Chapter Thirty-Three: Auspiciousness Comes Again
Compared with the Spring Palace where there is not much change from before the summer vacation, the Queen Mother Qu has changed a lot.
The Empress Dowager Mother was originally a slender beauty, but she lost a lot of weight in just a few months, and she looked a little out of shape.
Gu Zhen couldn't help being startled, and after seeing the ceremony, he asked in a trembling voice, "Why is the empress so ill? Do you want to see some imperial physicians?"
Didn't it mean that the two empress dowagers only pretended to be sick because they didn't want to leave the imperial capital for Fuyang County?
Why does Empress Dowager Qu look like she is really sick?
"It's okay." Xu Shi's body was weak, and when Queen Mother Qu spoke, her voice was erratic, and she said slowly, "The Ai family just hasn't had any appetite for the past two days."
Gu Zhen quickly persuaded her to take care of her phoenix body no matter what... To be honest, among the three empress dowagers who have ever existed in the palace, the mother empress dowager is of course the most feared. After Ji Sheng left, the benevolent empress dowager almost took over. Not only her status and power, but also the fear of the concubines.
The Holy Mother and Empress Dowager, because she doesn't care about things, she has nothing to do with the concubines, but she smells far and near, and is the elder who the concubines least dislike.
So Gu Zhen really had a little sincerity towards Queen Mother Qu, and spent a lot of time consoling her.
Empress Dowager Qu listened with a smile, saying that the empress is really pure, filial and considerate.
This is just a scene talk, but Gu Zhen was reprimanded by the Empress Dowager before, and he didn't gain any special dignity in front of the loving mother Empress Dowager, so he was flattered to be told by her like this.
The queen mother asked about the situation of the emperor's heirs again, so Yun Fenghuang also joined the topic, and told the queen mother some interesting stories about King Qin and Princess Zhaoqing, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were happy for a while.
At this moment, Yun Fenghuang suddenly mentioned: "Empress Dowager, I just went with Empress Empress to pay her respects to my loving mother, Empress Dowager. She said that staying in the palace all day is very boring. Therefore, Empress Dowager wants to take advantage of the fact that everyone is coming back now." After leaving the Imperial Capital, it’s going to be a lively feast in the palace, but I don’t know what you think?”
Empress Dowager Qu smiled and said: "The empress has a heart. You are the only ones who have returned from the trek from the Qishan Palace. It would be too hard to make such a fuss."
"Serving the queen mother is the daughter-in-law's duty, how can you say it's hard work?" Gu Zhen said quickly, "Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, and it is what the daughter-in-law should do to serve the two queen mothers well. It is the daughter-in-law who is not good enough to let the two mothers become future generations. Sui suffered a great grievance in the palace. Now it’s just a banquet, how can it be considered hard work? But it’s hard work for the queen mothers to survive the heat of these days in the palace.”
The Empress Dowager listened, her eyes were slightly red, and she sighed: "The Ai family never thought that at this age, I could still meet such a considerate person as the Empress."
Just turn your face away, it seems that you can't control your emotions.
This is also understandable, after all, the former queen Ji Lingzi is not incapable of filial piety, but as the third generation phoenix master of the Ji family, what kind of status is that, even Chunjia dare not do anything wrong with this first wife, Ji Lingzi When he was in power, apart from being respectful to his aunt and serious mother-in-law Ji Sheng, he was only superficial to the loving mother Empress Dowager. When it came to the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, although there was nothing disobedient and ridiculed, she simply ignored the Empress Dowager Qu The presence.
Perhaps it was the first time for Empress Dowager Qu to enjoy her daughter-in-law's sincere greetings and filial piety.
So the matter of the banquet was finalized.
When leaving Jiashan Palace, Gu Zhen was still emotional with Yun Fenghuang, saying that it was not easy for Queen Mother Qu, after all, she was the Queen Mother who had been enshrined in a serious way, but she lived in the palace so coldly and tremblingly, she was worse than many concubines. It's tough.
She felt that it was inappropriate to say this, and vigilantly tested whether Yun Fenghuang would tell the loving mother, the Empress Dowager?
"Your Majesty, I don't know how much I don't want to see you when I'm with the Empress Dowager." Yun Fenghuang said to her, "Let's talk about the empress dowager, and the empress dowager may just slander the empress dowager." What about the empress's crime! Why do you say that the concubine has to make such a fuss?"
After thinking about it, Gu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.
When she returned to Yanfu Palace, she sent someone to invite Chunjia over to discuss matters.
In the past, the empress would not do this. If there is anything to ask the palace servants to go to the emperor to say something, unless it is necessary, otherwise she would not do this kind of act of not saying anything and only asking the emperor to come over.
But it's different now. In order for the two princes under her knees to show more face in front of the emperor, she has to change her way to invite people over.
So after Chunjia had been busy for a while, when she arrived at Yanfu Palace, she saw the third prince holding some toys, teasing the King of Chu in the corridor.
After being reminded by the left and right that the holy driver was coming, the third prince held the things in his hands, stepped forward timidly to salute, and shouted in a low voice: "Royal father."
"Is the King of Chu feeling better today?" Chunjia replied lightly, walked up to the corridor, reached out to hug the King of Chu who was squatting on the ground, and looked at him carefully.
The king of Chu smiled and stretched out his arms to wrap his arms around his neck, allowing the servants to wink and gesticulate behind the emperor, but he didn't call anyone, just babbling and talking incomprehensible words, his eyes were ignorant and pure, spotless and palpitating.
Chunjia sighed in her heart, although she said that since the child had a high fever for several days, the imperial doctor had privately prepared him mentally, but he really watched the king of Chu change from the original clever and lively to the obsessed and obsessed man he is now. , I still feel very sorry.
He hugged the king of Chu and talked softly for a while, but seeing that he couldn't answer, instead he made a fuss about falling to the ground, so he put the child down.
Chu Wang just stopped, and hurriedly ran towards the third prince.
Obviously have a good relationship with this brother.
The third prince was rushed over and hugged by his younger brother, but his eyes were full of envy.
Of course Chunjia could see these expressions clearly, but she ignored them, and only slowly ordered the left and right to take care of the two princes, and then walked into the main hall.
In fact, Empress Gu received the news early in the morning to greet her, but she saw that the emperor was going to make out with the princes, so she deliberately did not go forward.
Seeing it in the window lattice at this moment, he just straightened his clothes and came out, saying: "Your Majesty has come here so early? I thought you would be free later."
Chunjia said softly: "There are still some government affairs that have not been dealt with. I am afraid that the queen will be in a hurry, so I come here to take a look."
These words sound like they are very considerate to Gu Zhen, but Gu Zhen understands in his heart that this is because the emperor does not plan to spend the night in Chongchang Hall today, so he came here to finish the matter while the sun was still high, and deal with it logically. Completed government affairs", he can go where he wants to go at night.
Most of them are Xuanqing Palace.
Although this is something she should have gotten used to long ago, she still looked sad for a moment, and then she forced a smile and said: "Actually, it's not too important. I also told the palace servants who passed the message not to talk too much, so as not to misunderstand you." His Majesty has something to do."
After talking in this way and sitting inside, Gu Zhen told him about the empress dowager's embarrassment and the second suggestion of the empress dowager: "I think about it, the two queen mothers have not left their respective palaces for a long time because of their illness. Now that it's midsummer, I'm afraid the two queen mothers are also a little bored. Why don't you take advantage of the crisp autumn and have fun in the palace, so that you can relieve the boredom of the mother mothers, and everyone can relax."
Chunjia's reaction was the same as Empress Dowager Qu's before, she immediately cared about the queen: "We just came back from the palace, and the queen has to take care of the palace affairs, take care of the prince, and hold a banquet, is it too hard?"
"What did your majesty say? These are what the middle palace should do." Gu Zhen knew that he was just used to being considerate, and he might not really love himself in his heart, but it was better to say something like this than nothing, and it was still a bit sweet, pursing his lips With a smile, Fang said, "Besides, before leaving, the Empress Dowager specially summoned the concubine and the noble concubine to inquire about the marriage of His Royal Highness Princess Minghui. The concubine thought, taking this opportunity, I can also find someone for Her Royal Highness." Fan...Of course this is just my concubine's thoughts, if His Majesty thinks it's inappropriate, then..."
"I think it's very good." Chunjia was thinking about how to bring up the matter of Yun Shizi and Minghui. Of course, he would not object to this banquet that had been approved by the two empress dowagers. He held the empress's hand and was very encouraging. After a while, Gu Zhen said that he was willing to take care of him, and then Shi Shiran left.
After he left, Gu Zhen felt melancholy for a moment, and was about to call his left and right to discuss the banquet arrangement, when he saw Gong Xiang Bing, the gatekeeper of the palace, holding the door and looking in timidly.
"Emperor, come here." Gu Zhen waved quickly, and asked the wet nurse to hug him, stroked his head, and asked softly, "Do you miss your mother?"
"...Think about it." Although Gong Xiangbing was a few months older than the King of Chu, he still couldn't speak very well, so he thought for a while before answering in a low voice.
Gu Zhen's heart ached when she saw this, she knew that what this child did was probably hurt by Chunjia's deliberate neglect just now, so she came to seek the consolation of the queen mother.
But she is not Yunfenghuang, who can influence Chunjia's attitude.
Don't be fooled by mentioning it rashly, Chunjia was annoyed, and even refused to get close to the King of Chu.
So at this moment, I can only pretend that I don't know anything, and put my arms around Gongxiang Bing to divert the topic, simply childish forgetfulness, and after a while, Gongxiang Bing also forgets Chunjia's different treatment. Go out to play with the pompom given by the maid.
"Go out and watch, don't tell the emperor and the others to do anything wrong." Gu Zhen heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this, and ordered the two senior and dignified servants, "Also hit the people who serve them, and don't say anything that shouldn't be said indiscriminately." Chew your tongue!"
When the two close waiters went out, a waiter came forward to remind: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Third Prince is still young, so we can still deal with it. But after two years, the heirs will all grow up. If Your Majesty still doesn't get close to the Third Prince... Prince, I'm afraid the third prince will be even more disappointed."
It's just that the third prince is disappointed, I'm afraid that the third prince will resent Chunjia at that time, or be jealous of the king of Chu or the heir who will be adopted by Gu Zhen in the future.
In that case, it would be very embarrassing to be in Gu Zhen's position.
"..." Gu Zhen was silent for a while, and then said, "That will be a few years later, let's talk about it at that time. Now that the children are still young, they can be free from worries for a while, and let them be carefree for a while. "
"The kindness of the empress is the blessing of the third prince." The waiter didn't say any more, because he knew that Gu Zhen was also very embarrassed.
Gu Zhen regained his composure and continued to discuss the banquet with them.
Originally, the palace banquets all had agreed locations, for example, the state banquet was in Wenyao Palace, and the more casual ones were all on a few small islands in the Taiye Pool.
The most frequently used one is Xiaoyingzhou.
Because the island is relatively large, and the terrain is flat and wide, it is convenient for banquets.
"However, Mrs. Ye is not in Xiaoyingzhou after all. Although His Majesty gave the Ji family mourning, this is not an auspicious thing after all." The waiters thought, "Besides, the Empress Dowager is still here, and the empress is still with Your Majesty. Having said that, this banquet is also intended to find a consort for His Royal Highness Princess Minghui. Such a small Yingzhou must be a bit inappropriate."
Of the five small fairy mountains in the Taiye Pool, Xiao Penglai was the first to be eliminated. It was not any other problem, but Xiao Penglai was too small to hold a large-scale banquet.
It is to let the masters of the harem bring a few more waiters in the past, and they will be crowded, let alone entertain outsiders.
After deducting Xiaoyingzhou, there are Xiaofanghu, Xiaodaiyu and Xiaoyuanqiao left.
Among them, the small square pot is not under Xiaoyingzhou in terms of area, but the terrain is rugged, and the scenery is mainly "strange", "dangerous", "weird" and "quiet". Except for the main hall in the southeast corner, there is nothing flat. place.
The capacity of the main hall is limited, if there is a banquet here, I am afraid that many guests and hosts will not be able to meet each other from the beginning to the end.
Xiao Dai and Xiao Yuan Qiao discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the venue, between Xiao Yingzhou and Xiao Penglai.
Gu Zhen was a little hesitant, not knowing whether to choose Xiao Daiyu or Xiaoyuan Qiao, and her servants also said this and that.
The master and servant can't decide, so the concubines can only join in the discussion.
Gu Zhen then ordered someone to summon the noble concubine Shu and Concubine De to the Chongchang Hall to discuss, but the noble concubine said: "Why not choose a small square pot?"
"I'm afraid the small square pot can't hold that many people?" Gu Zhen reminded with a frown.
Yun Fenghuang just laughed: "The main hall allows us to sit down with Sheng Jia, the empress dowager, the two empress dowagers and some important officials, and the others can sit outside. As for saying that we can't see each other like this The people in the main hall, what's the matter? This is not a serious state banquet, but it's just to make some fun, so that the two empress dowagers can relax. It's too tight, what's the point? The previous empress I also heard from the loving mother, the Empress Dowager, that staying in the Spring Palace all day, isn’t it very boring? Then, this little Daiyu and Xiaoyuan Qiao, the concubine heard that the scenery is the same, where is there a small square pot? The precipitousness and strangeness are ingenious?"
"It's just because it's a bit steep, so I'm afraid it's inappropriate." Gu Zhen said, "I just called the palace people to ask about it. There are many places on the island where soft sedan chairs are not easy to get on, so I have to go by myself. The two empress dowagers She is also older than the Empress Dowager."
"There is no soft sedan chair, don't you have a little left and right support?" Yun Fenghuang disagreed, "Furthermore, the two empress dowagers may not want to climb up and down by themselves, but just want to feel the atmosphere that is very different from their palace. Madam, do you think there are five islands in the Taiye Pool that are more suitable than the small square pot?"
Gu Zhen pondered, she didn't tell Yun Fenghuang that she planned to take this opportunity to find a son-in-law for Princess Minghui, and she didn't know that Minghui's son-in-law, Chunjia, had decided early in the morning. The square pot is indeed very suitable, because there are many places to hide, it is very suitable for children to wink and say something private in private.
...Although with Minghui's current appearance, those young talents may not be able to appreciate her talent and appearance, but it doesn't matter, as long as Minghui likes other people.
Thinking about this, the queen nodded: "I will turn around and ask the two queen mothers for instructions. If the two queen mothers do not object, then let's make a small square pot."
After finishing the matter, the third concubine left when she saw that the queen had nothing else to do.
The next day, the concubines went to Yanfu Palace to greet the queen. The queen was planning to go to the two palaces to inquire about the banquet venue. The previous court sent news that the servants had presented an auspicious omen: a white deer.