Qu Moying also entered the palace early in the morning. Today was the first day that Princess Jing came to recognize her relatives, so she couldn't go too late.
She and Pei Yuanjun entered the palace together. Pei Yuanjun did not attend the morning court today and took a sick leave. It was just the right time for him to enter the palace with her.
When they entered the palace, there was already a palace sedan waiting there. There were many female relatives entering the palace today, and the Queen Mother had already made preparations.
Qu Moying and Pei Yuanjun separated outside the palace. Pei Yuanjun went to the imperial study, and Qu Moying went to the Queen's Pepper Room alone.
The palace sedan went all the way and stopped in front of the Pepper House. Qu Moying held Yuxiu's hand and walked down. A palace maid had been waiting on the side. When she saw her coming, she stepped forward to greet her, led her up the high steps and walked towards the main palace gate.
Qu Moying arrived relatively early, as there were not many concubines and female relatives from outside the palace who came at this time.
The Queen Mother met her in the inner hall, asked her some questions with a smile, and then asked her to sit down next to her.
After thanking her, Qu Moying quietly picked a seat that was close to the Queen but a little to the side. She was the Princess of England, and even if she didn't want to be close to the Queen, she couldn't sit too far to the corner. Pei Yuanjun said that this was also the Emperor's idea.
Thinking that this was a suitable position, she sat down with a smile. She was not the protagonist today, she was just here to watch a show.
Qu Qiuyan is not the type of person who can wait.
He waved the round fan in his hand gently in front of him and listened quietly to the conversations of the concubines around him.
Some palace concubines curled their lips in disdain at her sitting so close to the Queen, but they didn't dare to say anything. Pei Yuanjun had a bad reputation, and he was intimidating even in the deep palace. This man was not a reasonable person, and even if he didn't care about the Princess of England, he still cared about his own face.
No one will suffer if they mess with him.
So even if people didn't like the position where Qu Moying sat, no one came up to deliberately provoke her. They just said a few sarcastic remarks from the side, and Qu Moying didn't take it to heart. It was obvious that the person who spoke was not an important concubine, but just a pawn pushed out by others. If she really took it to heart, it would be a loss of status.
Concubine He came in behind Qu Moying. It was still early, and considering her status, she came early.
However, she was also in the main seat today. Prince Jing was her biological son, so of course she had to come early. After greeting the Queen, Concubine He sat on the other side of the Queen. This position was also considered the main seat, and she and Qu Moying were on both sides of the Queen.
"Princess Ying came really early today." After seeing Qu Moying, Concubine He smiled slightly and spoke to Qu Moying diagonally opposite her in a friendly manner.
"I entered the palace with our prince." Qu Moying smiled implicitly.
"I heard that the King of England is not feeling well. I wonder what's wrong with him?" Concubine He asked with concern.
The Queen's face darkened. She actually didn't know about this matter, and instead Concubine He got the upper hand. She looked displeased.
"It's not bad. I just took the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician and got better. Then I went to the palace to see the emperor." Qu Moying explained with a smile.
"Why did it suddenly become unwell?" Concubine He continued to ask.
"Something happened yesterday... Our prince has always been straightforward, and he couldn't suppress it for a while, which hurt his spleen and stomach." Qu Moying said nonsense seriously.
Several concubines who didn't know what was going on heard something interesting, and they all stopped talking and stretched their ears to listen to what they were saying...
The queen said nothing, staring at the fruit plate in front of her in a daze, as if she was thinking about something important, but in fact she was also listening to the two people talking.
She didn't know what happened to the King of Ying this morning, but she knew what happened in the Prince of Jing's Mansion yesterday. A hint of sarcasm curved in her eyes, and then she regained a bit of calmness. Compared with Concubine He on the side, she was more stable.
When Prince Jing got married, something happened. Although she didn't know the details, it was obvious that Princess Jing and the Crown Princess were involved. As for Princess Ying, she was also involved.
"What happened yesterday? In Prince Jing's mansion?" Concubine He's heart was moved, but she didn't show it on her face. She asked with a gentle smile.
Her tone was gentle and her attitude showed some concern, as if she really cared about Qu Moying, which made people feel good about her.
"It's just a small matter. It's just that our prince was feeling a little unwell." Qu Moying smiled slightly, his attitude as calm as ever.
Quietly as water, she responded to Concubine He's words.
Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of her, Concubine He stopped talking to Qu Moying. By chance, a concubine she knew well came over and sat next to Concubine He, and started chatting with her, which made Concubine He in a good mood.
There were also concubines talking jokingly near the Queen. The two people in high positions seemed to be in a good mood. Qu Moying sat silently aside, waiting for Pei Yusheng and Liu Lanxin to come over.
After a while, most of the people who were supposed to come had arrived. There were quite a few people sitting in the hall, and everyone was waiting.
I just didn't expect that the wait would take so long. Although no one dared to speak out loud about it, everyone gathered together in groups of three or four to discuss it.
In the past, even the crown prince would not come so late to recognize his relatives. What happened to King Jing? He had not come yet.
The smile on Concubine He's face became less frequent. Although she was still talking, she seemed absent-minded. She glanced towards the door from time to time, with anxiety in her eyes.
The Queen put down the teacup in her hand and said, "My Lady, why haven't Prince Jing and Princess Jing come over yet? There have been a lot of things going on in the palace recently, and it's not good to keep everyone here like this."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The young couple must have been delayed on the road. The sun rises early these days and many people get up early in the morning. There might be a traffic jam on the road." Concubine He wiped her lips with a handkerchief, smiled and raised her eyebrows, saying casually. After all, she had seen a lot of ups and downs, so she seemed calm and composed when she spoke.
"I have never heard of anyone who would dare to block Prince Jing's carriage so early in the morning." The Queen snorted coldly and said unhappily.
"I haven't heard of it either. Could it be an accident? It's still early this day, so there's no need to be so anxious." Concubine He teased, looking at how affectionate she was with the Queen. "If Prince Jing comes later, make sure he stays with you first. He has delayed the Queen's business, so no punishment will be excessive."
The words sound nice, but they are just nice to hear.
The Queen felt even more distressed. "It's already this late, why hasn't he come yet? Could it be that something really happened and he can't come?"
"Look at what my sister said, it's not too late to come over now. My sister is really impatient, and my younger sister has always been gentle. It seems that it's not too late!"
Concubine He followed suit and was able to handle it well.
The two of them have been fighting for so many years, and they both understand each other's hidden meanings, and they can understand the twists and turns of words.
The concubines on the side were silent. Since these two were talking, they had better keep silent to avoid offending them. Looking at these two gentle and dignified people, neither of them was easy to offend.
"Then let's wait a little longer!" The Queen said incomprehensibly, "I just hope that Prince Jing and Princess Jing don't come too late. The Emperor is still there.
Waiting here!"
The rule is to meet the emperor first and then go to the harem to meet the palace ladies.
Concubine He's face darkened. She rarely responded to the Empress' words. After a pause, she reached out and called her trusted maid to wait outside.
It's really late now. If I don't come over, it will cause more gossip.
Concubine He felt inexplicably uneasy. She always felt that something would happen today and it would be related to her son and daughter-in-law. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess became a laughing stock because of the things that happened in the bridal chamber. Could it be that it was her son's turn today
The thought of this made me even more uneasy.
But no matter how uncomfortable she was, she had to sit down. Otherwise, it would not only be her son and daughter-in-law who would be embarrassed today, but also herself. She had been able to sit firmly in the position of imperial concubine for so many years because of her character.
At no time can she mess around...
A eunuch came quietly from behind and whispered something in the Queen's ear. The Queen was stunned and looked at Concubine He. Then she waved her hand with a smile on her face with a hint of sarcasm. She remembered that Concubine He had talked about her son in this way.
"My royal concubine, I just heard about something that concerns Prince Jing. If Prince Jing were here, I would scold her for being ignorant. How could she be so ignorant of etiquette? When the emperor comes here later, he will definitely be angry." said the queen.
"What did the queen say?"
"Has something happened to His Royal Highness Prince Jing?" Two concubines from the Queen's faction asked hurriedly.
Concubine He's eyebrows drooped, "What did you hear, sister? If it's not true, the emperor will be really angry."
"Of course it's true. I heard that the Prince Jing who entered the palace today was not accompanied by his wife, but his concubine. Prince Jing and his concubine entered the palace together." The Queen Mother said slowly.
In a word, all the female relatives present were shocked. On the first day of the wedding, why did he bring a concubine with him instead of the newlywed wife to the palace to express gratitude and recognize her as his relative
What does this mean? Could it be that the King of Jing is not satisfied with the King's wife, so he brought a concubine into the palace and wanted to make her his principal wife
Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment the hall was silent without a sound.
Those who were quick to react immediately thought of the fact that Princess Jing was the third young lady of the Qu Mansion, the third sister of the current Princess Ying. She had hurriedly entered the Jing Mansion and was originally a concubine, but was later promoted to a concubine.
Some people also heard that Concubine Qu was very much in line with King Jing's wishes before she entered the palace, so King Jing made a scene in the palace today? This was not only rude, but also outrageous.
Is King Jing crazy
Sensing many eyes on him, Qu Moying remained very steady. He gently waved the round fan in his hand and looked at the fan as if he was admiring a butterfly on it. He turned a blind eye to everyone's gazes and did not react at all. He looked like he was completely out of the matter and knew nothing.
"Empress, I'm afraid you really heard it wrong this time. Prince Jing has always been a rational child, how could he do such a thing? It's better to wait until the emperor comes to tell you, lest he make a mistake and hear it, he will be annoyed again. This rumor has been wrong for more than once."
Concubine He sneered, her face darkening. She knew her son well, and she would never believe that her son would do such a foolish thing.
"The Emperor has arrived!" A eunuch's shrill voice came from outside, and all the concubines stood up hurriedly...