Chapter 165 Is the Preserved Candy Sweet?
Ninghe Palace.
The palace maid walked into the hall quickly and silently on the thick carpet.
The Queen Mother and the Empress were sitting on the warm kang by the window, drinking tea and chatting.
Seeing the palace maid coming in, the Queen Mother blew the tea leaves floating in the quilt and asked, "When will the Emperor come?"
"Replying to the Empress Dowager." The maid bowed her head and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, the Emperor asked Eunuch Xu to pass on the message that he is not free and will not come to Ninghe Palace for dinner."
The Queen Mother's expression turned cold. She looked up at the palace maid and asked, "Didn't the Emperor say what was the matter?"
"No, no." The maid also looked up at the Queen Mother's face and said hesitantly: "The Emperor is in the side hall. Now, it is Xi's residence that has been agreed."
After hearing this, the Queen Mother immediately threw the teacup in her hand heavily onto the low table.
The Queen took a look at the Queen Mother's expression and said coldly to the maid, "Get out!"
After the maids left, the Queen said to the Queen Mother, "Aunt, calm down. The Emperor may not want to come here because he heard that I am here with you. Please don't be angry with the Emperor because of me."
The Queen Mother looked at her and saw that after some experience, she could speak.
"I am not angry with you, nor with the emperor." Her eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, "It's that vixen who is too powerful, seducing the emperor."
"It's all my fault." The queen looked miserable, but her lowered eyes flashed with sarcasm.
No matter who the Empress Dowager is angry with, she is always wrong.
Instead of waiting for the Queen Mother to scold her, it would be better for her to admit her mistake first and stop the Queen Mother from saying anything else.
As expected, the Queen Mother was a little choked up when she saw her like that. She didn't say anything like "You too", but said, "Okay, don't be sad. The Emperor can protect her for a while, but he can't protect her forever. There is still a long time to go, and there will be no shortage of opportunities to deal with her!"
"Aunt is right." The queen responded in a low voice.
She wanted to cry, but she didn't have Yun Qin's ability to sing, recite, act and fight, and after holding it in for a long time, not a single tear came out.
"Okay, if he doesn't come, we can't skip the meal, so let's eat."
After dinner, the Queen talked with the Queen Mother for a while, then left, using the excuse of going back to the palace to take medicine.
After she left, the smile in the Queen Mother's eyes instantly disappeared without a trace. She called Nanny Sun to her side and asked coldly, "Didn't the Emperor say that he has been treating her coldly recently and asked her to move out of the main hall? Are we getting close again now?"
Nanny Sun told the Empress Dowager what she had just asked someone to find out.
"I heard that Xi Ying wanted to move out of the main palace because she was sick, and the emperor was unhappy, so he ignored her these days."
Nanny Sun said, "Today, the palace maid sent someone to invite the emperor, and the emperor never came out again."
After hearing this, the Queen Mother was so angry that she slammed the Buddhist beads in her hand on the table and said angrily: "There is his father in front and him behind. His Huo family is really full of romantic people!"
"Master!" Nanny Sun called her and hurried to close the open window.
If the Empress Dowager can place spies in the Tongming Palace, then there must be spies for the Emperor in the Ninghe Palace. It is better not to let some words reach the Emperor's ears.
The Queen Mother was still furious.
She continued, "I spent so much effort to save him from that vicious woman. He had only seen his father a few times when he was three years old. Later, because the late emperor had few useful sons, he was brought up by his side."
"He has learned all the virtues of his father, the Emperor! Tell me, how can he be worthy of me?"
Madam Sun quickly brought the tea to her and whispered, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't let your anger get to the point of harming your health."
She had been with the Empress Dowager for so many years, how could Nanny Sun not know that the Empress Dowager's anger and resentment were not only directed at the Emperor, but her real resentment was towards the late Emperor.
After venting her anger, the Queen Mother drank some tea, and the heaving of her chest calmed down a little.
Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Nanny Sun continued, "It takes two to tango. You can't just blame the emperor. It's because Xi Da Ying is too resourceful."
The Queen Mother snorted coldly while holding the teacup, "No need to make excuses for him. Why did that maid move out of the main hall? She knew her situation. It was my good son who was unwilling to let go!"
"He still has a bad temper. I am ashamed for him!"
Nanny Sun heard the teasing in the Queen Mother's words and knew that her anger had almost dissipated. She chuckled and said, "The Emperor is still young after all. It's natural that he would be passionate when he meets someone he likes for the first time."
The Queen Mother took a deep breath and nodded, "That's right. There are still too few people in the palace. It's better to decide on the selection as soon as possible."
She smiled faintly, with some hatred in her eyes, "The reason why a romantic is called a romantic is that he will show affection everywhere."
——
In the side hall of Tongming Palace.
Yunqin and Huo Jinchi had also finished their dinner.
After Yun Qin washed her hands, she turned around and saw Huo Jinchi sitting on the couch, flipping through the book she had placed beside him.
She couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, before going to invite the emperor, she replaced all those miscellaneous storybooks with some travel notes and strange stories.
Yunqin walked over and sat next to Huo Jinchi.
"I was so bored lying there that I found some books to read."
Huo Jinchi pulled her into his arms and flipped through the book with his other hand. "It's okay to read it. It will also be good for you to gain more knowledge."
Yun Qin raised her eyes to look at him. Sometimes she really didn't think he was like an emperor of a feudal dynasty.
He seems to be relaxed, not particular about rules, and not pedantic.
"What are you looking at?" Huo Jinchi turned his head to meet her gaze and said with a smile, "Are you trying to push me to stay?"
Yun Qin couldn't help but twitch the corner of her eye.
This level of shamelessness is not like that of an emperor.
She thought she was shameless enough, but she still had to admit defeat compared to him.
"Your Majesty, does Your Majesty want to stay?" Yun Qin could only follow his words and asked in a low voice.
But she couldn't pretend to be shy, so she could only lower her head and tug at his sleeve.
Huo Jinchi looked at her and smiled, "I'm afraid not."
Now it was Yun Qin's turn to be surprised.
Is he finally going to be a human being?
Huo Jinchi pinched her face and said, "Why are you so happy that I'm leaving?"
"Your Majesty, how can you tell that I am happy?" Yun Qin quickly closed her eyes and climbed onto his arm.
How could Huo Jinchi not see through her thoughts when she was so evasive? However, he did not expose her. He just hugged her and said, "Didn't you say you were scared? I still have to go to the Queen tonight so that the Queen Mother won't make things too difficult for you."
"You can no longer blame me for not understanding your situation."
Yun Qin was a little surprised again, and she blinked quickly before she reacted. She was immediately moved and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. Your Majesty is willing to understand me, and I am naturally grateful, but..."
She lowered her eyes and whispered, "Every time the emperor goes to the harem, I feel uncomfortable."
There was no way Huo Jinchi believed her, he couldn't help but curl his lips and said, "Then I won't leave?"
Yun Qin was slightly startled. When she looked up, she saw Huo Jinchi's eyes full of teasing. She immediately let go of his arm and said angrily, "Your Majesty always teases me!"
"Am I really leaving then?" Huo Jinchi leaned over to look at her face and asked with a smile.
Yun Qin turned around and grabbed his sleeve again, lowering her eyes and whispering, "I haven't taken the medicine yet. Your Majesty, don't you want to taste the sweetness of my new candied fruit?"
As she spoke, she raised her head, with a hint of shyness in her eyes.
Huo Jinchi's eyes fell on her pink lips, his eyes flickered, "I want to taste it."