The woman in front of him was charming and enchanting, and definitely lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful woman in Bei'an. However, the frankness and indifference revealed in her behavior were very much like one person.
Deep down, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. What on earth was her father doing
"Then I'd rather obey you than be disrespectful."
Ah Man followed Concubine Xu into the side hall, where the two of them sat opposite each other, with no other topics to talk about except drinking tea.
"Has the date for the Queen's funeral been set?" Finally, it was Concubine Xu who spoke, her words full of concern.
"It's already been decided. It's the sixth day of next month."
"I will go and see Her Majesty off then. I have been in this palace for six years, and Your Majesty has taken great care of me in the past." Concubine Xu's words were full of nostalgia. Her expression was frank, without any trace of pretense, which made Ah Man more and more curious.
In this deep palace, there are actually people who miss the lonely days in the cold palace. This is really...
If she remembered correctly, the reason why Concubine Xu entered the palace was because she was deeply in love with her father. At that time, her mother even teased her father about this, saying that he had become more and more charming as he entered middle age, and could even capture the heart of the most beautiful woman in Bei'an.
Ah Man couldn't help but look at Concubine Xu again. She was looking at her with a smile, but there seemed to be bitterness in her smile.
"You are joking, Madam. Who in the harem doesn't want the emperor's favor? It's more memorable to have the emperor accompany us day and night."
Concubine Xu didn't expect that Ah Man would speak so bluntly. She looked at her blankly and smiled awkwardly.
Before, she also felt that the days with the emperor's company were the most comfortable. But now, the emperor is in her Changyi Palace every day, but she is not as happy as she imagined.
If she had a choice, she would rather go back to the past, secretly dreaming that the emperor would come back to her side, so that she wouldn't have to worry about guessing the emperor's thoughts every day, and wouldn't have to guard against the conspiracies of other concubines.
"Father has lost a lot of weight recently. Madam Xu, please put more effort into his diet. He is a picky eater."
Ah Man suddenly remembered that when she had seen her father several times before, her father always looked very tired, so she couldn't help but remind him.
"Your Majesty, you are actually... picky about food?" Concubine Xu was shocked when she said this, but after she finished speaking, she felt more panic in her heart.
The emperor had lived in her palace for a long time, eating and sleeping in Changyi Palace. She thought she was considerate and caring towards the emperor, but she didn't expect that she didn't even notice that the emperor was picky about food.
Ah Man was a little surprised by Concubine Xu's reaction. Could it be that Concubine Xu didn't notice that her father was such a serious picky eater
"Empress Xu, you'd better pay more attention to your father in the future. Your father is in good health and has a long life, which is also a blessing for you, Empress Xu."
Seeing Concubine Xu looking confused about her father's picky eating, Ah Man felt a little annoyed in her heart. Even if her father doted on her, she still didn't have her father in her eyes, but only her mother. She took everything about her father to her heart, but in the end, she did not have a good ending. Even the person who was supposed to attend the funeral did not show up.
Even though she made her funeral the most elaborate ever, and even though court officials were ordered to mourn her every day, it could not stop people from discussing her in private. They all said that the emperor and empress had long since become estranged.
Ah Man can handle the funeral matters, but she is powerless to do anything for her father.
She wanted to find her father several times and ask him to do something reluctantly to give her mother the last bit of dignity. But after thinking about it, she felt that since he was not sincere, there was no point in forcing him to do it. Her mother was such a clear-sighted person. If she knew that she was forcing her father to do something that seemed to be very righteous, she would probably be angry.
"Princess, some things are not what you think. Your father has never valued me as his new favorite concubine. He cares about you very much. Sometimes your words are more effective than mine."
Concubine Xu spoke slowly with a frank expression. Even though others did not know how she looked in the eyes of the Emperor, she was unwilling to hide it in front of Princess Jiaoyang, because Princess Jiaoyang was the daughter the Emperor cared about. If she wanted to truly win the Emperor's heart, she had to satisfy Ah Man.
(End of this chapter)