Chapter 07 [7]
【7】
Inside the Cining Palace, although Lu Zhiwan was still alive, sitting in front of a mahogany table with a carved dragon and fish pattern, he felt like he would be stuffed to death at any moment.
Faced with the mountain of delicious food in front of her, she touched her belly with a look of despair - she couldn't show off anymore, otherwise she would become the first concubine in history to die of overeating.
"Why isn't Concubine Lu eating anymore? If it doesn't suit your taste, I'll ask the kitchen to make two new dishes..."
"No need, no need!" Lu Zhiwan quickly shook her head and looked at the graceful and dignified lady sitting opposite her with a touching expression: "Empress Dowager, the food in your palace is very delicious, but I really can't eat anymore..."
On the way to the Cining Palace, Lu Zhiwan imagined a lot of melodramatic scenes of evil mothers-in-law making things difficult for their daughters-in-law - after all, her niece, Concubine Gu, almost scratched her face, and her aunt, Empress Dowager Gu, was probably not a good person either.
Unexpectedly, although both were daughters of the Gu family, Empress Dowager Gu and Concubine Gu had completely different personalities.
The empress dowager, now over forty, had a youthful, baby-faced face, with dimples at the corners of her mouth when she smiled. Years of pampered luxury had treated her with special kindness, leaving her with thick, black hair and fair skin. Lu Zhiwan wanted to call her "sister" whenever he saw her.
In addition to her gentle appearance, Empress Dowager Gu also had an exceptionally gentle personality. She treated Lu Zhiwan like her own junior, chatting with her in a friendly and approachable manner for a while, and even invited her to have lunch with her.
It’s just that this lunch is really a bit rich. Lu Zhiwan, who was still eating steamed bread yesterday, felt like a country dog entering the city when looking at the delicacies in front of him today.
"You didn't eat much, why can't you eat anymore?"
Queen Mother Gu looked a little regretful. Her eyes swept over Lu Zhiwan's pointed chin and thin shoulders and neck, and she sighed softly, "I remember you weren't this thin during the selection. I haven't seen you for three months, and you've lost so much weight. If you hadn't looked the same, I would have almost not recognized you."
Lu Zhiwan thought to herself that she had been eating salted fish and steamed buns every day, and she would lose three pounds even if Zhu Bajie came. Besides, her body was only sixteen years old and was still growing.
However, she couldn't bring herself to tell the Queen Mother about the past. It wasn't that she didn't want to complain, but she was afraid that the Queen Mother would feel sympathy and give her two more bowls of rice. She really couldn't eat any more!
"I'm deeply grateful for your concern, Your Majesty. Perhaps it's because the weather is getting warmer, so my appetite has decreased a bit." Lu Zhiwan showed a well-behaved smile that was pleasing to the elders. "Don't worry, I will eat and drink more after I return, and try to gain more meat."
Hearing this, Queen Mother Gu nodded in satisfaction: "That's right, the little girl still looks good with some flesh."
After saying this, he looked at Lu Zhiwan again and said with a smile: "These past few years, I have been so worried about the emperor that I couldn't eat or sleep well. I could only pray to the Buddha every day to help him quickly understand what love is. Fortunately, the clouds have finally cleared and the moon has appeared. You have caught the emperor's eye, which has put an end to my worries..."
Lu Zhiwan smiled awkwardly and lowered her head, fearing that meeting Empress Dowager Gu's gaze would expose her guilty conscience.
If the empress dowager knew that the emperor was just holding her hand under the quilt, she would probably be so worried that she couldn't sleep again.
"From the moment I first saw you on the day of the selection, I knew you were blessed. Now it seems my judgment is correct. His Majesty is rarely willing to be intimate with a woman. You must seize this opportunity and please him..."
Queen Mother Gu said this while looking at Lu Zhiwan's belly expectantly: "It would be great if we could hear the good news soon, so that the royal family can have more children."
Lu Zhiwan sucked in his bulging belly angrily: "..."
All of this is filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat that she ate by her own ability, but there are no dragon descendants.
After a harmonious lunch, Lu Zhiwan also took his leave from the Cining Palace.
Looking at the pile of rewards carried by the palace maids behind her, she still felt like she was dreaming and it was very unreal.
This wasn't like a concubine paying a visit to the empress dowager. It was clearly a young person visiting the home of a welcoming aunt. She ate, drank, and took things. When she was done, her aunt even held her hand, reluctantly admonishing her: "Remember to eat more when you go back. Come back and play when you have time."
On the way back to Liuxiaxuan, Lu Zhiwan did not take the sedan chair, but instead walked around to digest his food, chatting with Aunt Qiurong.
"Aunt, the Queen Mother is so different from what I imagined..."
"What do you mean?"
"She's so gentle and kind, she doesn't have the airs of an empress dowager at all..." Lu Zhiwan shook his head, throwing away the image of the empress dowager in various film and television dramas. He leaned close to Aunt Qiu Rong and whispered, "Are the empress dowager and the imperial concubine really from the same family?"
Could it be that Concubine Gu was picked up? Otherwise, how could the personalities of the aunt and niece be so different?
Aunt Qiu Rong was stunned at first, but when she understood what she meant, she smiled and then imitated her, lowering her voice and saying, "Although both are daughters of the Gu family, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine grew up in different circumstances, so their personalities are naturally different."
"Is the Gu family so different now than it was before?"
"Of course not. When the Empress Dowager entered the palace, Old Master Gu was seriously ill, and the Gu family was in decline. Furthermore, the late Emperor favored Concubine Zhengui, so although the Empress Dowager was the Empress, she was neglected and her position was meaningless. Fortunately, Elder Gu, the Empress Dowager's brother, was intelligent and ambitious. He rose from a small Hanlin Academy student to the cabinet and eventually became a prime minister. Concubine Zhengui was born at a fortunate time and has never suffered any hardship since she was born, so she is naturally spoiled..."
Lu Zhiwan suddenly realized: "I see."
After chatting for a while, Lu Zhiwan felt tired, so he got on the sedan chair and returned to Liuxiaxuan with the pile of rewards.
Xia He had been waiting at the door long ago. When she saw the sedan chair from a distance, she immediately smiled happily: "The master is back!"
The other two palace maids and the eunuch in the pavilion also stretched their necks and stood at the door. As soon as the sedan chair landed, they hurried forward to greet it, saying pleasant and auspicious words: "Your servants pay their respects to the mistress, the Concubine, and wish her a prosperous and prosperous life and continued favor!"
Lu Zhiwan glanced at their flattering faces and ignored them. He walked straight towards Xia He, smiling slightly with his eyes curved: "The Queen Mother has rewarded me with many good things. Come with me into the house and take a look."
Seeing the master approaching, Xia He was moved, her eyes slightly red: "Yes."
The palace maids of Cining Palace quickly placed the empress dowager's reward in the main room and respectfully took their leave.
Lu Zhiwan arranged a room for Aunt Qiu Rong and wanted to ask Xia He to help tidy it up, but the other two palace maids and eunuchs were very attentive and took the initiative to clean up with brooms and rags. Lu Zhiwan just went with them and asked Xia He to go into the room to help her count the rewards.
"Oh, this silk is so beautiful. This gardenia-colored piece will make a thin shirt for the master. It will be both clear and bright in the summer."
"Master, look! This hairpin made of red gold, rubies and lilac flowers is so exquisite! The petals are engraved so realistically."
"Wow, there are so many supplements! Why are there red threads mixed in this bird's nest? Could this be the legendary golden-threaded blood bird's nest, worth an ounce of gold?"
Xia He was like a little bee, marveling at the rewards. Lu Zhiwan lazily lay on the edge of the couch, a smile on his face. "The Empress Dowager is beautiful, speaks sweetly, and is so generous. She's like a living Bodhisattva..."
Lu Zhiwan felt like she was about to fall in love with Queen Mother Gu, and she couldn't stop praising her.
After hearing this, Xia He couldn't help but joke, "Master has been praising the Queen Mother the whole time and hasn't mentioned Your Majesty once. I might have thought you were sleeping with the Queen Mother last night."
"You're such a daring girl, you're teasing me!" Lu Zhiwan scoffed, but when Xia He mentioned this, Xiao Jingting's image also surfaced in her mind. Touching her chin with her slender fingers, she pondered, "He's still quite handsome, but his personality is just..."
It's so strange and completely unpredictable.
"Isn't it said that sons take after their mothers? I don't think Your Majesty resembles the Queen Mother in either character or appearance."
Empress Dowager Gu has almond-shaped eyes, but the emperor has phoenix eyes. Did he take after the late emperor?
Lu Zhiwan murmured inwardly, but Xia He was confused and said, "Master, are you confused? Your Majesty is not the Queen Mother's biological son, so naturally he doesn't look like her."
Lu Zhiwan was stunned: "Huh?"
"Everyone knows that your Majesty's biological mother was the talented Xu. Unfortunately, she died of illness after giving birth to your Majesty, so your Majesty took the child to the Empress Dowager's palace to raise him." Xia He frowned and looked at Lu Zhiwan with a worried look: "Master, have you forgotten even this? Otherwise, we should find an imperial physician to take a look."
"Uh..." Lu Zhiwan touched her nose awkwardly. Just as she was about to try to fool around, there was a knock on the door. She took the opportunity to change the subject: "Xia He, go see who it is."
"Yes." Xia He responded and turned to walk towards the door.
It was Aunt Qiu Rong who came in. She bowed to Lu Zhiwan and explained her purpose: "My bag is still in the back room of the Yangxin Palace. Please allow me to go back and get it."
"It's my duty." Lu Zhiwan nodded. "Is it too much? Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Binzi can go with auntie. They can help out."
"Thank you, Concubine. I will respectfully obey your command."
Aunt Qiu Rong bowed and thanked him, but before leaving, she paused and turned to ask Lu Zhiwan, "I might run into Your Majesty when I return to the Yangxin Palace. Does the Concubine have anything for me to say?"
A message for the Emperor? Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but sit up straight, his expression becoming serious.
From her observations throughout the day, Aunt Qiu Rong seemed to be quite trusted by the Emperor, though she didn't quite understand why he had sent her to serve her... Could it be that he had truly fallen in love with her at first sight, sending a trusted palace maid to look after her? Or did he have other plans, sending someone to keep an eye on her?
Regardless of the situation, Lu Zhiwan had made up her mind to stick to her "love-struck, love-brained concubine" persona. If it ever fell apart, that would be another matter.
Her thoughts returned, and Lu Zhiwan acted like a young wife with amorous feelings, shyly saying, "If my aunt can really run into His Majesty, please tell him that although I have only been separated from him for half a day, it feels like three years. I hope to see His Majesty again soon to ease my longing."
After saying this, she seemed to be too shy to bear it, she whimpered and covered her face with her hands.
Ugh, this is so corny, I can’t hold it in any longer.
Xia He and Aunt Qiu Rong looked at each other: "..."
Jieyu is really...passionate, straightforward and not fussy about details.
After a brief silence, Aunt Qiu Rong lowered her head and replied, "Don't worry, Concubine, I will definitely convey your thoughts to you."
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