The Queen immediately perked up: "What did he say?"

"He said that the Crown Princess is indeed not a talkative person. She stays in her room most of the time and doesn't seem to be in charge of things. What Nanny Hong and the spy said is the same, so it seems to be credible."

"Oh?" The Queen was obviously a little surprised. She thought Chu Jinyao was playing two tricks with her, but the spy in the dark also said that? She inquired, "Where are the four palace maids?"

"They are serving as usual and are not separated by a long distance."

The little Queen was puzzled: "Since they can see the prince, why haven't they been taken into his concubines

yet?" Lan Yu lowered her head and said nothing. The little Queen pondered for a while and came up with a conclusion: "It must be because I sent them to Qin Yi openly that Qin Yi refused to accept them. Forget it, the four of them are abandoned. I will secretly send a few young and fresh palace maids to the East Palace. No matter what, I must place someone talented by Qin Yi's side."

"Your Majesty is wise."

The little Queen knew the importance of pillow talk, so she could not escape this idea when dealing with other people. Empress Xiao Qi thought she understood men very well. As long as there was a young and fresh person around, no matter how beautiful or ugly, they would always try it. The emperor was a ready-made example. Empress Xiao Qi did not want Qin Yi to gain more power, so she never mentioned the matter of selecting talents for Qin Yi. When someone mentioned it in the court, Empress Xiao Qi also tried hard to persuade the emperor to give up the idea. The Eastern Palace was the same as the harem. Talented people and selected concubines were all ranked, and most of them were innocent daughters of officials. Empress Xiao Qi was determined not to allow it.

Seeing that Xiao Qi Queen still looked worried, Lan Yu advised: "Your Majesty, the hidden clue is the same as what Nanny Hong said. The Crown Princess is indeed an inexperienced person. Even if such a person is smart, how could she hide it from Your Majesty? Your Majesty may be too suspicious."

Xiao Qi Queen also did not want to accept that she was deceived by a little girl some time ago. She was still testing the truthfulness of Chu Jinyao. Lan Yu was proud of her seniority, and unconsciously looked down on Chu Jinyao, a girl with no background and no experience. The Queen of Qi heard this and shook her head in amusement: "It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. No matter whether she was pretending to be weak before, she is still the Crown Princess."

"Your Majesty..."

"So, why bother about the truth or not. It's better to kill a thousand people by mistake than to let one go." The Queen of Qi smiled and brushed her nails. The sunlight reflected on her carefully crafted red nail polish, which was dazzling red.

When Chu Jinyao came back, she soon learned about the subtle changes in her palace. Chu Jinyao did not make any moves. She had people watching her. She knew who the Queen's hidden line was. Empress Dowager Qi did not want the Eastern Palace to gain more power, so she never mentioned the matter of selecting new people from ministers' families, which was exactly what Chu Jinyao wanted. As long as the Eastern Palace did not have children of ministers of high rank, Chu Jinyao would not take the mere palace maids seriously. The status of the Crown Princess and the palace ladies was very different. Under her instruction, Er Xue was more than capable of dealing with the restless palace ladies.

Princess Runing's wedding had been a hot topic for many days, and it seemed that the Crown Prince's wedding had turned on a switch. After that, the royal family held many happy events. The eldest princess got married in February, and the second prince, Prince Su, got married in June. The second princess and Prince Lu also began to discuss marriage. After the wedding of Prince Su was over, Concubine Lian was about to give birth. There would be a full moon bath and a lot of happy events.

Along with this joyous atmosphere, the weeping willows in the Forbidden City gradually sprouted new green. The emperor was in a very good mood during this period. His new favorite concubine was pregnant, and his sons and daughters got married one after another. It seemed that the gods and Buddhas in the sky were deliberately on his side. The emperor liked to be lively. When he was so happy, there were music everywhere and banquets.

In April, the spring weather was perfect. The emperor held a banquet for all the ministers in the Western Palace. Princesses, royal family members, princes, and dukes were all invited. The Western Garden was full of water. On the island in the center, a gorgeous and exquisite palace was built, with pavilions, terraces, and waterside pavilions. The banquet was held there. The noble dukes and their families walked along the way, passing through arch bridges, and led by green-clad palace maids to the banquet venue.

The palace for the banquet was prepared three days ago. Because they were afraid of disappointing the emperor, the seasonal flowers around the palace were all newly transplanted. Regardless of whether they could survive or not, they all looked bright and gorgeous at the moment. As for the food for the banquet, the eunuchs in the palace had started thinking about it half a month in advance. All the wines and drinks were brewed by the eunuchs in the palace, and none of them were done by human hands.

Chu Jinyao stayed in Ciqing Palace, and after Qin Yi dealt with the affairs of Wenhua Palace, the two of them went to Xiyuan together. Chu Jinyao watched silently the flowers and cooking oil along the way. When they arrived at the banquet, she was surprised even though she was mentally prepared.

Linglong and Jiegeng behind her had seen many grand scenes before, but they were also secretly shocked at this moment. Jiegeng couldn't help but silently calculate the expenses for this day. Not to mention other things, the snacks and drinks alone were a large number.

Chu Jinyao secretly went to see Qin Yi. Sure enough, Qin Yi's face was not very good, but he managed to hold it back. The West Garden is equivalent to the royal water garden, and the rules are more relaxed than those in the Forbidden City. However, even so, men and women cannot attend the banquet together. Qin Yi

wanted to go to the East Palace, where many ministers were already waiting. Qin Yi didn't know why he was a little worried. He gave a few instructions and walked towards the East Palace reluctantly. Chu Jinyao watched Qin Yi walk away. After his back was out of sight, she boarded the sedan chair and headed towards the west hall where the female family members were being entertained.

As soon as they entered the West Hall, they naturally greeted each other. A marquis' wife said quickly, "I saw the Crown Princess's sedan chair from a distance on the way. I thought we were late, but we arrived before the Crown Princess. How was your journey, Crown Princess? Were you delayed by anything?"

Another prestigious Duke's wife smiled and said, "You have to ask your Highness the Crown Prince. When I came in from another road, I happened to see your Highness talking to the Crown Princess. Your Highness might be worried about such a beautiful Crown Princess, and was afraid that we would bully her, so he taught her a few more words."

Everyone around laughed when they heard it. The marquis' wife just now smiled and said, "That's the case. Blame me for being nosy! The Crown Princess and your Highness have a really good relationship."

"You two ladies are joking." Chu Jinyao smiled and evaded the topic. Chu Jinyao didn't think there was anything wrong, and although the other ladies were flattering, they were actually speaking from their hearts. It is said that one should marry a virtuous wife and a beautiful concubine. Most dukes and marquises treat their wives with a distance and respect, and only treat concubines with intimacy between men and women. The crown prince and the crown princess have been married for several months, but they still act like a newlywed couple outside. The ladies saw this and felt a little jealous. Everyone

was joking, whether real or fake. While they were talking, the queen arrived.

Once the queen arrived, the banquet started quickly. Sure enough, not long after, a eunuch ran over from the East Hall and whispered something to the

Empress Dowager, who then raised her hand and said, "Let's start the banquet." There were also songs and dances at the banquet for the women, but these songs and dances were all court music and dance. They were beautiful, but they were boring to watch for a long time. Chu Jinyao sat to the lower right of the empress, with a higher seat than everyone else. Below Chu Jinyao were the high-ranking concubines such as Consort Shu and Consort Li. After the palace ladies, the women from outside the court were arranged according to their ranks.

Compared to the slow and elegant songs and dances, Chu Jinyao liked watching these women at the banquet more. The seating arrangement at the banquet was very particular. Who was at odds with whom, who was in the limelight recently, and many things could be seen just from the seats. This was much more interesting than singing and dancing.

However, unlike the past, Concubine Lian was also present today, and her seat was just below Concubine Li, sitting at the same table with Concubine Hui. Concubine Lian was the palace maid who was accidentally found pregnant by Chu Jinyao some time ago. After being "discovered" on New Year's Eve, the emperor was very pleased and named her Concubine Lian on the spot. From a little palace maid, she jumped into a high-ranking concubine, not only becoming one of the nine concubines, but now she can sit at the same table with her original master, Concubine Hui. It is rare for Concubine Lian to have such a chance.

Of course, if Concubine Lian can successfully give birth to a dragon son, then she will truly turn over a new leaf. Ever since the emperor knew that he had an unborn child, he was very happy and began to pity the child's mother. Concubine Lian was in tears, very pitiful, and very much in line with the emperor's standard of being kind to women. Therefore, although Concubine Lian could not be favored, she became the new favored concubine in the harem with the help of her child. Her favor was already comparable to that of Concubine Li.

Concubine Li and Concubine Shu who were present either thought highly of themselves or had been favored for a long time. Who could bear to sit on the same seat with a lowly palace maid? As for Concubine Hui, she was even more upset. Concubine Lian used to be her maid, and could only do rough work. Concubine Hui never took such a servant seriously. However, now, Concubine Lian has become her "sister", sitting with her, and even more terrible is that she is more favored than her.

Concubine Hui's face was twitching throughout the banquet. It was obvious that she was so angry that she couldn't eat anything else. Unfortunately, even if the other concubines were disdainful, who made Concubine Lian pregnant with a dragon seed? If this baby was born, it would be normal to be named a concubine.

Chu Jinyao watched for a while and deeply felt that it was interesting to watch women fighting each other. She picked up a bean carved into a pearl shape with chopsticks and found that even an inconspicuous bean was soaked in pigeon soup. Before Chu Jinyao could finish sighing at the extravagance of the royal family, a long song suddenly came from behind.

Where did the music come from? Who dares to sing in such a place? Chu Jinyao turned sideways and saw a pleasure boat slowly rowing on the vast and shimmering waters. A woman in green stood on the bow, dancing with her sleeves charmingly. Her pretty face appeared and disappeared from time to time, which aroused the curiosity of others. There were also several actors playing the piano and pipa sitting in the cabin, and the singing came from here.

There were quite a few people who looked outside like Chu Jinyao, and even Xiao Qihou was attracted by her attention. There were whispers everywhere in the banquet hall, and everyone was asking who these people were. The palace maids who were dancing in the center of the hall gradually stopped moving. They looked panicked and obviously didn't know what to do.

Not only the West Hall, but also the male guests in the East Hall were attracted. Chu Jinyao knew in her heart that this was probably a "surprise" prepared by the eunuchs in the West Garden for the emperor. It must be said that the eunuchs really know how to figure out the emperor's intentions. The emperor loves beauties and romance. This is indeed a show that the emperor would like.

Sure enough, a eunuch walked out of the East Hall soon and shouted at the top of his voice: "Keep dancing. If you perform well, the emperor will reward you greatly."

The East Hall and the West Hall were also built symmetrically. Because the West Hall was surrounded by water, both the East Hall and the West Hall had one side facing the water. Now the pleasure boat was walking on this water to play music and dance. The eunuch in the East Hall was obviously following the emperor's order. People on the pleasure boat could hear it, and naturally the West Hall could hear it clearly.

The woman at the bow heard it and saluted to the East Hall with great joy. After she stood up, she stopped making small movements and spun quickly at the bow. She dared to dance so vigorously in such a small space like a pleasure boat, which showed that she was quite confident in her dancing skills and figure.

Chu Jinyao didn't know what the scene in the East Hall was like, but in the West Hall, which was full of female relatives and concubines, everyone's face was generally not good. It was too far away to see the woman's appearance, but just looking at her soft figure, you could tell that she was definitely a beauty. Chu Jinyao actually wanted to watch this dance, but she was the Crown Princess and had to give face to the Queen, so after a quick glance at the beginning, she turned around and looked at the floor tiles in the hall with dignity and stability.

The female relatives also realized that it was not proper to look outside like this, and gradually they withdrew their gazes. The Empress Dowager looked at the people in the palace, pulled the corner of her mouth and smiled, "The servants in the Western Palace are thoughtful. Dancing on the boat is quite similar to the ancient palm dance."

Concubine Li wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, rolled her eyes and said, "It's just a strange and lewd trick."

As if to confirm Concubine Li's words, she heard applause from the opposite side before she finished speaking. It turned out that the emperor brought people out to watch.

Chu Jinyao held back her laughter and continued to look at the floor tiles. Concubine Li was slapped in the face and was so angry that she threw the handkerchief hard. The Queen Mother glanced at Concubine Li and said, "We, the concubines in the harem, naturally have to put the Emperor first and share his worries. Since the Emperor and the others have already gone out, how can we still sit here? Lan Yu..."

Aunt Lan Yu responded, and the Queen Mother said, "Get up, we'll go out too." After the Queen Mother

spoke, everyone else nodded and followed the Queen Mother out. Chu Jinyao was the second one to get up and followed the Queen Mother. After she left, the others could set off one after another.

The characteristic of the Western Garden is the water. There are also corridors and waterside pavilions outside the palace, which are convenient for the nobles to play by the water. The Queen led everyone to stand in the corridor. The view outside was wide, and they could see the dancer in the water better.

Once they came out, Linglong and a few others secretly stood guard, guarding Chu Jinyao, and Chu Jinyao was also secretly alert. She was the Crown Princess, and no one dared to stand in front of her, so Chu Jinyao could only stand at the front of the corridor, and the water waves were in front of her.

Chu Jinyao looked straight ahead, but her mind was always on guard behind her. The woman in the pleasure boat was dancing to the most exciting part. She bent down softly, her eyes were like autumn waves, and before the emperor could react, she stood up and spun quickly. The grand and gorgeous skirt spun open layer by layer, shocking the audience. The woman was wearing a green dress. When the skirt spread out, it looked like a lotus leaf, and her body was the pistil on the lotus leaf. Chu Jinyao had already heard the praises from the crowd, which were nothing more than "bright as a lotus emerging from the green waves" and "light as a swallow".

Chu Jinyao nodded secretly, she also thought it was beautiful. Chu Jinyao was watching with pure admiration, when suddenly the woman in the middle of the water screamed, and before anyone could react, flames jumped out of her skirt. Chu Jinyao was startled. Even from such a distance, she could hear the crackling of the woman's skirt, and what was even more terrifying was the billowing white smoke rising with the wind.

No one expected it to turn out like this. The ladies could no longer maintain their composure and screamed in fear. Chu Jinyao also took a step back in shock. Jijing Linglong and others immediately surrounded Chu Jinyao.

"What happened?"

The women were panicking, and the men were also agitated. Ministers and eunuchs kept shouting, "Guard the carriage! There is an assassin, come and protect the carriage!" Chu Jinyao quickly looked to the east and vaguely saw Qin Yi being protected in the middle by everyone. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

How could a water dance catch fire?

After the incident, everyone was noisy, but in fact, it was only a moment. The woman on the boat was also scared to death when she saw her dress on fire. She frantically beat the flames on her skirt, but when she found it was useless, she gritted her teeth and jumped into the water. However, a more bizarre situation occurred. The fire did not go out immediately when it came into contact with water. Instead, it burned in the water, appearing and disappearing as the woman struggled fiercely .

What kind of thing is this? It can catch fire on weekdays and not be extinguished even in the water?

Someone shouted "demon fire", and the women on the west corridor became more and more panicked. They were used to being delicate and would call a doctor when they were pricked with needles. Now seeing this weird situation with their own eyes, they were almost scared out of their wits. Something unexpected happened, and Empress Xiao Qi and Chu Jinyao were surrounded by people, while other concubines with shallow foundations were not so lucky. Concubine Lian was just promoted, and it was not obvious at ordinary times, but at this moment, she was exposed to the embarrassing situation of being alone. She was protecting her belly in panic, and suddenly someone pushed her waist hard. She was caught off guard and screamed "Ah" and jumped into the water.

Chu Jinyao was startled by the sudden scream in her ears. Before she could react, she felt that she was caught by someone. Then, two sounds of breaking water were heard, "Plop" and "Plop". The corridor was quiet for a while, and then there was a scream: "The Crown Princess and Concubine Lian fell into the water!"