Chapter 31
This is half true and half false.
She knew better that what Shen Yanzhi needed at this moment was such comfort and understanding.
He had endured the emperor's pressure and the court's wrath to secure this position for her, and he must have felt guilty about it. If she showed even the slightest discontent, it would only push him away.
Sure enough, Shen Yanzhi's eyes softened.
He stared at her for a long moment before sighing, "You're always so sensible." He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. His voice was low, "But, in the palace, the more sensible you are, the more likely you are to be bullied. As for the princess... I've heard about her recent actions."
"The princess treats me very well." Song Qingyuan leaned in his arms, her tone calm.
"Okay?" Shen Yanzhi sneered, "She can hide her thoughts from others, but not from me. She's become more and more proficient at playing the game of flattery and killing."
He let go of her and said sternly, "Qingyuan, remember, in this mansion, you don't need to care about anyone's face. If she makes you angry, just fight her back. If the sky falls, I will hold it up for you."
These words undoubtedly gave Song Qingyuan the greatest confidence.
Her heart warmed, and she looked up at him, her eyes moving with a sly smile: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Qingyuan is not a soft persimmon that can be squeezed by anyone.
The Princess is my elder sister, so I should respect her. But if someone really doesn't know the limits and insists on stepping on my head, I won't be polite either."
Looking at the confident light flashing in her eyes, Shen Yanzhi couldn't help but laugh.
He found that he really liked seeing her lively and lively appearance more and more. She was like a little fox with her claws retracted, alert in her laziness, beautiful and dangerous.
"You..." He scratched her nose lovingly.
The two of them were affectionate for a moment, and Shen Yanzhi suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, in three days, the palace will hold an autumn banquet to celebrate this year's great victory on the border. At that time, the royal family, civil and military officials will all attend.
According to the rules, the princess and concubines must enter the palace with me. This is also your first official appearance in front of the public since your canonization, so you must not be careless.
Palace banquet?
Song Qingyuan's heart trembled. This was both an honor and a test.
What she will face is not only the intrigues in the palace's backyard, but also the scrutiny and pickyness of the entire powerful circle in the capital.
"As for the princess, I will warn her to behave herself in the palace." Shen Yanzhi said in a deep voice, "But for the others, especially the ladies in the harem and the wives of the various mansions, it's hard to say.
You should be more careful in everything you do, don't try to be the best, but don't let others look down on you either."
"Qingyuan understands."
Shen Yanzhi gave her a few more instructions before getting up and leaving. He seemed to have a lot of official business to attend to, and it was a great honor for him to take the time out to come and see her.
After seeing Shen Yanzhi off, the gentle smile on Song Qingyuan's face gradually faded. She walked to the dressing table and looked at the young and beautiful face in the mirror, her eyes were unusually calm.
The palace banquet will be her first official battlefield.
Cui Jingyue had been praising her to death in the palace, and now that she was in the palace, with so many eyes watching, it would only get worse. She could almost foresee how Cui Jingyue would "affectionately" hold her hand and introduce her to the other ladies in the palace and the wives of the various mansions as "the good sister who is deeply favored by the prince."
She needed a way out of this situation. A way that could both resolve the "overpraise" and truly establish her authority, so that those who wanted to see her laugh would never dare to act rashly again.
[Master, that prince is so kind to you! ]
Tianbao's voice rang out happily
[He already said he supports you, who would dare to bully you at the palace banquet?]
"Tianbao, a man's promise is the last trump card, not the first weapon to be used."
Song Qingyuan said calmly, "He can protect me for a while, but he can't protect me forever. The real sense of security is always given by yourself."
She opened her makeup box and took out the "photographic memory" experience card.
One hour.
That's enough.
"Tingzhu," she ordered, "go to the study and bring the 'Genealogy of the Imperial Family of the Great Zhou Dynasty' and 'Palace Rites' that the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent. I want to read them."
Tingzhu was a little surprised. The two books were as thick as bricks, filled with densely packed names, relationships, and complicated etiquette and rules. The average person would be dizzy after reading a few pages. Why did the Queen suddenly become interested in this?
But she didn't ask any more questions and responded respectfully.
Soon, two large volumes were brought in.
Song Qingyuan dismissed his attendants, stayed alone in the room, and activated the system card.
['Photographic Memory' experience card has taken effect. Time remaining: one hour.]
In an instant, she felt her mind become clear, as if all distracting thoughts had been swept away. Her thinking speed and memory reached an unprecedented peak.
She opened the thick "Family Tree" and read ten lines at a glance with her eyes as fast as lightning.
How many sons and daughters does the emperor have? What are their titles? Who are their biological mothers? What are their personalities like? What are their in-law relationships?
The various princes and dukes, their closeness to the royal family, the composition of their palaces, and which ministers in the court they were most closely associated with...
In the harem, what family did the queen come from, how many princes did she have, and what was her influence in the court? The concubines and imperial concubines, their family backgrounds, and the grudges and hatreds between them...
And then there were the ladies and daughters of the Dukes and Marquises, who were all close friends with whom, who had old grudges against whom...
A huge and complex network of relationships was constructed, sorted out, and memorized in Song Qingyuan's mind at an astonishing speed. Every detail was extremely clear, as if it was engraved in his mind.
An hour later, when the card effect disappeared, Song Qingyuan slowly closed the book and let out a long breath.
She closed her eyes, and the entire upper power structure of the Great Zhou Dynasty became clear to her.
She knew who were Cui Jingyue's allies and who were her potential enemies.
She also knew who was most likely to be the first arrow shot at her at the upcoming palace banquet.
Princess Anyang, Li Xinrui.
He is notoriously arrogant and domineering in the capital.
Song Qingyuan opened his eyes and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Good, she waited.
The autumn sky is high and clear. Three days pass in a flash.
On the day of the palace banquet, Qingyuan Pavilion was already brightly lit before dawn.
Song Qingyuan sat in front of the mirror, letting Tingzhu and Zisu dress her. The person in the mirror had picturesque features and skin as white as snow. After this period of meticulous care and the strengthening effects of the Baihua Yulu Pills, her complexion had even taken on a more radiant glow.
"Your Majesty, which headgear would you like to wear today?" Tingzhu opened a huge jewelry box, which was filled with jewels that were almost blinding.
These were sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs as per the custom after she was promoted to concubine, and each one was of great value.
Song Qingyuan glanced over and shook his head: "Too ostentatious."
Her current identity is a concubine, a foil.
Princess Cui Jingyue was the protagonist. If she dressed even more extravagantly than the princess, it would be seen as a lack of etiquette and a source of criticism. This was exactly what Cui Jingyue wanted to see.
As they were talking, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard. Huamei, the head maidservant beside the princess, came in with several smaller maids, carrying a gilded tray. They bowed with a smile, "Greetings to Concubine Song. Our princess said that today is your first official entry into the palace, and you must not bring disgrace to our palace. This is the palace dress and jewelry that the princess specially prepared for you. Please be sure to put them on."
The red silk on the tray was unveiled, revealing a palace dress with a golden phoenix pattern and a set of headpieces made of pure gold and inlaid with rubies, which instantly eclipsed all the pearls in the room.
The golden silk phoenix pattern is second only to the pattern of the Queen Fengyi and is extremely noble.
And that set of head ornaments was extremely gorgeous. On the main phoenix hairpin in the middle, the ruby the size of a pigeon egg glowed like a flame under the candlelight.
This is not decent at all, it's clearly putting her on the fire.
If she wore this attire to the palace banquet, she would be reported by the censor for "usurpation" before even standing before the emperor. This move by Cui Jingyue was more sinister and vicious than any of her previous ones.
Tingzhu and Zisu's faces turned pale.
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