The Queen Mother rarely leaves the palace on weekdays, so why is she here today?
No one cared to ridicule Xue Zhiyi, and they all stood up and knelt.
"Your servant respectfully welcomes the Queen Mother and the Princess. May the Queen Mother live long and healthy, and may the Princess live forever!"
Xue Zhiyi raised his eyes quietly and saw that although the empress dowager's hair was gray, she was still in good spirits and her steps were steady. She was being held by Huo Zhiyu, and there was a kind smile between her eyebrows.
Xue Zhiyi lowered his eyes and sighed secretly.
The Queen Mother appears to be in good health now, but no one expected that she would pass away in just two years.
After the Queen Mother sat down, she looked at the ladies kneeling on the ground and said, "Stop kneeling and sit down."
Everyone thanked him and took their seats.
Xue Zhiyi glanced at Fu Rongxin, but saw that she had her head lowered, as if she was afraid that Huo Zhiyu would see her.
Sure enough, when people do something wrong, they will inevitably feel guilty.
It seems that when the princess fell into the water that day, Fu Rongxin, who was in the water pavilion, really could not escape the consequences.
The Queen Mother seemed to be in a very good mood. She said, "It was Anle who insisted on asking me to come here today. Sitting here and looking at all of you young faces, I feel a lot more relaxed."
Ge Yuanhui sat close to the Empress Dowager, and upon hearing this, he also laughed: "The Empress Dowager said we are young, but you yourself are clearly in the prime of life."
Ge Yuanhui was the niece of the imperial concubine. She had often been in and out of the palace since she was a child, and she was raised by the empress dowager.
The Queen Mother was amused by her words: "You little girl, you only know how to find nice things to say to cheer me up."
Princess Anle, who was standing by, echoed, "Sister Yuanhui is right. Grandmother, you are still young!"
The Queen Mother laughed for a while before she said to the ladies below who dared not laugh out loud, "All right, you girls, don't worry about me. Do whatever you want to do. Don't feel constrained because of me."
Upon hearing this, some ladies stood up and took their leave, going elsewhere in groups of three or four.
Seeing that the Queen Mother, Huo Zhiyu, and Ge Yuanhui were chatting animatedly and had no time to pay attention to others, Shen Qingtang gently pulled Xue Zhiyi's sleeve and whispered, "Zhiyi, let's go play somewhere else."
Xue Zhiyi nodded and was about to stand up when the Queen Mother suddenly asked, "Which one is Xue Zhiyi?"
Upon hearing the sound, the ladies who had not yet had time to disperse stopped, especially those who had just ridiculed Xue Zhiyi, who were even more interested in watching the fun.
"What did the Queen Mother ask her to do?"
Zhao Lian snorted coldly: "Who knows? Maybe he made some mistake."
Xue Zhiyi paused, then stood up, took two steps forward, and bowed politely: "Your servant Xue Zhiyi greets the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother remained gracious and said, "Come closer, so I can take a closer look."
Xue Zhiyi followed his instructions and squatted down beside the empress dowager.
When she raised her face, she accidentally met Huo Zhiyu's gaze, and saw Huo Zhiyu's round eyes blinking at her cunningly.
The last time Huo Zhiyu fell into the water, the news was not spread outside. Few people who attended the wedding banquet that day knew about it. Even Ge Yuanhui who was standing by felt it was strange.
The empress dowager's eyesight was not very good, so when she got closer, she only saw a little girl with black hair, fair skin, a pair of clear almond eyes, who looked well-behaved and clever, with some baby fat on her cheeks. She was dressed in gold and jade, but it did not look tacky. Instead, her face looked cheerful, which made people happy.
Although she was not as beautiful as Fu Rongxin and Ge Yuanhui, she had a face that was loved by the elders.
The Queen Mother couldn't help but smile: "You are the princess chosen by the Emperor for Chong'er, right?"
Xue Zhiyi said obediently, "Your Majesty has bestowed upon me this honor. I am truly honored."
Before she finished speaking, the empress dowager took out a golden phoenix hairpin from her hair and put it on Xue Zhiyi's bun with her own hands.
Everyone was stunned, especially Ge Yuanhui.
This filigree golden phoenix hairpin was the Empress Dowager's favorite, and she gifted it to Xue Zhiyi like this!? But I've never seen the Empress Dowager approve of this future granddaughter-in-law before!
The Queen Mother smiled with her brows slightly wrinkled, as if looking at a beloved younger generation. She said softly, "My dear child, your parents must have loved you very much to have raised you so well. When I saw this, I couldn't help but feel partial to you. I will give this hairpin to you. It is very suitable."
Xue Zhiyi knew that the Queen Mother rewarded her because she saved Huo Zhiyu, but since the Queen Mother didn't say it clearly, she didn't say it either.
She simply kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
Those who had just ridiculed Xue Zhiyi now looked at each other in bewilderment: Could it be that she was granted marriage because the Queen Mother loved her so much? But on what basis? What was so special about Xue Zhiyi that she could be so favored by the Queen Mother?
Seeing them like this, Shen Qingtang raised his chin and whispered, "A bunch of villains who only know how to gossip and gossip, naturally they don't understand the Queen Mother's vision!"
Zhao Lian glared at her fiercely, her teeth aching, but she still couldn't say a word.
"Stand up and take a seat," said the Queen Mother.
When the maid brought a chair, Huo Zhiyu ordered, "Put the chair here. I want to sit next to Sister Zhiyi."
Then he smiled at Xue Zhiyi again, took her hand and sat next to her.
Ge Yuanhui looked at it and his expression almost collapsed.
Logically speaking, Huo Zhiyu and Xue Zhiyi were not familiar with each other, so why were they so close? Xue Zhiyi was clearly such an unknown person, so why did he inexplicably win the favor of the Queen Mother?
Ge Yuanhui originally thought that with his own qualifications and the Queen Mother's favor for him, he would be able to replace Xue Zhiyi, the unworthy future princess, sooner or later.
Even if one day Xue Zhiyi really married into Prince Gong's Mansion, she would be unfamiliar with the place and would have a hard time without the acceptance and help of other royal family members. How long could she be a princess?
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