Ma'am, she only wants to be promoted

Chapter 48
The empress dowager is only 50 years old this year. Since the emperor came to the throne, she has handed over all the affairs of the harem to the queen. She doesn't worry much about it, so she looks very young.

After the queen brought all the concubines into the Shou'an Palace, she first saluted and kowtowed, and then the queen took the lead to present the birthday gift.

The birthday gift prepared by the queen for the queen mother is a ten-thousand-year Changchun screen and a pair of Fu Lu Shou jade vases. The screen is very delicate with double-sided embroidery, and the jade vases are also rare treasures.

After seeing the queen's birthday gift, the queen mother smiled and nodded at the queen, "The queen has a heart, and the Ai family likes it very much."

The queen smiled and said, "It's as long as the queen mother likes it."

After that, it was the imperial concubine, who prepared a picture of flat peaches presenting a birthday and a pair of ten thousand year wishful jade cups, which also won the favor of the empress dowager.

Then came Concubine Jing, Concubine Hui, Concubine An... Cui Jieyu, the birthday presents that everyone gave were all very precious and pleasing things, but none of them were very new.

Until it was Weng Jieyu's turn, Weng Jieyu sent a birthday picture made by herself with hundreds of flowers. The whole big birthday character was composed of peonies, orchids, chrysanthemums and other flowers. It looked like a word from a distance, but it looked like a flower when seen up close.

The queen mother liked it very much after reading it, and praised Weng Jieyu: "Whether it is calligraphy or painting, they are all very brilliant, Weng Jieyu put her heart into it."

Weng Jieyu still had a calm expression on her face, and said: "It is the blessing of this painting to be liked by the empress dowager."

After Weng Jieyu delivered it, it was time for Zheng Meiren. As soon as Zheng Meiren's birthday gift was brought up, it attracted the attention of everyone present. What Zheng Meiren prepared was a bottle of white jade Guanyin more than one foot high. The white jade Guanyin had a compassionate and kind face. At first glance, there is a three-point resemblance to the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother looked at the Jade Guanyin in front of her, smiled, and said to Zheng Meiren: "Such a bottle of white jade Guanyin has put a lot of effort into Zheng Meiren's work, right?"

If you want to find such a large piece of jade with such a good quality, it may be difficult to find it without a lot of effort, let alone a vivid carver.

Zheng Meiren smiled softly, and said: "The concubine dare not lie to the empress dowager, this bottle of white jade Guanyin looks like the concubine did not spend much effort, the jade was originally from the concubine's family, the carver was found by the concubine's father, the supervisor The one responsible for the delivery is Brother Chenqie, and Chenqie is only responsible for presenting her to the Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager nodded and said with a laugh: "In that case, the Zheng family will be credited with this credit."

Zheng Meiren laughed and said: "To be liked by the Empress Dowager, the concubine and the concubine's family will be very happy, and I dare not talk about any credit."

The queen mother smiled lightly, "Why are you afraid? Your father and brother's wishes have been received by Aijia, and Aijia will send a reward to your father and brother when you turn around."

Concubine Jing smiled and said, "Empress Dowager, Zheng Meiren's family is a merchant, if you want to reward them, why don't you give them a plaque, their father and brother will be happy."

The Empress Dowager glanced at Concubine Jing, shook her head with a smile and reprimanded lightly: "Nonsense, is the Ai family such a stingy person? They gave the Ai family such a bottle of white jade Guanyin, and the Ai family gave him a plaque. Is it reasonable? ?”

Seeing this, Concubine Jing stopped mentioning the matter of the plaque, and only jokingly said: "Isn't this concubine thinking of saving some money for the empress dowager?"

The Empress Dowager laughed and said, "Isn't Concubine Jing afraid that Ai's family will give away all of Ai's family wealth to others, and you will be short of rewards in the future?"

Concubine Jing's eyes widened, she looked surprised, and said, "Empress Dowager, how do you know that this concubine is worried about this?"

The Empress Dowager pointed at Concubine Jing and smiled, "Look, look, the Ai family said that our Concubine Jing was afraid that the Ai family would lose her reward, right?"

Seeing that the queen mother was happy, the queen and the noble concubine also followed suit, saying: "Who told the queen mother that you are rich and generous, not to mention respecting the concubine, even we are thinking about it."

The Empress Dowager pointed at the empress and the others with her finger, and said with a smile: "Everyone, you are really not at a disadvantage. I just gave a gift to Ai's family today, and I am thinking about how to get it back."

"Who told us all to be poor, but we live by the rewards from the Empress Dowager, can we not worry about it?" Concubine Hui said.

The Empress Dowager shook her head, and said to Concubine Ming who was beside her, "Listen, you and Ai's family are weeping poorly. Do you think it's still too late for Ai's family to return their birthday presents to them?"

Concubine Ming said with a smile: "The empress dowager asked if they agree or not."

Concubine Hui quickly said: "That must not be agreed, my concubine is not stupid."

"It's you who is the best, and you're still stupid." The Queen Mother smiled and said to Concubine Hui, and then said to the rest of the people: "Don't worry, as long as you serve the emperor well one by one, you will spread your branches and leaves for the emperor as soon as possible, and mourn the family. In the future, your rewards will be indispensable."

The crowd hurriedly responded: "Follow the teachings of the Empress Dowager, and the concubines will serve the emperor wholeheartedly."

The Queen Mother nodded in satisfaction.

However, with Zheng Meiren's white jade Guanyin statue, the birthday gifts prepared by the people behind seemed insignificant. It was better that Lu Wanning prepared hand-embroidered Buddhist scriptures. The congratulatory gifts prepared for expensive things are a bit uninteresting.

After presenting the birthday gift, the empress dowager still has to accept the visits from the royal family and the imperial wives to celebrate her birthday, and the empress took all the concubines to leave the Shouan Palace.

In the afternoon, everyone will go to Cheng'an Palace to attend the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. At that time, the Empress Dowager will accept the visits and birthday celebrations from the emperor, the prince, the princess, courtiers and others.

As soon as she left Shou'an Palace and waited for the beauties around her, Qing Dai said happily: "Fortunately, the birthday gift prepared by the master for the empress dowager is a Buddhist scripture embroidered by hand, otherwise the master presents the birthday gift behind Zheng Meiren, I'm afraid it will be worse than Qu Cairen and the others. It's getting lighter."

Qingzhi also nodded and said: "Indeed."

Lu Wanning smiled and said, "Beauty Zheng's purpose is different from ours, so the birthday gift I prepared must of course stand out."

It's a pity that even though the birthday gift that Zheng Meiren prepared this time overwhelmed everyone, the goal she wanted to achieve seemed to have not been achieved.

Thinking about it, Lu Wanning felt that it could not be said that it had not been achieved. Although the Empress Dowager did not agree to give the Zheng family a plaque, as long as the Zheng family received the reward from the Empress Dowager, it would naturally be different in the eyes of others, and the emperor might It will also be based on the Zheng family's dedication to the Queen Mother's birthday gift and Zheng Meiren's face, so they will directly seal the Zheng family as an imperial merchant.

However, whether the Zheng family is an imperial merchant or not has nothing to do with her. What makes her more curious is why does Concubine Jing help Zheng Meiren to talk to the Zheng family?

Could it be that Zheng Meiren and the Zheng family took refuge in Concubine Jing?
Concubine Jing doesn't have a prince under her name now, is this necessary?

(End of this chapter)