Last year, when Xiqian set off from Ningguo to Jiangguo, he had to pass through Chengguo to arrive. However, Xianfei, who was still the princess of Chengguo at that time, was also preparing to go to Jiangguo to get married. Xiqian and the others did not want to stay in Chengguo, but Chengguo bullied her.
The Ning State was weak and suppressed them at the border for nearly ten days. They waited for Concubine Xian's marriage team to set off before letting them pass.
Xi Qian recalled that at that time, even ordinary post officials in Chengguo dared to look at her with blank eyes. Now that Concubine Xian's attitude towards her was expected, she smiled calmly and did not feel too embarrassed.
After the noble concubine invited the wise concubine to sit down, she asked pleasantly, "How is the emperor's health these days? Is the food in my sister's palace good enough for the emperor's taste? If not, please send some cooks from my palace."
Concubine Xian had no expression on her face and replied in a cold tone, "My queen, don't worry, the emperor is in his prime, there is nothing wrong with his health. The cooks in the concubines' palace are all among the best in the world, and even those in the imperial kitchen may not be as good."
, I’d better keep the cook for my own use.”
The concubines secretly sweated. No one in the palace had ever dared to speak to a noble concubine like this. Jing Yan, who was standing beside him, had already turned pale.
But the imperial concubine maintained a gentle smile from beginning to end. She didn't even frown after what the concubine Xian said.
"As long as everything is well with the Emperor, I will be relieved. My sister has been working hard to serve the Emperor all day long. You don't have to come every day to ask for greetings from now on. All you have to do is serve the Emperor well."
Seeing that the imperial concubine did not punish her, some of the concubines breathed a sigh of relief, while others sighed secretly. Xi Qian sat calmly all the time, carefully observing everyone's expressions, inferring which of them were in the same camp and which were in tit-for-tat opposition.
.
Just when she was lost in thought, the imperial concubine suddenly called her. Xi Qian quickly recovered her mind and looked at the imperial concubine with a smile.
"I heard that the emperor allows you to come and go freely in Mengxin Residence. It is the place where the emperor lives alone. Even I rarely go there. My sister is really proud of me!"
After listening to the concubine's words, everyone's eyes turned from the concubine Xian to her, with envy and jealousy.
Xi Qianfushen explained, "The emperor knew that my concubine loved reading, and there were many books in Mengxin Juli. However, the emperor thought that my concubine was stupid and was reluctant to borrow the books, so he allowed me to read in Mengxin Juli."
of."
"Xi Zhaorong is so lucky. We didn't even know there was a book in Mengxinju!"
"Yes, I heard that Mengxinju was where Xi Zhaorong went to sleep for the first time."
Xi Qian pretended not to hear the concubines' sarcasm. She raised her head and glanced at the concubine who was still smiling gently. She was very confused. No one else was present when Yuwen Haoxuan allowed her to enter Mengxin Residence, and she hadn't had time to follow him.
No one in the palace could tell, but the concubine already knew.
Did Yu Wen Haoxuan tell her? Xi Qian quickly rejected this idea. Last night Yu Wen Haoxuan stayed in Concubine Xian's Huarui Palace. If he told her, Concubine Xian should have known about it first, but Concubine Xian was slightly confused.
The angry expression didn't look like he knew it in advance.
Then there was only one possibility left, that is, the imperial concubine had an eye on Yu Wen Haoxuan. Thinking of this, she was secretly shocked. It seemed that the imperial concubine was not as virtuous and uncontested as she appeared.
The concubines were still sarcastic about her being able to come in and out of Mengxinju. The noble concubine interrupted them impatiently and said, "If you are jealous, you should go back and read more. What's the use of just talking here."
Everyone was silent, but Liu Chongyi, who had been quiet all this time, stood up and said with a smile, "That day at the banquet, Xi Zhaorong risked his own life to protect the emperor from hidden weapons. His loyalty and courage were evident. It's no wonder that the emperor loves Empress Zhaorong so much."
Xi Qian smiled slightly at Liu Chongyi. She had shown good intentions to Liu Chongrong from the moment she met him. Although she didn't know what the purpose was, it was better to have many friends than many enemies in the palace.
The imperial concubine also praised her, "My sister really frightened me that day. You dared to stand in front of the emperor before others could hide. It shows that you have a deep affection for the emperor. No matter how much the emperor dotes on you, you should do it."
of."
"Your Majesty, you are so grateful. I didn't have time to think about anything at that time. It was just instinctive. I believe that if all of you sisters were standing by the Emperor's side, you would definitely do the same."
"It's just that I was too far away at that time."
"Yes! By the time I rushed to the emperor's side, the assassins were all caught."
??????All the concubines gave themselves reasons for failing to protect the emperor, and the palace was in chaos for a while.
"The Emperor has arrived!" the young eunuch's sharp voice sounded, and the palace immediately became quiet. The concubines were stunned for a moment, and then rushed to get up to greet him.
Yuwen Haoxuan strode into the hall, and several concubines knelt down in front of him. He was about to reach out to help them, but found that he didn't know which one to help first, so he casually waved his hand and let the concubines stand up on their own.
The imperial concubine gave up her seat at the head of the palace and sat aside, "Why did the emperor come at this time? He didn't even change out of his court uniform."
Yuwen Haoxuan looked at everyone and said with a smile, "I thought you would all be here at this time, so I came to take a look."
"My concubines are idle and bored, so I can get together and talk for a while by asking for greetings. The emperor is coming without any warning, so I'd better prepare some cakes."
As the imperial concubine spoke, she waved to the palace people to go down and get ready, but Yuwen Haoxuan interrupted her and said, "No, I'll just take a look and leave. You guys have been talking for a while, right? If you don't have anything to do, just let us go!"
The imperial concubine looked stunned for a moment, then smiled and said to the concubines, "I am also tired today, so everyone should disperse."
The concubines knelt down one after another and left Ganquan Palace together with Yuwen Haoxuan.
The road that was still covered with snow in the morning was now clean. Yuwen Haoxuan walked slowly and leisurely in front. The concubines did not dare to ride on the chariot and walked behind.
When they reached a fork in the road, the concubines' path back to the palace no longer followed the same path as Yu Wen Haoxuan's, so they resigned angrily. They walked down several forks in the road, and the number of concubines following them decreased one by one.
Yun Gong was the furthest away, so she was the only one left in the end.
Fan Tao wisely kept a distance from them. When he was approaching Wanyun Palace, Yu Wen Haoxuan who was walking in front suddenly turned around, took Xi Xian's hand and ran away.
Xi Qian's tedious decorations kept falling off as she ran and jumped. She wanted to stop but couldn't break away from Yu Wen Haoxuan's hand, so Fan Tao had to follow behind to pick them up.
The two of them ran to the door of Wanyun Palace before they stopped. Yuwen Haoxuan looked at the tiara on her head that was almost falling off and said with a smile, "This simple one looks good. From now on, I will wear it every time I see you dressed up."
How about you take a run?”
Xiqian took a few deep breaths and looked at him with a half smile and half annoyance, "I don't want it. You broke all my jewelry. You have to pay it to me."
"Then I'll give you a big reward. There will be a lantern festival held in the capital on the night of the Lantern Festival. Do you want to go and see it?"
"Can I go?" Xi Qian flashed her bright eyes and looked at Yuwen Haoxuan excitedly and expectantly.
Yuwen Haoxuan whispered into her ear with a mysterious smile, "Wait for me outside Zhangqing Gate after dark on the Lantern Festival. Don't bring anyone with you. Someone will take you out of the palace."
"Really?" Xi Qian couldn't help shouting, and Yuwen Haoxuan quickly made a silent gesture, "Don't tell anyone, I have something to do today, so I sent you here."
After saying that, he kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave.
Xiqian couldn't restrain her excitement and ran towards Sumeng Pavilion. Fantao couldn't stop her, so she had no choice but to continue to follow behind and pick up the jewelry she dropped.