"Zhen heard that Princess Xian's body is weak, and there are many taiyi in the palace. Zi Ling, remember to nurse your wang fei's body well," The Qilong Emperor's gaze swept over Hua Xi Wan's body, and said in the tone of an elder, "Zhen is still waiting to hold my grandnephew."
"Yes, chenzhi will remember," Yan Jinqiu responded.
"The Empress Dowager is still waiting for you to greet her. Zhen won't keep you," The Qilong Emperor spoke with the husband and wife for a while, and after bestowing some things, he let the two leave.
Ma gonggong sent the two out of the palace gates, and watched as the two left. He sighed. Just now, he had only taken a hurried glance, and didn't see Princess Xian's appearance clearly, but at least he was sure the other was a beauty, and not like the rumors said, a woman without beauty.
Just as he turned back to Guang Yang Hall, Ma gonggong heard the sound of something falling to the ground from the room. His steps paused, and then he quickly walked into the hall. He saw the Emperor sweep everything on the table to the ground. He was clearly furious.
The servants in the hall all knelt on the ground in fear. Ma gonggong immediately knelt as well, and said, "Emperor, please calm your anger."
"Calm my anger, what can zhen use to calm my anger?!" The Qilong Emperor hadn't expected that he had calculated everything, but he hadn't calculated that Nghi An Marquis's daughter wasn't the woman without beauty in the rumors, but a rare beauty in the world. Even if Prince Xian wasn't a person who indulged in beauty, in front of that kind of beauty, he would still put in a lot of effort. How could that cause conflict between him and Nghi An Marquis?!
Thinking that he had personally sent a helper to Yan Jinqiu, the scheming Qilong Emperor felt anger rise in his heart. Looking at the palace attendants in the hall who were submissive, he was particularly displeased, "Drag them all out, and bestow ten strokes with the plank."
The palace attendants did not dare to plead for mercy. After being dragged out and flogged ten times, they heaved a sigh of relief. At least their lives were saved.
Although Ma gonggong also received ten paddles, the executioners knew that he was one of the Emperor's people. Even if the Emperor punished him in a moment of anger, he would still be one of the Emperor's people in the future. Therefore, although they raised the paddles high and hit them loudly, they didn't use much strength.
After the ten beatings, some eunuchs came forward to support Eunuch Ma. There were even some who served him tea and water. Eunuch Ma's buttocks were injured, so he didn't dare to sit. He could only let a eunuch support him as he leaned against a pillar and drank tea. After drinking a bowl of tea, Eunuch Ma was finally able to catch his breath. He could not withstand the torment like those young eunuchs. After all these years in the palace, his body had become much weaker. Now, he was only relying on those good medicines to support himself.
"That's enough. When you serve His Majesty, do your best." Ma gonggong accepted the favor of these people who tried to curry favor with him and calmly reminded them. As for other things, he didn't say anything else.
Everyone present was serving the Emperor. Which one of them was not experienced? Naturally, they could hear that Ma gonggong was hinting that the Emperor was not in a good mood recently. They cleverly did not ask any more questions. They only carefully sent Ma gonggong back. Everyone's heartstrings were raised.
In Fu Kang Palace, the Empress was chatting with the Empress Dowager to relieve her boredom. Even though the atmosphere was not very warm, at least there was no awkward silence. These years, the Empress was used to this kind of atmosphere, so there was no awkwardness.
The Empress Dowager was not the Emperor's birth mother. In the past, the Emperor and Xian Wang had both been raised under the Empress Dowager's name. After the Emperor ascended the throne, she was given the title of Muhou Empress Dowager. Usually, the Empress Dowager did not like to meddle in the affairs of the inner palace. She maintained a motherly and filial relationship with the Emperor. These years, the Emperor had been respectful to the Empress Dowager.
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Empress, Prince Xian and Princess Xian have come to pay respects to you." Zhao mama, who served the Empress Dowager, walked in with a smile. She bowed to the two and said, "Can you summon them in?"
Before the Empress could speak, the Empress Dowager said with a smile, "Let them in. Aijia wants to see what my granddaughter-in-law looks like."
The Empress sat on the side and chuckled. She also turned to look at the door. Among these grandchildren, the Empress Dowager had always liked Prince Xian. Even the Crown Prince could not compare to Prince Xian in her heart. However, the Empress Dowager did not have any real power. Prince Xian was also a scholar who liked poetry and was not good at politics. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager could only turn a blind eye.
She knew about the rumor that Princess Xian's appearance was as good as nothing. However, looking at the Empress Dowager, she knew that she knew nothing about the rumors outside the palace. Otherwise, she would not be in the mood to wait to see her granddaughter-in-law.
The smile at the corners of the Empress' mouth became even more obvious. When she heard the taijian report that Prince Xian and Princess Xian had arrived, she turned slightly to the side to make her sitting posture more dignified.
But a short while later, the smile on the Empress' face became forced.
The woman following behind Prince Xian had her hair combed into a beautiful flying immortal bun. A dazzling golden buyao was inserted into her hair, which made her snow-like skin appear even more tender. That floral dress seemed to come alive, making the person wearing it look like a fairy descending to the mortal world. People only noticed her and could not see anything else.
A woman with such beauty … … the Empress was slightly dazed. Everyone said that the Emperor's harem was filled with beauties, but compared to this Princess Xian in front of her, those women in the palace were just ordinary women who had some beauty but not enough power.
After Xian Junw.a.n.g and his wang fei bowed to the Empress Dowager, the Empress finally recovered. She looked at Xian Junw.a.n.g Fei whose hand the Empress Dowager was holding, and sighed inside. The Emperor had miscalculated this time.
But this was also good. It was better for this kind of beauty to enter Jun Wang's fu than enter the harem. If this kind of woman became a concubine, she, as the Empress, would have no place to stand. Not to mention, if the Crown Prince had other thoughts after seeing this kind of beauty, that would become a thousand-year-old scandal. It would be hard to predict who would take the throne in the end.
The existence of a woman who was too beautiful was a disaster. Otherwise, how could there be the saying of femme fatale in the world? It was hard to predict whether Prince Xian marrying such a woman was a blessing or a curse.
"Good, good, good." The Empress Dowager carefully examined Hua Xi Wan and said "good" three times in a row. Then she said to Yan Jinqiu, "Aijia likes this wang fei of yours very much. In the future, you have to treat her well. If aijia finds out that you have wronged her, aijia will not forgive you."
Yan Jinqiu bowed deeply and said, "Imperial Grandmother, do not worry. Grandson will treat Xi Wan well and will not let her be wronged."
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned and pulled Hua Xi Wan to sit next to her. Patting the back of her hand, she said, "Aijia hasn't seen such a beautiful girl in many years. This divine presence is extraordinary."
Hua Xi Wan smiled and allowed the Empress Dowager to pull her hand. She said softly, "Jun Wang Ye treats granddaughter-in-law very well. Imperial Grandmother, do not worry." The Empress Dowager seemed to be different from what she had expected. She had been prepared that the Empress Dowager would not like her appearance. Now it seemed that she had thought too much.
When the Empress Dowager heard this, the smile on her face grew. "Aijia is happy that you two have a good relationship." Finishing, she rewarded Hua Xi Wan with a pile of things. Many of them were good things that could not be bought with money.
Even though she knew that the Empress Dowager always favored Prince Xian, the Empress still felt uncomfortable after seeing this scene. When the Crown Prince married the Crown Princess and came to visit the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager had not been so enthusiastic. The number of things she rewarded was about the same, but could those things compare to the things the Empress Dowager had collected?
Even though she was unhappy, the Empress did not show it on her face. Instead, she agreed with the Empress Dowager's words and increased the rewards she had planned to give.
"If it wasn't for the fact that Princess Xian's body has been weak these years and has never attended the banquets in the palace, ben gong would have liked such a beautiful girl a long time ago," the Empress said as the Empress Dowager drank tea, "Prince Xian is very fortunate to have married such a beautiful person."
"I accept Empress' auspicious words," Yan Jinqiu raised his hands in a bow in the direction of Guang Yang Hall, "It is all because of the Holy One's kindness that subject-nephew was able to marry such a virtuous wife."
The Empress had said Hua Xi Wan's appearance, but Yan Jinqiu had emphasized the word virtuous. He had also used the Emperor to block the Empress' words and the Empress had no place to refute.
The Empress was a woman who had been in the inner palace for many years. Naturally, she would not lose her composure because of such a sentence. She smiled and nodded, saying: "The Emperor and ben gong are your elders and naturally have to think of you. Originally, I was worried that your wang fei's body was weak. Seeing that her complexion is good today, ben gong is reassured. "
Yan Jinqiu was a man and naturally would not continue to bicker with the Empress. He gave another word of thanks and then sat at the side without speaking.
Hua Xi Wan spoke at this time: "A few years ago, niece-in-law accidentally fell seriously ill. My parents only managed to survive by visiting famous doctors. Because the doctor said that niece-in-law's body needed to rest, niece-in-law was not allowed to leave the fu these years. It took almost a year for her to recover. These years, because of her weak body, niece-in-law was unable to see the phoenix faces of the Empress Dowager and Empress. Today, seeing the phoenix faces, I know that the Empress Dowager is more benevolent and noble than imagined, and the Empress is more beautiful and dignified than imagined. "
These words were equivalent to taking away the title of her weak body and explaining why she had not seen outsiders these years?
The Empress' eyebrows rose slightly, her face full of benevolence: "It is a great thing that your body is well. Now that you are one of us, if you want to see the Empress Dowager and ben gong, how hard would that be?"
"Yes," the Empress Dowager said with a smile, "In the future, if you miss aijia, just come into the palace." Finishing, she took out a tag and gave it to Hua Xi Wan, "This is the tag of Fu Kang Palace. In the future, when you come into the palace to see aijia, you don't have to give the tag. Just take this tag to Fu Kang Palace."
How could Hua Xi Wan not know that this was equivalent to a pass to the palace? She repeatedly refused, but in the end, under the Empress Dowager's firm attitude, she accepted this hot potato.
She was not clear about the factions in the hougong, but intuition told her that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor and Empress was not as good as the rumors said. This old taitai may have some sincerity towards Yan Jinqiu, her grandson, but as to how much, she could not see for now.
The Empress Dowager's move was a bit shameless. She wanted to give Yan Jinqiu a pass to the palace, but she did it in front of the Empress so that the Empress could not say anything and could only watch. She could not find any fault. After all, the Empress Dowager gave it in front of her. If she was not willing, she could speak. Since she did not speak, it meant that she had silently agreed.
But how could she directly refuse the Empress Dowager?
The Empress Dowager's move was simple and crude, but it was a good way to target the Emperor and Empress.
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