The Virtuous Concubine of the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 22 Phoenix (1)

Hearing the sound, all eyes on the scene focused on Jiaorong.Jiao Rong's eyebrows were already very aggressive, but now they showed a sharp edge, making people unable to help but look at the hat.

"Dog hair?" Yizhu stood behind, also frowned, and said to Bai Lan next to him in a very low voice: "The most taboo thing for us Manchus is eating dog meat and wearing clothes made of dog fur. How could noble Ma give such a gift to the young master?"

Yougui stared at Jiaorong for a few times, and seeing Jiaorong's eyes were very firm, he frowned and looked at Ma Guiren, with a cold voice: "Sister, what do you mean?"

Ma Guiren chuckled, and was not guilty of being exposed by Jiaorong at a glance. Instead, he bit Jiaorong: "My sister is too easy to trust you as a handmaid. She believes it when she says she is a dog hairy sister? We all Can’t tell the difference, don’t the embroidered women of the House of Internal Affairs still can’t tell the difference between sable hair and dog hair? How dare you blatantly slander the emperor’s concubines, sister, this handmaiden is too bold, right?”

Xu Shima nobleman's voice was a little sharp, the emperor put down his wine glass and noticed their situation.The emperor gave Liang Jiugong a wink, and Liang Jiugong understood, and walked slowly towards Eunuch Yuan Sheng who was holding the cotton hat.

"Ma Gui is a Han Chinese, so it's normal not to be able to tell these things apart. I am a Manchu who taboos wearing dog fur clothing. My sister believes that Jiaorong will not lie for no reason. My sister cannot accept this gift." Yougui's position is also very firm. After several months of getting along, she now trusts and relies on Jiao Rong very much.

"Yo, sister, does this mean that I deliberately gave you a dog fur cotton hat? Although I am not a Manchu, I understand the taboos of Manchus. How could I give my sister such an unlucky thing? My sister also Don’t you judge the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain?” Ma Guiren’s belly is already big now, and he leans on the back of the chair to support his belly, posing a high-ranking posture.

Liang Jiugong had finished inspecting the cotton cap and returned to the emperor. He lowered his head and said in a very calm voice, "Your Majesty, the servant is a Han Chinese, and he has never done any needlework. I can't tell whether it is mink hair or dog hair."

The emperor took a few glances at Ma Guiren, then moved his eyes to Jiao Rong, frowned slightly, and ordered: "The people from the House of Internal Affairs are here."

"My younger sister is a Manchu, so I should respect the customs of the ethnic group, so I should be more cautious. If this is really ordinary sable hair, my younger sister will apologize to my older sister." Although Yougui's tone was very cold, he still left some room for himself, after all Ma Guiren has a lot of tricks, and no one would have thought that she would have any intentions behind her.

"If it is verified that it is sable hair, then my sister's maidservant blatantly slandered me in front of the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor at such a family banquet, I will have to answer." Ma Guiren hooked Looking at Jiao Rong from the corner of her eyebrows, her eyes were full of hostility.

Jiaorong turned her head, and met Ma Guiren's gaze, without any timidity.She stared into Ma Guiren's eyes, and said to Yougui: "My lord, this servant is very sure that this hat is made of dog hair."

Yougui took a look at Jiaorong, and couldn't help sighing slightly.Of course she believed in Jiaorong's ability, but she was just worried that Ma Guiren would use some tricks again, if Jiaorong faced it head-on like this, she might stumble.

Not long after, people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrived.The chief manager, Wang Shicheng, was followed by a group of eunuchs from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and beside him was an old woman in a brown robe.After Wang Shicheng bowed to the emperor, he explained: "Your Majesty, the servants are not skilled enough to distinguish the hairs of animals. This is Nanny Qian from the House of Internal Affairs, who manages the embroidery work in the House of Internal Affairs. Show her to the young masters."

The emperor didn't speak, but just gave a silent "hmm".When this happened at the family banquet, he was also a little disappointed. He leaned back and quietly watched the group of people in front of him toss about.

Holding her hand in front of her belly, Nanny Qian slowly walked to Eunuch Yuan Sheng's side.She carefully looked at the cotton hat, reached out and stroked the black-brown fur on the lower fur, and finally walked to the center of the hall, bowed and whispered: "Your Majesty, this cotton hat is made of sable fur."

Hearing the sound, all the concubines in the audience were startled, and they all looked at Jiaorong, not understanding why such an ordinary maid would slander Ma Guiren so openly.Today Zhang Qiujie also followed Concubine Zhao to the family banquet. She was standing very far back, and now she stood up a little bit, looking at Jiao Rong opposite and frowned slightly.

The emperor's hands were crossed together, and his expression was a bit serious when he heard Qian Momo's words. He looked at Jiao Rong, and slightly pursed his lips: "What else do you want to say?"

"Your servant is not lying, this is the fur of a dog." Jiaorong raised her eyes to look at the emperor, her face was firm, with rebellion and unyielding, "When I was young, my servant went out hunting with my father, and once accidentally hunted a wild dog. His fur was made into winter clothes, but he was scolded by his grandfather. It was only then that the servant knew that it was a taboo for the Manchus to use dog fur to make clothing. Therefore, the servant has always been very clear about the dog's hair, and will never be mistaken. recognize."

What Jiao Rong said made everyone present feel a little moved, but Ma Guiren still sneered, she pretended to be wronged and said to the emperor coquettishly: "Your Majesty, giving dog fur clothes to the Manchus is meant to belittle and insult. The concubine had good intentions, but was abused by this lowly servant girl, and let the concubine be judged by others in public at the family banquet, the emperor must decide for the concubine!"

The emperor's brows were frowning, and it was obviously difficult to make a plan. There was no need for Jiaorong to frame Ma Guiren for no reason, not to mention that her words were clear and powerful, and it was not like a lie.But this nobleman has no reason to frame a court lady for no reason, and now that the nuns of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have given proof, he can't say without evidence that these nuns were bribed.

The empress dowager looked at the emperor from the side, and seemed to have noticed something wrong with his expression, but she didn't say anything.Behind the empress dowager stood a very old nanny, who was a dowry maid who came from Mongolia with the empress dowager, named Lagu Suma.She had taught the emperor when he was a child, and she was the old nanny who should be respected by all the masters and slaves in the palace.

La Aunt Su Ma stared at the cotton hat below for a long time, then bent down to the Empress Dowager's ear, and said softly, "Master, that hat is really not right."

Aunt Su Ma is the most experienced nanny in the harem, and she is also the most fair in dealing with things. After hearing this, the Empress Dowager also glanced at the hat, and said softly, "Go and see."

"Yes." Aunt Su Ma replied, bowing and walking around from behind her seat.

(End of this chapter)