"Bang!" A teacup fell to the ground and broke into several pieces.

The Queen Mother stood up calmly and said, "My hands are shaking. Let's clean it up."

"Yes," the palace maid knelt down hurriedly.

The Queen Mother glanced at the shattered teacup and turned back into the inner room.

A few days passed, and the emperor had not turned over the cards of the women in the harem, and the empress dowager had not intervened in the matter. Of course, the empress still sat in Jingyang Palace as still as a mountain, and the entire harem was strangely peaceful.

It was a very hot day and few people were interested in visiting any garden. Zhuang Yuyan was not stupid enough to wander around at this time. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Queen Mother intended to interfere in the affairs of the harem, but the Empress was pretending to be stupid and the Emperor was not willing to give up.

A few days ago, a concubine who didn't have eyes went to the Queen Mother to beg for mercy, and yesterday the Queen found fault with her and gave her a beating. It seems that the Queen is also a ruthless character. The Emperor didn't say anything about the Queen's action, which made it even more obvious.

"Master, someone from Kang'an Palace came to tell you that the Queen Mother invited you to go to Kang'an Palace to listen to an opera after noon." Yun Xi walked in and said in a low voice, "I heard that many masters have been summoned."

"Listen to the opera?" Zhuang Yuyan raised her eyebrows. The opera on the stage was not as interesting as the one off the stage. What was the empress dowager's purpose in doing all this?

"How can I not go if the Queen Mother invites me?" Zhuang Yuyan got up lazily. "I'm going to sleep for a while. Call me at lunch time."

Tingzhu and Yunxi looked at each other, and seeing their master's expression, they thought there wouldn't be any big problems, so they retreated with peace of mind.

"Who else did the Empress Dowager summon?" Concubine Shugui was lying on the beauty couch, served by two palace maids, and even her voice became a little lazy when she spoke.

"My lord, I heard that there are also the Empress, Concubine Xian, Concubine Ning, Concubine Rou, Xu Zhaorong, Ye Shurong, Su Xiuyi, Zhao Chongyi, Yan Guipin, Jiang Xianpin, Lin Concubine and Ye Ronghua." Lingsha replied in detail.

"There are quite a few people," Concubine Shugui said with a sweet smile, "But the Queen Mother actually invited Concubine Lin as well?"

"I think they invited the demoted Ye Ronghua, and then invited Lin Concubine to cover up their tracks," Lingsha replied.

"Who knows what it means," Concubine Shu opened her eyes, "It's just a scene between her and the Queen, so we are happy to watch the excitement."

After lunch, Zhuang Yuyan dressed herself up dignified and got on the sedan chair to the Empress Dowager's Kang'an Palace. It was a hot day and the sun was very scorching. She put her hand to shield her forehead from the sunlight and squinted at the ceremonial procession in front of her. If she was not mistaken, it was the emperor's chariot.

"Your Majesty, it seems that Zhao Chongyi is behind," Gao Dezhong said in a low voice.

"Oh?" Feng Jin, who was shielded from the sun by the canopy, was not as worried as Lang Xiong, who was being scorched by the sun. He looked back and frowned, "Why is she out in such a hot day?"

"I think they are going to the Queen Mother's Kang'an Palace," Gao Dezhong explained. "The Queen Mother is inviting all the masters to listen to opera today, so it must be at this time."

"My mother seems to be in a good mood," Feng Jin said calmly, glancing at the bright sunlight outside the canopy. "In that case, I should go and listen after I finish dealing with the memorials."

Zhuang Yuyan saw the emperor's procession leaving in another direction and knew that he was not going to Kang'an Palace. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Hurry up, it will be bad if we keep the Empress Dowager waiting for too long."

When they arrived at Kang'an Palace, the Empress and the Ye sisters had already arrived. Not long after Zhuang Yuyan sat down, other concubines also arrived one after another.

Looking at the opera scripts presented by the eunuch, Zhuang Yuyan rejected them. Firstly, she did not like them, and secondly, she had no idea what the contents of these operas were. It would be bad if she violated anyone's taboos.

As soon as the play started, there was a lively and joyful scene. Zhuang Yuyan watched the actors performing on the stage and yawned with her hand covering her mouth.

"When I get old, I just like to watch something exciting," the Queen Mother said to the concubines with a smile, "You can choose which play you like, but don't worry about me."

Everyone said yes, but no one actually went to order a play that the Queen Mother didn't like.

After a few plays were over, a few court jugglers came out. Their performances aroused some interest in Zhuang Yuyan, and the other concubines also exclaimed in amazement.

"That's what this jugglery is all about. It looks like this to you, but your eyes are actually deceived," the Queen Mother said with a smile, "It shows that they are not only quick-witted, but also good at acting. What do you think, Queen?"

"I am ignorant, but now that your mother has said this, I think it is true," the queen exclaimed in amazement. "These performances are really thrilling and exciting."

"I just said that. Whether it's true or not, only they know." The Queen Mother pointed at the artists on the stage and asked someone to give them some gifts. Then she sighed and said, "If there were more children around me now, it would be even more lively."

The Empress knew that the Queen Mother was deliberately making things difficult for her. She had no children, and although the Ye sisters did not give birth to children, they at least had some movement. However, she and the Emperor had been together for so many years, and there was not even the slightest movement, which really embarrassed her.

"The eldest and second princes are still young. When they grow up, they will be able to run and jump," the queen fanned the queen mother. "When the weather gets cooler, if the queen mother misses the little princes, she can let them come to pay their respects to me."

Zhuang Yuyan listened to the confrontation between the two and admired the Queen's behavior in her heart. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been speechless due to embarrassment, but the Queen Mother was able to say that the Queen Mother missed the little princes. She heard that one of the two princes was fostered in Concubine Xian's palace, and the other in Concubine Ning's palace. It was just fostering and not registered, which showed that the Emperor had no intention of raising the status of the two princes.

"It's better to take good care of them. It would be bad for half-grown children to get hurt," the Queen Mother said indifferently and continued to watch the performances on the stage. She obviously didn't want to continue the conversation with the Queen.

In the feudal era, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law seemed to always be a big problem. Why should women make things difficult for other women? Zhuang Yuyan sighed secretly and peeled a grape into her mouth. Although the grapes were delicious, it was greasy to peel them. She wiped her hands with her silk and didn't want to move again. Seeing this, Tingzhu, who was fanning her, poured her another cup of tea and whispered, "Master, this tea is thirst-quenching."

"This maid of Zhao Chongyi is quite considerate," Concubine Yan, who was sitting next to Zhuang Yuyan, looked at Tingzhu and said as if she remembered something, "but she looks a little familiar."

"She serves me every day, so it's not surprising that Concubine Yan has seen her." Zhuang Yuyan smiled, apparently not caring about the hidden meaning in Concubine Yan's words.

"I remember now. Wasn't this the maidservant by Concubine Yao's side? I don't know what she did wrong and was chased away by Concubine Yao. Later, after Concubine Yao gave birth to the little princess, she passed away. I never thought that you would end up by Zhao Chongyi's side." Concubine Yan raised her eyebrows and looked at Zhuang Yuyan, "Is Zhao Chongyi unaware of this?"

Zhuang Yuyan smiled and said, "I have many servants serving me, so why would I ask so many questions? As long as they serve me well now, that's all."

"My sister is really a simple person," Concubine Yan guessed that Zhuang Yuyan was just being tough in words, so she smiled, took a sip of tea, and turned around to watch the magic show.

Ting Zhu never thought that Concubine Yan still remembered this matter. She had served Concubine Yao in her early years, but Concubine Yao had a bad temper. She made a mistake accidentally and was driven away. It was not a big deal, but after Concubine Yan said this, the meaning changed.

The master of the harem does not like to use servants who have served the previous master or have fallen out of favor with the master. After all, it is not auspicious. She looked at her master with a pale face, and seeing that she looked normal, she felt relieved.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

The emperor had not been to the harem for several days, and now the eunuch's words made the concubines anxiously await the emperor's favor.

"Today's show was quite lively," Feng Jin said after sitting down and watching the show for a while. "I was sad for quite some time because Ye Shurong had lost her baby. Today I feel much more relieved."

After saying this, the Queen Mother could hardly hold back her smile, but she had to continue, "I think it's not good for the harem to be so gloomy all the time. The Emperor loves children, so just let Ye Shurong have another one. There's no need to be too sad."

"My son is just sad. Now that my son is young, mother doesn't need to worry too much." Feng Jin took a sip of tea and said in a neutral tone, "It is my son's greatest comfort that mother can live a long and healthy life. If I still want you to worry about my affairs in the harem, I would be unfilial."

After hearing this, the Queen Mother forced a smile, watched the play for a while, and then said she was tired. Everyone present naturally stood up and bowed to leave. However, Zhuang Yuyan could see that the Queen was obviously relieved.

After the sedan chair had traveled a distance, a young eunuch caught up with them. He looked like someone from Gao Dezhong's group, so Zhuang Yuyan asked, "What does this eunuch want?"

"Master Zhao, the emperor rewarded you with some tea to relieve the heat. Eunuch Gao asked me to bring it to you," the young eunuch said, very well-behaved. He held a beautiful wooden box in his hand. It seemed that the tea inside was very precious.

Zhuang Yuyan got off the sedan chair to thank him. After the young eunuch left, she got on the sedan chair again. She stroked the wooden box in her hand, and after opening it, she smelled a faint scent of tea.

When Gao Dezhong saw Xiao Anzi coming back, he asked, "The tea has also been delivered."

"Reporting to the steward, it has been delivered. Master Zhao even asked me to thank you." The young eunuch answered honestly.

"How can the master thank us servants!" Gao Dezhong tapped the little eunuch on the head, turned around and walked into the house.

The young eunuch looked up and realized that the steward had gone to report to the emperor.