The queen is charming, but powerful ministers lure her to seize power and usurp the throne

Chapter 21 The Art of the Emperor 2
"Your Majesty said that there will be a flower-viewing banquet, and my sister remembered that there was a pot of peonies in the palace." She smiled. It was rare for Zhe Sang to see her smile so brightly. When a noble person smiles, he just pulls the corners of his mouth.

The flattering smile on Concubine Shu's face was really a bit inconsistent.

"Why are there still peonies blooming at this time?"

The palace servant behind Concubine Shu carefully held a pot of peonies, a pot of yellow peonies, with slender and strong branches. There were not many branches on the plant, and there were many flowers in bloom. Each one bloomed in full bloom without any trace of decadence. She was in high spirits. The good ones seem to last indefinitely.

Most peonies bloom in early April, and the longest flowering period is only about half a month. Now at the end of May, even a few of them are about to wither in the wind.

"It seems that my younger sister doesn't know how to raise flowers. This top Yao Huang Shengsheng delayed the flowering period. I hurriedly and slowly finally managed to bloom a few flowers, and I can barely take a look." Although Concubine Shu said this, her expression was obvious. It's a bit proud.

This flower is dazzling and graceful.It's obvious that a lot of effort has been put into taking care of it, and even during the peony season, it won't be gloomy.

Su Zhesang reached out and touched it, and found it pleasing to the eye.

"You must have put a lot of thought into driving it so well. How can I win love so easily?"

Concubine Shu smiled, took Su Zhesang's hand, and said affectionately, "It's the mother-in-law's good fortune that the national beauty of the peony can be kept here. It can also be used for the flower-viewing banquet tomorrow. Don't dislike it, my queen."

Concubine Shu has a beautiful appearance. If you ignore the twists and turns when she smiles, her eyebrows are curved like crescent moons. She is much prettier than her cold and aloof look.

"My sister is thoughtful and I appreciate it. Why don't you lend it to me for a few days and then return it to you after the flower viewing banquet. The flowers are so delicate that I'm afraid they will be wasted in my hands."

There was a reason for Zhe Sang's repeated refusal.

Before Su Qiong'an entered the palace, the most popular concubine in the harem was Concubine Shu.Xibohou Mansion and General Changning's Mansion have been intertwined for generations. General Changning is Fu Rong's maternal uncle. Fu Rong had contacts with Xibohou Mansion when he was still the seventh prince.Even though General Changning was later exterminated for assassinating the prince and Fu Rong came back, the Xibo Houfu still chose to help Fu Rong without hesitation.

Fu Rong ascended the throne and made Feng Jinniang, the youngest daughter of Xibohou, a concubine, second only to the queen in the harem.Fu Rong was also very interested in her. He went to her Ziyun Palace more times in a month than to Yong'an Palace.

Fu Rong's explanation for this was that he was afraid that Concubine Shu would not be used to it when she first entered the palace, so she had to take more care of her.Su Zhesang thought that Xibohou had made great contributions, and it was normal for the emperor to express his views.

Well, in those days, Su Zhesang's heart was not as peaceful as it seemed.She is the queen and Fu Rong is the emperor. What can she do except relax and be considerate?

There were obvious traces of Fu Rong's betrayal early in the morning. It was not that she was unaware of it, but she just ignored it deliberately and gave Fu Rong a chance. Unfortunately, Fu Rong didn't care.

Concubine Shu was the apple of her parents' eye at home. After entering the palace, she was born the most noble in the harem. Under the emperor's deliberate care and favor, she was sought after by the palace people.She never paid attention to the concubines in the harem. Even the queen was very worried before she entered the palace. But after a while, she found that the emperor was not as affectionate towards the queen as rumored, and the queen was not as special as rumored. , so it’s not too eye-catching.

That's not to say that he was contemptuous, but simply didn't take it to heart.This indifference is naturally reflected in actions.

For example, please bow slowly and perfunctorily, or respond with a cold face.

If you don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything, you can grow peonies very well, but the meaning behind them is unclear, and Su Zhemulberry will not be harvested.

"It's just something to pass time, how can you say it's a waste?" After being rejected, the smile on Shu Fei's face became stiffer.

"As long as your Majesty doesn't mind, there are many flowers in Ziyun Palace. My sister has long wanted to use them for her entertainment, but she's just afraid of disturbing her."

Seeing that the queen looked normal, Concubine Shu added in a low voice, "If your Majesty doesn't mind, my sister will come here often to chat."

The queen smiled slightly and said, "How could you dislike it? It's boring for me to be alone."

Concubine Shu's smile suddenly became more natural, "Yao Huang has a delicate temperament. He can't be too hot or too cold, and he can't be too humid. He needs to be ventilated. Is it okay for you to put it here?" There is a sky blue Ru kiln vase with a few early-blooming peonies.

Su Zhesang curled her lips slightly, "I was originally wondering how you could grow such beautiful flowers. It turns out that you are so careful. It's not surprising." The palace attendant carefully took the plate of peonies and arranged peonies for flowers. It became the beautiful Yao Huang Peony.

Concubine Shu looked at the pot of peonies with some reluctance.

The emperor had not been to Ziyun Palace for a month and a half. 45 days was the first time she counted the days like this and felt extremely long.

In such long days, you can watch flowers bloom and fade, and you can also forget someone.Concubine Shu realized for the first time that she was in the harem, a place where countless concubines were waiting for the emperor's favor.

As soon as Concubine Shu left, Lu Yi asked someone to remove the peonies, but the queen stopped her.

"In the past, her eyes would squint upwards when she came here. Now she is so kind-hearted. I don't know why.
What's on your mind. Lu Yi was dissatisfied and started to compete with the potted flower.

"You look like you're on guard against thieves. It's just a pot of flowers and you can shoot arrows to assassinate them. Why should people's rights and wrongs be related to flowers." Zhe Sang said with some humor as she plucked the bright peonies.

Seeing that she insisted on keeping it, Lu Yi had no choice but to give it up. He planned to change it after two days when the queen didn't notice.

She just doesn't like things from other palaces.The peonies are so beautiful. She went to the Royal Garden to pick them herself early in the morning.

Around dusk, the emperor, who had been idle for several days, came again.

As soon as the emperor entered the door, his eyes fell on the pot of peonies.

"Who would have known that in the evening of March in Luoyang, Yao Huang would be sold for a thousand gold. Where did the queen get this treasure?" The emperor was very interested.

Lu Yi couldn't hold it back and his face became disgusting.She said that Concubine Shu sent flowers to Yong'an Palace for no reason, but she was waiting here.

The queen hesitated slightly and said vaguely, "It was sent by someone else."

"Who gave it to me? It's such a good thing, so I'm willing to give it to you." The emperor asked.

The queen replied in a muffled voice, "Concubine Shu."

"She is used to taking care of this." The emperor was not surprised by this answer. Looking at Peony in front of him, he seemed to think of something and said curiously, "She is quite generous to the queen."

"Your Majesty, you have a sharp eye." The queen tasted the food and felt a little displeased.

"Concubine Shu's things are all extremely elegant. She takes care of these flowers and plants with her own hands and cherishes them as much as her life. If you are not a person who can truly judge, she will not even look at them. It is true that I can give you a pot of treasures. Not easy." The emperor smiled.

Su Zhesang really didn't have any special research on these things. Apart from a good look at them, he couldn't make any evaluation.But the emperor said this openly. He probably felt in his heart that he, a common man, was not worthy of destroying this pot of flowers.

Isn't it another kind of waste to hide your crooked thoughts behind flowers?

　Although there is no one, the momentum cannot be lost.

　　I will rush and work hard to see if I can add more updates tomorrow.

　　If there is really a treasure you are watching, then I will shamelessly ask for a comment.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)