Ministers living in Lingxi Garden did not have to attend court. They would come to see the emperor for important matters, and just submit memorials for minor matters.
Ye Jun didn't have to go to Wutong Palace to pay his respects.
So the next day, the two of them slept late and woke up after noon.
Mainly because I was too exhausted last night.
It's rare that Ning Chen now likes Ye Jun a little more, and Ye Jun is a teasing person. They are all young people, so there is no reason for them to restrain themselves.
After having lunch in Jingqian Palace, someone came to report on the disaster relief work in Gunzhou, and Ye Jun went back obediently.
In the afternoon, a box of colorful paints was found in the Zhaixing Pavilion.
Although there are not many varieties, only red, yellow, green, pink and blue, they are rare nowadays.
"The emperor is thinking about Wanrong!" Huiyue smiled and put the things on the shelf.
Ye Jun raised his eyebrows, guessing that the emperor had remembered the unfinished painting from last time.
He simply asked Huiyue to spread out the drawing paper and finish drawing the picture of the tiger sniffing the rose.
After it was dried, it was sent to Jingqian Palace in the afternoon.
Ning Chen took the painting and smiled after looking at it, not for any other reason but because the words "Bamboo Spirit" were inscribed under the painting.
Yun refers to bamboo. Ye Yun calls himself the bamboo spirit and is very naughty.
"It seems that Ye Wanrong likes the emperor's reward very much. She sent the painting here this afternoon." Yuan Jiu said with a smile.
Ning Chen smiled lightly, "She is quite interesting, keep her."
Finally, he saw the supplements sent by the Queen Mother on the table. After thinking for a moment, he got up and went to Yao Baolin's Tinglan Garden.
When I arrived, I heard the sound of a piano. When I walked in, I saw Yao Baolin sitting in the corridor playing the piano. He was playing Nanqi's famous song, which was melodious and pleasant.
"Baolin, the emperor is here." Qiwen hurriedly reminded him in a low voice.
Yao quickly stopped, stood up and saluted, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
"No need to be polite." Ning Chen raised his hand to support her. "You are good at playing the guqin. I have another guqin. I'll give it to you."
Yao Baolin pursed her lips and smiled, "Then I would like to thank the emperor. However, the emperor has rewarded me with a guqin. In the future, please come and listen to my music more often."
The attempt to solicit favor was so natural that Ning Chen didn't mind and naturally agreed.
It was not yet time for dinner, but Yao Baolin took the initiative to suggest playing chess.
With an additional layer of memory from her previous life, she naturally knew that the emperor loved playing chess.
Sure enough, Ning Chen did not refuse, and he was quite interested in asking someone to get the set of cold and warm jade chess pieces that he usually used.
Yao wanted to coax him, and she was more familiar with Ning Chen's chess style. After two or three games, although she lost, her losses were not false at all.
"Your Majesty is an expert in chess. I am not even half as good as you!"
"You are not bad either. Your chess skills are among the best among women."
Ning Chen had a lot of fun and was in a good mood, so he didn't mind chatting with the little concubine.
Yao Baolin smiled and covered her lips. "I have been praised by the Emperor twice today. If I am good at playing the zither and chess, I think Sister Ye is the best at calligraphy and painting. I heard that the Emperor gave Sister Ye a set of colored paints."
"Ye Wanrong's painting skills are not bad, but she has a bad temper and speaks without restraint." Ning Chen blurted out.
That natural look made it seem as if he was very familiar with Ye Jun.
Yao Xiang narrowed his eyes, chuckled and didn't say anything, but his heart was in a state of confusion.
Looking at the emperor's expression, I'm afraid Ye Jun has already caught his eye. This is completely different from his previous life. It seems that he has to find a way to get rid of this variable as soon as possible.
Naturally, these little thoughts would not be noticed by others, and they would talk about other things in the blink of an eye.
When it came to dinner, the meals that Yao arranged were all Ning Chen's favorites, and the dishes were all Ning Chen's favorites.
This made Ning Chen feel uncomfortable.
It was only the second time that he had dined with Yao, but she had already figured out his preferences thoroughly. That must be because Yao had found some way to find out.
It is undoubtedly extremely unsafe for an emperor's dietary preferences to be known by others.
Ning Chen ate his meal with a calm expression on his face, but he was already on guard in his heart, thinking that there might be someone dishonest around him.
Yao Xiang was too confident that he overlooked these details, which made the emperor dissatisfied.
But since he was here, Ning Chen would not give him face and let him stay overnight.
Yao Baolin knew that the emperor's favor for her was more based on his rebellion against the empress dowager, so she was very well-behaved and sensible and didn't talk much.
On the second day, Ning Chen left Tinglan Garden and issued an imperial decree, promoting Yao Baolin to the rank of Yao Cairen and granting him the title of Fang.
In Wutong Palace, the Queen heard the news and became angry when she saw Yang Cainu combing her hair behind her.
"Alright, alright, stop it!" The queen waved her hand.
Yang Cainu bit her lips, stopped quickly, and stood down properly.
Nanny Ding looked at the two of them calmly, then brought some tea to serve the Queen, who drank a few sips to calm down.
"Sit down." The Queen raised her hand and rubbed her forehead. "I'm not saying anything bad about you. In terms of appearance, you are the best in the harem. Why don't the Emperor like you? Look at that Yao, who has been promoted to the rank of Concubine Fang. Who is she? She is the niece of the Grand Concubine. She was born with a natural incompatibility with the Emperor, but she was promoted. Why can't you?"
"I am incompetent and cannot help you share your worries..."
Yang Cainu was interrupted by Nanny Ding as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Don't say such things, girl. Didn't the clan send you to the palace so that you can share the worries with the queen? If you really can't do it, there are other girls in the clan. But think about it, you still have brothers. If you succeed, they will have a good future in the future, right? Now that the queen is supporting you, you must do your best!"
When talking about her brother, Yang Cainu's eyes became red.
She was born out of wedlock, and because of her good looks, she was pushed out by her stepmother. She was also favored by her clan members and sent to the palace. But she didn't want to come in, a place where people were eaten without leaving any bones.
But she had no choice, so, for her own good life, and for the sake of her aunt and brothers, she had to conceive a royal heir as soon as possible to satisfy the empress.
Seeing the change in Yang's eyes, Nanny Ding knew that her words had worked, so she gave the Queen a wink.
The Queen put on a gentle expression and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, you are my cousin, and family members should stick together. I will definitely protect you. I will hold a lotus viewing banquet in the Japanese palace. You should prepare well and make sure the Emperor sees your good qualities!"
"I understand, Your Majesty, don't worry." Yang Cainu bowed and was very obedient.
When she returned to her residence, the magpie who served her began to chatter about the lotus viewing banquet. Yang got tired of listening to her, so she sent her away and stayed alone.
This maid was given to her by the Queen. In name, she cared for her, but in reality, she was monitoring her. The Queen did not trust her very much, and she knew it in her heart.
Now she only hoped that she could get pregnant with a royal heir soon, and give the baby to the queen to raise. Then she would be able to live in peace.