"Should I know?" Xie Ruzhuo was a little confused, but still remembered to keep his voice low.
There was a faint sound of Concubine Jing chatting with other noble ladies. Jiang Qinglan listened and said with a gossipy face, "This Concubine Jing is not of great background, but she is somewhat of a talented and beautiful lady. In the early spring of this year, , the emperor paid a private visit incognito, passing through Lingyun County. It is said that on that day, it was raining slightly, and a woman was sitting on a awning boat, humming a Yue song. Just when a gust of breeze came, she picked up her face scarf, and His Majesty was instantly shocked. , so he took her back to the palace regardless of everyone's objections. Because her name had the word "jing" in it, she was named Concubine Jing."
Hearing this, Xie Ruzhuo sneered and whispered, "What a wonderful Concubine Jing."
Jiang Qinglan was a little surprised and said, "This matter was still a good talk at the time. I didn't expect that you didn't know about it."
Xie Ruzhuo raised his eyes and looked at Concubine Jing who was sitting here, feeling a strange emotion in his heart. She didn't know why, but she always felt that there was a hint of evil in Concubine Jing's eyes. But what she can be sure of is that Concubine Jing is definitely not Shen Jingci's person. After all, no matter how stupid Shen Jingci is, he will not use his own chess pieces to frame others.
Yes, at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Xie Ruzhuo met the affair couple while changing clothes by mistake. The man was the fifth prince Xiao Junyi, and the woman was Concubine Jing!
Xie Ruzhuo was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Shen Jingci say, "What are sister Xie telling sister Jiang? You are so happy, why don't you take me with you?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, everyone immediately looked at Xie Ruzhuo. The latter said innocently, "We were just discussing today's dinner. It is said that the dishes prepared by the royal chef for the dinner are excellent. Talking about food naturally makes people feel happy."
"Oh? Really. I thought that Sister Xie, with her elegant temperament, would be able to discuss the nine-day phoenix dance at the banquet of a thousand gold coins, or the exquisite tea art at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet." Shen Jingci looked well-rested and relaxed. said.
However, when she talked about the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, she paused intentionally.
Xie Ruzhuo smiled brightly and said, "Sister, what you said is wrong. No matter how elegant a person is, don't you still need to eat whole grains? Since you are born in this world, you can't help but be vulgar."
Shen Jingci was not angry when she heard her snatching the lead. She just smiled softly and said, "My sister is right, but I said the wrong thing. Don't be offended, sister."
"I don't dare." Xie Ruzhuo returned a smiley expression, turned his head and continued talking to Jiang Qinglan.
Shen Jingci encountered a soft nail, but she did not dare to embarrass Xie Ruzhuo anymore. She just gritted her teeth secretly and came up with other ideas. Fortunately, what she just said has successfully brought back old memories in Concubine Jing. I believe that even if she didn't say anything, Concubine Jing would take action later!
Just hearing the bell ringing at the palace door, Concubine Xian stood up first and said with a smile, "The time has come, let's move to the Showa Palace."
Everyone responded with a "yes" and followed Concubine Xian to the Zhaohe Hall.
Showa Palace has always been used to receive female relatives. As soon as you enter, your eyes will brighten up. The bright yellow pillars are carved with dragons and phoenixes, the floor is covered with a rich red carpet, there is also the night pearl ceiling, the top-quality jade walls, and the utensils are all extremely exquisite.
As soon as Concubine Xian sat down with everyone, she saw Concubine Ye coming in all directions. Behind her were Princess Dingbei and Princess Jiang.
After some kowtows, Concubine Ye smiled slightly and said, "Since everyone is here, let's start the banquet."
As soon as she finished her instructions, she saw the palace maids filing in, holding golden utensils, and placing all the dishes on the table. There is only one space left in the middle. As usual, the concubine would give the food.
Concubine Xian gave way, and Concubine Ye smiled and said, "My sister, you were the one here in the past years, but this year it's up to you."
The smile on Concubine Xian's face did not change and she said, "In this case, my sister will take over as my substitute."
After speaking, she gave a few more instructions to the palace maid, and then gave the dishes one by one.
Whenever a family is mentioned, the mistress will stand up to express her gratitude. When they got the Xie family, they heard Concubine Xian say, "At this year's daughter's banquet, the daughter of the Xie family took the lead in donating money. She is indeed a role model for women in our dynasty. She did this very well, so the Xie family added an extra dish and gave it to the Xie family's daughter. "
As soon as these words came out, everyone present turned pale. The person who made the most contribution at the Thousand Gold Banquet was Shen Jingci, which everyone knew. But Concubine Xian did not even reward Shen Jingci, but only rewarded Xie Ruzhuo!
They were too far apart and the light in the palace was too bright, so Xie Ruzhuo couldn't see clearly the expression of Concubine Xian. She felt something in her heart, and with a warm smile still on her face, she said, "Thank you, Concubine Xian." It was not a good thing that Concubine Xian had pushed her into the spotlight today. But she couldn't refuse such an occasion, so the soldiers came to stop him.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished saying this and sat down, she heard a young lady from an aristocratic family beside her say disdainfully, "Sure enough, the Xie family has a deep foundation, and even this song can be stolen from her."
The smile on Xie Ruzhuo's face did not change and he said, "Is Miss Wu questioning Concubine Xian's decision? Do you think Concubine Xian's move is unfair?" Anyway, Concubine Xian rewarded the things, so who wouldn't be happy to find the right one? Go, Lord.
When Miss Wu heard this, her expression suddenly changed and she said, "What do you mean by that? Xie Ruzhuo, you used your own tricks to steal the credit of others, and now you want to blame it on Concubine Xian, are you ashamed?" "
"I'm not ashamed. I consider myself innocent, so I'm not ashamed when others say dirty things."
Xie Ruzhuo pinched a piece of snack, fed it to Xie Huailin next to him, and then said calmly. Although Xie Huailin is a male minister, he is too young, so he will be among the female dependents at this banquet.
Miss Wu was scolded by her sharp tongue, and she felt a little bitter and couldn't express herself. She made a gesture to the side, and then heard another lady speak.
"It turns out that this is the fourth young lady of the Xie family. I have admired her for a long time. I have just been transferred back to the capital with my father. I entered the palace for the first time this year. I met Miss Xie for the first time, and it turned out to be true to the rumors."
Xie Ruzhuo looked around and saw a woman in her twenties and eighties sitting not far from her, with a cold and arrogant smile on her face. Although she was smiling, it made people feel distant for no reason.
"Really? I wonder who you are?" When someone spoke to her, they always had to talk to her.
When Xie Ruzhuo asked, the woman was a little reluctant to talk, but seemed to be hindered by her own airs, so she said coldly, "My father is King Dingnan who is in the northwest, and I am his legitimate daughter, Xiao Xinyue."
As soon as she finished speaking, several eyes came over her, and the person who had known the situation immediately changed her color. Unexpectedly, King Dingnan returned to Beijing!
What kind of person is King Dingnan? He is the youngest son of the late emperor and the younger brother of the current emperor. He joined the army when he was young and made great contributions. Later, he refused the late emperor to grant him the title of king, saying only, "Since my son is a military commander, he must abide by the laws of a military commander. Although father and son are equal, monarchs and ministers are different. I hope that my father will use the position of military commander as a reward. That is the affirmation of his son!"
Because of his words, the late emperor trusted him even more. Later, several courtiers wrote letters of remonstrance, and then King Dingnan accepted the title of prince.
It was a pity that King Dingnan, who was outstanding in both civil and military skills, could no longer lift a sword or mount a horse after a serious illness. The late emperor felt sorry for him, so he granted him a piece of land and allowed him to live in peace for half his life. But even so, he did not want to enjoy leisure, so he invited himself to the bitter cold land in the northwest. This trip lasted twenty years!
Except for the fact that he came back once when the empire mourned him, King Dingnan has never returned to the capital since then. But today, his daughter actually came back from the northwest
There are those older people whose expressions have changed drastically and their thoughts have changed a few times.
Xie Ruzhuo had never met the family of King Dingnan in his previous life, but had only heard about it a few times. Now that he knew who she was, he was just surprised and said, "This is so disrespectful."
"Oh, it's rare to be able to say these two words from you." Xiao Xinyue saw that her attitude was modest, and the rumors she had heard before were a bit difficult to express.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Miss Wu on the side couldn't help it and said, "Isn't it rare? After all, our Miss Xie is the one who killed her own mother! Oh, yes, I heard that not only did she kill her My biological mother, even the concubine who raised her for many years, was killed. Rumor has it that she has a nose and eyes, but in my opinion, the Xie family's legitimate daughter is nothing more than that."
When Xie Ruzhuo heard this, she immediately expressed her expression. She could tolerate others saying anything about her, but she could not mention her own mother! It is said that death is the most important thing, but these people actually dare to use dead people for entertainment. It is really abominable!
Just as Xie Ruzhuo was about to get angry, he heard a clear female voice.
"I have lived in Shuozhou for a long time and have not been back to the capital for many years. I didn't know that this most noble lady from aristocratic family has learned to grow a tongue like a shrew in the market."
The speaker was none other than Princess Dingbei, Jiang Muchao.
Hearing Jiang Murao speak, Xie Ruzhuo cast a grateful glance, only to see Jiang Murao looking at her lovingly, with obvious distress in his eyes.
She is Xie Ruzhuo's aunt, so it is natural for her to speak for Xie Ruzhuo at this time.
At the charity sale a few days ago, most people had seen the Princess of Dingbei. As soon as she spoke at this time, Miss Wu's face suddenly became a little ugly.
But Princess Dingbei's name is placed here. She is a master who goes to the battlefield to kill the enemy and makes the enemy generals fearful. Therefore, even those who wanted to gossip did not dare to do it again and kept silent. For a moment, there was a rare silence in the hall.
Seeing this, Concubine Ye chuckled and smoothed things over, "It's just a joke between the children. I think my sister-in-law has been in the military for a long time and is used to being serious. When you say this, the children are a little confused."
Hearing this, several other noble ladies also smiled and agreed, "Princess Dingbei is a woman who is not inferior to men, which really makes us admire her deeply."
With Concubine Ye protecting her, no one else dared to say anything. The knowledgeable lady brought up other topics and completely exposed Xie Ruzhuo.
Although Concubine Jing looked on with a smile, she felt a little worried in her heart. After thinking for a moment, she looked uncomfortable and whispered, "I think I just had a few too many drinks and now I have a headache. I want to leave first. I hope my sisters will forgive me." "
As soon as she spoke, Concubine Xian looked down on her, but Concubine Ye said with a smile, "In that case, you can go back first, but the journey will be slower."
Concubine Jing thanked her and hurriedly left the hall with her maid.
Seeing Concubine Jing leaving, Shen Jingci secretly paid attention and whispered a few instructions to Baoqin. The latter agreed and followed Concubine Jing quietly while there were many people.
A beautiful singer entered the hall, and not long after, the beautiful music was heard, echoing the singer's dance, and every move was amazing.
Although Princess Dingbei was suppressing her just now, she didn't dare to speak loudly, but the whispers could not be stopped.
Xie Ruzhuo sat next to Mrs. Qiao, seemingly eating the food in silence, but in fact he heard the sounds of people around him. She smiled bitterly in her heart, it turned out that her reputation had already deteriorated to this point.