After a lot of tossing, Xiao Concubine blushed and glared at Zhao Zun coquettishly, she was so lazy that she didn't want to move at all.
Zhao Zun kissed Xiao Concubine's red lips, and Xiao Concubine flinched back, covering her red lips tightly, "Well, no more kisses."
Zhao Zun smiled, "Let's go, go eat."
The house was very warm in winter, and Xiao Yan wished she could stay in the house all day and let go of all the troubles before.
Suddenly, Xiao Concubine looked outside through the window, her eyes lit up, "Husband, it's snowing."
Zhao Zun followed his line of sight and saw that snowflakes were falling outside, embellishing the scenery outside and covering it with a layer of light white.
This was the first time Xiao Yu came to Shengjing to see snow, so she was a little excited.
After the two had lunch, Zhao Zun ordered people to spread mats on the terrace and prepare more heaters, and took Concubine Xiao to the terrace, where they could have a panoramic view of the Prince's Mansion.
As soon as she entered the building, Xiao Yu narrowed her eyes, "I've seen it before, but it's too boring to live alone, and I'm busy with those things in the palace, so I was delayed. I didn't expect it to be so delicate."
The whole room is filled with the faint scent of peonies, and there are several fresh melons and fruits on the table, as well as some freshly baked pastries.
In the middle is a huge round table, covered by a light veil, so you can't see clearly inside.
Zhao Zun put Xiao Concubine down, and Xiao Concubine stepped on the carpet with bare feet, walked around the room, and couldn't help but blush when she saw that Tiao.
The two stayed together for two days completely forgetting themselves, not thinking about the disputes outside.
In the early morning of the next day, Zhao Zun woke up and bowed his head and kissed the corner of Xiao Concubine's lips, then got off the ground and put on his clothes.
"Let the princess sleep for a while longer, and when I ask about it later, I will say that I have entered the palace alone."
Hongxiu immediately nodded, "Yes."
Zhao Zun joined the army, pretending to have just arrived in Shengjing.
Emperor Xiyue held a grand banquet in the palace to welcome the crown prince.
Dressed in a silver-white armor, Zhao Zun's tall and straight figure stood in the main hall. His stunning face and the cold aura emanating from his body made people unable to take their eyes off it.
"I pay my respects to my father." Zhao Zun cupped his hands and said in a deep voice.
The corner of Xiyue Emperor's mouth was raised, looking at Zhao Zun's pride, "You don't need to be too polite. This time, the crown prince praised me for the prestige of Xiyue and took down Eastern Chu in one fell swoop. It is really exciting. I will definitely reward you a lot!"
Zhao Zun raised his eyebrows, but did not take Emperor Xiyue's words to heart.
The courtiers were a little excited, "His Royal Highness is a thousand years old."
This side was discussing the state affairs, Xiao Concubine got up early, changed into clean clothes, and covered up the marks on the neckline.
"It's getting late, let's go."
The previous dynasty was discussing important matters, and the harem was also busy preparing for the celebration, preparing for the evening banquet. Because Concubine Xu Gui and Concubine Qing were pregnant, and Concubine Zhao Huanggui was weak, the banquet was handed over to Princess Chonghua.
Concubine Zhao was a little excited when she thought that she was going to see her son soon, and more of it was guilt, so Princess Chaoyi kept persuading her.
Only then did Concubine Zhao's nervous heart relax a little.
Concubine Xiao just went to pay her respects to Imperial Concubine Zhao, and after saying a few words, she was invited away by Nanny Bai who was beside Princess Chonghua.
Princess Chaoyi's eyelids twitched, "Second Sister-in-law, I'm free and fine, why don't I go with Second Sister-in-law."
Mother Bai immediately said, "Princess Chaoji, the Eldest Princess wants to invite the Crown Princess to go alone, and ask more about His Highness's preferences, so as not to make mistakes."
Princess Chaoyi's face darkened slightly, "What is this called, what can be delayed if I go to the palace!"
Nanny Bai quickly waved her hand, "I don't dare, it's just that the Eldest Princess gave orders. The Imperial Concubine is not in good health, and I have to trouble the Princess to take care of her. The Eldest Princess just asks the Crown Princess a few words, and there won't be too long a delay."
Princess Chaoyi wanted to say something more, Xiao Yu pulled Princess Chaoyi back, "This nanny is right, you can stay with the concubine mother, I will return as soon as I go, the most important thing is not to delay the business. "
Xiao Yu winked at Princess Chaoyi, and Princess Chaoyi was speechless.
"Since the eldest princess is in a hurry, let's go."
Nanny Bai immediately nodded when she heard this, and bent over to lead the way.
Nanny Bai directly took Concubine Xiao to a courtyard of the Palace of Mercy, "Princess Concubine wait a moment, Eldest Princess will be here soon."
Concubine Xiao looked around, nodded, and Nanny Bai left after a while.
"Princess Concubine, there are many hidden guards around here." Qing Yu sensed something wrong in the surroundings, and lowered his voice.
Xiao Yu nodded, propped her chin and looked at the flowers in front of her boredly.
After a while, Princess Chonghua came, glanced at Xiao Yu and the two maids beside Xiao Yu, and a look of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
Princess Chonghua waved her hand and told the servant girls to step back, "Go down, I have a few words that I would like to chat with the Crown Princess alone."
Concubine Xiao raised her eyebrows, glanced at Qingyu and Hongxiu, and they immediately stepped back a few steps with their backs to Concubine Xiao.
Seeing this, the eldest princess Chonghua smiled with satisfaction, and said directly, "Now that the prince is back, you are the only concubine of the prince. This is different from the past. The prince is a great hero in West Vietnam, so, in your heart There are still a few, it is impossible for the prince to have only you as a woman."
"Then I don't know what the eldest princess means?" Xiao Yu looked puzzled.
"If you hadn't intervened, today's Crown Princess should be Concubine Yun of the Eastern Palace. I don't blame the Crown Princess, it's just that the world is impermanent, and Concubine Yun is not so lucky." Princess Chonghua said to Xiao Concubine I hate it to the bone.
"Eldest princess, it's not that the palace is meddling, but that Concubine Yunce is not married to His Highness, but the elder brother, Prince Zhan. Eldest princess, please don't confuse the two."
Concubine Xiao couldn't help reminding that Princess Chonghua frowned and took a deep breath, "I don't care what happened before, but now Concubine Yun has entered the East Palace. You are all women of the same age, and I, as a mother, don't care. I hope to watch Concubine Yun's flowery age wither away and die alone."
Princess Chonghua stared at Xiao Concubine seriously as she said, "Although the princess is beautiful and dignified, men like women who are considerate, generous and well-behaved. What is not lacking is a beautiful woman. The princess insists on going her own way, and all she gets in exchange is the prince's disgust. I am someone who has been here, so I kindly remind the princess, don't forget your own sense of proportion. Instead of being alone and helpless, it is better to be with As Concubine Yun is a pair of good sisters, the Crown Princess should restrain her temper to please the Crown Prince long ago. Dong Ming can protect the Crown Princess for a while, but may not be able to protect the Crown Princess for a lifetime. Besides, the important ministers of Xiyue are dissatisfied with the suspicion of the Crown Princess. Why not find someone to ally with?"
After all, it was all for the sake of Concubine Yun, Xiao Concubine chuckled, "I have been taught what the eldest princess said, and I was just seeking skin from a tiger. How can I know what will happen in the end? After all, the position of the eldest son is only One, I let go, Concubine Yun has entered the Prince's Mansion, so the next step is to worry about the position of the Crown Princess?"
Concubine Xiao scorned disdainfully, causing Princess Chonghua's complexion to change slightly, "What is this called, you are really worried about Xiyue in good faith!"
Xiao Concubine raised her eyebrows, "Joke, I am a dignified princess, do you need to worry about it, but the eldest princess has planned many ways to be uneasy and kind, even if I want to accept a concubine for His Highness, why bother to keep such a big concubine?" I put the threat under my nose, I am not so magnanimous."
Princess Chonghua saw that she was not enlightened at all, her face changed slightly, she suddenly sneered, "This is your own choice, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
As soon as the words fell, Nanny Bai, who was beside Princess Chonghua, moved very nimbly, and hit Xiao Concubine on the back of the neck very quickly. Xiao Concubine's body went limp and she fell on the table.
Princess Chonghua gave her a look, and the two servant girls immediately carried Xiao Concubine into the house, and at the same time, a woman who looked exactly like Xiao Concubine came out, and this person was Yuan Ruo.
Yuanruo's gestures were full of arrogance, her chin was raised slightly, and her brows were full of savagery.
Princess Chonghua nodded in satisfaction, she didn't see anything strange at all, she looked at Yuanruo meaningfully, "Crown Princess, today is a celebration banquet, and I'm here to ask you about the Prince's preferences, I don't know what the Prince has Envoy's preference?"
Yuan Ruo hooked her lips, and learned Xiao Concubine's every move, "Eldest Princess, apart from not liking peony, everything else is fine, and there is no taboo."
Princess Chonghua nodded, "That's good, it's getting late, and I have to make arrangements as soon as possible."
Yuan Ruo raised her foot and left, Hong Xiu and Qing Yu immediately followed after seeing this, they looked at each other with their heads down, and then looked away.
"Second Emperor's Sister-in-law, you are finally here." Princess Chaoyi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw "Concubine Xiao" appearing safe and sound.
Yuan Ruo smiled, "It's such an occasion in broad daylight, what can happen, the eldest princess is not so stupid."
Princess Chaoxi frowned slightly, but she quickly thought about it and nodded, "It's getting late, let's go, the concubine is still waiting."
Yuanruo nodded, talking to Princess Chaoyi from time to time along the way, until she entered the hall.
The main hall was singing and dancing, and there were already many dancers dancing in the center, with the melodious sound of the piano in their ears.
Emperor Xiyue, Zhao Zun and others are still in the future, and the concubines in the harem have already arrived.
The Empress Dowager Song was earlier, sitting on the left side of the highest place, and the middle seat belonged to Emperor Xiyue. The lower right hand of the Empress Dowager Song was Princess Chonghua, and the lower right was Concubine Zhao Huanggui.
Princess Chaoji slowly squatted down, "Chaoqi pays homage to the emperor's grandmother and aunt."
Yuan Ruo also stepped forward, and slightly bent her knees, "The concubine pays homage to the queen mother, the eldest princess."
The Empress Dowager Song was probably in a good mood, so she waved her hands without thinking too much, "Get up, everyone, today is a celebration banquet, so there is no need to be too polite."
Yuan Ruo quickly stood up straight, but the Empress Dowager Song waved at Yuan Ruo, "The clothes of the Crown Princess are really festive, and the Crown Princess is more beautiful than flowers. There is no one in the entire hall that is more beautiful than the princess."
Yuan Ruo's face flushed slightly, "The Empress Dowager praised her absurdly. How dare you compare the appearance of my concubine Pu Liu with all the other empresses."
"The crown prince is not young anymore, and the crown princess should also consider an heir. The sons of the wives' families, who are younger than the crown prince, have already embraced grandchildren. The crown princess must hurry up."
The Empress Dowager Song looked like an old man waiting to hold a grandson, with a courteous expression on her face.
Concubine Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly said, "Queen Mother, the two have just married, and the Crown Princess is still young, so this matter cannot be rushed."
The Empress Dowager Song glanced at Concubine Zhao with displeasure, "When the concubine is as old as the concubine, the prince is already three years old. For women, it is common for a husband to teach a child. As the saying goes, there are three things that are unfilial and have no descendants. What's more, there are only two concubines in the Prince's residence, which is too thin."
For the two concubines, this is including Concubine Yun.
Concubine Zhao Huanggui was about to explain, but she heard Princess Chonghua quickly say, "Concubine Yun is filial and has been supporting the queen mother to relieve boredom. This time, when she heard that the prince is coming back, she has been helping me to deal with it. The celebration banquet will not be held so lively, Bengong sees that the Crown Princess likes the young prince of Chaoqi very much, and she must also like children very much, taking advantage of this opportunity, it is time to make preparations."
After the words fell, many wives nodded, seeing how the Empress Dowager Song and Princess Chonghua sang together, it was clear that they wanted to take this opportunity to let the prince take a concubine.
These wives all brought their daughters, and those girls had seen the prince's demeanor before, so they all blushed. Those wives are all human spirits, so naturally they want to go along with the Queen Mother Song.
"Concubine Yun Chou is really kind-hearted and very filial. She deserves to be taught by the Eldest Princess herself."
One of the ladies followed suit, and the rest followed suit.
Concubine Yun side lowered her head, pretending to be shy.
Yuan Ruo raised her brows, "Don't bother the eldest princess, Your Highness has just returned, so there is no need to rush these matters. Although Concubine Yun is capable, what's the use if His Highness doesn't like it."
Yuan Ruo's posture resembled the arrogant "Xiao Concubine" so much that no one could notice the slightest difference.
If Yuanruo carefully flattered her, it would arouse suspicion from others.
Princess Chonghua's complexion changed slightly, "The Crown Princess is young, and today is the celebration banquet, it's better to restrain yourself. Concubine Yun has been educated since she was a child. Although she is a side concubine, she is also a treasure in the hands of the palace. She cannot tolerate such a concubine. trample!"
Yuanruo's arrogance caused a lot of dissatisfaction, and all the wives also looked angry, "The princess is too confident, why belittle the concubine Yun, the empress dowager and the eldest princess are elders, even the prince has to be polite when they see her." Not to mention the Crown Princess, Xiyue has always put filial piety first, and the Crown Princess is so unfilial, it is simply ruining the atmosphere of Xiyue!"
"Princess, ladies, today is a good day for the crown prince to come back after flying the flag, so why bother with this matter? At the beginning, Xiyue agreed to Dongming, and what the crown princess said is correct. Since ancient times, which one is not It is not the responsibility of the Crown Princess to have a concubine first, so as not to disturb Chao Gang, and it is not the responsibility of the Crown Princess to have a child before His Highness."
Imperial Concubine Zhao hurriedly explained to "Concubine Xiao", for some reason, she always felt that something was wrong.
When the wives saw Concubine Zhao Huanggui open her mouth, they didn't dare to contradict her, after all, she was the prince's biological mother.
Ladies don't mention it, the Empress Dowager Song is not a good quarrel, she just glanced at Concubine Zhao Huanggui angrily, "Rules are rules, no one can take over your husband by himself, no one can make people laugh."
Concubine Zhao's face paled for a while, Yuanruo stepped forward appropriately, "Why does the Empress Dowager have to target the concubine mother, and why did I ever say that I disagree with accepting the concubine?"
"Xiao Jiu..." Imperial Concubine Zhao was stunned.
Yuan Ruo smiled, thinking she was helping Concubine Zhao Huanggui.
The Empress Dowager Song's complexion improved, and the lady below was overjoyed when she heard these words, and the Crown Princess finally let go of her understanding.
At this moment, Emperor Xiyue led all the civil and military officials into the hall, and seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was not good, especially the Empress Dowager Song, she couldn't help asking.
"Mother, what's the matter?"
Seeing Zhao Zun's blushing face, this kite immediately walked to Zhao Zun's side, "Your Highness."
Zhao Zun glanced at Yuan Ruo lightly, calmly, and quickly averted his gaze.
"It's nothing. It's just that the Ai family remembered that the prince is not young, and he should have an heir. They chatted for a while, what's the matter with only such a princess in the prince's house, maybe the Ai family talked too much and offended the princess." Empress Dowager Song sighed.
Emperor Xiyue frowned tightly, he dared to give Empress Dowager Song a look in front of so many people, this rule has not changed at all, Emperor Xiyue turned his head and glanced at Zhao Zun.
Zhao Zun's eyes lit up, and he glanced at Yuan Ruo, "Is what the emperor's grandmother said true?"
Yuanruo bit her lip, "Your Highness, the concubine has already agreed to take the concubine, and when the concubine gives birth to the eldest son, she agrees to take the concubine. It is for Your Highness."
Zhao Zun's eyes turned cold.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager quickly waved her hands, "Since the Crown Princess knows her mistakes, she will correct them. Ai Jianian is not concerned about the Crown Princess's age, so she will correct it in the future."
Imperial Concubine Zhao wanted to explain something, but before she could speak, Zhao Zunyang slapped Yuan Ruo with her hand, knocking Yuan Ruo to the ground unexpectedly.
"Quickly kowtow and apologize to the emperor's grandmother. What kind of place is this? How can you be wild!"
This slap made everyone stunned, didn't it mean that the Crown Princess is the one on the crown prince's heart, how could she do it.
Empress Dowager Song was also taken aback, "Prince, there is no need..."
Zhao Zun pursed his lips, "How can this be done, there are no rules, how can Gu let people slander the imperial grandmother."
Yuan Ruo was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to react, she was shocked when she met Zhao Zun's sharp eyes.
Princess Chonghua cleared her throat, Yuan Ruo came back to her senses, straightened her back, "What did I do wrong, I have already agreed, what else do you want?"
Zhao Zuncong drew a soft sword from his waist, raised his eyebrows and looked at the Empress Dowager Song, "Grandmother, if she doesn't kowtow to apologize today, how about grandson scratching his face to apologize to Grandmother for her?"