mtl008 Chapter 108: The Gloomy Eunuch and the Imperial Concubine (11)
Chapter 108: The Gloomy Eunuch and the Imperial Concubine (11)
Ever since Concubine Yi was revealed to be pregnant, the Emperor has spent most of his time staying in Yun'en Palace with her.
This made the already jealous people in the harem even more resentful.
Apart from having meals with the concubines who had princes, the emperor rarely visited other concubines.
The newcomer seemed to have been completely forgotten and couldn't even see the emperor.
When greeting each other early this morning, it was obvious that everyone was holding back their anger, and they were just waiting for the person concerned to arrive so they could vent it out.
After waiting for a long time, the Queen Mother arrived, and then Concubine Yi finally came. She greeted the others without any hesitation and sat down leisurely.
She loves brightly colored clothes, and the material she is wearing now is "Yan Yu Shang", a new tribute this year.
The color of this fabric is like peacock silk, exquisite and luxurious, and the surface of the material glows slightly under the light, which is very rare and beautiful.
Currently, the only people in the palace who have this cloth, apart from the empress and imperial concubines in high positions, are probably the pregnant Concubine Yi.
This shows how much the emperor values her and that he has reason to be proud of her.
"Noble Concubine Yi is truly a mother who has gained status through her son. Look at this dress. It's probably not often seen among the concubines."
Concubine Li continued to perform steadily, but just by looking at Concubine Yi's smug face, she couldn't help but feel angry.
"I almost thought that the emperor only favored Concubine Yi."
Concubine Liu spoke coldly, a flash of disgust flashing across her usually cold face.
Ruan Guannan glanced at Concubine Liu curiously and sighed in his heart.
Since she entered the palace, she had hardly ever heard this icy beauty speak a word, but now she heard her rarely speak sarcastic words.
But it is no wonder, because Concubine Liu and Concubine Yi were both from the first batch of concubines.
One is cold and the other is charming. Both of them were favored by the emperor as soon as they entered the palace, and in recent years they have been almost equal.
This time, Concubine Yi got pregnant first and was promoted to a higher rank. Even the coldest person would probably feel uncomfortable.
As expected of a sworn enemy, as soon as Concubine Liu opened her mouth, Concubine Yi's expression became visibly worse.
However, because she was pregnant and had more confidence, she quickly adjusted herself and went all out.
"Tsk, the emperor does favor you, but it's a pity that a hen that doesn't lay eggs has been favored for so long in vain."
wow...
The whole audience was in an uproar, and the entire hall suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Ruan Guannan was stunned. She glanced at Concubine Yi as if she was looking at a monster, and was very surprised.
How did this woman survive in the harem for so long? Was it just because of the emperor's favor?
He speaks without thinking, and I don't know whether he is being straightforward or stupid. He remains stable.
Sure enough, everyone present had a face as black as the bottom of the pot in the imperial kitchen, and they looked in the direction of Concubine Yi as if they wanted to eat her.
Concubine Yi also realized that she had said something wrong, but she had been accustomed to being praised for a long time, and it was difficult for her to apologize humbly.
So he said dryly:
"I said something wrong because I was not feeling well during my pregnancy. Please don't be offended, sisters."
Quiet, deathly quiet...
No one was ready to speak up, and just when everyone was reluctant to pay attention to her, someone stepped forward to smooth things over:
"Haha, Concubine Yi may be more irritable during her pregnancy, so it's inevitable that she said something wrong."
The flattering intention in the words was very obvious.
Ruan Guannan's lips curled up slightly, and he quickly covered them lightly with his fan.
"Why is there Gu Cairen's story everywhere? Is it about you?"
Concubine Liu retorted rudely and glanced at her with cold eyes.
Gu Cairen’s face turned pale, he lowered his head and dared not say a word.
Today's greetings were very unpleasant for everyone, and the Queen Mother was considerate enough to ask everyone to disperse quickly.
*
"My son, please give my regards to my mother and concubine."
Xiao Chengxin walked over and bowed to the woman at the top.
After sitting down, he found that Concubine Xian looked unhappy. He asked in confusion:
"Did mother encounter any troubles?"
The virtuous concubine glanced at him, and her mood improved a little, and she said slowly: "Nothing."
Xiao Cheng put down the teacup in his hand and asked casually, "Is mother worried about Concubine Yi?"
A trace of surprise appeared on Concubine Xian's face. Xiao Cheng chuckled and said casually:
"Mother, is a silly grasshopper that jumps happily enough to worry you so much?"
The virtuous concubine sighed and said:
"Cheng'er, that's the first son born after the emperor ascended the throne. A son born with a noble birth has a different meaning."
Xiao Cheng's eyes became fierce, then returned to normal, and he said in a cold voice: "Mother, is the first son too little? When he is born, he is called the first son, and when he grows up, he is called a noble son."
The coldness in Xiao Cheng's eyes spread, and he said faintly:
"Now, he can only be regarded as an heir of unknown gender."
The virtuous concubine thought about it and felt that what he said was right, and she didn't feel relieved.
Then he glanced at him and said angrily:
"Nonsense! Aren't you afraid that this will get out?"
Xiao Cheng leaned back and laughed very wantonly.
"Mother, if this gets out, what great things can I do? I might as well be an idle prince like my second brother."
The virtuous concubine pointed at him from a distance, shook her head helplessly, and then seemed to think of something, stood up and took out the portrait of the lady from some time ago, and said calmly:
"Cheng'er, mother is incompetent. My son's marriage has been delayed again and again until now. Now it must not be delayed any longer. You can see which one suits your heart. Mother will definitely help you to make it happen this time."
Speaking of this, Xiao Cheng also remembered this incident.
Although he did not think that his father would easily grant him a marriage with the Ruan family at the beginning, he did not expect that his father actually had such a plan.
He tapped the table with his fingertips, his eyes dark and unclear. This is the benefit of power...
"Mother, there have been some unusual movements on the border recently. I want to make some arrangements. We can talk about the marriage later."
After what happened before, he temporarily had no intention of getting married.
He must grow up as quickly as possible and absolutely does not want to be at the mercy of others like this anymore.
The virtuous concubine sighed helplessly and said nothing more.
*
Here, Ruan Guannan was walking back leisurely while admiring the flowers. When he passed by Huizhuxuan, he walked straight past it without any intention of staying.
But before she could walk over, she heard a familiar female voice.
Judging from the direction of the sound, it should be in the bamboo forest between Huizhuxuan and Yuhua Pavilion.
Ruan Guannan paused slightly, not knowing whether to move forward or backward, so he simply stood where he was and waited for the person to notice her figure and then shut up.
But Xia Luoning, who had her back to her, didn't notice her at all, and whispered to the eunuch who was bowing his head in front of her,
"Why do you avoid me like the plague? I don't think I've done anything to offend you!"
Ruan Guannan's eyes suddenly widened, and the calmness on his face was gradually replaced by astonishment.
My mother!
She actually happened to see Xia Luoning and Li Huaiyi having a secret meeting?
After the shock, a hint of excitement flashed in Ruan Guannan's eyes, and her original idea of letting someone discover her suddenly changed.
She motioned Fuso to stand further away, and she bent down and walked forward in slow steps until she could see the two figures.
Then he hid behind the bushes and peeked in excitedly.