20demayo Chapter 421: Madam Fucha Requests for an Audience
Chapter 421: Madam Fucha Requests for an Audience
An Lingrong bowed slightly and spoke again.
"May she be like a butterfly fluttering among flowers, bringing endless joy to the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's eyes flashed with admiration. "Jing Rong'er's witty words, the word 'play' is truly just right, wonderful beyond words."
"Su Peisheng, quickly convey this good news to Xi Yingda."
"The slave obeys the order."
Su Peisheng responded with a smile, glanced at the noble Concubine Shu without leaving a trace, and hurriedly trotted towards the ice.
Yesterday, as soon as Xiao Xia Zi reported that snowflakes were falling outside, the emperor immediately ordered him to tidy up the ice rink, saying that he wanted to invite the Imperial Concubine Shu to enjoy ice dancing alone.
There are only a handful of women who are so much in the mind of their masters.
Today, he followed the Imperial Concubine's wishes and gave Lady Bai a name. Su Peisheng could only say that he would respect this master well in the future.
As long as the two princes of the imperial concubine are safe and sound, her great blessings are yet to come.
When Bai Caiwei learned that the emperor and Concubine Shu had given her a name, she danced another dance on the ice in gratitude.
The graceful figures dancing in the snow dazzled people's eyes. An Lingrong tactfully led the children away on the pretext of the cold weather.
The road was slippery due to the snow, so the group took a horse carriage and soon returned to Louyue Kaiyun.
Lin, who stayed behind, heard the noise and came out. She helped An Lingrong into the house, frowning slightly.
"It's still snowing after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year. I'm afraid it's not going to be a good year."
"Mother, don't worry, your daughter will always protect the family."
An Lingrong patted her hand gently, "Besides, the Emperor is here to support us, so we don't need to worry too much."
"You! You used to keep everything to yourself, but now you've learned to rely on the Emperor, which is a good thing."
Lin didn't know what she remembered and sighed softly.
"Many men in the world love weak women. You must rely on the emperor from time to time in the future to make him look good."
"Mother, I understand and will never go against the Emperor."
An Lingrong knew that she was thinking of the deceased who had caused the mother and daughter so much suffering, so she whispered to comfort her.
"Mother, although it's said that a daughter shouldn't criticize her father, in my opinion, he's definitely not a good match. Now that you're finally living a comfortable life, don't dwell on the pain of the past."
"Mother has long since let go of all that. With a daughter as promising as you, how could she still dwell on the hard times of the past?"
Lin felt that the present day was full of hope. She just had some feelings in her heart and wanted to remind her daughter.
All men in the world are the same, and the emperor, who is respected and valued, is no exception.
An Lingrong and her daughter talked about family matters for a while, and then each of them started doing needlework.
Lin made palace clothes for her daughter to wear in spring, while An Lingrong embroidered sachets for the emperor.
When the night was quiet, An Lingrong recalled Lin's casual mention of a bad year, and she couldn't help but sort out the events of that year in her previous life in her mind.
Besides Zhen Huan's return to the palace in the summer, there is indeed another earth-shattering event in August...
An Lingrong hurriedly got up from the bed, went to the study, wrote down the details of the incident, and hid them in a small medicine cabinet.
The next morning, An Lingrong got up early.
Mrs. Fucha sent in a letter after lunch yesterday, saying that she wanted to come and pay a visit.
This was her first time to come into contact with the Fucha family, so naturally she couldn't be negligent in the slightest.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the Fucha clan was promoted to the Bordered Yellow Banner, one of the three upper banners, because of the outstanding performance of Ma Qi's grandfather Hashun, who was then the personal guard of the Emperor Taizong. From then on, the family embarked on the road to glory.
The clan has members who are both civil and military, and the most outstanding among them is Ma Qi, who is now the Minister of General Affairs.
This is an opportunity given to her by the emperor. How could An Lingrong not cherish it?
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the emperor held a grand ceremony of "opening the pen" and "opening the seal", and the imperial edict to promote An Lingrong and the An family was immediately sent to various places.
When the imperial edict was issued in the courtyard earlier, the Fucha family did not dare to contact An Lingrong for fear of arousing the emperor's suspicion.
Now that the order to raise the flag has spread to everyone, if the Fucha family does not express their opinion, it would be disrespectful to the emperor.
As a veteran minister of two dynasties, Ma Qi knew the time for a meeting had come when he learned that the emperor had invited Concubine Shu to watch ice dancing.
The Imperial Concubine's health has improved, and the Fucha family's daughters-in-law should come to see her.
To show her respect for Lady Fucha, An Lingrong specially wore the gorgeous auspicious dress worn when she was canonized as a noble concubine.
Today is a rare sunny day. The golden light shines through the exquisite window lattices onto the smooth floor, bringing a bit of warmth into the house.
As soon as Mrs. Fucha reached the outside of the clouds where the moon opened, Baoque came to greet her with a smile.
"I am Baoque, serving the Imperial Concubine. May I ask if I am Madam Fucha?"
"Miss Baoque, it is my wife."
Madam Fucha replied gently.
All large families have archives of their concubines, and Baoque is the capable confidant of Concubine Shu.
Such a palace maid is more powerful than an ordinary noble lady, and Lady Fucha dare not neglect her in the slightest.
"Madam, you are too polite. You can just call me Baoque. My master knew that you were coming today, so he ordered me to lead the way for you early on." Baoque explained with a smile the reason for appearing here, and reminded softly.
"Ma'am, there are steps ahead, please be careful."
Mrs. Fucha agreed with a smile.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you be blessed with good health and happiness!"
An Lingrong, who was sitting in the main seat, raised her hand, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Madam, please stand up. There is no need to be so polite."
"Bao Que, please take a seat, Madam."
Mrs. Fucha was wearing a blue auspicious dress for a first-rank lady, embroidered with python patterns and auspicious clouds.
Although she doesn't have many accessories, each one is a fine piece.
She looks dignified and graceful, yet elegant, and one can tell at a glance that she comes from a well-established family.
While An Lingrong was observing Madam Fucha, she was also observing her calmly.
The woman sitting at the top was wearing a bright yellow imperial concubine's auspicious dress, embroidered with intricate dragon and phoenix patterns, every part of which revealed the owner's nobility and extraordinaryness.
If she hadn't known it in advance, Mrs. Fucha would not have believed that the woman in front of her, who looked like she was only 28 years old, was already the mother of three children.
Mrs. Fucha secretly admired in her heart. The adults once said that Concubine Shu, who was able to protect three children in the deep palace, was no ordinary person.
Now, with her many years of experience, she can see that this queen who is always favored by the emperor is indeed worthy of her reputation.
"I've heard that the Imperial Concubine's pastries are the best in the palace..."
"If you like it, Madam, you can take some with you when you go back."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward..."
The two of them chatted with each other for half an hour, smiling and chatting about daily life, but they tacitly did not mention any sensitive topics.
Seeing that it was almost time, Mrs. Fucha presented the gifts she had prepared for her four children and stood up to say goodbye.
As soon as she left, Lin asked in confusion.
"Rong'er, Madam Fucha sent a letter requesting an audience, but how does Mother feel about this..."
Lin had never encountered such twists and turns before, and the more she listened, the more confused she became.
An Lingrong smiled and pulled him to sit on the couch. "Mother, Lord Ma Qi has always been cautious. I think he sent his wife to contact me first to test my background."