Chapter 098 Chapter 98
Chapter 99
When Wen Baolin heard what Concubine De said, he was stunned at first, and then he understood what Concubine De meant.
The former dynasty really couldn't interfere in the affairs of the harem, but if Ying Chongrong's favor and status had threatened other women from noble families who entered the palace, or even the current concubines, it would definitely cause a stir.
Wen Baolin couldn't hide the smile on her face, "I understand."
Concubine De looked at Wen Baolin and said softly, "The weather is very cold. If you have nothing to do, please go with me to Shoukang Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager."
Wen Baolin was stunned at first, perhaps because she did not expect that Concubine De would be willing to recommend her.
Although the Queen Mother is indifferent to worldly affairs, she is still the Emperor's mother after all. Moreover, the Emperor respects the Queen Mother and puts filial piety first. If she can gain the Queen Mother's favor, in time she may be able to become like Concubine Xian, not only a high-ranking concubine, but the Emperor will also always remember her kindness.
Just thinking about it made Wen Baolin's emotions fluctuate greatly. Thinking of the emperor's appearance, he couldn't help but lower his head shyly.
De Fei only took a glance at Wen Baolin's current appearance, then calmly withdrew her gaze. Wang Yi walked forward slowly and said, "My lady, I feel sorry for you when you look like this. My queen feels sorry for you when she sees you, not to mention the empress dowager who fasts and chants Buddha's name every day. My lady, how about you leave like this?"
Wen Baolin didn't think too much about it. Wang Yi's words touched her heart. She had originally wanted to use this weak attitude to win the sympathy of Concubine De. If the Emperor happened to come to Jingzhang Palace, he might even pay more attention to her.
The ceremonial staff was raised, and Tao Chu supported Wen Baolin and walked slowly.
The weather was already cold, and every gust of wind blowing on her body felt like a knife cutting her flesh. The pain and coldness made Wen Baolin walk much slower.
Tao Chu held Wen Baolin tightly and said worriedly, "My young master has been in poor health since he fell into the water. Don't get sick this time."
Wen Baolin gritted his teeth and said, "As long as the Empress Dowager can see my pitiful appearance, and I can gain the favor of the Emperor, this little hardship is nothing."
Tao Chu wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Wen Baolin, "Okay, stop talking."
"What's wrong with you today? The Empress Defei just said one sentence, and you became like this. You are the head maid by my side. If I want to punish you, it should be me. Why are you panicking?"
Tao Chu's hand that was supporting the young lady trembled, and she lowered her head and said, "This servant... This servant was frightened for a moment, and made the young lady unhappy."
Wen Baolin snorted coldly, "It doesn't matter if I'm unhappy. Have I been very happy these years? What matters is my face."
Tao Chu timidly agreed to Wen Baolin's words. Wen Baolin felt extremely uncomfortable with the wind and frowned, saying, "Walk faster."
Tao Chu leaned aside to block some of the cold wind for the young master, and then the master and servant arrived at the gate of Shoukang Palace.
Defei walked down from the procession slowly and saw that Wen Baolin's nose and earlobes were red from the cold, and his eyes were filled with moisture because of the cold wind outside. He was so charming and touching.
"Sister, your appearance is indeed extremely outstanding. You are indeed a famous beauty in Shangjing."
Although she was extremely cold just now, when she heard Concubine De say this, Wen Baolin smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment, Concubine De."
Defei looked Wen Baolin up and down and said, "Let's go in."
Shoukang Palace had ground dragons, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not dare to slack off, and there was always enough charcoal.
Although it was freezing cold outside, it was as warm as spring inside.
The eldest prince arrived at Shoukang Palace first. The empress dowager looked at her grandson in front of her and felt pity for him.
"Come to the Empress Dowager."
The eldest prince took a step forward and stood beside the queen mother. The queen mother held the eldest prince's strong arm and looked up at Jing Qiao behind her and said, "This child is young, but he looks a bit like the former emperor."
The eldest prince finally returned at a young age, raised his hands and bowed, "I heard from my master that my father was very diligent in the past, and he never neglected his studies and archery. I want to be like him."
The Queen Mother was originally happy, but she remembered something and the smile on her face faded a little. She loosened her hand and leaned back.
The eldest prince didn't understand what he had said wrong, and asked quickly: "But what did Sun'er say wrong?"
Jing Qiao stood forward, her body slightly bent, "The Queen Mother is just a little tired. Today, the small kitchen made jujube mud mountain medicinal cake. Why don't you go to the side hall to have a snack, so that the Queen Mother can rest for a while."
The eldest prince wanted to talk to his grandmother, but he remembered what his mother had told him to say, so he took a step back and bowed respectfully, "Grandson, take your leave."
The empress dowager waved her hand, and the maid from Shoukang Palace came forward and took the eldest prince to the side hall.
At this time, a palace maid came to report, "Empress Dowager, Consort De wants to see you."
The Queen Mother looked at Jing Qiao and shook her head helplessly, "What kind of popularity is this place of mine? Everyone wants to come today."
Jing Qiao coaxed the Queen Mother and said, "It is out of kindness that the Queen Mother has exempted the concubines from paying respects every day, but the concubines have this thought, so the Queen Mother should just accept it."
The Queen Mother thought for a moment, and seeing the eldest prince being delayed by something, she said thoughtfully, "Okay, Ting'er doesn't have to go to the side hall, just stay here."
The eldest prince was overjoyed. He sat below the empress dowager with his hands placed neatly in front of him and his back straight.
When Defei arrived at the inner hall, Wang Yi took off the cloak from the empress's body, held it in her hands, and stood respectfully beside her.
"I pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother raised her hands and said, "I am just an old woman. Why do I need to talk about these empty formalities? Get up."
When Concubine De stood up, the Empress Dowager noticed Wen Baolin standing next to her. Her eyes fell on her with some confusion.
"The Queen Mother may have never seen Sister Wen." Concubine De spoke at the right time, saying, "Sister Wen entered the palace only this year. I just met Sister Wen on the way and saw that she was wearing thin clothes. I couldn't help but ask about her. Sister Wen said that she wanted to pay her respects to the Queen Mother and forgot to wear her cloak in a hurry. So I came here with Sister Wen."
The Queen Mother heard this and stretched out her hand, saying, "Good boy, come here, let me take a look at you."
Wen Baolin was so overjoyed that his face had turned red from being frozen just now. Now standing in the inner hall, the empress dowager said this again, and his face looked as if he had put on rouge, and was particularly gentle and charming.
"Your concubine Wen has met the Empress Dowager."
Even though the Queen Mother's hand was already placed in front of her, Wen Baolin did not dare to slack off for a moment. After paying his respects, he wanted to put his hand on it, but then he remembered that his own hands were frozen, so he quickly moved them away.
"My hands are too cold. I'm afraid I'll hurt the Queen Mother's body."
The Queen Mother stood up, pulled Wen Baolin over, and asked her to stand beside her.
Aunt Jingqiao also quickly brought an armchair and ordered someone to bring a hand warmer and put it in Wen Baolin's hands.
The Queen Mother held Wen Baolin's little hand and sighed, "Child, even though you are anxious, you can't ignore your own health. You must be more careful in the future."
Wen Baolin's eyes were red, and when she heard the Queen Mother say this, her eyes became moist, "I understand."
After saying this, she wiped away her tears shyly and said, "I was overwhelmed by my emotions. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Majesty."
Concubine De chuckled, "Sister Wen has never been a weak person. What happened today?"
Wen Baolin looked at Concubine De with embarrassment, then quickly turned around and said shyly, "Since I entered the palace, no one has cared about me like this. I suddenly thought of the scenes at home in the past and couldn't help myself. I'm afraid that the Empress Dowager will laugh at me."
The Queen Mother didn't say anything, "Hurry up and sit down."
Aunt Jingqiao personally supported Wen Baolin, and Wen Baolin sat beside the Queen Mother with shyness in his eyes.
"Aunt, it's really hard to control the temperature today."
The palace maid opened the thick brocade wool curtain and Concubine Xian came in from outside. The palace maid behind her held a tray and respectfully placed the things on the table in front of the Queen Mother.
The first thing Xian Fei saw was Wen Baolin sitting next to the Queen Mother. Her expression was stiff, and she also sat down next to the Queen Mother, saying coquettishly, "I said, why didn't Aunt send someone to check on me? It turns out that someone else was by my side, and she forgot about me for a moment."
Wen Baolin's face turned pale with anger at Concubine Xian's words. In other words, she was saying that she was insignificant and that even in front of the Empress Dowager, she was not as good as Concubine Xian, who was from the Empress Dowager's maternal family.
The Queen Mother held Concubine Xian in her arms and said, "Look at you. I just said a few words to her, but she made you feel so bad."
Concubine Xian ignored Wen Baolin and leaned directly into the Queen Mother's arms, "Who made the Queen Mother love me the most?"
The Queen Mother looked at Concubine Xian with loving eyes, and her gaze also fell on the soup that Concubine Xian brought in on the table.
"Your sweet wine is getting better and better."
Concubine Xian frowned and said, "I think the temperature is not right today."
The Queen Mother took Concubine Xian's hand and said, "It's great that you're thoughtful. I don't care how it tastes."
The aunt and niece were chatting and laughing. Wen Baolin, who was very happy to sit next to the Empress Dowager just now, felt very embarrassed now.
The Queen Mother and Concubine Xian are blood relatives, so it seems out of place for her to sit here.
Concubine De seemed to be accustomed to the scene before her. She looked at the eldest prince sitting beside her and said in a steady voice with a hint of smile, "Today, Ting'er told me after school that he hadn't seen the second prince for a long time and didn't know how his brother was doing."
The Queen Mother immediately turned her gaze to Concubine Xian, who sneered in her heart but did not show it on her face. "The Second Prince has been doing very well recently. I am just worried that it is too cold outside. I am afraid that he will catch a cold on the way to your place."
Since Concubine De used the Second Prince as a cover, she would certainly dare to use the First Prince.
"If the eldest prince misses his brother, just go to Chaoxi Palace."
Although the eldest prince is small, he is mature and stable. However, a child is still a child. He doesn't know whether to respond or not when hearing the words in front of him.
Concubine Xian looked at Concubine De with a smug look, and then sat down obediently beside the Queen Mother. "It's almost time for dinner. Is there anything the Queen Mother wants to eat today? I'll ask them to prepare it."
The Queen Mother smiled so hard that she couldn't stop. "Okay, why are you going to do that? There are so many people under you, why would you need to do that?"
Looking at the clepsydra, it was getting dark outside early. "Second Prince is alone in the palace. It's cold today, so you should go back to the palace. You don't have to come to my place every day."
Concubine Xian twisted her body and sat up, saying, "The Queen Mother, do you think I am too troublesome? That's why you want me not to come to Shoukang Palace."
The Queen Mother took her hand and said, "I love you so much, but it will be cold tomorrow, and I am really worried that something bad will happen to you."
When Concubine Xian heard what she wanted to hear, she leaned her head on the Queen Mother's shoulder obediently and said, "It's no big deal to be here with the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother laughed particularly happily, and Shoukang Palace was drowned in the women's coquettish voices and laughter.
The way Wen Baolin entered Shoukang Palace was the same way he left it. After Concubine Xian came, the Empress Dowager no longer cared about her.
He didn't ask anyone to give her a cloak, let alone say anything else, which made her extremely sad.
Walking out of the outer hall, Wen Baolin couldn't help but shiver his shoulders because of the cold wind.
I thought it would be better if I returned to the palace quickly. As soon as I took a step forward, a faint voice came from behind me:
"stop."
Wen Baolin shuddered and turned around reluctantly.
Concubine Xian naturally saw through Wen Baolin's thoughts. If it were normal, she would have made Wen Baolin pay the price for his actions. But today, Wen Baolin did something else, so why should she keep harping on such a small matter?
"Wen Baolin is really attentive. He was wearing so little and would have been very cold after leaving the palace. But Wen Baolin was able to endure it and walked all the way to Shoukang Palace."
Wen Baolin turned around, her lips pursed and her expression stiff, "I really forgot."
Concubine Xian saw the cold wind blowing outside and hid in her fox fur coat. "Wen Baolin, your memory is not very good. If you have an heir in the future, won't he be a stupid child? I don't know how much effort I will have to put into educating him in the future."
After saying this, she suddenly realized something as if she had just woken up from a dream, "Look, I actually forgot that the emperor has never been to my sister's palace, so naturally he has never favored her, so how can there be a dragon descendant?"
Yinli quickly grabbed Concubine Xian and kept shaking her head at her, trying to stop her from talking.
But Concubine Xian became more and more excited, "Some people are born to be worthless. Even if they enter the palace, they are just the laughing stock of the whole palace and can never appear on the stage."
If she could continue to endure this, Wen Baolin would no longer be like her.
Her eyes turned red with anger. She took a step forward and said directly, "I indeed forgot why the Concubine Xian had to be so aggressive. Did the Emperor go to your palace when he returned?"
“Bang!”
A crisp slapping sound was heard, and Concubine Xian's hands kept shaking. She didn't know how much strength she had used just now. Even her palms were red and her body was shaking.
"You! How dare you speak to me like that?"
Yinli hurried forward to persuade her, and kept winking at Concubine Xian, but Concubine Xian acted as if she saw nothing and immediately continued to move forward.
"Your Highness." Yinli could not help but remind her, "This place is very close to the Empress Dowager's Shoukang Palace. If the Empress Dowager knew about this, it would definitely disturb her peace."
As soon as these words came out, the anger in Concubine Xian's heart subsided a little.
Yinli stood in front of Wen Baolin and said with a smile, "My queen is the niece of the Queen Mother and a high-ranking concubine in the palace. Forgive me for being so nosy. What you said just now has violated the palace rules. But my queen is kind-hearted. Although the slap just now was a bit impulsive, it was indeed for your own good. I will not punish you again."
Yinli was placed by the Queen Mother next to Concubine Xian, and her words were flawless, even blaming Wen Baolin for the fault that was originally Concubine Xian's.
This was telling Wen Baolin that what she wanted to do had been seen by Concubine Xian, and that Wen Baolin also wanted to rely on the Queen Mother. Now the Queen Mother and Concubine Xian had a close relationship, and they were aunt and nephew. No matter how you looked at it, she was better than Wen Baolin. If the young lady knew she was wrong, she just had to admit it. In the future, whether the Queen Mother would say good things about her or try to trick her in front of her, it all depended on her attitude today.
However, if she could understand what Yinli meant, Wen Baolin would no longer be herself.
"As one of the four concubines, can Concubine Xian just beat others at will? It's really unreasonable. I really don't understand. Concubine Xian is the one who doesn't care about the palace rules!"
Concubine Xian was irritated by what Wen Baolin said, and took a step forward and wanted to hit Wen Baolin in the face again.
But Wen Baolin was smarter this time. He stepped aside and did not give Concubine Xian the chance to touch her.
"I am in so much pain, I will take my leave first."
After saying this, Wen Baolin turned around and left without even paying his respects to Concubine Xian.
Concubine Xian stared at Wen Baolin as he left, and only came to her senses when he disappeared around the corner. "How dare this bitch say such a thing! Go! Catch up with her, I can't let her go so easily!"
The palace maids behind them heard what Concubine Xian said and took slightly slower steps, but thinking about the scene just now, they did not dare to step forward to deal with it.
Yinli saw this and quickly persuaded the queen, "Your Majesty slapped Wen Baolin, which violated the palace rules, but Wen Baolin didn't make a fuss, so naturally nothing else would happen. But if your Majesty pursues him now, even if you are right, you will become wrong. If the emperor hears about it, I'm afraid the queen mother will not be able to take your side."
Concubine Xian calmed down after hearing Yinli's words, but she couldn't swallow her anger. "She wants to be like me and use my aunt to get to the top. But my aunt is only my aunt, how can she be worthy of me?"
Yinli smiled and said, "If your Highness is irritated by Wen Baolin today and becomes ill, how can the Queen Mother ever look at him straight in the eye again in the future? Your Highness knows how much the Queen Mother loves you."
Concubine Xian was already very angry, and Yinli's words made sense. Her body swayed, and she fainted after a moment.
When the palace ladies saw Concubine Xian's appearance, they were horrified.
For a moment, the palace was in chaos. Some people were asking for the imperial physician, some were looking for the empress dowager, and some were going to the Zichen Palace to ask the emperor.
…
Linxuan Palace
Ruan Yun sat at the table, staring at the embroidery in front of her. Ying Ning brought in the pregnancy-maintaining medicine and said, "Your Majesty has been looking at it for the whole afternoon. Are you not afraid of hurting your eyes?"
Raising her hand to take the pregnancy-preserving medicine, Ruan Yun drank it in one gulp without thinking too much. She put down the bowl and stuffed a candied fruit in her mouth, and only then did she feel better.
“I wanted to embroider something, but I found out I don’t know how to do it.”
Ruan Yun touched the embroidery in her hand and felt it was a pity.
Ting Xu said in a sweet voice: "Your Highness, just tell us what you want to embroider. You don't need to do it yourself."
“It’s a pity that I can’t embroider something for my children myself.”
Yingning was not very good at needlework. Tingxu knew that in order to live a better life, she learned needlework and embroidered handkerchiefs and purses for other palace maids. They then asked palace maids they were familiar with to take them out and exchange them for money, but she had nothing.
Fortunately, she later went to the greenhouse, where the empress treated her very well and never let her meet her former palace maids again, thus saving her from embroidering every day.
"Your Highness, please tell me what you want to embroider."
Ruan Yun thought about the scene when she and her mother walked on the street in the past, "I heard that it would be best to embroider a tiger head hat."
Tingxu nodded, "This is easy. I will embroider it for you."
Ruan Yun knew that the baby in her belly was not easy to come by, so it couldn't be too careful.
The Emperor did not allow other concubines to visit the palace, and the Empress also exempted her from daily greetings. Naturally, she would not be like other ungrateful concubines who insisted on leaving the palace. When she gave birth to an imperial heir in the future, she would have no worries about not finding an opportunity.
Ruan Jun relaxed a lot, chatting and laughing with Yingning and Tingxu, and didn't even notice when the emperor came in.
"What are you talking about? You're so happy?"
Ruan Yun looked over with clear eyes and stood up directly from the couch, which scared Yingning and the others. They wanted to support the empress, but a hand was faster than theirs.
Yan Shiyu's face was as cold as ice, "You don't even care about your own body."
Looking down, I could still see Ruan Yun's bare feet.
His eyes fell on the couch, and he saw the thick blanket on it. The charcoal fire in the palace was burning brightly. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Yan Shiyu swallowed them back. He picked up Ruan Yun and walked towards the couch.
Yingning and Tingxu couldn't help but laugh when they saw this scene.
After packing up his things, he retreated quietly and did not stay in the inner hall.
Originally, it was nothing, but the two of them looked like this, which made Ruan Yun feel particularly embarrassed. "It's clear that they didn't do anything. They are really..."
I bit my lip, unable to utter the following words.
Yan Shiyu scolded her, "You are pregnant, and you are talking nonsense in front of him!"
Ruan Yun pouted unhappily and hugged Yan Shiyu's neck. "I heard that the emperor ordered people to keep everything simple for this year's New Year's banquet?"
Yan Shiyu placed his hands behind her, sending a steady stream of heat into Ruan Yun's body. "Hmm."
Ruan Yun grabbed Yan Shiyu's sleeve and couldn't help asking, "This year is the first New Year's banquet since the Queen Mother returned to the palace. Shouldn't it be more lively?"
Yan Shiyu lowered his eyes to look at Ruan Yun, then naturally picked her up and placed her on his lap, "The Queen Mother will not care about these false formalities."
This left Ruan Yun speechless. Yan Shiyu saw through her thoughts and frowned, saying, "There are many people at the New Year's banquet in the palace, Xiaoxiao, I don't want anything to happen to you."
Ruan Yun was speechless for a moment, remembering that it was at the banquet that Concubine Ji had the accident.
It was shocking when I saw it then, and it is still shocking when I think about it now.
Sitting obediently in Yan Shiyu's arms, Ruan Jun said softly, "I know."
Looking up at the emperor, Ruan Yun said, "I want to set off fireworks."
Ever since she saw the emperor setting off fireworks all over the city for her on her birthday, no fireworks in the world since then have been half as beautiful as those.
Yan Shiyu's fingertips kept circling Ruan Yun's waist to make her feel more comfortable.
Although Ruan Yun didn't know when the emperor knew that her waist was sore, she enjoyed it very much. She moved her body so that the emperor could press on that spot.
Seeing Ruan Jun being rude and wanting to continue, Yan Shiyu's eyebrows twitched twice. She felt at ease that she could order him to do things.
Seeing the emperor's increasingly dark face, Ruan Jun pulled the emperor's hand over in a flattering manner and touched his hand, where the bones of his fingers were clearly visible.
"I don't know when the baby will move. Right now, I don't feel anything."
Yan Shiyu stared at her flat belly and clasped his hands tighter, "It will happen."
Seeing her low spirits, Yan Shiyu originally wanted to tell her something later, but today he wanted to make her feel more cheerful:
"I will take you somewhere in a few days."
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