Yan Xiaowei stared at the somewhat hot letterhead and was silent.

That is to say, it stands to reason that if there is a banquet in the palace, it should be the head of the Yan family, Liu, or the eldest daughter Yan Haiyue, who should be invited, why did this letterhead actually skip these two people and fall directly on his head?

Although I think the origin of my name on this invitation is a little strange, but the palace specially sent someone to send it, and it is not okay not to go.

Therefore, early in the morning of the second day, Yan Xiaowei bathed and changed clothes, wearing dignified and dignified palace clothes, and followed Yan's father in the carriage and went straight to the palace.

When I arrived at the palace, I found that on weekdays, the majestic hall buildings were decorated with fiery red lanterns and colorful banners at the moment, which looked a lot softer and more festive, and even the faces of the palace maids and eunuchs were sticky with a lot of joy, and they were all smiling.

On the birthday of the queen mother, many civil and military officials and their families were invited to the palace to congratulate her, but after all, there is a difference between men and women. Therefore, except for the emperor and the queen mother, who were arranged on the high steps, the other ministers and princes were all arranged in the main hall outside the Kunning Palace, and the concubines and princesses and other female dependents were arranged in the inner hall separated by a curtain.

Yan Xiaowei said goodbye to Yan's father at the door, and walked all the way into the inner hall according to the guidance of a little palace maid.

Today, in order to look festive and not very showy, she specially chose a cuiyan gown, with a scattered flower mist skirt, in this snowy winter, like a small grass seedling that has just sprouted, lively and not impetuous. However, when she walked into the inner hall, she found that she was simply a sweeping maid compared to other women who were full of flowers and branches, fragrant powder and rouge.

But that's good, she was invited for some reason, and this dress can help her hide in the corner, and stay up until the end of the banquet.

After a long time, the auspicious time has arrived, and the people who went to the banquet are all in place, and the eunuch in the palace said loudly in a sharp voice: "The emperor and the queen have arrived!" ”

Bai Li Ying and the queen mother Lu Shi were surrounded by the female eunuchs of the palace and came to the seat, Bai Li Ying was wearing a bright yellow brocade dragon robe, a jade crown on her head, and a golden dragon Shu embroidered belt on her waist, which looked particularly magnificent. Empress Lu was dressed in a bright red dress, her hair was raised high, two hundred birds and phoenix golden hairpins were inserted on both sides of the bun, and she wore a pair of pearl jade gold collars around her neck.

Bai Li Ying's eyes swept over the people present, and she said loudly: "Today is the queen's fiftieth birthday, and it coincides with my concubine Mi who has just been diagnosed with a happy pulse, and she has been pregnant for more than 20 days. Therefore, two joys and one joy, specially invited ministers and civil and military officials to celebrate! ”

When everyone heard this, they hurriedly said to Bai Liying: "Congratulations to the emperor, congratulations to the queen, congratulations to Concubine Mi!" ”

Bai Liying nodded to everyone, and then waved her hand to a corner of the main hall. Between the hands rising and falling, the pearl door curtain in that corner was picked up by the palace maid, and then, a woman dressed in a gorgeous costume was surrounded by people and walked onto the empty seat next to Bai Liying.

Whispers suddenly sounded in the hall, as if they were all discussing the woman who had just sat in the seat.

Yan Xiaoyi deliberately chose a corner to sit in an avoidable corner, and it was like a galaxy separated from Baili Ying, so the surrounding ladies were even more unscrupulous in their discussions.

A woman said: "Hey, do you see, this one who came up here is Concubine Mi!" ”

The other was clearly disdainful and gloating in his tone: "What, didn't you say that today's banquet is to congratulate the queen on her birthday?" This concubine came with such fanfare, didn't she steal the limelight? If you look at the face of the queen mother, it is simply a stiff smile! ”

The previous woman sighed: "What about the stiff smile, now the second prince is still sitting on the throne of His Royal Highness the Prince, and the future imperial concubine is also firmly in the hands of Queen Lu!" What can this concubine do today? She is now pregnant with seeds in her belly, and she doesn't know if it's a male or a female! Take 10,000 steps back, even if she is pregnant with a boy, how much time will she have to waste when she is born and raised? There are so many princes in this palace, I don't believe that the emperor can pass on the throne to a little cub who doesn't know anything! ”

The other woman was also concerned, but she still said: "Although what you said is reasonable, this concubine really can't be underestimated!" I heard that she was born in a low-class Hanshi, and she accidentally had a dewy marriage with the emperor. But somehow, he obeyed the emperor's heart and sent people all the way into the palace! Although I haven't been able to get pregnant in the past two or three years, I am finally pregnant! I think, according to the emperor's favor for her, even if her child can't ascend the throne in the future, she will definitely not be wronged! ”

"Hmph, it's hard to say what the future holds. She is out of the limelight now, but you see, the faces of several concubines and concubines present are stinky, and it is hard to guarantee which one will be included in the thorn in the eye! ”

The more these two people talked, the more bold they became, Yan Xiaowei couldn't help but want to look back, who was it, who dared to talk like this in the palace, aren't they afraid of eyeliner in the palace?

Surprised in his heart, one of the women suddenly whispered: "Shh, don't say it, Concubine Mi just came to see it!" ”

Another woman sneered: "What are you afraid of, after such a distance, can she still hear it?" It's not clairvoyant! ”

However, although the tone was disdainful, he did not say anything more.

Yan Xiaowei was originally not very interested in these royal things, but when she was hooked by the conversation between these two women, she also crossed the top of everyone's heads, and raised her eyes to look at Concubine Mi on the stage from afar.

It doesn't matter if you look at it, when you see Concubine Mi's true face, I was shocked that the jade bottle with wine in her hand was almost overturned by her!

Because that Concubine Mi is none other than the woman who was looking for her at the Mingxuan Inn more than a month ago!

At the beginning, she pointed out to the woman that oleander and cinnamon branches were the cause of her infertility, but she didn't expect that in just 20 days, she was really pregnant!

I don't know if she sensed her gaze, Yan Xiaoyun saw that Concubine Mi suddenly looked sideways at where she was! It was too far away for her to see it very clearly, but in the dark, the concubine seemed to smile at her from afar.

Yan Xiaoyi's head was empty, and somehow, she felt uneasy in her heart.

When she first came to see herself, she didn't say who she was. No, it should be said that in order to hide her identity, she claimed to be a southerner, and even lied to herself!

There are many doctors in the palace, but she disguised herself to go out of the palace to see a doctor, is the people in the palace hostile to her, or does she not believe the people in the palace? Either way, it's not a good thing!

I think that when she was suppressing bandits in Qingyun Mountain, Bai Liying invited her to go to the Tai Hospital to be the imperial doctor, but she was afraid of the complicated relationship in the royal family, and she was afraid of being implicated, so she refused! I didn't expect to be targeted by the people in the palace!

She bit her lip, and lost interest in the delicacies on the table in front of her for a moment, and kept thinking in her heart, that Concubine Mi would not involve herself in the battle of the harem, right?

In the midst of his thoughts, the sound of silk and bamboo in his ears, the dancers began to dance, and the singers raised their voices, and the banquet was harmonious for a while.

I don't know if the stamina of wine came up just now, Yan Xiaoyi's chest was a little stuffy.

She looked at the women sitting together in twos and threes, and instantly felt that she was a little alone, and took advantage of the people around her to pay no attention, and bowed down and retreated from the inner hall.

Slipping out of the side door, the north wind mixed with the snow blew away her hot heart. Thinking that the fox fur was still in the inner hall, and the palace was big and unfamiliar, she didn't dare to walk around, so she only slowly blew the wind along the stone path.

As I walked, I suddenly had something red and pink on the branches in front of me, which looked very special in this snowy winter. As if she was being dragged by something, she stepped over. When I got closer, I realized that these were all plum trees, and the red and pink colors I just saw were the buds on the branches. Some have just emerged, some have grown to the size of a little fingernail, and their mouths are slightly opened and closed, as if they are about to bloom!

In the middle of winter, people shiver with cold after standing outside for a long time, how did this bud endure this cold winter?

was stretching out his hand to brush a plum branch and was about to study it carefully, when suddenly a female voice came from behind him: "Amazing, right?" In such a cold and snowy place, plum blossoms are actually about to bloom! ”

Yan Xiaowei was startled by the sudden voice, and when she looked back, she saw a woman in a brocade dress, about thirty years old, wearing a white-haired fox fur, and her long clothes were dragging on the ground. She was followed by a little palace maid holding a hand stove in her hand.

Although Yan Xiaowei didn't recognize her, judging from her dress and the fact that she dared to speak loudly in the palace and walk around at will, she should be the concubine in the palace.

Seeing that Yan Xiaoyu was stunned, she didn't react, but walked over, raised her hand to break off a plum branch that was about to open and put it in her hand, stared at the small pink bud on it and said, "However, this plum blossom is not something that can bloom casually." In order to be able to open in advance in this cold winter, more than a dozen palace daughters and eunuchs held burning charcoal in this plum forest every day to smoke three times in the morning, noon and evening, and it took nearly a month to never stop every day, and finally urged the plum blossoms of this plum forest out in advance! ”

Yan Xiaoyi's eyes fell on the plum forest, no wonder there was thick snow around this plum forest, but there was no plum tree underneath, presumably it was the reason for the charcoal fire.

The woman handed the plum branch in her hand to the little palace maid behind her, turned her head to look at Yan Xiaoyi, and suddenly said with some meaning: "This is just like Miss Yan, some people may not be able to conceive a child, after Miss Yan pointed out by the side, the obstacle was removed, so she was conceived immediately!" ”

Yan Xiaoyu was shocked, was she talking about Concubine Mi? How did she know?

Yan Xiaowei frowned, and looked at the woman deeply: "You know me?" ”

As soon as the words fell, the little palace maid behind the woman snorted coldly: "Presumptuous, this is Concubine Mei, and she won't be saluted when she sees it!" ”

Yan Xiaowei pursed the corners of her lips, and was about to speak, Concubine Mei suddenly hooked the corners of her lips and waved her hand: "That's it, she is a little girl from the countryside, don't be harsh on her!" ”

Yan Xiaoyi's heart sank, this Concubine Mei is really not simple, not only knew that she helped Concubine Mi find the reason for her infertility, but also knew her life experience well.

What exactly does she want to do?

Maybe it was the sudden change in her face, Concubine Mei suddenly smiled coldly: "Now you know that you are afraid?" When you first helped Concubine Mi, why didn't you think of being afraid? As she spoke, she took a step forward, and there was only half a step between her and Yan Xiaoyi.

Although Yan Xiaoyi's stature is higher, she still obviously feels the oppression of momentum.

Concubine Mei stared at her for a moment, and said slowly: "That Concubine Mi has not been able to conceive a dragon seed for more than three years after entering the palace, and she will slip immediately when she is pregnant. There are obviously so many imperial doctors in the palace, but no one told her why, do you know why? Because, there are people who don't want her to get pregnant! However, just come out of you who is so bold and reckless, do you know, who did you offend by inadvertently helping Concubine Mi like this? ”

Seeing Yan Xiaoyi's eyes widen and looking at her, Concubine Mei suddenly chuckled: "Don't worry, Concubine Mi is pregnant, although this palace doesn't like it, but it hasn't reached the point where it wants your life, you have offended someone other than me!" When the palace was preparing for this banquet, it was really curious how bold the powerful people in the palace looked at the time of offending them, so I specially added your name under the name of Mrs. Yan in person. ”

"But," she said, shaking her head, "it looks like she's just a little girl." This palace sees that you are pitiful, so I would like to remind you that you are about to be in great trouble, so you must be extra careful! ”

Yan Xiaoyi's heart sank, but she was still quite calm on the surface: "The courtiers are just seeking truth from facts to solve people's problems, and I didn't know that person was Concubine Mi Niangniang at the time, if you really involve me in the complicated battle in the palace because I pointed out the reason for Concubine Mi's infertility, isn't it too unreasonable?" ”

Concubine Mei smiled lightly and tilted her head slightly: "Unreasonable? Oh, so you're still a little girl, in this palace, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat dried shrimp. The law of the jungle is the rule, how can there be any reason! ”

She suddenly raised her hand, pinned the hair flowing on her cheeks behind her ears under Yan Xiaoyi's guarded gaze, and said with a smile: "Seriously, I'm really a little curious!" Can you hold on to it, little girl? ”

Yan Xiaoyu turned her head to avoid her cold hand.

Concubine Mei's hands were empty, her eyes touched Yan Xiaoyi's burning gaze, and she pursed her lips and smiled, obviously gloating.

Yan Xiaowei was inexplicably a little angry, she couldn't help but get close to Concubine Mei, her eyes did not shy away from looking directly at her, and said word by word: "Anyway, I just do things with the mood of my doctor, and I have no intention of getting involved in your disputes!" It doesn't matter to me how you want to fight, but if you want to target me and trample me under your feet, then I must not be a turtle with a shrunken head! ”

Concubine Mei's eyes sparkled, and she looked at her with interest: "Oh? Then there will be a good show right away, what a pleasure! ”

This woman deliberately invited her to the banquet in the palace, and deliberately told her that she had nothing to do with it, but she was obviously not at ease! While she's not necessarily the one behind the scenes who is ready to fight against her, she's certainly not a good person either!

As he spoke, a male voice suddenly came from behind him: "Aunt Mei? ”

When Concubine Mei heard this, she turned her head from Yan Xiaoyi's confrontation and looked at the source of the sound, and Yan Xiaoyun also looked sideways.

The Nine Emperor Princes, Baili Ye Su, stood not far away, touched the eyes of the two of them, and walked over slowly, wearing a red dress that stood out in the snow.

Xu drank the wine, and his cheeks were a little red: "On this cold day, what kind of cold wind is blowing here!" ”

Concubine Mei glanced at him vigilantly, and raised the corner of her mouth: "Why, if you can come to this palace, you can't come?" ”

Baili Ye Su hooked his lips and smiled: "Aunt Mei still speaks so directly, I can't complain that my father likes your pungent personality, there is really no one with such a character as Aunt Mei in these six palaces!" You don't have to worry about Ye Su, Ye Su just drank wine and came out to blow the wind, and it's okay if he doesn't go back for a while. But Aunt Mei, you seem to have been out for a while, right? Father has been muttering about why he didn't see you since just now! ”

When Concubine Mei heard this, her face suddenly changed, she beckoned to the little palace maid on the side, and hurriedly walked down the stone path.

Baili Yesu looked at Concubine Mei's stumbling back, the corners of her lips that had just been hooked were raised, and she lowered her eyes to look at Yan Xiaoyi: "What did she tell you just now?" ”

Yan Xiaoyun was stunned, this palace has always been complicated, and Concubine Mei is very anxious, she can't let the Nine Emperor Princes fall into disputes because of herself. So he bit his lip and finally swallowed what he wanted to say.

She shook her head: "I didn't say anything, I just met by chance while walking!" Afraid that he would continue to ask, she raised her head and smiled at him refreshingly: "Your Highness the Nine, I haven't seen you for a long time!" ”

Baili Ye's frowning eyebrows loosened slightly, nodded, and his eyes darkened: "It's been a long time since I saw you, I heard my starling brother say that his medical hall Qiancaotang also has your share." When I go out of the palace occasionally, I always go to his place to sit, but I never meet you. ”

Yan Xiaoyi's face was gloomy: "Speaking of which, I feel quite sorry for His Highness the Nine, I originally told him to go to Qiancao Hall to sit in the hall." However, my Lian Yitang is too busy, and there are things at home, so I rarely even go. Speaking of this, she tilted her head: "Since you want to see me, why didn't you go to Lian Yitang?" If you go to Lian Yi Tang, you will definitely find me! ”

Baili Ye Su looked at her vivid face, and suddenly wanted to reach out and touch it, but his right hand stretched out, and he just clenched his fist to his mouth and pretended to cough.

What do you want him to say, saying that he not only goes to Lian Yitang often, but also takes down the teahouse opposite her medical hall. Occasionally see her through the window on the second floor sending out a patient with leg problems?

Or did he originally want to say hello and talk to her, but when he saw the shadow guard left by Rong Xiu beside her, he always reminded her that she was actually a person with a marriage contract, so he felt unbearable pain in his heart?