Regardless of whether the Queen Mother deliberately created this opportunity for her and Xiao Huayong, she would go.
There had been rumors about the Spring Banquet for a long time. The news coming out of the palace was definitely not false. Without the tacit approval of the superiors, who would dare to spread rumors about the palace? It was just that the news was released early so that each family would have time to bring back the girls who were far away.
The Spring Banquet is held in front of the royal master. This is a great opportunity to rise to the top, so these people have no choice but to put in their best efforts.
The Queen Mother did not invite too many people to give advice. They were all descendants of meritorious service or daughters of important officials who were promoted to the third rank. These people were probably the granddaughters' wives or nephews' wives that the Queen Mother favored. When they came to the Spring Banquet, they would all be foils as expected.
What Shen Xihe didn't expect was that the Queen Mother also called Shen Yingruo. Seeing the Third Princess accompanying the Queen Mother, Shen Xihe narrowed her eyes. Shen Yingruo sat below her, always maintaining a gentle and elegant smile.
"Zhaoning, how about you host the Spring Banquet?" the Queen Mother suddenly asked.
As soon as the Queen Mother finished speaking, everyone looked at Shen Xihe. Concubine Rong, who was sitting below the Queen Mother, still had a decent smile on her face.
But everyone looked at the two of them with different expressions.
Only people in the palace are qualified to host banquets in the palace, and they must not bypass the people in charge of the six palaces.
In order to stabilize people's hearts and reassure those meritorious officials and generals who had followed King Qian that they would not abandon them just because the person who ascended the throne was not the one they had followed wholeheartedly, Emperor Youning used his first wife who died to save him to enthrone the newly born Xiao Huayong as the crown prince and vowed not to appoint another empress.
One was to let the civil and military ministers see his loyalty and righteousness, and the other was to ensure that the position of the Crown Prince was unshakable. Without a successor, there would be no more legitimate sons.
Therefore, for the past twenty years, the harem was initially managed by the Empress Dowager. Since Xiao Huayong left the palace at the age of eight, accompanied by the Empress Dowager, the power of the palace was handed over to Concubine Rong, completing a complete cycle.
There is no reason for a concubine to be the head of the family. In an ordinary family, if the mistress dies and the head of the family does not remarry, either the elder, the legitimate daughter-in-law, or the legitimate daughter will be the head of the family.
But the imperial family is different. Although Concubine Rong is the legitimate wife, she is also the elder, and her two sons are princes. There is no reason for her to live at the hands of her juniors in the future. Therefore, whether Concubine Rong or Shen Xihe is in charge of the palace power, it is reasonable.
The Empress Dowager asked this question suddenly, obviously wanting to follow the ancestral rules of respecting the eldest son and the legitimate wife, and to use the Spring Banquet to give Concubine Rong a chance to prepare herself mentally.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness. Zhaoning has never hosted such a grand banquet before. I need to watch and learn more." Shen Xihe politely declined.
She would never give up what was hers; at this moment, she and Xiao Huayong had not yet married, so this was not what she should do. She had always been clear about her duties.
The Queen Mother smiled amiably, "Yes, the Spring Banquet should be left to the Imperial Concubine. After Zhao Ning and Qi Lang get married, the Imperial Concubine will be able to spend more time with me and enjoy a peaceful life."
"It is my great honor to accompany the Queen Mother." Concubine Rong said to the Queen Mother respectfully, then turned to look at Shen Xihe, "If the princess has any questions in the future, you can come to me, and I will not hide anything."
Shen Xihe stood up and bowed properly to Concubine Rong.