The words that Pushen said echoed in Andaman's ears again and again, from the appearance of Uhagalou in the Prince Chen's Mansion to the Jinyiwei killing almost all the Hao people he sent, just to cut the grass and root out the roots, leaving Pushen alone to escape death...
Andaman's fists were clenched tightly together in his wide cuffs.
He had long suspected that the Emperor of Daqi and the Prince of Chen were deliberately discordant in order to lower his guard. If this suspicion was true, then the marriage between the two countries would probably not be so smooth.
The behavior of the Emperor of Da Qi today was tantamount to once again confirming his previous guess that the emperor was not really intending to marry his princess to the prince of their Hao Kingdom.
The emperor sneered, his anger rising again, and asked back: "Uhajialou has already returned to your country in September, what does the prince mean by asking me?!"
The emperor's voice was neither loud nor soft, and his tone became cold. He decided that he would teach the man in front of him a lesson today.
To Andaman, it sounded like the emperor was lying with his eyes open.
Andaman became even angrier, his brown eyes once again filled with rage as he thought of yesterday.
Yesterday, Andaman and the second prince Gu Nanzhao went to Baiyun Temple to pray.
After praying, he planned to leave with Gu Nanzhao. When he was about to leave the temple, he heard Lange casually mention the seven stupas in the temple. Andaman changed his mind temporarily and turned back to pay his respects to the seven stupas.
There were not many pilgrims in the area of the stupa. At that time, Andaman saw from afar Gu Jue and a man in green clothes wearing a veil standing between several stupas.
Although they were far away and the man in blue was wearing a veil, Andaman still recognized him from the back. It was Uhakalou.
Andaman is 120% sure that he will never admit his mistake!
At that moment, Andaman signaled his subordinates to give chase, thinking that it would be best to block Gu Jue and Uhagalou in the temple and catch them in the act, so that Gu Jue would not be able to deny it.
Unfortunately, the person was lost.
Even later, when Andaman pretended that he had lost his jade pendant and asked Gu Nanzhao to find some imperial guards from Da Qi to guard the front, back and side doors of the temple and search the entire Baiyun Temple inside and out, they still did not find Gu Jue and Wuhagalou.
It was as if Gu Jue and Wuhejialou had disappeared from this temple out of thin air.
Yesterday, Andaman suspected that there was something wrong with Gu Nanzhao.
This was in Qi State, how could he not find anyone, unless Gu Nanzhao was interfering! The evidence was laid out before him, and the truth was clear!
In just a moment, Andaman's back was covered in cold sweat and the hair on the back of his neck stood up, but his face remained unshakable.
He sneered and curled his lips, and questioned the emperor again: "Your Majesty, do you still want to get married?!"
Andaman's tone was already very impolite and sharp, like a slap in the emperor's face.
The emperor and Andaman's eyes collided more intensely, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
The emperor held his breath, raised his voice three points, and said almost word by word: "I have already said that we will discuss it after the new year. If you don't want to wait, then don't wait."
The hall was silent again.
This time, Andaman couldn't stay any longer, so he left with a heavy wave of his sleeves, leaving behind a resolute back.
The hall became even quieter; you could hear a pin drop.
The emperor looked at Andaman's receding back, his right hand tightly gripping the armrest, veins bulging on his forehead and the back of his hand, and he felt hatred in his heart.
He was just an envoy, but he actually gave him a cold shoulder! The emperor's original intention was just to destroy the prestige of Andaman and the Nanhao people, and force the Nanhao people to choose between him and Gu Jue, and not to have the best of both worlds. But now the emperor has been irritated by Andaman and has long forgotten his original intention.
The women present didn't utter a word from beginning to end, and there was no room for them to interrupt, so they could only play deaf and dumb.
The Queen didn't know what the Emperor's plans for the marriage were, and she was confused and uncertain.
She thought for a moment and spoke carefully: "Your Majesty..."
She wanted to ask a few questions, but just as she opened her mouth, she was interrupted by the emperor in displeasure: "Stop making so much noise. I have a terrible headache."
The queen was inexplicably scolded by the emperor and her face looked unhappy.
The emperor said nothing more, just stood up and left. Although he was wearing bright yellow, his back looked particularly gloomy, as if covered by a layer of faint gray mist.
Everyone's eyes were on the emperor, and they just watched quietly as the emperor's back disappeared from everyone's sight.
The female relatives around became even quieter, and no one dared to speak, for fear of offending the Queen.
Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen were both indifferent to the matter and were at peace.
Queen Mother Yin drank a sip of tea gracefully. When she wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, she saw Chu Qianchen blinking quickly at her in a meaningful manner.
Queen Mother Yin was a smart person. She immediately understood what Chu Qianchen meant and curled the corners of her lips slightly.
The handkerchief just happened to hide her faint smile.
The emperor is now forming an alliance between the two countries with Nan Hao, which is not a good thing for the country or the people, especially since the one sitting on the throne of Nan Hao is a fake emperor who killed his brother and usurped the throne.
From the tense relationship between the Emperor and Prince Andaman just now, Queen Mother Yin could roughly guess that from the time Andaman arrived in the capital in October to now, the relationship between Andaman and the Emperor had gone from being friendly to each other in the beginning to almost breaking up now. She thought her son must have done a lot of things in secret.
Thinking of this, the smile on Empress Dowager Yin's lips deepened a little. When she put down the handkerchief, her expression returned to normal, and it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.
Queen Mother Yin patted the back of Chu Qianchen's hand gently and said nothing.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged looks that only they themselves understood.
"Aunt Jiuhuang."
At this time, the third princess Anle walked quickly to Chu Qianchen and Queen Mother Yin, showing a brilliant smile. Then, she also greeted Queen Mother Yin: "Greetings, Grandmother."
When Anle doesn't smile, she still has a noble and gentle temperament. When she smiles, she looks a little cute and innocent.
Her smile was as clean as a flawless piece of white paper, and as pure as clear water without impurities.
Anle is the protagonist today. Both the coming-of-age ceremony and the marriage are related to her, but she is not affected at all by what happened just now, and she can't understand the tense atmosphere at the moment.
Queen Mother Yin took Anle's hand and said with a loving smile: "Good child, you are an adult today." She put a pair of imperial green bracelets on Anle's wrists as a gift for her coming-of-age ceremony.
Putting aside other messy matters, Queen Mother Yin sincerely felt that the third princess should not go through with the marriage.
The third princess had a serious illness when she was young and had a high fever that wouldn't go away for several days and nights. The doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau were helpless. The queen was desperate and tried every possible method. In the end, she drank talisman water that she got from somewhere and her fever went away.
But after waking up, the third princess seemed to remain forever at the age of seven or eight, ignorant and naive.
In fact, the eunuchs, palace maids, tutors around the third princess, and the tutors who taught the princesses in the study room all knew about this. But no one dared to talk about it, for fear of angering the queen.
The emperor and empress should of course keep a mentally impaired child like the third princess by their side. Even if she wants to get married, she should do so under the emperor and empress's noses. If the third princess is allowed to marry in a foreign country thousands of miles away, she will probably not live long.
There was some sadness on Empress Dowager Yin's face, and she sighed quietly in her heart. It was just that the emperor and empress only considered their own interests.
Yuan Zhitong and Anle's other study partner also followed and bowed appropriately to Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen.
The skin on Yuan Zhitong's face looked three points whiter than usual, and she had a thick layer of powder on her face, but even so, the powder could not cover the swelling on her right forehead.
She fell down at Wanqing Restaurant yesterday, and the swelling on the right corner of her forehead is still painful.
Not only did the wound hurt, her heart also ached.
Originally, she could have taken advantage of the Third Princess's coming-of-age ceremony today to naturally enter the sight of the ladies present, but the Queen felt that her face was injured and it was disgraceful, and she was not suitable to be the Third Princess's hostess, so she let Miss Lu take over.
If Miss Lu hadn't walked in front of her yesterday, Yuan Zhitong would have almost suspected that it was Miss Lu who stepped on her skirt and that was why she fell down the stairs...
Yuan Zhitong looked at Chu Qianchen for a while, then couldn't help but look towards Miss Lu Ba, biting her lower lip slightly, over and over again.
Gradually, the queen on the Phoenix throne also came to her senses.
The queen still felt hot on her face and unhappy after being slapped in the face by the emperor in public. However, the emperor could walk away in anger, but she could not.
Otherwise, my daughter's coming-of-age ceremony today would have become a joke.
The queen pulled herself together, pretending nothing had happened, and called all the ladies to move to the imperial garden.
Not only did the palace hold a banquet today to entertain the guests, but the Queen also specially arranged for a troupe from the Music Bureau to come to the palace to perform to entertain everyone.
The female members of the family all responded in agreement, chatting and laughing as if what had just happened had never happened.
"Mother, you like watching plays, so come with us and join in the fun." The Queen came over in person to invite Queen Mother Yin, followed by Miss Lu Ba, several princesses and other concubines.
Over the past two months, the Queen had become more and more attentive to Empress Dowager Yin. Except for the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, she would also bring Princess Anle and several other princesses to Shouning Palace to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Yin from time to time, euphemistically calling it "being in her lap".
Before Empress Dowager Yin answered, Yuan Zhitong smiled and reached out to support Empress Dowager Yin's arm, saying affectionately: "Aunt, I still remember that the last performance of "Mu Guiying Takes Command" was so good, that female warrior's singing skills were really amazing..."
"Mu Guiying Takes Command" was the play that Empress Dowager Yin ordered when she was watching a play in Changyin Pavilion when Empress October held a flower-viewing banquet in the palace.
However, Queen Mother Yin said calmly: "It's just that his singing skills are passable."
Yuan Zhitong's expression froze slightly, and his face, which had been painted as white as a wall, suddenly turned deathly pale.
Chu Qianchen naturally took Empress Dowager Yin's right arm and said nonchalantly, "The martial arts and craftsmanship are a little lacking."
The queen glanced at Yuan Zhitong casually, and her eyes became even colder.
Many of the women around saw through it but didn't say anything, looking at Yuan Zhitong with a hint of a smile in their eyes.
The crowd surrounded Queen Mother Yin and the Queen like stars surrounding the moon and headed towards the Imperial Garden.
Today's palace banquet is held in a flower hall in the Imperial Garden, and the stage is set up outside the flower hall. People can enjoy the banquet while watching plays and dances in the flower hall, or they can go to the warm pavilion in the plum blossom forest to admire the flowers.
It was still early and the banquet had not officially begun yet, so the palace maids served the guests some tea, fruits, snacks, etc.
Some people sat down to watch a show, some chatted and laughed, and some were still walking outside the hall.
Normally, the third princess Anle could not sit still at all, but today she was the protagonist and she was wearing a heavy dress, making it difficult for her to move, so she had to sit obediently beside the queen and drink scented tea.
At this moment, the queen has regained her usual noble grace, elegance and grace.
Without even looking at it, she handed the play script to Anle, and turned her head to look at Queen Mother Yin and Princess Li, and said with a smile: "Mother, Imperial Aunt, recently there was a play script called "Xiang Fei Fan" published in the capital, which was quite popular. I also heard a few passages sung by people and found it quite interesting, so I asked the Music Bureau to arrange it. It's a good opportunity to sing it for everyone today."
Since the Queen was in this mood, other people naturally wouldn't say anything. Princess Liqin, Princess Shun and others even said something like "all thanks to the Queen" and "let's try something new today".
The maid was startled for a moment, then knelt down and responded.
"Mother, you haven't been sleeping well recently, have you?" Chu Qianchen said to Queen Mother Yin, "If you drink too much strong tea, you won't be able to sleep well. If you really want to drink, try to drink Dahongpao and Pu'er tea. These two kinds of tea are mild in nature and suitable for you."
Queen Mother Yin laughed: "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."
Nanny He nodded frequently beside the Queen Mother, as if to say that what Chu Qianchen said was right.
Miss Lu Ba, who was beside the Queen, was initially paying attention to what Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen were talking about, but when she saw that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were just talking about tea, she found it boring.
After the chrysanthemum tea came up, Chu Qianchen put a piece of sugar in the tea, winked at Queen Mother Yin with a smile, and then personally served the chrysanthemum tea with added ingredients to her.
In the flower hall, the opera script was still being passed among the female members of the family; outside the flower hall, two actors had already started singing on the stage. They were a pair of beautiful sisters, the elder sister was gentle and elegant, while the younger sister was lively and lovely, and each of them had her own strengths.
This is a literary drama, and the atmosphere on stage is leisurely and tranquil.
The female guests gathered in groups of three or four, watching the show while chatting about family matters and telling gossips about the capital.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
The queen took a sip of tea, put down the teacup casually, and suddenly turned her head to look at Miss Lu Ba beside her. She followed Miss Lu Ba's line of sight and raised her eyebrows.
"Xianjing, why are you staring at Princess Chen?" the Queen asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Lu Xianjing then withdrew her gaze a little awkwardly, pursed her lips as if a little embarrassed, and gently called "cousin".
The queen stroked her sleeves gracefully, her red nails making her fingers look particularly white. She said affectionately, "Xianjing, you haven't seen her before, have you? This is the Princess of Chen. Her appearance is top notch in the entire capital. Just looking at her is pleasing to the eye and you can't bear to look away. Don't you think so?"
The Queen's voice was neither loud nor soft; the princesses and princesses who were nearby all heard it and could taste something of it.
The Queen's words seemed to be praising Chu Qianchen, but the implicit implication was as if Chu Qianchen had no other advantages except his looks, which was a hidden ulterior motive.
Princess Li frowned in dissatisfaction and looked back and forth between the Queen and Lu Xianjing.
The other princesses exchanged meaningful glances with each other.
"Cousin, I have seen the princess. I ran into Princess Chen by chance in a restaurant yesterday," Lu Xianjing smiled at the queen.
She paused, sighed, and looked at Chu Qianchen again, "It's a pity that the princess doesn't know me, so I couldn't talk to her."
"Sister Tong is here too, she's crying because she's so aggrieved..."
Lu Xianjing's words were ambiguous, implying that Chu Qianchen was arrogant, especially the last sentence which was clearly spoken to Queen Mother Yin.
In the flower hall, more and more eyes were directed towards the Queen and Chu Qianchen, and most people had no interest in watching the stage outside.
The plays outside are not as exciting as those here!
"Sister Jing, please stop talking." Yuan Zhitong gently interrupted Lu Xianjing, rubbing her handkerchief a little awkwardly, "It's not like that. It's because I don't know how to speak that my cousin's wife is unhappy."
Yuan Zhitong's eyes turned slightly, and she slowly lowered her long, thick eyelashes.
After returning from the Xiyuan Palace, she originally wanted to find Queen Mother Yin to complain about Chu Qianchen, but after she tried to test the Queen Mother Yin once or twice, she found that she was not interested in it, so she endured it and never complained.
Lu Xianjing sighed at the right time.
Queen Mother Yin put down the cup of sweet chrysanthemum tea in her hand and raised her eyebrows: "Oh?"
"Aunt, it's my fault." Yuan Zhitong said anxiously, with an extremely complicated expression on her face. She pursed her lips tightly, as if some words were about to come to her lips, but she swallowed them back.
This scene made the onlookers imagine a lot and wonder if there was any hidden story behind it.
There was silence in the flower hall.
The actors on the stage continued to sing diligently and conscientiously, and the music of the erhu was loud, melodious and pleasant.
Queen Mother Yin glanced at Yuan Zhitong and Lu Xianjing and said calmly, "It is the greatest virtue to correct one's mistakes. Since you know you are wrong, why don't you apologize to the princess?"
Yuan Zhitong: “…”
Lu Xianjing: “…”
Lu Xianjing's eyelashes twitched. Queen Mother Yin's words clearly meant that Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Pei Gong. She must have said it deliberately for her to hear.
Lu Xianjing only felt that the sneering eyes around her were all cast on her. A gloomy look appeared on her forehead, and even her pretty facial features were tinged with a hint of ferocity.
The queen clenched her handkerchief and suddenly cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention again.
She smiled gently and said, "Mother, you may not know yet, but when we were in the hunting palace, Zhitong had already offered tea to my ninth brother's wife, but she refused to accept it."
"I think Zhitong is your niece after all, so it's not good for my ninth brother's wife to be like this."
The queen looked at Chu Qianchen again and sighed softly. Her expression and eyes seemed to say that Chu Qianchen was too narrow-minded.
Queen Mother Yin turned to look at Chu Qianchen and asked softly, "Really?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhitong's heart beat faster and his eyes showed anticipation.
This was clearly a signal that Queen Mother Yin was dissatisfied with Chu Qianchen!
The queen's heart also moved and she curled her red lips.
The human heart is the most complicated, yet the simplest. No matter how affectionate Queen Mother Yin and Chu Qianchen seem, they are still mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, not real mother and daughter, so it is impossible for them to be so close.
When they have a common enemy, they may be able to unite against the outside world, but Yuan Zhitong is the niece of the Queen Mother, and people like to protect their own people. Chu Qianchen slapped Yuan Zhitong in the face in public, which was just a disdain for the Queen Mother. It is no wonder that the Queen Mother would be dissatisfied.
At this time, Princess Li interrupted and said, "Qianchen is a princess. If you want to forgive, then forgive. If you don't want to forgive, what right does a mere servant have to interfere?"
The Queen's expression changed slightly, her eyes suddenly turned cold, and shot towards the Princess of Li like a sharp arrow.
Princess Li didn't seem to notice it at all, and said to Queen Mother Yin, "Sister-in-law, I think your daughter-in-law is very well behaved, smart and generous, and we get along very well. It must be that your niece is too reckless and doesn't know it."
The cup of chrysanthemum tea in Queen Mother Yin's hand was almost empty. She still felt a little unsatisfied, and nodded with a sigh, "Indeed, Zhitong is young and not very stable in her work."
Queen: “…”
Yuan Zhitong: “…”
Under the strange and subtle looks of the Queen and Yuan Zhitong, Queen Mother Yin continued calmly: "Zhitong, as the third princess's companion, aren't you accompanying the third princess?"
Just at this moment, a clear and soft female voice was heard: "Okay!"
Two tables away, the third princess Anle sat in her seat, clapping excitedly, clapping, clapping, until the palms of her hands turned red.
At this moment, the applause seemed extremely ironic.
Yuan Zhitong reacted suddenly, her face visibly turning red, until it turned red and she looked embarrassed.
Yes, she was the third princess's study companion. Logically, she should stay by the third princess's side and serve her, instead of sitting with the queen.
This matter is not a big deal, but it is not a small matter either. At least, these so-called nobles can scold her for being disrespectful to the princess and having no rules! Yuan Zhitong's eyes condensed, and the scenes of Chu Qianhuang being scolded by the queen at the last flower viewing banquet instantly flashed through his mind.
She felt her throat tighten and her heart seemed to suddenly shrink into a ball.
In just a moment, Yuan Zhitong had realized the stakes and admitted his mistake very obediently: "My cousin's aunt taught me right."
Yuan Zhitong took two steps towards Anle, bowed and apologized to Anle: "Your Highness, it's my fault."
Anle was still watching the show, his eyes were like shining gems, he shook his hands and said casually: "It's good to know your mistakes."
After a pause, Anle added casually: "Remember to change it."
“…”
“…”
“…”
The others around were all stunned at the scene.
Queen Mother Yin tapped the coffee table twice casually and said, "Why don't you offer tea?!"
"Why don't you go and give the Third Princess a cup of tea?"
Her voice was very slow, but her words seemed to carry the power of thunder.
Queen: “!!!”
Yuan Zhitong: “!!!”
Yuan Zhitong and the Queen were both frozen, their bodies and minds seemed to be frozen, and they were unable to react for a while.
Without waiting for them to speak, Empress Dowager Yin raised her hand and gestured to Nanny He, who immediately brought over a cup of tea.
"Miss Yuan." Nanny He presented the tea to Yuan Zhitong with a smile on her face.
Nanny He seemed to be smiling and friendly as usual, but Yuan Zhitong now felt that she was not smiling from the inside.
Yuan Zhitong's heart sank little by little, as if falling into a bottomless abyss, and her limbs felt cold...
Queen Mother Yin was still tapping her knuckles carelessly, over and over again, and sighed, "I have been in the palace for so long that I didn't even know that nowadays one needs to offer tea before apologizing. I am really old. Let's offer tea then."
Queen Mother Yin shook her head and sighed, as if she was just an old woman who did not understand worldly things.
Queen Mother Yin was only in her forties and had taken good care of herself. In the past few months, Chu Qianchen had taken good care of her. Her complexion was rosy and her appearance was radiant. She looked no more than forty years old. It seemed a bit incongruous for her to say this.
The other female relatives around had strange expressions on their faces, looking at Yuan Zhitong with burning eyes that could not be described as sympathy, ridicule or sighing.
In the Great Qi Dynasty, usually, unmarried girls would only serve tea to their own elders. If a girl served tea to outsiders, it would only be to her mistress, which meant that the girl was either a slave or a concubine.
(End of this chapter)