in2ebook Chapter 17: Recognize as Stepmother
Chapter 17: Recognize as Stepmother
Chapter 17
After Hua Fei and Xin Changzai finished their conversation, they walked out.
Linglong stood outside holding Songzhi's hand.
When Linglong saw Concubine Hua coming out, she was afraid that Concubine Hua would snatch her away from Concubine Xin, so she hid behind Songzhi timidly.
"Linglong, come over to Empress Hua."
Hua Fei squatted down and coaxed Linglong gently, and Linglong gradually felt relieved.
Linglong slowly poked her head out from behind Songzhi and walked in front of Concubine Hua.
"Empress Hua likes Linglong very much. Would you like to be Linglong's stepmother?"
Linglong didn’t know what a stepmother was, but she felt that her mother would not send her away.
"If Linglong acknowledges Empress Hua as her stepmother, will she be able to see her mother again?" Linglong asked in a baby voice.
"Of course, mother was in a hurry just now. Linglong recognizes Empress Hua as her stepmother. From now on, there will be one more person to love Linglong."
Xin Changzai also squatted down to coax Linglong.
Linglong immediately became happy. She didn't have to leave her mother, and Empress Hua was so kind to her. Linglong felt that she was so happy.
Linglong's embarrassed little face broke into a smile, and Concubine Hua and Concubine Xin also laughed.
"After a while, Empress Hua will let you live with your mother, okay?"
"Doesn't Linglong have to live in the prince's residence anymore?"
"Yes. But Linglong, you have to keep it a secret for now about accepting Empress Hua as your stepmother. If you tell anyone, Empress Hua won't be able to let Linglong live with your mother."
"No, no, Linglong won't tell you." Linglong assured again and again.
Linglong has lived in the prince's residence and been taken care of by a nanny since she was old enough to understand. There is only the very tall third brother in the prince's residence, and no one else.
Linglong envied Wen Yi very much. She was still a baby and couldn't even speak, but she could stay with her mother every day.
It won't be long before she can live with her mother. The more Linglong thought about it, the happier she became. She pulled Songzhi's hand and asked for another duck-shaped bean paste bun.
Songzhi thought that Princess Linglong and the Queen really had a mother-daughter bond, even their ways of expressing happiness were exactly the same.
After seeing off Concubine Xin and Linglong, Concubine Hua was just about to find a storybook to read.
Xiao Xiazi came to Yiku Palace holding a pair of Dongzhu.
Concubine Hua looked at Dongzhu and thought about the war in the northwest. Is her brother going to go to the battlefield again?
My brother fought on the battlefield and risked his life for the emperor.
The emperor dismissed these loyal women who risked their lives for him with just a pair of pearls. It was so cheap.
"The Emperor sympathizes with the fact that the Empress is seriously ill and bored, so he specially asked me to bring this pair of oriental pearls for the Empress to enjoy."
"Thank you, Eunuch Xia." Concubine Hua expressed her surprise and joy at the emperor's reward of Dongzhu at the right time.
Concubine Hua gave Zhou Ninghai a look, and Zhou Ninghai stuffed a bulging purse into Xiao Xiazi's hand.
"Please, eunuch, deliver the newly made sweet-scented osmanthus cake from Yikun Palace to Yangxin Palace for me. I was just about to send someone to deliver it, but I didn't expect that eunuch would arrive first."
"You are too polite, madam. Isn't this my duty?"
Xiao Xiazi secretly weighed the weight of his wallet. It turned out that everyone wanted to do the work in Yikun Palace, and there was a reason for it.
After sending Xiao Xiazi away, Concubine Hua ordered Songzhi to put Dongzhu away where she couldn't see it, and asked Liuxiang to go to the small kitchen to stew snow pear, white fungus and lily soup. She planned to take the food box to visit her sister Duanfei after dark.
In her previous life, Concubine Hua really made earrings out of the Dongzhu and ostentatiously took them out at the New Year's Eve banquet. How foolish she was.
***
The Yikun Palace was filled with peace and harmony. Concubine Hua was either reading storybooks, practicing calligraphy, or thinking about food.
Jingren Palace was not so peaceful.
The Queen suffered from a headache and could not sleep for nights.
But the queen did not dare to say openly that she had a headache.
There is already a Concubine Hua who suffers from headaches when exposed to the wind, and a Concubine Wan who suffers from a cold in the palace. If I say that my headache is stubborn, the Emperor will inevitably be unhappy to see so many sick people in the harem.
At this moment, the Queen endured the headache and looked at Jingpin and Shen Meizhuang who were reporting their work below, feeling extremely annoyed.
I really didn't expect that the feng shui of the harem would turn to this silent Xianfu Palace.
It’s okay for Concubine Jing, she has been avoiding the spotlight for many years, and the emperor only respects her but doesn’t love her.
But Shen Meizhuang is a big problem now. Her father holds a high position, and Shen herself is dignified and elegant. In the past few days, she has indeed been a good accountant and housekeeper.
Besides, Shen Meizhuang is young and beautiful. Look at her today, she is wearing a chrysanthemum-pink cheongsam. Although it is late autumn, her eyes are full of spring and her movements are charming.
The Queen thought about checking the Jingshifang files yesterday. In the past half month, Shen Meizhuang had slept with the Queen six times, and Noble Lady Fucha had slept with the Queen twice. Looking at Shen Meizhuang's demeanor now, she was afraid that she had slept with the Queen again last night.
If he doesn't take action now, Shen Meizhuang will be pregnant in no time. If she is pregnant, the palace will be dominated by the Han army flag.
The Queen was upset and interrupted Jingpin's mumbling about the accounts. She made an excuse of having a headache and asked the two of them to leave.
Not long after they rested, Huichun came in from outside the door to report that Xia Daying from the Yanxi Palace had come to pay her respects to the Queen.
The queen felt dizzy again.
Even after being demoted to a concubine, Xia was still restless and went to Jingren Palace every few days.
Every time she made a move, the whole palace would know about it. Everyone would laugh at Xia behind her back.
As a result, even the queen did not dare to attack her.
I really don't know whether this Xia is extremely stupid or just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Everyone in the palace knew that Xia was only closely related to Jingren Palace. If anything happened to Xia, the Queen would be to blame.
When the nanny first started teaching Xia etiquette, Xia would either come to cry that the nanny was torturing her or complain about the poor food provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The queen changed three maids for Xia in succession and warned Huang Guiquan of the Ministry of Internal Affairs not to treat Xia harshly. Only then did Xia become much more obedient.
When Concubine Hua heard Songzhi mimicking her in Yikun Palace, she laughed so hard that she was shaking with laughter. She really didn't expect that Xia could bring her such a big surprise.
I don’t know what the Xia family is causing trouble for today.
Jianqiu went out and sent Xia away on the pretext that the Queen had a headache.
Xia did look much more respectful, but she was still wearing clothes made of the queen's material, and she was dressed up in a flashy way.
Jianqiu came in with a food box. "Xia said that she has been studying etiquette for almost three months and has made great progress recently. She heard that the queen had a headache and wanted to come and take care of her."
How could the Queen not understand Xia's hint when she heard this? She was quite smart.
The queen has her own uses for keeping such people.
The queen gave the food boxes brought by Xia to Huichun and the others, and returned to her bedroom.
Back in the bedroom, Jianqiu helped the Queen lie down on the Arhat couch. The Queen felt much better and told Jianqiu to go to Suiyuxuan.
Jianqiu went to Suiyuxuan empty-handed with a little palace maid, claiming that she was visiting Wan Changzai on behalf of the Queen.
Jianqiu entered the bedroom and saw Zhen Huan, with a pale face, her hair in a loose bun, and lying on the bed in a light blue nightgown. Her voice was weak and it was obvious that she would not live long.
Jianqiu felt somewhat satisfied when she saw Huanbi helping Zhen Huan get up to drink the medicine. She took a sip and spit out three times. Jinxi and Liuzhu were busy wiping the medicine for Zhen Huan.
Jianqiu just stood in front of the bed and watched coldly, with a smile on her lips unconsciously.
"My lady, please get well soon. My lady's illness has given Concubine Shen the upper hand and she is the first to receive the emperor's favor."
As Jianqiu spoke, she watched Zhen Huan's expression to see if there was any change, but she couldn't see anything.
"Xia is disrespectful. The Emperor has issued an edict to demote Xia to a concubine. Before the New Year, Xia will not be able to serve in the bedchamber. Let's see if the young lady can seize the opportunity."
Jianqiu gave another hint.
But Zhen Huan choked on the medicine and could not speak clearly.
"Sister Mei is blessed. Unlike me, I am bedridden. Please go, Aunt Jinxi, and see Aunt Jianqiu off for me."
Zhen Huan was a little impatient, and tried to provoke and test her with just a few words.
The more the Queen wanted Zhen Huan to come in, the more her intuition told her that she had to retreat in order to advance.
After sending Jianqiu away, Zhen Huan sat up from the bed and asked, "Is Jianqiu the only one who came to Jingren Palace?"
"There is a little palace maid waiting outside the door, and no one else."
The Queen used the pretext of visiting the sick to pressure him to recover quickly and win his favor, but she didn't even bring basic supplements.
It is true that useless people do not cost anything.
Zhen Huan was not a person who cared about gold and silver. However, the Queen's intention of sending Jianqiu here was too obvious, which made her disgusted.
Zhen Huan couldn't help but think of the baskets of silver charcoal and pieces of coarse cloth that Concubine Hua sent yesterday. Although it was a reward for Xiao Yunzi, it was really thoughtful.
***
Hua Fei didn't know that the Queen went to Sui Yu Xuan to stir up hatred, which unexpectedly increased Zhen Huan's favor for her. She was only busy with her own affairs.
At night, Concubine Hua finished her dinner early, removed her heavy makeup, changed into a light headdress and palace dress, and prepared to go to Yanqing Palace to visit her sister Concubine Duan.
But unexpectedly, when Concubine Hua was holding Songzhi's hand and was about to go out, she heard Xiao Xiazi's voice outside the palace.