Chapter Twenty-Eight

In Jiashan Palace, Empress Dowager Qu looked at the apron that had just been completed in her hand, showing a look of disappointment. She was over 40 years old but still as slender and soft as a girl's jade fingers across the delicate embroidery, pursing her lips: "... just put it away .”

The confidant palace servant Bingying couldn't bear to see it, and said in a low voice: "The servant girl should quietly send it to Xuanqing Palace? The real concubine will not say anything."

"Now that the two imperial heirs are under the concubine Zhen's knees, I don't know how many people in Xuanqing Palace are looking at them." The Empress Dowager Qu shook her head and said softly, "Forget it... Anyway, it is impossible to lose two children These."

Bing Ying said: "How can it be the same? These are made by your own grandmother, stitch by stitch."

"My grandmother can't help them much, but I have nothing to do in my free time to do something to comfort myself." Queen Mother Qu lowered her eyes and said softly, "The real concubine is smart, those two children don't need to worry about Aijia Yes. It’s just that Zhaoqing is really cute, and Ai’s family can’t visit often, so I feel somewhat regretful.”

"It will be His Majesty's birthday in two days." Bingying bit her lip, "Your Majesty, why don't you do something for His Majesty this year? After all, today is different from the past. Your Majesty no longer needs to watch the Spring Palace. Why do you have to give in any longer? After all, you are the one who conceived and gave birth to His Majesty in October!"

Empress Dowager Qu said softly: "The Ai family knows that you are doing it for the good of the Ai family, but you think, even though the Ai family is His Majesty's biological mother, she actually raised her, but it is the Yuan family who loves his mother and son... Ai family Apart from giving birth to him, I have never done anything for him. Now that I see him in charge, I go to ask him about his health, doesn't that bother him?"

After all, Chunjia has not yet reached the time when she can rest easy, the hills of the previous dynasty have not yet been completely settled, and the turmoil in the harem is still brewing. As a result, the birth mother is not restless, what does he think?

"Don't say such things again." The Empress Dowager Qu folded the bellyband carefully without raising her head, and ordered, "Put it away, Ai's family does these things, and I don't want anyone to know about it, and I don't want to use it for anything. It’s just to calm down a little bit.”

Having said that, she still asked after all, "This year's Longevity Festival will definitely not be as perfunctory as before... Is the real concubine and the others presiding over it? What regulations are followed?"

Bingying said: "Actually, Concubine Zhen and the others preside over it, but in name it is the one from Chunlang Palace. The regulations are those from Emperor Shenzong's time, with only minor changes."

She hesitated for a while, but didn't say that Jiashan Palace has not received a notice to allow Empress Dowager Qu to attend.

Although I think it's unbelievable that the birth mother is not invited for the birthday of the Son of Heaven, but...who knows what Chunjia and Queen Mother Yuan are thinking?

Empress Dowager Qu was born in a humble family, so humble that she has become a queen mother, so far she has no decent family.

There is no sense of presence in the palace.

So even if she encounters injustice, no one will speak up for her.

Bingying felt deeply indignant about this but had nothing to do, so she could only change the topic quietly, lest Queen Mother Qu would think of asking and make her feel sad.

Under such circumstances, Yun Fenghuang not only asked his attendant Qing to come to inform him about the specific procedure of the Longevity Feast, but also sent extremely luxurious and exquisite dresses and jewelry for the Queen Mother Qu, who has been dressed in simple and plain clothes for many years. Naturally, she was overjoyed: "Thanks to the real concubine! My concubine is always simple, and she never pays attention to the clothes and hairpins. If the real concubine is not considerate, the servants will be in a hurry!"

Moreover, in a hurry, it may not be possible to prepare so well.

The Qing people smiled and said: "My mother just thinks that the Empress Dowager Mother has always been poor, and I am afraid that Jiashan Palace will not have these vulgar things. It's just that the Longevity Festival is unusual after all, and I am afraid that the Empress Dowager will be willing to wear brighter clothes but not take advantage of them. Therefore, I taught the Shangfu Bureau in advance to prepare...the Holy Mother and Empress Dowager don't think my mother is trivial."

"Your Majesty was right to take pity on Concubine Zhen at the beginning." Bingying sent Qingren away, and went to see Empress Dowager Qu with her things in her arms, and said happily, "Major Concubine Zhen is probably the only one in the palace who remembers that you are His Majesty's biological mother! "

The others are heartless, and they all know how to flatter the Spring Palace!

Empress Dowager Qu flipped through the pages, but didn't smile. After thinking for a while, she asked her: "Go and find out, what color is the dress at the palace banquet at the Spring Palace, and what hairpin does it go with?"

Seeing Bingying's surprise, she sighed, "It is true that only the concubine Zhen remembers Aijia in the palace, but what kind of concubine is she? Even if she is moved by Aijia's kindness to her in the past, she will never do so easily. It’s a move. Especially now that His Majesty is not pretending to Ai’s family, lest he is not yet in power, and the dispute between the Queen Mother, the Loving Mother, and the Holy Mother will happen!”

"Under such circumstances, how could a smart person like Concubine Zhen lend a helping hand to Ai's family?"

"If she just asked someone to send a message this time, it's fine."

"But the dress and jewelry are all ready... It's probably because there are other plans!"

Empress Dowager Qu murmured, "The Ai family actually likes her very much. When I see her, I think of myself back then. Of course, she is much better than the Ai family... If there are other things, the Ai family will follow her But it’s not right now, it’s too early, and it’s far from the time when Ai’s family and Chunwan Palace fall out... In short, go and find out, if... then the Ai’s family can’t use the things sent by the concubine Zhen!”

Bing Ying looked at the luxurious and radiant dress, and then at the half-worn and dull dress on Empress Dowager Qu, hesitated for a while unwillingly, and then said in a low voice: "Yes."

Jiashan Palace's actions were not hidden from Yun Fenghuang, so she chuckled lightly and said to the Qing people: "The Holy Mother and Empress Dowager underestimate this palace too much. In the past few days, did you push the Holy Mother Empress Dowager to openly pass the loving mother Empress Dowager to make things difficult for Your Majesty?"

The hairpin of the dress does not match the Empress Dowager Yuan at all, and there is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of color and specification—there is no restriction on wearing hairpins as a queen dowager—even the matching sachets are deliberate. The material with a lower pattern than that used by the Queen Mother Yuan was selected.

Otherwise, it's not like she doesn't know that the Empress Dowager Qu has a delicate mind, so how could it be possible for the Empress Dowager Qu to be given a set of hairpins for the Longevity Banquet?

Um……

As for, how can we create trouble for Empress Dowager Yuan?

As soon as the time turned to the Longevity Banquet, because this time the banquet was prepared by the three concubines, the Empress Dowager Yuan was eccentric, so she asked Yun Fenghuang to be less busy, and let Concubine Xuan and Concubine Rui take care of things: "After all, they are not like You, you still have two heirs to take care of."

Yun Fenghuang was smiling, with murderous intent in his heart, but he still had to hold back his anger and thank him. He really handed over half of the matter to the second concubine to preside over it. Even when the birthday banquet started, he couldn't follow the Empress Dowager Yuan or Chunjia as before. Entering the arena together, enjoying the attention of everyone, but taking the two heirs who are still in their hands, they stepped in early, waiting for the queen mother and the emperor to arrive, and they knelt down with the crowd to welcome them.

Although this is the first Longevity Festival in which a banquet is officially held in the country, the regulations are not very different from other palace banquets. For most of the participants, there is nothing new.

Therefore, even if the phoenix of the two empress dowagers arrived, the palace officials said that Sheng Jia was holding the two empress dowagers, and everyone greeted him, and many of them were very familiar with their movements, but they were careless.

However……

When the two empress dowagers entered the palace first, everyone was somewhat distracted.

Of course the empress dowager was the one who walked in the front, and the empress dowager, who was often ignored in the front court and harem, was two steps behind her—but at this moment, everyone in the palace subconsciously ignored the empress dowager, Set your sights on the Queen Mother.

It's not because the Empress Dowager Madonna is dressed up brightly today, but...the Empress Dowager Mother was originally an extremely rare beauty.

It's just that they have been deliberately low-key before, and their dressing is also trying to hide their own existence. Therefore, although many important officials can meet several times every year at various ceremonial palace banquets, they all subconsciously fail to leave a deep impression.

But right now, she is wearing a crown of red gold silk with a phoenix holding a pearl on her head, and the green silk tied up in a bun like clouds, wearing a crimson red bottom embroidered with gold silk and dark embroidered twigs with fan lotus and grape patterns, and a suet jade around her waist. Inlaid with eight treasures, carved crane and deer with spring belt, red gold, gold and jade Ruyi carved with seven patterns of auspicious clouds, double hanging bean green and flower palace ribbons, tied with suet jade koi ganoderma lucidum jade pendant.

The attire is both luxurious and the appearance is more like jade.

She only applied a thin layer of makeup and powder on her crimson lips, but when she looked at her, her starry eyes were like electricity, and her face was full of spring flowers. Slowly speaking, the loving mother and empress dowager who took the first two steps were eclipsed, even compared with the concubines who were full of youth. It is also unique and elegant, and it does not fall behind in the slightest!

Although the people who were able to sit in the palace to participate in the birthday banquet at the moment were all very ordinary people, they returned to normal after being dazed for a while, lowering their heads and eyes according to the rules, not daring to look directly at the Empress Dowager's face, but a strange atmosphere had already permeated.

Even after the emperor sat down with the two empress dowagers first, and ordered everyone to return to their seats and gossip a little to show how approachable, Yun Fenghuang was leisurely peeling pine nuts, when he heard a few young concubines Whispering: "The Queen Mother is so beautiful! Considering her age, she has already..."

"Your Majesty Wei Dao looks like a dragon and a phoenix, and has a magnificent appearance."

"Isn't it? Well, fortunately, this niece doesn't have a young niece. Otherwise..."

Of course, today's topic is Chunjia's birthday, and this kind of discussion is only a few words away—the main reason is that people are afraid of being heard, and if they talk about going to the Empress Dowager Yuan, it will be terrible.

Yun Fenghuang didn't look at which concubines were saying this, slightly curled his lips, put the peeled pine nuts on a silver plate, and asked someone to send it to Chunjia.

Chunjia quickly returned two plates of melons and fruits, and asked the little waiter to pass a message to her: "Your Majesty, please use less wine later, it is said to taste good, it is too cold."

"Tell Your Majesty, I will listen to him and take a sip at most." Yun Fenghuang smiled and grabbed a handful of golden melon seeds for him, "Please use less, Your Majesty, so as not to hurt your body."

They came and went here, and soon attracted the attention of the Queen Mother Yuan-the Queen Mother Yuan directly ordered someone to give four dishes of melons and fruits to Concubine Xuan and Rui Concubine.

Seeing this, Chunjia frowned slightly, but listened to the Empress Dowager Qu's gentle reminder: "Sister, there is still the real concubine, she is not less worried this time."

"Isn't the real concubine already rewarded by the emperor?" The Empress Dowager Yuan didn't look at her, she just smiled, "The Ai family is also afraid that Concubine Xuan and Concubine Rui will be wronged... No matter what the matter is, the concubine Zhen didn't say anything, and it's worth your favor Heart?"

There was something in her words, Empress Dowager Qu pursed her lips, and immediately said nothing.

Chunjia hurriedly said: "Mother, it's because the child didn't think carefully. Seeing that Concubine Zhen specially peeled the pine nuts for the child, she returned the two dishes, but she forgot Concubine Xuan and Concubine Rui. Thanks to Queen Mother for helping to fill in the gaps!"

After all, the Empress Dowager Yuan gave him face, and she only said gently: "The third concubine has been quite busy for today, even though the real concubine is particularly flattering, the emperor still needs a bowl of water, don't let the heart of an honest person be cold." yes."

Chunjia nodded in agreement, her attitude was very upright... Empress Dowager Yuan then stopped.

She thought that although Yun Fenghuang was audacious and dared to take advantage of Empress Dowager Qu to embarrass her, but she stopped here and did not dare to go too far.

As a result, in the middle of the palace banquet, a palace lady passed on the meal. Coincidentally, all the dishes in thick oil and red sauce were dumped on her!