In the middle of summer in July, the sky is clear and the clouds are not clean. This season's flowering period is strong, and the royal garden is full of fragrance and fragrance.

A long table is set up in the large pavilion by the koi pond, on which incense and refreshments are arranged, all of which are exquisite.

When the time came, the beauties of the harem sat around the table in turn.

Where there are many women, there will be no shortage of intrigue and verbal disputes. Concubine Xu walked into the pavilion in the voice of the inner servant, bowed to the princess, and met with all the concubines.

Gu Yunxi stood proudly behind Concubine Xu's chair and stole a glance towards the long table.

All but three of the young women with delicate faces she recognized.

These three people are Concubine Wanhuang, Gu Yunjin and Sun Shengsheng, who entered the palace at the same time as Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunjin's situation was very different from a year ago, and after Minglan's point, Gu Yunjin seized the opportunity and successfully attracted the attention of Emperor Jingxiao. has been favored many times, and now he has been promoted from a talented person to Jieyu, which is not what it used to be.

I saw that she was wearing a spring peach-colored scattered flower cloud shirt, with a pleated skirt sprinkled with flowers on the ground, a fairy hair bun on her head, and a hairpin on the side, with a bright and lovely complexion.

Sun Shengsheng's seat was next to Gu Yunjin. She was honored to be invited to meet the imperial concubine when she was newly promoted to the palace and celebrate her daughter's meeting with everyone in the harem.

Today, she deliberately got up early in the morning and carefully dressed up.

She is wearing a red hibiscus silk dress, with a water-patterned eight-treasure skirt, a green silk combed into a Ruyi high bun, and a lot of hairpin rings are embellished.

The expensive blue snow on the sideburns swayed down the long tassels, and between the swings, the three bundles of gold thread rice beads shone brightly, lining Zhang Jiao's face like the autumn moon.

The imperial concubine Wan Yuyao sat on the main seat of the long table, with a smoky red moire on her whole body, a mopping skirt lined with blue smoke and purple scales, a red jade drop bead crested gold step on the side of the cross bun, and several colors of silk beads and flowers decorated it.

Seeing that her appearance is beautiful and dignified, her immovable sitting posture is silently revealing a natural nobility. The beautiful eyes are cold and cold, the eyebrows are slender and slightly raised into the sideburns, and the proud appearance of the eyes teaches people to look at it, and they will always feel shuddering.

After seeing the three of them, Gu Yunxi looked around the seat twice, but he didn't find Gu Yunyao and her palace people, there was only one empty chair at the table, and he was not surprised.

It's strange, on such an important day, why didn't Yu Zhaoyi come?

Could it be that my sister is ......

was guessing in a uncertain mind, Jinzhu had already handed over the food box in his hand to Lihu, the palace maid in charge of the Ten Thousand Emperors.

"Sister, is this the cheese cake in your palace? How is it different from the last time you gave it to Hongu? ”

Wan Yuyao's question came from his ears, and his voice was a little harsh.

Anyone can hear that the sharp tail note has brought out a full sense of displeasure.

There was immediately a whisper during the banquet:

"Yo, what is this?"

"Look at the shape is fresh, but dim sum is not like dim sum, glutinous dough is not glutinous dough......"

"Don't make the mother angry, otherwise we will have a good show again, hehe......"

When Gu Yunxi heard this, he hurriedly collected his wandering thoughts, and his eyes quietly turned to Concubine Xu.

I saw her get up in an orderly manner, and said lightly behind her slightly:

"Niangniang didn't know that this ice product was called 'Crispy Mountain', not pastries such as cheese crispy dumplings.

The concubine thought that Niangniang liked to eat cheese, but it was July, just in the middle of summer, so she changed the cheese as the main ingredient to make an ice product to present to Niangniang, which was used to relieve the heat and eliminate the summer.

The mother tasted it first, if it didn't match the taste, the concubine would call the palace people to remake the cheese crispy dumplings. ”

"Ice products?"

Wan Yuyao raised two curved thin eyebrows, and her eyes swept towards the soft and collapsed vertical peaks on the lotus leaf plate.

No matter how you look at it, from her Wan Yuyao's eyes, this strange-looking thing can't be compared with the plates of desserts on the long table.

Wan Yuyao was puzzled at the moment, and secretly wondered, how to say that Concubine Xu is a delicate person, and Su Rili is also cautious about her, the imperial concubine. Today, I will never be so careless, deliberately offering some snacks that I don't like to eat to fool her.

It's just that, if you taste it, let's talk about it. If the taste is really bad, he asked Bengong to take her handle, but he can make things difficult for her at will.

Thinking of the past few times of secret sabotage, but failed to prevent Concubine Xu from giving birth to Lin'er, Wan Yuyao was always worried about this matter.

Today's offering of ice products by Concubine Xu just helped her Wan Yuyao have the handle to control Concubine Xu.

"Since I heard my sister say this, this palace will come to taste this crisp mountain."

Before Wan Yuyao's words fell, Lihu, the palace maid in charge, stepped to the table, took a jade bowl and spoon and dug a spoonful from the crisp mountain, and put it into the jade bowl together with the scorching red and bright cherries, and carefully put it in Wan Yuyao's hand.

There was a sudden silence in the pavilion, several pairs of eyes were staring at Wan Yuyao's every movement, and all the concubines were curious and inquisitive.

And Gu Yunxi and Concubine Xu were even more nervous than them at the moment.

knows that Concubine Wan is a cloudy and uncertain character, so I don't know what kind of face she will change when she tastes this crispy mountain.

Wan Yuyao lazily pinched the spoon handle, put a little soft crispy mountain into her mouth, moved her delicate lips, and then swallowed.

The casual expression on Peach Blossom's face immediately froze, and the beard did not change for a moment.

The concubines were surprised, and one of them couldn't bear it and immediately whispered:

"Niangniang, are you okay?"

"It can't be that it's bad!"

Sun Shengsheng immediately echoed it, lest the world be chaotic.

The discussion of several concubines made Lihu lose her mind on the spot, and she bent down to look at Wan Yuyao, who looked stagnant, and shouted in a panic:

"Mother's ......"

Concubine Xu was shocked, her heart was tense and undulating, and fine sweat formed on her fair forehead.

Gu Yunxi stood behind, unable to control the palace rules, and looked at Wan Yuyao with his eyes raised.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Wan Yuyao slapped the case with one hand and praised it quickly:

"Well, good stuff indeed! The soufflé is sweet, cool in the mouth, and delicious! Sister Xu, there are a lot of new things in your palace! ”

All the concubines were stunned, but Concubine Xu got up from her seat again, and she was secretly relieved.

"Niangniang praised, in the hot summer season, Niangniang still has to work hard for the harem to run her daughter's meeting, and the concubine can make a modest effort to offer an ice product, and she is relieved to resist the heat for Niangniang. The concubine only wants the mother to like it, and it is good not to think that this food is coarse. ”

"Where, come and sit down."

Wan Yuyao was indeed happy to eat this time, and the amazing light in her eyes flickered frequently, and she praised Concubine Xu repeatedly:

"If you want to come to the ice products in the dining room, every year is nothing more than some mung bean paste and braised plum water, and it is always tasteless after eating it for a long time. Sister Xu, in the end, the people in your palace are the most ingenious, and they can make such delicious and unique ice products! ”

With a slight turn in her eyes, Wan Yuyao looked at Lihu and commanded:

"Distribute this plate of crispy mountains to the sisters, and everyone will come together to relieve the summer heat."

Lihu responded, did as he did, walked to the seats of each concubine, and dialed the spoons into their bowls one by one.

Because they were praised by the imperial concubine, the concubines looked at the ice in the bowl and echoed:

"Oh, this ice dish is so exquisite! The white and tender look is appetizing. ”

"It's delicious, it's really delicious, it's the first time I've eaten ice cream made of cheese!"

They have always known that the survival of Gong Yu depends on being able to stand in line. Whatever the Imperial Concubine does, as long as they follow it, it is to show her determination to stand in her team to keep themselves safe.

Wan Yuyao calmly sipped tea with a teacup in her hand, but her sharp eyes were looking at the concubines at the table, seeing that they were all smiling and charming.

There has never been a shortage of young and beautiful women in the harem, and when I thought back then, I was as young and immature as them, and I also had three thousand favors.

Now in a glorious high position, Yu Yin Ziyan looked down on the beautiful women like clouds, warblers and Yanyan, and there was an endless taste in his heart.

Lihu returned to Wan Yuyao after a week around the table, and whispered with his head bowed:

"Back to Niangniang, the slave and maid have already distributed the Crisp Mountain to the little masters, but at such an hour, I haven't seen Yu Zhaoyi from Xiaoyexuan coming."

Wan Yuyao's face suddenly sank, her eyes were like torches, and she glanced coldly at the empty seat, with a cold smile on her lips:

"In the end, he is a person who has been favored by the emperor, and his body is more delicate than ours. This sister Yu has been recuperating for almost half a year, and now she doesn't even attend the daughter's meeting hosted by the palace, and it seems that she is so sick that the palace can't please move her. ”

There was silence all around.

Gu Yunxi's complexion changed slightly, but he didn't dare to say much because of his status as a subordinate, so he had to clench his slender jade hand into a fist, and secretly sweated for Gu Yunyao.

Her eyes flickered, and she inadvertently saw Gu Yunjin's eyes in that place, her eyes were cold, her lips were indifferent, and she pulled out a faint sinister smile.

By her side, Sun Shengsheng proudly stood tall and said with a heart:

"To say that Yu Zhaoyi is really uninteresting, the annual daughter's meeting is also an important day in the palace. Hengzhu is so sick that he can't afford to get up, so he should send a slave to come over and make a sound. In this way, where do you put your mother? ”

She shouted loudly, causing the concubines to talk again:

"yes, that's ridiculous!"

"This clearly doesn't take our mother in his eyes!"

Gu Yunxi stood silently behind Concubine Xu, his eyes swept fiercely over the faces in the banquet, wanting to firmly engrave their ugly faces in his heart.

In the chaos, Sun Shengsheng ignored Wan Yuyao's increasingly gloomy face, and looked at Gu Yunjin next to him.

To be honest, Sun Shengsheng has not been in the palace for a long time, just because his father is in the second rank and has a prominent status, although he was not called to accept favor, as soon as he entered the palace, he first sealed the position of the fourth grade Jieyu.

Within a few days in the palace, Sun Shengsheng relied on red envelopes to dredge around, and had inquired about the family background of the harem concubines.

She knew that Gu Yunjin, who was sitting next to her, was born in the Gongyuan, and she was the righteous daughter of the former head of the Gongyuan when she was a child, and her background was far less noble than herself. It was only because he had been in the palace for a long time and relied on some unspeakable means to confuse the emperor that he climbed to the position of Jieyu today.

How could such a lowly woman sit on an equal footing with her, the daughter of the governor of Liangguang?

Holding a trace of gloomy laugh lines, Sun Shengsheng turned his head to look at Gu Yunjin, and said in a rambling voice:

"Jin Jieyu and Yu Zhaoyi have the same surname, and the maiden name is only one word apart. I heard that you are all the daughters of the former head of the Gongyuan, and you have been sisters for more than ten years. Yu Zhaoyi is so arrogant and rude, and no one is in her eyes, you should have known her character as a sister, right? ”

Sun Shengsheng's question was nothing more than a reminder to everyone present that the absent Yu Zhaoyi and Jin Jieyu were sisters. The elder sister was rude, and the younger sister naturally couldn't get out of it, so while hitting Gu Yunyao with words, she also wanted to pull Gu Yunjin into the water.

No matter how stupid Gu Yunjin is, he has been in the deep palace for two years, how can he not know the meaning of Sun Shengsheng's words?

Her complexion immediately changed greatly, her heart hung high, and she looked at the cold people present with an extremely nervous expression.

Quickly getting up, Gu Yunjin bowed deeply to Wan Yuyao and said:

"Before entering the palace, although the concubine practiced in the tribute academy with Yu Zhaoyi, she was favored by the previous head and accepted under her name, and she had no contact in private.

The concubine also heard that Yu Zhaoyi's health was not very good in the past half a year, and she was never seen in the harem. As for why she was absent from her daughter's meeting today, the concubine really didn't know, and she still hoped that Niangniang would know it. ”

Without waiting for Wan Yuyao to speak, Sun Shengsheng, who was at the head of the group, raised his voice again:

"What a good sister, you're clean!"

"You ......"

Gu Yunjin was ashamed and indignant, and was about to fight back, but was interrupted by Wan Yuyao's voice:

"Okay, they're all sisters, don't hurt the harmony for such a trivial matter. Since Yu Zhaoyi is inconvenient to come, let her go. ”

Sun Shengsheng's expression was stunned, and he looked at Wan Yuyao on the main seat in confusion, and immediately changed to a bright smile:

"In the end, it is a mother's magnanimity, and she doesn't care about hypocritical people."

After speaking, he raised his eyebrows proudly and looked around, expecting to be praised by Wan Yuyao.

Although the imperial concubine is not the lord of the East Palace, the concubine is second only to the queen and takes charge of the affairs of the six palaces. If you can take advantage of today's incident to tie up with tens of thousands of imperial concubines, it will naturally be great.

The sharp color was slightly constricted, Wan Yuyao slowly lowered her eyes, holding the teacup in her hand, and her fair index finger gently stroked the edge of the gold-painted cup.

The cold light in her bright eyes burst out, silently gathering towards Sun Shengsheng's delicate and tender pink face, and then quietly wandering around her in exquisite clothes.

It is also a red brocade robe, worn on a young girl, and it is eye-catching......

This Governor Sun's family background is admittedly rich, not to mention what Sun Shengsheng wears on his head, the fiery red palace clothes on his body alone are expensive. It's no wonder that a delicate beauty has been cultivated with a lot of arbitrariness and pride.

Such a look, such a heart, such a sharp mouth, and such a taboo-free dress......

Wan Yuyao's eyes were dark and cold, and a low cold snort came out of her nose.

When the palace maid saw Niangniang's posture of holding the cup lightly, she knew that she was angry, so she silently observed the concubines present, waiting for the master's next moment's orders.

The long voice of the waiter outside rang out in vain, breaking the once cold scene in the pavilion:

"Dawn Night Xuan Yu Zhaoyi arrives-"