When the concubines heard Xiao Shushen's voice, they all knelt down, wondering secretly whether they had done anything inappropriate just now.
Zhao Yuanrong had never thought that Xiao Shushen would appear at this time. She glanced at Shen Qingwan in anger, then kowtowed to Xiao Shushen with a slightly flustered look and said, "It is your majesty who speaks too much. Please forgive me, Queen."
With the help of palace maids, Hsiao Shushen sat on the main seat. Her exquisite makeup made her look imposing and powerful. This was the demeanor of a mother of a country.
The palace fell into silence. Concubine De knelt on the ground, trembling slightly, while the other concubines half-knelt to pay their respects. Xiao Shushen did not let them stand up, so they could only stay like this.
"De Fei, you are an old man in the palace, don't you even know this little rule?" Xiao Shushen stared at De Fei and said. Her eyes were full of coldness, which made people feel intimidated.
Shen Qingwan half-knelt there and secretly glanced at Xiao Shushen, then lowered her head and said nothing more. When she lowered her head, a complicated look flashed across her eyes.
This Defei is afraid that she will be scolded by the Queen...
When Concubine De heard Xiao Shushen say this, her face changed drastically, and she kowtowed and apologized, saying, "Empress, please forgive me for the sake of our past relationship."
When the concubines saw this scene, they didn't know what to do and could only lower their heads and pretend not to see it.
Shen Qingwan glanced at Concubine De and treated it calmly. Concubine De happened to look over and was annoyed by Shen Qingwan's calmness, but the current situation did not allow her to do anything rash again.
"Forgive? Defei, do you think the palace rules are just for show? Gossiping about me behind my back is a big taboo!" Xiao Shushen would not let Defei off just because of her one-sided words. After all, it was difficult to find any evidence against Defei in the deep palace, and now was the best time to suppress her momentum.
As soon as Xiao Shushen finished speaking, the momentum that Concubine De had used to fight Shen Qingwan disappeared instantly. Her face was full of panic. She secretly glanced at Shen Qingwan. Concubine De suddenly thought of Concubine Liu. A light bulb suddenly lit up her head. After preparing her words, she looked up at Xiao Shushen and said, "Empress, Concubine Liu..."
"Why mention her? I just told you that you are an old veteran in the palace, why are you still so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter?" When Xiao Shushen heard the name "Noble Concubine Liu", she scolded Concubine De, her face full of displeasure.
Defei originally wanted to use the matter of Concubine Liu to divert Xiao Shushen's attention, but her cleverness backfired. After being scolded by Xiao Shushen, Defei lowered her head again.
Xiao Shushen felt much more comfortable when she saw Concubine De like this. Therefore, her face became more amiable and her tone was not as fierce as before: "Don't mention this matter again in the future, Concubine De, I hope you can do your duty as a concubine."
"I obey your order." Defei said in a slightly weak tone.
Xiao Shushen noticed that the hairpins on Concubine De's head were a little messy, so she adjusted her phoenix crown and said in a forgiving tone: "Everyone, get up. You must be tired after kneeling for so long."
Almost all the concubines breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and said to the queen: "Thank you, Queen."
Xiao Shushen had a decent smile on her face, looking elegant and noble. Only Shen Qingwan knew how evil the people in the harem were.
"Please take a seat!" Xiao Shushen's voice echoed in the hall, and every step that followed seemed to have been planned.
Palace maids and eunuchs brought out chairs and placed them behind each concubine, lowering them in order according to their ranks.
The thing that the palace lacked the most was etiquette. According to the past, they should have paid their respects to the Empress Dowager by now, but it was delayed until now because of the incident with Concubine De. So before sitting down, the concubines paid their respects to Xiao Shushen again: "Your servant pays your respects to the Empress Dowager, and wishes her good health."
"No need to be polite, sisters, please sit down." Although Xiao Shushen said this, she was happy in her heart. This is the power of the queen, how fascinating.
The concubines sat down one by one, and the palace fell into silence. The concubines were afraid of saying something wrong and offending Xiao Shushen, so they chose to remain silent.
"Why are you all silent? Didn't we talk about everything fine before I came?" Xiao Shushen frowned upon seeing this, not hiding the displeasure on her face.
"Your servant is terrified." The concubines hurriedly stood up again, but were interrupted by Xiao Shushen when they were about to kneel down.
"We are all in the palace together, so we are sisters. There is no need to kneel down." Xiao Shushen glanced at the concubines sitting below. These new concubines in the palace were all beautiful, which made the queen a little jealous.
However... Xiao Shushen set her sights on Shen Qingwan, and saw a hint of calculation in her eyes.
Because of the queen's words, the concubines were no longer silent, and each of them talked about some interesting things that happened in the palace. The hall became lively again, as if nothing unpleasant had happened.
"The peonies in the imperial garden are in full bloom." Li Jieyu said, then looked at Xiao Shushen, and seeing that she had no objection, she continued.
"It is indeed as my sister said. It would be nice if we could go to the Imperial Garden to appreciate the flowers together when we have time." Shen Qingwan started the conversation, then looked at her and motioned for her to continue.
The two of them talked one by one, and other concubines also joined in to discuss flowers. Shen Qingwan saw that the atmosphere had become lively, so she stepped aside and listened to them. Xiao Shushen sat on top and looked at Shen Qingwan, with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
"Flowers also need to be cultivated by craftsmen to bloom so beautifully, so people should not forget their roots." Xiao Shushen suddenly spoke, her eyes lingering on Shen Qingwan for a while before moving away.
"The Queen is right. We should never forget our roots." Li Jieyu repeated in a flattering manner. With her start, the other concubines followed her lead.
Shen Qingwan lowered her head and said nothing. How could she, who was so smart, not know the Queen's intentions? Shen Qingwan sighed in her heart, perhaps these words were directed at herself.
Seeing that Shen Qingwan didn't say anything, Xiao Shushen asked, "Xianfei, don't you think so?"
Being called out in public, Shen Qingwan once again became the focus of everyone's attention. All eyes were on Shen Qingwan. Some were jealous, some were envious, and some didn't care...
"Your Majesty is right. I am grateful for your advice." Shen Qingwan knew that since she had embarked on the Queen's ship, she could only adapt to the circumstances.
Wasn't the Queen's move just to show that she would fulfill her promise regarding Concubine Qi and do things for her? Shen Qingwan smiled bitterly in her heart. It seemed that there would be no peace in the future.
"Well, my sister has just entered the palace. Please come to the palace more often in the future." Xiao Shushen said with a smile, then she stood up with the help of the nanny's hand and said again: "I am a little tired, so I will leave first. Sisters, please feel free to do as you please."
"Yes, I obey your command." Shen Qingwan stood up and bowed.
Shen Qingwan suddenly gained the attention of the Queen. Concubine De was jealous of Hengsheng and hated her from the bottom of her heart.
After the queen left, the concubines naturally dispersed.