Chapter 225: Suburban Palace

The distance from the imperial palace to the suburban palace was not far. The royal convoy was huge and moved very slowly. It took an hour to reach the destination, which was supposed to take half an hour.

Yun Qin was in a daze when she suddenly felt the carriage seemed to stop. She opened her eyes and thought they had arrived.

But through the gap in the car curtain that Rong Xin opened, she saw the trees on both sides of the road, which clearly showed that they were still on the road.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

A male voice came from outside the curtain, "Empress Xi, there is a problem with the Queen's carriage. It will be fixed soon. Please wait for a moment."

Following the sound, Shen Che's face appeared from the gap in the curtain. He was riding a horse and wearing leather armor. He was obviously a bodyguard.

This time Yun Qin saw his face clearly. The bright young man had become much more mature than before. The experience of the journey to the west had also made his eyes more calm. When he looked at people, he no longer looked at them with undisguised eagerness.

Even though he restrained his gaze, he still looked over the curtain and directly at her in the car.

Yun Qin did not look away, but gestured to Rong Xin to lower the car curtain to block his view of her.

At the moment when the curtain was lowered, Shen Che said again: "My humble servant is rude, please don't blame me, Concubine Xi."

Yun Qin's gaze fell on the car curtain, his expression was a little complicated, and there was no apology in his tone.

"It's good that General Shen knows." Her voice was a little cold. "Thank you for telling me, General Shen. You should tell others, so as not to delay General Shen."

Shen Che was silent for a moment, but did not respond to her words. Instead, he said, "There is a shed on the roadside. The Empress is resting inside. If Concubine Xi feels bored, she can come out for a walk."

Yun Qin didn't say anything and waited for a while until the sound of horse hooves outside gradually faded away.

"General Shen is so rude." Tingchun couldn't help but say, "How dare he look at the queen like that? Military generals are really rude."

Rong Xin shook her head and then looked at Yun Qin's expression.

Seeing that she looked normal, he asked tentatively, "Master, do you want to go downstairs for some fresh air?"

Yun Qin shook her head and closed her eyes. "It will probably take a while. I'll sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get there."

"yes."

Yun Qin closed her eyes and did not think much about it. Instead, she actually fell asleep during the time when the carriage stopped. When the carriage moved, she woke up instead.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long this time and we finally arrived at the suburban palace, Changhe Garden.

The concubine's carriage did not go through the main gate, but drove directly into the palace from the side door. The emperor's carriage entered from the main gate and accepted the kowtows of the courtiers who came to participate in the event.

Changhe Garden is very large and has existed since the previous dynasty. The late emperor loved it very much and lived here for half a year every year. Therefore, this place is extremely magnificent, with red roofs, green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters.

There is a vast lake inside, called Jinhu Lake, with many pavilions and towers built along the waterways. These winding waterways are perfect for holding dragon boat races.

There was no time to take a closer look at the scenery in the palace. After a short rest, everyone climbed up a pavilion, which was open on all sides, so one could see the misty boats on the lake and have a panoramic view of the entire palace.

After everyone sat down, the palace maids and eunuchs brought them tea and snacks.

Xu An said to Huo Jinchi: "Your Majesty, the dragon boats are ready, and we can start as soon as you give the order."

Hawking nodded, indicating that they could begin.

As Xu An passed the order down, the sound of lively and exciting gongs and drums could be heard from afar. Some people could not sit still and ran to the railing to look outside.

Naturally, there are also those who sit calmly where they are.

Among them was Yun Qin. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go and see, but the dizziness from the bumpy ride hadn’t passed yet, making her feel a little nauseous.

She drank a cup of tea, and then another cup of tea, trying to wash away the nausea.

Huo Jinchi, who was sitting at the top, naturally noticed that she looked unhappy. Seeing her drinking tea cup by cup, he knew what was going on, so he said to Xu An, "Go and bring Xipin a cup of mint tea."

"yes."

Everyone's attention was drawn to his words, and then to Yun Qin. This kind of preference had almost become commonplace to them.

The tea was brought over, and Yun Qin took a sip. The cool mint immediately diluted the nausea in her chest, making her breathe a sigh of relief. She smiled at Huo Jinchi, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Huo Jinchi also smiled, with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

This whole scene was seen by Concubine De. Her gaze fell on the mint tea in Yunqin's hand, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.

In her opinion, Yunqin was like this because of morning sickness.

Yun Qin was quick to notice Concubine De's gaze. She turned around and saw that Concubine De had put on a smile. She asked with some concern, "Sister Xipin, are you feeling unwell?"

"It was just a little bumpy on the road, nothing serious." Yun Qin smiled at her, with a hint of coldness in her eyes.

Something unpleasant happened just before I set off. Would she be kind enough to care about me now?

Concubine De smiled and said, "That's good."

Then he turned around and spoke to the wet nurse who was leading the eldest prince, as if his inquiry was really out of politeness.

The dragon boats soon came from a distance, and the rhythmic sounds of gongs and drums as well as shouts could be clearly heard.

Yunqin raised his eyes and saw that the approaching dragon boat was followed by two more, both of which were very ornately decorated. The dragon-shaped boats were painted with patterns of water birds, and colorful flags and flags of various families were flying on each boat, fluttering in the wind.

Several boats were chasing each other, and the horns were shouting loudly. It really had some of the meaning of the dragon boat race in the south, and people couldn't help cheering.

The finish line was not far away, and Yun Qin couldn't help but stand up to look. She saw a boat with a black flag passing the finish line first, and she couldn't help but applaud.

After the other boats have passed the finish line, it is time for the final reward.

In addition to the emperor, the concubines also took out some things to give as rewards. Yun Qin also asked Rong Xin to take out some silver and give it as rewards.

The people on each boat paid their respects to Xie En in turn downstairs. Huo Jinchi also gave him some gifts, such as rice dumplings and fans. The dragon boat race was thus concluded.

Afterwards, the emperor and his ministers boarded a boat to cruise the lake and have a banquet, while the concubines boarded another pleasure boat to cruise the lake, which was some distance away from the emperor's dragon boat.

It’s not until the evening that there will be a family dinner in the palace.

Yun Qin was not seasick, but as there were so many people on board, she had no interest in seeing the scenery. She simply went to the cabin to rest and did not come out until the pleasure boat docked.

She held Rong Xin's hand and walked off the boat, and met Concubine De, who was one step behind everyone else.

"Princess Xi doesn't look well. Do you want to ask Doctor Yu to come and take a look?"

In addition to her, Yun Qin could also feel the vague gazes of other people coming towards her, which made her feel a little strange.

Yun Qin was only wary of De Fei's concern and directly refused, "No need, thank you for your concern, Madam De Fei. I am fine, I am just a little lazy."

As expected, she didn't dare let anyone other than Doctor Zhang Yu take her pulse.

De Fei understood, but smiled and said, "Xi Fei, please don't be so stubborn."

Yun Qin imitated her smile, then walked past her with Rong Xin and Ting Chun.