Xuan Ye came and went in a hurry, not disturbing anyone, just to take a look at Lan Qi, and the emperor came to the city late at night because he didn't want to disturb the people during the day. Naturally, the prince also followed his father back to the palace overnight. After all, the child couldn't bear the fatigue of the journey and entered the palace. The prince was already asleep.
Xuan Ye returned to the Qianqing Palace to wash up and change clothes, but could not rest for an hour or two. Then he summoned the ministers at the Qianqing Gate to listen to the government, as if to make up for all the affairs that had been neglected in the past few days. The palace people were also preparing to welcome him the next day. The emperor returned to the palace, but when he opened his eyes, he was already listening to the political directors at Qianqing Gate.
Lan Qi woke up and heard that the emperor came to see her at midnight last night. Huanchun and the others said vividly that she didn't believe it until someone from Qianqing Palace came to send a message saying that the emperor would come over after dinner. She mentioned that he came last night. Lan Qi believed it a little bit, and then complained to the people around her: "If you don't wake me up if you do anything, I must look ugly sleeping at night with a bloated stomach."
Here Xuan Ye dismissed the court and went to Cining Palace to pay his respects. The Empress Dowager blamed him for not caring about his body and why he was so tired. However, Xuan Ye said that he was resting while traveling on the road and could not waste any more time.
The Queen Mother was also on the side and said with a smile: "I heard that the Emperor went to Yonghe Palace after entering the palace at midnight last night?"
Xuan Ye actually blushed slightly and asked with a smile: "Did you disturb the emperor's mother to sleep?"
"I slept soundly, and I stayed far away, so I wouldn't be disturbed. I just smelled something sour along the way, and thought that all the palaces and courtyards were steaming steamed buns and dipping them in vinegar?" The Queen Mother looked at her mother-in-law with a smile, and she heard what she heard. The Empress Dowager scolded, "Are you talking in a roundabout way now?"
Xuan Ye knew what the Queen Mother meant and didn't care much. He changed the topic and said: "I got two old ginseng in Shengjing and gave them to the Queen's grandmother and Queen's mother. I will make tea every day after autumn this year. I will watch. The old imperial uncles in Shengjing are in good spirits, just eating these."
Talking about the scenery of Shengjing, Xu Xu talked about it for half an hour. Xuan Ye could not stay longer. When leaving, the Empress Dowager told him: "Don't patronize Lan Qi. She is fine. It has been some time since the new couple entered the palace. Take a look." What status?"
Xuan Ye responded: "My grandson is about to go to Chengqian Palace. I want to discuss this matter with the imperial concubine."
There is no need to explain the emperor's intentions clearly. Nowadays, the imperial concubine is the most noble woman in the harem. He can prefer Lan Qi, but he cannot ignore the existence of the imperial concubine. He will never make the mistake he made with Empress Niu Hulu again, even if he doesn't like her. Disgusted by what she had done in the past, Xuan Ye also reflected on his unfairness to her. Now when dealing with his cousin, he always remembers to care about her feelings.
Although the imperial concubine also heard that the emperor went to Yonghe Palace in the middle of the night last night, she saw that Xuan Ye left Cining Palace and came to see her. She even ate with her and asked about things in the palace. She was very generous. Asking Concubine De whether the fetus was safe, the imperial concubine knew that it was her responsibility to report this. In any case, the emperor did not give the deputy concubine the honor he had given her in vain, so she was naturally in a good mood and beamed with joy.
Afterwards, they discussed the position of the newlyweds. Xuan Ye said: "I have already discussed with my uncle about the position of your sister. I will only give it to one concubine. When Queen Niu Hulu was granted the title of concubine, my sister was directly in the position of concubine. They all said that she was very lucky. Now that you are the imperial concubine, you should first aggrieve your sister."
The imperial concubine smiled and said: "Now that the four concubines are complete, it is not necessarily possible to directly give the position of concubine to my sister. I have thought so for a long time. My sister is young and should not be in the position of concubine. How can the emperor express his grievance? It's just... "She paused. She didn't want to say anything, but she was her sister after all. She didn't want her to mess up and annoy the emperor. She hesitated and spoke again, "The emperor also knows that your little cousin has been cowardly and timid since she was a child. If you speak louder, she will cry for a while. She has not changed much after all these years. I am really worried when I look at her. If she is not considerate in serving the emperor, please don't be angry. I will teach her slowly. .”
Xuan Ye only smiled lightly: "I understand."
After that, the emperor directly summoned the princes, princesses and concubines in the Chengqian Palace. Concubine Wen also came according to the order. Her face was as bright as a peach blossom, and her words and deeds were gentle and polite, which made Xuan Ye look at him with admiration. Then there was Concubine Yi and so on. They all looked more energetic than he did before going out, and there were several newcomers whose eyes were still full of ignorance and innocence. Xuan Ye originally thought that he would be caught up in the turmoil of women again when he returned to the palace, but now he looked harmonious and happy, so he felt relieved.
Naturally, it was rare to praise the imperial concubine for her good management. After that, she rewarded the things she brought back from the road. The new people also had their status. Except for the little Tong Jia who was the concubine, the others just promised to stay and lived in various palaces. Concubine Rong The Jingyang Palace previously housed a newcomer named Wan Liuha. Now that the emperor gave Chang Zai the position, the palace maids and eunuchs all called him Wan Chang Zai.
This has been lively for most of the day. All the concubines, big and small, have seen the holy face. Only Concubine De, who was having a baby in Yonghe Palace, has not yet seen her. The imperial concubine heard early in the morning that Qianqing Palace sent someone to send a message, saying that the emperor was going to go after dinner. Yonghe Palace, but Xuan Ye stayed with her for most of the day and was almost done with dinner. He didn't show any intention of leaving, but she didn't know what to do.
Yinzhen didn't know anything about the adults, so he talked happily to Huang Ama. His cleverness made Xuan Ye very happy. The imperial concubine hesitated for a long time, not knowing what was wrong, and actually said: "It's not easy for Concubine De to be pregnant with a child. Why don't the emperor go to Yonghe Palace to see her? All the sisters are here today, but she is the only one who can't see the emperor."
Xuan Ye looked back at her. The imperial concubine's eyes were shining brightly. Although her face could not stop showing embarrassment and reluctance, she could see the sincerity in her eyes. Xuan Ye said: "I'm tired, so I'll rest here. I'll go to Yonghe Palace tomorrow. Same thing."
The imperial concubine's heart was pounding. She didn't want the emperor to notice her joy, but she still couldn't suppress the smile on her face. Even Xuan Ye smiled. He squeezed her hand and said, "You are so virtuous. I’m not used to it.”
"The emperor made fun of my concubine." The imperial concubine lowered her head in shock. Xuan Ye looked at her with wonder, "Do you still remember what you looked like in the past? How could your cousin be so shy at that time?"
The imperial concubine smiled and said, "I'm not shy, I'm happy." When mentioning the past, she couldn't help but feel sad. She even lowered her eyes and said, "The emperor would say very harsh words when he was angry. I feel that it would be better if I didn't change it." , you are really going to hate me, my concubine.”
Xuan Ye also knew that in the past few years, he had spoken harshly to his cousin over various matters, big and small. He even made it clear about her relationship with her relatives. But if he really made it clear, only then could we get along better. Once a year Over the years, both of us have matured.
That night, the sound of the piano resounded in the Chengqian Palace for a long time. When Lan Qi heard it in the Yonghe Palace, she was startled for a moment, and then told Huanchun and others: "There is no need to wait, the emperor will not come tonight."
Luzhu didn't believe it and muttered: "Long live my master, how often have you ever broken your promise? He will definitely come if he says he will come." Next to him, Xiangyue whispered: "The emperor is in Chengqian Palace. I'm afraid the imperial concubine won't let me go."
Huan Chun didn't let them talk anymore, and waited for Lan Qi to wash and change clothes. They waited all night in vain, but the emperor didn't come when he asked to come. Huan Chun knew that his master was broad-minded, but she would be unhappy with this matter, but she would definitely He had his own ideas, and it was useless for others to say too much, so no one said much the whole night.
The door of Yonghe Palace opened early the next morning. Huan Chun was surprised. The few maids outside said they were looking forward to someone coming from Qianqing Palace to send a message, which made her dumbfounded. But after waiting for most of the day, there was no news. The emperor admitted Qian Gong left and went to Qianqing Gate to listen to politics. After that, he spent the whole day in the study room of Qianqing Palace receiving ministers.
It wasn't until sunset that I heard that the emperor had turned over the sign of Chuxiu Palace. Logically speaking, this was indeed the scene that a newcomer should have when entering the palace, but no one in the Yonghe Palace could understand why the emperor returned to the palace overnight just to see him. The master glanced at me and wondered why he hadn't come to sit down seriously after being back for two days.
Not only the family members didn't understand, but the concubines of the Sixth Palace couldn't understand either. The smart people guessed that the emperor didn't want others to be jealous of the concubine. The unsmart and confused people sarcastically said that the emperor had been out for so long and was pregnant with her at night. What can be done? Such words were hard to hear. At first they were just talked about in private, but three or four days later the emperor still did not set foot in the Yonghe Palace. Gradually, the news spread more and more, and everyone craned their necks to see Concubine De's joke.
When Lan Qi was walking in the courtyard, she overheard the little palace maid Sashu talking about these words together. Huan Chun was also there at that time. She was so angry that she took a broom and was about to beat the two children, but Lan Qi stopped her. , and also joked: "The emperor often said that if they don't say these words, they will choke to death. Let me be more generous and be kind to others."
Having said that, it is extremely difficult to control the emotions of pregnant women. Lan Qi could not have cared less. She still didn't see Xuan Ye after two days. She was suffering from an illness. The imperial doctor came three times a day to check her pulse. At first, it was just Concubine Quan De, who was resting and recuperating, had to say: "My dear, you are not doing well these days. If you continue like this, the fetus may not be able to carry to term, so you must be careful."
As a result, Concubine De objected to the imperial doctor and said: "Don't report these words to me. I will be fine in a few days. If you say this now, the emperor will be anxious and people outside will see it as a joke. It will make my health even more difficult to recover."
This was not the first time that the imperial doctor had the courage to conceal the report. Seeing that Concubine De’s eyes were firm and she spoke so straightforwardly, he agreed. However, Concubine De’s health had not improved. When the emperor finally arrived three days later, he saw that Concubine De was haggard. Lan Qi looked different from what she saw late that night. She was shocked and angry, and scolded Huan Chun and the others: "How did you take care of me?"
Lan Qi finally saw Xuan Ye, and her heart dropped for a long time. She once thought wildly about whether she had been abandoned. After Huan Chun and others retreated, Lan Qi said to herself: "The emperor has never come to see me, you What are you talking about?"
Xuan Ye looked at her inexplicably, "Did you eat the candy I gave you?"
Lan Qi couldn't quite remember what the candy was. It took her a long time to think about it before she finally remembered it. She also asked inexplicably: "The candy the emperor sent when he went to Jingshan?"
The emperor was a little angry, so he fiddled with Huan Chun and dug out the box of candies. He poured out the untouched candy cubes, took out a small folded piece of paper from the bottom of the box, and stuffed it angrily at Lan Qi. It was strange. Her: "What are you not eating?"