Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 217
Kunning Palace,
One of the stewardesses, Shi Xia Yu, led the court lady and took out a sandalwood box from a storeroom in the back room. When he opened the box, it turned out to be the best Shu brocade embroidered phoenix crown and Xiapei inside.

Obviously, it was embroidered by skilled craftsmen with fine stitches and threads, so beautiful.

Even the bride's wedding dress is ready.

Seeing that Wang Shihan was also flattered for Qin Keqing, such a reward was beyond the standard, so there must be something to discuss, and I don't know what kind of medicine the queen and queen mother sold in the gourd.

Qin Keqing had never seen this before, so she had to bow obediently,
"Thank you, Madam, for your gift."

"Get up, come, sit beside Aijia."

The queen mother was not willing to let her kneel down to the queen, she directly grabbed Qin Keqing's hand, pulled her to sit beside her, then pointed to the fruit cakes on the table, and said;

"Girl, try the cakes and fruits in the palace, try it."

Qin Keqing picked up an osmanthus cake, carefully put it in her mouth, took a bite, and the sweet osmanthus fragrance with a soft and sweet fragrance lingered in her mouth.

good to eat.

The queen mother asked Qin Keqing after eating one;
"Girl, how are you?"

"Back to the Queen Mother, it's delicious. My daughter has never eaten such a delicious pastry."

Qin Keqing also praised in a low voice, who knows that the queen mother's tears almost flowed down again, how much suffering she has suffered.

After calming down, he said to the female Shi Chunhe behind him;
"Chunhe, go to the imperial dining room to see how many pastries are left, and take some more food boxes with you, and bring them back to the county master Qin to eat. Remember it?"

"Go back to the Queen Mother, Chunhe will remember."

Seeing that the queen mother cared so much about Qin Keqing, Wang Shihan felt a little confused, but the queen just smiled at the side, vaguely feeling something was wrong.

The queen mother also knew that she might have gone too far, so she had to let go of Qin Keqing's hand, then turned her head to look at the queen, and nodded.

Seeing this, the empress knew that she was thinking too much. It was obvious that the empress mother was helping her so much, and it was all for Madam Wang to see. She couldn't live up to the empress dowager's kindness, so she asked Wang;
"Mrs. Wang, since the last farewell, I haven't seen you for some time. Your kid has made a lot of trouble in the capital. I have heard about it in the harem."

"Thank you for your concern, empress. Jinyu is messing around a bit, but it's not because the emperor and empress love him, so it's just a little trouble."

Wang Shihan also reacted quickly, and accompanied her with kind words.

The queen also used this topic to continue talking,
"Yeah, it's better to be more noisy. The three princes in this palace are younger, and they are even more noisy."

Hearing this, Wang Shihan gradually realized that the empress wanted to win allies and pave the way for the prince, and her heart was tense. Since ancient times, the matter of seizing the heirloom is very dangerous, so she can't stand in line easily.

It's just that the three princes are all descended from the empress, so which one is decided to be the prince?Or the queen has already decided on a candidate.

Wang Shihan also responded cautiously;

"Your Majesty is also a blessing. The three princes are among the dragons and phoenixes among men. They have been smart and generous since they were young. They are not like Jin Yu. They eat everything they want."

Seeing that Wang's speech was impeccable, the queen also sighed, it really is not easy for such a woman to be in charge of the house outside the customs alone, so she directly showed her cards, and said tentatively;

"Mrs. Wang is right, but she needs someone to support her if she is smart, and the safflower needs green leaves to match it. If the bare flowers are there, it will be extremely ugly."

Wang Shihan was a little embarrassed by the queen's explicit words, but such a scene was like forcing the palace, and he couldn't help but ask, to see what he thought;

"My lady said that although a hundred flowers bloom together, there are only so many green leaves. How can there be so many flowers? Instead of competing for beauty, it is better to be lonely and admire yourself."

Wang Shihan also shot back directly, meaning to ask, there is only one emperor, only one prince, and the queen has three princes, which one do you support.

Empress Jiang Yuqing immediately had a smile on her face. Knowing that the matter had initially made progress, it was considered appropriate, and she was not in a hurry, so she let Mrs. Wang have tea and said;
"Come, try the cloud and mist tea from Jiangnan."

Mrs. Wang also slowed down a bit, picked up the tea bowl beside her and took a sip, not to mention other food for use in the palace, not to mention enjoyment, it is rare that they are all supplied.

Seeing this, the queen said more cordially;
"That's natural, it's just that the flowers haven't grown well yet, and the king of flowers will come out by then, and the green leaves will be important at that time."

"Your Majesty, don't worry, if there are flowers, there will naturally be green leaves to match. Your Majesty can just choose."

The two of them were playing tricks, as if they were talking riddles, almost talking nakedly.

After everything is in place, it feels almost done,
the queen said;
"The marriage of Marquis Luo Yun is scheduled on the [-]th, and then the Ministry of Internal Affairs will help to undertake it. Naturally, I know that this matter is urgent, but I also have difficulties."

Mrs. Wang naturally understands that something must happen, but it's hard to say where. Of course, since this is the case, it is better to talk about the marriage sooner rather than later.

It's not good for anyone to save the house from being disturbed because of a woman's affairs, and besides, girl Qin's appearance is indeed a bit of a disaster for the country and the people, so it's better to watch by her side, so as to save nights and dreams.

"Since the empress has said so, the lifewife naturally agrees, so I will trouble the empress to worry about this matter."

"So good."

After bringing the empress to finish speaking, the empress dowager wanted to say something, but she also knew that the occasion was not right and the timing was not ripe. If something went wrong, it would harm her granddaughter, so she had to swallow the words again.

After sitting for a while, Mrs. Wang felt that it was almost time and got up to leave. Qin Keqing naturally said goodbye with Wang. The queen looked at the sky and didn't want to keep her.

After the two parties said goodbye, the Wang family left the palace. Before leaving, the queen Jiang Yuqing walked up to the Wang family and whispered a word, Jiangnan Jinling.

Then let Chunhe send Wang's party out of Kunning Palace.

The Queen Mother couldn't sit still after seeing Qin Keqing's departure. The matter still needs to be verified, so she went back to the Palace of Compassion and Peace.

Then let his confidant Wang Momo go to the back hall to find eunuch Zhou to come this time.

Mammy was also unambiguous, and left from the dark hall after receiving the order.

When Wang Momo came to the back hall of the harem, an inconspicuous courtyard, she pushed the door open and entered, then closed the courtyard door tightly, and went directly into the main house. When she saw the eunuch Zhou drinking tea there, there was no nonsense.

"Steward Zhou, the old master summoned me."

Eunuch Zhou put down the tea bowl in a gentle manner, picked up the brocade cloth and wiped the corners of his mouth, saying;

"Well, it's been so many years, and I only think of the old slave now, but what happened?"

"I don't know, pack up and go now."

Nanny Wang kept her mouth shut and stood there waiting.

Eunuch Zhou could only sigh, got up and changed into official uniforms, and followed Nanny Wang out. The two of them were also very cautious, walking sideways, avoiding the sight of the crowd.

Entered the main hall through the secret door of the Compassionate Ning Palace.

Come into the hall,
The empress dowager was already sitting there waiting anxiously, and the eunuch Zhou came here and knelt down;

"The old slave saw the master, how is the master all these years?"

After saying this, eunuch Zhou actually shed tears, Empress Dowager Lu also had red eye circles, and choked up;
"Get up, you've been like a walking dead for so many years, I wanted to leave like this, but God has treated Ai's family well, and things have turned around."

Eunuch Zhou wiped away his tears, his eyes flashed, and said;
"Master, do you have the whereabouts of the little master?"

Empress Dowager Lu shook her head and asked instead;
"What's the matter with that old fox, Old Concubine Zhen?"

"Returning to the master, the slave has been with the old concubine for many years, but she just found out that she secretly communicated with the Zhen family and the king of Beijing quite frequently. As for the others, she didn't care. She was also looking for the prince's whereabouts at the earliest time. , It’s just that it’s futile and costly to spend more than ten years, so it stopped five years ago.”

Standing there, eunuch Zhou thought carefully about the old concubine's secret movements, and could only say that the Zhen family was as stable as Mount Tai with her around.

"Master, but what have you found? The old slave is in and outside the palace. And he is hiding beside the concubine. After many years, he has not found any clues about the little master. This situation may be the worst or the best."

Empress Dowager Lu understood what Eunuch Zhou meant. Her son either went directly, or was still alive incognito. No matter what the situation was, he would never be found.

"The Ai family knows that it's better not to know than to see it. It's better to be alive, and it's a relief not to live. I have something for you to check today. This woman's life experience, I feel it when I see her today." It is unusual and so similar that it was carved by a mozi."

Eunuch Zhou immediately realized that the former prince was an orphan.

"Master, but the blood of the little master. Which family is it?"

Empress Dowager Lu endured her lovesickness and said;
"Luo Yunhou's fiancée, Qin Keqing, the just-appointed head of Chang'an County,"

Eunuch Zhou actually knew about this woman. After all, she and Luo Yunhou had a lot of trouble together.

"Master, this servant knows that the daughter of Qin Ye, former head of the Food and Beverage Department of the Ministry of Industry, is dark under the lamp."

"Yes, that's her. How long will it take."

Empress Dowager Lu was still a little anxious.

"Return to the master, you will know in three days."

"Okay, Ai's family is waiting, let's do it quickly."

"The slave takes orders."

Eunuch Zhou was also a little excited, and finally got news of his young master, so he got up and left immediately.

Then he left the Compassionate Ning Palace and went straight to the Imperial City Division from the apse, and then sent his confidant godson and others to watch over the other stewards,

I went to the archives warehouse of the Ouchi Imperial City Division to check Qin Ye's resume and the special events that happened at that time.

Looking at the rows of filings, Eunuch Zhou skillfully took out many files and checked them, especially when Qin Ye was in the Imperial Academy.

He quickly noticed the difference. Qin Ye, who came out of the Hanlin Academy, actually chose the Ministry of Industry when he was choosing a department hall, and he still had money to buy a house in the capital. Although the house in the capital was cheap at that time, it was not Qin Ye. This kind of people who have just entered the capital can afford it.

Furthermore, why did Qin Ye choose the Qingshui yamen of the Ministry of Industry? His grades are more than enough to go to the Ministry of Household Affairs.

(End of this chapter)