Ignoring Lan Ying's anger, Xue Zhiyi took the removed beeswax and wrapped it around the palace flower with gold thread, replacing the original emerald feather.
Jing Chun hesitated, "But Sister Zhiyi, beeswax is yellow, and emerald feathers are green. Even if you want to use beeswax to replace emerald feathers, I'm afraid you can't, right?"
"Of course not." Xue Zhiyi's hands continued to work: "The palace flowers are damaged, so what? Instead of trying to hide it from the Queen Mother, why not try to explain it differently?"
As she spoke, she had already wrapped it. "But this beeswax has been carved into the shape of an osmanthus flower. Although it's different from the emerald feather, it has the meaning of winning the first prize in the imperial examination, which is perfect for today's Qionglin Feast."
The piece of beeswax is delicate and light, blending into the palace flowers. It is not only not abrupt, but complements each other and is natural.
Jingchun took it hesitantly: "But this... will it really work?"
Xue Zhiyi said, "This is the only way to remedy the situation now. This matter cannot be concealed. When you present this to the Queen Mother later, you must honestly admit your mistake today."
"Me?" Jing Chun panicked: "I can't do it, I..."
But she saw Xue Zhiyi looking at her with a serious expression, as if he would not allow any negotiation.
She was used to being a coward, and even though she wanted to refuse, she could only give up: "Okay..."
Just then, Chuizhu came out of the hall. He didn't know what was happening outside, so he just bowed to Ge Yuanhui and said, "Miss Ge, the Queen Mother invites you."
Hearing this, Ge Yuanhui only glanced at Xue Zhiyi warily and went in.
Chuizhu then said to Xue Zhiyi, "Sister, the Queen Mother said that if you have anything to ask, you should go in now."
The Empress Dowager would summon Ge Yuanhui into the palace to explain that she had finished what she wanted to say to the Emperor, and she would not keep Xue Zhiyi outside the door and would let him in as well.
Jingchun's face turned pale and his hands were shaking with nervousness.
Xue Zhiyi urged her: "Let's go."
Xue Zhiyi and Jing Chun entered the room after Ge Yuanhui. When they entered, Ge Yuanhui had just been given a seat and was now sitting respectfully below, seemingly chatting casually, as if the incident of her disfigurement in Jianzhang Palace had never happened.
Seeing Xue Zhiyi coming, she remained calm, only her eyes changed subtly.
Xue Zhiyi led Jing Chun in bowing, "This servant pays homage to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite."
The person who spoke was the emperor. Xue Zhiyi could not look directly at his face. He could only hear the low voice, which was intimidating without being angry, and made his back tense.
The Queen Mother saw her and asked, "Zhiyi, is everything settled for today's Qionglin Banquet?"
Xue Zhiyi simply lowered his eyes and stood up, presenting the scroll in his hand to the Queen Mother. "Your Majesty, everything has been prepared. This is the gift list you reviewed earlier. Everything has been prepared according to your wishes."
The Queen Mother glanced at it and said with satisfaction, "Not bad, very safe."
Xue Zhiyi added, "The silk thread on the collar of your Zhaiyi is a little worn, so the Shangyi Bureau re-embroidered it and ironed it yesterday. However, it's spring now, and the Empress Dowager has a cough. The imperial physician has advised against contact with pollen, so I took it upon myself to stop ironing the clothes with jasmine water."
Hearing this, the Queen Mother only smiled and said, "You are very thoughtful."
Xue Zhiyi took the gift list from the Empress Dowager and put it away. "The Empress Dowager is always kind and always asks us if we are short of food, clothing, and other necessities, but she doesn't care much about her own health. We will keep this in mind for the Empress Dowager. I have also specifically instructed the Imperial Food Bureau to serve you a special meal according to your dietary restrictions. The tea on the Empress Dowager's table has also been replaced with pear soup, which is good for the lungs."
The Queen Mother already liked Xue Zhiyi, and she felt even more comforted after hearing these words.
As Ge Yuanhui looked at it, he found it more and more eye-catching.
It was clear that she had nothing left and had fallen to the dust, but she was still like what Zhao Lian said, a bitch of humble origin who was still restlessly trying to climb up.
Not only was the Queen Mother bewitched by her, but even His Majesty seemed to have noticed her.
Suddenly the emperor asked, "Are you Xue Zhiyi?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Zhiyi bowed calmly and said, "Your Majesty, I am the servant."
The emperor looked at her, his unfathomable eyes showing no emotion. Suddenly, he chuckled, "No wonder the queen mother likes you so much and wants to take you to her side."
Xue Zhiyi lowered his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment."
The Queen Mother couldn't help but praise him: "This child is meticulous, patient, and knows how to adapt to circumstances. I am very satisfied."
But the emperor sighed slightly: "What a pity."
What do you mean...what a pity?
Ge Yuanhui suddenly became alert: Xue Zhiyi was previously granted marriage to Prince Gong, and now that this incident has happened to the Xue family, the marriage must be cancelled, but... what exactly does it mean to be a pity?
Could it be that Your Majesty really approves of Xue Zhiyi and is still hesitant about canceling the engagement?
How is that possible!
But then again, Xue Zhiyi was just not worthy of being the Princess of Gong, but she might be able to be a concubine or something.
Ge Yuanhui only cared about the position of princess, and it didn't matter who the other concubines were, but... it absolutely couldn't be someone with bad intentions like Xue Zhiyi.
The Queen Mother only glanced at the Emperor calmly, then said to Xue Zhiyi, "Please leave first."
But Xue Zhiyi bowed and said, "Empress Dowager, I have something to report."
"Oh?" Seeing her worried look, the Queen Mother asked her, "What's wrong?"
Xue Zhiyi said, "Everything has been arranged for the Qionglin Banquet, but something went wrong with the palace flowers that the Queen Mother wanted to personally present."
Jingchun, who had been waiting with sweat in his palms, suddenly came to his senses, came up with the wooden box, and knelt down without waiting for the empress dowager to say anything.
When she spoke, her voice was still cowardly: "This servant begs the Queen Mother to forgive my sins!"
Seeing her making such a big scene, the Queen Mother couldn't help but worry: "Jingchun? What happened to Gonghua?"
Jingchun was almost crying. She said, "I just...just accidentally broke the emerald feather on the Zhuangyuan Palace Flower. I beg the Queen Mother to forgive me!"
Xue Zhiyi stepped forward, took out the wooden box, and presented it to the empress dowager.
At this moment, the emperor was already displeased: "Since you are so reckless, it seems that there is no need for you to stay in Jianzhang Palace. Send you to the Ye Ting to serve."
Jingchun was so frightened that his body went limp and he almost fell down.
But the Queen Mother said: "She is just a little girl, so just discipline her properly. If she is punished and sent to the palace, who knows how she will be bullied."
The emperor's eyes were filled with emotion. "Your Majesty, you are kind and compassionate, but there is no point in keeping such an unstable person. Why don't you have someone select some suitable ones and send them over?"
The Queen Mother sighed, "No need for that. The Emperor knows that I am old. If you send someone new, I'm afraid I won't even be able to remember their faces."
Xue Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat as she listened: she sensed an imperceptible undercurrent between the emperor and the empress dowager.
But Xue Zhiyi suddenly said, "Your Majesty and the Queen Mother, although the Cuiyu is damaged, it has just been repaired. If Your Majesty and the Queen Mother still feel it is not appropriate after the repair, perhaps it is not too late to punish it again?"
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