The emperor is here!
Not only the emperor came, but Pei Yuanjun, Pei Yusheng and Liu Lanxin also came.
The emperor sat down in the middle, and Pei Yuanjun also sat down next to Qu Moying, leaving only the young couple.
The two people stepped forward and bowed one by one according to the rules. There seemed to be nothing wrong, and it was not like what was rumored just now, that Pei Yusheng brought a concubine into the palace and left the principal wife aside.
However, most of the people present were shrewd people and could still see that there was something wrong with the expression on King Jing's face. Although he seemed to be smiling, as if it was the best time for him to be newly married, there was no joy in his eyes. Something must have happened, but no one knew what it was.
After the emperor said a few polite words, the queen began to speak.
With the Emperor here, the Empress would not say anything excessive. As the Empress's biological mother, she of course only spoke politely. She asked them with a smile and concern why they came to the palace so late, and said that the Emperor had been waiting for them to come.
These words, which sounded like concern for the young couple, made Concubine He roll her eyes inwardly. She was clearly deliberately asking them why they came late, but why did she say it so nicely
Pei Yusheng did not explain the Queen's veiled words. He smiled and nodded, repeatedly saying that nothing was wrong, except that he had just spent a little longer with the Emperor.
The queen was speechless after hearing this. She wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief and glanced at the emperor. Seeing that he was looking at her son meaningfully, she did not dare to say anything excessive and left the main stage to Concubine He.
Concubine He no longer had the arrogance she had just shown in front of the Empress. She seemed to be very polite in her behavior. Not only did she not go beyond what the Empress had just said, but she also questioned Pei Yusheng according to the meaning of the Empress' words. She looked like a concubine who followed the Empress wholeheartedly.
As for the previous tit-for-tat, it did not exist.
The emperor was pleased with the respect shown to the empress in her eyes. Although he knew that the empress and Noble Concubine He had conflicts, they did not seem to be as incompatible as rumored. The emperor was well aware that as a favorite concubine, Noble Concubine He's behavior in the palace was also talked about.
As long as it's not excessive, he can turn a blind eye.
The ambiguous words that the Queen had said before were not so obvious even if they were reprimands. But now, after Concubine He's emphasis, everyone looked at the Queen with a little different eye contact.
The queen was so angry that she gritted her teeth secretly, but she still had to maintain her dignity in front of everyone and could not ruin the relationship with Concubine He.
"Sister, why haven't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess arrived yet?" After Concubine He finished talking about her son, she wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief and asked softly.
Today is the day when Princess Jing recognizes her relatives. No matter how you look at it, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess should not arrive too late.
"The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have arrived. They came earlier than the Imperial Concubine, but they have something to do now, so they have to leave for a while." The Queen said indifferently.
This matter was the emperor's intention, and she didn't care if Concubine He made a big fuss about it.
As soon as she saw the look on the queen's face, Concubine He knew that there was something she didn't know about. She glanced at the emperor who was sitting calmly on the side and didn't make any more excuses for herself: "I originally wanted to come earlier and spend more time with my sister, but I thought about some things last night and went to bed a little late. I remembered that time... when the Queen was here, she talked about children."
"Children are a debt. It's not easy to see them grow up and become adults. It's also the fulfillment of a mother's heart."
At this point, Concubine He suddenly came to her senses, looked at the emperor on the side, stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am rude, please reprimand me."
You can't talk about Empress Yuan casually in the palace.
The emperor frowned, waved his hand, and signaled Concubine He to stand up.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Concubine He stood up with the help of the palace maid, a trace of sadness in her eyes: “I just remembered that if I were still alive, I would have given birth to a child long ago, and I should be about the same age as Prince Jing now!”
When she said this, she wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, then forced a smile, her eyes softened: "I just think too much, I always feel that Empress Yuan was also at my place last night... thinking about Prince Jing's marriage just like me."
Concubine He once again quietly narrowed the distance between herself and Empress Yuan, reaffirming her relationship with Empress Yuan, the relationship between Pei Yusheng and Empress Yuan...
Qu Moying glanced at Pei Yuanjun on the side. His eyes dropped slightly with a hint of sarcasm, and his eyes were cold and unfathomable.
However, Qu Moying saw something sinister in his deep eyes.
He raised his eyes and saw that he was clearly apologizing but was unscrupulously trying to win over Empress Yuan. He was just short of pointing at Pei Qingjing and saying that she was born to Empress Yuan.
It's really the same as Ji Youran.
The Concubine He in front of him was clearly Ji Youran who had gained power.
Sure enough, the emperor's face showed some pain, and he turned his gaze to look at Pei Yuanjun and his partner.
Pei Yuanjun's face was as calm as ever, as if what was said had nothing to do with him at all. Qu Moying sat beside him like a little wife, also lowering her head. Everything in front of her seemed to have nothing to do with them. Qu Moying even gently shook the round fan in her hand.
It makes people feel more and more disrespectful.
"Princess Ying, do you know the Queen Yuan?" the Emperor suddenly asked, his eyes falling on Qu Moying with displeasure.
Qu Moying was stunned for a moment, as if confused by the question. After looking around, he stood up and saluted.
"No thanks!" the emperor said indifferently, his eyes still fixed on Qu Moying aggressively.
"Your Majesty, please don't embarrass Princess Ying. She is young and usually pays attention to such things. She has no close relationship with Empress Yuan, so how could she know about Empress Yuan? At most, she knows that there is a person called Empress Yuan." Concubine He continued softly, with a sad face, "Only people like us... still remember Empress Yuan."
If others didn't know, the emperor wouldn't care, and might even think it was a good thing. He had originally issued an order not to talk about the empress casually.
But now I felt inexplicably angry. It was okay for others not to know, but it was not okay for the British princess not to know.
"Does Princess Ying really know nothing?" The emperor ignored Concubine He and stared at Qu Moying coldly.
Pei Yuanjun raised his eyes and looked at the emperor with a cold look.
Qu Moying calmly shook her hand at him, signaling him not to move, and then said calmly, "Your Majesty, I know the Empress."
"What do you know about Empress Yuan?" the emperor asked again.
The Queen looked at Qu Moying, then at the Emperor, not understanding why he was staring at Princess Ying and asking her about this matter in front of so many people.
.
Concubine He was also surprised for a moment, but she concealed it very well.
"I heard that Empress Yuan was unwell after entering the palace, so Imperial Concubine came in and took care of Empress Yuan, just like when my cousin was injured in the Crown Prince's East Palace and Concubine Ji went in to take care of her. This is how I learned about Empress Yuan because of this incident."
Qu Moying said calmly.
With just one word, the smile on Concubine He's face froze.
The Queen Mother smiled slightly, but it was very shallow. Suddenly she remembered that this matter also concerned her son. Her face darkened again and she scolded, "Princess Ying, what do you mean by this?"
"Empress, I dare not. I am just responding to the Emperor." Qu Moying bowed to the Queen and apologized.
"Even if you are replying to the Emperor, you cannot say such treasonous words. How can the affairs of the Imperial Concubine be compared with those of the former Crown Princess!" The Queen reprimanded with an unhappy look on her face.
"Yes, I was rude." Qu Moying admitted her mistake politely.
The queen looked at Pei Yuanjun on the side, but she didn't say anything excessive after all. She just said coldly: "In the future, you have to learn the rules well when it comes to what to say and how to reply. If there is no one in your house, I can come here..."
The Queen was worried that there was no news about the people she had sent to the Prince of Ying's palace before. Now was a good opportunity. She was just thinking of sending two maids to teach Qu Moying the rules, but was interrupted by Pei Yuanjun's lazy voice: "My princess, what you said is not wrong. Could it be that there is another mystery behind what happened back then? Didn't the Imperial Concubine enter the palace to take care of Empress Yuan?"
Pei Yuanjun spoke lazily, his tone was very light, his sleepy eyes raised, and he said it with a faint smile, but this smile sounded a little colder, which sounded nice but made people uncomfortable, and one could sense that his smile did not reach his eyes.
Does this person really dare to ask this
The concubines present did not dare to make a sound. Some of them were newcomers who had been secretly discussing Qu Moying. When Pei Yuanjun was lawless in the palace, they were not yet in the palace. After that, they mainly heard rumors about Pei Yuanjun and rarely met him.
Even if they saw him from afar, they would avoid him early. There were mostly rumors about Pei Yuanjun.
Rumors were not to be believed. How could a minister really dare to do anything out of line? But now... they had actually seen it with their own eyes. They couldn't help but feel uneasy, secretly wondering if they had said too much to the British princess just now. This one was obviously protecting her.
The queen's face turned blue with anger. Pei Yuanjun actually went against her wishes in front of so many people.
Concubine He's face also changed color. Her face was not blue, but red, and it was burning. How could she let others talk about what happened in the past in person
At this moment, she couldn't resist it anymore. She looked up at the emperor with her eyes red. She bit her lip in grievance but said nothing. She just looked at the emperor with her beautiful eyes, silently complaining to the emperor but not saying it clearly. This feeling made the emperor care more than the actual complaint.
This is what Concubine He's years of experience told her.
Qu Moying was also very nervous and clenched the fan in her hand tightly. She had indeed intended to help Pei Yuanjun vent his anger, but she did not expect that Pei Yuanjun would contradict the Queen in front of so many people.
She also secretly looked at the emperor...