Ye Jun looked down at his hand warmer and said directly, "It turned out that the emperor took it to my place yesterday. He saw that the color of the hand warmer bag was beautiful and elegant, so he praised it and the emperor gave it to me as a reward."
"So that's how it is. The things the emperor gave me are really good things." Qi Wanrong smiled unnaturally, "I wonder if Shunyuan could show me the hand warmer. I like the pattern and want to learn how to embroider it when I go back."
It was no big deal, so Ye Jun handed it to her.
After Qi Wanrong saw it, her eyes dimmed a little.
But he didn't show anything and just gave it back.
At last, she stood up and said, "I suddenly have a stomachache. I'm afraid it's because of the wind. I can't talk to Shunyuan anymore. Please forgive me."
"Since you are not feeling well, go back quickly. We will talk later." Ye Jun waved his hand.
Don't make things difficult for others.
After Qi left, Ye Jun called Huiyue and Lumei over and picked up the hand warmer.
"Look at this hand warmer bag, is there anything wrong with the embroidery?"
Although the change in Qi Wanrong's expression just now was very slight, she still noticed it keenly.
There must be something wrong with the hand warmer bag.
The two girls looked at it for a while, but Huiyue didn't notice anything unusual. However, Lumei discovered something.
She whispered, "Shunyuan, I see that the embroidery needlework on this hand warmer bag seems to be very similar to the one Qi Wanrong used just now."
"Are you sure?" Ye Jun asked.
Lu Mei thought about it and nodded, "It is very likely that this was embroidered by one person. Although I didn't look closely at the stitches, I can still make out a few things."
Ye Jun was stunned by these words and looked at the hand warmer bag carefully.
"Could it be that this, which the emperor gave me, was embroidered by Qi Wanrong for him?"
If this is true, then it also explains why Qi looked unhappy.
Tsk tsk, if Ning Chen dared to give the things she embroidered stitch by stitch to other concubines, she would stab the couple to death with a few needles.
"Go back, don't use this hand warmer bag again."
Ye Jun stood up and handed the hand warmer to Huiyue.
It's not that I dislike her, but I feel that I am somewhat wasting the girl's feelings by doing this.
She could see that Qi's feelings towards Ning Chen were different.
This woman always looks infatuated with Ning Chen every time she looks at him.
On the other side, Qi Wanrong returned to her residence and threw herself on the bed, crying softly.
The two maids who came with the dowry were extremely distressed, but they didn't know how to comfort her.
It was Yu Xin who went over first and patted Qi's back gently.
"Wanrong, don't cry. I think the emperor gave it to her because Ming Shunyuan insisted on it. After all, you embroidered it for the emperor yourself, so how could the emperor not take it to heart?"
"Yes, Wanrong, don't cry and hurt yourself. Ming Shunyuan's brother just made military achievements, and the emperor favors him. Since she asked for it, it's just a hand warmer bag, so the emperor can't refuse to give it to her."
Yusuo also came over to persuade.
But Qi refused to look up and continued to sob with her face buried in the soft pillow.
"You don't have to lie to me with such words. The emperor... he just doesn't have me in his heart. Otherwise, he could have just given Ming Shunyuan a bunch of hand warmers and bags. But Ming Shunyuan praised him and he gave them to her. This shows that he didn't take my feelings to heart."
After she said this herself, the two girls had no choice but to accompany her in silence.
And at that time in the Jingqian Palace.
Ning Chen, who was being missed, had just finished reviewing a pile of memorials and was drinking tea and taking a break.
The one serving the pen and ink was Lady Huo.
Finally she was summoned. Lady Huo had been waiting for many days and was very happy.
Once you enter the palace, favor is everything. If you want to stand out, you have to compete for favor. After more than a year of polishing, Huo has long since changed from the heroic woman at the beginning to a much calmer and more restrained person.
Firstly, the palace was too deserted and lonely, and the enthusiasm was worn out; secondly, most of the people in the palace were dignified and obedient to the rules, and after being a concubine for a long time, they would gradually lose their nature.
"Your brother is good at martial arts, and you are from a general's family. Do you know some martial arts, horse riding and archery?" Ning Chen suddenly said.
Mrs. Huo was stunned by the question, and then she said shyly, "I am a girl, and my father and brother did not allow me to learn these things. It's just that I am a rough and crude person, and I haven't learned the music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework well. I am sorry to make the emperor laugh."
That's not true.
The Huo family rose to prominence late, and they did not have the foundation of other aristocratic families, nor did they have many rules. The Huo family had been exposed to martial arts since childhood, and were even good at riding and shooting.
On the contrary, the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and etiquette are learned only after one reaches the age of 15.
But after entering the palace, she gradually discovered that most women took pride in being gentle, quiet and elegant, so she no longer dared to say that she could ride and shoot.
Unexpectedly, Ning Chen looked a little disappointed, but then he seemed to remember something and his eyes lit up.
"It's a pity that you don't know these, otherwise you can keep Ming Shunyuan company. She is not very proficient in riding horses, but her archery skills are excellent."
At the end, he added, "His chess and painting skills are also superb."
Lady Huo's face froze, and she forced a smile, "Ming Shunyuan knows a lot, and I am stupid and don't dare to compare with Shunyuan."
Now I regret not telling you that I can do it, but it's too late to say it now.
You just said you couldn't do it, and then in the blink of an eye you knew it. Isn't that deceiving you
No one told her that the emperor liked women who could ride and shoot.
So is this the reason why Ye is favored
Because no one else can do it but she can, she seems special and is attractive enough.
What a pity, in the future it won’t just be Ye who can do it, she can do it too, there will always be a chance for her to show off her skills in front of the emperor.
Just as she was lost in thought, she was brought back by Ning Chen's voice.
"Yuzhou has produced many talented generals. Concubine Shu's mother's family, the Yan family, are military men. Now there is your Huo family, and there are also General Zhao and General Liu. Yuzhou is a treasure land. I heard that merchants in Yuzhou also donated a lot of grain this time, which has also helped your brother."
Originally Ning Chen just said it casually, but it sounded different to Huo's ears.
After all, it was Ye Jun who suggested that the Huo family store private grain at that time, and they pretend to be merchants donating grain and transport it to Lingzhou.
For a moment, Lady Huo wondered if Ye Jun had said something in front of the emperor, causing the emperor to test her
Thinking of this, Mrs. Huo became restrained.
I replied carefully, "My brother has a reputation for loving his soldiers like his own sons, and he is fighting for the country, so it is reasonable that the people are grateful to him. I guess they also want to contribute to the country."
"Well, this is a good thing. Fortunately, the merchants in Yuzhou donated a lot of grain in a timely manner, which played a big role. They even arrived before my edict." Ning Chen said.
But it was just this one sentence that made Miss Huo think even more deviously, and her defenses were broken in an instant.
Suddenly she knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this was all Ming Shunyuan's idea. She took the initiative to come to me and work together to find a way to send food to Lingzhou. I didn't want to hide it from Your Majesty, but Ming Shunyuan didn't say it, so I didn't dare to do it."