Chapter 254 Rong Yue presents incense
Because Concubine Chen is still in confinement, the Queen Xiao Jingheng still lets her "rest" quietly.
Song Zhao was in charge of the six palaces and was the head of the imperial concubines, so it was natural for all the concubines to go to her palace to pay their respects to her.
Usually, greetings were just a formality, and Song Zhao let them go without saying a word.
But today is different.
When Song Zhao saw everyone coming today, they all had a half-smile on their faces.
Just after the ceremony, Concubine Yao couldn't help but say:
"Did you hear what happened last night?"
"Who wouldn't know?" Concubine Ying chuckled and said, "There was a huge commotion in Yonghe Palace last night. Not to mention us, I'm afraid the two parrots in the room would know about it."
Concubine Yun said, "When the imperial concubine learned that the child had died, she cried so hard that she fainted twice. The emperor comforted her all night yesterday, and he didn't even attend the morning court today..."
She added with a hint of resentment, "This is the first time since the Emperor ascended the throne that he has not attended the morning court because of a concubine."
Concubine Ying sneered, "So what? Could it be that if the emperor stays with her for one night, her child will be brought back to life?"
He Changzai said, "Isn't the emperor also relieved the imperial concubine? I heard that the emperor promised to adopt Cheng Huan to the imperial concubine and also entered Cheng Huan into the jade record. From now on, he will be the imperial concubine's biological son, and it can't be said that he is childless."
Hearing her words, Ying Fei laughed even more wantonly.
"Do you want the child?"
He Chang was speechless for a moment, and after a long while of awkwardness, he lowered his head and replied in a weak voice,
"I am a concubine with little luck. How dare I dream of such a good thing..."
"Alright." Song Zhao interrupted their discussion in a solemn voice, "The matter of the royal heir is not something we can discuss. If the emperor hears about it, he will be very angry."
Only then did everyone stop gossiping and looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Just as Song Zhao was about to leave and pay her respects, Rong Yue suddenly stood up, bowed to her, and said respectfully:
"Your Highness, my mother's family sent me some of the finest Xiyun incense. The production process is complicated and hard to come by, and my family sent me too much. I can't use it all. So I thought of sharing it with you sisters."
"Xiyunxiang?" Concubine Yun loved to use incense. She knew how precious this incense was, so she asked, "This incense can only be made by the 'Tianxiang Pavilion' in Jiangdu, and now is not the time for this incense to be shipped. My mother's family ordered the delivery of the incense in April from Tianxiang Pavilion a year ago, so how come you got it before me?"
"So Concubine Yun also patronizes Tianxiang Pavilion? That is truly a great honor for my mother."
Rong Yue smiled and explained, "To be honest with you, Madam, the shopkeeper of Tianxiang Pavilion is my mother."
"Really?" A bright light flashed in Yun Fei's eyes, and she couldn't help but praise: "Then your mother is really a good craftsman."
Rong Yue bowed and said, "If your majesty likes it, why would you bother? Just tell me what you like, and I will arrange it for you."
"Oh?" Concubine Yun smiled brightly and said, "In that case, thank you very much in advance."
As she was talking, Caiying had already brought up the Xiyunxiang.
Originally a large piece of ointment was divided into many small pieces and packed in small iron boxes of different sizes according to the rank of the concubine, for easy access.
Rong Yue distributed the ointment, and when she gave it to Song Zhao, Song Zhao said:
"My sister's intention is good, but for personal use, the imperial physician must first verify that it is safe before we can use it with confidence. I hope my sister won't mind if I do this unnecessarily."
"Your Majesty is right. I certainly don't mind."
It just so happened that today was the day when the imperial physician came to check Song Zhao's pulse. He was waiting in the side hall at the moment, so it was convenient for the message to be sent.
After the imperial physician had examined the ointments one by one and found nothing wrong with them, Song Zhao smiled and said:
"It's amazing that Concubine Tong has such a good idea. Smell it, this ointment is really fragrant."
Concubine Yun also said, "It is the most sought-after product in Tianxiang Pavilion. Only a few are produced every year. If you order too late, you won't even get a handful."
Song Zhao said, "When it comes to using perfume, there is no one in the palace who is more experienced than Sister Yunfei. Sister uses the same perfume and the same perfume cream, but my sister is a fool. Every time I use perfume, the fragrance disappears within half a day. It's really a waste of good things."
Concubine Yun was quite pleased with her praise and said:
"That depends on how and where you use it."
Yaopin said, "Why don't you teach us, Lady Yunfei?"
Concubine Yun regarded this as her secret to winning favor, and of course she didn't want others to know about it.
But Yaopin's words stirred up a thousand waves. Now everyone was talking to Yunfei and demanding that she teach them everything she knew. She was put in a dilemma and had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.
"Alright, alright, then you guys watch carefully, I will demonstrate it once, if you don't see it clearly, don't bother me again."
Yun Fei used her armor to dig out a pea-sized ointment, melted it with the warmth of her fingertips, and applied it to seven or eight places, including her wrists, behind her ears, hair, and the hem of her skirt.
She moved very quickly, as if she was afraid that others might be able to learn it, and it was dazzling to watch.
During this period, the concubines were not idle either. They all took ointments and practiced along with her movements.
In the end, the Changle Palace was filled with the fragrance of a flower house, and the concubines all gained something. Then they went out in groups of two or three to discuss the matter.
Later, at night, Song Zhao heard that Xiao Jingheng had returned to Chaoyang Palace from Concubine Chen's palace, so he prepared a midnight meal and went to visit him.
It just so happened that the tiger lilies that she had carefully cultivated in the palace had also bloomed in the past two days.
She picked some with strong fragrance and took them over.
When he arrived outside the Chaoyang Palace, he saw Jiang Deshun pacing anxiously outside the door.
Song Zhao stepped forward and asked, "What happened to Eunuch Jiang?"
"Oh! Empress Yi, you came at the perfect time!"
When Jiang Deshun saw her, he felt as if he had seen a living Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering. He bowed and started to complain.
"The Emperor comforted the Imperial Concubine all night yesterday, and he has been accompanying her until this moment today. The Imperial Concubine was heartbroken over the loss of her son, and she just cried herself tired and drank a tranquilizer before she could barely fall asleep. But the Emperor has been up all day and all night for this.
Now that he has returned, the servants have advised the emperor to rest, but he refuses. The memorials that have been piled up for two days have become a small mountain, but the emperor insists that he can only rest in peace after finishing the affairs of state. The emperor is also sad that the little prince is gone, and he has been up all day and night, even a body of iron can't stand it. Look at this..."
Song Zhao sighed, "As a parent, how can you not be sad when something like this happens? The emperor also wants to devote himself to government affairs to temporarily forget his sorrow. Eunuch, don't worry, I will go in first and try to persuade the emperor."
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