After the Beginning of Autumn, the weather gradually cooled down. The emperor was in high spirits due to happy events recently, and he was finally in the mood to hang out in the harem.
The three pregnant women are all close to each other, Zhou Yao is naturally the most favored, Su Jingyi is also okay, and the remaining concubines of high status have been almost forgotten.
She simply closed the door and raised the baby in peace. At least the Queen was considerate of her and gave her a separate palace. Although the people in the palace were not eager to please her, they did not dare to treat her badly.
"Yao Yao, give me a son." The emperor looked at Zhou Yao affectionately, "I will not treat you badly."
Although there are countless beauties around him, Zhou Yao is Bai Yueguang whom he met outside the palace, and the two of them admired the flowers and walked in the snow together.
The Bai Yueguang I met when I was young is completely different.
Zhou Yao leaned into his arms, "As long as I can stay with His Majesty, I will be satisfied."
Although the emperor said that he was deeply affectionate, he was still very honest. As soon as it got dark, he left Zhou Yao Palace and went to the newly favored concubine.
Zhou Yao didn't feel angry at all. He ate the chicken soup with a good appetite. It was very delicious for dinner.
After the meal, the eldest maid supported her for a walk, and a group of people walked slowly in the yard.
"The two new ones have been very popular recently." The palace lady was a little worried.
Zhou Yao touched his belly and said, "The only thing you can rely on in the palace is the child. As long as you give birth to the little prince, you will have everything."
"Yes, it is more important to give birth to the little prince safely." The palace maid became happy again.
Although Zhou Yao's approach from the beginning was calculated, the Zhou family had expectations for her since she was a child, so they were willing to spend money to train her.
A woman who can make the arrogant prince look at her with special eyes is naturally not empty-handed.
Zhou Yao is also a talented woman who has read history books thoroughly and is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She has a long-term view of things. She is the kind of woman who is ambitious and qualified.
She didn't care about the newcomers at all. The fact that Beirong retreated did not make her happy yet.
Beirong retreated and Daqi was saved. Only then can there be hope, otherwise the previous efforts would be in vain.
Su Jingyi was also happy. She had secretly found someone to see the baby in her belly, and it was probably the prince.
As the emperor's eldest son, she must hold the title no matter what, and Yan Chu was in good shape in the previous dynasty.
Su Jingyi can be said to be very proud now, she has already seen a sparkling road.
"Get the things ready and bribe the people." Su Jingyi ordered in a low voice.
She and Zhou Yao were conceived in front of each other. If she wanted to ensure that she gave birth to the emperor's eldest son, she would of course have to use some means.
Everyone was immersed in the joy of Beirong's retreat, enthusiastically planning their future, and full of small calculations.
The palace outside Shengjing burst into flames after everyone fell asleep.
As for Queen Mother Xie, she had already left with her people.
This palace was originally built by her, and the emperor had no involvement. Almost all the people in it were her close confidants.
They had left the palace three days ago, and no one in Shengjing cared.
Everyone in the palace was sent away and arrangements were made. As for the corpses placed in the fire, they were collected from inside and outside the palace and preserved with ice.
When the time comes to get burned, as long as the number of people is roughly right, there is a high probability that you can get through it.
Death is like a lamp going out. She, the Queen Mother, can just die on the surface, and there is no further meaning.
Such a huge fire burned half the sky red. People nearby were awakened.
The emperor was woken up by Lin Zheng, and when he woke up, his face was still a little angry.
Lin Zheng knelt down and said, "The emperor's palace is on fire."
"Where is the palace on fire?" The emperor did not react at once.
"The Empress Dowager is in the palace where she lives," Lin Zheng reported. "The Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division have gone to put out the fire, but there are too many fires, so I'm afraid the situation is not good."
The emperor immediately stood up and said, "Change my clothes and leave the palace immediately."
There lived two of the most noble and senior women in Daqi now. Although he had no feelings for them, something was really going to happen. It didn't sound good to talk about it, and it would also be bad for his reputation.
The emperor traveled with great fanfare, and the entire harem was alarmed.
The queen moved very quickly. She had already dressed up and changed her clothes. She came over and said to the emperor, "Concubine, please go too. After all, the queen mother and the empress dowager are both here. If anything happens, I will dress well."
Although the emperor did not have much love for her, he still respected her very much and felt that she had always done well.
"Let's go, let's go together." The emperor was very satisfied with her reaction and performance. This is the style that a queen of a country should have.
The two of them rushed to the palace overnight. When they arrived, the sky was already dimming, and they heard the noise in the distance.
The emperor opened the curtain and took a look. He immediately saw the fire that had not been extinguished and frowned severely.
The queen also took a look and sighed, "I hope everything is okay."
Both of them knew in their hearts that such a big fire would bring bad luck.
But the strangeness of the fire made the emperor feel inexplicably uneasy.
The two waited for another whole day before the fire was extinguished. The fire burned for a whole day and night, causing everyone to watch and sigh, and became the hottest topic in the palace.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager went to pay homage to Buddha a few days ago and was not in the palace.
This one was still fine, and the emperor breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Queen Mother Xie, as soon as they arrived, someone reported that she had not come out of the palace.
Such a huge fire would probably burn only the bones.
"Why did it catch fire?" asked the emperor.
"The specific reasons need to be further investigated," Xingbu said.
In the end, many bones were found from the fire. The emperor was not interested in these, and he was not very sincere towards Queen Mother Xie.
"The queen should take care of the queen's affairs after her death, and try to make it as grand as possible." The emperor immediately handed over the matter to the queen.
He took the others back to the palace first.
Tao Mingran was very dedicated. She always felt that Queen Xie was a talented and thoughtful woman, but it was a pity that she was trapped in the palace.
She also followed in her footsteps. Tao Mingran even felt pessimistically that her ending may not be better than that of Queen Mother Xie.
After Yan Chu received the news, he was surprised and immediately realized something was wrong.
"Is such a big fire really an accident?"
"Master, do you think this is man-made?" the subordinate asked.
Yan Chu chuckled. The timing was so subtle that it was hard not to think too much.
"Maybe it was planned by the Queen Mother." Yan Chu guessed, "The Queen Mother of ours is not a fuel-efficient lamp. She was taught by Mr. Xie himself."
"But what is his purpose for doing this?" The subordinate was puzzled.
A good queen who behaves inappropriately will burn down the palace. Unless she has a reason to leave or her life is about to be threatened.
"Send the message and keep an eye on King Luo. If he makes any move, send the message back immediately," Yan Chu ordered.
He always felt that this incident had something to do with Fu Jingchao.
The situation will soon become turbulent again, and he must seize the opportunity.
