Chapter 295: The Queen Mother Leaves the Palace

Lu Mingchao smiled as he stroked the lifelike painting.

The smile is gentle and bright, and the light in the eyes is soft and fragmented.

With his eyelids half closed, he carefully put the two letters and two paintings into the box.

Well, she thought she should paint two pictures too.

Three days passed quietly.

Lu Mingchao wore a long dress in a light-colored imperial concubine's style, with her hair in a bun and gold-inlaid jade hairpins, which made her look low-key and elegant.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you won't be rude but you won't stand out either.

Little do people know that being good-looking always has advantages.

The light purple skirt perfectly matches Lu Mingchao's fair skin, which looks as white as jade from a distance.

She took a carriage engraved with the emblem of the Yongming Grand Princess's Palace to attend the Qushui Liushang Banquet at the Qin Mansion.

The weather was gloomy, with dark clouds, some thin and some thick, rolling in.

Under the glow of such a gloomy sky, the colorful flowers seem to have lost their former brilliance.

Lu Mingchao felt heavy in his heart.

I opened the car window and looked out at the gray sky, feeling an inexplicable sense of uneasiness and foreboding.

Apart from someone coveting the Chaofu Qizhen Pavilion, what other disturbances would arise at today's Qushui Liushang Banquet?

The fetus in her belly seemed to sense her uneasiness.

Her lower abdomen began to ache slightly, and her lightly made-up face turned pale as paper.

"lady."

Qingtang took Lu Mingchao's pulse with one hand and massaged his lower abdomen regularly with the other hand.

After a while, the abdominal pain disappeared.

"No matter how healthy your madam is, you have to worry less." Qingtang took out a gray pill and put it into the gilded hollow sachet with a vine-shaped flower pattern hanging on the wall of the car.

The elegant aroma of herbs rose up and gradually spread, and Lu Mingchao's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed in this faint fragrance.

"I always feel a little flustered."

Lu Mingchao closed the car window and stroked his chest gently.

"Madam, why don't you not go to the banquet today?" Liu Yue's face was full of worry.

Qingtang also echoed.

Lu Mingchao pursed his lips and said, "In the past three days, the Grand Master's wife has sent me an invitation every day. How could I refuse it?"

Liu Yue muttered indignantly, "How could anyone force guests to attend a banquet? The Grand Tutor's Mansion is really overbearing."

"It's because it's the Grand Tutor's Mansion that they are so overbearing." Lu Mingchao said in a deep voice.

Even though the original owner's memory rarely contained any images other than Gu Huai, he knew that after the palace coup, the Qin family came to power and everyone in the family rose to prominence.

In the vast city of Shangjing, no other family can compete with the Qin family.

Lu Mingchao sneered in his heart, His Majesty is really grateful.

He eliminated the Xie family of the Xinguo Mansion and the Chu family of the Cheng'en Mansion, and also purged all the officials who were attached to the Xie and Chu families. His methods were so brutal that it was shocking.

He also personally supported the Qin family and bestowed upon them supreme honor and favor.

There is also a domineering Concubine Qin in the palace who is second only to the emperor.

"You are such a show-off, die soon!" Liu Yue said angrily.

Qingtang said in a serious tone, "The grasshoppers in autumn can't jump for too long."

Lu Mingchao was amused by what Liu Yue and Qing Tang said.

“Yes, we are the ones who have the last laugh.”

"Be more alert and cautious today."

"Madam, Qingtang and I will definitely protect you." Liu Yue fell to the ground with a sound.

Lu Mingchao exhaled lightly and cheered himself up.

She is a person with a golden finger. If she can't compete with power, is she inferior to the golden finger?

"Madam, what should we do with Shuxiu?" Qingtang asked softly.

Lu Mingchao said, "Don't worry about her."

"Shuxiu is the head maidservant of the wife of Marquis Yongning. She has been to the Qin residence more than once, so she is able to deliver the gifts to the right place."

When Lu Mingchao was worried, Empress Dowager Xie in Changning Palace wore a black palace gown with large, intricate and gorgeous golden peonies embroidered on the hem, two lifelike phoenixes with wings spread out as if ready to fly on the back, and a nine-phoenix fork pinned to her bun.

All the palace servants were filled with emotion, as if the once graceful, noble and incomparable Empress Dowager Xie had returned.

A bright yellow figure hurried in.

The palace servants saluted in a panic, trembling with fear.

The visitor just waved his hand, and the palace servants filed out respectfully.

The person who came was the current emperor.

"Sister-in-law."

The emperor looked at Empress Dowager Xie's back with a confused and dazed look on his face.

This is the Empress Dowager Xie in his memory.

To him, Empress Dowager Xie was like a sister-in-law and a mother.

With a "pop", Empress Dowager Xie turned the bronze mirror upside down and said in a cold voice, "Since Your Majesty has not abolished my position as Empress Dowager, I can wear either the peony and phoenix robe or the nine-phoenix hairpin."

Dressed in gorgeous clothes, Empress Dowager Xie looked very majestic.

The emperor smiled happily.

But this smile is uglier than crying.

"The emperor's sister-in-law can wear it all her life."

"I am just curious, why did the Imperial Sister-in-law suddenly..."

"Have you figured it out?" Empress Dowager Xie turned around and looked straight at the emperor.

"Grand Tutor Qin rose to power by stepping on the lives of countless people in the Xie family and became extremely powerful."

"I should have personally gone to experience the famous Qushui Liushang Banquet at Grand Tutor Qin's residence long ago."

"However, in order to pray for the blessings of my uncles, brothers, children, grandchildren and nephews, I have been fasting for three years and strictly abstaining from all banquets. Therefore, I have missed this grand banquet for three consecutive years."

"Now it is time for the Qushui Liushang Banquet. I must go this time."

"What?"

"Your Majesty, are you worried about me leaving Changning Palace?"

"Then why don't you come with me, Your Majesty? I have no objection."

The emperor looked at Empress Dowager Xie with a deep gaze.

In the end, the person is still different from the one in my memory.

"That's all?"

Empress Dowager Xie asked back, "What else?"

"I have endured this anger for thousands of days and nights. Your Majesty, do you want me to endure it any longer?"

"Your Majesty will not allow anyone to hurt the Qin family's reputation."

Queen Mother Qin spoke bluntly; she was just going there to vent her anger and get slapped in the face.

The emperor sighed and said slowly, "If the emperor's sister-in-law wants to go, then go ahead."

Whether it is to vent anger or for other purposes, nothing can escape his eyes.

It is better to move than not to move.

"I am busy with government affairs, so I will not go with the Empress."

"Fei'er will also go to the Qin Mansion for the banquet today. I feel at ease knowing that Fei'er is serving the Emperor's sister-in-law."

Empress Dowager Xie smiled and said, "You won't let him patrol on behalf of the emperor?"

The so-called inspection on behalf of the emperor was essentially to expel Prince Duan from the center of power.

The emperor's expression did not change at all. "On the birthday of this year, I will confer Fuer the title of King of Wu."

"It has nothing to do with the Ai family." Queen Mother Xie picked up a dated jasper bracelet from the box and put it on her wrist.

The workmanship seems sparse and ordinary, and the quality is not excellent.

It doesn't match the makeup and appearance she's wearing today.

But when the emperor saw this scene, his calm expression was like an ancient mural that became faded and decayed under the wind and sun.

"Sister-in-law, you clearly said that the white jade bracelet I made is more exquisite and more to your liking."

"you……"

Why did you give up the white jade bracelet and choose the jasper bracelet?

Empress Dowager Xie raised her lips slightly and said, "When I said that, I didn't know that Your Majesty was such a heartless person who wanted to kill his nephew to seize the throne."

"Your Majesty, I am leaving now."

The emperor stubbornly blocked Empress Dowager Xie's way.

He seemed like a naive and willful child, rather than the powerful emperor of Daqian who was in his prime.

"Your Majesty, in life, there are gains and losses."

"Being too greedy can easily lead to losing everything."

Gu Huaimeng's previous life