What exactly did the Queen Mother mean at this moment? Did she see something and specially call her over, or was there some other reason? Rong Si had no idea.
But after the empress dowager said she would choose a concubine for Mu Lianxuan, she kept looking at her with a smile. Although she was nearly forty years old, this woman had always taken good care of herself. There was not a single wrinkle on her face, her hair was black and shiny, and even her eyes had the innocence and purity of a girl. Standing next to Mu Yuanxiu, no one would doubt that she was his sister.
At the moment when the Queen Mother looked over, Mu Lianxuan and Mu Yuanxiu also looked over at Rong Si almost at the same time. Although both of them had no expression on their faces, one could still see the annoyance deep in Mu Yuanxiu's eyes. It seemed that he still hated her for humiliating him in Canghai Tower some time ago. Mu Lianxuan was serious and warned, as if he knew that Rong Si was a little outspoken because of her arrogance. His mother's topic of selecting concubines came so suddenly, and he had no chance or time to warn Rong Si to be careful with her words, so he could only warn her with his eyes at this time. If this woman really made a scene now, how could his mother not see the trick
Rong Si!
Mu Lianxuan muttered to himself.
Even Xue Yuqiu followed everyone and looked over. It was at this time that Rong Si saw for the first time the legendary Jade Concubine, the woman who had competed and fought with Rong Si all her life, and in the end died even earlier than Rong Si.
When Rong Sifu took one look, it was as if she saw a crystal clear glass beauty, with her eyebrows, eyes, nose and mouth all so perfectly formed. The most important thing was that her skin, which was whiter than snow, was so proud. It felt like a group of people were sitting together, and she, who had turned on the beauty filter, could not compare with her snow-white skin and even the white mink coat on her body. If Shao Qingwei looked like she was wearing mourning clothes in that white dress, then this woman actually made the white dress look several levels higher. Compared with her, Shao Qingwei was simply a maid.
Xue Yuqiu was cold and noble, Rong Si was gorgeous and graceful. She really couldn't understand why these two women both lost to Shao Qingwei, a woman who had nothing. Even Mu Lianxuan and Rong Feizhou fell into her hands. Why did this world not care about appearance
Xue Yuqiu felt unhappy when she saw that Rong Si did not answer the Queen Mother's words, but instead kept staring at her from head to toe and from toe to head.
Did she wear something wrong today? Why did this woman keep staring at her? Or was she finding fault again? Every time they met, she would find loopholes in her clothes or words, and she would keep arguing with her, which made her feel depressed for several days.
But she still had to do her job. Xue Yuqiu smiled at Rong Si and said, "My Lady, is there anything wrong with my attire today?"
"No, it looks good. White suits you very well, especially you. You look good in it." Rong Si looked at her again, nodded and praised.
This made Xue Yuqiu's smile freeze instantly. She almost couldn't hold it back. Why did she want to praise herself for no reason? She wasn't that kind of person at all? Was there some conspiracy? Or was it because the emperor, the queen mother, and King Jing were all there, so she couldn't tear her face off with her? But Rong Si wasn't someone who would be afraid of these things, was she? No, there must be something wrong...
Xue Yuqiu was already lost in his thoughts about the conspiracy, and Rong Si looked up and smiled at the Queen Mother. "Queen Mother, it's fine if you think so. I don't understand these things, and I can't help you."
As soon as these words came out, Mu Lianxuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and the Queen Mother's fingers moved as well, and then she smiled, "The key is that Yuan Xiu hasn't appointed a queen yet. You and Concubine Yu are the two most important in the harem. I'm old, and I don't have the energy to worry about these things. I called you two here today to ask you to pay more attention to some women with clean backgrounds and gentle personalities, and help me choose them. Yuan Xiu hasn't appointed a queen yet, so you should also do your duty as half sisters-in-law."
The Queen Mother continued to speak with a smile, but the implication of her words was clearly that she was encouraging the two of them to compete for the position of Queen. She even meant that if they succeeded in this matter, their chances of ascending the throne would be greater. It seemed that the usual petty quarrels between Rong Si and Xue Yuqiu were nothing in her eyes.
Although this woman likes people around her to be simple, but when it comes to the queen who is the mother of the country, she still pays great attention to women's scheming and tactics. She really wants to see which of these two women is more suitable to be her daughter-in-law. As for whether there is any intention to test Rong Si, she doesn't know.
After hearing the Queen Mother's words, Xue Yuqiu's eyes lit up instantly, but he still had a faint smile on his face, telling the Queen Mother not to worry and that he would ensure the completion of the task.
Rong Si just smiled along.
The empress dowager narrowed her eyes instantly and turned to look at Mu Lianxuan.
"Lian Xuan, what do you mean?"
"Your son will obey your mother's order."
Judging from the polite and distant words, it seems that Mu Lianxuan has a deep resentment towards his mother.
Afterwards, the Queen Mother made an excuse that she wanted to take a nap, and they all said goodbye and left. When they were at the door, Rong Si smiled and invited Xue Yuqiu to come to her place whenever she wanted, and she smiled so hard that the other party felt a little scared. She didn't even say a few words to the Emperor and left in a hurry.
Mu Lianxuan on the other end also said goodbye with a smile, and looked at Rong Si deeply before leaving.
As soon as he left, Mu Yuanxiu immediately pulled Rong Si's arm and walked forward.
"What? Are you willing to go back to the palace? A noble concubine left the palace without a word and stayed outside the palace for half a month. Do you know that you are my concubine, a concubine in the palace? Which concubine is like you, thinking about running away every day? Ah?"
"Didn't you bring a little maid with you every day? I knew it was a girl at first glance. Don't think I didn't see it..."
"Can you compare with her?"
Before he knew it, Mu Yuanxiu spoke out what was in his heart.
Hearing this, Rong Si turned around and looked at the other person in surprise, "I, why can't I compare with her? Huh? I haven't even said that she plagiarized other people's poems? She is still so ugly, not even as big as my toes, so why can't I compare with her? Oh, you don't like Xiao Si now, and you don't pamper Xiao Si anymore, right? Well, then don't come to me in the future, go find your ugly freak!"
Rong Si stomped her feet arrogantly, turned around and ran forward.
It doesn't matter if Rong Si ran away, but Rong Tianpu and Rong Feizhou are standing behind her, and Mu Lianxuan is watching covetously. Mu Yuanxiu can't let Rong Si quarrel with him because of Shao Qingwei. He gritted his teeth, took two steps forward and hugged Rong Si in his arms, "Okay, okay, Xiao Si, it's my fault. Am I not angry? You made me look so embarrassed in Canghai Tower that day, but I didn't blame you. You are a noble concubine in the palace. Once you leave the palace for half a month, I don't know where you are when my mother asked. I sent Xiaoquanzi to invite you, but you didn't come back. I am really anxious. Don't be angry, okay?"
Mu Yuanxiu hugged Rong Si and comforted her softly, but he was extremely sad and angry in his heart. When did he, an emperor, no longer have the qualifications to lose his temper? He still needed to look at the face of a concubine, coax her, flatter her, and spoil her. He was really afraid that one day he would get used to it. Then what would be the point of being an emperor
Rong family, Rong Si!
Mu Yuanxiu secretly resented Rong Si in his heart, but his men kept patting Rong Si's back gently to comfort her.
Hearing this, Rong Si quietly leaned on his shoulder. After a long time, she slowly raised her head, her eyes slightly red, "Really?"
"nature."
"I, I also know that it's my fault, and I should apologize to you, but I got sick not long after staying at home, and it's very serious. Please don't be angry with me, okay? I promise that I will never leave the palace without your permission in the future, okay?"
Rong Si's voice was soft and tender, with a hint of flattery and comfort. Mu Yuanxiu, who had always only seen Rong Si's overbearing and rude side, was instantly flattered. Especially since the little girl's fingers had been entwined with his little finger, it was rare for Mu Yuanxiu to have the illusion that Rong Si had flattered him. After a long while, he gently held Rong Si in his arms again, "It's best that you think this way. I'll go to your place to rest tonight."
"But I, but my life is coming..."
Rong Si looked embarrassed and ashamed.
Seeing this, Mu Yuanxiu kissed her forehead and said, "It's okay. I will hold you and do nothing."
The truth is that Shao Qingwei's complexion has become very bad recently, maybe because she is pregnant or for other reasons, and he has been to Concubine Yu too many times. Rong Si has just returned to the palace, and most importantly, she is so gentle and considerate that he even suspects that he is dreaming. He wants to prolong his dream.
He had a dreamless night, and when Mu Yuanxiu went to court the next day, he felt much more energetic because he had slept well.
Rong Si, who got up yawning, suddenly thought that Mu Yuanxiu might have been abused by the original owner for too long, and she had been acting for too long, or maybe he was just a masochist. If she gave him a little sweetness, he would be very happy. Rong Si also knew how to conquer this guy.
She got up. It was early spring and many flowers in the imperial garden were in bloom. She went for a walk, but she ran into Shao Qingwei who was out to relax. The most important thing was that she seemed to be doing a favor to Mu Yichen.
The woman in white picked up the cake that had rolled to her feet, brushed off the dust on it with her silk, and was about to hand it to the foolish Prince Rui opposite.
Rong Si took two steps forward and slapped the cake away, then pulled Mu Yichen to her side, "Tsk tsk, you look quite kind, how could you give someone something you picked up from the ground?"
"It's you..." Shao Qingwei paused, then calmed down and said calmly, "I pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine. Prince Rui's cake fell, and I just helped him pick it up, and I have already dusted it off..."
"It's really clean, you can eat it yourself."
"My lady, please don't go too far."
"How can I go too far? You don't even eat, but you try to trick a fool into eating. You have a bad conscience... Have I seen you somewhere before? Your ugly face looks familiar to me?"
Rong Si folded her arms and frowned.
Of course she didn't really fail to recognize her, she just wanted to piss her off.
As expected, Shao Qingwei was pissed off by Yirong Si. Rong Si was against her in every way, but who would have thought that she would forget what she looked like when she turned around. Is she so inconspicuous
But before Shao Qingwei could say anything, Rong Si immediately waved her hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. I am not interested in you ugly bastard. Remember, you don't even eat the cakes yourself, so don't give them to others. If the fool gets sick from eating them, will you be responsible?"
Rong Si rolled her eyes at her and pulled Mu Yichen forward, "Don't let me see you in the Imperial Garden next time, or I'll make you eat all the cakes that fell on the ground."
"Rong Si!" Shao Qingwei felt so angry that her stomach hurt.
Not long after they walked here, Mu Yichen wanted to run away, but fortunately Rong Si caught him.
"Running again? This time I... I have caught you, right? Let's see how you can run away. Humph, I gave you so many cakes last time, but you left and made faces at me. Do you think you have a bad conscience?"
Rong Si smiled and pulled his cheek, looking very proud.
Mu Yichen was stunned. His stomach growled with hunger before he suddenly reacted.
Hearing this call, Rong Si suddenly raised her eyebrows at him, "You are hungry, right? I will take you to eat something delicious..."
Then Mu Yichen watched Rong Si order the eunuchs under her to catch Concubine Yu's golden pheasant. They looked so skilled as if they had done it countless times. Then he watched Rong Si squatting in a corner of the imperial garden. She didn't care about her gorgeous palace dress at all. She squatted down and pulled him to cover the cleaned chicken with mud. "I tell you, I learned how to make a golden chicken from someone when I was traveling outside in my early years..."
As Rong Si wrapped her clothes, she said excitedly, "Every time I ask Xiao Luzi to steal, ahem, go ask Concubine Yu to borrow a chicken. Who told her to always make things difficult for me, hehe..."
While laughing, she reached out and rubbed her itchy nose, which instantly turned a small black spot, which stunned Mu Yichen.
"I'm telling you, I haven't taken action in many years, but today I'm making an exception. I see that your diet is not very good, with dry and hard pastries every day. I'm going to improve your diet today. By the way, I hope those eunuchs didn't bully you last time. I asked Xiao Luzi to go to the eunuch room to warn them."
Looking at Mu Yichen's confused eyes, Rong Si coughed lightly, "Hmph, don't think I'm being nice to you, I just feel sorry for you. You're still a prince, but you don't eat as well as Xiaoluzi. You can talk, right? Why don't you talk every time I see you?"
“Chicken…” Mu Yichen pointed at the mud chicken that Rong Si threw into the fire, his face a little anxious, and he wanted to reach out to take it.
Rong Si immediately pulled the other person's hand back, "Are you stupid? Didn't you see the fire? Oh, yes, you are stupid, never mind, I won't bother with you, the chicken needs to be roasted for a while before it can be eaten, you can't touch it now, understand?"
Rong Si explained gently, holding Mu Yichen's hand, and it was not known whether it was intentional or for other reasons, but she did not let go for a while.
Looking at the two people holding hands, a complicated feeling flashed through Mu Yichen's heart. He didn't expect that after growing up, the first person who would care about a fool like him would be the daughter of his enemy.
After roasting for quite a while, Rong Si suddenly let go of Mu Yichen's hand, and excitedly poked the ashes, knocking the stone with a branch. Once the chicken wrapped in lotus leaves was knocked open, a strong smell instantly emanated from it. Rong Si immediately turned to look at Mu Yichen, the mud on the tip of her nose had dried up, and she pointed at the chicken happily, telling him to eat, "Eat it while it's hot. Um, no, Nianxia, get some water for us to wash our hands..."
Seeing that Mu Yichen had been staring at the water, Rong Si immediately pressed his hands into the water, rubbed them casually, and wiped them clean with a silk handkerchief, "Eat quickly, I tell you, the golden pheasants at Concubine Yu's place are the most delicious. If you are greedy, go and steal them. These chickens are her most precious. Last time, she even asked her chickens to peck me..."
"My lady, it was you who insisted on cutting the feathers from the golden pheasant's butt to make a shuttlecock..."
"Lianqiu, shut up. Didn't you kick the shuttlecock? You kicked it the most..."
The little girl curled her lips and said nothing.
Concubine Yu raised golden pheasants simply because they looked a bit like phoenixes, for good luck. But who would have known that just a few of them would be stolen and taken advantage of by Rong Si? How could she not be angry
Now Rong Si is instigating a fool like Prince Rui to steal her chicken. I wonder if she will be mad if she finds out.
Then Rong Si watched with a smile as Mu Yichen's mouth was full of oil after eating the chicken. After wiping it clean for him, she skillfully destroyed all the traces of it, stood up, patted her body, and became the graceful and elegant imperial concubine again.
She said hello to Mu Yichen and told him she would come to see her when she was hungry, and then left happily.
Mu Yichen was left standing there in a daze for a long time, still holding the handkerchief that Rong Si used to wipe his hands. It was not until he walked into a rockery that he slowly put away his silly expression and chuckled.
"Rong Si..."
It can be said that ever since he met her, he always did some incredible things, such as winning lanterns for her during the Lantern Festival and eating beggar's chicken with her today. Or it should be said that Concubine Rong has always been an unconventional person, and he just happened to meet her recently.
Not long after, the palace examination was over and the candidates for the top three places were determined one by one.
The Qionglin Banquet and the Baihua Banquet were also to be held. On the night before, Mu Lianxuan came to find Rong Si and explained to her that no matter who he married in the future, he would always have Rong Si in his heart, and asked her not to mind it. The most important thing was to praise her for being very sensible in the Empress Dowager's palace that day, and gave her a hairpin.
Rong Si casually threw it into her jewelry box without paying much attention to it.
The daughters of the ministers below learned that this Hundred Flowers Banquet was also a banquet to select a concubine for King Jing, and that the Emperor might even choose one or two to fill the harem. In addition, the top two candidates in the imperial examinations and the legitimate sons of princes and ministers would all come, so they all began to prepare with all their might.
So when that day came, Rong Si only felt that there were all kinds of colors in front of her. The Hundred Flowers Banquet and the Qionglin Banquet were separated by a lake, which was very small, and she could even see the appearance of the people on the other side. Rong Si's side was full of women, all kinds of thin and plump, even the concubines in the palace came out one by one.
Xue Yuqiu was still dressed in white, and Shao Qingwei was also dressed in white. She looked a lot fuller, but just as Rong Si had expected, she looked like a foot-washing maid standing next to Xue Yuqiu.
At the beginning, the people on both sides started reciting poems, and the people on this side started appreciating flowers and occasionally reciting poems. Later, both sides started to write poems based on the topic, and many excellent works were sent in, and many people fell in love with each other because of the poems.
Originally, it should have been Shao Qingwei who amazed everyone, but Rong Si cut off her retreat with a collection of poems. She could only sit in the corner, almost gritting her teeth.
While she was reciting the poem, Rong Si suddenly received a note from someone saying that Rong Feizhou would be returning to the military camp in two days, and he had something to tell her now, and asked her to meet at Yime Garden. The matter was urgent, so they happened to meet now. At the end of the note, there was a message saying, "Sister, if you have truly forgiven me, please come."
It seems that the person who left the note not only investigated the situation in her family, but also knew about the recent reconciliation between her and Rong Feizhou, and even wrote it down in the note.
Rong Si crumpled up the piece of paper, smiled, looked at the group of people in front of her who were having a great time writing poetry, and walked towards Yimeyuan. Out of the corner of her eye she still noticed Shao Qingwei's slightly raised mouth corners.
Who knew that Rong Si was standing at the gate of Yime Garden and before she walked in, she suddenly stretched out a big hand and covered her mouth.
Rong Si was startled, but quickly calmed down. She had already explained everything to Nian Xia and the others, so it shouldn't be a big deal. But who would have thought that the next second she would be lifted into the air.
Even when she sat down in the middle of the branches of the big banyan tree in the center of the Mei Garden, she was still a little dazed. She was so shocked that her foot slipped and she almost fell.
"careful!"
The man's deep voice sounded softly in her ears.
Rong Si turned her head suddenly and looked directly at Mu Yichen who was wearing the mask he wore during the Lantern Festival. "Is it you?"
She said in surprise.
The beggar's chicken dinner yesterday was not in vain.
"Someone is trying to trick you..." he explained.
"So you're helping me? I know someone is plotting against me..." Rong Si smiled confidently at him, "But thank you for coming over anyway. It's so strange, why are you still wearing a mask in broad daylight? Are you the son of some minister? Did you enter the palace today?"
"I have a birthmark on my face and I can't see anyone..."
Before the man finished speaking, they suddenly heard a vulgar voice coming from under the tree, "Baby, where are you? Come out, come out..."
The person who came turned out to be Liu Ge.
Rong Si opened her eyes wide.
He didn't even have his front teeth fixed and was dragged out. He was so unlucky.
Shao Qingwei really holds a grudge!