Chapter 61 The Imperial Concubine Cannot Be Trusted
Noble concubine?
Although the emperor raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up, everyone was a little unsteady when they stood up.
The noble concubine is of the third rank and is also the head of a palace... It seems that His Majesty really does not intend to let the noble concubine Ying move out of Zhaoshui Palace!
The emperor reached out his hand to Qingzan. Qingzan suppressed the confusion in his heart, looked at him and walked towards him.
From everyone's perspective, they could only see Concubine Ying gracefully move through the crowd. Then, she whispered something to His Majesty, who nodded with a hint of fondness. This whispering seemed to shut them all out.
The queen comforted herself over and over again, thinking that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Only then could she reluctantly accept the fact that she had given all of this to Qingzan with her own hands, and she did not collapse in anger on the spot.
But she still tasted a rusty taste in her mouth. Fortunately, fortunately, this child wasn't real. Before long, she wouldn't even be able to become a noble lady, let alone a noble concubine. Just wait and see!
She stepped forward and said, "Since Your Majesty has arrived, shall I have another feast prepared?"
The emperor, however, had no intention of attending the banquet. "No need for that. My mother has sent someone to the Taiji Palace to inquire about this matter. I still have to go to the Ziquan Palace."
The Queen immediately thought of the Queen Mother's audit. She wondered whether the Queen Mother had accepted the cage of crabs, and why the palace servants she had sent there had not returned yet.
It was a pity that as the person who organized this banquet, she couldn't leave and go to Ziquan Palace with the emperor. If the empress dowager really made a fuss about it, she could argue with her and stabilize the situation.
"Yes..." At this point, no matter how unwilling the queen was, she could only take a step back, bow, and lead a group of concubines behind her to see the emperor off.
But unexpectedly, the emperor wanted to take Qing Zan away as well.
The emperor maintained a businesslike demeanor. Turning to the other person, he said calmly, "If I could hear you speak for yourself, my mother would be even happier."
But the mere action of actively holding someone's hand, that expression of affection and intimacy, doesn't seem like a businesslike act!
Qingzan had no intention of eating any of the food at the chrysanthemum banquet, so of course she was happy to leave early, saving herself the trouble of negotiating.
She smiled and bid farewell to the Queen and others.
The Queen wanted to tear off her smug face, and before leaving, she lowered her voice and said, "Princess Ying, please thank me sincerely later. If I hadn't organized this Double Ninth Festival banquet, I wouldn't have been able to give you such a glorious opportunity."
Xiao Fang frowned. Did he think he couldn't hear?
Just then, as if chatting casually, he casually said to someone, "You are pregnant, so from now on, these empty formalities can be omitted."
Everyone present was shocked.
The emperor spoke loudly. Although he was speaking to Concubine Ying, he wanted everyone present to hear. He wanted them to know that it was His Majesty's permission that Concubine Ying refrain from prostrating herself before the emperor.
Concubine Ying...
The midday sun hung high in the frosty sky. This originally bleak Double Ninth Festival was destined to become a heart-stirring event because of the honor and favor of a woman, and it would live on in the legend of the imperial palace forever.
*
Qingzan followed the emperor away, and the chariot stopped outside Fengzao Palace, standing there in the autumn wind.
The two of them got into the car and the curtains were lowered. No matter if it was false or true, the laughter and disputes in the distance could no longer affect this place.
Thinking back to the day she was first conferred the title of Noble Lady, she had to deal with all sorts of criticism and difficulties in the noisy and crowded hall. But today, she heard auspicious words instead. Qingzan suddenly understood the benefits of power. Only when one has enough power, beyond the reach of others, can one be qualified to break free from it all.
Qingzan turned and looked at the emperor.
"What's wrong?" asked the emperor.
Qing Zan shook her head, the doubts in her heart gathering again: "I just don't know how I can be a good concubine to His Majesty. I thought it wouldn't be so fast."
The Emperor: "Your Excellency, there is something else behind your words."
Thinking of the child in her belly, the king, whose face was as cold as jade and heart as hard as iron, suddenly softened from the inside out: "Don't worry, my childbirth was difficult, so I will treat it with extra care. No one will say anything."
Qingzan was not thinking about this, but the fact that he suddenly praised her so highly made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
It has always been the case that the higher one's position, the harder it is to get promoted. Ming Zhaoyi had the great merit of giving birth to the emperor's eldest son, but now she is only one level higher than her.
She was just pregnant and had not yet given birth safely.
Although the chariot was stable, it inevitably had some turns, so the emperor placed his arm behind her waist to protect her from bumps and take good care of her.
The emperor had of course seen through her suspicions and coaxed her, "My dear, aren't you still worried that living in Zhaoshui Palace isn't legitimate? How could I let you have such worries while you're pregnant?"
So, he gave her a position that was good enough for her to be the master of Chengluan Palace?
His palms were warm and strong, as if because of his healthy physique, his palms were always warmer than hers.
Her hands and waist were warmed, and Qing Zan leaned against the man's shoulder, like a pillow or a support, and said with a sigh of relief, "Your Majesty is good at coaxing me. I read in the book that women's body temperature is usually higher than men's, but it seems that I can't believe it."
The emperor once again firmly grasped the five finger buds that had slipped from his hands. In the past, the things he liked to play with were nothing more than rings, jade plaques, or fans and seals, but now, there was obviously something more fascinating that he loved.
This delicate hand was as smooth as goose fat and as white as dew. When he rubbed and played with her fingertips, she seemed powerless to resist and looked weak and pitiful.
The emperor suddenly thought of something he shouldn't have thought of at this moment, and his Adam's apple moved.
Now that she is pregnant, she may have to rely on this hand to comfort him for a long time.
His eyes were deep and dark, and he controlled his voice: "Of course, it is better to have no books than to trust them completely. Even I cannot be trusted completely sometimes."
Before Qingzan could further question the mysterious words, she realized that the road they were taking was the road back to Chengluan Palace, not to Ziquan Palace. She leaned on the emperor's shoulder and looked out.
The emperor calmly explained, "I've told my mother to go back in the evening. Go back and get some rest first."
Then why did he say that just now? Did he just want to take her away and was not in a hurry to see the Queen Mother at all?
The eunuchs had already arrived at Chengluan Palace; their efficiency was astonishing. Qingzan had just whispered to the Emperor back at Fengzao Palace that he wanted to secretly appoint a pharmacist among the newly recruited palace servants. With such short notice, it was unclear whether he had chosen a good candidate.
Just as she was about to get off the car, the emperor forced her to sit back down.
He held her head with his large sleeves with dragon patterns, which were glowing with undercurrents, and pressed her against his shoulders, preventing her from getting up. His gaze silently enveloped her, and the two of them hugged each other tightly for a while longer.
There was confusion in Qingzan's eyes, and then she heard the emperor lower his lips, and his dull voice stirred a tingling sensation in her ear: "I thought I would be the first to know. Next time, don't let me hear it from others."
Qing Zan was startled when he heard this, and teased him with a smile: "Your Majesty, are you still bothered by this?"
Xiao relaxed and said, "Of course, this is very important."
After entering Chengluan Palace, Qingzan saw that the people leading the palace maids waiting there were not only people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also Xu Delu.
Judging from the distance they traveled, these people must have set out here before leaving Fengzao Palace.
Xu Delu explained the situation to Qingzan: "Your Majesty has instructed me to select some people for Your Majesty in advance. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will have to select the rest and send them to Your Majesty in two days."
Once you become a noble concubine, you can be called "Empress".
The palace maids were holding headgear, clothing and shoes, but that was only a small part of the items. Most of the rest had to be tailor-made.
The original palace maids in Zhaoshui Palace had been waiting anxiously for a long time, but because the emperor was there, they did not rush forward.
The emperor said, "Among them there is a man named Chan Yi, and that is the man you want."
"Go ahead," he said.
Qingzan figured it out. The person he had sent was selected in advance by him, so he and she had already thought of it together. He had originally planned to secretly arrange for her to have a palace maid who was proficient in pharmacology?
Every time Qing Zan took a step, a palace maid from Zhaoshui Palace would offer a flattering smile: "This servant congratulates the noble concubine!"
Doukou followed behind her and took out the reward silver ingots one by one.
"Sister Doukou, you can't give me less than you gave Xiao Yuzi!"
"I know. Yours is indispensable."
The emperor could almost imagine how she got along with the servants in the palace when he was not around, which was why she indulged these servants so much and made them act so arrogant.
Just as he was about to smile, he saw the woman who stepped onto the Luan Steps turn around. She was wearing a soft blue silk dress today. The spots of light from the autumn sun flickered on the gold threads of her dress, so bright that they almost left a mark in his eyes.
indelible.
"Your Majesty?" Qingzan turned around and called him.
Xiao Fang followed happily.
"Your Majesty, what are you doing standing there?"
Xiao Fang said without hesitation: "Look at Qingqing, I was stunned for a moment."
*
Chan Yi was a woman old enough to be called an elder sister. She looked older than most palace maids and had a kind aura that was almost maternal.
But she said nothing. Qingzan summoned the person to the inner chamber. She had specifically asked the emperor for such a palace attendant, skilled in pharmacology, to leave herself a way out. If the empress truly had omnipotent powers and had somehow drugged her, making even her pregnancy inauthentic, then proactively asking the emperor to send his men would clear her of suspicion.
Qingzan stretched out her hand and placed it on the pillow. Her thin arm was as white as the petals of a white peony flower, trembling in the wind. If you pinched it, you could see the tiny blue veins.
Chan Yi then said her first words: "Your Majesty, you must eat more so that you can have the strength to give birth."
She placed her fingertips on it. Qingzan kept an eye on her expression, and seeing that she didn't show any undue surprise or suspicion, she gradually felt at ease.
Even if the queen could give her medicine, it would only affect her menstruation, and her pulse could not be faked.
Chan Yi smiled and said, "The fetus in your womb is very healthy, there is no need to worry. It's just that your Majesty seems to have been worrying too much these days, and her pulse is a little blocked."
Qing Zan could tell from seeing her that she had been worried lately, and she had more faith in her medical skills. She said, "After all, Imperial Physician Fang can't always take care of me. I'll have to rely on you for the time being."
Chan Yi was about to put away her pulse-taking tools when she paused, realizing what had happened: "From now on, everything your Majesty enters or wears will be inspected by this servant.
*
In Ziquan Palace, after announcing the good news, the Empress Dowager bestowed upon the Emperor many rare and precious items. She only wanted to keep the Emperor to talk for a while. Qingzan tactfully said, "I'll go for a walk outside."
The night had already slowly and heavily gathered over this palace. Ziquan Palace was not far from Taiye Lake. Qingzan had just reached the lakeside when she saw a little girl stepping hard on something twice and then running away stealthily.
Doukou also noticed it: "It seems to be the palace maid beside Concubine Wu."
The two men walked closer and saw that the palace maid had dropped something under the bushes. It was a black mess, and it was flashing with a few red lights.
Doukou said softly, "I'll go over and take a look."
She walked over carefully and took a look. Suddenly, she seemed to be frightened and covered her mouth. She quickly squatted down, wrapped the thing in a handkerchief, put it in her hand, and brought it back to show Qingzan.
The odor was pungent, so Doukou didn't dare get too close. Qingzan saw from a distance that it was a small doll, half burned to ash, stuffed with willow catkins. The small piece that remained was covered in dense needle holes, a startling sight.
The art of winning - both the master and the servant thought of it at the same time.
Doukou poked the doll with a finger and turned it over, and saw two words on it that had not been completely burned, which were "Xinrou".
Gentle-hearted, forgiving...Jieyi Zhen?
Doukou asked in horror: "Master, what should we do?"
Qingzan thought of something: "Put it away first."
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