The Empress Dowager's lunch was only a symbolic few bites, facing a table full of delicacies from the mountains and seas, but she did not have much appetite.

After the Lian family settled several family members in the house, they carefully dressed Chang Lingyan again and let her go to the flower hall to serve tea and cloth dishes in front of the Empress Dowager.

Chang Lingyan served attentively and thoughtfully, and there were no more or no less, just right, the taste of the Empress Dowager was also inquired about in advance, and the dishes on the plate in front of her were all dishes she liked. But it is precisely because of this that the Empress Dowager has an uncomfortable feeling of being spied on, and she is very unhappy.

In the palace, the palace maids and eunuchs are waiting for her day and night, and it is understandable to figure out her preferences, but in a strange environment, someone asks about the trivial bits and pieces of your life so carefully, which makes people can't help but feel tired, like flies in the throat. In particular, what she is most tired of is that Lian's self-inflicted clever tactics always remind her of those foxes in the palace who jump up and down and compete for favor by unscrupulous means.

The Empress Dowager put aside the silver ivory basket and waved her hand at Chang Lingyan, but a heavy smile slowly spread on her face, slightly bent her eyebrows, and praised Chang Lingyan, and she was quite favored in her words.

Ling Yan advanced and retreated to a certain extent, and the Queen Mother smiled and rewarded a pair of Hetian white jade concubine bracelets, and put them on her wrist with her own hands, and then changed the topic abruptly, and knocked a few nephews on the side, saying that they had not taken enough care of Yuehua over the years, and had lost the friendship of real relatives.

Several masters all responded resignedly.

She quickly ended her return to the province, sat on the phoenix chariot in the respectful hugs of her children and nephews, and the honor guard left the Hou Ye's mansion in a mighty manner.

Mama Lin is also old, and when the Empress Dowager left the palace, she gave a reward to the carriage, but she still followed Feng Yuan step by step, walking with a straight head and neck and flat shoulders, and a straight board.

The Empress Dowager suddenly stopped Feng Yuan, turned most of her body sideways, lowered her head and listened to Mama Lin whispering, frowned slightly, and doubted: "Did she really say that?" ”

Mama Lin nodded: "I'm afraid it's more than that, when the word came, I hid a lot, and I only chose the important ones and didn't offend your old man." ”

The Empress Dowager straightened her body, supported the gorse hairpin on her head, and looked full of interest: "A little girl in the courtyard of a deep house, her eyes are so vicious, even Zhiren can't see the situation in a daze, she can actually analyze it with a sharp point, and she really deserves to be the daughter of the Chu family." Originally, my heart was still wavering, so it seemed that there was nothing to hesitate about, it was sure to be her. You send someone to pass the word, so that the people in our uncle's mansion are vigilant. ”

Mama Lin nodded: "Then in the Hou Ye's mansion?" ”

"The mourning family sees that Zhiren still has a little bit of protection for that girl, and I still have love on weekdays, as for Lian's, she is willing to toss as much as she wants, and I have been looking at that Lian's is not very pleasing to the eye, even if she digs a pit and buries herself, she will go."

Mama Lin immediately understood and responded: "The old slave will do it immediately." ”

As soon as she turned around, the Empress Dowager stopped her again: "Don't forget to remind the second master, for the sake of comprehensiveness, filter the incident back then to see if there are any fish that slipped through the net?" ”

Mama Lin also bowed her head respectfully, and as soon as she raised her hand, the Empress Dowager's phoenix chariot continued to move forward slowly, flooding half of the street in a beautiful manner.

Yuehua in the Hou Ye's mansion simply said that she was sick and no longer went out, and the lunch was taken from the kitchen by Xiangshen.

Today, it is still four dishes and one soup according to the convention, but there is a mystery in the dish. The Lian family is mean and unwilling to give people a handle, so Yuehua and Ling Xi Lingyan and others in the house have the same regulations, two meat and two vegetables for lunch, and a soup, but the cat in it is too greasy. Needless to say, the leftovers and cold rice when Yuehua and the others first arrived at the Hou Ye's mansion, even if she has been in charge of affairs in the mansion for the past two years, she has won the respect of her subordinates, and the daily dishes are more or less attentive, and they are definitely not so fine!

Just say that stewed lion's head, three fat and seven thin cheeks, finely cut into fine dices, which are also mixed with crispy water chestnuts, simmered on low heat with the thick soup of ham and old chicken, add a few crystal white radish shreds and verdant cabbage hearts, dotted with gold-like crab roe, take a bite soft and delicate, smooth and tender, and everywhere reveals the good intentions of the chef.

The other dishes of frankincense crispy stuffy chicken, slippery egg shrimp, boiled asparagus, and codonopsis suckling pigeon cups are naturally not to mention, and even the rice is the best japonica rice, which is smooth and clear.

Xiangshen said that she was a little flattered at the time, and after making sure again and again, she picked it up, and the kitchen steward still did not forget to open the curtain in person, and said with a flattering smile: "If Miss Yuehuabiao feels that it is not appropriate, she will say something." ”

Yuehua lowered her head and ate very carefully, it was also sweet, chewed slowly, and each thing was only sandwiched a little on the plate, and the rest was left for the girls to satisfy their hunger.

Xiang Shen was waiting in front of him, chattering because of excitement today, and losing his former calmness.

"At lunch today, Miss Ling Yan inexplicably didn't know what kind of tantrum she had again."

"How do you know?" Yuehua is now sensitive, and she has also begun to pay attention to the wind and grass in the house.

"When I came out of the kitchen today, I met the girl in front of her, Xiangxing, with a tray of painted porcelain plates broken into several petals. I was lazy to take care of her, and with a turn of my feet, I took a long road, but the roots of my ears were supportive, and I heard that Xiangxing was asking the kitchen steward Xingshi, thinking that I had secretly served something delicious, so I deliberately avoided her. ”

Yuehua's chopsticks were paused: "Then what's the matter?" ”

The kitchen steward was afraid of being put in small shoes, and perfunctorily said that the Empress Dowager was coming today, and the eldest lady explained to improve the food, so as not to be laughed at by several grandfathers and grandmothers, but the rules explained by Miss Ling Yan have not changed, no more than two taels of meat a day, and she weighs it in her hand. From these words, it can be heard that Miss Ling Yan must have done something bad in our food. ”

Yuehua chuckled: "The steward deliberately said it to you, and used your mouth to complain." ”

Xiang Shen suddenly realized: "The people in this house have all become monkey spirits." ”

"I didn't get to the point for a long time." Mama Wei, who was bowing her head to do needlework on the side, was a little anxious when she heard it.

Then he said, don't worry, Na Xiangxing snorted coldly, threw the tray in his hand to the rough servant in the kitchen, and explained that Miss Ling Yan's meal was clumsily knocked over by the girl, and Miss Ling Yan was still hungry, so let the cooks prepare some more snacks.

Isn't that obvious, you say? Do you need to bother to cover it up like this? It must have been Miss Ling Yan who was furious and flipped the table, otherwise she would have been so arrogant that she would easily spare the girl who made a mistake. ”

What Xiangshen said was in Li'er, Yuehua and Mama Wei glanced at each other, and muttered in their hearts. Ling Yan didn't care about her image and sprinkled such a big splash, I am afraid that there is only one reason, that is, she Chu Yuehua.

If Yuehua responded to the will of the Queen Mother, then it would be better to say something, Lian Shi and others would definitely dare to be angry and dare not speak, no matter how big their temperament was, they would have to hold back, and they would be like a Buddha. She refused categorically, and now that the two sides are not good, it is difficult to ride a tiger, and the situation in the Hou Yefu will definitely be difficult in the future.

Yuehua is not too worried, she is familiar with the temperament of Lian and Chang Lingyan, both of them are as small as a needle nose and as ruthless as a needle, how can she be allowed to steal the limelight and cut off Chang Lingyan's way into the palace?

As Yuehua expected, after the Lian family learned that the Empress Dowager's candidate was Chu Yuehua, she was instantly furious and resentful.

Originally, Chang Lingyan showed his face in front of the Empress Dowager, and was rewarded, and for a while he was arrogant and proud, and raised the Hetian white jade concubine bracelet to show off. The people of the Hou Mansion had a lot of suspicions about the Empress Dowager's intention to return to the province, and they only said that they wanted to choose a mate for the king of the court, Sun Guizi, and said congratulations to her one after another, and complimented her one after another.

Lian didn't know that he was self-defeating and provoked the Empress Dowager, on the contrary, he was a little complacent, and couldn't wait to pull Chang Lehou to a secluded and uninhabited place, and after showing off his skills, he remembered to ask the Empress Dowager why she summoned Yuehua.

Chang Lehou couldn't help but ask, so he told the truth one by one. Full of joy, the Lian family, who thought that he had won the ticket, was like being drunk in the head, and hated Cheng Biting Jin who was killed halfway to the root of his teeth, and he didn't care that a few masters and grandmothers were still in the house, so he dropped the cup, scolded the "white-eyed wolf" and "broom star", and secretly regretted that he took Yuehua back to the Hou Mansion, and hated that he couldn't kill her out of the Hou Mansion immediately, and she would never be in trouble.

She hated it for a while, gritted her teeth in front of Chang Lehou, and her face was full of cruelty. Losing his usual kind and peaceful attitude, and then seeing Chang Lehou glaring at him dissatisfied, how much scruples he had in his heart, he put away the hideous look on his face, and prevaricated, urging him to hurry back to the front yard to entertain a few brothers in the side room. I secretly calculated in my heart how to quietly pull out this thorn in my eye, and did not give anyone a handle.