"What's wrong with this cat?" The woman who was high above had a gentle look on her face, but now she sat there with a bit of disgust. She did not let the palace maid take the cat over, nor did she hold the cat and comfort it as she did in the past. At this moment, it even seemed that she did not like the cat in front of her at all.
Not only did he not reach out, but he also showed a hint of disgust.
Yes, it was a strong disgust, but only for a moment, and the next moment, it became soft again.
This is Concubine He, who has been favored in the harem for so many years. Apart from the Empress Dowager, she can be regarded as the most favored concubine in the harem. Not to mention other concubines in the harem, even the Empress Dowager sometimes has to give way when she faces her.
It was also because of her existence that King Jing was able to compete with Pei Luoan, who had already been appointed as the crown prince.
It can be said that this person shoulders half of King Jing's power. In this respect, her influence is greater than that of the Queen Mother.
She looks to be no more than 30 years old, but she looks gentler. Her every word and action is gentle and feminine. She is also very gentle in dealing with people. She has a beautiful face. There are countless beauties in the harem. Among these countless beauties, even though she is old, she is still one of the most outstanding ones.
“Your Majesty, just now… just now I met His Royal Highness the Prince of Yun…” The maid was trembling in a dishevel, with scratches from a cat on her face. She did not dare to wipe them off. She looked at Concubine He with pleading eyes, her face full of begging.
"You can't even take care of a cat. What use are you?" Concubine He said lightly, suppressing the disgust in her eyes and speaking softly.
The palace maid kneeling below was trembling and collapsed, "Madam, please spare me, Madam, please spare me!"
"I would like to spare you, but this cat... has been harmed by you to this point, how can I spare you!" Concubine He showed a mocking smile on her face and waved her hand.
Two maids came over, one of them took the palace maid and went down.
The palace maid cried and begged but did not dare to struggle and was pulled away while begging.
The sound faded away.
The palace servants standing on both sides lowered their heads and dared not move. This kind of thing would happen whenever there was a problem with the cat.
This is already the number of palace maids who have been punished in the palace.
Everyone in Concubine He's palace knew that this cat was not only valued by the Concubine, but also by the Emperor. Whenever they came over, they would take a look at it, and sometimes they would even look at it for a while longer.
Therefore, the imperial concubine, who appears gentle on the outside, would feel heartbroken whenever she saw something wrong with the cat, and would punish those palace servants who were "not attentive" to the cat.
If the cat was accidentally injured, the palace servants would be punished, not to mention that the cat was so frightened today.
Everyone in the palace understood the fate of this palace maid, but no one would be so blind as to actually beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, this cat is frightened. How about I carry it out for a walk to relax it?" There was a young beauty sitting on the left side of Concubine He. If Qu Qiuyan was here, she would definitely recognize that this person was the Concubine Li whom she had met before.
Concubine He did not answer immediately. She waved her hand and a nanny came over and carefully took the cat downstairs to wash it again.
"You want to take the cat out to relax?" Concubine He looked at Lady Li and asked gently with a smile, "It was frightened just now. If it gets frightened again, it will stretch out its claws!"
The cat's claws are very long, but Concubine He never thought of cutting them.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will be careful and won't let it get frightened again. Take it out for a walk. It really made things difficult for it just now." Concubine Li responded with a smile.
In the past, she would also visit Concubine He and occasionally have the opportunity to hug the cat. She thought the cat was very docile. Of course, there were also palace maids who privately reminded her carefully when she was holding the cat that the cat looked docile, but if it was frightened, its claws would show and scratch people, so she needed to be more careful.
However, the reason she came here today was for this cat.
Now that the cat is frightened, it’s even better!
She had already been scared once, so if she was scared again, her reaction would definitely be more intense. That was really a pleasant surprise, and it couldn't be blamed on her, right!
The cat belongs to Concubine He. If anything goes wrong, you can't blame Concubine He, and of course you can't blame yourself either.
"Why are you in the mood to take the cat out for a walk so early today?" Concubine He smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She just glanced at Concubine Li and asked.
It was a rare occasion that Concubine Li came over to chat with her so early this morning. It was rare to see Concubine Li come so early at this time in the past.
"I thought of some old things and couldn't sleep for a while, so I came here early on purpose. I don't know if I disturbed the imperial concubine." Concubine Li sighed, frowning.
She entered the palace much later than Concubine He. Although she was occasionally called upon after entering the palace, she was completely different from Concubine He. It was normal for her to miss home.
When the women in the palace feel lonely, they are naturally lonelier than the flowers in the palace.
"Be careful when you go out. The cat is frightened and needs to be comforted. I originally wanted to comfort it here, but since Lady Li wants to take it out, then after you wash it, Lady Li can take it away!"
Concubine He was very easy to talk to, and she did not look down on Concubine Li just because she was a little beauty. The young masters in the palace would rather go to Concubine He than to the domineering Empress. This was also the reason why Concubine Li and Concubine He were so close.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Don't worry, I will be careful!" Concubine Li stood up with a smile and bowed sideways to Concubine He.
"Sit down and talk. No need to be so polite!" Concubine He said with a smile. After asking Lady Li to sit down, she specifically reminded her that cats will scratch people when frightened, so she should be especially careful.
This was repeated, and Lady Li responded with a smile.
By this time, the cat has combed its hair again and dried its fur. Although it is not completely fluffy yet, it should be completely dry in a while.
Concubine Li carefully took the cat from the palace maid's hands and gently touched her hand. The cat purred and narrowed its eyes, looking very comfortable.
In the past, Concubine Li would often come to hug him, so there was no point in him being unfamiliar with her. He was not surprised when being put into Concubine Li's arms, and was very well behaved.
"Your Highness, I'll go out for a walk first and come back later!" Concubine Li picked up the cat and bowed to Concubine He.
"Okay, be careful!" Concubine He warned with a smile.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!" Concubine Li responded, then led her people out, feeling proud in her heart. As expected, this cat was easy to catch.
Watching Lady Li leave, Concubine He curled her lips silently, revealing a hint of a smile, her eyes fell on Lady Li's back, with an unclear meaning...
Concubine He didn't say anything, and the palace maids on both sides lowered their heads, not daring to speak...
When Qu Moying and Qu Qiuyan arrived at the palace gate of Concubine Qu, Hanyu, the senior palace maid beside Concubine Qu, was already waiting at the gate. When she saw them get out of the sedan chair, she came forward and greeted them with a smile: "Hello, young ladies!"
Qu Qiuyan and Qu Moying hurriedly returned the greeting. They dared not treat the senior palace maid beside Concubine Qu with disrespect.
However, in the past, the people who came to greet them were ordinary palace servants, so today it was the senior palace maid beside Concubine Qu. The two were quite surprised.
"The Queen Consort has sent people to check many times, but the two young ladies have not been seen. She wanted to send someone out again just now. It happened that I had nothing to do, so I specially asked for this errand to come out and check."
Hanyu explained with a smile.
So this is the situation. The two men looked at each other and said a few polite words to Hanyu, then followed Hanyu into the hall.
Concubine Qu had been waiting in the hall early. She was in much better spirits than before. Although she still looked a little sick, it was not serious.
When he saw them come in, a smile immediately appeared on his face. After they greeted each other, he quickly asked them to sit down.
Life in the palace was lonely to begin with, and what's more, an old concubine like her, who was old and childless, liked the younger generations to visit her the most.
The two of them sat on Concubine Qu's left and right, and the palace servants served them tea and snacks.
"Has the matter with Prince Jing been settled?" This time, Concubine Qu did not ask Qu Moying first, but turned to Qu Qiuyan who was standing aside.
Qu Qiuyan lowered her head, her face slightly red, and said shyly: "It's already been decided!"
"Just a concubine?" Concubine Qu frowned. She didn't like this result very much.
Qu Qiuyan lowered her head and nodded again, the blush on her face fading slightly: "Father and His Royal Highness Prince Jing have discussed and decided!"
There was a hint of bitterness in these words, and he looked very aggrieved.
"Your father is confused, is your grandmother also so confused? With your status, even if you can't become the principal wife of Prince Jing, you are more than qualified to be a concubine. How could it be..." Concubine Qu frowned and said unhappily.
This incident happened too quickly, and even if she wanted to turn things around, it was too late. She just felt sorry for Qu Qiuyan.
She doesn't have many relatives now, and she just treats the people in the Qu family as her own juniors. This is because she truly loves them, so there is a hint of blame in her words towards Madam Qu.
Qu Moying pursed her lips lightly and glanced at Qu Qiuyan coldly through her watery eyes. She and Qu Qiuyan knew the details of the matter best.
If Qu Qiuyan keeps talking about this matter and causes the Concubine Dowager to be unhappy with Grandmother, then don't blame her for tearing off Qu Qiuyan's mask.
Wronged
Qu Qiuyan didn't feel wronged at all in this matter. It was entirely her own fault and she couldn't blame anyone else!
Qu Qiuyan gently wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, wiping away the tears that didn't exist in the first place, and smeared her eyes red, as if she had really cried. A forced smile appeared on her face: "My Lady Concubine, this matter was a bit of a mistake, and my grandmother and father can't do anything about it! Right now... this is the only way!"
"You kid..." Concubine Qu was also extremely helpless and sighed.
"Your Highness, Concubine He's birthday is coming up soon. My grandmother asked me to bring some gifts here specially. Could you please trouble Madam Yan to deliver them for me later?" Qu Qiuyan said hurriedly, seeing that the opportunity was rare.