"If the Queen Mother has any instructions, please send someone to tell her." When Empress Ji heard the news, she frowned at first, but then she changed her expression to a respectful and affectionate expression and went out, "Why do you bother me to come in person?" Really? This is really my wife’s fault."
The loving mother-in-law, the Empress Dowager, whom she calls "your old lady", is actually not old. Calculating her age, she looks around and looks even younger.
"The Queen is in charge of the Sixth Palace, and everything is busy." Yuan got down from the phoenix chariot with the Queen's support. After hearing this, she patted the back of the Queen's hand and said softly, "The Ai family has nothing to do. We are all in the palace. Come here. It’s just a matter of a few steps, so what kind of labor is it?”
She has a very different temperament from her mother, the Empress Dowager Ji. Empress Dowager Ji is a natural person, and at first glance she looks like a noble person in the world. However, no matter how she looks or dresses, Mrs. Yuan exudes the tenderness and tenderness of an ordinary rich person and her elders. She also speaks softly and softly, without any hint of royal majesty. She only feels amiable and approachable.
Yun Fenghuang, who followed the queen step by step, watched with cold eyes. For a moment, he even saw the shadow of his mother Jiang in her body.
... It seems that life in the palace for Chunjia and his family is really difficult. Empress Dowager Yuan and Queen Mother Qu, two mothers who are obviously closer to Chunjia, not only keep quiet and low-key at ordinary times, but occasionally come out and walk around without daring at all. Carrying the Queen Mother's airs.
Even the traces of Empress Dowager Yuan's earlier roles as Princess Duan of Fuyang and Princess of Fuyang have disappeared.
Yun Fenghuang thinks this is really good.
While she was secretly complaining, the royal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had already pushed me aside, politely, and harmoniously entered and sat down.
It was necessary to be polite when sitting down. Empress Ji wanted to give up the throne to Empress Dowager Yuan on the pretext that the empress dowager was a loving mother who was both respectful and elder. Of course, empress dowager Yuan was sensible and refused to agree. In the end, she even made a show of leaving. Only then did the female official of Yanfu Palace propose to set up another one beside the Phoenix Seat to be equal to the Phoenix Seat.
Look at the true mother-in-law, loving daughter-in-law and filial piety.
Seeing that these two people were finally seated, Yun Fenghuang stepped forward to salute and pay his respects to Empress Dowager Yuan.
Empress Dowager Yuan took the tea handed to her by the palace attendant, looked at it for a few times, and asked the empress with a smile: "Is this the concubine from the Melia Palace? What a beautiful girl."
"That's right." Empress Ji also smiled, "You said it yourself, Queen Mother. How can I not be interested in my daughter-in-law? Yun Chenggui is one of the most outstanding-looking concubines among the concubines we have hired this time... Speaking of which, from the perspective of these young people, Since the sisters entered the palace, Your Majesty has been staying at Yun Chenggui's place, and he has not been blessed with another person so far. This shows that Chenggui is sensible and well-behaved, and is very popular with His Majesty. If there is good news in a few days, then the daughter-in-law will be even more important. Congratulations to the queen mother and congratulations to the concubine!"
Underneath, Yun Fenghuang quickly knelt down more obediently, firstly to respond to the Queen, and secondly, to prevent Queen Mother Yuan from being so angry that she would be unable to do anything to the Queen and vent her anger on herself instead.
Fortunately, although Empress Dowager Yuan is the direct aunt of Concubine Yue, her temperament is much calmer than that of Concubine Yue. After hearing these words, she not only did not get angry, but also showed a look of approval: "The queen is virtuous and virtuous, and the emperor has a wife like this, so the Ai family will feel relieved." ”
Empress Ji said: "The queen is full of praise."
Only then did he wave his hand to Yun Fenghuang to retreat.
"Since it's Yun Chenggui from the Queen's Palace, let's stay for now." Yun Fenghuang got up and said blessings, and was about to leave, but Empress Dowager Yuan said, "After all, Jiang Lan's matter has something to do with her. .”
Queen Ji smiled and said, "Yes."
He also ordered the people on the left and right to show Yun Fenghuang his seat.
Yun Fenghuang then sat on a third of the stool respectfully, held his breath and listened carefully.
Empress Dowager Yuan noticed it and muttered: "This Chenggui's rules are very good."
"The Imperial Grandmother has always liked well-behaved descendants. If she is so willful, indulgent, and kind-hearted, there is no room for her in this palace!" Empress Ji smiled perfectly, and it was not clear whether her words were directed at Concubine Yue. He meant, "It's a pity that Sister Yue cannot go out these two days. Otherwise, if she spends more time with Yun Chenggui, she will surely understand why His Majesty loves Yun Chenggui so much."
It’s great to have a strong natal family.
Yun Fenghuang, who was watching her nose and heart, thought sadly that Queen Mother Yuan, regardless of her good or evil intentions, at least so far has not taken the initiative to target the Queen, but what about Queen Ji? It seems that they are adhering to etiquette, but in fact, when you taste it carefully, there is a thorn in almost every sentence.
But the emperor's puppet, the Ji family, is so powerful, what can Empress Dowager Yuan do
I can only endure it.
If we were still in the Northland, if it hadn't been for Xie Fenghuan... she would have been able to live like this... It's really difficult to start from scratch...
She was distracted for a while, and the Queen Mother and Queen Mother had finished their greetings and got down to business. Queen Mother Yuan said emotionally: "... If the Ai family had known that he was such a self-assertive and wanton person, how could they have let him stay by their side? Let alone serve him. The emperor!"
"The Queen Mother treats Your Majesty as her own child. If I say that the Queen Mother intentionally harms Your Majesty, my daughter-in-law will not believe it for the first time!" Empress Ji comforted her at the side, "This is all because Jiang Lan committed a heinous crime and he cannot blame the Queen Mother... My daughter-in-law believes that Your Majesty thinks the same way."
Empress Dowager Yuan, as usual, could not hear the meaning behind her words, and sighed: "The Ai family has already sent people to beat the unsatisfactory thing with thirty court sticks, and ordered the guards to be expelled from the palace and sent to the north... But after all, the emperor has to have someone in front of him. The Queen will have to worry about this choice of servant."
Empress Ji frowned slightly, indicating that she was dissatisfied with Jiang Lan's handling: "The mother-in-law did not allow the daughter-in-law to say one more thing. After all, Jiang Lan has been with His Majesty for more than ten years through ups and downs. As the saying goes, there is hard work without credit. What we did this time Although it is too much, fortunately Yun Chenggui was not in danger. Since the queen mother has already rewarded the imperial staff, my daughter-in-law thinks that she can atone for her sins by asking him to still follow your majesty? "
As he spoke, he glanced at Yun Fenghuang and said, "After all, he is a person from the imperial court, and it was given by his mother. Because of such a turmoil, he had to be sent to the north, suffering from cold and cold. If the news spread, it would not only hinder His Majesty's reputation, but also Yun Chenggui will also feel uneasy."
Yun Fenghuang felt very at peace. Not to mention that Jiang Lan was just sent away by the court, even if he was hanged directly, it didn't matter to her.
But after the Queen said this, regardless of whether she liked it or not, she had to immediately prostrate herself, claiming to be frightened, and asked the Queen Mother Yuan to take back her order.
"You are all good children." Empress Dowager Yuan sighed, not looking down, but only said to Empress Ji, "It's just that the Ai family is really sad... Isn't Your Majesty not generous enough to Jiang Lan on weekdays? The Ai family doesn't trust Jiang Lan enough on weekdays. What? Doesn’t the queen treat Jiang Lan well enough on weekdays? How can Yun Chenggui, a concubine who has just entered the palace, get the ability to offend the imperial chamberlain? He is so disappointing! "
Empress Ji pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then said: "In that case, then I will follow the mother... As for the vacancy after Jiang Lan leaves, do you still need the mother's guidance?"
"What can the Ai family give you?" Empress Dowager Yuan shook her head. "Earlier, the emperor was still young, so the Ai family naturally had to worry about him. But now that the emperor is older, and with the help of a virtuous and capable wife like the empress, the Ai family can now feel at ease. The queen can take care of these trivial matters as long as she cares for her heart."
Empress Ji said: "My daughter-in-law is young, and she must be looked after by you, Queen Mother."
"How can the eyesight of the Ai family be as good as that of Sister Ji?" Empress Dowager Yuan chuckled, "It just so happens that the Queen has to go to Mianfu Palace every day, why not ask Sister Ji by the way? After all, Sister Ji also has a mother-in-law, these things are better than The Ai family has a lot of experience. If the Queen is not sure, just ask Sister Ji and she will be right!"
Since the empress took advantage of every opportunity to get rid of Jiang Lan, she originally did not want Empress Dowager Yuan to express any opinions on the successor of the imperial chamberlain.
Now that the scene was done, he agreed smoothly: "Then the daughter-in-law will go ask Mother Ji and Queen Qu for instructions tomorrow... I hope these two mothers can give my daughter-in-law some advice."
He also said that even if you don't want to give advice to Queen Mother Yuan, "After the selection is made, go to Chunyou Palace to pay your respects. Queen Mother should just take a look and see if she is going to walk in front of His Majesty."
If Empress Dowager Yuan refuses again, it will seem that she doesn't attach much importance to Emperor Chunjia. If she is her biological mother, of course it doesn't matter, but after all, she is just her aunt, so she can only agree with a smile and angrily say to the empress: "You child, I just said that you are good, so you have to find things for the Ai family, which will make the Ai family even want to hide."
After saying this, she suddenly said, "By the way, Yun Chenggui didn't come home all night, so she must be very frightened..."
"Don't worry, Queen Mother." Empress Ji said hurriedly, "My daughter-in-law knows that Yun Chenggui has been wronged. No, I just said that she will be promoted to a talented person tomorrow."
Yun Fenghuang felt something was wrong when he heard this. The Queen had promised her yesterday that she would be promoted to Cai Ren as her boudoir, and it was a reward for betraying Duke Yi's palace. The queen had just assisted the queen in cheating Jiang Lan, but the queen had not expressed anything yet. Now that Empress Dowager Yuan mentioned it, why did she use Jin Cai to count
As the saying goes, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger, and it is also said that husband and wife are one. It seems that the kindness of the king cannot be relied on, and the protection of the middle palace is not so reliable
Well, just like selling the concubine before, it’s time to consider selling the queen...
"I would like to express my gratitude to the Empress, the Empress, and my loving mother, the Empress Dowager, for your love. However, I have little talent and little knowledge. How can I be worthy of the title of a talented person?" She was already thinking about how to deceive the Empress, but on her face she said without hesitation, "I would also like to invite the Empress Take back your life!"
Queen Mother Yuan glanced at her, turned to the empress, smiled and asked, "Do you remember that the Ai family is from the fifth rank?"
Empress Ji frowned slightly, but had to answer: "If you go back to your mother, that's right."
She could guess what Empress Dowager Yuan was going to say next, so she added, "When Chenggui entered the palace two days ago, she was Baolin, and she had already been promoted once before."
"There are a few high-ranking concubines in the palace." Empress Dowager Yuan said softly, as if she hadn't heard the last sentence, "The Ai family just came from Chunwu Palace. Many of the gorgeous palaces were empty, but there was no one there. The few people looked at each other in a deserted manner. Yun Chenggui was hired by the Empress Dowager, and she must have been a noblewoman who was raised in fine clothes and fine food. The title of Baolin was just for show, and she could not be selected by the Flower and Bird Envoy. Comparable to those…”
Empress Ji pondered for a moment and said: "What the Queen Mother said makes sense. In this case, how about being promoted to a beauty?"
She explained, "It's not that the daughter-in-law is stingy about her high position, it's just that Yun Chenggui entered the palace together with Concubine Shu's half-sister Yun Meiren. Although Yun Meiren was born by a concubine, she was personally raised by Mrs. Yi Guogong. When she grew up, she was no different from Concubine Shu in the boudoir back then, and her relationship with Yun Chenggui was also very good. If Yun Chenggui surpassed Yun Meiren in rank, not to mention whether there would be a grudge between the sisters. , let’s just say that Duke Yi’s palace doesn’t look good on his face.”
The queen said calmly, "After all, Yun Chenggui is just the adopted daughter of Duke Yi Guogong's cousin. Being on an equal footing with Duke Yi Guogong's biological daughter is because of the mother's sake, so she is particularly flattered."
"The queen is thoughtful." Empress Dowager Yuan smiled, as if she had just come to her senses, and said apologetically, "It is the queen's right to raise and lower concubines in the harem. The Ai family has just become so old and confused."
"The mother-in-law is willing to give advice to her daughter-in-law. It is her blessing. If the mother-in-law is unwilling to speak like before, the daughter-in-law will be frightened." Empress Ji smiled dignifiedly and stabbed Empress Dowager Yuan with a hidden needle as usual. Then she still knelt down. Yun Fenghuang, who was on the ground, raised his chin and said, "Yun Chenggui, haven't you thanked your mother yet?"
Yun Chenggui kowtowed obediently: "I would like to express my gratitude to the Empress for your love, and to my loving mother, the Empress Dowager, for your love! I will serve Your Majesty well!"
Queen Mother Yuan, who was originally calm and calm, twitched her eyes when she heard the last sentence, and smiled again: "It's better if the queen doesn't care about the Ai family... In this way, the Ai family agreed to make jade dew dumplings for Kunze tonight, and now at this time... "
Empress Ji hurriedly said: "I haven't seen my mother for many days. I wanted to stay with my mother for dinner, but since my mother agreed to my sister Kunze's request, my daughter-in-law did not dare to delay my mother."
So he led a group of palace people to send Empress Dowager Yuan away in a grand manner.
Empress Dowager Yuan's phoenix chariot had just gone away. Empress Ji, who was originally smiling, turned grim. She flicked her sleeves and walked back to the palace first. Seeing Yun Fenghuang still kneeling on the ground obediently, she didn't even wake up and walked quickly. He went to sit down at the table, took a sip of the still hot tea at his hand, and said coolly: "You were very smart just now. You just tiptoed me and went out to greet the queen. Why are you not moving now?"