At the request of the Empress Dowager, everything on the Holy Shou Festival was kept simple, but there were not many regulations. Qin Zhao arranged everything properly.
Whether it's the banquet process or the list of people attending the banquet, everything is under Qin Zhao's control.
This time, the Holy Birthday Banquet will be held in Mingyuan.
On this day, workaholic Xiao Ce rarely left all government affairs behind and stayed with the Empress Dowager early in the morning.
The Empress Dowager also deliberately kept Qin Zhao by her side, with the obvious purpose of trying to reconcile Qin Zhao and Xiao Ce.
Qin Zhao understood the intention of the Empress Dowager, and of course Xiao Ce also understood it. It was just that the two of them saw through it and did not tell them. In addition, today is the birthday of the Empress Dowager, so Xiao Ce could not disobey the Empress Dowager.
mean.
His respect for the Empress Dowager was genuine.
Even so, when the Empress Dowager forced Qin Zhao's hand into his palm, he still resisted slightly.
But the Queen Mother looked over and he had no choice but to hold Qin Zhao's hand.
The woman's hand he held was as soft as a bone, small and exquisite, and he could grasp it with one hand, just like pinching a steamed bun, but it felt good in his hand.
Qin Zhaogang was still patient at first, but then Xiao Ce went too far and pinched her palms here and there, as if he was squeezing a clay figure.
She didn't have any other ability except that she was strong enough. As soon as she exerted her strength, she took back her palm.
Xiao Ce's hands were empty, and he looked at Qin Zhao beside him, but Qin Zhao didn't look at her, and focused on the guests in the garden, talking and laughing.
Didn’t this hypocritical woman enjoy herself just now?
He didn't know what his psychology was, but he took Qin Zhao's hand in his own as soon as he made a move.
This time, no matter how hard Qin Zhao tried, he couldn't break away from Xiao Ce's control.
Their hands were competing in secret, but the birthday congratulators below could not see this scene.
In the end, Qin Zhao gave up his desperate struggle.
Today is the birthday of the Empress Dowager. Neither she nor Xiao Ce are the protagonists. It would be inappropriate for people to see her and Xiao Ce competing in public.
However, Xiao Ce's hands were still uncomfortable under his control, and the weather was getting hotter. After struggling just now, his hands were sticky and covered with sweat.
It happened that Xiao Ce, a mysophobic person, didn't realize it and kept squeezing her hand, seeming to be quite interested in her hand.
However, Empress Dowager Guo stayed in the palace because she was not feeling well and did not come with everyone to celebrate her birthday, otherwise Xiao Ce would not be so arrogant.
"These snacks are very delicious. They may not look like much, but they are extremely delicious." The speaker was Concubine Hu.
This time she accompanied Xiao Yi to Mingyuan to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her birthday. Xiao Yi said little, but she spoke with emotion.
The Queen Mother's Holy Birthday Festival was held in a low-key manner this time. It was not as luxurious as in previous years, but the exquisiteness was not missed at all.
Even these inconspicuous snacks are served on small plates, but there are more than twenty dishes, which requires a lot of effort.
The new clothes worn by the Queen Mother were also customized by Qin Zhao at the Yongxin Garment Shop. They are the only ones in the world and are not very luxurious. However, when worn on the Queen Mother, they look young and noble. In the crowd,
The most eye-catching one.
It can only be said that Qin Zhao, a noble concubine, does practical things.
"It was carefully prepared and delivered by the food department. They prepared this banquet very early in the morning. It is related to the birthday banquet of the Empress Dowager, so naturally we don't dare to neglect it." Qin Zhao did not take credit.
At this time, Zhang Shan came out and explained: "It is the menu written by the imperial concubine. What ingredients are used in which dishes? What are the taboos of the empress dowager? Every item and every item is personally made by the imperial concubine.
The ability to handle things properly is all the work of the noble concubine, and the lower officials dare not take credit."
"Girl Zhao is always careful in doing things, and the Ai family is very happy." The Empress Dowager did not hesitate to praise Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao was not used to such occasions, so he could only respond humbly: "This is my responsibility. It should be true. I also have the blessing of the Empress Dowager to gain experience."
Her words made the Empress Dowager smile from ear to ear again.
Everyone could see that the Empress Dowager really liked Qin Zhao.
On the other hand, the aloof Long Live Master had an unclear expression and seemed to have no likes or dislikes towards Qin Zhao. From the moment he sat down at the table, he never looked directly at Qin Zhao.
So Qin Zhao’s era of glory and favor should be gone forever?
This time the banquet was held at Tongyuan Garden, where everyone could watch a show while eating. "Fortune, Fortune, Double Happiness" was being performed on the stage. Qin Zhao pretended to watch it seriously, but the sticky feeling on her hands made her very uncomfortable.
If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she would have asked Xiao Ce face to face what he wanted.
Others were eating and drinking, but only one of her hands was held by Xiao Ce. She felt uncomfortable and her stomach growled with hunger. Fortunately, the sound was not loud, but Xiao Ce, who was closest to her, heard it clearly and glanced at her with unpredictable eyes.
One glance.
She herself was calm. Her stomach growled when she was hungry. This was a normal physiological reaction. There was nothing to be ashamed of. This was all thanks to Xiao Ce.
It's a pity that she woke up so early this morning that she didn't even have time to eat breakfast, so she was busy making arrangements for the birthday of the Queen Mother. She couldn't even eat a bite of food at noon, which was extremely sad.
Because she hadn't eaten or had any snacks, by the time she finished the show, her legs were already weak from hunger.
At this time, Xiao Ce finally showed mercy and let go of her poor hand.
She secretly lamented that it was not easy, and she didn't know whether it was because she was too hungry or because she was too happy because she almost fell to the ground when she walked down the steps.
She secretly screamed, and just when she thought she was going to be embarrassed, a man's hand suddenly appeared in the air, holding her waist.
Not far away, Xiao Yi saw Qin Zhao falling and wanted to rush over. Fortunately, Concubine Hu caught him in time.
Concubine Hu blinked at him, and Xiao Yi realized his gaffe.
He looked over again and found that Xiao Ce had stabilized Qin Zhao. At this moment, he didn't know whether to be grateful or to feel pity, but all kinds of feelings came to his heart.
He clearly knows that Qin Zhao is someone he cannot think of, but he is always longing for her in his private heart. This is wrong, but his heart is not under his control...
The moment Xiao Ce held Qin Zhao's waist, he felt that the woman's waist was incredibly soft and soft, as if it would break as soon as he held it.
He was lamenting that there was a huge difference between a woman's body and a man's body structure, but he felt that there was a line of sight on their side.
He looked in the direction of the strong gaze and saw Xiao Yi and Concubine Hu standing together without looking at them.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qin Zhao's voice reached his ears, bringing him back from his thoughts.
"Does the imperial concubine know Prince An?" Xiao Ce asked out of nowhere.
Even though King An didn't look at him just now, he felt that the person King An looked at just now was Qin Zhao. This was his intuition as a man.
