The next day at breakfast time, people from Cining Palace came and said they were summoned by the Queen Mother.
Although everyone said that she was an empty-headed queen mother, she was still an elder. Ruan Yuyi still put down the jade chopsticks in her hand and said warmly, "Please make preparations and I will be here in a moment."
The palace man received the letter and replied.
Speaking of which, during the last time she got along with the Queen Mother, she could tell that the Queen Mother didn't like her very much. Now that he suddenly told her about it, she was a little confused about the Queen Mother's thoughts.
She took off her two hairpins and left in her plain dress.
When she arrived at Cining Palace, the Queen Mother was sitting on the edge of the couch, twisting a bracelet of Buddhist beads. There were some tea snacks and fruits on the low table. When she saw the visitor, she waved her hand to greet Ruan Yuyi to come forward, with a rare smile.
Ruan Yuyi could not go forward directly, but after bowing politely, she followed the Queen Mother's lead and sat down on the other side of the short table.
The Queen Mother was not too young when she gave birth to the eldest princess, and now she is even older. Therefore, even though her hands were well maintained and she never did rough work, they were wrinkled like ordinary people.
She kept rubbing Ruan Yuyi's hand, thought for a moment, took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on for her.
She retracted her hand, but her fingertips were caught, but she still didn't escape.
She only felt that the bracelet was heavy and pressed against her hand. Even though she knew that the Queen Mother was stroking her hand, it still made her feel uncomfortable.
The Queen Mother took a sip of tea and then said slowly, "You are really a good boy. It's been hard on you these days in charge of the harem. The Ai family has also held the Phoenix Seal before, so they know how complicated it is. There's no need to hide.
This is what you deserve."
She suppressed the discomfort in her heart and skillfully raised a submissive smile, "The Queen Mother said something serious, it's nothing more than a matter of course."
The Queen Mother looked at her and nodded, her eyes full of relief.
The nun who was standing by her side smiled and said, "The old servant said that Concubine Jin is capable of shouldering this burden, so you still have to worry about it."
She held the teacup uncomfortably, taking a sip from time to time. But the tea only touched her lips, not her mouth.
"Oh, I'm sorry for that child of Mrs. Rong. Fortunately, Concubine Jin is also a prudent person," the Queen Mother agreed, and then said, "I heard that the emperor has stopped taking your decoction recently?"
Ruan Yuyi felt that the Queen Mother was about to get to the point, so she put down the tea cup, nodded and said, "Yes."
"This is a good thing. You should live a good life and flourish for the royal family."
Her eyebrows skipped a beat, but she still responded softly.
She glanced at the Queen Mother's expression and saw that the grooves on her face were stretched, as if she was simply giving instructions to the junior. She tentatively said, "It's just that the sisters in the palace are weak after all, and I can't persuade Your Majesty."
The Queen Mother twirled the fingertips of the bracelet for a moment, and the smile in her eyes became more genuine, "This is true. It's hard for you to be so generous. You still have so many things in mind. If it were anyone else, you would be eager to monopolize them."
She lowered her head and smiled shyly, her hair framing her cheeks, and her beautiful but clear eyes beneath her hair.
The Queen Mother was satisfied and her voice became much gentler, "Therefore, the Ai family has been thinking about this for the past few days. If this doesn't work, we must add a few more people to the palace."
"It's just that Yang'er has a grudge against the Ai family, and he won't listen to what the Ai family says."
Ruan Yuyi said warmly, "Your Majesty, just give me your orders." Anyway, there will be more people in the palace in the future, so why not take this opportunity to please the Queen Mother, so that he will not always come to her place.
"The Ai family thinks Qi'er is good. She is kind-hearted and considerate, so she can share some of your burdens."
This is the purpose of this Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother paid attention to Ruan Yuyi's expression, trying to see some reluctance in it, but she did not.
"I also think Miss Bai is a good one." She followed the Queen Mother's words. To her, no matter it was Bai Zhiqi or Huang Zhiqi, they were all the same, as long as she could help distract him from her place.
.
She didn't understand that the Queen Mother wanted to insert a girl from her mother's clan in order to help her secure this position.
After listening to her words, the Queen Mother said a few words of greeting, and her face almost burst into laughter. With the help of Chang'an Palace, the next step was much easier.
"I'm just afraid of the inconvenience and tell His Majesty directly——"
The Queen Mother's expression changed.
Ruan Yuyi continued, "I have a plan here..." She lowered her voice slightly and sent the words into the ears of the Queen Mother.
The more she listened, the more relaxed she became.
.
Ruan Yuyi sat at the Queen Mother's place for an hour before stepping out.
It was no different than in Cining Palace outside, but there was still snow falling. She gathered up her cloak and took off her pretense of being calm and obedient in front of the Queen Mother. She asked Mu Xiang softly, "Is this really the right thing for me to do?"
"A young lady has her own principles." Muxiang just stood firmly by her side, not to mention that the emperor's family was ruthless and it was not suitable for them to express their sincerity.
She felt slightly reassured.
Outside the Chang'an Palace, there was a tall figure standing with a harp on his back. He seemed to feel someone coming from behind him. He turned around, his clothes floating like smoke. His cold eyes were filled with a smile, "I have seen the empress."
.”
Ruan Yuyi stopped at a suitable distance and said warmly, "I don't remember that I have summoned you."
Xuanrao lowered his head further, "It's just a small nuisance."
"Come in." She stepped across the threshold, revealing a corner of her exquisitely embroidered red shoes under her dress.
In the hall, the warmth from the charcoal fire and the smell of incense spread long and wide, making those who were there couldn't help but relax. Cen Li entered and added some fruits to the plate.
Xuanrao lowered his head and played the harp, and suddenly said, "What happened to the empress?"
"Why do you say that?" She went to pick up the candied hand.
His voice is very clear, like a clear spring flowing over a stone, and his face can easily coax people to relax their vigilance, "Young lady, I see that your empress does not look well, she seems to have something on her mind."
Worried? Why is she worried?
If Bai Zhiqi succeeds, she should also feel relaxed.
"Maybe the little one is too troubled," he fiddled with the strings and whispered softly, "Your Majesty, you should use less medicine and take care of yourself." He raised his head and met Cen Li's eyes.
From an angle that Ruan Yuyi could not see, Cen Li nodded slightly to him.
He continued, "I wonder what medicine your Majesty has taken recently? I have a senior brother who knows a little bit about pharmacology, and I think he can help My Majesty."
Although this reason may seem unfair, it can be regarded as fulfilling the new emperor's instructions.
As for his senior brother who has some knowledge of pharmacology, he is indeed a real person and cannot be considered a deception.
Although he pretends to be his daughter's family in the play, he is still a man, and the new emperor will not easily trust him to enter and exit the palace.
But the new emperor also took a fancy to his hands and voice, and after he expressed his loyalty and observed his respectful behavior, he allowed him to enter the palace to see her.
He was saying this now to help the new emperor test her to see if she had found another prescription to take the medicine to avoid the disease.
Hearing what she said, she just thought he meant well and said, "I haven't taken any medicine recently."