Qin Yanning was a little flustered when she heard that the empress dowager wanted to see her.
After all, in a sense, the Queen Mother is her current mother-in-law, and she has not forgotten the law that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have always been at odds with each other.
Qin Yanning thought, could it be that the Queen Mother heard that Helian Jue has been doting on her too much recently and called her over to teach her a lesson?
In response to the Empress Dowager's summons, the secret guards sent by Helian Jue to protect Qin Yanning said they were unable to help. However, Qin Yanning was not planning to ask Helian Jue for help. He had been busy discussing matters with the ministers in the Yangxin Palace every day recently.
Now that she is in the palace, Qin Yanning knows that sooner or later she will have to pass the test of the Queen Mother.
In the end, Song Yue quietly told Qin Yanning that although the Queen Mother looked fierce and serious, she was actually a good person.
One year she was transferred to the Cining Palace to sweep snow. Seeing that she was young, the Empress Dowager specially rewarded her with a hot water bottle and medicine for treating frostbite.
Qin Yanning felt a little relieved after hearing Song Yue say this.
However, she did not completely relax. After all, being kind to a little palace maid like Songyue was different from being kind to her son's favorite concubine.
What if the Queen Mother is a difficult mother-in-law?
In order not to attract attention, Qin Yanning deliberately changed into a plain dress and didn't even wear many pieces of jewelry. She simply applied some light-colored lip balm and went to the Cining Palace.
Inside the Cining Palace, a woman with somewhat gray hair was leaning against a soft couch, her hands inserted into a fox fur hand warmer, while the senior palace maid Ruixue beside her was putting peeled pine nuts into her mouth.
This woman is the current Empress Dowager.
Qin Yanning hurried all the way here and saluted the empress dowager as soon as he entered the Cining Palace.
"I'm late, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"It's okay. Get up and come to me so I can take a good look at her." The Queen Mother took her hand out of the hand warmer and waved it indifferently.
Qin Yanning obediently took a few steps forward. While the empress dowager was looking at her, she was also secretly looking at the empress dowager.
Although the empress dowager wore a head full of pearls and jade, she did not look tacky at all. Instead, it made people feel that she and these luxurious jewels were born to complement each other.
Just based on the Queen Mother's current appearance, Qin Yanning can infer that the Queen Mother must have been an extraordinary beauty when she was young.
No wonder she'd heard that the Empress Dowager came from the common people and was just a street performer before entering the palace. Originally, the ministers at court had expressed dissatisfaction with the late emperor's decision to marry her into the palace, but it was the late emperor who, despite all objections, brought the Empress Dowager into the palace.
But... Qin Yanning thought that her current background was similar to that of the empress dowager back then.
The Queen Mother looked at Qin Yanning for a while, then suddenly sat up straight and patted the seat next to her.
"Good boy, come sit here."
Qin Yanning was a little surprised by the Queen Mother's attitude, but still sat down obediently.
The Queen Mother looked at Ruixue and smiled, "She is indeed a rare beauty. No wonder Jue'er dotes on her so much."
Ruixue couldn't help laughing when she heard the Queen Mother say that. She looked at Qin Yanning and explained, "Don't disbelieve me, Lady Ning. Our Queen Mother loves beautiful and graceful women the most."
"You are so beautiful. I'm afraid the Queen Mother will be in a much better mood after seeing you."
Qin Yanning looked at the Queen Mother holding his hands, and felt that he had no choice but to believe it.
It seems that the Empress Dowager is also obsessed with looks.
The empress dowager really liked Qin Yanning's appearance, and she pulled her aside to ask her to talk about her family's life as a farmer. After she entered the palace, the late emperor rarely took her out.
Later, when she became the empress dowager, Helian Jue wanted her to leave the palace to relax, but the empress dowager devoted herself to practicing hard in the Buddhist temple in the palace, praying for a child for Helian Jue.
A rough calculation showed that she had not left the palace for many years and had no idea what the world outside was like.
Seeing that the empress dowager was interested, Qin Yanning picked out some things that she would like to hear and told her. He also emphasized the benefits that Helian Jue had implemented in recent years for the new policies and practices that had brought them to the people and farmers.
The Queen Mother was indeed happy to hear this.
Everyone was having a great time in the Cining Palace. In the Yangxin Palace, Helian Jue had just finished his meeting when he heard that the Empress Dowager had summoned Qin Yanning.
Helian Jue was a little nervous for a moment, not knowing what his mother meant.
He had secretly left the palace to inspect the fields some time ago, but was trapped in the farm for three days due to heavy rain. When he returned to the palace and wanted to report his safety to the Queen Mother, his mother had gone into the Buddhist temple to practice asceticism and had also announced that she would not see anyone.
Helian Jue knew that his mother was angry with him. She blamed him for not wanting to hold a beauty contest to recruit concubines and have more offspring, and she also blamed him for leaving the palace quietly without saying goodbye.
That's why Helian Jue was worried that the Empress Dowager would vent her anger on Qin Yanning.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Given the Empress Dowager's personality, she would be very fond of a beauty like Concubine Ning." Eunuch Wang reminded Helian Jue when he saw that Helian Jue was worried.
This sentence was like a wake-up call for Helian Jue, who immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Eunuch Wang was right. His mother, the queen, didn't like anyone else but liked to look at beautiful women.
She often said that seeing beautiful people would make her feel relaxed and happy.
She also often said that if she had not coveted the late emperor's handsome face, she would never have been able to enter the palace as a concubine and compete with so many women for men.
But even so, Helian Jue still planned to go to the Cining Palace. He was afraid that his mother would keep Qin Yanning in the palace and not return it to him.
He still has to have dinner with his Ning'er.
When Helian Jue rushed to the Cining Palace, the empress dowager was amused by Qin Yanning. When she saw her son whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she didn't even give him a glance.
Upon seeing this, Helian Jue walked awkwardly to the Queen Mother and sat down beside her.
How could the empress dowager not know what her son was thinking? After chatting with Qin Yanning for a while, she returned her to Helian Jue.
Before leaving, the Queen Mother did not forget to stab Helian Jue in the heart. She smiled and told Qin Yanning: "If the Emperor is busy, Lady Ning should come and accompany me, an old woman, more often."
Since the Queen Mother had spoken, Qin Yanning had no reason to disobey, so she agreed immediately.
On the way back to Tingyuxuan, Helian Jue couldn't help but ask Qin Yanning what he talked about with the Queen Mother today.
"I told the Empress Dowager some things happening outside the palace."
"Gone?" Helian Jue asked.
"Also, the Empress Dowager asked me to try my best to give you a child. I also advise you to hold a new selection and select more women with big butts and good fertility to enter the palace." Qin Yanning replied.
When Helian Jue heard this, his scalp tingled. He knew that there was nothing good about his mother summoning Ning'er!
Is there any woman in this world who would like to persuade her man to marry more women?
His mother must be getting senile!
Helian Jue felt a little resentful towards the Queen Mother, but he had forgotten that the Queen Mother treated every concubine in the same way. He didn't want Qin Yanning to hear such words, but he was just too concerned.
Helian Jue quietly observed Qin Yanning who was sitting next to him, but found that her expression did not change.
Helian Jue felt inexplicably annoyed. Could it be that his Ning'er didn't like him enough, so she wasn't angry after hearing what the Queen Mother said?
Helian Jue couldn't help but ask, "What do you think, Ning'er? Do you also want me to reopen the draft?"
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