"Mother..." The eldest princess grasped Concubine Zhuang's sleeve tightly.
At such a young age, she was terrified when she saw the second prince being poisoned.
Concubine Zhuang has never been a gentle person, but this time a prince almost died...
She also felt a little uneasy, so she hugged the eldest princess tightly in her arms and comforted her in a soft voice: "I am here, don't be afraid."
After two years of careful nursing, Concubine Zhuang is still weak, but she can walk a few steps with the help of her maid.
Today is the eldest princess' birthday, and she specially wore a new dress to attend the event.
She was also frightened when she heard that the Second Prince was poisoned just now. She looked at the eldest princess first. Fortunately, she did not drink the soup, and fortunately, the rest of the soup was not poisonous.
Xue Jinshu had been secretly keeping an eye on the eldest princess, and as he watched this scene from afar, he felt a little sorry.
The relationship between the eldest princess and Concubine Zhuang was surprisingly good. If they didn't get along, she still had some chances.
Now it seems that there is no hope of raising the eldest princess.
Helian Qi sat down in the main seat, his expression regained its composure, and he swept his eyes over the concubines and said calmly:
"Let's have a feast."
The palace maid brought the dishes again.
According to the custom of the princess' birthday banquet, the priest came on stage and performed a sacrificial dance to pray for peace and happiness.
Soon, the banquet ended.
Helian Qi went to Ganxin Palace to review memorials, and all the concubines left one after another.
Xiao Yunyao returned to Shuyu Garden and went the same way as Concubine Jing.
She didn't want to pay her respects to Concubine Jing, so she deliberately walked two steps slower and fell behind. Xiao Yunyao was usually kind to others, but in fact, she didn't like anyone.
In front, Concubine Jing was talking to the palace maid beside her, and the conversation floated over with the wind.
"Today is really scary. The Second Prince was poisoned! Fortunately, the Queen did not take the Third Prince out..." The maid was terrified.
Jingpin said as a matter of course, "Hui Zhaoyi is in charge. How dare I bring the Third Prince to the banquet? Her ability is not even a fraction of that of Chen Fei, so she is the most likely to get into trouble."
"That's right. Empress Chenfei has been in charge for two years, and there has never been a mistake at the palace banquet. But Concubine Hui had an accident the first time she hosted a banquet... I really don't know what His Majesty wants to do with such a person? Just leave everything to Empress Chenfei, and we can all feel at ease." The palace maid complained.
"Your Majesty naturally has your own considerations, so please don't say too much."
Xiao Yunyao's face looked as ugly as if she had eaten a bunch of flies after hearing this.
Return to Shuyuyuan.
Xiao Yunyao's eyes were gloomy. She glanced at the bouquet of peonies in a vase on the table. She reached out and pinched one and threw it on the ground.
"Kangpin deserves death."
"She has no favor and no family background, and can't help the eldest prince's future. The eldest prince is seven years old this year. Children of the royal family are sensible early, and he must understand this truth in his heart. Suxian, find an opportunity to contact the eldest prince and give him some advice. Now that he is young and has lost Concubine Kang, he can still change his mother. In a few years, he won't need a foster mother anymore."
Su Xian understood, "Master is wise. Concubine Kang values the eldest prince the most. If the eldest prince becomes estranged from her and her son and harms her, Concubine Kang will die with great sorrow."
"She dared to attack me, this is what she deserves." Xiao Yunyao sneered.
Su Xian was slightly stunned, "Master, was today's incident caused by Concubine Kang?"
"Not necessarily. And Ning Wanyin—" Xiao Yunyao plucked another peony and threw it on the ground, with a fierce look in her eyes:
"Jieyu Lin likes to go to the Imperial Garden to see the peonies on weekdays. She is really ambitious and she deserves to like peonies."
Peony is the symbol of the queen, and ordinary concubines are not allowed to plant peonies in their palaces.
Therefore, if the concubines in the palace wanted to appreciate the peonies, they could only go to the Hundred Flowers Garden in the Imperial Garden.
"Wait until the morning of April 1st, and arrange for someone to sprinkle the scent of Tianzhu grass on the peonies. That day is the first birthday of Ning Wanyin's son, and Concubine Lin loves banquets the most and will not miss them. When passing by the Hundred Flowers Garden in the Imperial Garden, I'm sure you will stop to admire it."
"Don't put too much spices, don't let her get into trouble on the spot. After she leaves, immediately replace the peony with a new one and burn all traces."
Su Xian accepted the order, "Now that Lin Yuansi is in our hands, it will be very easy to take action. Even if Ning Wanyin wants to investigate, she won't be able to find evidence. If something happens to Concubine Lin at the Fourth Prince's first birthday ceremony, it will be because of her poor care..."
"How can it be enough to just take good care of her?" Xiao Yunyao sneered, her eyes full of hatred towards Ning Wanyin:
"As soon as Concubine Lin gets into trouble, spread the news that Ning Wanyin's fourth prince is doomed to be alone. Every year he grows older, a relative will die. First, his brothers and sisters will die, then his parents..."
Su Xian was shocked and said in admiration, "Master, you are wise. The fourth prince killed his unborn brother and sister at the first birthday ceremony. That's not a bad omen!"
Xiao Yunyao looked towards the direction of Yonghe Palace with a fierce look in her eyes. Ning Wanyin, it was not easy for you to give birth to a son after so much hardship, but it is very easy to destroy your son.
Xiao Yunyao finally plucked another peony and threw it on the ground:
"Concubine Zhuang deserves to die. She is already a sickly woman but still refuses to settle down. She even wants to use the eldest princess to win favor."
The scene of the banquet just ending appeared in her mind.
Helian Qi stood in front of Concubine Zhuang and the eldest princess, whispering something to them. Concubine Zhuang looked at Helian Qi with tenderness, and the family of three was warm and happy.
The scene hurt her instantly.
In this entire palace, the person Xiao Yunyao hates the most is Ning Wanyin first, and Concubine Zhuang is second.
Because Concubine Zhuang and the Emperor are true childhood sweethearts.
Although Xiao Yunyao and the emperor were old acquaintances, they seldom met.
Concubine Zhuang was openly accompanying the emperor, and the two grew up together. In comparison, Xiao Yunyao, the so-called childhood sweetheart, seemed unworthy of the title.
Everything that Concubine Zhuang had was envied by Xiao Yunyao.
"Xue Jinshu has been secretly observing the eldest princess. It seems that she is not too stupid. She knows that the emperor will not let the Xue family give birth to a child. It is better to raise a princess so that she can have someone to rely on in the harem. Suxian, find someone to remind her that unless Concubine Zhuang dies, she has no chance at all."
Su Xian nodded, "I will arrange it right away."
After completing the layout, Xiao Yunyao finally felt much better.
Looking at the three flowers broken and falling to the ground in front of her, it was as if she saw the three of them picking them, and a satisfied and happy smile appeared on Xiao Yunyao's face.
She didn't need to worry too much about Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Kang, so she left them to Xue Jinshu and the eldest prince.
She is now looking forward to Ning Wanyin's son's first birthday gift...
…
End of March.
"Master, everything has been arranged in Tinglan Palace. Just like before, the tables, chairs, vases, water tanks, etc. have all been checked and confirmed. Tomorrow, I will keep a closer eye on the food and drink, and a palace maid will be assigned to watch over each seat." Lian Rui reported.
Ning Wanyin sat in front of the window, thinking quietly, "The person behind the murder of the Second Prince has not been found, and the other party may repeat the same trick. Not only the Second Prince, but other princes are also at risk."
"Just in case, it's better to take precautions."
Lian Rui was slightly stunned, "Master, what do you mean..."
"Take the ginseng soup stewed in the small kitchen and follow me to Ganxin Palace." Ning Wanyin stood up.
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