amaotonovel Chapter 201: It hasn't flown yet
Chapter 201: It hasn't flown yet
At one time, people came one after another.
When an elderly person celebrates his birthday, the children always come especially early.
The wet nurses and maids from each palace were the first to bring the little princesses over to join in the fun.
Qin Liuse had almost finished preparing everything, so he led everyone back to the banquet.
The Empress Dowager arrived early and sat in the upper seat watching the troupe perform on the stage. From time to time, people came to celebrate her birthday.
It was early October, the weather was clear, windless and rainless, perfect for holding a birthday celebration in Four Seasons Garden.
All the doors around the Langyue Hall in the garden have been taken down, leaving it open to the sky without any obstructions, making the garden seem even more lively.
When Qin Liuse arrived at the Langyue Hall, there were already quite a few people sitting in the hall.
She arrived late and had to pay her respects, so she waited at the door.
After the people inside finished their greetings, the eunuch at the door called out, "Shu Yuexuan and Qin Zhaoyi are here to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her birthday."
Qin Liuse then walked in.
Today, the Empress Dowager Cixi wore a maroon robe embroidered with gold thread, which was embroidered with auspicious patterns such as longevity peaches, bats, bamboo, etc., and she wore a five-blessing headband of the same darker color on her head.
She sat at the top seat, facing the stage not far away, smiling kindly and benevolently.
Qin Liuse stepped forward and said with a smile, "I, your concubine Qin, pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
As she was speaking, a maid next to her placed a straw mat a little in front of Qin Liuse's feet.
Qin Liuse lifted her skirt, knelt on the futon, and said, "I wish the Queen Mother good fortune as vast as the East Sea, longevity as great as the Southern Mountains, and a house full of children and grandchildren."
After saying this, he kowtowed to the Empress Dowager Cixi.
The Empress Dowager laughed so hard that she couldn't stop. She quickly called Qin Liuse to get up, "Come, come to me."
Aunt Fanghua took a purse from the small basket in Zhucui's hand and handed it to Qin Liuse.
Qin Liuse accepted it with a smile on her face. Although she was not short of money now that she had received this favor, she was still very happy every time she received a purse.
When she came over, the Empress Dowager Cixi took her hand and said, "You have been with the Emperor for so long, and I see that your face still looks like a little girl, with a bun on. I wonder when you can be called a real woman."
This is actually giving birth to something.
Qin Liuse lowered her eyes in embarrassment and said with an embarrassed face, "Liuse should remember the teachings of the Empress Dowager and give birth to children for the Emperor as soon as possible."
The Empress Dowager patted her hands and said, "You, it's good to know. Give me a few more precious grandchildren to play with."
There were other people coming to pay their respects later, so Qin Liuse naturally couldn't talk to the Queen Mother for too long, so he said a few more words and then retreated.
Besides, she still had things to deal with, and the banquet would be held soon, so she had to go and help Concubine Xiao De to look after things.
The next person to come to celebrate Qin Liuse’s birthday was Liu Qiuniang.
She walked forward after receiving the summons from her father-in-law, glancing at Qin Liuse who was retreating from the other side.
I feel a little uncomfortable in my heart.
Just now when Qin Liuse was paying her respects, the servants outside were talking about how the moment Qin Zhaoyi walked in, it was as if the entire Langyue Pavilion was brightened up.
Servants are uneducated and cannot speak, but what they say is often exceptionally true and objective.
Liu Qiuniang was waiting outside. When she heard this, she knew what they wanted to say: Qin Liuse's coming in made people feel very honored.
What a compliment.
But Liu Qiuniang likes to compare herself with others, so she naturally feels uncomfortable when she is compared with others.
The reason why there is such an imbalance is that there is something that Liu Qiuniang herself is not aware of.
That is, in her heart, she also felt that Qin Liuse was very bright and decent today, but she just didn't want to admit it.
After a while, Liu Qiuniang bowed and presented a gift to the Empress Dowager Cixi, which was a jade bracelet with excellent water color.
Naturally, he also received the Empress Dowager Cixi's purse.
But that's all.
Although the Empress Dowager Cixi also spoke a few words to her with a smile on her face and also induced labor in a formal manner, she did not hold her hand as intimately as she did with Qin Liuse.
Liu Qiuniang gritted her teeth and retreated from Langyue Pavilion.
Next to the Langyue Pavilion is the Langyue Pavilion, but the Langyue Pavilion is closer to the stage, so they are actually connected.
The tables and chairs had already been set up in the hall. When the auspicious time arrived, Emperor Yongjia arrived late.
Along with Emperor Yongjia came the eldest prince Xiao Yi.
The eldest prince is only seven years old this year, and his height is just as tall as his father's waist. For his age, he is really young, but he has the same cold expression as his father.
Emperor Yongjia brought the eldest prince in and wished the Empress Dowager Cixi a happy birthday. Then the eldest prince ran up to the Empress Dowager Cixi and saluted his grandmother.
Qin Liuse watched from afar and thought that the child was still a child. Although his face was a replica of his father, his mind was still young.
Normally, Qin Liuse seldom saw the eldest prince in the harem. She only knew that he was being raised by a wet nurse and served by a large courtyard of people.
I guess it was because Emperor Yongjia was very strict with him and arranged a lot of classes for him at a young age, so it was rare to see him.
So every time this grandson appeared, the Empress Dowager Cixi would smile so hard that her teeth would pop out.
The Empress Dowager hugged the eldest prince and asked him to sit with her. Emperor Yongjia glanced at him and said, "Brother Yi, come here."
The eldest prince immediately behaved himself, and with his head hung, he ran from the Empress Dowager to sit next to his father.
Qin Liuse looked at the two people, one big and one small, who seemed like replicas of each other, and found it inexplicably funny.
When everyone was present, the food began to be served.
At the banquet, when talking about today's flower arrangement, every concubine was full of praise.
Qin Liuse responded with a smile, watching the performance outside while calculating the time. When it was almost time, she walked out.
By this time, the banquet dishes were almost finished and it was almost afternoon, so it was time to fly the kite.
The old man didn’t eat much. He had been eating less and less since the middle of the meal. But he was very happy just looking at the young people.
"De Fei and Zhao Yi are really thoughtful. Today's banquet is very well organized." The Eastern Queen Mother smiled and said to the Western Queen Mother, "Old sister, how come you, the birthday girl, stopped so soon?"
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "I am happy just looking at them. So many people are wishing me a happy birthday. My sister is right. These Xiao and Qin are both capable of doing things."
As the two were talking, Liu Qiuniang, who had done the work, had a flash of disdain in her eyes, and she began to laugh, "I heard that this time, Consort De and Consort Zhaoyi prepared kites from their hometown for the Empress Dowager."
"The sky outside is blue right now, and there's wind. When the kite flies up later, it will be very beautiful."
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "It has been a long time since I last saw these things. The last time was when I was a little girl in my hometown. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed."
Xin Shufei and Li Xianfei talked to the Empress Dowager one by one. After a while, Liu Qiuniang asked again, "It's been so long since Qin Zhaoyi left, why haven't the kites flown yet?"
Zhucui glanced at Aunt Fanghua and thought that there should be some movement by now, but when she looked out from here, she didn't see any kite.
"My sister will always be a little flustered if she goes to handle it by herself." Qin Huaijin held the teacup and drank tea, while pretending to speak for his sister.