It was the time of the year when the flowers were falling, and a rare burst of laughter came from the deep palace. The concubines and the women of the inner palace sat around the peach blossom tree, drinking tea and laughing. It was a rare harmony. The woman at the top of the table was wearing a bright yellow silk palace dress with a light gold open-sleeved gauze dress. Her hair was tied up in a peacock tail bun, and her golden phoenix steps were dazzling. Her beautiful eyes were smiling. Although she wasn't stunning, she had an air about her. With such a dignified and imposing manner, she was none other than the Empress of the current Emperor Tian Ze, Shang Zhi Rong.
Shang Zhirong was born in a prestigious family, her father was the Prime Minister of the current dynasty, Shang Rui. Shang Rui had contributed greatly to the founding of the Heavenly Sun Dynasty and was able to inherit the title of nobility. Hence, the Shang family was the most undisputed aristocratic family in the Heavenly Sun Dynasty. Their power was overwhelming and no one could compare to them. And the daughter of the Shang family was naturally the best candidate for the Empress.
A woman in palace attire was laughing and saying,"Sister Empress, I heard that His Majesty gave you the White Jade Incense Warming Incense Burner that was offered as a tribute by Jin Nan Kingdom yesterday. That is the only treasure in the world. It was said that this incense could calm the mind and make women stay young forever. It could be seen how much the Emperor doted on his sister. This favor made his younger sisters very jealous.”The one who spoke was the newly promoted master, Liu Jie Yu. Because she was not ranked among the nine concubines, she was not qualified to attend this banquet. It was only because she was pregnant with a dragon descendant that she was lucky enough to be here. With this great opportunity, she naturally tried her best to curry favor with her in order to get a position.
The Empress smiled." Younger Sister is joking. You can just take it that Elder Sister insisted on coming from His Majesty."”It seemed that he wasn't very pleased with Handsome Fairness Liu's flattery, and instead continued to mock himself.
Handsome Fairness Liu saw that the Empress did not smile as she wished and was momentarily speechless. She could only smile awkwardly. She pretended to pick up the teacup unintentionally and took a sip of tea. Unexpectedly, she was burned by the hot tea and the entire cup of tea flew out. The teacup fell to the ground with a clatter, the teacup shattered, and the tea splashed everywhere.
Seeing this scene, everyone laughed softly. All the wives and imperial concubines at the banquet revealed looks of disdain. Flattery had landed on a horse's leg and he had even embarrassed himself in public. He could not help but look down on this newly promoted Jie Yu.
Handsome Fairness Liu was instantly extremely embarrassed, looking as if she didn't know what to do. Fortunately, the Empress spoke up in time and said to the maid, Rui 'er Ming,""Rui 'er, quickly change a cup of tea for Handsome Fairness Liu. How do these servants serve their masters? Handsome Fairness Liu is pregnant with a dragon descendant, if anything happens to her, who can bear it? BenGong, serve them well."
Rui 'er hurriedly replied and changed a cup of tea for Handsome Fairness Liu.
The Empress looked at Handsome Fairness Liu and said gently,""This is the first time Younger Sister has attended a gathering between us sisters, and she's pregnant with a dragon descendant. It's because Elder Sister didn't discipline her properly, so the servants neglected Younger Sister.”
Seeing the Empress protect her so much, Liu Jie Yu felt grateful. He thought to himself,"When I entered the palace, I heard that the Empress's virtue is unparalleled in the world and that she has the breadth of mind of a mother. Today, she is helping her out of this predicament, so I respectfully replied,"It's all Younger Sister's fault for accidentally knocking over the teacup and ruining the mood of all the elder sisters. Elder Sister has shown great love to this lowly concubine. ChenQie thanks the Empress for her love.”He stood up and gave a rather solemn bow. When the concubines saw Handsome Fairness Liu bow, they also stood up and bowed. He did not dare to act rashly.
The Empress gestured for everyone to sit down." We are all sisters, so there's no need to be so polite. Although we have been living in the palace for a long time, we can't often gather together. Since we are all His Majesty's wives and concubines, we should watch out for each other. Sisters, you should remember that harmony is the most important. Although today's flower viewing gathering is called flower viewing, it is actually for us sisters to bond and make the Inner Palace more harmonious. I hope sisters understand my intentions.”
"I will remember the Empress's teachings." The imperial concubines returned.
The Empress nodded gently, and the banquet resumed its liveliness.
Many women in luxurious clothes chatted and laughed. But ironically, for the women in the harem, the so-called sisters and harmony were the most ridiculous fakes. Beneath the beautiful faces were restless hearts.
"Imperial Noble Consort Wenhua has arrived."
After hearing the announcement, the concubines immediately stopped laughing and stood up. The Empress tidied her gauze dress and still sat on the phoenix chair with a smile.
A woman slowly walked over from afar. The woman was wearing a pink silk dress embroidered with pale pink peach blossoms. Her hair was tied up in a cloud bun, with only a butterfly-shaped silver hairpin inserted in her hair. Her skin was as smooth as cream, and her eyes were bright. She was elegant and refined, and her beauty was above all others.
There was a faint tiredness between the woman's brows, but there was still an intoxicating smile on her face, which could not help but make people feel pity for her.
Imperial Noble Consort Wen Hua's maiden name was Wen Miaoran. When Emperor Wen Ze conquered the world, she followed him and was considered Emperor Wen Ze's confidante. Although Wen Miaoran was born in a humble background, Emperor Wen Ze was a man of character. After ascending the throne, he did not forget his beauty and vowed to make Wen Miaoran his queen. However, she was strongly opposed by the courtiers and was not allowed to be the Imperial Consort. She was only given the title of Wenhua under the Empress. The emperor's favor did not decline.
"Sisters, I'm late. I can only blame Hanzhen for being ill since yesterday. I was afraid that the palace people wouldn't take good care of her, so I personally took care of her. Hanzhen is used to being pampered by His Majesty, and she's even more unreasonable when she's sick. It wasn't easy to coax her to sleep, but I didn't expect to be late for the Empress's gathering. I hope that all sisters can forgive me. I apologize to all sisters here.”As he spoke, he bowed slightly with an apologetic expression.
The Empress smiled and said," Sister, what are you talking about? We are sisters, so why are you so polite? Hanzhen is the princess that the Emperor dotes on like a treasure, and she is also my sister's daughter. Of course, you should take care of her first. We sisters can meet at any time, so don't take it to heart." Looking at Younger Sister's tired face, she must be very tired. It's the blooming season now. Younger Sister, come sit beside Elder Sister and have a good rest. Let's have a heart-to-heart talk and resolve Younger Sister's worries.”As he spoke, he ordered the maidservant to add a seat beside him, indicating for Wen Miaoran to sit over. The concubines saw that the Empress was so amiable and bowed to Wen Miaoran. After Miaoran nodded in return, she gracefully sat beside the Empress.
"Sister Wenhua, why didn't Tianyao come along today? This child loved this kind of gathering the most. It was really strange that he did not come.”the Empress said with a smile.
"Replying to sister, Tianyao was originally clamoring to come, but His Majesty said that Jinnan Kingdom had contributed a few good bows and asked him to take a look. His Majesty had long intended to let him practice martial arts.”Miao Ran replied.
"Yes, Tianyao is His Majesty's eldest son. He's already ten years old this year. It's time for him to practice martial arts. Younger Sister is really blessed to have such a pair of children, unlike Elder Sister who has no children.”The Empress's expression darkened.
"What are you saying, sister? Sister is a mother of the world. She is young and beautiful. She will eventually have her own children. Moreover, His Majesty dotes on sister. It is only a matter of time before she has a dragon descendant. Tianyao, this child, also loves sister very much. You are no different from his biological mother. Sometimes, when I see you two being so intimate, I, as your biological mother, am even jealous.”Miao Ran hurriedly replied.
The Empress's face instantly regained its luster after hearing this. She held Miao Ran's hand and said,""Younger Sister understands me. With Younger Sister as a confidant in the palace, Elder Sister has no regrets.”
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