Glory all the way

Chapter 225 Birthday
November [-]th is the Empress Dowager's birthday.

In the Yixin Pavilion, Bai Yingluo happily calculated: "The emperor is very filial to the empress dowager, this year's birthday, but he ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare it early, and he wanted to have a big banquet for the ministers. We are not qualified to enter the palace to celebrate the birthday , why not go back to the Marquis Mansion on that day."

The errands in the Imperial Academy are very leisurely, and on the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, there will be half a day off, which can be regarded as a half-day free.

Du Xuan readily agreed, while hesitantly asked: "Didn't Grandfather and Grandmother enter the palace to pay their respects?"

Bai Yingluo shook her head, "Grandma's health is not very good, and she has rarely entered the palace these years. Besides, there are still uncles and aunts. Grandmother will definitely submit a letter to resign early, and the empress dowager will agree. of."

Reassuring, Du Xuan nodded, walked over and squatted beside the pedals, and put his ears on Bai Yingluo's lower abdomen.

These days, he always has such intimate behaviors. Although he can't hear anything, he never tires of it. When he is in a good mood, he will talk to the child in his belly with a serious expression.

Bai Yingluo smiled, looked at Du Xuan with a gentle expression, and looked happy.

The noise outside brought the two of them who were enjoying the quiet time back to their senses.

"Young master, ma'am, there is a father-in-law in the palace who has come to deliver the decree."

Chen Xiang came in and replied.

Straightening his expression, he patted Bai Yingluo's hand comfortingly, and Du Xuan turned and went out.

After a cup of tea, Du Xuan came back disappointed, "Luo Niang, on the [-]th day, we may not be able to visit our grandparents in the Hou Mansion."

"Isn't only officials of the third rank and above and foreign wives eligible to enter the palace to pay their respects?"

Bai Yingluo asked a little puzzled.

There are hundreds of civil and military officials everywhere in the capital. If only high-ranking officials and foreign wives can enter the palace, the palace will be full of people on that day. Therefore, usually only officials with a third rank or above will receive them. To grace.

"The emperor's kindness is great, and Xu Jinke and his family members entered the palace to pay their respects."

Du Xuan walked back to Bai Yingluo and sat down.

There are three people in Yijia, Du Xuan was appointed as the editor of the Imperial Academy, and You Yiheng was appointed as the attendant of the Imperial Academy of the fifth rank because he honored the Seventh Princess.

He is two levels higher than Du Xuan, and You Yiheng has often run on Du Xuan in the Hanlin Academy. Fortunately, Du Xuan is popular, and all the errands are completed meticulously. It is safe and sound.

Ye Zi, the second in the list, was supposed to be placed in the Hanlin Academy after he was named on the gold list, but he went through the path of Prime Minister Dou and was sent to Mihe County to become a county magistrate of the seventh rank.

It seems that compared with the job in the Imperial Academy, it is much worse, but if he is really a person who does practical things, it is easier for him to achieve results outside. A few more words of praise.

This time, there are only Du Xuan and You Yiheng entering the palace to pay their respects.

Thinking of meeting the Seventh Princess again, Bai Yingluo felt helpless.

Touching her stomach, Bai Yingluo sighed: "The emperor's grace is so great..."

In the afternoon, the nanny in charge of Nanyang Palace sent Master Yao back.

"The concubine said that if it wasn't for Mrs. Du, the birthday ceremony this time might not have been prepared so smoothly. I would like to thank Mrs. Du for her efforts in finding it."

The nurse in charge gave a thank you gift, and left with a thousand thanks.

"It's almost the Chinese New Year, so don't say that you have to leave, you have to wait until the Chinese New Year is over."

Blocking Master Yao's words first, Bai Yingluo pursed her lips and laughed, Master Yao shook her head helplessly and said with a smile: "If that's the case, then I will bother you."

While talking, the two couldn't help talking about Ruozhen and Ruozhu.

"I see, the wet nurse is all about being good to the sisters, and Ruozhen and Ruozhu are also very dependent on the wet nurse. The princess has really put a lot of thought into those two children."

Master Yao sighed.

Bai Yingluo's heart moved, she raised her eyes and asked Master Yao, "Do you think there is anything unusual about that wet nurse?"

"abnormal?"

Master Yao was a little puzzled.

The last time I invited Ruozhen and Ruozhu to play in the mansion, the wet nurse was always by my side. When Bai Yingluo and Du Xuan were chatting about the matter of Bangcheng, Bai Yingluo didn't notice the abnormality of the wet nurse, but the sharp-eyed Liu Ying noticed it, and told Bai Yingluo afterwards.

Bai Yingluo even boldly speculated that the wet nurse knew about the affairs of Bengcheng.

If so, how could she have met Ruozhen and Ruozhu by such a coincidence, and became the nurse of the two sisters?

There are too many coincidences together, Bai Yingluo only thinks that there must be some secrets in it, but she doesn't know if Princess Nanyang knows about it.

Master Yao shook his head, "No matter where Ruozhen and Ruozhu go, the wet nurse follows closely, and she is also sincerely kind to the two sisters. I see, she is the real mother, probably the same as her mother." That's it."

"My own mother..."

Thinking back at this moment, Bai Yingluo really felt that the wet nurse's eyebrows and eyes looked somewhat similar to Ruozhen and sisters, muttering to herself, a bold idea suddenly popped up in Bai Yingluo's heart.

It's just that there is no basis for everything, so Bai Yingluo buried it in her heart and didn't say anything.

Sending Master Yao back to Tingfeng Xiaozhu to sit for a while, Bai Yingluo hurried back to Yixin Garden to check the congratulatory gift for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, and seeing that there was nothing wrong with it, she called Chen Xiang to take the little maid with her Put them all in boxes.

On the second day, it was sixteen, and after a short rest in the afternoon, Bai Yingluo followed Du Xuan into the palace.

Seemingly waiting for her, she got off the carriage at the gate of the inner palace, met Dou Xiuqiao, Bai Yingluo greeted her with a smile, and followed her to Shoukang Palace.

Along the way, listening to Dou Xiuqiao talking about the princess, Bai Yingluo suddenly felt very funny: whether the princess is favored, and whether the fetal image is stable, what does it have to do with her Dou Xiuqiao?
"Mrs. Fang, my concubine sincerely wishes the Crown Princess a son in one fell swoop."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw the car from the Eastern Palace approaching from a distance, Bai Yingluo finished speaking with frank eyes, and then walked forward quickly. Seeing her pregnant but still light steps, Dou Xiuqiao curled her lips in displeasure.

Arriving at the side hall of Shoukang Palace, and waiting to kowtow to the queen mother one by one in the main hall, Bai Yingluo discovered that although according to the regulations, all the wives of the third rank and above were required to come, but the number of wives who entered the palace to worship the birthday was not as many as expected. .

Thinking back to the rumors outside the palace that the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jiayuan had some unhappiness a few days ago, but how could people outside the palace know about the royal affairs, and everyone just treated it as a topic of chatting after dinner, and it lost its freshness in a few days. aside.

Shaoqing, a female official came to deliver a message, asking Bai Yingluo and others to kowtow.

Bai Yingluo was the lowest grade, so naturally she was placed last.

He kowtowed his head and got up, and sat down according to the rules, those foreign wives then chatted with the queen mother fluently, and those wives who went to the palace earlier also often came to the palace Greetings to the Empress Dowager, the atmosphere in the hall is very harmonious.

"Which one is the daughter-in-law of the number one scholar? Come and show the Ai family?"

During the interval of speaking, the queen mother asked aloud.

Bai Yingluo hurriedly got up and walked to the center of the hall, knelt down and worshiped: "I am Du Shi, I wish the Empress Dowager a blessing like the East China Sea, a long life like Nanshan, and a thousand years."

The most common birthday greetings, just ask for nothing.

It was early winter, and even though she was wearing thick clothes, it could be seen that Bai Yingluo was pregnant. The Queen Mother looked at her a few times and then waved her hand.

After a while, Zhou Fulai sent a message saying that the banquet was ready and that Emperor Jiayuan would come to invite the Empress Dowager to the table.

A group of foreign wives got up to leave neatly, and followed the maidservants who led them to the banquet hall in the side hall.

Du Xuan was the lowest rank, so he sat at the end of the hall. Bai Yingluo saw him as soon as he entered the hall, and when he walked over with a smile, Du Xuan had already taken out the cushion under him and placed it on Bai Yingluo's seat on the upholstery.

Du Xuan's considerate actions attracted the attention of several people around him. The women's family all showed a semblance of understanding, and then looked at Bai Yingluo, either envious or disdainful.

Bai Yingluo didn't care at all, she walked over and sat down firmly.

The next moment, Emperor Jiayuan and the Empress followed the Queen Mother into the hall, and everyone in the hall got up and knelt down.

Standing up and sitting down again, the banquet began. With the sound of silk and bamboo, relatives of the emperor went forward one by one to offer birthday gifts. The double-sided screen sent by the Nanyang Palace naturally attracted everyone's attention.

On the front of the screen is a picture of the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. All the gods sitting down are celebrating her birthday with smiles on their faces. , the queen mother's figure and face are the same as the queen mother at the moment.

On the back is a picture of a fairy asking for directions. In the painting, a white-haired old man is riding a green bull. In front of him, a little boy is pointing at the golden direction of the sky.

The strange thing is that in the brightly lit side hall, the head of the queen mother on the front also showed a faint shadow on the back, and the face of the fairy was replaced by the queen mother.

The smile on the Empress Dowager's face deepened a little, but on the one hand, she still complained slightly to the King of Nanyang and Princess Nanyang, "You are all in their tens of years, and you really deserve to be punished for doing such naughty things. .”

"I accept the punishment, and with three cups of water and wine, I wish the Empress Dowager a long life."

The King of Nanyang confessed his crime with a smile, and drank the wine in his cup.

The birthday ceremony of Nanyang Prince's Mansion had a good start, which made the queen mother happy, and the birthday gifts presented by everyone were praised, and the atmosphere in the hall was great.

The music was melodious and the laughter was melodious. After sweeping away the haze of the previous few days, the queen mother couldn't help but feel much more relaxed.

Emperor Jiayuan said many good things in response to the occasion, and the Empress Dowager's smile became deeper and deeper.

Amidst the curling sound of silk and bamboo, outside the empty hall, the eunuch's soft voice seemed to be a discordant note, interrupting the harmony in the hall.

"Princess Qingcheng arrives..."

Princess Qingcheng in a white jacket appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

After just one glance, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jiayuan all changed their colors.

"Why is she here?"

While muttering, the Queen Mother suddenly stopped talking.

Princess Qingcheng has already stepped into the gate of the palace, and under the bright lights, she is smiling all over the city.

At this time, the Queen Mother realized that it was not the person she thought.

(End of this chapter)