Empress Cao gestured slightly, Liuli clapped her hands, and the silk and bamboo team came in with musical instruments in hand, and the melodious and melodious music echoed in the hall, and the atmosphere became more and more casual. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The ladies of the various mansions took turns to step forward and accompany the Empress Dowager Xiao to talk, and also let the Empress Dowager look at the juniors and give some pointers.

Since Emperor Qinglong ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Xiao has delegated the power of the harem to Empress Cao. In order to avoid suspicion, many occasions do not appear, except for the blood relatives so far, it is rare to announce people to Yanqing Palace alone.

Therefore, at the annual birthday banquet, it is a time to get together with the old ladies of various provinces and connect with feelings.

They are all acquaintances, and in the past years, they all have stories that belong to their older generation. There are those who helped Empress Dowager Xiao when they were young, and there are those who release kindness, but there are also those who are hostile.

Now that Empress Dowager Xiao is extremely respectful, those in the past are all gone.

On this day, I will meet the familiar faces of the old sisters, and talk about my own thoughts. Goodbye to the juniors who are growing up and full of youthful vitality makes Empress Dowager Xiao feel much younger.

This kind of birthday is indeed what she loves, not just for the world to see.

Therefore, Empress Dowager Xiao is full of kindness to Empress Cao, who has been hosting the birthday banquet in recent years. She once said to Mama Ding: "Such a birthday banquet, even if I come by myself, it is not as agreeable as she does." ”

Even Emperor Qinglong, who didn't take Empress Cao to heart at all in the past, was extremely satisfied with her at this point.

He was busy with government affairs in the previous dynasty, and Empress Cao could serve his mother well in his place, fulfill his filial piety for him, and satisfy his mother. This is also the reason why he has given her enough respect over the years.

Duchess Li of Dingguo stepped down from the Empress Dowager Xiao with a smile, and together with Miao, returned to her seat with her granddaughter. Fang Cai Qinghui handled it decently in front of the Queen Mother, and won the praise of the Queen Mother, which made her so happy.

It was the turn of the Zhongguo Mansion, Chen glanced at Wu Jiao, who was sitting on the side of the civil official's wife, signaled slightly, and walked towards the Empress Dowager Xiao, followed by the Lu family.

The heirs of the Zhongguo Mansion are thin, and there are no girls among the grandchildren, and compared to other mansions, some people are scarce.

After seeing the ceremony, Empress Dowager Xiao sighed: "The men of your martial arts family are all good, and it would be better to add another girl!"

Lu Shi smiled and accosted: "What the Queen Mother said is very true, who said that it is not! But this is not in a hurry." ”

Chen was wearing a big coat of fate, and his already gloomy expression looked even more dull. Today, she applied a fine powder, but she covered up her sallow complexion and the blue and black under her eyes a lot.

On such a festive occasion, she seemed a little out of place. barely put a smile on the corner of his mouth, but he was destroyed by the vertical lines on his eyebrows, and his expression looked a little stiff.

The affairs of the Zhongguo Mansion, Empress Dowager Xiao naturally knows a lot, but it is difficult for a Qing official to decide family affairs, let alone her?

Looking at the Chen family, Empress Dowager Xiao said gently: "Your mother-in-law went early, and there is a huge Guogong Mansion, so it is all up to you to support you all these years." Fortunately, now that I have a daughter-in-law, I can help. ”

Patting Lu's hand, Empress Dowager Xiao said again: "You are a good one, help your mother-in-law, ah?"

Lu Shi smiled slightly and said, "Guiying is still young, and she hasn't gone through anything, so she still has to rely on her mother-in-law to decide many things." ”

Chen also said: "I only hope that she will add another granddaughter to me." There is a super brother in this mansion, and this demon king is a headache. ”

"Haha, Brother Chao'er is four years old, and he will bring it to the mourning family when he has time. Empress Dowager Xiao said.

In a blink of an eye, I remembered that the loyal martyrs of the Zhongguo Mansion were the people who the emperor had to use. But the heirs in their house are indeed too thin, so how can they have a son-in-law?

But the Chen family has a sister-in-law, Wu Sheng, and with her identity, it is impossible to persuade the Chen family to take a concubine for Wu Sheng.

However, on the day of the emperor's birthday, General Yunlu, who was crowned with a third grade, also issued a clear decree, as if he was the son of the Zhongguo Mansion. This person has never been mentioned to her before this?

"Qinglan, you are also the child I watched grow up. A few days ago, the emperor rewarded General Yunlu but your family, why haven't you heard you mention it?" asked Empress Dowager Xiao.

Hearing this, Chen's face froze.

Although she came to this matter today, even if Empress Dowager Xiao didn't mention it, she talked about it in a hurry. But at the moment, it is still a conditioned reflex, and unpleasant emotions are welling up in my heart.

What kind of person is Empress Dowager Xiao? Seeing her reaction, she immediately guessed that she would not be far from ten.

"Is it the concubine of the Duke of Zhongguo?" Chen nodded slightly.

"How old are you?"

"The old year has just reached the crown, nineteen. ”

"Are you married?"

"Not yet. ”

"That's your fault. Although he is not your biological son, he is also the blood of Zhongguo Gong. The situation in your house is special, and it is good to have one more man to support the door, even if it is a concubine. "It's about the heirs of the Zhongguo Mansion, and the Empress Dowager Xiao is not so polite when she speaks.

Chen felt a sense of depression in his heart and did not answer. For a moment, the scene was a little frozen.

Fortunately, the Lu family reacted in time, and said: "Dare to teach the Queen Mother to know that the second brother's marriage mother has been looking at him all the time." It's just that there have been some high and low failures, and my mother thought about it thoroughly, so she delayed. ”

Wu Zhengxiang's status as a concubine is a fact, but with the prestige of the Zhongguo Mansion, how can it be so difficult to marry a daughter-in-law?

It is said that at the latest at the age of fifteen, a man should begin to discuss marriage. Now that they're all nineteen years old, it sounds like they haven't even decided who they want to look at. No matter how nice it sounds, it's just an excuse.

Empress Dowager Xiao was a little unhappy in her heart, the Zhongguo Mansion could not be delayed in the hands of a short-sighted woman like the Chen family.

Back then, the Chen family's reputation for mistreating concubines and abusing concubines spread throughout the capital. She didn't understand how a woman who looked so gentle at the beginning could become like this. No matter how difficult a woman is, she shouldn't attack innocent children.

She had already thought that the concubine had been tortured to death by the Chen family, and in the back house, it was too easy for the housemaster to deal with a young son. What child doesn't grow up to be plagued by calamities? Who can verify if he reports that he is weak and dies of a sudden illness?

It turned out that that concubine was still alive, and he could grow up under the hands of the Chen family, and he could be rewarded by the emperor by himself, it seemed that he was a capable person, but he could not be delayed by the Chen family anymore.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Xiao had a look of uncertainty on her face, and her voice was a little faint: "It turns out that the standard for selecting daughters-in-law in the Zhongguo Mansion is higher than that of our royal family?"

This is a heart-wrenching statement.

Lu's heart sank, but fortunately, she reminded her mother-in-law in time that she could no longer ignore Wu Zhengxiang's marriage. Otherwise, if she is poked out in two years, the Queen Mother will blame her, and no one can afford to bear it.