Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Zhaoyi Three Days
The Queen asked them to stand up, and Concubine He and Concubine Jiang sat down as if they had been pardoned.
Concubine Jiang looked at Concubine He with sympathy. The last time she confronted Shen Qing was at the Empress Dowager's place in the Mountain Resort. At that time, Shen Qing didn't have such a bad temper at all. Even when the Empress Dowager punished her, she did not refute or contradict her.
Later, the emperor came to take charge of Shen Qing and punished her to vent his anger.
Concubine Jiang was unaware of the undercurrent that day. When she came with Concubine Xian to pay her respects, she complained to Concubine Xian about Shen Qing's situation in the Mountain Resort.
She thought Shen Qing was easy to control, and even if she became Zhaoyi, the status of Concubine Xian was still higher than hers, so it would not be difficult to suppress her.
It just so happened that Concubine Xian was already very angry, and Concubine Jiang didn't believe that Shen Qing would be as lucky as last time.
But she didn't expect that after Shen Qing became Zhaoyi, she seemed like a different person. She wouldn't let go of her and He Cairen, and secretly confronted Concubine Xian.
Fortunately, there is a talented person named He, otherwise she would have been humiliated today.
He Cairen knew how much Concubine Jiang had contributed to fanning the flames, and was very impatient with her, showing a bit of it on her face. She felt that she had really suffered an unprovoked disaster today. But when she looked at the appearance of Concubine Shen and the Queen, how could she not know that Concubine Shen was the Queen's confidant.
She thought that she had to repair her relationship with Shen Zhaoyi in private, and use this incident to push Concubine Jiang away from Concubine Xian.
If she were to say, the virtuous concubine lost face today, all because of Concubine Jiang.
Lady Jiang could see that Concubine He was annoyed with her, but she didn't dare to roll her eyes or go back in disdain.
The Second Prince was born to He Cairen. Although they would not talk about it, the fact was the fact. Even though He Cairen's position was lower than hers, she had the confidence to treat her coldly.
Seeing that Concubine Jiang and Concubine He couldn't say a word to Shen Qing, the other concubines couldn't help but become more cautious towards Concubine Shen.
The timing of the Queen's arrival was too unbiased. Originally, Concubine Xian thought that Shen Qing was someone promoted by the Queen, so she would be more partial to Shen Qing and would be happy to see her make a fool of herself. However, the Queen chose this time to come, and it seemed that she was suppressing Shen Qing as well.
After all, she was a virtuous concubine, and no one had dared to disrespect her for a long time. Once she met Shen Qing, a tough guy, no matter how she fought back, it seemed so powerless, and she was in a very difficult situation for a while.
When the Queen appeared, Concubine Xian was actually relieved. There was still a lot of time in the future, and she didn't believe that she couldn't defeat a little Zhaoyi. She would wait and see.
But the subsequent affair between the Queen and Shen Qing made her confused. She concentrated her mind, trying to find flaws in their hypocrisy, but found nothing.
The Queen said, "The Emperor has appointed a new Zhaoyi, Shen, and the sisters have met her today. Don't offend her in the future. The Emperor and I only hope that the concubines in the harem can be as close as sisters and live in harmony."
The concubines present stood up and said in unison: "We will follow the Queen's instructions."
Sitting down again, because Concubine Xian was sitting opposite, Shen Qing easily saw her lukewarm attitude towards the Queen.
It's funny to say that although Concubine Xian was a concubine, she looked down on the empress, the mother of a country. She probably had this mentality when she attacked the pregnant empress. Later, she was detained in the small Buddhist temple in the Cining Palace. After she came out, she did not attack the empress and the eldest prince, but she still acted without scruples and blatantly took the prince from He Cairen.
Feeling Shen Qing's gaze, Concubine Xian looked over with a smile.
Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he responded with a faint smile, thinking that he would have to bring more people with him when he left Chengqian Palace in the future. If he offended Concubine Xian, who knew how bold she would be?
But there shouldn't be a full-scale fight. Otherwise, it would be fine for her as a mere Zhaoyi, but Concubine Xian would become a laughing stock in front of Concubine De and the Queen.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing calmed down a lot.
The Queen said a few words, and then Concubine De and Concubine Li came.
Concubine De bowed slightly and said, "I am late."
Li Jieyu said, "I am here to see the Queen. I am late. Please punish me."
After not seeing each other for a few months, Concubine De was still in her prime, while Concubine Li had become a little plump and looked even more ordinary.
Empress Li would naturally not punish such people, so she let them sit down.
The superior of Shen Qing was Concubine De, and the inferior of Shen Qing was Concubine Lin.
Defei was sitting at an angle, and when she held up the teacup, she was very close to Shen Qing. Shen Qing could even see the bright luster of the nail polish on Defei's hands.
Concubine De raised her lips and said, "This is Zhaoyi Shen, right?"
Shen Qing nodded slightly to Concubine De: "It is you, my concubine."
There was a feeling that Defei was unfathomable. Even though she was mentioned less frequently in the harem in the past two years, Shen Qing did not dare to underestimate her and treated her more cautiously than he treated Xianfei.
Concubine De said: "She is indeed a beauty. No wonder the emperor is obsessed with her and the sisters are so uneasy."
Shen Qing seemed not to understand what Concubine De meant. Her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush of shyness. She simply said, "Concubine De is also stunningly beautiful. She is a first-class beauty."
The Defei's aura is so fierce that people cannot look directly at her. She has the appearance of a rich and beautiful woman, and is unrestrained and uninhibited.
Shen Qing softly blocked her words and Concubine De lost her smile.
She said, "As concubines, we cannot learn from the evil concubines of the previous dynasty and do things that monopolize the emperor. I think the atmosphere in the harem was very good before. Shen Zhaoyi, what do you think?"
Defei has the favored Concubine Chu in her hands, so naturally she has to say a few words about Shen Qing monopolizing the emperor, so as not to make Concubine Chu feel disappointed.
Moreover, the appearance of a favorite concubine would also be disadvantageous to her.
With the eldest son and the favorite concubine around, no matter how deep her foundation is, the third prince will never be able to succeed to the throne.
Therefore, even if Concubine De did not care about favor, she would not allow Shen Qing to dominate alone.
Defei's words were straightforward. Shen Qing knew that she couldn't get away with pretending to be dumb, so she made an innocent expression that would make people hate her: "Empress Defei is right, but how can a concubine like me influence the emperor's will? He is still the emperor..."
She lowered her head, twirling her handkerchief, her eyes sparkling with shameful tears.
The room is full of light.
All the concubines' eyes were on Shen Qing. They were amazed at how well she controlled her expressions despite her artificial behavior. They understood why the emperor liked her so much among so many beauties in the palace, and liked her so much that he directly made her a Zhaoyi. However, they were more surprised that she would not give in.
Defei's words "the evil concubine is worthy of death" made Shen Qing think that she would take a step back, but unexpectedly, she directly brought up the emperor.
Shen Qing added in a shallow voice, "If the Virtuous Concubine means that I am a demon concubine, I cannot agree. If I am a demon concubine, then what is the emperor?"
"Empress Defei, do you really mean this?" Shen Qing raised his eyes and glanced at Concubine De.
Yan Jieyu listened silently. She originally thought that Shen Qing would be her opponent, but she didn't expect that Shen Qing might not even take her seriously.
After paying respects today, Shen Qing stood up. I am afraid that when Shen Zhaoyi is mentioned in the future, she will only be put together with Concubine De and Concubine Xian.
Concubine Yan thought with a sour feeling in her heart that she had to treat any of the Defei and Xianfei with respect, but Shen Qing was so unrestrained. Wasn't it because the emperor was willing to elevate her to a higher position and give her the highest honor?
I have to find an opportunity to give the pills to Shen Qing.
No matter how favored she is, she still hopes to give birth to an imperial heir. And if Shen Qing becomes pregnant, she will no longer be able to monopolize the emperor, and she will also have the opportunity to win over the emperor.
Concubine De tapped the table with her fingers and said with a smile, "I didn't mean that. I just thought Zhaoyi Shen was a wonderful person and mentioned it casually."
Since the topic was not started by Concubine Xian, she did not have the concerns that Concubine De had, and it was rare for her to stand on the same side as Concubine De.
"Silent-tongued little girl, this harem is not a place that can be manipulated with just a few words."
Shen Qing relaxed his brows, and as soon as Concubine Xian finished speaking, he naturally praised the Queen: "The jade bracelet on Her Majesty's wrist is really full of water. I'm afraid only a queen mother like Her Majesty can wear such elegance and luxury."
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Cairen also began to flatter the queen.
After all, Kunning Palace was the Queen's territory, and the other concubines could not ignore the Queen, so their eyes all fell on the Queen, and they praised her one by one like the moon surrounded by stars.
Being completely ignored, Concubine Xian's face turned pale for a moment.
Since she didn't name anyone, Shen Qing was naturally happy to ignore her words. If the virtuous concubine had specifically scolded her, she might have had to think before fighting back.
Shen Qing didn't even look at Concubine Xian and completely ignored her.
The queen watched several dramas in succession, and when the concubines' eyes fell on her, she naturally caught them steadily.
The greetings ended in a harmonious atmosphere. Concubine Xian left first, and Concubine De also walked away slowly.
Shen Qing stayed.
She signaled to the queen to dismiss everyone and leave only Qinggu by her side.
"Your Majesty, there is something I don't understand. Could you help me clear it up?"
The queen listened attentively: "Just say it."
Shen Qing then explained the matter of the ointment: "Your Majesty added aphrodisiacs to the ointment that Shui Fangyanxiu gave me. This was also the reason why the emperor was angry that day. Later, after I stayed in front of the emperor for a long time, I found out that the emperor hated this kind of thing. So I don't understand why Your Majesty gave me this ointment."
She looked at the queen aggrievedly, observing her reaction.
The Queen was really surprised. She was stunned and said, "I really didn't know that the Emperor hated this kind of thing, so I asked Qing Gu to add it, in order to get twice the result with half the effort... But I didn't have this idea at first, but someone suggested it. I will have someone investigate it carefully."
The Queen's expression did not seem fake.
Shen Qing guessed that it might be related to Concubine Xian. Concubine Lin had been cheated by this aphrodisiac and had rarely been favored since then. Concubine Xian was close to Concubine Lin, so she might know this information.
And there are not many people in the palace who have the means to pass the news to the Queen's ears.
With the Queen's ability, she would find out sooner or later, so Shen Qing didn't say anything more. Sometimes being a little stupid might make people more likable.
The queen sighed, "I am sorry for you."
So that's what happened. The emperor mistakenly thought that she had used dirty tricks on Shen Qing and left.
If Shen Qing had not won over the emperor later, she would not only have been kept in the dark, but also have been killed two birds with one stone by someone with ulterior motives, who would have eliminated Shen Qing as a chess piece and alienated her from the emperor.
Shen Qing disagreed with the Queen's words: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. The most hateful person is the one who planned this. Your Majesty is also worried that I will not be able to do my job well, so she planned this way."
The queen really liked Shen Qing's clever words, so when Shen Qing asked to meet the eldest prince, she agreed without hesitation.
He smiled and said, "Can'er can now speak simple words and is very lively every day."
Shen Qing praised: "You are lively and strong. In the future, the emperor will personally teach the eldest prince how to ride and shoot."
The emperor had high hopes for the eldest prince, which was also what the queen hoped for, so she silently approved of Shen Qing's words.
The eldest prince was brought over. Ji Can was almost one year old and was learning to walk, but his body swayed when he walked.
The queen said softly, "Can'er, this is your Concubine Shen Zhaoyi."
Ji Can learned to speak: "Mrs. Shen!"
Shen Qing's heart almost melted, and she praised: "Your Majesty's eldest prince taught me very well."
She originally wanted to meet Fu Xue when she met Ji Can, but Fu Xue was not with Ji Can. She suddenly remembered that Fu Xue had only been with the eldest prince for a while, and now she might have returned to the imperial court.
Then he concentrated on talking to Ji Can.
I’ll ask Fu Xue about Concubine Yu’s situation in the Prince’s Mansion later.
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