None of the concubines dared to respond, and they were all embarrassed for a moment.
Finally, Concubine Jingxian stepped forward.
"Sister, you really misunderstood. We were discussing that since you are pregnant, it is safer to walk slowly. It is okay to be late. Pregnant women are delicate, and everyone should understand."
Ye Jun curled her lips slightly, "It turned out that I didn't hear everything you said, but it's also my fault. My sisters are all people who know the rules and have a sense of propriety and honor. How could you do such a thing as talking about others behind their backs? I apologize to all the sisters here."
As she spoke, Ye Jun held her belly and bowed slightly.
"Okay, you are also a quick-witted person. You don't have to worry about these. Today is a family dinner. Please sit down." Ning Chen helped her.
Maybe it was because Ye Jun had a bad temper during her pregnancy and was often annoyed with him.
Listening to her criticizing these concubines today, I actually didn't think there was anything inappropriate.
I just hope I don’t make this delicate girl angry.
The emperor's attitude certainly didn't make Jiaojiao angry, but it made everyone else very angry.
After Ye Jun sat down, Concubine Jingxian ordered someone to bring a cushion so that she could lean on it more comfortably.
Anyway, the work on appearance is done very well.
"I heard that Ming Zhaoyi likes spicy food, so I specially asked the imperial kitchen to prepare some spicy dishes. I wonder if they suit your taste." Concubine Jingxian said.
This appearance makes her seem like she is the hostess.
But it was indeed she who arranged today's family dinner, so there was nothing wrong with it.
Ye Jun nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, my lady. I like it."
But as he spoke, his gaze lingered on Concubine Jingxian for a little longer.
There was no other reason. The outfit that Concubine Jingxian wore today was something she had never worn before. Not to mention the gorgeousness of the clothes, the six-tailed phoenix hairpin on her head was very eye-catching.
According to the regulations of the Nanqi harem, a concubine of the second rank can wear a five-tailed phoenix hairpin, a concubine of the first rank can wear a six-tailed phoenix hairpin, a noble concubine can wear a seven-tailed phoenix hairpin, and the empress can wear a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin.
Although concubines can also wear it, almost no one will do so. After all, the phoenix is a symbol of the queen, and this is too ostentatious.
It is especially out of place when applied to Concubine Jingxian, who is usually a low-key and gentle person.
Taking this into consideration, Ye Jun's intuition told her that Concubine Jingxian was more than just a selfless person as she appeared to be.
"Ming Zhaoyi is pregnant, so we have to be extra careful with what she eats. Yuanjiu, call the eunuch who tastes the food and have him serve Ming Zhaoyi."
Ning Chen, who was sitting nearby, suddenly said.
Hearing this, everyone looked sideways.
Although the masters in the palace can afford to feed themselves food tasters, generally only the emperor has them. This sentence means that the people who serve the emperor should be transferred to serve Ye Jun.
This is a great honor.
The eunuchs who tasted food in front of the emperor were not ordinary poison testers. They were specially trained people with very sensitive tongues. They could tell if anything was wrong just by tasting it.
One has to be more careful when eating out. Ye Jun originally planned to just have a couple of bites and then go back to eat, but with Ning Chen's arrangement, he can now dine with peace of mind.
Ye Jun was very touched by this thoughtfulness.
She turned around and smiled at Ning Chen, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
During this meal, many people lost their appetite and couldn’t swallow the food.
There were a lot of beautiful girls at the table, but Ning Chen only stared at the pregnant Ye Jun from beginning to end. The other concubines had no chance before they could even try.
How can I not feel uncomfortable
"They say sour boys and spicy girls. Ming Zhaoyi likes spicy food so much, so this baby could be a girl." Yi Zhaoyuan couldn't help but said sourly.
Ye Jun smiled indifferently, "A daughter is good. If I can give birth to another daughter, I will have both a son and a daughter, which will make a good name. The Fourth Prince always likes to stick to the Second Princess. If I give him a sister, it will also give the Second Princess some peace and quiet for a few days."
"Look at what you said. You only saw the Fourth Prince eagerly coming, while I only saw the Second Princess eagerly waiting for the Fourth Prince to come. These two siblings have a really good relationship." Concubine Hui continued with a smile.
After hearing this, both children felt very embarrassed.
Concubine Jingxian said softly, "It's a good thing for the children to be close. There's nothing wrong with siblings. Yi Zhaorong said this because she's envious. It's human nature to want a daughter after having a son, but we don't have the good fortune of Ming Zhaoyi. Ming Zhaoyi is the first one to have two children."
It would have been fine if she hadn't said it, but once she did, Yi Zhaoyuan was reminded of the time when she was pregnant but didn't give birth.
That was her first child, and she didn't abort it for some reason.
If that child was still alive, she would have had two children, much earlier than Ye Jun.
Thinking of this, Yi Zhaoyuan felt unbalanced.
When Concubine Jingxian saw the changing expressions, she knew that what she said had worked.
This uniqueness often makes people more jealous.
Especially when it is clear that you once had the opportunity to become the one and only person.
However, Ye Jun also understood Concubine Jingxian's words that were intended to stir up hatred.
Her eyes flickered and she smiled, "Your Highness is the leader among all the concubines, and the Second Prince is smart and healthy. This is a blessing that I cannot even ask for. Your Highness, why should you envy me, a mere concubine?"
After all, favor and offspring are all empty words, and what the women in the harem want most is to help their sons ascend to that position.
The virtuous concubine has the highest position, and there is no doubt that the second prince under her is now the most honorable among the princes.
This is a much greater threat than the fact that she is carrying a baby of unknown gender in her belly.
In this way, you and I go back and forth, competing secretly.
Concubine Jingxian has also realized that Ye Jun is now on guard against her.
However, she had always been gentle and non-competitive in front of Ning Chen, so she immediately chose to end the confrontation.
She knew that Ye Jun was favored by the emperor, so she must not argue with Ye Jun in front of the emperor.
"The dumplings this year are pretty good. The kitchen said they've made both sweet and savory flavors. Why don't we just order them to be served now? Eating the dumplings will symbolize a happy reunion."
"Okay, then serve it." Ning Chen nodded, "We only eat this once a year, it's for good luck."
As for the undercurrents among the concubines just now, he pretended not to hear them.
It's just a harmless thing.
The fighting in the harem was not the first to start with him. As long as it was not excessive, he would not care.
Of course, if Qingqing suffers a loss, we have to take care of it.
However, Ye Jun will suffer less from verbal abuse, so he won't have to worry too much.
After the dinner, Ning Chen followed Ye Jun back to Zhaochunxuan.
Now that there is no queen, I don’t care about this. I come here on the first and fifteenth days of the month anyway.
After returning to Zhaochunxuan, Ye Jun was so sleepy that he took off his coat and just wanted to lie down on the bed immediately.
Unfortunately, it is not possible without a bath.
But the bathroom is spacious, and it's really cold to take a bath, and there's no heater or anything.
So he just mumbled a few words.
The servants had no way to solve this problem and could only burn a few more charcoal braziers to keep warm.
"Let's go to Jiuchen Palace. The hot springs in Shuangyan Pond are warm, so you won't catch a cold." Ning Chen suddenly said.