visit her at Prince Yan's Mansion, so she had good reasons to go to the palace this time.
"That day, the two princesses came to the palace to look for me. I neglected them because I made a wish that I would not leave the small Buddhist temple until the prince came back. Today, I am here to apologize to my two sisters."
The Queen was very happy to see Jiang Si was so understanding. She smiled and said angrily, "You are being too polite. As a sister-in-law, why should I make amends for my sister? If this gets out, people will laugh at the two little girls. But Fuqing likes you the most. She must be very happy to know that you are entering the palace today."
The joke that happened in Yuquan Palace yesterday has reached the ears of the Queen. As a result, the Queen likes Jiang Si even more.
Just as Yu Jin said, there is no one in this palace who really doesn't fight or compete.
The queen had no children. At first, those little sluts who didn't understand the situation thought that the queen would not be able to rule for long, and they often ran to her to show off.
This is using the Queen's shortcomings to hurt her. How can the Queen be happy? She just keeps calm because she thinks clearly.
Later, seeing that Emperor Jingming still showed respect for the Empress Dowager and even showed signs of caring more about her in recent years, those people finally calmed down and began to curry favor with the Empress Dowager.
But the empress knew clearly that if she died shorter than the emperor, it would be fine. But once she passed away after the emperor and became the empress dowager, if her relationship with the new emperor was distant, some people would probably change their attitude again.
However, although the queen knew it clearly, she could do nothing about it.
She couldn't just create a son out of thin air, so she could only watch one of the concubines become proud in the future.
The Queen was also a mortal being, with the same joys and sorrows as mortals. Seeing Yu Jin and Concubine Xian quarreling, she naturally felt a sense of happiness and joy that she could not tell outsiders.
Ahem, it’s certainly wrong for a queen to think this way, but can’t she just be happy in secret?
The queen thought about this with a faint smile on her face, looking very dignified.
"Did the two sisters go to Cining Temple?"
The Queen smiled and nodded, "Yes, they go to accompany the Queen Mother at this time every day, but I have already sent someone to inform Fuqing and Fourteenth, and they will come over after they pay their respects to the Queen Mother."
"It seems that the Royal Grandmother likes my two younger sisters very much." Jiang Si said casually, but he was thinking in his heart.
If the Queen Mother had a problem, would a person who had been hiding a secret for many years really ask her granddaughter to come over every day just because she was lonely? After all, the two princesses did not grow up by the Queen Mother's side, so logically, there would not be much affection between them.
Jiang seemed to sense something was odd, but couldn't figure out why, so he could only wait and see.
"I never thought that Fuqing and Fourteen were so blessed to win the favor of the Empress Dowager." If the Empress was a little nervous at first when the Empress Dowager asked her daughter to go over to accompany her, she naturally relaxed after such a long period of time.
Jiang Si agreed and smiled.
The Queen suddenly changed the subject: "I am actually a little curious about how you came up with the idea of chanting sutras to pray for blessings?"
Jiang Si's eyelashes trembled slightly, with a bit of helplessness in her eyes: "At that time, I thought my brother was in trouble, the prince was away, and a weak daughter-in-law could not do anything in the palace. But I felt uncomfortable if I didn't do something. After thinking about it, I had to hide in the small Buddhist temple to chant sutras and pray for peace of mind..."
The queen's mouth twitched.
A weak woman? What Princess Yan said is not true at all.
But this is not the point; the point is what comes later.
The queen suppressed her embarrassment and pretended to be nonchalant: "Which Bodhisattva are you worshipping?"
The emperor must have been possessed by evil spirits recently, and he hinted to her several times that he should set up a small Buddhist temple in Kunning Palace so that she could worship there whenever she had time.
This was tolerable, but the emperor specifically asked her to worship the Bodhisattva that Princess Yan worshipped, which was unbearable.
This question arises because you have to endure even if you can't endure it.
After asking, the empress's face flushed and she cursed Emperor Jingming several times in her heart. Of course, she didn't dare to curse him too harshly, after all, he was the emperor.
Jiang Si's expression was subtle for a moment, but he quickly reacted and said with a smile: "My daughter-in-law is worshipping the Goddess of Childbirth."
The queen was shocked when she heard this, and her expression twisted.
That's not right. Why should we worship the Goddess of Fertility when we are praying for our husband who is away on a journey to return safely?
Jiang Si explained, "It just so happens that there is a statue of the Goddess of Childbirth in the palace. My daughter-in-law thinks that the Bodhisattva has a kind heart, and as long as you are sincere, it should be okay to pray for peace -"
The queen's expression became even more complicated.
Is this ok?
She now didn't know whether to say that Princess Yan was too generous or that she was just incredibly lucky.
I prayed for peace to the Goddess of Fertility and it came true. Is this fair?
But there is one thing the Empress is certain of: if the Emperor asks her to worship the Goddess of Fertility every day, she would rather not be the Empress and fight him!
Considering the Queen's age and status, this is not shameful at all.
The queen, having made up her mind, lost interest in the topic instantly.
At this time, the palace maid came to report: "Madam, the two princesses have arrived."
The person outside the door smiled before speaking, and then a beautiful girl walked in. After greeting the queen, she took Jiang Si and said, "I was worried that Sister-in-law Qi had gone back."
The girl with outstanding appearance was Princess Fuqing.
The girl following closely behind was slightly thinner than Princess Fuqing, and had a quiet appearance. She was undoubtedly the Fourteenth Princess.
After greeting each other, Jiang Si smiled and said, "I came here today to apologize to my two sisters. Why would I go back? I will stay here with my mother even if I have to be shameless."
Princess Fuqing blushed and said shyly, "Sister Seven is just joking. I'm very happy that you came to the palace to play with us. Fourteenth sister, don't you agree?"
Princess Fourteen didn't expect Princess Fuqing to ask her about this. She was slightly startled, then nodded: "Yes, I couldn't even have a good conversation with Sister Seven that time."
In the heart of Princess Fourteen, she was not so close to Jiang Si.
She didn't dislike this seventh sister-in-law, but the Princess of Yan had shown many miraculous skills, and her mother's words when she returned from the Prince of Yan's Mansion that day, all proved that the Princess of Yan was not a simple person.
She would rather keep her distance from complicated people. After all, she is not the noble Thirteenth Sister, and it is too easy for a rootless princess to get into trouble.
The atmosphere was naturally harmonious and joyful until the empress said, "Okay, didn't I say I'm going to embroider a longevity screen for your grandmother? It's getting late, so don't stay here."
Princess Fuqing had no choice but to take the Fourteenth Princess with her to say goodbye to Jiang Si.
After the two princesses left, the queen smiled and shook her head: "I really spoiled Fuqing."
Jiang Si stared at the door for a long time without looking away.
She went into the palace today not out of pure courtesy, but because Yu Jin mentioned yesterday that he would fight for the throne from the Empress, which reminded her of something: in her previous life, Princess Fuqing fell off a high platform and died, and it seemed that it was during the Lantern Festival of this year.
The Queen noticed that Jiang looked strange and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Si hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does the princess like to watch lanterns?"