The Queen Mother looked out the window at the dark night, silent and silent. After a long while, she let out a long sigh: "Forget it. Forget it."
"Empress Dowager, His Highness asked me to tell you that you can rest assured. From now on, you don't have to worry about him anymore." Pang Yi looked at the Empress Dowager's expression and said slowly.
"He's already like this. Why should I worry about him?" The Queen Mother pursed her lips bitterly, took a sip of Liu'an Guapian, and paused. She looked at Pang Yi again and said in a deep voice, "What about that Duan? How is she? Can she take good care of Mingwei? Does Mingwei like her?"
Pang Yi thought about the shabby yard on the hillside, the messy firewood in the house, and the big pot on the kang. He frowned slightly and said to the Queen Mother, "Your Highness is not dissatisfied with that Duan. It's just that Duan is a noble lady after all. It's inevitable that she is not good at housework."
The Queen Mother's brows suddenly knitted again, and she put the teacup in her hand on the table. She said coldly: "If it weren't for Concubine Zhao's eagerness to suppress Duan Chenghong and let the Duan family girl marry to Ningguta, I would not have wanted her, a young lady who had never done housework, to take care of Mingwei. I naturally have my own arrangements, but Concubine Zhao is really nosy. She asked His Majesty to issue the imperial decree before me. It's really abominable."
Pang Yi was not in the capital at the time, so he naturally didn't know about this. However, after listening to the Queen Mother's words, he understood about 70% of it. At that time, he couldn't hide his anger, and gritted his teeth and said, "The mother and son of Concubine Zhao have been stirring up trouble in the harem over the years. How much have you suffered? Your Highness has never been cruel to them for the sake of the overall situation, but this has allowed the mother and son to become more vicious and ruthless. Although I am not in the capital, I know that your Highness has fallen into such a big setback, and it must be because of them!"
"Yes, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, whom I cultivated, was ruined by a mere glass of wine. There must be many reasons behind this." The Queen Mother curled her lips coldly.
"I heard that the Third Prince's wife is pregnant now. His Majesty values this baby very much. If it is an imperial grandson, I'm afraid the Third Prince will be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace for sure." Pang Yi said.
"Want to be the crown prince?" The queen mother pursed her lips in a mocking manner, gently twirling the Buddhist beads in her hand, and said slowly, "How can it be so easy? Not to mention that he has a second prince above him, does the emperor really want to let Concubine Zhao's son enter the East Palace?"
…
Imperial study.
When Dai Jingfeng arrived, it was already midnight, but Zhong Zhiheng still hadn't rested and was still reviewing memorials in the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, I greet you and wish you the best!" Dai Jingfeng came in and bowed to Zhong Zhiheng.
"Oh, Jingfeng, you're here. Get up," Zhong Zhiheng looked up and nodded to Dai Jingfeng. He stood up and walked out of Long'an, smiling and saying, "Are you hungry?"
"I had dinner, but now that Your Majesty asked me this, I am really hungry," Dai Jingfeng also laughed, and said, "To be honest with Your Majesty, I have always been craving for the roasted lamb made by Manager Xie. I wonder if Manager Xie is still in the imperial kitchen?"
"You are a person who knows how to eat, and you also know how to choose the right time," Zhong Zhiheng smiled and patted Dai Jingfeng on the shoulder, saying, "The yellow sheep from Yili just arrived yesterday. If you had told me a day earlier, I really wouldn't have been able to eat them."
"Then I would like to thank you for your grace!" Dai Jingfeng said with a smile and bowed.
"Ruhai, go to the imperial kitchen and give instructions." Zhong Zhiheng said to Zhao Ruhai.
"Yes, I'll go right away." Zhao Ruhai was so busy that he bowed and retreated.
"This year's Ili yellow sheep seem to have arrived earlier than in previous years." Dai Jingfeng said after Zhao Ruhai left.
"The Queen Mother did not go up the mountain to practice this year, so the Prince of Pingxi was naturally attentive and sent someone to bring it here early," Zhong Zhiheng said slowly, sitting on the soft couch, and said, "The Queen Mother has been worshipping Buddha for many years and hardly eats meat. She is only willing to eat a few bites of mutton."
Pingxi Prince Zhong Zhiling is the half-brother of Zhong Zhiheng. Compared to the cunning Zhong Zhiheng, Zhong Zhiling has a simple mind and is better at wielding spears and sticks. He is the best martial artist among the late emperor's princes. In the late emperor's later years, the fight for the throne among the princes was thrilling, but Zhong Zhiling was the only one who did not participate. While other princes were fighting in the court, only Zhong Zhiling stayed out of it and practiced boxing and kicking in the small parade ground all day long. However, the late emperor loved this simple-minded prince the most, so Zhong Zhiling became the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards when he was only sixteen years old.
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