In the side hall of Shouning Palace, the table was filled with delicious dishes.
The palace maids and eunuchs in the room all left tactfully. Only Wan Shuang Hou remained by the side, waiting to be sent out at any time.
The Queen Mother personally served a bowl of ginseng, ganoderma and black chicken soup and handed it to the Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince was somewhat flattered and quickly stood up and took it with both hands: "Thank you, Queen Mother."
"I'm so inconsiderate to call you over so late. But I'm so anxious and upset, I really have no choice but to come to you for a consultation."
The Queen Mother was quite helpless, with a hint of fatigue in her eyes.
The Eighth Prince chuckled softly, "The Imperial Concubine is both talented and beautiful, brave and resourceful, and deeply favored by the Emperor. I think she should be able to relieve the Empress Dowager's worries."
"She shared my worries?" The Queen Mother raised her voice, a little colder.
She raised her hand to touch her forehead and sighed deeply: "Old Eight, you probably don't know, but 80% of my worries and sorrows are caused by Shen Mingyue!"
"Oh?" The Eighth Prince frowned, looking puzzled. "What do you mean, Queen Mother? You and the Imperial Concubine... don't you have a good relationship?"
"I was just performing for the emperor. If I say anything harsh to Shen Mingyue, the emperor will turn against me!"
As the Queen Mother spoke, she picked up a silk handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
But these tears seemed to be unable to stop falling.
She sobbed and cried helplessly, "I can't turn against my own son, so I can only compromise and tolerate every step, just hoping that our family can live in harmony."
The Eighth Prince opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.
He lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
The Empress Dowager and Concubine Ming had been fighting for seven or eight years, so it was indeed unbelievable that she suddenly accepted Concubine Ming.
If the Queen Mother was really acting to maintain a harmonious relationship with the Emperor...
This statement is somewhat credible.
It seems that he can still start with the Queen Mother.
After a while, the Eighth Prince sighed deeply and whispered, "Your Majesty is so inconsiderate of you. Queen Mother, please forgive me for being blunt, but you still need someone to rely on."
The Queen Mother smiled bitterly: "The throne is vacant now. If Shen Mingyue becomes the Queen, my life will probably be even more difficult."
"The Empress is not only the Emperor's wife, but also the mother of the nation. We must choose a woman who is well-educated, well-mannered, virtuous, talented, of distinguished birth, gentle and filial. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the people."
The Eighth Prince specifically emphasized the words "gentle and filial".
Obviously, in his opinion, the Queen Mother would definitely not think that Shen Mingyue was a gentle and filial person.
As long as the Queen Mother disagrees, it will not be easy for Shen Mingyue to take the throne.
After all, the empress dowager had always been resourceful, and was even better at using intimidation and inducement, and was very good at controlling the emperor.
If the emperor really disregarded the empress dowager's safety and insisted on making Shen Mingyue the queen, he would surely be branded as unfilial.
"The Emperor doesn't like the woman I like. But I dislike the woman the Emperor likes even more. I think Lan Xin is a pretty good girl."
The Queen Mother couldn't help but smile as she spoke. She seemed to really like Lan Xin.
The Eighth Prince took the opportunity to praise her: "Lan Xin is well-educated, polite, considerate, and filial. She is good in every way, except that she is a little stubborn. Ever since she saw the emperor from afar, she fell in love with him at first sight. From then on, he has been her only thought."
Suddenly realizing something was amiss in his words, he changed the subject and, looking at the Queen Mother, complimented her: "By keeping Lan Xin in the palace, you are Lan Xin's benefactor. She will obey you without hesitation, but she is still very young and needs your guidance on many matters."
The Queen Mother nodded thoughtfully, and then served herself a bowl of ginseng, ganoderma and black chicken soup.
The Eighth Prince looked at the Queen Mother anxiously, waiting for her answer.
The Queen Mother raised her hand and said, "Try it! These dishes were specially prepared by my kitchen. They taste amazing. I was so annoyed by the large crowd at the palace banquet just now that I had no appetite at all. Now I'm really hungry."
After saying that, she picked up the chopsticks again, picked up some dishes and put them on the plate, then began to eat slowly.
The Eighth Prince felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help asking, "The Queen Mother sent someone to call me here specifically. It shouldn't just be that she wants to have dinner with me, right?"
The Queen Mother said, "I suddenly miss the late Emperor very much. Your face is seven points like the late Emperor. I am happy to see you."
“…”
Now, the Eighth Prince really didn’t know what to say.
"We are all family, there is no need to be restrained."
The Queen Mother personally picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and placed it on the plate in front of the Eighth Prince, then picked up another piece of osmanthus cake and savored it slowly herself.
The Eighth Prince couldn't refuse any more, so he picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup.
The soup, made by the best imperial chef using the finest ingredients, naturally tasted great. The Eighth Prince couldn't help but drink a few more sips.
Seeing this, the Queen Mother raised the corners of her mouth slightly.
"Old Eight, I remember that you and the late emperor had a deep bond. Have you ever dreamed of the late emperor in these years?"
The Eighth Prince didn't know why the Queen Mother asked this.
After pondering for a moment, he smiled and said, "I dreamt a lot about things that happened in the past a few days ago."
The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows slightly, showing interest: "Oh? What did you dream about specifically? Tell me about it."
Afraid of saying the wrong thing, the Eighth Prince simply shook his head and feigned helplessness, saying, "I am old, and I don't remember clearly. I only vaguely remember dreaming of my royal brother drinking with you, and the sound of the zither and the harp playing in harmony."
Harmony between the zither and the qin?
The Queen Mother just felt it was a bit ironic.
The late emperor was full of suspicion towards her and never truly loved her. And she also hated the late emperor to the extreme.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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