"Miss Liu, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. That was prepared by the Empress for Miss Liu, and this one is prepared by the Dowager Consort for me. The palace rules dictate that the positions are arranged according to rank. If I took the sedan chair prepared by the Empress for Miss Liu, it would be disrespectful to the Empress and the Dowager Consort."
Qu Moying explained with a smile.
"It's... like this!" Liu Lanxin seemed to be really unaware and was shocked. After a while, she said helplessly. Now that she had said it, she couldn't force it. "It's my fault. I grew up in the border area and I don't know any palace rules and etiquette. I almost caused Miss Qu to be punished with me."
As he said this, he bowed deeply to Qu Moying, who hastily returned the greeting. The two of them said goodbye and got on their own sedan chairs, and the eunuchs carried them away.
Liu Lanxin's sedan chair was in front and Qu Moying's sedan chair was behind. After walking for a while, Qu Moying went to a small path on the side, while Liu Lanxin still walked forward along the central palace road.
Yudong accompanied the palace sedan all the way, and when they arrived at the palace gate of Concubine Qu, Qu Moying got off the sedan.
"Miss, is this Miss Liu doing this on purpose?" Yu Dong asked in a low voice when she had stood firm and calmed down.
"Her palace rules and etiquette are excellent!" Qu Moying smiled slightly and said meaningfully.
How could a person who is extremely familiar with palace rules and etiquette be completely ignorant of what goes on in the imperial palace
What I have done is just deceiving myself, a person who has been raised in a village since childhood and does not understand these things. Or even if I have learned them, I have only learned them for a short time and do not understand these details.
"Miss Fourth Miss Qu, please come in!" Hanyu, the personal maid of Concubine Qu, came out to greet her.
Qu Moying hurriedly returned the greeting and followed her inside.
When they entered the main hall, Concubine Qu was already waiting there. When she saw Qu Moying coming, she smiled brightly. After seeing her pay her respects, she stretched out her hand and called her over to sit beside her.
"Is everything fine recently?" Concubine Qu asked with concern.
"Nothing." Qu Moying answered softly, sat down next to Concubine Qu, picked up Concubine Qu's wrist, and placed his fingers on it.
Concubine Qu knew that he was taking her pulse, so she smiled and said nothing.
After a long while, Qu Moying lowered his finger and raised his eyes to look at Concubine Qu: "The Concubine has been doing well recently!"
Was Concubine Qu’s previous illness really just an accident
"It's really not bad. The food is good and the sleep is good." Concubine Qu was in a good mood and smiled. She reached out and touched Qu Moying's hair. It was just a slight touch, but with pity that Qu Moying could sense. "Nothing has happened recently. Everything is fine. How are you, girl?"
The title of Prince Jing's concubine has been officially decided. Concubine Qu is afraid that Qu Qiuyan will bully Qu Moying by relying on her current title of concubine.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, it's nothing. I seldom go out." Qu Moying knew what she meant and said with a smile.
"That's good. Go out less if you don't have to. I'm afraid Prince Jing's Mansion is not at peace recently." Concubine Qu sighed and said meaningfully. The daughter of the general who supported the country had just arrived in Beijing and was praised by everyone. She was the most popular at the time, even better than Lady Jingyu, the future Crown Princess.
"When I entered the palace just now, I saw the daughter of the general who assists the country." Qu Moying's watery eyes turned, and she understood the meaning of Concubine Qu's words.
"You met her, how
"Qu Taifei was surprised and asked.
"She looked like a kind person. When I entered the palace, she even let me ride in her sedan chair. She was sent by the Empress's palace." Qu Moying said with a smile.
Concubine Qu's face darkened. Guessing was one thing, hearing it was another.
"The palace sedan belongs to the palace it was sent from and cannot be changed at will. If you violate the rules, being laughed at is a small matter, but breaking the rules is a big deal." Concubine Qu deliberately emphasized her tone, for fear that Qu Moying did not understand and would be tricked by others.
If you break the rules in the palace, you may be killed, or you may be punished even if someone pleads for you.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I refused!" Qu Moying said with a smile.
Seeing her so calm, the Concubine Dowager felt relieved. She reached out and patted her hand gently, saying earnestly, "You must be more careful in the palace. You may enter the palace often in the future, so you must be more cautious. As for Miss Liu, just show her respect when you see her."
Respect ghosts and gods and keep your distance from them. In fact, it is best not to see them, but this is impossible.
Judging from Miss Liu's current behavior and deeds, she will definitely be a member of the royal family in the future. I heard that she may even be the Princess of Yun. It is said that she also saved the Prince of Yun. If this kind of relationship is really there, Concubine Qu feels that the position of the principal wife will probably be Miss Liu.
This must be the reason why Miss Liu wanted to give Qu Moying a warning when she first met him!
"My Lady Dowager, I will." Qu Moying nodded submissively.
Seeing that she was so obedient and intelligent, the Concubine Dowager nodded with satisfaction.
"The weather is nice, let's take a walk." Concubine Qu suggested.
It seems that Concubine Qu is in good spirits. Although it is winter now, the weather is not bad today. It would be good for Concubine Qu to take a walk.
The palace where Concubine Qu lived was quite remote, and they didn't meet many people along the way. Only a few palace servants saw them coming from afar and they bowed their heads in greeting.
"Your Highness, the palaces under renovation have not been completed yet?" Qu Moying suddenly thought of Qu Zhizhen. He, the Minister of Works, had been coming to the palace for quite some time.
"Not yet. That project is huge." Concubine Qu sighed, not knowing what she was thinking of. "Actually... the people are gone. What's the point of repairing it?"
"Is it because it has a new use?" Qu Moying asked casually.
The person is gone? Is he gone? A palace without its owner must have other uses, so it will be repaired properly.
"It has no new use. That place is not suitable for ordinary people to live in." Concubine Qu said. After standing still, she looked in one direction. "It is Changchun Palace, where the queens of all dynasties lived. How can ordinary people live there?"
"Then why doesn't the Queen live in Changchun Palace now?" Qu Moying asked subconsciously.
"The Pepper Room was once the residence of the Empress. Now that Changchun Palace has been sealed, the Empress can only live in the Pepper Room." Concubine Qu smiled bitterly with sadness on her face, "But the deceased is no longer here. What does it matter if we continue like this? It will only displease the Empress."
"Changchun Palace, is that where Empress Yuan lives?" Qu Moying's voice lowered.
"Yes, Empress Yuan... She was a miserable person." Concubine Qu's eyes dimmed and her smile was bitter. This was a taboo in the palace.
No one ever dared to mention it, but recently with the restoration of Changchun Palace, Empress Yuan gradually appeared in the mouths of the palace people.
But it was also mentioned secretly and privately.
"Didn't Empress Yuan leave any offspring?" Qu Moying asked. She only knew a little about everything about Empress Yuan. Even with Ji Hanyue's status, it was still like this, let alone others.
"No offspring!" Concubine Qu shook her head. "In fact, at that time she..."
At this point, he suddenly stopped talking, "Why am I telling you about this! Is your father repairing the palace now? I heard that this matter was given to the Prince of Yun before."
"Official business hosted by Prince Yun?" Qu Moying really didn't know about this and thought it was a matter directly given to Qu Zhizhen.
"Yes, the emperor asked him to do it. In fact, this matter has been in the past for many years." Concubine Qu wanted to sigh again for some reason, "A few years ago, the emperor asked him to repair Changchun Palace. Prince Yun always refused on the grounds that he was busy with official duties. This time he returned to Beijing and had no excuse, so he asked the Ministry of Works to do it."
"The emperor had this idea all those years ago?" Qu Moying asked in confusion, "The Prince of Yun was probably often not in the capital at that time. Since he had the idea to repair it, why didn't he send someone else to do it?"
Pei Yuanjun is the one taking the lead now, but the one who actually carries out the work is Qu Zhizhen. This matter actually has little to do with Pei Yuanjun. He can just send people down to do the work. Why must he get involved
"Who knows what the emperor is thinking? Maybe he just said it at the time, or maybe he just thought about it recently." Concubine Qu looked at the unknown distance with melancholy, then pulled the corners of her lips and smiled, "In fact... it's all over. Empress Yuan left nothing behind. A Changchun Palace like this will eventually be left to others. It doesn't matter whether it is repaired or not."
Qu Moying was silent. Queen Yuan was no longer with us. No matter how well the palace was built, it was for others to see, or even for others to live in. It didn't really matter whether it was renovated or not.
Concubine Qu was old, and after walking around for a while, she was exhausted. Qu Moying persuaded her to come back, and after she sat down again in the hall, the Concubine did not look as energetic as before.
"My Lady Dowager, please take a rest. I'll go outside and take a look. It's rare for me to get to the palace, so I have to see enough."
Qu Moying smiled and said that if she stayed here, the Queen Concubine would not be able to have a good rest, so she should go out for a walk and let the Queen Concubine have a good rest for a while, and then she would come back to chat with the Queen Concubine.
Seeing that she looked so naughty and couldn't sit still and wanted to go out to play, Concubine Qu smiled and agreed, and specifically reminded her to just walk around and not go too far. Concubine Qu was still frightened by what happened last time, and she had already made up her mind not to let Qu Moying leave for too long.
Knowing Concubine Qu's concerns, Qu Moying obediently agreed to all of their requests.
Just as she agreed, she saw a palace servant hurried in. As soon as she entered the door, she saluted to the Concubine Dowager: "Concubine Dowager, the Queen Mother sent someone."
Concubine Qu was stunned for a moment, not hearing clearly: "Who sent this person?"
"It was the maidservant beside the Queen Mother. She said she wanted to see the Queen Mother Dowager about something important." The palace maid repeated.
Concubine Qu frowned. Why did the Queen send someone to her place at this time? Her place was very quiet, and the Queen seldom sent people here...