Compared with the Chunxu Palace, which had not changed much from before the summer vacation, Queen Mother Qu had changed a lot.
The Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, was originally a slender beauty. In just a few months, she lost weight again, and she looked a little out of shape.
Gu Zhen couldn't help being surprised. After seeing the ceremony, he asked in a trembling voice: "Why is my mother so ill? Do we need some imperial doctors to take a look at her?"
Didn't it mean that the two empress dowagers pretended to be ill just because they didn't want to leave the imperial capital and go to Fuyang County
Why does Queen Mother Qu look like she's really sick
"It's okay." Xu Shi's body was weak, and Queen Mother Qu's voice was erratic when she spoke, and she said slowly, "The Ai family just haven't had much appetite in the past two days."
Gu Zhen quickly advised her to take care of her body no matter what... To be honest, among the three empress dowagers that have ever existed in the palace, the mother empress dowager was of course the most feared. After Ji Sheng left, the loving mother empress dowager almost took over. Her status and power have also taken over the fear of the concubines.
As for the Queen Mother, because she doesn't care about anything and has nothing to do with the concubines, she is the elder who the concubines least resent.
Therefore, Gu Zhen really had some sincere feelings for Queen Mother Qu, and spent a lot of effort to comfort her.
Queen Mother Qu listened with a smile and said that the Queen was truly pure, filial and considerate.
This was just a casual comment, but Gu Zhen had been reprimanded by the Empress Dowager before, and he didn't have any special dignity in front of his loving mother, the Empress Dowager. So he was actually flattered by what she said.
The Queen Mother asked about the situation of the emperor's heirs again, so Yun Fenghuang also joined the conversation, and told the Queen Mother some interesting things about King Qin and Princess Zhaoqing, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were happy for a while.
At this time, Yun Fenghuang suddenly mentioned: "Empress Dowager, just now I went with the Queen Mother to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager said that it was very boring to stay in the palace all day. That's why the Empress wanted to take advantage of the fact that everyone is back. I’m going to the imperial capital and have a lively banquet in the palace, but I don’t know what you think?”
Queen Mother Qu smiled and said: "The queen is interested, but you have just returned from the Qishan Palace, so it would be too hard to arrange things like this."
"Serving the mother and queen is the daughter-in-law's duty. How can we say it's hard work?" Gu Zhen said quickly, "Your Majesty is busy with government affairs. Serving the two mothers well is what the daughter-in-law should do. It is also the daughter-in-law who is not good, so the two mothers are now in trouble. Sui has been greatly wronged in the palace. Now it is just a banquet, how can it be considered hard work? But it is hard work for the mothers to survive the heat of these days in the palace."
The Queen Mother listened, her eyes reddened, and sighed: "The Ai family never thought that they could meet such a considerate person as the Queen at this age."
He just looked away, as if he couldn't control his emotions.
This is understandable. After all, the former Queen Ji Lingzi is not unfilial, but as the third-generation Phoenix Master of the Ji family, what kind of status does that have? Even Chunjia did not dare to make a mistake with this wife. Ji Lingzi When he was in power, in addition to being respectful to his aunt and serious mother-in-law Ji Sheng, he was only superficially affectionate towards his loving mother the Queen Mother. When he came to the Queen Mother Queen Mother, although there was no disobedience and ridicule, he simply ignored the Queen Mother Qu. The presence.
It was probably the first time for Queen Mother Qu to enjoy the sincere greetings and filial piety from her daughter-in-law.
So the banquet was settled.
When leaving Jiashan Palace, Gu Zhen also lamented with Yun Fenghuang that it was not easy to talk about the Queen Mother Qu. After all, she was a decent and conferred Queen Mother, but she lived in such a deserted and fearful life in the palace, which was worse than many concubines. It's tough.
She felt it was inappropriate to say this, and vigilantly tested whether Yun Fenghuang would tell her loving mother, the Empress Dowager
"Your Majesty, you are so careless. You don't know how unwelcome I am to the empress dowager." Yun Fenghuang said to her, "Even if I go ahead and tell you, the empress dowager may just slander me." What’s the Queen’s fault! Why do you think I should go out and ask for such trouble?”
Gu Zhen thought about it, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
When she returned to Yanfu Palace, she sent someone to invite Chunjia to come over to discuss the matter.
The queen would not do this in the past. She would ask the palace servants to go to the emperor to tell them anything. Unless it was necessary, she would not do this and just invite the emperor over without saying anything.
But it was different now. In order for the two princes under her knees to show their faces in front of the emperor, she had to find other ways to invite people over.
So after Chunjia was busy for a while, he arrived at Yanfu Palace. As soon as he entered the door, he saw the third prince holding some toys and teasing King Chu in the corridor.
After being reminded by the left and right that the Holy Driver was coming, the third prince held something in his hand, timidly stepped forward to salute, and shouted in a low voice: "Father."
"Is King Chu feeling better today?" Chunjia responded lightly, walked up to the corridor, reached out and picked up King Chu who was squatting on the ground and looked at him.
The King of Chu smiled and put his arms around his neck. He let the people who served him wink and gesture behind the emperor's back, but he did not call anyone. He just babbling incomprehensible words, his eyes were ignorant and pure, so spotless that it made people feel heart-stopping.
Chunjia sighed in his heart. Although the imperial doctor had privately prepared the child since he had a high fever for several days, he really watched the King of Chu change from being smart and lively to being obsessed with him now. , still feel very sorry.
He held the King of Chu in his arms and spoke softly for a while. Seeing that he could not answer, but instead made a fuss about falling to the ground, he put the child down.
The King of Chu stopped and hurriedly ran towards the third prince.
Apparently he has a good relationship with this brother.
The third prince was rushed towards and hugged by his younger brother, but his eyes were filled with envy.
Of course Chunjia could see these expressions clearly, but he ignored them. He only gently told the left and right to take care of the two princes, and then walked towards the main hall.
In fact, Queen Gu came out after receiving the news early in the morning, but when she saw the emperor going to make out with the princes, she deliberately did not come forward.
At this moment, I saw it in the window lattice. I just straightened my clothes and came out, saying: "Your Majesty, you are here so early? I thought you would be free later."
Chunjia said warmly: "There are still some government affairs that have not been dealt with. I am afraid that the queen will be impatient, so I came here to take a look first."
These words sounded very considerate to Gu Zhen, but Gu Zhen knew in his heart that this was because the emperor did not plan to spend the night in Chongchang Palace today, so he came over while the sun was still high to finish the matter and deal with it as a matter of course. After completing the government affairs, he can go where he wants to go in the evening.
Most likely it was Xuanqing Palace.
Although this was something she should have been used to long ago, she still looked sad for a moment, and then said with a forced smile: "Actually, it's not too important. I also told the palace servants who conveyed the message not to talk too much to avoid misunderstandings. Your Majesty has something important to do."
After saying this and taking his seat, Gu Zhen told him about the embarrassment of his loving mother, the Empress Dowager, and the concurrence of the Virgin Empress Dowager: "I am thinking that the two empresses have not left their respective palaces for a long time due to illness. Now that it's midsummer again, I'm afraid the two queens are also a little bored. Why not take advantage of the crisp autumn weather and have some fun in the palace, so that it can relieve the boredom of the queens and everyone can relax."
Chunjia's reaction was the same as Queen Mother Qu's before, she was immediately concerned about the queen: "We have just returned from the palace. The queen has to take care of the palace affairs, take care of the prince, and then have a banquet. Is it too hard?"
"What did your Majesty say? These are what the palace should do." Gu Zhen knew that he was just used to being considerate and might not really feel sorry for him, but it was better to say this than not to say it at all. He still had some sweetness and pursed his lips. With a smile, Fang said, "Besides, before leaving, the Empress Dowager specially summoned the concubine and the imperial concubine to inquire about the marriage of the eldest princess Minghui. I thought that I could take this opportunity to find a wife for the eldest princess. "... Of course, this is just my opinion. If Your Majesty feels it is inappropriate, then..."
"I think it's very good." Chunjia was thinking about how to bring up the matter of Yun Shizi and Minghui. Of course he would not object to this banquet that had been approved by the two empress dowagers. He held the empress's hand and encouraged it. After talking for a while, Gu Zhen was willing to do all the work for him, and then Shi Shiran left.
After he left, Gu Zhen felt melancholy for a moment. Just as he was about to call his officials to discuss the arrangements for the banquet, he saw Gong Xiang Bing outside the palace gate holding the door and looking in timidly.
"Your Majesty, come here." Gu Zhen waved quickly and asked the wet nurse to carry him to him, touch his head and ask softly, "But do you miss your mother?"
"...Think about it." Although Gong Xiangbing was a few months older than the King of Chu, he was still not easy to speak now. He thought about it for a while and then responded in a low voice.
Gu Zhen looked heartbroken. She knew what this child was doing. Most likely he was hurt by Chunjia's deliberate neglect just now, so he came to seek comfort from his mother.
But she is not Yun Fenghuang, who can influence Chunjia's attitude.
Mentioning it rashly would make Chunjia feel bored and not even get close to the King of Chu.
So at this moment, I could only pretend not to know anything, hugging Gong Xiang Bing and rambling on to change the topic. Children are simply forgetful. After a while, Gong Xiang Bing also forgot about Chun Jia's different treatment and took it as an example. I went out to play with the pompoms given by the palace maid.
"You guys go out and keep an eye on it. Don't tell Huang'er and the others that anything will happen to them again." Gu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, and ordered the two older and more prudent servants, "Also give the people who are serving them a slap. Don't say anything that shouldn't be said carelessly." Cheating!"
After the two attendants went out, a waiter came up and reminded: "Empress, His Highness the Third Prince is still young, so we can still deal with it. But in two years, the heirs will be older. If Your Majesty still doesn't get close to the Third Prince, Prince, I'm afraid that the third prince will be even more disappointed."
It's just that the third prince was disappointed. He was afraid that the third prince would be resentful of Chun Jia, or he might be jealous of the emperor who would go to King Chu or pass to Gu Zhen.
In that case, it would be very embarrassing to be in Gu Zhen's position.
"..." Gu Zhen was silent for a while and said, "That will happen in a few years. We will talk about it then. Now the children are still young, so we can be carefree for a while, and let them be worry-free for a while."
"Your Majesty is kind and kind, which is a blessing to the Third Prince." The waiter didn't say any more, because he knew that Gu Zhen was also in a difficult situation.
Gu Zhen composed himself and continued to discuss the banquet with them.
Originally, palace banquets had agreed-upon locations. For example, the state banquet was at Wenyao Palace, while the more casual banquets were held on several small islands in the Taiye Pool.
The most frequently used one is Xiaoyingzhou.
Because this island is relatively large and the terrain is flat and wide, it is convenient for hosting banquets.
"However, after all, there is no Mrs. Ye Guogong in Xiaoyingzhou. Although His Majesty gave Ji a honor, this is not an auspicious thing." The waiters thought, "Besides, the Empress Dowager is still here, and the Empress is talking to Your Majesty." As I said, this banquet is also about looking for a consort for Her Royal Highness Princess Minghui. There is something wrong with such a small Yingzhou."
Of the five small fairy mountains in Taiye Pool, Xiao Penglai is the first to be eliminated. It is not about other problems, but that Xiao Penglai is too small to hold a large-scale banquet.
Even if the masters of the harem were to go there, they would have to bring a few more waiters and it would be crowded, let alone entertaining outsiders.
After deducting Xiaoyingzhou, we are left with Xiaofanghu, Xiaodaiyu and Xiaoyuanqiao.
Among them, the small square pot is not smaller than Xiaoyingzhou in terms of area, but the terrain is rugged and the scenery is mainly "strange", "dangerous", "weird" and "secluded". Except for the main hall in the southeast corner, there is nothing flat. place.
The main hall has limited capacity. If a banquet is held here, many guests and hosts will not be able to see each other from beginning to end.
Xiao Daiyu and Xiao Yuanqiao were discussing the quality of the venue, between Xiao Yingzhou and Xiao Penglai.
Gu Zhen was a little undecided. She didn't know whether to choose Xiao Daiyu or Xiao Yuanqiao. Her attendants also said one thing and another.
The master and servant couldn't decide, so they could only let the concubines join in the discussion.
Gu Zhen then ordered someone to summon the imperial concubine Shu Fei De Fei to Chongchang Palace for discussion, but the imperial concubine said, "Why not choose a small square pot?"
"Is the small square pot unable to accommodate that many people?" Gu Zhen reminded with a frown.
Yun Fenghuang laughed: "The main hall can only allow us, the Holy Master, the Empress Dowager, the two empress dowagers, and some important ministers to sit down, while the others can sit outside. As for not being able to see each other like this What does it matter to the people in the main hall? Originally, this was not a serious state banquet, but it was just to create some excitement and let the two empress dowagers relax. It's too restrained, what's the point? The former empress I also heard from the empress dowager, the loving mother, that it’s boring to stay in the Spring Palace all day long, isn’t it? Then, this little Daiyu member Qiao, I heard that the scenery is just that, where can I find a small square pot? The steepness, strangeness and uniqueness of it?"
"It's just because it's a bit steep, I'm afraid it's not appropriate." Gu Zhen said, "I just called the palace people to inquire. There are many places on the island where soft sedans are not easy to get up, so you can only walk by yourself. The two empress dowagers She is also older than the Empress Dowager."
"There is no soft sedan chair, and there are no points for support on the left and right?" Yun Fenghuang disagreed, "Furthermore, the two empress dowagers may not want to climb up and down in person, but they just want to feel the atmosphere that is very different from that in their palace. . Madam, tell me, among the five islands in Taiye Pond, which one is more suitable than the small square pot?"
Gu Zhen pondered. She didn't tell Yun Fenghuang that she planned to take this opportunity to find a consort for the eldest princess Minghui. She also didn't know that Minghui's consort Chunjia had decided early on. The square pot is indeed very suitable because there are many places to hide, which is very suitable for children to flirt with each other in private and say something private.
... Although with Minghui's current appearance, those young talents may not like her talent and appearance, but it doesn't matter, Minghui can only like other people.
After thinking like this, the queen nodded: "I will go back and ask the two queens for instructions. If the two queens don't object, then let's make a small square pot."
After the matter was said, the third concubine saw that the queen had nothing else to do, so she left.
The next day, the concubines went to Yanfu Palace to pay their respects to the queen. The queen was planning to go to the two palaces to inquire about the banquet venue when news came from the previous court saying that someone from below had presented another auspicious sign: a white deer.