Chapter 58 Poetry Party?
Huilan Palace.
Yan Zhiwan lowered her eyes and stared at the chessboard for a long time without moving.
"master?"
Huazhi carefully assessed her master's expression: "Master, are you still thinking about Concubine Shu's words?"
"...Why do you think she lied to help me?"
"lie?"
Hua Zhi was slightly stunned: "You mean, the story that His Majesty couldn't sleep with you last night because of your illness was fabricated by Concubine Shu? How is that possible..."
"Your Majesty would never say such a thing."
Yan Zhiwan raised her eyes and said, "Su Ci said this to me on purpose. It seemed like she was trying to save my face, but there must be other intentions behind it. I can't figure out what it is."
"Master, this is a good opportunity."
Hua Zhi was a little excited: "If His Majesty hadn't said those words, then Concubine Shu would be guilty of falsely conveying His Majesty's will. As long as we can pass it on to prove her guilt, we won't have to bother dealing with her."
"You underestimate her."
Yan Zhiwan frowned and shook her head. "If this gets out, people will just think she's innocent and kindhearted, lying to save face for me. Your Majesty won't punish her severely, but I'll be branded as someone who gets angry out of shame and doesn't know how to appreciate kindness."
"This little concubine's mind is truly unpredictable. She appears innocent and naive, but there are no innocent people in this palace. I don't believe she doesn't have other intentions."
Yan Zhiwan took a sip of tea, her eyes dark.
"Is there any news from father?"
"Yes, but there's still no progress."
Hua Zhi nodded. "Some time ago, the Su family kept their doors closed, and the Marquis suspected it might be related to the assassination of Gong Yan at the end of the year. But for some reason, the area around the Su family is like an iron barrel. Anyone who goes to investigate always disappears for no reason and their life or death is unknown."
"The Marquis said there must be something fishy going on, so he planted people in the Ministry of Rites and asked you to wait patiently. He also said that the eldest prince's talent is mediocre, and the Shen family and the Queen are doomed. You are the highest-ranking lady in the palace, and winning the emperor's heart is the most important thing at the moment."
"Why wouldn't I want to?"
Yan Zhiwan clutched her handkerchief tightly, filled with shame. "In order to conceive a dragon heir soon, I even lowered my status to please that lowly concubine. I finally managed to get His Majesty to go to Huilan Palace, but it still brought shame upon me and the Marquisate!"
"Master, please calm down..."
"But there is one thing I see clearly."
Yan Zhiwan took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "Your Majesty and the court need the support of my father and brother. Even if Su Ci is favored, without a child, Your Majesty will not allow her to surpass me in rank. Once the Queen falls, I will be the only one in the palace qualified to ascend to the throne."
Huazhi glanced at the red coral beads on her master's wrist.
"My master was wise. He didn't expose the Queen's evil deeds at the beginning, but only secretly replaced the harmful pearl. Not only did he prevent the harem from having children for many years, but he also had the Queen's handle. Once the truth is revealed, the Queen will never be able to recover."
"yes."
Yan Zhiwan lowered her eyes and fiddled with her bracelet, her tone cold: "In the past, Your Majesty rarely visited the concubines, so the lack of children in the harem was understandable. But now Su Ci is too favored. If she remains pregnant for a long time, it will surely attract the attention of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. When the Queen's evil deeds are exposed, the credit will go to Su Ci."
"So this person cannot be kept. The one who has done the greatest service in exposing the Queen's evil deeds can only be me."
…
Jingming Palace.
"Your Majesty, I am here~"
Xuan Yi raised his eyes.
The spring was chilly, and the beauty was only wearing a moon-white long dress. She had a charming smile, and only two light green jade hairpins in her dark hair. Her slender waist was slender and her steps were light.
Natural and unpretentious, like a lotus emerging from clear water.
Simple and pure, yet extremely charming.
"Ah, Your Majesty, the ink is dripping."
Su Ci quickly took away the memorial he was writing, glanced at the content unintentionally, and put it down after a slight pause.
Xuan Yi put down the cinnabar pen he was using to make annotations and stood up with a slight embarrassment.
"Zhuang Yu, prepare the meal."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
When Nanny Qin saw Su Ci winking at her coquettishly, she smiled and followed her out of the hall.
Xuan Yi raised his eyebrows and stared at the person who did not hide his expression.
"Anything to say?"
"Yeah~"
Su Ci pulled the person to sit on the couch and offered him a cup of tea.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the plum blossom forest on the west side of the Imperial Garden has bloomed. I even went to the West Garden with my sister, Concubine Xian, to see how beautiful it is. So I plan to hold a plum blossom appreciation poetry gathering there in a few days and invite all the concubines and the officials and their families in the capital to join in the fun."
"Poetry gathering?"
Xuan Yi frowned slightly.
This girl's poetry was strange, and she would only act silly in front of him. She would never dare to embarrass herself in public...
"yes."
Su Ci tugged at his sleeve and said, "The harem needs the Queen Mother's consent to hold a poetry gathering, but you came to my palace again last night. I'm afraid I'll be scolded if I go, so I have no choice but to ask Your Majesty for help..."
Xuan Yi's ears felt slightly numb, and he held her hand and gently rubbed it.
"You are not familiar with palace affairs. Why not leave the arrangements to Consort Xian? Then you can easily attend the poetry gathering."
"Oh no, my sister said she doesn't... uh..."
Su Ci quickly covered her mouth and continued to harass him, "I just want to organize it myself. I've never participated in any poetry gatherings in my life, let alone the opportunity to organize one. Your Majesty, please help me and give me a chance to learn~"
“…”
"His Majesty…"
Su Ci pouted and looked at the hesitant person: "Alright, alright, I admit that I have selfish motives. When we were in the other courtyard, my father told me that my mother was frightened by the assassination of Gong Yan at the end of the year. She kept talking about wanting to see me, but my mother is a concubine and cannot enter the palace at will. The last time, it was the Empress Dowager who showed her special favor. It's not easy to do it again..."
"...Okay, I'll have the Ministry of Internal Affairs cooperate with you, and I'll speak on your behalf with the Empress Dowager."
"Wow~ Really?"
Su Ci happily gave a crisp kiss: "Your Majesty is so kind, I love you, Pen Core~"
“…”
Xuan Yi had no choice but to pull the disturbing girl into his arms, but his eyes darkened.
I think it was Concubine Xian’s idea.
The purpose, of course, is to target this silly girl...
…
Zhaohua Palace.
The queen, with a gloomy expression, turned her head in surprise after hearing what Li Ma said.
"Poetry gathering?"
Nanny Li nodded. "It's a plum blossom poetry gathering organized by Consort Shu. All the concubines in the harem will attend. More than a dozen officials and their families have also been invited. Your Majesty's aunt and cousin are also on the invitation."
The Queen paused. "Why would Concubine Shu invite my aunt and cousin? And even ask me to attend the poetry gathering as well?"
"It wasn't Concubine Shu's idea, it was the Empress Dowager's."
Nanny Li said with a hint of disdain, "That Concubine Shu is, after all, a commoner. She only knows how to seduce others with her beauty and has no knowledge of worldly affairs. She organized a poetry gathering and threw the Imperial Household Department into chaos. The invitations and everything were in disarray, so your aunt and cousin took advantage of the chaos to get the invitations."
"Oh."
The Queen sneered, "It's her ability that allowed Her Majesty the Queen Mother to indulge her mischief. However, this has exceeded my expectations. Su Ci is too favored. Her Majesty even slapped the face of Runan Hou for her. I am now in a difficult situation. I can't guarantee that she won't take the opportunity to cause trouble..."
"My lady, there is one more thing."
Nanny Li glanced outside the door curtain and lowered her voice, "I was wondering why Concubine Shu, a commoner with poor literary background, wanted to hold a poetry gathering for no apparent reason. Upon inquiring, I found out that it was Concubine Xian who instigated it. Concubine Xian and Concubine Liang are now helping the Empress Dowager manage palace affairs, and they have been fully cooperating with Concubine Shu to organize the poetry gathering these past two days."
"…I see."
The Queen's eyes flickered slightly, and she slowly raised the corners of her mouth. "I thought Yan Zhiwan really lost her temper. She didn't say a word when someone snatched the meat from her mouth. Now she has started to work. It seems that the plum blossom appreciation poetry gathering will be exciting."
Matron Li nodded: "Your Majesty, should we secretly help Consort Xian?"
"Of course, such a good opportunity that just happened to be presented to us cannot be wasted."
The Queen's eyes darkened. "Prepare pen and ink. I need to write a letter home to my mother."
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
