After the emperor returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chen Feng emerged from the shadows. He reported to the emperor with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, I have thoroughly investigated. This noble lady, Gu, knew Qin Huaian from her youth, and..." At this point, Chen Feng paused.
The emperor frowned upon seeing this and urged, "And what? Tell me!"
Chen Feng took a deep breath and continued, "And this Concubine Gu has an unusual relationship with the Empress Xianfei." As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Feng felt a layer of sweat on his forehead.
Upon hearing this news, Emperor Wu of Yan's face instantly darkened. He stared intently at Chen Feng, a murderous glint in his eyes. Chen Feng, trembling with fear at the Emperor's gaze, hurriedly continued, "Noble Lady Gu's scheming is incredibly complex. She appears innocent on the surface, but in reality, she's more complex than that. She and Concubine Xian were close friends in their boudoir, but she's secretly colluding with Prince Qin, whom Concubine Xian is about to marry. I'm afraid she has ulterior motives for entering the palace..."
Emperor Wu of Yan exuded a strong murderous intent, his eyes cold and serious. "Continue to investigate her true motives for entering the palace! At the same time, send Chen Yu to secretly guard Concubine Xian and ensure her safety!"
Chen Feng respectfully replied, "As you command... I'll do it right away." He then quietly vanished into the shadows, but he couldn't help but think to himself: I'll have to tell Chen Yu to protect the Concubine Xian wholeheartedly. After all, this Concubine held a very special place in the Emperor's heart!
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and the palace was filled with a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
All the concubines gathered in Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress. Gu Xiangling immediately noticed Jiang Meiyu had also arrived. A flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed her emotion and hurried forward, saying respectfully, "Greetings to my elder sister."
Jiang Meiyu simply responded calmly, "No need to be polite, sister."
At this time, Concubine Zhang Shu said, "Sister Xianfei, I heard that you and Guiren Gu were close friends when you were in the boudoir. Now you two sisters are serving the emperor together in this palace. What a deep bond you have!" Although she spoke politely, she was thinking in her heart, "What sisters? Humph! There is no real sisterhood in this palace. I want to see whether your so-called sisterhood is true or false." These words were apparently praising the deep friendship between them, but in fact they were implying that the relationship between Jiang Meiyu and Gu Xiangling was just a fake plastic sisterhood.
After hearing what Concubine Zhang Shu said, Gu Xiangling's face flushed red. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know how to answer. She could only stammer, "Sister... I..."
However, Jiang Meiyu had no intention of listening to her any further. She just waved her hand gently, interrupting Gu Xiangling's words, and then turned and walked towards Concubine Xie Hui.
Concubine Hui was born into a prominent family, the second daughter of the Minister of Revenue. Her excellent education from a young age made her a versatile woman, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her embroidery skills were particularly exceptional, earning her a great reputation throughout the capital.
Jiang Meiyu observed Concubine Hui for a long time and found that she appeared well-educated, quiet and humble, seemingly indifferent to everything and never competing for anything. However, Concubine Hui actually possessed keen insight and profound wisdom, able to understand people's hearts and distinguish right from wrong. These qualities made Concubine Hui stand out from the crowd in the palace.
"How are you, Sister Huifei?" Huifei raised her head involuntarily when she heard the voice, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had never expected that Jiang Meiyu would take the initiative to greet her. She was slightly startled, but soon recovered her composure, and a polite and friendly smile bloomed on her face: "Hello, Sister Xianfei!"
At that moment, the empress finally emerged from the inner hall. She was dressed in a gorgeous phoenix robe, her steps light and graceful, like a blooming peony, attracting everyone's attention. She walked to the main seat and sat down, a dignified and generous smile on her face.
Seeing this, everyone stood up and saluted: "Greetings to the Queen!"
The Queen smiled and waved her hand, saying softly, "Sisters, please don't be polite. Please take a seat!"
At the Queen's command, the maids quickly brought tea and snacks. The Queen personally introduced, "Come here, pour this fine Bamboo Leaf Green tea for you ladies. This is a new tea from this year, with a fresh and elegant taste. Everyone must try it."
The Queen smiled slightly and slowly began to speak, "I heard that His Majesty went to Yongfu Palace last night and not only summoned the new Concubine Gu, but also appreciated the music she played and gave her generous rewards. Concubine Gu is truly blessed!"
Hearing the Queen's words, Gu Xiangling quickly stood up and replied respectfully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind words!"
The Queen continued, "Rainbow, take out the emerald and pearl hairpin that came with my dowry and give it to Concubine Gu."
Caihong showed dissatisfaction on her face and said softly, "But my lady, that hairpin was specially given to you by the old lady as a dowry."
The Queen gently waved her hand and said with a smile, "It's alright. Concubine Gu has won the Emperor's favor, and this also makes me very happy."
Then, the Queen turned to look at Gu Xiangling and said earnestly, "Noble Lady Gu, I hope that you can, like your other sisters, soon give birth to children for the Emperor and add new life to the royal family."
"I thank the Empress for her gift and will definitely remember her teachings!" Gu Xiangling accepted the gift with great joy, her words becoming somewhat incoherent with excitement. She had been racking her brains trying to figure out how to get closer to the Empress, but she had never expected such a good opportunity to come to her on its own initiative. It was simply effortless!
"Noble Lady Gu, I heard that your father is a mighty and renowned general who once served under my father and now serves under my brother. In this case, you must ask my brother to reward your father well. After all, he has raised such an outstanding daughter like you!" The Queen's words sounded like praise, but the deep meaning was self-evident - she was clearly hinting to Gu Xiangling: Your father is just a subordinate of my brother, and the life, death, honor and disgrace of your family are all controlled by me. If you dare to disobey me, the consequences will be disastrous!
"I would like to thank the Queen on behalf of my father," Gu Xiangling replied respectfully.
The queen felt that her goal had been achieved, so she said, "Okay, I'm tired, you can leave now!"
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