royal princess

Chapter 258
When the queen mother walked out of the small Buddhist hall, Qiao Lingyi rushed up to greet her, smiled and called, "Auntie."

Seeing that she had lost a lot of weight, the Queen Mother felt less anger in her heart, and said calmly, "Why are you here at this time? Sit down."

Qiao Lingyi first stepped forward to help the queen mother to sit down, and then went back to sit down herself. Seeing the queen mother pursed her lips, she said, "I'm here to ask my aunt to give me some advice. You have to help me this time."

When Aunt Shi served tea, she backed out, sent out all the servants in the hall, and closed the door behind her.

There were only two aunts and nephews left in the room, and the queen mother did not continue to put on airs, "Now you understand?"

Qiao Lingyi nodded, with a wry smile on his face, "It was I who failed my aunt's good intentions, and always thought that I was right, but I forgot that the old man's heart is changeable, and the emperor is no longer the cousin he used to be. "

"It's not too late to understand now." The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea, moistened her throat, and then continued: "Now that you have figured it out, what are you doing here again? Concubine Xian is going to celebrate her birthday, and the Empress will make a big deal for her. You are not well prepared to go."

"I just encountered something and I couldn't figure it out for a while, so I came to ask my aunt for advice." Qiao Lingyi regained her previous charm, grabbed the Queen Mother's sleeve and swayed it gently.

The Queen Mother sighed, "Speak."

Qiao Lingyi recounted the matter, then looked at the queen mother and said, "I don't quite understand what Su Rui wants to go to Chu Chenglan at this time? Speaking of which, these two people don't have much intersection, now Chu Chenglan With Cheng Lan at this level, there is no value for her to use, and this Su Rui's behavior is also a bit weird."

The queen mother thought for a while, and then looked at Qiao Lingyi, "Yi Ai's family sees that Su Rui is more open than you think."

"Auntie, don't go around in circles." Qiao Lingyi said quickly.

"I'm afraid that these two people made some kind of deal in private. Chu Chenglan has fallen into this situation. There are only two people who hate him. One is you and the other is the queen."

Qiao Lingyi smiled and nodded slightly.

"She is already a useless person, and if she wants revenge, she can only entrust it to others. Su Rui bumped into it by herself, and the two hit it off immediately, so there is no surprise."

"But, even if Su Rui joins forces with Chu Chenglan, what can the two of them do?"

The queen mother squinted her eyes halfway, and did not speak for a long time.Qiao Lingyi waited quietly without disturbing her thoughts, thinking about it herself.

"Compared with the queen, which one do you think Chu Chenglan hates more?"

Qiao Lingyi was stunned, looking at the queen mother speechless for a moment.

"Ai Jia thinks, then Chu Chenglan will definitely hate the queen even more. After all, the person who made her paralyzed on the bed was done by her, a good sister, and yours is nothing more than an introduction." The queen mother paused here. , "Although I still can't figure out what agreement these two people have reached, do you think these two people can cooperate without any obstacles?"

Qiao Lingyi was taken aback, then glanced at the Queen Mother, "Auntie, what do you mean, can you take advantage of this opportunity?"

The queen mother smiled meaningfully, "Su Rui must be the one who has the upper hand when these two cooperate. Chu Chenglan may not be willing to be overwhelmed by her. But now she has no one who can cooperate, so she can only settle for grievances. But what if there is another person who can cooperate?"

Qiao Lingyi understood, her expression moved slightly, she hesitated and said, "But she may not be willing to join hands with me."

"That means your conditions are not generous enough to make her fall in love."

Qiao Lingyi lowered his head halfway, thinking carefully, his heart pounding.She really hadn't thought about it that way, and she didn't expect things to be resolved like this.Auntie was right. Although Chu Chenglan resented herself, she was not the one who did the cruel thing in the end.There may not be no possibility of cooperation between them. She can't figure out Su Rui now. She can only take the initiative by breaking the cooperation between them as soon as possible.

Chu Chenglan's greatest wish is to avenge herself. Can Su Rui have the ability to do it for her now?It was nothing more than drawing a pie on paper for her to look at, to look at every day, to have hope.

"Where is the noble concubine?" Qiao Lingyi looked at the queen mother and asked. The noble concubine and the queen mother have always helped each other, and she couldn't figure out how deep it was.

"The noble concubine is just whoever is beneficial and whoever depends on it. Su Rui has been secretly supporting her now. What's more, the noble concubine may not like Su Rui. It is very likely that Cao Guogong needs Quzhou Su's help. This is the exchange of terms between the two sides. The noble concubine supports her." Su Rui, outside Quzhou Su and Cao Guogong are each other's arms, after all, it's just a word of benefit." The queen mother sneered, "Now that Cao Guogong looks down on our Qiao family, naturally the imperial concubine will not rush to chase me This old woman."

Qiao Lingyi's expression froze, and his heart gradually sank.The Qiao family has been unable to return to Beijing, unable to restore the grand occasion of the past, and her life in the palace with her aunt will not be easy.Just seeing that the noble concubine can smile at Su Rui, but turn a blind eye to her, one can tell a thing or two.After all, what these people value more is their family background.

"I understand." At this moment, Qiao Lingyi felt a tingling feeling deep in his heart. For the first time, he felt that the family's weakness was nothing more than a leaf of duckweed in this harem.Fortunately, my aunt is the queen mother, so she can hold on like this, otherwise Peng Mingwei's fate may be her example.

What childhood sweetheart?
What love for children?
Qiao Lingyi completely extinguished her heart. Auntie was right, the family is eternal, and everything else is false.

Noble concubine, virtuous concubine, etc., even if there is no holy favor, but their family is still there, their status in this palace will not change.But as for her, even though she had the name of her childhood sweetheart, she was only granted a fifth rank in the end. All she wanted was to get along well with her cousin, but he only had Concubine Xi in his eyes.

Can't help but think of that time again, when Xiao Qi chased after Concubine Xi's leaving back, Qiao Lingyi raised his head again, the tenderness and expectation when he first entered the palace were no longer in his eyes.

"Then shall I go talk to Chu Chenglan first?"

The queen mother glanced at Qiao Lingyi, "You will get nothing if you go now."

"Then...then what should I do?" Qiao Lingyi was stunned and couldn't figure it out for a moment.

"Think about it, the people Chu Chenglan hates the most are you and the queen. Su Rui must not be able to touch the queen now, so she can only start with you, so that Chu Chenglan can see her sincerity. So, you just need to let Su Rui The failure of Rui's plan made Chu Chenglan disappointed in Su Rui, and then she would know who is the one who can cooperate." The Queen Mother had to give her advice bit by bit. Once you make a move, others will be convinced.

Qiao Lingyi was thoughtful, then stood up, "Thank you, aunt, for your guidance, I know what to do."

The queen mother nodded, "Remember one sentence, no matter when, don't get blood on your hands, there are so many people in the harem, there is always a knife you can borrow."

"Yes."

Qiao Lingyi walked out of the gate of Shoukang Palace, her heart was beating fast and fast, and the steps under her feet also became hurried.

Auntie was right.

She was too stupid before, but now thinking about it, she just feels too naive.

From now on, it will never be the same again.

Concubine Xian's birthday is coming up soon, Xingqing Palace got ready early in the morning, everyone inside and outside the palace had big smiles on their faces, sprinkled water and swept the floor, cleaning it clean.

Concubine Xian, dressed in fine attire, personally welcomed Concubine Mei and Concubine Yugui who arrived first, and invited them to sit down with a smile, "I guess you must have thought that when there are more people, you will Help me greet people."

"This is natural. Even if Sister Xianfei doesn't order, we will do it." Concubine Mei smiled straight while pinching her handkerchief, her beautiful face was still in full bloom, and the blue palace dress would not steal away the birthday star at all. The limelight, everything is so reasonable.

Concubine Xian thanked her, but today her face was radiant and she said: "At first I wanted to eat a bowl of birthday noodles, but the empress refused, but you are tired and you have to suffer for me."

"We are happy to come here to eat and drink on such a good day." Concubine Mei replied with a smile, and took out her birthday gift and handed it over. "It's not a precious item, but the meaning is good."

Concubine Xian thanked a slap-sized jade-carved birthday boy with a smile, and asked people to put it away.

Concubine Yugui also handed over her own gift, Concubine Xian didn't open it face to face, but also thanked her, at this time more and more people came one after another, and Concubine Xian took them out to greet her.

Xingqing Palace is busy, and Si Jin is also dressing up in Yihexuan, she doesn't plan to go there early, she only counts the time when Xiao Qi is going to go, and it is enough to meet him "just in time".

The stomach is not very obvious, but she still wears a loose chest-length skirt, with stone blue brocade patterns all over the cuffs and neckline, and a three-inch wide brocade edge rolled around the neckline, which makes her face look like white jade and creamy skin.A head of jet-black long hair was tied into a white bun, and a three-winged phoenix hairpin inlaid with red gold and silk was inserted, and a ruby ​​the size of a thumb was held in the mouth of the phoenix, shining brightly.With bright moon pendants on the earlobes, jasper bracelets on the wrists, brightly colored nails newly dyed, and a second-color shawl on the arms, the whole person stands there, like a nine-day fairy coming down to earth.

"The empress is really beautiful." Yun Shang looked at it carefully and said with a smile, "When it comes to Xingqing Palace, the empress must be the first one."

Si Jin looked at herself in the mirror, everyone has a love for beauty, since she is a favorite concubine, she must look like a favorite concubine, and she must not disappoint the onlookers.She is not here to disturb the situation today, but to... declare her sovereignty.

The man who wants to snatch her, just let him come.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Guan has sent word that the Emperor will go to Xingqing Palace in half an hour." Hua Rong came in and replied with a smile.

Si Jin looked at the time, and it happened to be in time for dinner. This person knew how to choose the time, so she nodded slightly, "We will also pass by that time, and just order to get ready."

"Yes." Hua Rong hurried out again, asking Chen De'an to lead the people to get ready first.

The eldest prince rubbed his eyes and trotted in all the way. Now that he knew he couldn't touch the concubine's belly, he carefully avoided it and climbed onto the couch by himself.He half-closed his eyes and hadn't woken up yet, so he climbed up and fell down there with his little belly outstretched and continued to sleep.

Seeing her son like this, Si Jin laughed, "What time did you sleep last night, and why are you so sleepy?"

"Returning to Madam, the eldest prince didn't sleep late last night, but he got up early this morning and ran all morning, so he is sleepy and tired." The nanny replied quickly, not daring to be careless at all.

Si Jin nodded, not embarrassing anyone, just said with a smile: "I know, let him sleep here, and you go down to rest too."

The nanny knew that not everyone could stay in this room, so she hurriedly bowed and retreated.

Seeing her son half-closed his eyes, looking like he was sleeping but not sleeping, Si Jin said, "Sleep if you want to sleep, don't hold on."

The little guy immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Cover him with a quilt, and the time is up after such a delay, Si Jin looked at Aunt Jiang and said, "You stay and take care of the eldest prince, I will take Yunshang and the others there."

Aunt Jiang glanced at the master with some hesitation, but nodded in agreement, then turned her head and told Yun Shang to be careful and not to leave her mother for half a step.

Yun Chang kept nodding, and Si Jin smiled as she watched.

Aunt Jiang stayed behind, and Si Jin brought Yunshang and Chen De'an out of Yihexuan.There was already a soft sedan waiting outside, but Si Jin didn't intend to sit in it, so she just let someone carry her and followed her, walking towards Xingqing Palace step by step.

In Xingqing Palace, everyone in the harem was basically present.The empress sat at the top, the virtuous concubine sat next to her, the noble concubine sat on the other side, and all the people below sat down in order.Seeing Su Rui, who hadn't been out for a long time, coming, everyone's eyes turned around on her, but they turned away quickly.

Sitting next to Su Rui on the left is Wang Jingyun, and on the right is Li Yunxiu.Originally, Li Yunxiu and Wang Jingyun were going to sit together, but unfortunately Su Rui was seated first, so they could only do it separately.

Not far from them is what Qiao Lingyi did.Several of them entered the palace at the same time, and they were canonized at the same time, and there was not much difference in status, so it was normal for them to be next to each other.

The previous Su Rui was reckless and aggressive. Even though she came from the same family, she still couldn't get along well with Li Yunxiu and Wang Jingyun.What's more, Su Rui is not the concubine's daughter of Su's family. In fact, she is slightly inferior to Li and Wang in terms of status, but she just doesn't know how to restrain herself, which will inevitably cause people to hate her.

Su Rui, who reappeared in front of everyone now, is well-educated, soft-spoken, with a smile on her lips, and the party's jaw dropped in shock.However, this person has been ill for several months, and he may be suffocated to death. These days, he has experienced the coldness of the world in the palace, so it is not surprising that he has changed.

The concubines who used to live in the cold palace often went crazy overnight.

"Concubine Xian is really glorious today, I don't know if we will have such an honor in the future." Su Rui sighed softly.

Li Yunxiu didn't say a word, Wang Jingyun was soft-tempered, so she got cold at this time, so she answered, "Who knows, not everyone has that blessing."

Concubine Xian can get this position, not necessarily because she has won the favor of the emperor, but because of the current situation.The first batch of concubines who were drafted into the palace back then had a good family background, and they also relied on the big tree of the queen. Even though they had no children, they still took a lot of advantage when they were entrusted.Now the concubines who are entering the palace want to get the status of Xianfei, but some of them will suffer.

Thinking of this, Li Yunxiu inevitably recalled Concubine Xi, not everyone could have the luck and skill of Concubine Xi.

Having never seen Emperor Yan, she was relegated from the fifth-rank Xiaoyi to the last-rank dressing-changer.The person who rolled into the quagmire opened her eyes to the sky, allowing her to meet the emperor who was sheltering from the rain.Concubine Xi was able to seize such an opportunity, and from then on, she made great progress.

Even with the help of the queen, the queen has protected many people over the years, but there is only one person like Concubine Xi.

After all, Concubine Xi still has the ability.

"What Sister Wang said is that not everyone can have something like luck." Su Rui replied with a smile, but her eyes fell on Qiao Lingyi. Their eyes collided.

The two looked at each other and smiled almost at the same time, and then turned their faces sideways.

Li Yunxiu looked away from the two of them, slowly lowered her head, holding the teacup and fell into deep thought.Wang Jingyun on the side seemed to want to say something, but she gently pulled her away, and then Wang Jingyun stopped talking.

Just at this time, the empress sat on the top and spoke, briefly expressing her congratulations on Concubine Xian's birthday, and then very softly expressing her concern for the sisters in the harem.Everyone expressed their admiration and love for the queen in unison. The singing and dancing fish that had been prepared a long time ago entered the hall, joyful music sounded in the hall, and delicacies and delicacies were served like flowing water.

Everyone's thoughts were obviously not on singing and dancing. From time to time, some people frequently looked towards the entrance of the hall. Everyone was looking forward to when the emperor would come. Otherwise, who would show such a bright and beautiful dress?
After the first round of toasting, there was no sound of the emperor coming.

(End of this chapter)