The Hidden Beauty

Chapter 36 Frame-up
On the eve of the winter solstice, heavy snow arrived as expected.

Jiang Shiwan was invited by the Queen to attend the Warm and Cold Party in the palace.

The palace maids were sweeping the snow, drinking warm wine and appreciating the plum blossoms, and the room was filled with a poetic atmosphere.

Half a year ago at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, she was the wife of Governor Ru, sitting at the end. Now she is the first official wife sitting next to the palace concubines.

The queen was as amiable as ever: "I heard that the governor's wife suffered a lot when she gave birth to the young prince. In order to let you recover, the governor held a double full moon celebration for the child."

"Yes! Your Majesty, you may not know that all the women in the capital are envious of the governor's wife for having such a husband."

The one who spoke was Madam Wang, the Minister of Revenue. She was usually forthright and spoke with great vigor: "Since you got married and had children, even the governor seems to be much kinder."

"Hahaha……"

All the women in the hall laughed.

Jiang Shiwan also responded with a shy smile: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you ladies."

"No, no, no, the governor has set a good example for all men in the world." Madam Wang gave a thumbs up and whispered in Jiang Shiwan's ear, "If your mother knew that you had such a perfect husband, she would definitely be very pleased."

Hearing her mention her mother, Jiang Shiwan subconsciously asked, "Does Madam Wang know my mother?"

My memory of my mother is a little vague, especially after hearing that she was once...

Every time I think of it my heart aches.

Mrs. Wang blushed after drinking. "Your mother and I were close friends, but... that's all. Let's not talk about it. Niece, I'll toast you a glass."

Jiang Shiwan has been feeding Ah You a lot recently, and her breasts have become a little swollen since she entered the palace. She was a little embarrassed: "Please forgive me, Madam, I feel a little uncomfortable and need to go and clean myself up."

Mrs. Wang naturally understood what she meant and was a little surprised: "You feed the baby yourself?"

Jiang Shiwan said apologetically, "I didn't take good care of him when he was first born. Later, I heard from the doctor that premature babies are weak and it's best for them to drink their mother's milk, so I gave him some."

"All parents in the world are pitiful." Mrs. Wang sighed, "You should go quickly."

The palace maid led Jiang Shiwan to a side hall to change clothes, and someone nearby immediately and quietly retreated.

Jiang Shiwan felt extremely uncomfortable and frowned: "If I had known to bring Ah You here, this would have been very uncomfortable."

Xueying said, "I'm afraid this warm and cold meeting won't end for a while, Madam, why don't you report to the Queen and go back early?"

"No, I left early last time during the Dragon Boat Festival. We can't do this every time..."

The master and his servants were chatting when they heard a commotion outside: "A wild cat frightened the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine ordered us servants to catch the mean cat. It actually ran in this direction."

Song Huaizhi's voice came from outside: "Today is the warm and cold party that the Queen has invited all the ladies. I'm afraid that the Imperial Concubine's making such a fuss will cause some misunderstandings. I will report to the Queen for further discussion."

"Commander Song, you don't have to bring up the Empress. Today I happened to be in the palace to visit the Imperial Concubine, and that vile cat scratched the Imperial Concubine, and I'm afraid it will leave scars. Seeing that vile cat escaped into this palace, why didn't you let the palace servants catch it?"

The one who spoke was Lin Nianshen. He looked at Song Huaizhi with a look of sarcasm: "This is a side hall, and the palace servants didn't make any noise. Why did Commander Song insist on stopping us?"

"Or do you have some unspeakable secret hidden in this side hall?"

After saying that, he tried to force the door open.

"How dare you!" Song Huaizhi frowned, looking stern, "Mr. Lin is no longer an official appointed by the court. It is a taboo for him to enter and leave the harem at will. How can I allow you to act wildly in front of the Queen?"

"It's obvious that you relied on your position as the commander of the personal guards to do something shameful under the nose of the Queen." Lin Nianshen swore, "How dare you say that there is no one else in there?"

The noise startled the people in the main hall. The queen and some of her wives came over and asked, "What happened?" Song Huaizhi clasped his fists and said, "My brother, the noble concubine, insisted on breaking into the side hall. I have tried to dissuade you many times but to no avail."

Lin Nianshen also bowed to the Queen: "Your Majesty, a wild cat scratched the Imperial Concubine today. I chased it all the way here, wanting to catch it, but I saw Commander Song having a secret meeting with someone in a side hall in broad daylight."

When they heard that Song Huaizhi had a secret meeting with someone, the expressions of the people present changed, and then they all turned their eyes to the eldest princess.

Oh my God, he actually did such a thing behind the princess's back?
The eldest princess's face turned pale and blue, and she was about to lose her temper when the queen held her down.

After all, a princess cannot do something beneath her dignity for a man in public.

The Queen said coldly, "How can I allow you to speak nonsense here?"

Song Huaizhi bowed his head and said: "I will obey the orders of Your Majesty and will not slack off in my duties as a personal guard."

Lin Nianshen pressed on: "If you have nothing to hide, you can push the door open and see if there is anyone inside."

Mrs. Wang seemed to realize something and her face turned pale.

The queen glanced at the two of them and ordered, "Someone, open the door."

The palace maid pushed open the door and opened her mouth in surprise.

"Your Excellency..."

Meng Tingzhou looked down at the palace servants, then scanned the people present and fixed his eyes on Lin Nianshen: "I didn't know that Master Lin was so bold as to do whatever he wanted in the palace?"

Lin Nianshen's face turned pale: "You...why are you here?"

He had clearly planned to push the door open and catch Jiang Shiwan in a dishevelled state while changing his clothes.

He couldn't wait to find out what was going on but Meng Tingzhou stopped him with his hand: "How dare you! My wife is feeding the young prince, how can you watch?"

The queen, who had been patient for a long time, finally got angry: "Enough! Come! Take Lin Nianshen into custody and report to His Majesty, and let His Majesty deal with him."

When Lin Nianshen heard that he was being handed over to the emperor for disposal, he struggled hard: "No!"

His expression changed drastically, and he looked at Song Huaizhi: "Great, you guys put on a great show!"

Song Huaizhi's handsome face left no room for doubt: "Mr. Lin, if you have anything to say, you should go to His Majesty and speak."

After arresting the man, the queen secretly glanced at the eldest princess, signaling her to put her mind at ease, and then asked Meng Tingzhou: "I didn't know when the governor's wife brought the young master into the palace."

Meng Tingzhou bowed to the queen and said, "The little prince was born prematurely, and my wife breastfed him herself in the hope that he would be stronger. Today, he cried a lot in the mansion after being weaned from breast milk. I had no choice but to bring the child into the palace. I hope the queen will forgive me."

That's it!

The queen was relieved: "No wonder others say that the governor's heart and eyes are full of his wife and children. Now it seems to be true."

Jiang Shiwan had already finished feeding the baby and walked out holding the child. She looked a little embarrassed and said, "I have been disrespectful. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The queen personally helped her up and looked at the little prince in her arms with joy.

"It's not impolite at all. All the people present are women, and all of them are mothers. They are all considerate of each other. It's me who feels really bad. It's really annoying that Nuanhan almost got misunderstood."

"Is this the little prince? He's so cute. Can I hold him?"

(End of this chapter)