"You are too unreasonable. I heard that Concubine Shu got up before dawn to prepare meals, and Concubine Zhao also summoned the third prince to the palace early in the morning. Naturally, they all wanted to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with the emperor, but you came here. At this time, maybe all the concubines in the harem are complaining about me, the evil mother-in-law. Drink tea and go back." The Queen Mother and the Emperor sat in the warm room and talked and drank tea. The Queen Mother has never been a warm-hearted person. But the emperor is filial, so she is naturally happy as a mother, sitting alone with the emperor at this time. It is rare for her to joke with the emperor.
"Where in the world can you find a mother who chases her son away? In order not to be a wicked mother-in-law, does mother have to be a cruel mother?" Zhong Zhiheng also laughed. The former dynasty was in turmoil and the harem was not at peace either. It was rare to feel comfortable with the empress dowager. At this time, sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, drinking hot Mengding Shihua, I felt comfortable all over my body. I drank all the tea in the teacup in one breath. But I still felt unsatisfied. While looking at Bi Qiao standing beside him, he smiled. "Aunt's tea-making skills have improved again. The Mengding Shihua in the Cining Palace is much better than the one in the imperial study. It seems that I have to let Ruhai learn the tea-making skills from aunt."
"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. I cannot accept it," Bi Qiao said with a smile. "I am always clumsy, how can I make such good tea?"
"Oh? There is someone in this palace who can make tea better than my aunt?" Zhong Zhiheng became interested and asked with a smile.
Bi Qiao was from the south of the Yangtze River and was an excellent tea brewer, which was why she was favored by the Empress Dowager and Zhong Zhiheng over the years.
Bi Qiao glanced at the Queen Mother and bowed to Zhong Zhiheng and said, "Your Majesty, this is a new maid."
"Oh? Let her in," Zhong Zhiheng leaned against the soft pillow, tapped the small table with his fingers, and squinted his eyes and said, "The tea is so good, I should reward her a little."
Bi Qiao didn't say anything, but the Queen Mother frowned. She put down the teacup in her hand with a "click" and looked at Zhong Mingwei and said, "She is just a new maid in the palace. How could the emperor be so curious about her? If this gets out, I'm afraid it will affect the emperor's reputation."
"Yes, yes, I was wrong, I know it," Zhong Zhiheng begged the Queen Mother for mercy, smiling apologetically, "I was just in a spur of the moment, could it be that mother is really angry with me?"
"You are the emperor, so you have the final say on which flower to pick and which branch to cut. But you should concentrate on the Cining Palace and stop trying to get close to me," the queen mother's expression softened a lot. After a pause, she glanced at Zhong Mingwei and sighed softly, "Concubine Zhao is eagerly waiting for you to come. If she knew that you were interested in a mere palace maid here, given her temper, she would probably want to tear the roof of the Cining Palace off. I am old and I hate to be tossed around the most. Please let me live a peaceful life."
"Mother!" Zhong Zhiheng was so confused that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mrs. Zhao is indeed a bit petty, but how could she dare to be rude to you? Besides, if she really made a mistake, would you let her do what she wanted? Mother, how could you wrongly accuse your son?"
"Yes, with the emperor here, I am not afraid of anyone," the queen mother said softly, patting Zhong Zhiheng's hand and saying slowly, "The emperor is my greatest hope."
Zhong Zhiheng didn't say anything else, but held the Queen Mother's hand tightly.
…
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
When they came out of the Cining Palace, it was already dark. Zhong Zhiheng was in a good mood today. During dinner, he drank an extra pot of osmanthus wine, so it was inevitable that he felt a little intoxicated.
"Your Majesty, someone from the Yanx Palace has just been sent over to ask whether Your Majesty can get through or not. Concubine Zhao and the two princes are waiting for Your Majesty to have dinner with them." Zhao Ruhai came in with a cup of Mengding Shihua and placed it respectfully on the small table.
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