amaotonovel Chapter 623 The Empress Dowager Hosts a Banquet
Chapter 623 The Empress Dowager Hosts a Banquet
After thinking it over, Song Jing and Gao Qingtong decided not to go to the Empress Dowager's palace for tea first. They found an excuse to let the nanny go back first, and waited for the second prince and the second princess to finish school and then took them to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Only then did the nanny go back.
After seeing off the nanny, Song Jing and Gao Qingtong went straight to the upper study room. They came here after finding out everything.
When Jiang Fenghua saw the two of them, she had a gentle smile on her face. Before she could speak, the second prince and the second princess ran towards them respectively: "Mother, Mother."
Song Jing picked up her son. His chubby little body was so round that she almost couldn't hold him steady. "Second Prince, are you studying hard with the tutor?"
The second prince nodded repeatedly, "Mother, little Ruirui is hungry."
Song Jing took a piece of meat pie from the palace maid and fed it to the second prince. She already knew her son's habit of eating after school.
Gao Qingtong picked up her daughter lovingly and kissed her very lovingly, "Second Princess, come out with your nanny next time, don't run around and fall."
The second princess smiled sweetly, "Huan'er misses her mother and wants to see her soon."
Jiang Fenghua watched silently. In front of her were the other concubines in Xie Shang's harem. The second princess's mother was the noble concubine who was treated differently by Xie Shang. She was a well-educated and beautiful woman. Concubine Song Shu also looked honest and cute, and her son also looked stupid, but one can never judge a person by his appearance.
"Your servant pays his respects to Her Majesty the Queen." The two of them bowed to Jiang Fenghua at the same time.
Jiang Fenghua said in a gentle voice, "No need to be polite!"
The two smiled slightly, and Concubine Gao said, "Your Highness and His Majesty have been out of the palace for more than half a year. After returning to the palace, His Majesty did not allow us to disturb Your Highness. Your Highness and His Majesty are having a great time outside the palace."
Song Jing said, "After the Empress and His Majesty came back from their incognito visit, they held a wedding for the Empress again. Only the Empress could be so favored by His Majesty! Their relationship is getting better and better, so of course I am happy."
"But His Majesty said that the Queen had some accidents outside the palace and was injured. She is fine now." Song Jing asked with concern.
Did Xie Shang tell them that he was taking her out of the palace for a secret visit?
"I have nothing to do." She remained calm and said, "It's time to go to school. Take the second prince and the second princess back home!"
Gao Qingtong said softly, "The Empress Dowager is hosting a banquet for all the concubines in the palace at Shoukang Palace. Has the Empress received the invitation from the Empress Dowager?"
Jiang Fenghua had a indifferent expression. When she and Xie Shang performed the grand ceremony yesterday, the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother were both present. However, for some reason, Xie Shang pulled her aside and only bowed lightly. He left without even offering her a cup of tea. When the Empress Dowager saw her, there seemed to be a flash of anger in her eyes.
It was Xie Shang who detained her grandchildren, but she blamed her, an outsider, for her anger. What an unreasonable old lady.
The Grand Empress Dowager sent invitations to all the concubines in the palace but not to the Empress's palace. She said calmly, "As the head of the harem, I should naturally take the initiative to go to Kangshou Palace to pay my respects to the Grand Empress Dowager. It is unreasonable to let her hand in the invitation first before I go to pay my respects."
She then said, "You go first. The Japanese princess will take the children to meet their great-grandmother."
The two were stunned, thinking that the Queen would go to Shoukang Palace. The Queen in the past would never do such a disrespectful thing. She would definitely take the initiative to order the imperial kitchen to add more dishes and wine to Shoukang Palace, and no one could find fault with her.
At this time, she could no longer get along well with Song Jing and Gao Qingtong, so she took her three children back to Kunning Palace.
-
At this time, the Empress Dowager was entertaining the concubines in the harem. Gao Qingtong and Song Jing arrived late and quickly knelt in front of her to pay their respects and salute. "I am late. I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Rui'er, Huan'er, please pay your respects to your great-grandmother."
The Grand Empress Dowager unconsciously glanced back, staring at the little prince and princess beside them, and said in a gentle voice: "My dear great-grandson, come over to me quickly. I have candy here."
When the Second Prince saw the candy in the Empress Dowager's hand, he quickly got up from the ground, walked to her side, grabbed the candy and swallowed it.
The second princess was also attracted by the candy but was held back by Concubine Gao.
Gao Qingtong not only saw Zhang Jingjing and Pan Nianru in Shoukang Palace, but even the crazy Zhu Zhenzhen was brought there. For some reason, she always felt a little worried.
What is the Empress Dowager going to do?
The Empress Dowager said again: "Everyone, please stand up and sit down! The palace should be lively and bustling."
At this time, Empress Dowager Cheng also dressed up and appeared in Shoukang Palace, "Meet the Grand Empress Dowager."
"The Queen Mother is here too, please sit down!"
"Yes." Empress Dowager Cheng found a place to sit down. She came to Shoukang Palace to join in the fun because she was too bored. She didn't know why this dying old woman made such a big fuss.
When they met the Queen Mother, all the concubines bowed respectfully to her.
"My palace is becoming more and more lively. I'm used to a quiet life. After returning to the palace, I see that the harem is so lively. I'm very pleased. The harem is so well organized and everyone is so harmonious. It's all thanks to the Queen Mother!" The Queen Mother looked amiable.
What does it have to do with the Empress Dowager? She has no power and influence, and even the Emperor doesn't listen to her. It should be said that it is all Jiang Fenghua's credit. It's a pity that she is not here and cannot hear the Empress Dowager's false flattery.
When it comes to managing the harem, Empress Dowager Cheng gets even more angry. The harem should have been managed by her, but she had no power or authority. When Jiang Fenghua was not in the palace, the emperor handed the harem over to Gao Qingtong. As soon as Jiang Fenghua returned to the palace, it was back in her hands, and she even held such a high-profile ceremony to crown her queen.
She was the biological mother of the emperor, but the Empress Dowager had become a decoration. The more she thought about it, the more she felt heartbroken.
The Grand Empress Dowager also knew that she had no power and that was why she said those words deliberately to provoke her. Jiang Fenghua had the final say in the harem, and Xie Shang had the final say in the court.
"I still feel that the harem is a little deserted. When the Empress Dowager returns, please persuade the Emperor to choose a concubine!" Empress Dowager Cheng looked like she had something to hide.
The Grand Empress Dowager was puzzled. "It is the job of the Empress Dowager and the Empress to select concubines for the Emperor. How can I make the decision? Aren't there so many concubines? I see that only two concubines are pregnant."
"Even the Grand Empress Dowager can't make the decision, and I am even more powerless. The Grand Empress Dowager can also ask the concubines present here. They have been in the palace for several years, and many of them have never slept with the emperor. If their families hear about this, won't they say that our royal family is bullying other people's girls?"
The Queen Mother continued, "The Emperor is completely controlled by the Queen. She has the final say on who will sleep with him. If there is a jealous woman in an ordinary family, the family will be in trouble. And this is even more so for our royal family. The Emperor is not just her emperor, but the emperor of the whole world."
This is embarrassing to say. How can the emperor blame the queen for not favoring his concubines? This has been said many times before.
Discussing this topic further would be a slap in the faces of the concubines, because the Queen gave every concubine a chance, but the Emperor was unwilling to turn over their cards.