The only unmarried girls in the family were Miss Six and Miss Seven. Miss Fifth had only been married for a year and had already made the family very sad. Therefore, Yan Qingzheng's return injected a lot of vitality into the family.
Several young masters of the Yan family were all studying together in Tianyi School. Although they could not come back, they all brought gifts, and they all arrived one after another in the next few days.
The old master calculated that no matter how far the journey was, seven days of rest would be enough, so he called Yan Qingzheng over and told her that it was time to go to the palace to pay respects to the concubine.
After all, the dowager is their matchmaker.
Yan Qing noticed that when his grandfather mentioned the word "matchmaker", his brows twitched, obviously not so willingly.
She thought for a moment that she should ask her grandfather what he thought. But then she gave up the idea. No matter what her grandfather's attitude was, his position determined his stance, and he could not necessarily do what he thought in his heart.
Besides, after eight years, she also wanted to know if the royal family would handle the marriage differently.
Mrs. Yan and Yan Qing were entering the palace to meet the concubine.
When she got off the carriage, the old lady was obviously struggling. Yan Qing couldn't bear it. If it weren't for her own fault, the old lady would not have taken this trip.
"It's the granddaughter who has troubled the grandmother!"
"What are you talking about heretics?" The old lady calmed her breathing, patted Yan Qing's hand that was supporting her, and said, "The concubine is also a good friend of my grandmother. Grandma is also happy to have a way to meet her!"
Yan Qingzheng felt a slight warmth in his heart. This was the care from his family, which was different from the care from his elders.
Although she is young, she can still tell that most of the care for her by her elders comes from the relationship with her mother, Nalan Lianyue, and the importance of her talent. Family affection is completely different and makes no sense. Even if you commit a crime
I will tolerate you even when you make mistakes, and I won’t dislike you even if you get into trouble.
She thought that maybe it was because of this reason that her mother could not break off the mortal bond.
The concubine was very considerate of Mrs. Yan, her close friend, and specially prepared a sedan chair inside the palace gate, fearing that Mrs. Yan would have to walk through the entire palace.
It is said that the concubine had never met Yan Qingzheng even though she came to talk to him as a matchmaker. This time, the emperor used her identity to summon Yan Qingzheng into the palace, and she was actually very happy.
Although the concubine was the last remaining concubine of the late emperor in the palace, and her status was respected, she was lively by nature, but not so keen on status and pleasure, so she lived in Rongan Palace on the east side of the Imperial Garden, which was already a bit remote.
Already.
Rongan Palace is not that luxurious, but the courtyard is quite large. The concubine likes some flowers and plants, so she plants them in the front and back yards. She also dug a small pond and raised some koi to entertain her. The courtyard is also small.
The bridges, flowing water, pavilions, flowers and trees are very interesting.
But no matter how she decorated it, she still had some craftsmanship after all. Having seen the fairyland-like beauty of Tianyimen, this courtyard in the palace naturally couldn't make Yan Qing look sideways, but she didn't expect that the concubine was actually very down-to-earth.
, some large flower pots actually have some crops and vegetables planted in them.
Yan Qing calmly looked back, because the female officer in charge of Rong'an Palace had already walked towards him.
The female officer in charge is called Gospel. She has been with the concubine for many years. She is a bit older, already twenty-five years old. The concubine has promised to let her out of the palace next year.
Gospel wears a simple single-screw bun with three hairpins inserted flatly into her bun. This means that she is already a third-grade female official.
In the Fengrong Palace, the female officials in the harem also have grades, but the highest is the first grade, which is the female officer in charge next to the emperor, the female officer in charge next to the queen is second grade, and the female officer in charge next to the concubine is third grade.
Among the other concubines in the harem, the highest female officer in charge is the imperial concubine's female officer, who is also of the third rank, the prince's female officer is the third rank, and the highest female officer of all the others is the fourth rank.
The hairpins worn by female officials are also very particular. They wear hairpins according to their grades, one for the first grade, two for the second grade, and three for the third grade. However, the beads for the first grade are the largest, and the beads for the second and third grades are graded one by one.
Secondly, having many pearls and hairpins does not mean you are noble.
"Gossip has met Mrs. Yan! I've met Miss Yan Qi!" Gossip walked up to the two of them with a slight smile on his face and saluted appropriately.
Mrs. Yan is a first-grade imperial concubine, and Yan Qingzheng is the fiancée of Prince Xuan. She is a young female official, so she naturally does not dare to neglect her.
"Miss Gospel, you don't have to be polite," Old Mrs. Yan said with a smile, "Is the concubine your wife free?"
"It's time! Your Majesty has been thinking about Madam for a long time and has been waiting for you in the main hall." Gospel turned halfway and extended his hand to the front: "Old Madam Yan, please come in!"
Now he led the grandfather and grandson through the veranda, across the winding bridge, and onto the white marble steps. The two maids at the door of Rongan Palace quickly opened the door.
Concubine De was sitting on the throne in the main hall, with curiosity on her face, looking at an old man and a young man walking in from the door. She glanced at Old Mrs. Yan who bowed her head respectfully, and then looked at the young woman supporting her.
The rumored Miss Yan Qi...
Concubine De forced herself not to be so impatient, tried hard to maintain a dignified posture, and waited patiently for her grandson and grandson to bow.
"My wife (my daughter), please see the imperial concubine. She is a thousand years old!"
"Please get up quickly!" The concubine offered her support and said, "Sit down."
Mrs. Yan sat down at the bottom, and Yan Qingzheng stood behind his grandmother consciously.
"You didn't even say you came to see me. If it weren't for Qi Yatou, you wouldn't have come to the palace this time!" Concubine De spoke to Mrs. Yan in a familiar tone.
"I have old arms and legs, and the concubine also knows that she gets tired whenever she moves!" Mrs. Yan didn't pretend to be pretentious and complained directly.
"Oh! That's right, we are all too old..." Concubine De sighed softly, then looked at Yan Qingzheng and said: "This is the seventh girl, come here, let me have a good look. Speaking of which, I still
Your matchmaker has never even seen your face."
Yan Qing was looking at his grandmother, and when he saw her nodding, Yingying stepped forward. Just as she was about to salute, the concubine had already grabbed her hand and pulled her in front of her to look at her carefully.
"My dear! Such a pretty girl! No wonder I hide you so hard!" the concubine sighed repeatedly.
Yan Qing showed a hint of shyness appropriately and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Concubine. My daughter is no more beautiful than a willow."
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." The concubine let go of her hand and asked her to go back behind her grandmother, and then said: "But to be honest, Prince Xuan really found a treasure, this girl is really fragrant.
What a beautiful country.”
"Your Majesty, you are so complimentary." Mrs. Yan's face was proud, but her mouth was humble.
Yan Qing was listening to the two old people communicating with each other here, thinking about those days, and his thoughts involuntarily returned to the distant master.
But not long after, the emperor came.
The concubine smiled, and Mrs. Yan curled her lips slightly to hide her emotions. She had known that he would not be able to restrain his curiosity and would definitely come over to take a look.
It's funny to say that the current emperor is very willful and naive, but the miracle is that all the civil and military officials buy it, even Yan Xi. Even though she has a lot of contempt and disgust for him in her heart, she still uses her heart.
to assist him.
Yan Qing had just heard his grandfather say that this might be the emperor's personal charm. Sometimes he would sit on the dragon throne with a serious face, but he would say some nonsense, but the civil and military officials below would turn a deaf ear to it. What should be done?
What else could I do? If the emperor's sudden whim was not so...excessive, the ministers would still negotiate and comply with his words.
I always feel that the entire imperial court is "pampering" the current emperor.
The concubine's kind smile at this time most truly reflected this strange custom.
The emperor, dressed in bright yellow casual clothes, quickly helped Mrs. Yan to his feet.
He was very polite and had no airs, so Yan Qing boldly raised his head and looked directly at the emperor.
In fact, the emperor looks quite good-looking, but for an emperor, his facial expressions are too rich.
Those "peach blossom eyes"... That's what Yan Qing thinks. When he looks at people, he always seems to be acting coquettishly.
Yan Qing suddenly felt goosebumps all over his body. A grown man always looked at others with wet eyes. His innocent look made people... want to kick him!
But it is undeniable that the expressions on this face are so endearing that you can't help but kick him and start thinking about how to fulfill his wishes.
Yan Qing was remembering Duo Yue's teachings. As a disciple of Yuqing Peak, Duo Yue required all female disciples to behave themselves well, to be polite to all men, and not to show any inappropriate smiles. But this is the only thing.
One request, all the disciples thought it was very simple, except for one senior sister, who was always scolded by Duo Yue.
Once she accidentally overheard a discussion among her senior sisters, saying that the senior sister was naturally charming, and even the ordinary words and frowns seemed to be seducing others.
With such a talent, if he had not entered Xuanmen, he would definitely be a vixen in the eyes of the world...
At that time, Yan Qing was still wondering if there was such a "vixen" among men. Unexpectedly, he saw one today...
But she would never dare to say this, because from her grandfather to her father to her brothers, they all respect this man!
"Your Majesty, Yan Qing is here to see the Emperor, long live the Emperor!" Yan Qing saw the Emperor staring at him aggressively, so she had no choice but to stand up and greet him.
"No gifts, no gifts!" The emperor was in high spirits, like a big boy, with a sunny smile on his face.
Yan Qingzheng suddenly didn't want to see him, because this smile was so similar to the prince who pushed him into the water!
It is true that the emperor and the prince are father and son, and they look very normal.
But Yan Qing doesn't care about so many people. There are really not many people she hates in this world. There are only three people in the world. Unfortunately, the father and son take up two-thirds of the positions. You have to ask, who is the last one?
who?
Of course, it must be the imperial master of this dynasty.
Anyway, Yan Qingzheng will never forget for the rest of his life why he was pushed into the water, why he couldn't walk on the street openly, why he was sent to a distant school at a young age, and why he was thousands of miles away from his family!
Just when Yan Qing was trying to restrain himself from showing his true emotions, the eunuch outside the door shouted: "His Royal Highness is here!"
Yan Qing felt that the mask he had just put on "cracked" and cracked!