Wearing a book, hooking him up

Not long after Concubine Xian left, it was almost time for lunch.

After dressing up, Su Jingyao went to the Qianqing Palace to have dinner with Jun Zechen.

During the meal, Su Jingyao was elegant and picked up food for Jun Zechen from time to time. Her eyes were full of tenderness, and she got along with him as usual.

After lunch, the two stayed in the Qianqing Palace for a while before Su Jingyao returned to Kunning Palace to handle some matters.

Before I had stayed in Kunning Palace for long, Aunt Jinhua came hurriedly.

Su Jingyao sat on the phoenix chariot with a dignified posture, looking straight ahead. There seemed to be waves flowing in her eyes, and it was unknown what she was thinking about.

The Queen Mother is worthy of being the Queen Mother. She got the news as soon as Su Jingyao came out of the Qianqing Palace. Since the Queen Mother waited until Su Jingyao left the Qianqing Palace before summoning her, she probably didn't want Jun Zechen to know.

I don’t know what the Queen Mother wants to say to her.

When Su Jingyao arrived at the Cining Palace, Aunt Jinhua respectfully led her to the warm room of the Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother was standing nearby, holding a pair of scissors, concentrating on trimming the bonsai.

"I pay my respects to my mother, the Queen Mother." Su Jingyao bowed slightly, her voice clear and respectful.

"The Queen is here. Come over here and see how I have pruned this bonsai tree."

The Queen Mother did not even raise her head, still concentrating on the work in her hands.

Su Jingyao stood up, walked over and took a closer look.

"This curved-trunk pine and cypress bonsai, under the pruning and cultivation of the Queen Mother, has a twisted trunk that looks like a dragon, full of rhythm and rhythm, a perfect combination of softness and strength, very good."

Su Jingyao's eyes were full of admiration and there was a perfect smile on her face.

"It seems that the Queen also understands the art of bonsai?"

The Queen Mother finally put down the scissors, turned her head and looked at Su Jingyao with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"I know a thing or two. They say bonsai are silent poems, three-dimensional paintings, and living sculptures, so I will also place some in the palace. However, the ones I place are those that have been trimmed by the palace maids, and I don't have the artistic appreciation of my mother."

Su Jingyao lowered her head slightly and spoke in a humble tone.

The Queen Mother's eyes showed a hint of appreciation, "The Queen's description of the bonsai is quite good."

Intelligent, well-mannered and knowledgeable, no wonder the emperor likes her.

"I heard that the Emperor has been drinking in the Palace of Heavenly Purity these past two days? Does the Empress know the reason?"

Although the Queen Mother's expression did not change much, there was still a hint of coldness in her voice and her eyes became sharp.

Su Jingyao lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and what was supposed to come finally came.

"It's my fault. I failed to relieve Your Majesty's boredom, which led to Your Majesty drinking some wine." There was a hint of self-blame in Su Jingyao's voice.

"Empress, the emperor now only favors you. I did not stop you because there are already many princes in the harem. You are indeed smart and have the emperor's heart firmly in your hands. But no matter what, the emperor's health is not to be trifled with."

The Queen Mother's words were powerful, with unquestionable majesty and stern warning, and her eyes were fixed on Su Jingyao.

Su Jingyao squatted down, still maintaining a dignified posture.

"Please forgive me, mother. It is my fault."

The Queen Mother looked down at the Queen, her thoughts drifting back to when the Queen first entered the Eastern Palace.

At that time, even she misjudged her, thinking that she was really not competitive and looked gentle and calm.

But unexpectedly, she was the most ambitious woman in the entire harem. She not only wanted the emperor's favor but also the position of queen. But what was unexpected was that she did it.

The Queen Mother also knew her son's temperament. When he fell in love with Ling, she did not stop him because she never thought that Ling had the ability to attract her son for the rest of his life.

Sooner or later, the emperor would get tired of his relationship with Ling, and just as she had expected, even faster than she had imagined, the emperor no longer had much affection for Ling.

But now he has placed his emotions on the Queen again, but the Queen is completely different from Ling. This is the Queen Mother's intuition, and the Queen has a strong ability to control people's hearts.

When she handed over the power of the palace to the empress, it was naturally not a complete relinquishment. She would also secretly observe the empress's methods. The empress would fully consider human greed, laziness, and ambition and formulate a series of palace rules.

She managed the harem in perfect order, even better than she did before.

Such a woman might really be able to control her son for his entire life.

The Queen Mother sighed slightly, and these thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

"Queen, please get up." The Queen Mother's voice softened a little.

"I summoned you today not to call you to task. I have no right to interfere in matters between you and the emperor. But if there is any problem with the emperor's health, I will hold you responsible."

There was seriousness and majesty in the Queen Mother's eyes.

"Yes, I will follow my mother's instructions."

Su Jingyao stood up.

The Queen Mother put down the scissors, walked slowly to the couch beside her and sat down, "Queen, come and sit down, and try the tea here."

The Queen Mother raised her hand in a gesture.

Su Jingyao followed behind the empress dowager, then sat down gently on the other side of the couch, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and her manners were full of nobility.

Afterwards, the Queen Mother had a long chat with the Queen.

After she became the empress dowager, she had a lot more time. She dabbled in everything from tea ceremony to Buddhist scriptures. The empress could actually answer her questions fluently, and at the end of the conversation they even discussed the governance of the six palaces.

Su Jingyao could only sigh inwardly that it was much more difficult to appease the empress dowager than to appease the emperor. Fortunately, she liked reading books and read a variety of them, otherwise she might not be able to get along well with the empress dowager.

She always had a smile on her face and responded seriously to every word of the Queen Mother, with concentration and respect in her eyes.

Just when the Queen Mother and Su Jingyao were chatting happily, a sharp eunuch's voice was suddenly heard.

"Your Majesty has arrived——"

Hearing the voice, Su Jingyao's brows wrinkled slightly, and she muttered to herself: What is he doing here?

There was a flash of confusion and helplessness in his eyes.

There was a faint smile on the corner of the empress dowager's mouth and her eyes were deep, making it difficult to guess what she was thinking at the moment.

Jun Zechen strode in with a straight posture, and saluted with smooth and respectful movements, "Your son pays respects to the Queen Mother."

Su Jingyao was about to get down from the couch to pay her respects, but Jun Zechen was quick to move and sat down beside her. He quickly put his arms around her waist, preventing her from moving at all.

Su Jingyao's face instantly turned black. Did he know that he was in front of the Queen Mother?

She tried to break free quietly, but Jun Zechen was too strong.

The Queen Mother couldn't help but twitch her lips, looking at her son being so intimate with the Queen as if no one was around, she naturally knew why he came here.

Isn't it just to support the Queen? He is afraid that she, the Queen Mother, will embarrass the Queen.

"Why is the emperor here?" The empress dowager narrowed her eyes slightly and asked with a hint of inquiry in her tone.

"Of course I miss my mother."

Jun Zechen had a flattering smile on his face, but his eyes were always on Su Jingyao.

He was originally reviewing memorials in the imperial study, and it was Anshun who reported to him that Yaoyao had been summoned by her mother.

Jun Zechen knew in his heart that the Qianqing Palace had people belonging to his mother, and he had a very good relationship with her. He always turned a blind eye to the people her mother placed in the Qianqing Palace. It was simply because his mother cared about him.

However, he had confined the empress to the Qianqing Palace for the past two days. Although the people in the harem were unaware of this, the people in the Qianqing Palace naturally knew about it. In addition, he was drinking in a side hall, and he was afraid that his mother would embarrass her if she knew about it, so Jun Zechen hurried over and didn't even bother to pay the memorial.

The Queen Mother had not expected that after she left the palace for some time to practice, she would come back to find that her son not only doted on the Queen, but his personality had even changed a lot. He could even say things like "I want to think of you" so fluently, which he would never say easily in the past.

"Is the Emperor here to see me or the Empress?" The Empress Dowager looked slightly dissatisfied.

But Jun Zechen naturally knew that his mother was not really angry, so he just laughed it off.

"Didn't the Queen just come out of your Qianqing Palace? Others may not know that you have confined the Queen, but could it be that I don't know? The Queen is the master of the six palaces. What mistake did she make that you confined her?"

The empress dowager frowned, looked serious, and lectured the emperor with a sharp look.

Su Jingyao couldn't help but want to laugh in her heart, because that was not what the Queen Mother had just said to her.

She lowered her head slightly, trying hard to hide the smile that was about to spill out from the corner of her mouth.

Jun Zechen was stunned for a moment, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Wasn't the Queen Mother calling Yaoyao over to scold her, but to show concern for her?

Why was he the one being scolded?

"Yes, I am wrong, but the Queen is not. I am not confining the Queen to her house. I am just asking her to accompany me in the Palace of Heavenly Purity."

Jun Zechen's expression was a little embarrassed.

The Queen Mother took a sip of tea and her eyebrows twitched.

Her son really didn't learn any of his father's ruthlessness or amorousness. The late emperor always treated women with pampering but never with love. The more amorous the emperor was, the more ruthless he was.

Therefore, the Queen Mother never expected the love of the late Emperor. She only wanted power and the respect of the late Emperor.

Now the Queen Mother is not sure whether her son is a loyal person or the Queen is just too cunning.

When Su Jingyao heard Jun Zecheng defending her, she glared at him with her beautiful eyes full of anger.

Although Su Jingyao has never been a mother-in-law, isn't she really making the Queen Mother hate her by being so affectionate in front of her?

She inadvertently took Jun Zechen's hand off her waist and fiddled with it gently with her fingers, but Jun Zechen's strength was so great that he had no intention of letting go.

The Queen Mother looked at the two of them being so intimate as if no one was around, her brows furrowed even more, and then she waved her hand impatiently.

"I am exhausted today. Emperor and Empress, please step down."