Qiu Chi choked, and felt that the master's crooked reasoning was indeed reasonable.

That being said, Wanfu can't prepare too casually. She is not like other concubines, she has a family background to rely on, and she cannot send rare treasures from outside the palace. The things in the palace were all given to her by the emperor, and then they were sent back, which was insincere and perfunctory.

Wanfu narrowed her eyes and landed her pen on the rice paper.

On the day of the birthday banquet, Wanfu was woken up early by Qiandai. Although it was not a big event, the king's birthday banquet was still sloppy. Wanfu doesn't like to wear makeup in the palace the most, she is sticky and has a fat face, she inevitably spends makeup, and she has to be careful even when drinking tea.

She endured sleepiness and put on a lot of makeup, and when she arrived at Jianzhang Palace, there were already a few low-grade concubines in it who entered the palace first, saw her, and got up to give a blessing. The noble daughter of the family was born, and in the end her status in the palace is not as good as a high-ranking slave, no one will be good-hearted, no matter what they think in their hearts, Wanfu's position is there, they have to abide by the rules and salute respectfully.

After a while, there were gradually more people, Wen Xiurong led Princess Shunning into the palace, nodded to Wanfu when she passed by, and went to the high seat. Contouring is from the second grade, far above the noble concubine, Wanfu responded with a smile. Princess Shunning seems to be particularly attached to Wen Xiurong, and from time to time she eats a piece of pastry, and she also wants to give Wen Xiurong a piece. Wanfu glanced at it and slowly looked away.

Concubine Zhao, who had been on leave for a long time in Kunning Palace, entered the hall, her face was ruddy, and she couldn't see any illness.

Wan Fu twisted her eyebrows slightly, and noticed that Concubine Zhao's makeup today was much more plain. She had a premonition in her heart that Concubine Zhao had not been to Kunning Palace for many days, and she was dressed like this today. At the emperor's birthday banquet, Concubine Zhao was born beautiful, and she would not be willing to let others suppress her.

Wanfu looked at Concubine Zhao's still flat lower abdomen, her eyebrows frowned slightly, Concubine Zhao and the emperor's childhood sweetheart, they are also old people in the palace, they have served the king for many years, but they have never been pregnant, is it possible to do this time...... She didn't know why Concubine Zhao had never been pregnant, and according to Concubine Zhao's domineering, she should have gone to the imperial doctor in private to recuperate. In this palace, if you want to compete for favor, there are always endless means, not to mention that Concubine Zhao is so domineering, I am afraid that she will offend many people, and she doesn't even know who has calculated it.

The emperor and queen entered the palace, and this birthday banquet really began.

It was originally a royal banquet, and only the princes and nobles were invited, as well as a few important ministers of the court. Wanfu glanced over, but no one knew it. When the song and dance began, Wanfu watched with no interest, and Wen Xiurong talked to her last time, but this time she was really alone and not very interesting.

The rhythm of the pipa is melodious, touching the heartstrings, and it is a song of the phoenix returning to its nest. Wanfu's fingertips tapped lightly on the table, harmonizing the strings, and suddenly, the strings broke. Regardless of whether it was the princes and ministers or the harem concubines, all of them had changed their complexions. The broken strings of the emperor's birthday banquet are not a good sign.

The man who played the pipa was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, his face turned white, and he trembled: "The emperor forgives his sins!" The emperor forgives the sins! ”

The queen's face immediately changed, "Bold palace maid, dare to break the strings during the emperor's birthday banquet, what is the intention!" ”

"Drag it out!"

As soon as the queen gave the order, the palace maid was so frightened that her legs suddenly weakened, and she wailed in terror, "The slave and maid don't know why, the string is broken, and the emperor forgives the sin!" The Queen Mother forgives her sins! ”

It is a great sin to offend the king. A little palace maid, no one will intercede for her.

The palace maid was dragged out of the door, and the dancing singer in the hall did not dare to breathe, and knelt on the ground tremblingly, for fear that the next person to be dragged out would be herself.

Wanfu silently glanced at the broken pipa, and a cold light flashed in her eyes, how could she not see that the servant was indeed innocent. There are people who have a heart to harm her. But what's the use of harming a servant? Who is this spearhead aimed at, and who is good at playing the lute? Wanfu hooked her lips coldly, she was really powerful, and if she wanted to deal with her, she would not hesitate to attack at the emperor's birthday banquet.

She rubbed the rim of the cup with her fingertips, and it was at this moment that Chen Changzai suddenly opened her mouth, "The concubine heard that Concubine Ling plays the pipa well." At the emperor's birthday banquet today, the emperor favors Sister Ling very much, so it is better for Sister Ling to play a song for the emperor, which must be better than that servant. ”

Chen Chang said lightly, and the eyes of everyone present fell on Wanfu. After all, they were concubines in the emperor's harem, and the princes and ministers did not dare to look at it too much, so they quickly looked away. But just that glance, still breathless, was amazed by the woman in front of him. At the last Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Wanfu sat at the end of the seat, almost leaning against the door, and she couldn't see it really. Now that she has been promoted to a higher position and put on a lot of makeup, she knows how beautiful the new concubine accepted by the emperor is.

As soon as he spoke, Chen Dehai waited in a high position and glanced at the emperor's face. Sure enough, the emperor's face was so heavy that he almost knelt on the ground. This Chen Changzai is really stupid and stupid, how can there be a palace banquet, and the concubines perform on the spot, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the emperor. But Chen Chang said so in his words, if Concubine Ling didn't go up and play a song, it would be a dilemma for Concubine Ling to be unsaintly.

In the dead silence, Wanfu chuckled lightly and stood up, "Sister Chen said that she laughed, this palace can only play two Jiangnan minor tunes, and playing the music now is just embarrassing." What's more......" she paused and threw a shy and timid glance at Li Xuanyin, "The emperor has also reprimanded the palace for not being proficient in learning and art, and ordered the palace to only play in front of the emperor in private, but not to let others listen to it, so as not to make jokes." ”

Li Xuanyin raised his eyebrows, a smile appeared on his lips, and he took a sip of tea carelessly.

Chen Changzai secretly gritted her teeth when she heard this, but she said that it was the emperor's order, what else could she say!

After a short time, the songs and dances dispersed, and the princes and ministers and the concubines of the palace presented gifts to the emperor to celebrate his birthday.

It is not necessary to give this gift to the person, for example, like Wanfu, who can't take out anything valuable, will not lose that person.

Those who can enter the palace to congratulate the emperor on his birthday are the close ministers of the emperor's side, and the things they offer are rarer and more precious than the other.

When she arrived at the concubine, the queen got up, lowered her eyebrows and smiled, "Your Majesty, Jing'er recently learned a new set of swordsmanship, and she is about to show it to the emperor and congratulate him on his birthday." ”

There was a drum beat in the hall, and then I saw a bunch of small people in regular clothes rushing outside the hall, holding short swords, and making swift moves. At such a young age, it is shocking to be able to practice like this, and Wanfu is also amazed. At her age, she was still crying in her mother's arms, and she didn't even know the big characters. is worthy of being a royal son, and he has to be as bitter as he is at this moment since he was a child.

She was quite sad for a while, stroked the still flat lower abdomen, if she was pregnant, she hoped that it would be a daughter, and she would not have to fight for the imperial power, which would make people red-eyed.

Wanfu looked at the concubine Ying who was sitting below, and the concubine didn't look at the eldest prince in the hall, but she still noticed that the tail of the concubine's eyes was red. This made her even more curious, whose son is this big prince.

After a short pause in the drums, the eldest prince neatly put away the short knife, knelt on one knee, and hugged his fists to celebrate his birthday, "Jing'er, congratulations to my father, long live the borderless, long live!" ”

The eldest prince started up, and everyone left the table one after another, kneeling down and saluting, "Congratulations to the emperor, long live the borderless, long live my emperor, long live, long live, long live!" ”

Wanfu quietly raised her eyes from the crowd, looked at the emperor who was calm and waveless in a high position, and frowned quietly, she was not mistaken, the emperor was not close to the eldest prince, and this closeness was not even as close as Princess Shunning.

This birthday banquet ended with Concubine Zhao fainting, and the imperial doctor came to see the doctor and knelt on the ground to congratulate her, Concubine Zhao was two months pregnant. Although Concubine Zhao's makeup was not as bright as before, her eyes were full of color, lying on the bed, and he hesitated: "When the concubine originally wanted to give a birthday gift, she said that she was with the emperor, and she didn't want to be angry, but it made the emperor worried." ”

This made others itch, Concubine Zhao was already arrogant and domineering in the harem, and finally, the emperor took away her title, and assisted in the power of the six palaces, and now she is pregnant again, and she will be able to repay it in the future.

Concubine Zhao is pregnant, the harem concubines are obviously annoyed, the queen is in the middle palace, and she is with the emperor at this time, her face is gentle and concerned, and she can't see the slightest difference.

The queen of the six palaces did a good job, if it weren't for Wanfu's knowledge of the queen and the concubine's discord, she even suspected that the queen was really a fair and fair middle palace.

Li Xuanyin sat on the edge of the bed, flicked his fingers with a flat face, and after listening to Concubine Zhao's words, he gently comforted him, "You are pregnant, you should have a good rest." ”

Concubine Zhao lowered her eyebrows and looked a little ashamed, "What the emperor said is that the concubine will take good care of this child." She stroked her lower abdomen, indulging in the joy of being pregnant, and naturally she didn't see Li Xuanyin's true face.

The gadgets that Wanfu made were not sacrificed, and after Concubine Zhao fainted, Wen Xiurong left with Princess Shunning, and she didn't have time to ask if it had anything to do with her.

……

Kunning Palace

The eldest prince was young, and in order to practice swordsmanship, he studied hard every day, and his white and tender palms wore out the skin and came out of the cocoon. There were a few cuts on the arm, which were inadvertently scratched, and although they were bandaged and medicated, they still left a faint scar.

"Queen Mother, Jing'er, is it not good to dance today's swordsmanship, my father doesn't seem to be happy when I see it."

is very sensitive. Jing'er looked up at the queen in confusion, not knowing what she had done wrong, and said that he had practiced very well and was extremely talented.

He writes well, reads well, and practices swords, and his husband praises him, his mother praises him, and everyone praises him, but his father and emperor rarely praise him.

The queen's eyes were red, and she reached out to take her son into her arms, and a tear silently slid down her face.

Whether it is fortunate or unfortunate is no longer important.

She lowered her voice and stroked her son's small shoulder, "My father is the emperor, and the monarch's authority is unpredictable, so even if you want to praise Jing'er, you can't praise it in front of so many people." ”

The eldest prince raised his eyes in confusion, "But my father rarely praises Jing'er in private, and the number of times Jing'er has seen her father is not even as good as Shunning." ”

The queen was in another pang of heartache, and she couldn't help crying, and she bit her lip desperately so that she didn't make a sound. After a long pause, he spoke softly, "Don't blame Jing'er, Jing'er is very good, but the queen mother is not good." ”

"The queen mother told Jing'er, Jing'er must remember that you are the eldest son, and you have already surpassed others when you are the eldest son. Shun Ninh, can never compare to you. ”

"Remember?"

The eldest prince nodded as if he didn't understand, but his eyes were still gloomy.

After the nurse led the eldest prince down, the comb willow entered the palace, presented a hot tea, looked at the queen's expression, and said cautiously: "Niangniang, the holy car has left the Xianggong Palace." ”

The queen's eyes still had redness, she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips, "Does the emperor have the position of Concubine Zhao?" ”

Comb Liu shook her head and replied, "Not really." ”

The queen raised her lips, "This noble concubine does have the ability, and this play is singing better and better." I want to see who is the last to sing. ”

……

Qiankun Palace

After Chen Dehai counted the gifts for the birthday banquet, he went back to the Qiankun Palace to serve. The emperor stood behind the imperial case, and was leaning over to hold the inscription, and the two lines of poetry on the rice paper walked the dragon and snake, vigorous and powerful. The emperor was born in the royal family and studied diligently since childhood, and this calligraphy was not only taught by everyone, but also honed on the field, with a murderous aura.

After serving the emperor for many years, Chen Dehai knew in his heart that the emperor did not want others to disturb him at this time. He put down the teacup and was about to quietly withdraw, when Li Xuanyin suddenly stopped him.

Chen Dehai lowered his head respectfully, and then heard the emperor ask, "What do you think the eldest prince is like this?" ”

This is a proposition, and it is even more difficult to answer than the last time the emperor asked him how his concubines and concubines compared.

Chen Dehai suddenly had a layer of cold sweat on his neck, knelt down, and said: "The eldest prince is the eldest son of the emperor, and he is diligent and hardworking, and he is very good. ”

Li Xuanyin's pen paused, and a drop of ink dripped onto the rice paper. He put down his pen, flicked the white jade wrench of his thumb, and his face was pale, "The eldest prince, can you be the crown prince?" ”

This question is worse than that of a genius. How dare Chen Dehai answer this. Not to mention that the prince is still young, the emperor is only twenty and seven, Xu Guiren, Ying Concubine, and Concubine Zhao are pregnant one after another, and there are waves of drafts in the harem, who knows what it will be like later. The emperor has been in power for five years, the foundation in the court has been stable, and it is the year of the dragon and tiger, there is no need to set up a prince to stabilize the dynasty, the emperor asked, what does it mean?

In any case, he could not easily answer this statement. He trembled and knelt down, not daring to reply.

Fortunately, the emperor didn't seem to want him to reply.

Li Xuanyin went down the imperial steps, half of the small window was open, he stretched out his hand, baked the charcoal stove in the hall, and looked out of the window indifferently.

Chen Dehai quietly raised his eyes and looked at the emperor's face, others didn't know, but he had been with the emperor for so long, how could he not know the emperor's affection for the eldest prince.

When something like that happens, no father will ever really get close to this son. After all, the child is innocent, so the emperor still let the queen raise the eldest prince and give him the honor of the eldest son.

According to the rules of the ancestors, ninety percent of the eldest son of this concubine is the crown prince, but what will happen behind this is too unpredictable, Concubine Zhao, Concubine Ying, Xu Guiren, and there are also concubines who are getting the favor of the Holy Grace, and new concubines who will enter the palace in the future...... There are too many variables for anyone to predict.

But...... The mother of the eldest prince is no one else, according to the means of the queen's mother, I think that as long as the queen is safe, the eldest prince will not have an accident.

He's just a servant of the royal court, and none of this should be his concern. The emperor is in his prime, and if he serves the emperor well, he will ensure the glory and wealth for a lifetime.

……

Guan Ju Palace

Because Concubine Zhao suddenly fainted, the birthday banquet was hastily dispersed, and the villain painting cut by Shunning was not given to his father. Little Shunning was very unhappy, she jumped off the soft couch and ran to the outer hall with a dada, "Wen A-Niang take Xi'er to find her father, the time has not passed, Xi'er wants to give this paper-cut villain to her father as a birthday gift." ”

Wen Xiurong was dragged by his sleeve with a small hand, returned to his senses, narrowed his eyes, and gently stroked the top of Shunning's hair, "Today's emperor's birthday ceremony, the emperor is tired for a day, and I think he has rested at this time." Xi'er: If you insist on going, it will disturb the emperor's sleep. ”

Shun Ning lowered her eyes in disappointment, "Xi'er doesn't like others to disturb Xi'er sleeping, presumably my father won't like it either." She touched the villain's vivid eyes, "Then Wen A-Niang will accompany Xi'er to find her father tomorrow, okay?" ”

Wen Xiurong responded gently, summoned the nurse, and served the little princess to go back to the dormitory to rest.

"Xi'er is going to sleep, and Wen A-Niang should go to bed early."

Wen Xiurong hugged her and nodded her head. When the nurse took Princess Shunning away, the smile on Wen Xiurong's face slowly faded.

"Master, the emperor rested in Qiankun Palace tonight." Liu He inquired about the news from the outside and returned to the hall.

Wen Xiurong unhurriedly lifted the pot to make tea, and his movements were smooth and pleasing to the eye, "Concubine Zhao can please ask for a doctor?" ”

Liu He shook his head, "Not really." ”

The pot of tea leaked through the sieve, and the bubbling water slowly flowed into the tea bowl, which was a fine snow-capped silver needle, fragrant.

Wen Xiurong took a shallow sip, grinding these two words, "I didn't ......"

then smiled, "After Concubine Zhao was pregnant, she was calm. Let her be happy for a few days first, after all, this child is rare, and this palace has also spent a lot of time. ”

……

After the birthday banquet, Guangyue frequently sent war reports, and the royal case continued to be twisted and turned, and in order to be busy with government affairs, Li Xuanyin almost never stepped into the harem again. These days, I have only seen concubines with heirs, Concubine Zhao of Qixiang Palace, Wen Xiurong of Guan Ju Palace, and Xu Wanyi of Qiushui Pavilion.

Li Xuanyin was very fond of Xu Wanyi's two children, and the little princess was less than a month, so she gave her the title Huai'an, "The heart is blissful in the three thousand worlds, and the world has been in Huai'an for twenty years." Xu Wanyi couldn't stop smiling on her face, "When An'er knows about things, she will be happy with the title given by the emperor." ”

After coming out of the Qiushui Pavilion and walking for half an hour, Chen Dehai quietly glanced at Luan Yu, these days the military affairs are urgent, the emperor has been discussing politics with the ministers without sleep, and he rarely has a good face. When I saw the little princess, I would show a smile, but this smile was not real.

At this time, only the noble concubine could coax the emperor to laugh. Chen Dehai calculated in his heart, bowed forward, and was about to say something, when he saw the curtain open.

Li Xuanyin twisted the wrench, glanced at the glazed bricks and tiles flying in front of him, and asked casually, "These days, have you ever been to Qiankun Palace?" ”

These days, the emperor sleeps at night and is busy with court affairs, not without concubines who are ready to move to come to Qiankun Palace with soup, but the noble concubines have never come.

Chen Dehai didn't know how to reply for a while, his neck was cold, he saw the emperor's face so cold that he dropped the ice slag, his body shook, and he sneered, "Go back to the emperor, your concubine ......."