Chapter 824: The Queen Mother's Trouble
After sending Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong away, Daohua sat in the house and recalled what Luo Qiong had done during this period.
After Xiao Yeyang returned from the yamen, he saw that Daohua hadn't noticed him. He quietly walked over and hugged her from behind: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed?"
Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang coming back and immediately smiled: "I miss Luo Qiong."
Xiao Yeyang sat down in Daohua's seat, holding her on his lap and sitting sideways, then asked, "What happened to her?"
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang and tapped his chest with her hand: "Do you know what Luo Qiong said to me today?"
Xiao Yeyang grabbed Daohua's hand, brought it to his lips and pecked at it, then asked nonchalantly, "What did you say?"
Daohua pulled her hand back and glanced at Xiao Yeyang: "She said you were keeping a mistress outside."
Xiao Yeyang, who was originally comfortable, suddenly sat up straight with a cold face. Seeing Daohua blinking her almond-shaped eyes at him with curiosity in them, his expression slowly relaxed and he leaned back in his chair.
Daohua was immediately displeased when she saw Xiao Yeyang didn't say anything. She pushed him and said, "Hey, why don't you just deny it and then show your loyalty or something?"
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua with a smile, stretched out his hand to lift her chin, and asked her to look directly at him: "Do you and I still need these? What are my feelings? Don't you know?"
Daohua pushed Xiao Yeyang's hand away: "Sometimes feelings need to be expressed."
Before she could finish her words, Daohua felt her body leaning back, and then her mouth was blocked by Xiao Yeyang.
After a passionate kiss, Daohua placed her hands weakly on Xiao Yeyang's shoulders, buried her head in his chest, panting, and glared at Xiao Yeyang, who was smiling.
Xiao Yeyang: "This expression is sincere enough, right? If you think it's not enough, we can move the battlefield." Then he lowered his head and kissed Daohua's ear, "I will let you feel my heart."
Daohua rolled her eyes and didn't want to talk to this person anymore.
Xiao Yeyang smiled, then bent down and kissed Daohua's cheek.
Feeling that Xiao Yeyang's hands on her body were starting to become inappropriate, Daohua quickly stood up from his arms and stood in front of the dressing mirror to straighten her clothes.
Xiao Yeyang laughed a few times, but soon the smile on his face faded and a cold look appeared in his eyes.
Luo Qiong is a very good person. He even brought a green hat to the palace, but he still dared to stir up trouble!
After finishing her clothes, Daohua stood by the window, watering the flowers in the vase while saying, "Luo Qiong gave Xiao Yechen a sterilizing drug and now he's so eager to cause trouble for us, as if he's determined to fight for the title of the royal palace. What does this mean?"
Seeing Xiao Yeyang's gloomy face and silent words, Daohua continued, "It shows that she values the baby in her belly very much, and that she loves the father of the child very much. Do you think the man who caught Luo Qiong's eye would be an ordinary person?"
As she spoke, Daohua seemed to have thought of something. She put down the kettle in her hand, walked to Xiao Yeyang, put her arms around his neck and sat on his lap.
"The situation at the Duke of Wei's mansion is so complicated. Do you think Luo Qiong might not be the Duke of Wei's biological daughter? For example, the Duke of Wei's wife took the wrong child when she gave birth, or maybe Luo Qiong is just an adopted daughter or something like that."
Looking at Daohua, whose eyes were full of gossip, Xiao Yeyang said helplessly: "What are you thinking? Luo Qiong is the biological daughter of Duke Weiguo."
Daohua said "Oh" and looked a little regretful: "If that's the case, then the man outside Luo Qiong can't be Luo Honghao."
Xiao Yeyang rubbed his forehead tiredly: "What kind of nonsense books do you usually read? Luo Honghao, I have people watching him every day."
Daohua: "Okay, I was mistaken." Then, she shook Xiao Yeyang, "Then who do you think Luo Qiong is with outside?"
Xiao Yeyang narrowed his eyes: "I was thinking about this person too."
At this moment, Wang Maner's voice came from outside the house: "Girl."
Daohua got up from Xiao Yeyang: "Come in."
Wang Maner walked into the bedroom and said, "Miss, son-in-law, someone just came from the palace and said that the Queen Mother heard that the eldest grandmother is pregnant and asked her to come to the palace to talk tomorrow morning."
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang looked at each other and said, "I understand."
Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother held Luo Qiong's hand, and smiled as she praised her granddaughter-in-law to the ladies in the palace who were also invited into the palace to chat with her.
Since Jiang Jinghui's death, the Queen Mother has been seriously ill. She has been recuperating for several months and is only now almost recovered.
Luo Qiong felt uneasy, not knowing why the Queen Mother was suddenly so nice to her. Looking at her mother-in-law who was just grinning foolishly, she could only pretend to be well-behaved and sit beside her.
"By the way, I remember that Princess Shengping has been married into the palace for almost half a year. Does she have any good news?"
The Queen Mother suddenly mentioned the rice flowers, and everyone present couldn't help but perk up.
Princess Ma immediately replied, "Not yet."
Princess Yong thought about her own prince asking her to help the Princess of Shengping more. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "The Yeyang couple are still young. They have only been married for less than half a year. There is no need to rush."
The Queen Mother glanced at the old Princess Yong calmly and said, "I am old now. I don't know when I will go to see the late emperor. Before I go, I want to see that my grandchildren have successors. That way, I can explain to the late emperor."
When it comes to the late emperor, no one present is sure what to say.
The Queen Mother looked at Princess Ma and said, "I heard that Yeyang still doesn't even have a concubine? How do you manage to be the mistress of the palace? Although Yeyang is not your biological son, there are some things you should take charge of."
Princess Ma did not expect the Queen Mother to suddenly attack her, and she quickly knelt down to apologize.
Luo Qiong, who was standing by, thought for a moment and then knelt down. "The Queen Mother is very discerning. It's not that Mother doesn't want to take care of this, it's that Mother can't."
"Before, when Mother saw that there was no one in my second brother's room, she wanted to give him a concubine. Unfortunately, my second brother's wife rejected her idea outright. She also threatened that Mother had no right to interfere in the affairs of Pingxi Hall."
Hearing this, the Queen Mother's face suddenly darkened: "You are disrespectful to my mother. This Princess Shengping is really great."
Princess Yong and others couldn't help but look at Luo Qiong.
The Queen Mother said directly to the nanny beside her, "Pick out two beautiful palace maids and personally send them to the palace. I want to see if Princess Shengping will reject even the one I have recommended."
Upon hearing the Queen Mother's words, Princess Ma immediately showed joy on her face, but Luo Qiong did not react at all.
They were just two palace maids. Even if they were sent by the Empress Dowager, once they entered Pingxi Hall, they could be placed in any courtyard. Could the Empress Dowager force Xiao Yeyang to enter their room? They could not cause any substantial harm to Yan Yiyi at all.
Suddenly, Luo Qiong felt a strong gaze falling on her. When she looked up, she found that the Queen Mother was looking at her meaningfully.
The Queen Mother pointed at the two maids brought up by Nanny and asked, "Wife Yechen, what do you think of these two maids?"
Luo Qiong's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly understood that the Queen Mother wanted to use her to deal with Xiao Yeyang and his wife.
Thinking of the child in her belly, Luo Qiong didn't hesitate and said directly: "The people in the Empress Dowager's palace are naturally excellent, but my second brother has high standards and I think he prefers girls from official families."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ladies in the hall looked at Luo Qiong, secretly thinking that Luo Qiong was very powerful.
Maids, even those in the Empress Dowager's palace, were merely high-ranking servants. If they were thrown into the backyard, no one would care about their life or death.
But it is different for girls from officials' families. Even if they are just concubines, they have their parents' family to rely on. Xiao Yeyang and Shengping County Master have to take them into consideration. Besides, since it was given by the empress dowager, they cannot make things too difficult for them.
Luo Qiong is really good at this!
The Queen Mother looked at Luo Qiong with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Yeyang is the legitimate son of the royal family. Taking the daughters of officials as concubines is not an insult to them." Then she looked at the people in the hall and asked, "Do you have any suitable candidates?"
Madam Jiang immediately said, "In my opinion, the concubines of the Zhaode Marquis's and Yongqing Marquis's families are very good."
The Queen Mother immediately looked at the women of the two families and started chatting with them on the spot.
Old Princess Yong frowned as she watched this scene, knowing in her heart that the Queen Mother had obviously come prepared today and was determined to make things difficult for Xiao Yeyang and his wife.
Princess Ma looked at Luo Qiong with a smile and whispered, "You did the right thing today. I really want to see Yan Yi's face change color."
Luo Qiong also had a smile on his face.
If Xiao Yeyang accepted the concubine that the Empress Dowager had pointed out, given Yan Yiyi's personality, the two would definitely become estranged in the future; if Xiao Yeyang disagreed and disobeyed the Empress Dowager, he would be in great trouble under the pressure of filial piety.
After hearing Madam Han and Madam Fang introduce their concubines, the Queen Mother decided on the spot to appoint them as concubines to Xiao Yeyang.
The ladies present could see clearly the speed, and the Queen Mother must have informed both families long ago.
Feeling everyone's gazes, Mrs. Han smiled, while Mrs. Fang felt powerless.
Luo Qiong didn't expect that the concubines' daughters of these two families would be chosen, and the smile on his face deepened.
The second daughter of the Han family is Yan Yiyi's sister-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Fang family, and the eldest daughter of the Han family. If Yan Yiyi is not good to the two concubines, the relationship between the Yan and Han families will be in vain. What's worse, they might even become enemies.
On one side is her parents' home, and on the other side is her husband. Let's see how Yan Yiyi will choose when the time comes.
However, although Luo Qiong was willing to see Ping Xitang in trouble, he was also very wary and afraid when he thought about how deep the empress dowager's calculations were.
The Queen Mother said: "I heard that Ye Yang has entered the palace. Go and call him over. I will tell him about this happy event."
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Xiao Yeyang had just finished reporting his mission to the emperor when the eunuchs from the Cining Palace arrived.
Hearing that the Queen Mother summoned him, Xiao Yeyang couldn't help but look at the Emperor.
The emperor laughed: "Go." After Jiang Jinghui's death, the Jiang family and the Queen Mother have been very quiet. He now hopes that they will take more action.
Xiao Yeyang nodded and quickly went to the Cining Palace.
As soon as he entered the palace and saw the ladies present, Xiao Yeyang frowned and walked up to the Queen Mother and saluted: "Yeyang pays his respects to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother did not call out immediately, but just looked at Xiao Yeyang indifferently.
When the empress dowager thought about the Lantern Festival night, when Xiao Yeyang was also on the lampstand and successfully rescued the eldest prince and the fourth prince, but turned a blind eye to Jinghui, she felt extremely resentful.
"Get up!"
Xiao Yeyang straightened up and looked at the Queen Mother: "I wonder if the Queen Mother called Yeyang here for any instructions?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I heard that besides Shengping, you don't even have a maid in your room, so I decided to appoint two concubines for you."
"The people have been chosen. They are the fifth daughter of the Zhaode Marquis's mansion and the fourth daughter of the Yongqing Marquis's mansion. Three days from now is a good day. You can carry them into the palace."
Hearing the Queen Mother's unyielding order, Xiao Yeyang was furious. He suppressed his anger and said with a faint smile, "Queen Mother, Yeyang is busy with his work now and does not need so many people to serve him. Let's just forget about this matter."
The Queen Mother's face immediately darkened. "Yeyang, I didn't discuss this with you." Then she sneered, "I know you and your wife have a good relationship, but don't forget your status. How can you, a legitimate son of a royal family, really want to spend your whole life with only one woman?"
Xiao Yeyang knelt on one knee and said, "Queen Dowager, Yeyang really doesn't need so many people to serve him now. Thank you for your kindness, Queen Dowager."
“Bang!”
The Queen Mother slammed the table and looked at Xiao Yeyang with anger: "Why, do you think that now that you have grown wings, you can disobey me?"
Xiao Yeyang looked up at the empress dowager who was instantly angry, and saw the deep hatred in her eyes, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
"What's going on?"
The Emperor suddenly stepped into the Cining Palace and looked at the Queen Mother with a smile: "Queen Mother, did Ye Yang make you angry?"
The Queen Mother glanced at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you've come at the perfect time. I've taken a liking to the girls from the Zhaode and Yongqing Marquis' mansions and wanted to introduce them to Yeyang. Unfortunately, Yeyang doesn't appreciate it and only wants to live his life alone with Shengping. Tell me about him."
After hearing what happened, the emperor showed no reaction on his face. He smiled faintly and said, "Queen Dowager, Yeyang just got married not long ago, and the couple is still in love. If you point him in now, he will certainly not be willing to go. Let's wait for a while."
The empress dowager looked at the emperor angrily and said, "Emperor, I don't even have the power to appoint someone for my grandson now?" As she spoke, she began to breathe heavily.
"Empress Dowager!"
The nanny beside her exclaimed and hurried over to help the empress dowager calm down.
Unexpectedly, the empress dowager's breathing became more and more rapid. After a while, she couldn't breathe and fainted.
Seeing the palace servants hurriedly sending the empress dowager into the inner room, the emperor and Xiao Yeyang looked unhappy.
After a moment of silence, the Emperor looked at the trembling ladies in the palace and said with a smile, "Everyone, please leave the palace. I will personally watch over the Empress Dowager."
Everyone didn't dare to stay any longer and left quickly.
At the morning court the next day, several imperial censors jointly reported Xiao Yeyang, saying that he was disobedient to the empress dowager, disrespectful to his elders, and was unfaithful and unfilial.
The emperor looked at the imperial censors calmly and asked with a smile, "So, in your opinion, how should we deal with him?"
The censors fell silent.
The Emperor looked around at the officials and said, "The Empress Dowager did suffer a relapse of her old illness yesterday. So, I am dismissing Xiao Yeyang from his post and relieving him of his duties. What do you all think?"
The officials lowered their heads and said nothing.
After a while, Yang Chenghua, after gazing at the emperor's expression, was the first to speak out: "Your Majesty is wise."
Other officials immediately followed suit: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Pingxi Hall.
Xiao Yeyang was lying leisurely on the beauty chair, his head resting on Daohua's legs, and he was enjoying himself while Daohua trimmed his nails.
"You're relieved that you've lost your job."
Xiao Yeyang bit into a peach with a "crunch" sound and said vaguely, "I haven't had a rest for a long time. It's time for me to take a vacation."
Daohua glanced at him with a smile, was silent for a moment, and then said, "Luo Qiong has been jumping too much lately. It makes me sad to see her like that, so I want to teach her a lesson."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, "Whatever you want."
Daohua: "Is it going to ruin your business?"
Xiao Yeyang shook his head: "The Duke of Wei's Mansion is hiding too deeply. Maybe if we move Luo Qiong, we might be able to find a breakthrough."
With this, Daohua felt relieved and began to think about how to tell Ma's mother and son that the baby in Luo Qiong's belly was not in the right month.
Two chapters posted together
(End of this chapter)
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