Drunk Bamboo

In the palace, apart from the emperor, the one above everyone else is the Imperial Concubine.

Logically, the Queen should come first, but the Imperial Concubine is a special one.

In the year when the emperor first ascended the throne, the rebellion of the two kings had just been quelled, and the political situation was unstable. Someone wanted to assassinate the emperor on the spot at the banquet under the pretext of offering wine. Fortunately, the beautiful Jiang Ji, who was dancing at the time, was closest to the emperor and had a light body, so she blocked the emperor's way.

The dagger pierced the beauty's chest, just a hair's breadth away from killing her.

Heaven does not envy beauty and lets her survive. From then on, the gears of fate began to turn, and she soared to the top, enjoying endless wealth and glory.

The beautiful Jiang Ji is the current Imperial Concubine.

The beauty had been weak since then, but after giving birth to the fifth prince, she was even more favored and was immediately named Concubine Ji.

But no one expected that the young, upright, youthful and beautiful Concubine Ji would actually start to worship Buddha, live a pure and desireless life and not compete with the world.

But the emperor's favor towards her did not diminish in the slightest.

Early in the morning on the first and fifteenth day of every month, a seemingly ordinary carriage slowly drove out from the side door of the palace.

Sitting in the carriage was the honorable Imperial Concubine.

Who else in the palace could enjoy such special treatment? Only the Imperial Noble Consort. She went out of the palace to burn incense at the Daci Temple and pray for the peace and prosperity of the Rao Kingdom.

What the Imperial Concubine did was a great thing, and no minister in the court dared to object.

The Daci Temple was a popular place for worshippers. The Imperial Concubine wore a simple dress, and the palace servants and guards also changed into ordinary people's clothes. They walked among the crowd without arousing suspicion from those around them.

The Imperial Concubine had a plain face and was worshipping Buddha devoutly.

After the ceremony, the monks in the temple took them to a secluded room to rest.

The monks in Daci Temple all knew that this pilgrim was of extremely noble status, but they could not reveal a single word to outsiders.

Abbot Ci'en waited outside the room and only left after seeing the Imperial Concubine.

The imperial concubine sat quietly in the side room, and soon Prince Wen Hua Qinming came in.

Xia'er behind him was carrying breakfast.

Hua Qinming greeted him respectfully.

The Imperial Concubine closed her eyes and said nothing, while the palace maids Xuan'er and Xia'er left the room together.

Hua Qinming's skin was extremely white, he spoke with a weak breath, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

"This is the porridge and side dishes prepared by the temple. Mother, please have some first."

The Imperial Concubine opened her beautiful eyes and said calmly, "Today is a day of worshipping Buddha and cleansing the intestines."

Hua Qinming looked concerned: "Mother's health is not good to begin with, and she ate bad food at the Liushang Qushui Banquet, which hurt her spleen and stomach. Eating some light porridge is the best way to nourish her stomach."

Both mother and son had a morbid beauty on their faces.

His face was pale, his body was slender, and he was out of breath.

The imperial concubine's eyes fell on Hua Qinming and she asked, "If I am well again, will Your Majesty still be so compassionate and partial to me? Will the Nanjiang tribe be protected by the Rao Kingdom and not be harassed by the You Kingdom?"

"If it weren't for the Nanjiang tribe, if it weren't for the future of my mother and me, how could my body be like this?"

Hua Qinming lowered his head, his eyes trembling slightly: "Mother has suffered a lot for me, and I will definitely live up to your expectations."

She reached out and stroked his shoulder, saying softly, "We mother and son don't have a strong family to rely on, and we don't have relatives to back us up. The only person we can rely on is your father. Only by winning his pity and love can we live decently in Zhongdu."

"Only when you reach that position can my mother and I truly hold our heads high and not have to rely on anyone like a maggot to survive."

Hua Qinming raised his head, and a fake smile appeared on his fair face: "Son knows."

Touching the Buddhist beads in her hand, the Imperial Concubine showed a worried look on her face: "Right now, the Crown Prince is building a dam in the river basin, but the Wind King is taking all the glory in front of Your Majesty."

"With my mother reminding my father, the prince's status in front of my father is no longer as high as before. It is difficult to change a person's nature, and the character of the Wind Prince will never lead to great things."

He nodded slightly: "The deployment of the prince is not a one-day job, and it has to be done slowly. I didn't take the King of Wind seriously, but I didn't expect that His Majesty gave him a very extraordinary princess."

The depths of her beautiful eyes were suddenly covered with a layer of deep frost, chilling one to the bone: "In the eyes of the scholars of Rao Country, the status of the Xie family in Nanmi is no lower than that of the Wang family in Hedong. The Xie family does not seek fame and fortune, is low-key and humble, and never shows off. Their foundation and connections may be deeper than those of the Wang family."

He looked at Hua Qinming, as if to remind him: "Xie Yuzhu should have been your princess, but it was King Feng who took her away."

He lowered his eyes, not wanting his emotions to be discovered.

Seeing the loving look between Hua Qinfeng and Xie Yuzhu, he felt sad in his heart.

The corners of his mouth were still smiling: "My son now has the Xilin Xiao family, and the 100,000 Xiao family soldiers are our backing. Lord Luo is deeply trusted by His Majesty, and it will be a hundred benefits to my son to have him in the court."

The Imperial Concubine warned again: "That being said, your Majesty likes Prince Feng more and more, and with Xie Yuzhu by your side, you must not take it lightly."

He replied obediently, "Yes. I will remember your mother's teachings."

Xuan'er came forward to report: "My queen, Lord Han is here."

Imperial Concubine: "Come in."

Han Jian hunched his back and walked carefully into the side room, kneeling in front of the Imperial Concubine and Prince Wen.

"I greet the Imperial Concubine and the Prince."

The Imperial Concubine had an indifferent expression, holding Buddhist beads in her hand and lowering her eyes slightly.

Hua Qinming's smile was chilling: "Get up, Minister Han. Today is a private visit, so there's no need to be polite."

The Imperial Concubine gently raised her hand: "Sit down."

Han Jian was flattered: "Thank you, Royal Concubine, and thank you, Your Majesty."

He did not dare to be presumptuous when he sat down, and said respectfully: "It is a great honor for me to meet the Imperial Concubine in person."

The Imperial Concubine went to see Han Jian in person because Han Jian was useful.

She smiled faintly: "Minister Han has devoted all his efforts to the court for me and King Wen, and he is loyal and devoted. I am grateful to him."

Han Jian hurriedly stood up and saluted: "I dare not. The Royal Concubine is kind-hearted and prays for Your Majesty and the people of Rao every day, which moves heaven and earth. Your Majesty is knowledgeable and has a strong memory and outstanding abilities. The future of Rao will be the greatest blessing for you to have the Royal Concubine and the Prince."

The Imperial Concubine still lowered her eyes and said only one sentence: "Minister Han really has a keen eye."

"Your Majesty, you are so kind."

Han Jian had a mean look on his face, and the Imperial Concubine was very unhappy about it.

She didn't want to stay with him any longer, so she made an excuse and left.

"It's time for me to return to the palace. I'll have to trouble Minister Han to take care of the next important matter."

Han Jian had no idea what the Imperial Concubine was thinking, and he was still feeling proud of being valued.

"Don't worry, madam."

Before leaving, the imperial concubine glanced at Hua Qinming.

He showed a rare concern in his tone: "Ming'er, your big day is approaching, make good preparations, and don't make any mistakes on the wedding day, so that I can't find any evidence against you."

Hua Qinming's expression suddenly brightened, and he replied, "Yes, my son will definitely do it himself."

Looking at his thin body, she said, "Don't work too hard. Eat well these days. You won't look good in wedding clothes if you are too thin. Your father likes lively and festive occasions the most."

At first glance, these words sound like a mother's concern for her son, but upon closer inspection, they seem a little strange.

But I can't hear anything strange about it.

The joy in Hua Qinming's eyes suddenly dimmed.

"Yes, son, I respectfully send you off."