Chapter 270: Welcoming Banquet, Stage

When the Queen Mother heard that Yunqin had moved back to Anlan Pavilion, she was having dinner with the Queen.

She paused with her chopsticks, reached out to pick up some food for the queen, and put it in her bowl. "I see you have lost weight, eat more."

"Thank you, Madam."

The Queen responded, but her eyes unconsciously looked outside. She had stayed at the Queen Mother's place for a whole day and was somewhat worried about Zhaoning.

"Look at you, your whole heart is on Zhaoning." The Queen Mother couldn't help but tap her with her chopsticks.

The queen smiled and said, "She can't leave me now."

Seeing her like this, the Queen Mother couldn't help but frown, "I gave the child to you so that you can tie the Emperor's heart, not so that you can tie your own heart! What you should think about now is to give birth to a child of your own as soon as possible!"

The queen lowered her eyes, put down her chopsticks, and said calmly: "I remember everything, but giving birth to a child is not something I can do alone."

"Do you still want me to teach you step by step?" The Queen Mother also slammed her chopsticks on the table.

Grandma Sun quickly advised: "Your Highness has been thinking about the Empress Dowager since she was in the palace. Why did you get angry when you saw her? Empress Dowager, please be considerate of Her Highness. She is doing this for your own good."

For her own good?

The queen sneered in her heart, but showed no surprise on her face. She still kept her eyes down and said nothing.

The Queen Mother's expression softened a bit. She took a sip of the soup beside her and said, "I can't persuade you anymore. You are not in good health. If you don't want to go through the pain of childbirth, then don't go through it."

"But the more this happens, the more you should support Jiaojiao, right?"

Jiaojiao is Fang Danying's nickname.

"Yes, I have been partial to her recently, but why? Isn't it because if she can give birth to a prince, she will give him to you to raise?"

The Queen sneered in her heart and couldn't help but ask, "The Queen Mother wants her child, does she still need to be coaxed?"

"How outrageous!" The Queen Mother shouted angrily, but looking at the Queen's stubborn look, she finally gritted her teeth and suppressed her anger.

Her chest rose and fell twice before she changed to a distressed tone and said, "Qingxue, I am your aunt, we are a family. I have loved you the most since you were a child. Do you really want to treat your aunt as an enemy now?"

These words touched the heart of the Queen. She turned to look at the Queen Mother and sighed, "Aunt, just tell me what you want me to do."

Even if she causes another scene today, so what? There are some things she cannot escape from.

Since you can't escape, just follow the arrangements.

This is what she is most familiar with.

"I knew that your aunt's love for you was not in vain." The Queen Mother reached out and touched her face before saying, "It's nothing. Jiaojiao is a disappointing child. You have to help her more."

The Queen Mother sat up straight and said, "Tomorrow the Emperor will host a welcoming party for me. During the banquet, I will have someone send you a pot of wine. You can persuade the Emperor to drink a few cups."

"Your Majesty is so perceptive. If he finds out later, wouldn't he be..."

The Queen Mother interrupted her and said, "Don't worry, this wine will naturally be traced to someone else in the end."

The queen frowned even more tightly, "Who is it?"

The Queen Mother's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, but she did not intend to tell her, "No need to ask, you will know when the time comes."

After that, she held the Queen's hand again and whispered, "If Jiaojiao gives birth to a prince soon, we can all rest assured, right?"

The queen looked at her hand coldly without saying a word.

——

The Queen Mother's welcoming banquet was held on a painting boat by the lake.

It is called the Living Painting Boat, but it is actually an immovable stone boat with carved railings and jade bricks, which is very exquisite and luxurious. It was built for banquets and sightseeing.

As usual, the Emperor came with the Empress Dowager, and once they were seated, the banquet began.

Yun Qin sat in her seat, scanning the crowd with an unnoticeable look. What kind of welcoming banquet was this? It was clearly a stage.

She glanced at Nie who was obviously distracted and agreed. It seemed that the "director" of this play was a little nervous today.

Afterwards, she glanced at the palace maids serving on both sides, but did not see that Li.

The Queen Mother was in a very good mood today. She was chatting and laughing with the Emperor and the Empress. Fang Danying sat next to her, making jokes from time to time, often making the Queen Mother laugh.

They were talking and laughing, making the other people present seem a little redundant.

Yun Qin didn't think she was redundant. Seeing this scene, she just sneered in her heart and sighed, what a "harmonious and happy" family.

Although she did not participate in the scene today, Yunqin was also very busy. She was peeling lychees in her hands, looking at this and that, and was simply having a lot of fun.

The plate of lychees was soon empty, and Yun Qin felt empty when she touched the plate with her fingers, which inevitably made her feel a little regretful.

Lychees are precious, and the few baskets delivered this year were distributed individually to each palace.

She followed Hawking Chi and ate the most.

Just as she was thinking about it, a plate of lychees suddenly appeared in front of her. Yun Qin looked up and saw Xu An's chubby face.

"The Emperor specially asked me to bring it to you."

Yun Qin immediately raised her head and met Huo Jinchi's gaze, and couldn't help but smile at him.

"Thank the emperor on my behalf." Yun Qin smiled at Xu An.

Xu An nodded and returned to Hawking Chi's side.

This action was naturally seen by everyone, and everyone's eyes turned red as they looked at Yun Qin.

She thought the emperor was talking to the empress dowager and didn't notice anyone else. But just as she finished eating the lychees, the emperor passed the plate in front of him to her.

It's not that he didn't notice the others; it's clear that his attention was all on one person.

Fang Danying glanced at Yunqin and immediately brought the lychees in front of her to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I will peel the lychees for you."

The affectionate look made Yun Qin's teeth ache.

So she stuffed a juicy lychee into her mouth. Only the sweetness of the lychee could suppress the sourness in her teeth.

Seeing that her cheeks were still bulging from eating, Fang Danying was very disdainful. He carefully peeled the lychee and then handed the peeled lychee to Huo Jinchi's lips.

Huo Jinchi glanced at them and did not show a cold face in front of the Queen Mother. He just said calmly: "Put it aside for now."

The emperor refused to eat it, and Fang Danying felt embarrassed. He couldn't force the emperor to eat it, so he could only put it on a plate aside, then turned around and looked at the empress dowager with a wronged look.

The Queen Mother looked at her, then at Huo Jinchi, and said with a smile, "I have been to this marble boat several times, but I am still amazed every time. Who would have known that there would be a different world inside as long as you pass through that narrow corridor?"

"So, sometimes, people need to broaden their horizons, otherwise they can see other scenery. It's the same for people, too. They need to look farther and farther, right?"

After going around this circle, the final sight fell on the plate in front of Hawking Pool.

Huo Jinchi glanced at the Queen Mother calmly and said, "You are right, Mother."

Although he said this, it seemed as if he didn't understand what she meant and he didn't touch the lychee.

At this moment, Xu An suddenly brought over a bowl of peanut cheese and whispered, "Your Majesty, this is what Concubine Xi asked the kitchen to prepare. She said it would help Your Majesty fill his stomach before drinking to avoid stomach discomfort."

Hawking's eyes stayed on the peanut cheese for a long time before he said to the empress dowager who had a gloomy face, "This stone boat is the place I chose. It can be seen that what I like is indeed unique, right?"

The Queen Mother said nothing, but only glanced at Yun Qin who was sitting below.