At this time, on the other side of the Shen Mansion, in the old lady's room, the eldest lady was sitting on a rosewood chair with her back straight, secretly observing every demeanor of the old lady.

The old lady sitting in the center, dressed in dark green clothes, with a charitable face, although she is in her early seventies, has a particularly good temperament, and is comfortably enjoying the massage of the maid behind her with her eyes closed.

From the blue and white incense burner, bursts of fine sandalwood fragrance wafted out, filling the whole room, and a famous teacher's landscape ink painting hanging on the wall in the middle gave the visitor a sense of tranquility.

But even so, it still can't stabilize the unrest in the eldest lady's heart.

After a moment, I heard the old lady slowly speak: "You have done a good job in choosing a birthday gift, and everything is very well arranged." ”

Hearing this, the eldest lady's face was overjoyed, and the golden jade hairpin on her head made a pleasant collision sound because of her getting up, only to hear her reply: "The gift to the queen mother has to be taken seriously, every qiē is a matter within the status of the concubine, so it is good to be satisfied." ”

When the old lady looked at her and nodded, the eldest lady sat down. This woman, who is only thirty-four years old, has a full forehead, and although she acts vigorously and resolutely, she puts her elders and husbands first everywhere and manages the Shen Mansion in an orderly manner, which is very popular with the old lady.

She had a turquoise inlaid jade flower on her forehead, which was extremely rich, and the shrewd phoenix eyes adorned like jade were particularly neat, and these eyes were revealing what she was thinking about at the moment.

Last night, I learned that the Queen Mother's birthday banquet this year named the young lady who had not yet left the Shen Mansion to enter the palace for the banquet, such a rare opportunity, Zhuang Zhao finally waited......

Thinking of this, the eldest lady quietly picked up the green tea cup and took a sip lightly, covering the slightly raised smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Did the person sent by the Queen Mother say anything yesterday?"

The old lady thought for a moment before finally asking.

"There's nothing else, but this morning Jun retreated from the dynasty and hasn't come back for so long, maybe there is something delayed."

The eldest lady replied like this, her tone was casual, and the old lady already knew it in her heart.

"In that case," said the old lady, looking down at the tea in the celadon teacup, "then wait for him to come back." ”

The eldest lady hurriedly catered yes, in fact, what is the queen mother's thoughts, the two people present know it like a mirror in their hearts, but they have not yet been clearly stated, so they hide it first.

At this time, Mama Zhang, the old lady's personal mother standing outside the door, walked through the screen placed in front of the door of the room, came in and respectfully reported to the people sitting inside: "Madam, the second lady has arrived. ”

As soon as she heard the name of the second lady, a smile appeared in the old lady's eyes, and she said let her in. As soon as the words fell, a slender figure was cast on the ebony wood soft smoke screen.

The shadow walked across the elegant long screen, and only one voice could be heard saying softly: "Grandmother is good, Grandma is good." ”

At the same time as the words, a beautiful girl appeared, wearing a light lotus lotus-colored skirt, with blue dark lines on the skirt, her face was delicate, and her eyebrows were full of soft feeling like spring pear blossoms.

The eldest lady smiled softly and looked at the person in front of her, like an old lady like a kind elder looking at the eyes of the junior, and said busily: "Sit down." ”

Shen Shuzhao, who finished the salute, sat down while saying yes, and the position where he sat was on the left side of the old lady. Then he naturally took over the ink yarn fan that the maid fanned the old lady and gently fanned the wind for her.

The old lady looked at Shen Shuzhao with satisfaction and said, "Every time you come here, count you as the earliest." ”

Shen Shuzhao lowered his head with a smile: "Serving grandmother Shuzhao is never too early. ”

The eldest lady raised her eyebrows at this time, and then raised the light Luo gauze fan and said with a clever smile: "Serving the old grandmother is the main thing for us women, but Zhuang Zhao and Xiaozhao are usually taught by Mr. to practice calligraphy at this time, so they came a little late, if the old lady is dissatisfied, I will call them over and make amends to the old grandmother first." ”

Although the old lady was reproachful, her eyes were full of smiles: "Look at you, an old aunt and grandmother, even if you are not at the age of stepping into the coffin with one foot, you will be called a few more wrinkles." ”

"Oh," the eldest lady pretended to be embarrassed, "I really have a mouthful of words, and I make my aunt angry, and I should be beaten." After speaking, he patted his face lightly.

The old lady was amused at this time, Shen Shuzhao took out a lilac-colored juan pa and gently covered her smile, and laughed with the old lady.

This happy scene will be extremely warm for anyone who sees it.

After chatting some common words, the old lady took Shen Shuzhao's right hand that was fanning the wind, put it on her lap, and said to her slowly: "I called you here today, I have something very important to tell you, and I will say it when Zhuang Zhao and the others come." ”

A trace of complicated feelings flashed in Shen Shuzhao's eyes, and she brushed the broken hair hanging from her ears. She knows what to expect today.

"Miss Madame, the eldest lady and the third miss have arrived."

Mother Zhang appeared in front of the screen again and said respectfully. At this time, a tall and slender figure was followed by a graceful person, and they appeared in front of everyone with lotus steps.

The two beauties bowed their heads to the sitting elders and saluted together, and Shen Shuzhao also got up and made a flat salute at the same time.

When it was over, when the tallest of them all looked up, all eyes in the room fell on her face.

There is a natural style between her eyebrows and eyes, inheriting all the advantages of the eldest lady, and that style is even more □□, the pair of affectionate eyes like autumn water are lazy, intoxicating but can feel the unattainable arrogance from her.

This is the charm of the eldest lady of the Shen family.

Shen Zhuangzhao, who was as glamorous as a peach and plum, glanced at Shen Shuzhao who was standing in a regular manner, her delicate and fair face looked soft and weak, which couldn't help but make her feel that it was really a little jasper with a small family spirit.

Then she turned around generously, walked to the side of the eldest lady and sat down, followed by the two servant maids who followed her neatly and neatly, with the demeanor of a famous lady.

After the old lady watched the two of them take their seats, she changed her solemn expression and said to everyone, "I have something important to say." ”

As soon as these words came out, and then looked at the eldest lady's expression was so stern, Shen Zhuangzhao remembered the news that the eldest lady got last night, so he raised his eyebrows, and his heart was clear.

The old lady coughed suddenly, and the maid beside her hurriedly handed over a soup of medicine, and the old lady didn't say anything more, drinking the medicine and letting the two sisters mumble underneath.

And Shen Shuzhao sat upright without any expression, because she knew that as a concubine born in the concubine room, she was not qualified to say anything at this time.

At this time, a young woman's eyes showed an eagerness to seek verification, and the first one couldn't help but speak: "Good grandmother, what is the reason?" ”

It was the third lady Shen Xiaozhao who said this, she was originally the daughter of the third concubine, but because her biological mother died early in childbirth, she was adopted by the eldest lady as soon as she was born, and she can be regarded as half a concubine.

Six years ago, she was dissatisfied with her original name "Shen Rouzhao", and thought that the word "soft" was too ordinary, so the eldest lady waved her hand to change it to "Shen Xiaozhao", and she also chose her to be filial and filial to her although she was not her own child.

In fact, after careful inspection, the appearance of these three young ladies Shen Xiaozhao is second only to Shen Zhuangzhao, because Shen Zhuangzhao is meticulous, seven feet, almost the same as their father Shen Taisheng, and his appearance is too outstanding, so everywhere he goes, he has a sense of standing out and compares others to others.

The old lady picked up the teacup at this time, sighed sadly, and said: "The birthday banquet of the Queen Mother next month will be named to bring our young lady of the Shen Mansion who has not yet left the pavilion into the palace." ”

After hearing this, the stone in their hearts fell, and both of them began to get excited, they did not know what the old lady had to worry about such a glorious thing.

"Don't worry, Zhuang Zhao and Xiao Zhao have their own proportions, and there will be no loss of honor in front of the Queen Mother."

The eldest lady's eyes were full of bright pride, and there was no mention of bringing the concubine into the palace in her words.

Shen Shuzhao glanced at her lightly, she was suppressed by the eldest lady in her previous life, and the opportunity to go to the queen mother's private banquet was not her turn at all, because this was a rare opportunity to directly contact the emperor.

Later, after the banquet, Shen Zhuang Zhao and Shen Xiaozhao stayed for a few days before being sent back. Not long after, the Queen Mother personally chose herself to enter the palace as a concubine.

In the midst of his thoughts, he heard the old lady on the side cough and said, "Zhuang Zhao and Xiaozhao don't have to worry, Shuzhao's docile nature must not make any mistakes in front of the Queen Mother." ”

The eldest lady didn't say anything after listening to the old lady's words, and her amorous eyes lowered slightly, as if she didn't make any plans.

Shen Shuzhao knew that the eldest lady would not reply at this time, and she would still have an excuse to stay in the house in front of her father when she went to the queen mother's palace for a banquet tomorrow, and she could not follow the old path of her previous life, she needed to contact the queen mother in advance and disrupt the queen mother's chess moves.

So what we have to do now is to let ourselves enter the palace for a banquet.

So Shen Shuzhao got up in panic and said respectfully to the old lady: "Shuzhao is not virtuous enough to enter the palace to meet the queen mother, not to mention that grandmother has been ill recently, and Shuzhao would prefer to stay in the mansion to serve grandmother." ”

Hearing this, the old lady kindly touched her head: "Silly child, the Queen Mother's birthday banquet is also very important. ”

"How can this be the same," Shen Shuzhao said righteously: "The Queen Mother is only in her early forties, and she has always been healthy when she hears it, and there will be birthday banquets every year." However, my grandmother only fell seriously ill a few years ago, leaving the root of the disease, and Shuzhao didn't dare to leave her grandmother for about half a step. At that time, my grandmother was seriously ill and Shuzhao could not see her grandmother often, so she could not serve the sick day and night by the bedside, so she had to kneel in front of the Qing Buddha Hall for three hours to pray for her grandmother to burn the hand-copied Buddhist scriptures. Now that Shuzhao can always serve her grandmother, she must do her best to serve her grandmother who is ill, so that she can show her filial piety. ”

After speaking, his eyes were covered with a layer of mist, and a little dew almost wanted to come out of his eyes.

Hearing these words, most of the people present couldn't help but be moved, and the old lady couldn't help but caress Shen Shuzhao's face while sighing: "Yes, five years ago, the old body and this old bone were seriously ill, and this poor girl knelt in the Buddha hall for three days, without eating or drinking, and each time it was full of three hours. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have seen how filial this child is. Later, I called her to the bedside to serve the sick, she tried her best not to relax, once I saw her eyes red and tired to doze, I couldn't bear to wake her up, I didn't expect that I just coughed slightly, the child immediately woke up and hurriedly gave me a bowl of medicine, so that I felt sorry for her in my heart. ”

Speaking of this, the personal maid who served the old lady also showed emotion, and the maid who was originally a fan said: "Yes, the second lady is extremely kind-hearted, and the slave maid accidentally burned her hand when she was clumsy when the old lady was sick, and it was the scalding medicine that the second lady gave her." ”

For a while, the room was filled with an atmosphere of being moved by Shen Shuzhao's filial piety for a long time, but there were only three people who felt incompatible with this atmosphere and felt uncomfortable.

Gradually, things are clearly skewed.

At this time, a voice said slowly: "Since Shuzhao is so filial...... this child"

The eldest lady said, "Why don't you stay here as she wishes?" ”