After lunch, the cicadas chirp hypnotize. Yao Duran just let go of the green silk and lay down leisurely on the beauty couch, who knew that at this time, Fuquan came in.

"Niangniang, Mrs. Ling asks to see you."

Yao Duran was very surprised, and was confused for a moment: "Mrs. Ling? Where did Mrs. Ling come from? ”

Fu Quan said: "Niangniang, that is, Concubine Ling, who was posthumously named Concubine Yue by His Majesty, is her mother." ”

Yao Duran realized this: "It turned out to be the famous Ling family. It's just that this guest is abrupt and presumptuous, so what's the matter? ”

"I don't know about the minions, but Mrs. Ling has a lot of gifts in her hands."

Yao Duran became more and more foggy, muttered for a moment, and said, "Go and invite her in." ”

When Mrs. Ling led the maids and maids on the left and right to come in with large bags and small bags, Yao Duran had already sat down on the beauty couch, and Biya and Qingtang also served refreshments.

The hall is spacious and gorgeous, and the fragrance is lingering. As soon as Mrs. Ling came in, Yao Duran's eyes lit up. is worthy of being the mother of Concubine Ling, a noble lady of the powerful family, and she can't really see her age if she is well maintained, her skin is fair and stretched, her eyebrows are beautiful, and she is graceful and noble. Moreover, there is no restraint between the behaviors, but the down-and-out generosity, and the demeanor of everyone.

She Shi Shiran came to her couch not far away and bowed: "The courtiers visit Concubine Chen, I wish the lady a long time and happiness, and will not stop pampering." ”

Yao Duran was dignified and deserved, and said with a smile: "I borrowed Mrs. Ling's auspicious words, Mrs. please get up, give me a seat." ”

Qingtang moved the round stool, Mrs. Ling Xie En sat down, looked left and right at her side, and said politely with a smile: "Niangniang, this is a little bit of the courtier's filial piety to Niangniang, and I hope that Niangniang is not too polite, and it is good to accept it with a smile." ”

Yao Duran didn't look at her gift, a pair of beautiful eyes only lingered on her face, and she smiled lightly: "No merit, the first time I saw Mrs. in this palace, Mrs. moved a heavy gift, which inevitably made this palace a little confused." ”

Mrs. Ling lowered her eyes and smiled, and said generously: "Don't be in a hurry to refuse, the courtiers came to Niangniang, and they also brought a few words from the bottom of their hearts, hoping to talk to Niangniang." ”

"Oh? Mrs. Ling, please speak. ”

Madam Ling looked sideways at the two maids behind her: "Let's go down first." ”

Yao Duran understood, and this also ordered Biya and Qingtang to retreat.

When there was no one in the hall, Mrs. Ling smiled calmly: "Su Wen Niangniang is a cheerful person, and she doesn't like to beat around the bush, so the courtiers are outspoken, and Wang Niangniang is not careful." ”

Yao Du smiled at the corner of her lips and said, "Madame said it directly." ”

Madame Ling's eyes wandered, she looked around the dormitory, and said, "As everyone knows, since Niangniang entered the palace, she has been very favored by His Majesty, and she can be described as a supreme favor. But there is another saying that is good, the king's heart is unpredictable, so the holy grace still needs something to strengthen it. Niangniang is a native of North Vietnam, and when she came to Nanqian, she naturally had no shield behind her, and no one in front of her. Now, our Ling family wants to attach to Niangniang and let Niangniang rely on it, I don't know what Niangniang wants? ”

After hearing this, Yao Duran was really curious about her purpose today. First of all, it was a heavy gift outside the body, and then it came to rely on behind him, which is not trivial.

Yao Duran said meaningfully: "I don't know, what can this palace do for the Ling family?" ”

Mrs. Ling still smiled calmly: "Niangniang is really fast-talking, Niangniang must be a good word in front of Your Majesty." Don't hide it from the mother, the woman entered the palace today to visit the little girl, the little girl Ling Blowing Dream, is the sister of Concubine Ling Zhiyi, and now she enters the palace as a show girl, and she hopes to enter His Majesty's dragon robe. And the day of this palace election is approaching, Lord Ling hopes that Niangniang can open her mouth when the time comes. ”

Yao Duran suddenly realized when he heard this.

It turned out that the Ling family sent another daughter, who was for Ling Xiunu, and hoped that Ling Xiunu would successfully settle in the harem and have a bright future.

"Hehe......" Yao Duran chuckled twice and said something unabashed.

"Mrs. Ling went back and told Lord Ling, the show girl Ling Chuimeng's plan was defeated, and there would be no possibility of accompanying the king in the slightest. In this matter, Mo said that the palace had a good word, thinking that the Empress Dowager Yuan He was still alive, and he could not persuade His Majesty to change his mind. ”

Mrs. Ling's expression changed suddenly, and she blurted out, "Niangniang actually said it so deadly? ”

Yao Duran said: "This palace is just telling the truth. As for the reason, your Ling family knows it best in your heart, so why bother to embarrass others again? It's a pity that this palace has no blessing to rely on your Ling family. ”

Mrs. Ling's face condensed again and again: "Is Niangniang rejecting people for thousands of miles like this?" According to the courtier's view, there are only things that Niangniang doesn't want to do, and there is nothing that Niangniang can't do. Who doesn't know that His Majesty's dragon heart is all on Niangniang. If the mother is willing to speak well, His Majesty will definitely adopt it. This is also the reason why the courtiers came to visit Niangniang directly, instead of going to Concubine Shu and Concubine Jing to do useless work. ”

Yao Duran smiled lightly, stretched out his hand and picked up the camellia from the beauty couch, twisted it between his fingers, and said, "Are you fools in the Ling family as the main palace?" First, Your Majesty will not choose Ling Xiunu at all, why should this palace do such a flattering thing and insist on forcing Your Majesty? Second, your Ling family is powerful, but no matter how big it is, it can't be as big as the Xiao family, if this palace takes refuge in your family, it will be hostile to the Xiao family, and this palace is still alive under the hands of the queen, so why should you lose a big one because of a small one? ”

She put down the flowers in her hand, raised her eyes to look at her, and said clearly: "Lord Ling must have thought that this palace has no foundation in Nanqian, and even if it is favored, it is just an embroidered pillow for the prince, how can there be any wisdom at all, so it will be strung up as soon as your kind words are brightened, and then I can't wait to get close to the big tree of your Ling family." However, although this palace has no wisdom, it is not stupid enough to do this. ”

Mrs. Ling was stunned when she heard this, and only then did she realize that her husband really underestimated this woman, but now she saw through it in turn. Sure enough, how can there be simple people in the harem?

After the chagrin was over, Mrs. Ling didn't give up, and her tongue bloomed again: "Niangniang, what can you count as a momentary situation?" Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, even the tiles on that house still have three antis and three positives! Why should the mother be short-sighted and only look at the present? Since then, we have relied on each other, and the mother and the little girl have also become a pair of sisters in the deep palace, supporting each other, and the left and right companions are loved by His Majesty, and Lord Ling will rise in the previous dynasty? ”

Yao Duran saw that she still didn't give up, and wanted to use these empty words like a mirror to persuade her, wouldn't she be a fool again? She was immediately a little annoyed, and said unceremoniously: "According to the palace, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, it is a great luck that your Ling family has not gone downhill, and the tide is still rising?" At the beginning, because of Ling Zhiyi's death, your Ling family did not distinguish between right and wrong, and together with the Eight Parties, they fought together with His Majesty in the court, and this matter had already chilled His Majesty's heart! But Your Majesty is benevolent and has never suppressed your Ling family because of this matter, and now you are not happy about it, and you want to send another daughter to the palace, is this possible? Or in your hearts, Your Majesty is used to being romantic, so you should have no interest to that point, let you Ling Jiasai whoever wants whom?! ”

Mrs. Ling was speechless by her words, and held back for a long time before she said with shame: "What Niangniang said is naturally good, but what happened at the beginning was just a misunderstanding, Your Majesty didn't suppress our Ling family, why didn't you forgive this matter?" Why is it impossible to accept my daughter of the Ling family again? ”

Yao Duran said: "If Mrs. Ling has such confidence, why did she come to this palace?" Okay, Mrs. Ling should find another way out, this matter can't be done by this palace. Drop-off! ”

"!" Mrs. Ling wanted to ask again, but she saw that she had slowly gotten up, walked up the steps without squinting, and walked behind the swaying bead curtain.

Seeing that she was resolute, Mrs. Ling said in her heart that this matter was yellow on yellow, so what are you doing in a low voice? At this time, if you don't get back the style and face that you have lost for a long time, when will you wait? Thinking about it, she changed her attitude in an instant, took back the noble lady's shelf, got up and said without humility or arrogance: "It turns out that Niangniang is also a person with no ambitions, afraid of the Xiao family, afraid of the queen, since this is the case, she can only condescend to others for the rest of her life, and look at people's faces, it is really in vain to be favored." The courtiers retired. ”

"Wait." The bead curtain swayed, Yao Duran walked out slowly, standing on the three steps to look at her, her eyebrows were cold: "What?" This palace has climbed your family, so you don't have to condescend to others for the rest of your life? Is this another fool of Hongu? To say something bold, if this palace supports your daughter to enter the palace to be favored, even if you can fight the Xiao family in the future, pull the queen off the horse, and then the position will be vacant, if you don't support your daughter as the successor, can you still come to support the palace? In the end, this palace is just from the Xiao family's subordinates and then to the Ling family's subordinates, when will there be a piece of heaven in the palace? ”

"Mrs. Ling, this palace will respect the queen well and keep peace with the Xiao family, if you Ling family want to do anything, the queen will not allow it first, and this palace will be the second. Okay, go ahead, give full play to your Ling family's abilities, this palace must study hard, what is the aspiration! ”

Mrs. Ling underestimated her, and at this time, she was defeated by her in a few words, and she was speechless.

When Mrs. Ling rode away on the donkey, Yao Duran returned to the beauty couch. She looked at the spring light outside the window, and said a sentence with a smile.

"The palace election is approaching, refuse people for thousands of miles, don't be moved, it will last for a long time."

I see, what a Yuan Mohua. She laughed silently, and after a little thought, she understood.

Sure enough, after a while, Lu Yan entered the palace again. The two of them sat and drank tea on the terrace, and the spring was clear and leisurely, but today's green corner looked preoccupied.

Yao Duran felt that something was wrong and asked, "Lu Lang, but what has happened to you recently?" ”

Lu Yan shook his head with a smile, lowered his head and blew on the tea leaves, and said, "Sister, I'm fine." By the way, now that the palace election is approaching, the officials and wives in Beijing have begun to walk the door for their show girls. Whether these show girls can be selected or not is also related to the concubines in the palace. When accompanying the palace election, if any lady is willing to say a few kind words in His Majesty's ear, it will also have a light or heavy weight. Especially a favorite concubine like my sister, how could she not be curryed favor with the officials and wives during this critical period? ”

Yao Duran didn't wait for her to continue, and took the initiative to answer: "So, some official wives have already rushed to visit you in the Yuan Mansion, and they want to win me over through you, so that I can help their family's beautiful words, right?" ”

And Yuan Mohua, seeing these in his eyes, not only advised Lu Yan not to do things for them, but also personally admonished her when borrowing horses.