My Lady is well

The weather was getting colder, and a chill was lingering in the palace in late autumn.

Hiding in the mud cracks under the red wall, it uses the earth's energy to drill into people's necks and straight into their spines.

Shen Yueyao exhaled lightly, and a faint white mist floated in the air.

In the blink of an eye, it was blown away by the cold wind.

She looked up at the imperial carriage that was getting farther and farther away, and her expression was dazed for a moment.

I sighed in my heart, the palace is so small.

Shou'an Palace is full of emerald green trees and jade-like groves, and jade-like steps. Shen Yueyao is waiting outside the bedroom. Her eyes linger on the bare maple tree in the yard, and she feels a little lonely.

Eunuch Ma came out of the palace and said with a smile: "Shen Cainu, the Queen Mother wants you to come in."

Shen Yueyao lifted her skirt, stepped over the threshold, and walked into the hall.

The empress dowager was dressed in a crimson palace satin gown embroidered with a gourd pattern of double happiness. She sat solemnly on an ebony four-panel chair, smiling gently, looking graceful, amiable and amiable.

The hem of Shen Yueyao's skirt swayed, making a slight rustling sound. She walked up to the empress dowager, gently twisted the hem of her skirt with her slender hands, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed.

"Your Highness, may your Highness live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years."

The Queen Mother smiled kindly and said, "Get up, come here quickly, and come to my place."

Shen Yueyao stood up, stood in front of her, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for the reward."

The Queen Mother took her hand, held it in her palm like a treasure, and patted it twice.

"Alas, the emperor did not do this right. How could it be a concubine? I have already scolded him."

Shen Yueyao raised her sleeves and pinched her eyes at the right time, speaking in a low voice.

"I am of humble origin and know that I am not favored by the Emperor. I am extremely grateful to the Empress Dowager for her kindness."

"It was the Emperor who did a rotten job and wronged you. Well, don't blame him. He just didn't think straight and didn't see your good points."

She was destined to be a villain and cannon fodder, but now Jing Ruzhang finally showed some mercy and let her go.

She should just honestly play the role of Shen Yueyao as a marginal supporting character and not do anything unnecessary.

She knew clearly that she did not belong here. She was different from him and them, so naturally she should not leave such feelings behind.

The Queen Mother sighed deeply, her eyes suddenly wandered, and she said quietly.

"He didn't like the seventh child back then, always thinking he was too noisy, but later he... was killed by Concubine Shen, and Zhang'er suffered a lot to avenge him. Concubine Shen, that vicious woman, actually poisoned Zhang'er, and he drank it even though he knew the tea was poisonous. Fortunately, the imperial physician rescued him in time. Otherwise..."

The empress dowager raised her handkerchief to wipe her tears and said only a few words. Shen Yueyao knew that there was so much blood and tears in her words that it was too painful to describe.

She spoke softly in comfort.

"Now it's all over. You and the Emperor are a loving couple, and you still have a long life ahead of you."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly and agreed: "Fortunately, he still has a conscience."

Eunuch Ma came in and walked cautiously to the Empress Dowager, bowed his body, and spoke with a smile in his voice.

"Lady Meng is here to pay her respects to you."

When the Queen Mother heard this, she changed her previous amiable demeanor, frowned suddenly, a layer of anger appeared on her face, and she spoke with a hint of reproach.

"She came to pay respects to me? If I hadn't asked her to come, she would have forgotten that she had an aunt like me. She spends the whole day hiding in Chengfeng Pavilion gambling with others. How disgraceful! Let her kneel outside for a stick of incense before coming in."

Meng Zhiru is the legitimate daughter of the empress dowager's younger brother. It is said that in the entire Meng family, Meng Zhiru is the only daughter of her generation. She can be said to have grown up under the spotlight.

Shen Yueyao was extremely curious about this Lady Meng, who could actually make the elegant and graceful empress dowager change her expression in an instant.

Eunuch Ma advised gently.

"Queen Mother, please don't bother with Lady Meng. Lady Meng is still young. If there is anything inconsiderate, I will teach her slowly in the future. From what I see, Lady Meng looks very haggard, as if she is not feeling well. The weather is getting colder, what if she gets hurt from kneeling?"

Even though the Queen Mother scolded her, she couldn't bear to see her precious child suffer, so she said helplessly.

"Let her in."

Eunuch Ma smiled and said "eh", then walked out of the hall and led the person in.

She was wearing a deep pink brocade satin dress with a purple and white gauze cape over it.

Her little face has a bit of baby fat, and with light makeup on, her rosy cheeks look extremely cute.

As soon as she entered the room, she curved her eyebrows, walked up to the empress dowager, bowed slightly, and spoke in a flattering and coquettish manner.

"Rue greets auntie, may auntie be blessed with good health."

The Queen Mother raised her hand and slapped the ebony table beside her, causing Shen Yueyao and Concubine Meng to shiver at the same time.

What a kind person! This Miss Meng is really amazing.

"Long live and good health? If you don't make me angry, I can live two more years. Your father sent you to the palace to consolidate the marriage relationship with the royal family. Can you put more attention on your cousin?"

Lady Meng lowered her head and said with an innocent look.

"I want to, but my cousin has been like ice since he was a child, and I... am afraid of the cold."

The Queen Mother was so angry at her words that she coughed several times and quickly covered her chest.

"You have really been spoiled. Your second brother is uneducated and has led you astray. I will ask your father to beat him with a stick later."

When Meng Zhiru heard this, she hurriedly pulled the empress dowager's hand and acted coquettishly.

"Aunt, my second brother just doesn't like being an official, how can he be unlearned? He is determined to do business and said that he wants to become the most powerful businessman in Dajin in the future. With such ambitions, how can you still say that he is unlearned?"

It’s over, it’s over, this girl has been completely led astray by her second brother.

"What kind of ambition is that? He could be any of the following: scholar, farmer, worker, merchant, but he insists on being a low-class merchant."

Shen Yueyao choked, looking a little embarrassed. She just stood aside, looking down at the pattern on the carpet on the floor.

I wondered to myself, is the status of merchants here really so low?

As soon as the empress dowager finished speaking, her eyes glanced at Shen Yueyao standing beside her, she smiled awkwardly and tried to make amends.

"What I mean is that a man should take it as his duty to support the country and serve the court. This is the right way."

Meng Zhiru said indifferently: "There are so many men in the world, please let my second brother go."

The Queen Mother pointed at her with a trembling finger: "You...you!"

Meng Zhiru has always been unruly and dared to grab her fingers and act coquettishly.

"Oh, your birthday is coming soon, and Ruer has prepared a big gift for you."

The empress dowager was so annoyed by her coquettish voice that she lost her temper. After all, she only had this one niece, so she shook her head.

"You, don't get angry with me twice and I will burn incense and pray to Buddha."

She giggled, her eyes swept across Shen Yueyao beside her and stopped at her face. She thought she was beautiful, so she looked at her a few more times.

"Who is this girl?"

The Queen Mother waved to Shen Yueyao, motioning her to come over, and said with a smile.

"This is Shen Cainu, you have to call her sister."

Meng Zhiru really called out, "Sister."

Shen Yueyao bowed to her and said, "I don't deserve it. Lady Meng, please call me Shen Cainu."

"Cai Nu?"

She smiled and said to the Queen Mother, "Aunt, it's not that I don't like my cousin. Look, such a beautiful woman is just a concubine. It shows that my cousin is a saint and doesn't care about women."

"You naughty monkey, you are talking nonsense again. Be careful and let your cousin hear you and he will beat you with a stick."