Chapter 223 Hitting the wall

Starting from the first day of May, the palace began to prepare for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Five-poison purses were hung in every palace early on, and exquisitely shaped rice dumplings with a variety of fillings began to appear on the dining tables.

News also came early that this year's Dragon Boat Festival banquet will be held in the suburban palace, and dragon boat races will also be held in the palace this year.

Last year, due to the unrest in the west, all festivals in the palace were kept simple. Therefore, this year's festivals are more grand than in previous years.

Early in the morning on the fifth day, when it was just light, Yun Qin was woken up by Rong Xin.

"We have to leave for the palace early today. Your Majesty, you can't stay in bed anymore." Rong Xin pushed Yun Qin's back and made her sit up.

Yun Qin rubbed her eyes and glanced at Rong Xin who was already dressed neatly. She suddenly felt that she had changed a lot. She used to get up early every day, but now it has become so difficult for her to get up early.

"Don't stand there in a daze, get up quickly." Rong Xin stood up again, took clothes from the hanger and draped them over Yun Qin's shoulders.

There was a faint scent of mugwort on the clothes, which was caused by fumigation with mugwort and cattail. Even the hall seemed to have been fumigated with mugwort and cattail.

But because she had been smoked last time, the palace servants did not dare to smoke too heavily. They just walked around the palace and did not dare to stay for long, so there was only a faint smell in the palace, which was not unpleasant.

The smell was quite refreshing, helping Yun Qin to shake off her sleepiness. She opened the quilt and was about to stand up when she suddenly noticed a colorful rope tied around her ankle.

She looked at Rong Xin helplessly. She thought Rong Xin must have tied her up while she was sleeping. "Sister, I'm not a child anymore!"

"Why not? Don't you still have to call me sister?" Rong Xin said with a smile, "Don't take it off. It's for blessing and exorcising evil spirits."

Yun Qin shook her ankles and looked at the colorful ropes swaying with her movements, with a smile in her eyes.

After getting dressed and washing up, Yun Qin sat in front of the dressing mirror. Rong Xin put a five-poison hairpin on her and hung a five-poison sachet around her waist. The sachet was embroidered with snakes, geckos, toads and other creatures, and exuded the fragrance of mugwort and agarwood.

It's really ceremonial.

There must be someone in the palace, so Danxue stayed in the palace, while Rongxin and Tingchun followed Yunqin.

Rong Xin had been to the suburban palace before and had experience, so she would not leave Yun Qin in the dark. Compared with Tingchun, Danxue was also more stable and more suitable to stay behind to "look after the house".

Tingchun felt a little sorry for Danxue, but Danxue didn't feel that way at all and said to Tingchun privately:

"It's good that you can take care of her when you follow her out of the palace. But she can keep me in the palace to look after the entire Yanning Palace. This is trust in me. It's more important to me than watching a dragon boat race. Please don't feel sorry for me in front of her."

Seeing that she was not pretending, Tingchun smiled and said, "Sister, you are broad-minded, and it is I who am narrow-minded."

"Don't be so rude." Dan Xue poked her forehead and said with a smile, "When you are out, you should control your temper and take good care of the queen."

"Don't worry, sister!"

So, after everything was packed, Yunqin took Rongxin and Tingchun out.

At the palace gate, someone was already waiting here.

Defei and Xu Danying were standing together, talking about something. The eldest prince was held by his wet nurse, looking down at the goldfish in the water tank beside the palace path, clapping his hands from time to time.

Yun Qin frowned as she saw that half of his body was about to break away from the wet nurse's arms and that if he was not careful, he would fall into the vat.

But his own mother, Concubine De, stood there indifferently, as if she didn't notice it at all, or didn't care.

Yun Qin came over and the two of them quickly noticed her.

After greeting each other, Yun Qin smiled and asked, "The eldest prince is here too?"

Her voice also attracted the eldest prince. He straightened his body, patted the wet nurse's arm, and asked her to put him on the ground.

"Greetings to Concubine Xi." He bowed to Yun Qin.

Every time she saw him, a little kid, trying to behave like an adult, Yun Qin found it funny and said with a smile, "No need to be polite, eldest prince."

After the ceremony, the eldest prince could not wait any longer and went to look at the wet nurse again, apparently wanting to see the goldfish again.

He was not even as tall as the water tank, so even when he stood on tiptoe, he could only see the water surface but not the fish under the water.

Yun Qin still felt unsafe, so she diverted her attention, "Did the eldest prince like the gift I gave him last time?"

When the little princess was given a naming gift, she gave the eldest prince a pair of golden gourds. The eldest prince liked them so much that he came to beg her to give him a pair on his birthday.

Later, Yun Qin did not wait until his birthday, but had someone make a pair and sent them to Yiyang Palace.

The eldest prince was obviously stunned for a moment, as if he remembered something. He was about to answer when he was interrupted by Concubine De.

"Your father will be here soon, but you haven't come yet to prepare to greet him."

Her words at this time were very subtle.

Yun Qin narrowed her eyes slightly. It was impossible that Concubine De had not delivered her gift to the Crown Prince at all. Then wouldn't she have broken her promise in front of the Crown Prince?

Tsk, this Concubine De is really petty and mean.

The eldest prince was obviously reluctant to leave the fish in the tank, but he still walked obediently to Concubine De and held her hand politely.

But Yun Qin didn't intend to let Concubine De off easily. She smiled and said, "Why doesn't the eldest prince like the golden gourd I gave him? Your hands are bigger than the little princess's. I even asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make them bigger."

She really prepared a gift, but the eldest prince didn't receive it. What if he thought she was a person who didn't keep her word? Then she would lose all her face!

"The eldest prince likes it very much. Xipin is very thoughtful. I haven't thanked you yet." Defei said with a smile.

The eldest prince frowned, pulled Concubine De's hand, and called out in confusion, "Mother?"

The reaction of a child would not lie. The eldest prince looked like he had not received the golden gourd.

Concubine De looked a little unhappy. She never expected that Yunqin would suddenly ask about the gift. Didn't she think it would appear petty if she kept asking?

As they were talking, Fang Danying arrived, holding the hand of a palace maid.

Now that she saw Yun Qin, she wanted to stay away from her and did not come close. However, she could not help but be curious about the conversation between Yun Qin and De Fei, and kept looking over here.

Concubine De didn't want to lose face, so she smiled and said to the eldest prince, "Didn't your mother put it away for you? Why don't you thank Concubine Xi quickly? It's rare for her to give you a gift."

She said this cleverly, as if to say that she only suggested that the eldest prince keep it after he had read it.

But if the eldest prince, a child, heard it, he would probably think that he didn't see it because Concubine De kept it away for him.

As expected, the eldest prince was frightened by her, and bowed to Yun Qin again, saying in a childish voice: "Xie Xipin Madam."

As for the second half of the sentence, it was completely mocking Yun Qin, asking so many questions after giving her something as a gift, as if he wished that everyone who was shouting would know about it.

Yun Qin didn't care. She gave a gift, so why couldn't she tell others about it? Why should she feel ashamed for speaking out about it?

Concubine De has hit a brick wall today!

Yun Qin smiled again, and in a teasing tone, she continued, "So, do you still have that little golden pig?"