A major case like the Xue family's will not be tried too quickly.
These days, Xue Zhiyi only followed Chai Yue to learn palace rules and etiquette. Fortunately, she had lived as the legitimate daughter of the Shangshu Mansion for two lifetimes, so she learned these things very quickly.
Although someone had plotted to harm her on the first day she entered Jianzhang Palace, the people in the palace were human beings after all, and most of them were friendly and amicable when their interests were not involved.
Without the curiosity of the first few days, the discussions in Xue Zhiyi's ears gradually disappeared.
Huo Zhiyu was most delighted about her arrival. She originally lived in Yuhua Pavilion of Jianzhang Palace, close to the West Wing, and would often pull Xue Zhiyi over to chat and have fun.
With Huo Zhiyu around, the empress dowager regained her former appearance of a kind and elder, with no trace of the secret conversation that day.
But Xue Zhiyi was still afraid of the Queen Mother.
At this moment, in the main hall of Jianzhang Palace, the Queen Mother was holding the handkerchief she had embroidered for Huo Zhiyu and praising it highly.
She had been taught needlework by Yuzhi, and her skills were excellent. Huo Zhiyu liked her skills and showed them to the empress dowager.
Lan Ying, who was standing by, became more jealous and resentful.
Xue Zhiyi glanced at her and said nothing.
She could use the love between men and women to confuse Huo Wuyou, but in order to make the Queen Mother trust her, she still had to fulfill her promise as soon as possible and successfully overthrow the Dali Temple Minister.
…
On the first day of every month, the concubines from all palaces would come to Jianzhang Palace to visit the empress dowager according to the rules.
Xue Zhiyi got up at daybreak and arranged this matter with Chai Yue.
Each concubine had her own seating arrangement, and there were regulations for the arrangement of tables and chairs, as well as for the incense and snacks.
This was Xue Zhiyi's first day on duty after his etiquette training. Even though he had to get up early, he was still extremely alert.
After everything was settled, it was daybreak.
The empress dowager had not arrived yet, and Chai Yue was accompanying her. At this moment, only Xue Zhiyi and a group of Jianzhang palace maids were standing beside the main seat with their hands crossed, waiting for the concubines to arrive.
After about a cup of tea, the concubines came one after another. There were more than ten of them, some of whom were concubines of lower rank, and some looked even younger than Xue Zhiyi. Several of them were yawning quietly because they were too lazy to get up early.
On the contrary, several high-ranking concubines were almost the same age as the emperor, except for An Zhaoyi, who was frequently promoted due to the emperor's great favor. Her young face was particularly eye-catching among the high-ranking concubines.
At this moment, a loud cry was heard: "The Queen has arrived!"
Everyone stood up and knelt to greet him, and Xue Zhiyi also knelt down.
The woman who walked in looked to be in her fifties, with clear and peaceful features, but she looked a little tired.
It was the person who presented the black sandalwood jar to the empress dowager, Queen Jiang Hanzhao.
The Queen sat down to the right of the main seat and said softly, "Everyone, get up."
Before everyone stood up, they heard another voice: "The imperial concubine has arrived!"
Everyone had no choice but to kneel down to greet him.
After the last blow, Concubine Ge seemed to have regained her usual elegance and grace. She was supported by Yun Shuang, and her eyes lingered on Xue Zhiyi for a moment before she casually saluted the Queen: "Your concubine greets the Queen."
Concubine Ge had held power over the six palaces for more than ten years until she was stripped of it a few days ago. In addition, she was born in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion and was proud of her favor. She looked down on the Queen and even wanted to seize her throne and replace her. Naturally, she had little respect for the Queen and her greetings were perfunctory.
The Queen seemed to be accustomed to Concubine Ge's disrespect and simply said, "Sit down."
Sitting down slowly, Concubine Ge seemed to have forgotten the people kneeling on the ground. She just stroked her hair and chatted with the Queen, "Ying'er is now at an active age. I saw that he was studying hard, so I agreed to accompany him to fly a kite today. But early this morning, he made a fuss and asked me to fly a kite. I coaxed him and said I would accompany him after his brother came to the palace. Ying'er finally stopped making a fuss. But because of all this trouble, I came a little late. I hope the Queen will understand."
Her tone was full of undisguised boasting.
Xue Zhiyi glanced at the queen secretly, only to see that the queen had no expression on her face and was just listening to her words quietly.
Everyone knows that the eldest prince born to the empress died young and she has no more children since then. In front of the empress, Concubine Ge talks about her two sons every other sentence, just to hurt the empress's feelings.
The Queen simply smiled and said, "As the children's mother, I should be sympathetic to the hard work that the Noble Concubine is going through in caring for the prince on behalf of His Majesty and me."
No matter how noble Concubine Ge was or how many children she had, in the final analysis, only the Empress was the principal wife of the Central Palace and the mother of the princes.
After saying this, the Queen said to the crowd whose legs were already sore from kneeling, "Please sit down first."
Only then was Xue Zhiyi able to stand up and slightly relax his tense legs.
Concubine Ge understood the Queen's meaning. She rubbed her forehead and said, "What kind of hardship is this? I am only happy to see the princes grow up day by day."
This sentence attracted everyone's attention.
If what he said just now was just showing off, this sentence was a blatant mockery of the Queen's inability to raise a prince.
Before the Empress could speak, An Zhaoyi suddenly laughed and said, "Half a month ago, Your Majesty told me that Prince Gong is not young anymore and that the wedding date should be set this year. If the Imperial Concubine knew this good news, she would surely be very pleased."
As she spoke, she uttered, "Is the Princess Gong, who was granted marriage by His Majesty, in the palace right now?"
Mentioning Xue Zhiyi at this time was undoubtedly seeking death in front of Concubine Ge. Concubine Ge sneered: "How can you be the Concubine of Prince Gong if the marriage is not completed? An Zhaoyi, please don't lose your manners."
An Zhaoyi just smiled and said, "Your Majesty has granted the marriage, and whether it can be completed or not is up to His Majesty. Until His Majesty changes his decision, this marriage will naturally stand."
As she spoke, her eyes fell on Xue Zhiyi: "Xue Zhiyi, since you are already in the palace, why don't you pay your respects to the Imperial Concubine?"
Xue Zhiyi and An Zhaoyi had no grudges or hatred in the past or present, but today, in order to disgust Concubine Ge, the war inexplicably spread to her.
Everyone looked at Xue Zhiyi. Although she looked a bit childish, her demeanor was gentle and demure. Although her appearance wasn't exceptional, she possessed an inexplicable air of nobility, yet she didn't seem arrogant. Even now, despite being subjected to malicious teasing and humiliation, she didn't seem to be shaken in the slightest.
Everyone couldn't help but think: Maybe Xue Zhiyi has his own unique qualities, otherwise how could he win the favor of the empress dowager in this chaotic time and become the only hope for the entire Xue family.
Xue Zhiyi only bowed and said, "An Zhaoyi is so kind. I am of humble origin and not the legitimate daughter of the Xue family that Your Majesty has arranged for Prince Gong to marry. This matter still needs Your Majesty's decision. I dare not marry someone above my station."
Looking at Xue Zhiyi, Concubine Ge became more and more angry: He has been stripped of all his glory and is left with nothing, but he can still remain calm. He really doesn't know how to live or die.
How could An Zhaoyi miss any opportunity to disgust Concubine Ge? She teased, "What a great marriage it could have been! What a pity! The Concubine's good daughter-in-law is now deprived of her status, and her family's charges are still unsolved. The entire Xue family is imprisoned in the Dali Temple, awaiting the emperor's judgment. I wonder if His Royal Highness Prince Gong is worried about his unmarried consort in the face of such a change?"
Obviously, what Xue Zhiyi said at this moment was not important at all, An Zhaoyi just wanted to use her to humiliate Concubine Ge.
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