Only when Concubine Chen returned to the palace from the queen could she cross the threshold.
A palace maid came running outside: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
"What happened?"
Concubine Chen frowned. The people in her palace, even the most vulgar palace maid, were all abiding by the rules. To be in such a panic, something must have happened.
"His Royal Highness' people have just sent a letter." The palace maid tried her best to hold back her breath and replied: "The Queen has just summoned the seventh girl to the palace."
"When did it happen?" Concubine Chen looked stern when she heard this.
"It's been about half an hour." The palace maid replied.
"Go to Funing Palace." Concubine Chen immediately turned around and asked, "Why didn't you come earlier to report?"
"The slaves are looking for the empress in vain..." the palace maid explained in a low voice.
Concubine Chen quickened her pace: "It's my fault that I was delayed wandering around the imperial garden."
The palace is deep, there is no way out, and there is nothing to kill time.
After returning from the Queen's visit, she spent some time in the imperial garden.
But I don’t want to get the wrong news because of this.
"Your Majesty, don't be too anxious." Nafu comforted her: "The Queen is careful and methodical in her work, and she will not do anything to a girl without any reason.
Even if you want to take advantage of a girl, there must be a reason, right?
The girl is smart and will not sit still and wait for death."
"That's true." Concubine Chen nodded and asked thoughtfully: "After I left, the Queen seemed to have left someone in Funing Palace?"
"Yes." Nafu replied, "I saw that Zheng Zhaoyi seemed to have stayed there and never left."
Concubine Chen frowned and stepped up her pace again: "What do they want to do?"
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Li Can stepped into the main hall of Funing Palace and saw Queen Yuan Ying sitting on the couch, with a leisurely posture, elegant and luxurious in a phoenix robe, and she looked gentle and approachable.
In the center of the couch was a small rosewood table with tea and fruit snacks placed on it.
On the other side, there sat a young concubine with pretty eyebrows and a somewhat condescending manner. She had two soft pillows on her lower back. Her sitting posture was coy and she seemed to be more delicate than the queen.
"Li Can has met the Queen." Li Can stepped forward and saluted the Queen, and also saluted the concubine.
She doesn't recognize people, so naturally it's hard for her to speak.
The queen looked at her with a smile and said: "Miss Li Qi is here, this is Zheng Zhaoyi."
"I've met Zheng Zhaoyi." Li Can saluted again.
She had heard of Zheng Zhaoyi.
Zheng Zhaoyi’s elder brother Zheng Minglei was originally the commander of the guards at the Royal Hunting Ground.
The year before last, when Emperor Qianyuan was hunting in autumn, he encountered a lone wolf that strayed into the mountains. Zheng Minglei was highly skilled in martial arts and served well in protecting the wolf. He was appreciated by Emperor Qianyuan and was later promoted to deputy commander of the Forbidden Army.
When a person achieves enlightenment, a chicken or a dog ascends to heaven.
Zheng Minglei's father rose from a fifth-rank official to a third-rank official in the imperial court, and naturally all the children in the family benefited from it.
During the draft that year, Zheng Zhaoyi entered the palace.
When she first entered the palace, she was just a small talent.
In less than two years, she was already second only to Zhaoyi in the imperial concubine position, which shows how much Emperor Qianyuan loved her.
It can also be inferred that Emperor Qianyuan trusted Zheng Minglei.
Li Can remembered that last month he seemed to have heard news from the palace that Zheng Zhaoyi was pregnant with a dragon.
No wonder he behaves so coquettishly.
The Zheng family originally belonged to the empress, so it was not surprising that the empress was close to her. I just didn't know what the idea behind suddenly calling her into the palace was.
Zheng Zhaoyi looked Li Can up and down, then smiled and said: "Miss Li Qi, she looks really good, but she is a little thin. If she can be better, she will be almost perfect."
Li Can stood there and asked her to judge her. Naturally, she felt unhappy, but she couldn't do the same thing.
Moreover, Zheng Zhaoyi is still pregnant. If she gets angry and hurt, she cannot afford to pay for it.
She pursed her lips and said nothing, just lowered her eyes and listened.
"I have said before that Miss Li Qi's appearance is hard to find in this imperial capital." The queen smiled and said, "Even Your Majesty has praised her more than once."
"Your Majesty, thank you very much." Li Can, with long green eyelashes trembling slightly, replied in a low voice.
"Don't stand there." Zheng Zhaoyi looked at the queen: "Your Majesty, please give me a seat."
"Look at my memory." The queen smiled and raised her hand to the palace attendant: "Go and bring a stool for Miss Seven."
"Miss Seven, please sit down."
The palace man brought an embroidery pier.
Li Can held up the hem of her skirt and sat on it. Since she was in a strange place and facing unfamiliar people, she was naturally a little cautious.
The embroidered pillar was also short. After she sat down, she looked a little unimpressive facing the two people in front of her.
"Miss Seven, there is no need to be afraid." The queen looked at her and said in a very friendly manner: "I have called you here because Zheng Zhaoyi really wants to see you.
You also know that since she has a baby, I will comply with her as long as her demands are not too excessive.
You don't have to be nervous or afraid when you come to this place of my palace. You and Yin Huan have always been on good terms, so just treat this place of my palace as the same as Concubine Chen's place."
"Yes." Li Can lowered his head and responded: "Thank you, Queen."
"How old is Miss Li Qi this year?" Zheng Zhaoyi asked.
"Fifteen." Li Can replied to her.
"It's just in time to get haircut." Zheng Zhaoyi and the Queen looked at each other: "Is it time to do the haircut ceremony?"
"Not yet." Li Can shook his head and said, "It will be done by the end of the year."
Zheng Zhaoyi nodded, stood up, and walked to her with her hands on her waist.
Li Can also stood up.
It makes no sense that Zheng Zhaoyi is standing while she is sitting.
She felt a little funny when she saw Zheng Zhaoyi's behavior. Zheng Zhaoyi was not even three months pregnant. She didn't show her pregnancy at all, but she still walked with her hands on her waist, as if she was afraid that others would not know that she was pregnant with a dragon seed.
"Have you ever made a promise to someone?" Zheng Zhaoyi put a hand on her lower abdomen and asked again.
The queen glanced at her movements, curled her lips slightly, picked up the tea cup and sipped it lightly.
"Not yet." Li Can shook his head.
Her thoughts moved slightly, as if she knew what the Queen and Zheng Zhaoyi wanted to do with her.
Want to kiss her?
Combined with the previous incident of Zhao Luan entering the palace, she probably guessed the cause and effect of the incident.
Zhao Luan wanted the queen to grant her a marriage, so that it would be impossible for her and Zhao Gong.
Zhao Luan also cleared the way for Xia Jieyao.
But the queen and Zhao Xun are inseparable. If Zhao Luan marries Xia Jieyao to Zhao Gao, then he and Zhao Gao will be inseparable.
She couldn't understand, why did the queen grant Zhao Luan's favor?
"You really haven't said goodbye." Zheng Zhaoyi seemed surprised. She looked at the queen and asked Li Can: "You have reached the marriageable age. Isn't there a matchmaker who comes to marry you?"
"There are still brothers and sisters in my family who have not said they are married, and the elders say there is no rush." Li Can lowered his eyes and looked back, his long eyelashes covering his thoughts.
At this moment, she finally figured out why the queen wanted to help Zhao Luan.
For the Queen, making Xia Jieyao the Crown Princess is indeed the best choice at the moment.
The forces behind Xia Jieyao, whether it is Jiang Anbo Mansion or Changle Princess Mansion, are actually nothing to fear.
And she has an uncle who has hundreds of thousands of troops. If she becomes the crown prince and the fifth prince wants to take over the crown prince's position, it will be much more difficult.
As for Zheng Zhaoyi, she must have been taken advantage of by the queen.
No matter how bad the uncle is, he still holds military power. Even His Majesty would not dare to look down upon him, and naturally the Queen would not dare to offend him head-on.
Therefore, the queen arranged for Zheng Zhaoyi to come forward.
She looked at the two people in front of her again, and there was a slight smile in her eyes. Since it was about marriage, she was not afraid.