jdhmnovel Chapter 226 Beating
Chapter 226 Beating
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you be blessed with good health and happiness."
An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang bowed respectfully to the Empress who was sitting above.
Today's Queen was dressed in gorgeous attire, wearing a golden nine-tailed phoenix hairpin on her head, which was so dazzling that it almost dazzled An Lingrong's eyes.
"Please stand up. We are all sisters in the harem, so there is no need to be overly formal."
The queen looked carefully at the two people in front of her with a smile.
"Empress, I understand that you care about everyone, but the palace rules cannot be disregarded." An Lingrong responded softly.
Shen Meizhuang also nodded.
"Empress, Huan'er once told me that you are the kindest person in the harem."
"Even the Emperor deeply agrees with this. Now that Huan'er is pregnant, I would like to send some gifts to Suiyuxuan as a token of my gratitude. I beg for your permission, Your Majesty."
An Lingrong glanced at Shen Meiyu in surprise, wondering if this person was helping Zhen Huan or had other intentions.
There seemed to be a hint of malice hidden in her words.
But doesn't this mean that her telling him about the osmanthus tree had an effect?
An Lingrong sat back in her chair calmly, observing the Queen's reaction quietly.
Shen Meizhuang did not ask the Queen to plead for Zhen Huan, which made her feel relieved.
"Hui Fei, Wan Fei is pregnant with the Dragon Child, so I will naturally take good care of her."
"Once the Emperor's anger subsides, I will personally go to the Yangxin Palace and ask the guards to make some concessions."
"I, your concubine, would like to thank the Queen for her grace on behalf of Huan'er."
Shen Meizhuang thanked him gratefully.
Under Jianqiu's guidance, she sat in a slightly lower position diagonally opposite An Lingrong.
The Queen seemed eager to end the topic and directly announced the real purpose of summoning the two.
"I called you here today to make an important announcement."
"The Emperor understands that I am unwell and has ordered you two to assist with palace affairs. Since Noble Concubine Shu is not familiar with palace affairs, she will temporarily take charge of the Flower and Herb House. Concubine Hui, who previously studied palace management with Noble Concubine Hua, will temporarily take charge of the Weaving Department. If you can live up to the Emperor's expectations, I will assign you more palace duties in the future."
"I thank the Emperor and the Empress for their grace."
Although the flower and plant house and the weaving department seemed to be places with little money to outsiders, An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang still expressed their gratitude happily.
An Lingrong did not expect that the Queen would be magnanimous enough to hand over the lucrative palace affairs to the two of them.
However, she herself had no objection to the flower and plant room allocated to her.
The demand for flowers and plants in the palace increased greatly when the seasons changed, and various banquets also needed the embellishment of flowers and plants.
An Lingrong learned about a large number of flowers and plants when she studied spices, so there are many things she can do with them.
"I have informed the stewards of these two places. Someone will come to your palace to see you after the break."
"Thank you, Queen, for your consideration."
Seeing that the Queen had no intention of teaching them how to manage palace affairs, the two of them tactfully took their leave.
After the queen watched them leave, her originally straight back suddenly slumped.
"Jianqiu, the Emperor wasn't like this before. I know the Emperor wants to balance the harem, but it's only natural that he should discuss the matter of assisting with palace affairs with me first."
"If Su Peisheng hadn't saved my face, when An Lingrong and Huipin came to my house, they would have caught me completely off guard!"
"Is he..."
A dark glint flashed in the queen's eyes.
No matter what the emperor noticed, she had to get pregnant as soon as possible.
"Jianqiu, the Emperor has not been in the mood to favor his concubines lately, so please don't send old duck soup to the Yangxin Palace for the time being."
The emperor is picky and will not easily use old duck soup that doesn’t taste right.
If he added too much old duck soup, he would have no chance of getting pregnant.
"I understand. Madam, please have a cup of ginseng tea to replenish your blood."
Yixiu, who still had a headache, obeyed and drank a cup of ginseng tea.
"Jianqiu, have the things from Concubine He been delivered?"
"Your Majesty, I sent this to my confidant and have instructed Concubine He to have Concubine Hui deliver it to Suiyuxuan."
The Emperor asked the Empress to look after Wanpin's dragon fetus, which was really asking too much.
The medicine she prepared would definitely make Wanpin feel uncomfortable for a while during her pregnancy.
"Empress, Aunt Zhuxi is waiting outside. She said the Empress Dowager invites you to Shoukang Palace for a chat."
"Why didn't you invite Aunt Zhuxi in for tea?"
Sun Zhuxi is the empress dowager's confidant. Even the emperor dares not neglect him, so the empress naturally has to treat him with courtesy.
"Your Majesty, Aunt Zhuxi said that the Queen Mother wanted to invite you to lunch, and she dared not delay."
Yixiu and Jianqiu looked at each other and decided that they had to go to Shoukang Palace.
The Empress Dowager was a vegetarian, so the Queen followed suit and had a tasteless meal.
After lunch, the two of them went to another room to have tea.
"The Empress Dowager is devoted to worshipping Buddha. I have not been summoned to see her, so I dare not rush to pay my respects."
"The Empress Dowager summoned me here today. Is there something you want me to do?"
Ever since Yixiu entered the palace, the Queen Mother has never been kind to her.
It was only after Rouzejian died of complications during childbirth that she had to promote herself.
In fact, both of them knew that there was a knot in their hearts that was difficult to untie.
It was just because of her family that the Queen Mother had to let her occupy the position of Queen.
Yixiu didn't want to stay in the same room with the Queen Mother for too long, so she just started the conversation.
"Empress, I heard that Concubine Wan came to the Emperor and begged you to protect her pregnancy."
The emperor personally went to Shoukang Palace to tell the empress about this matter. For some reasons, the empress dowager had to bring the empress to her and give her a scolding.
"My Queen Mother, how could I possibly be so worthy as to protect my own eldest prince? How could I possibly protect someone else's child?"
The queen replied sarcastically with hot eyes.
Not only did the emperor force her, but even the empress dowager, who always claimed to be thinking about her, oppressed her like this.
Could it be that Zhen Huan, who is somewhat similar to Rouze Jianren, has also bewitched the Empress Dowager into becoming senile and confused?
"As long as you want, you can definitely keep Wanpin's child. I never doubt the Queen's ability."
The Queen Mother's understanding gaze was fixed on the Queen.
The Queen looked back and responded calmly.
"Since the Empress Dowager has given the order, I shall obey. It is the Empress's duty to look after the pregnant sisters in the harem."
"It's good that you understand your responsibilities... I hope you can preserve the honor of the Ulanara family."
“Sometimes when you protect others, you are also protecting yourself.”
The queen turned a deaf ear to the queen mother's advice.
When the Empress Dowager and her stepmother took advantage of Rouze's pregnancy and pushed her into the Emperor's arms, they never let her shoulder the glory of the Ulanara family.
She even condoned her stepmother and Rouze to attack her and her son.
How could she care about such a family?
When the queen stood up to say goodbye, the queen mother hurriedly said.
"Empress, Wanpin is pregnant with a princess. You..."
"Please rest assured, Empress Dowager. Others may not be able to accommodate my eldest prince, but I can still accommodate a princess."
Zhen Huan's personal physician is Wen Shichu. The Queen did not expect that the Queen Mother actually had such information.
"What an injustice! It's all an injustice!"
"Zhu Xi, the Queen has never forgotten the eldest prince's untimely death."
The prince Longsun died due to lack of medical treatment, which was news that the royal family tried hard to conceal.
Sun Zhuxi, who knew the inside story, didn't dare to say a word.
After a long time, the Queen Mother sighed heavily.
"Zhu Xi, the emperor has sent guards to guard the Sui Yu Xuan, and the plan will be postponed."
"Has the silver that the Ministry of Internal Affairs just presented been distributed?"
"Your Majesty, it has been delivered as agreed."