20demayo Chapter 243 Good News
Chapter 243 Good News
"Lingrong, I cannot swallow this."
After receiving her reminder, Concubine Hua also caught a group of people with evil intentions.
She sent the man to the Yangxin Palace, and the emperor promised to investigate thoroughly.
But the palace maids who were imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment kept their mouths shut and all chose to bite their tongues to commit suicide overnight.
"Sister Hua, I've inquired and found out that the Queen Mother has always refused to celebrate the Saint's birthday. This year, she took the initiative to propose a birthday celebration. I'm afraid she's planning to send a young girl of marriageable age from the family to the palace."
"Come closer and listen to what your sister is saying..."
The queen of the Ulanara clan had just been deposed, and everyone in the clan must be in a panic.
In order to appease the family of the deposed queen, the queen mother will certainly choose a girl to enter the palace.
Also, the Uya clan she came from would not sit idly by and watch the empress dowager show favoritism, so it was inevitable that the girl would be sent into the palace.
Everyone is greedy, and the noble families in the capital all want to make further progress.
The only high positions in the palace that were vacant were Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, and Consort.
Judging from the emperor's actions, he would never allow girls from the two clans to be promoted to the position of imperial concubine as soon as they entered the palace.
There are many areas where we can do something about this.
If the two families start fighting openly or secretly, I wonder if the empress dowager, who is devoted to Buddhism, can sit still.
"Lingrong, you are so cunning... so wise. I am ashamed of myself."
Concubine Hua, who almost told the truth, forced herself to change her words at the critical moment.
An Lingrong looked at the man who was glancing around with a speechless expression. How could this man not control his mouth and blurt out everything?
Never mind, it’s not the first day I’ve known her.
Afraid that Concubine Hua would bear too much grudge against the Empress Dowager and add her own ideas when giving orders, An Lingrong asked Baoge to serve her a plate of crispy and sweet fruits.
He discussed with Songzhi the plan to counterattack the Queen Mother.
"Songzhi, if you have any questions, please contact me immediately."
"Also, keep an eye on your master and make sure he follows Doctor Wei's instructions strictly and replaces fatty meats and sweet pastries with fresh fruits."
Concubine Hua preferred watermelon, but it was a cold food, and the imperial physician specifically warned her not to eat too much.
An Lingrong was very concerned about this, fearing that her greed would harm her health.
"Okay, I understand. The hall is a bit stuffy, I'll go check on the Sixth Prince and the others."
Nian Shilan, whose little thoughts were seen through, quickly changed the subject and ran out of the hall nimbly.
"Bao Que, go and protect Concubine Hua."
An Lingrong gave the order with concern.
"Songzhi, Sister Hua is in charge of the palace servants. Please secretly check all the records of Cui Jinxi and Yanruo since they entered the palace."
"Someone dared to tamper with Concubine Hua's pregnancy-preserving medicine. This matter must be reported to the Emperor."
The palace had been peaceful for a while, and she couldn't let the emperor indulge in the false illusion of harmony.
After Concubine Jing arrived as promised, the three of them politely discussed the arrangements for the Emperor's birthday festival.
The Empress Dowager's birthday was celebrated during the hottest time of the year, and the three of them unanimously chose to hold the banquet in the main hall.
Concubine Hua made the final decision.
"Jiaotai Hall was where the Empress of the late Emperor received gifts on her centenary. Once it's cleaned up, we can host a birthday banquet."
She thought for a moment and realized that she couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She had to think of how to entertain the Queen Mother that day.
"Your Highness, Concubine Hua is right. I will send someone to clean it right away."
Concubine Jing came back this time to obey orders.
She accidentally discovered that the unreasonable Concubine Hua seemed to treat Concubine Shu differently.
Later, when they went to Yonghe Palace to discuss the progress of the preparations for the Emperor's birthday banquet, Concubine Jing brought the Seventh Prince with her.
On the eve of the Emperor's birthday, An Lingrong and Concubine Jing made a special trip to Jiaotai Hall.
The palace was spotlessly clean, and was decorated with festive lanterns and colorful tents.
The seats for clan members and important officials of the previous dynasty were arranged in an orderly manner without any omissions.
"Your Highness, I heard that an important official from the court will bring his wife and daughter to the palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday tomorrow."
On the way back, Concubine Jing suddenly spoke.
"A girl from the Empress Dowager's mother's family is also here this time. It's rumored that Miss Wuya Wanying is a virtuous woman praised by everyone in the capital."
"The Emperor has no children, it's time for a new woman to enter the palace."
An Lingrong comforted him softly, "Your Majesty is wise and will make the best arrangements."
"Jing Fei, as long as we old people take good care of our children, the emperor will always remember our old friendship."
She knew that Concubine Jing said these words to remind the newcomers who were about to enter the palace that they had strong backgrounds and would definitely snatch the palace power from them.
"The Empress Dowager had a serious illness at the beginning of the year, and her temples have become more gray."
An Lingrong left a few words quietly before leaving.
The Queen Mother is very old and may pass away one day.
Even if she chooses more girls to enter the palace, it depends on whether the emperor cooperates.
Even Concubine Jing, who lived in seclusion, heard the rumors in the capital, so the emperor must have known the news a long time ago.
What An Lingrong and Song Zhi had discussed before was to make the Queen Mother's ambition public, so that people would praise the girls of the Uya clan to the sky while trampling on the Ulanara clan.
In fact, what An Lingrong didn't know was that her practice of praising and stepping down on both families actually turned into rumors that the empress dowager favored the Uya clan and pulled her cousin down from the throne just to make room for a girl from her mother's clan.
The emperor also took the opportunity to send people to fan the flames. The Ulanara and Uya families have recently been impeached many times by the censors.
After receiving the letter from home, the Queen Mother hurriedly advised the two clans not to fall prey to other people's schemes, but unfortunately no one listened to her in front of the Queen.
This was not a very urgent matter, and everyone had a serious look on their faces at the birthday party.
She only forced a smile when the emperor wished her a happy birthday, and was cold to everyone else.
It was not until Uya Wanying and Ulanara Sulan played the zither and flute together that the empress dowager smiled.
"Your Majesty, as a cousin, what do you think of the birthday gifts for your two cousins?"
The emperor paused holding the wine glass and praised with a smile.
"Replying to Empress Dowager, the zither and flute ensemble played by my two cousins is like the sound of nature, and it is intoxicating."
"Su Peisheng, look at the reward!"
An Lingrong looked at the emperor not far away and laughed secretly in her heart.
The emperor's wave of his hand was very similar to the way Hongzhan watched the young eunuch perform his special skills.
After the two girls expressed their gratitude, Concubine Qi and Concubine Rou came out to perform one after another, and received the same praise from the emperor.
An Lingrong noticed that when Concubine Rou's beautiful and melodious singing voice sounded, a light flashed in the emperor's eyes.
It seems that Biyun performed very well and her personal training was not in vain.
When the banquet was at its most lively, Jianqiu, dressed in palace dress, stepped out gracefully and announced a big news.
"Congratulations to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The Empress of Jingren Palace has diagnosed a pregnancy today!"