The crabapple tree is fragrant in the tent, and the bright moon is in my arms

Finally, it was time to present gifts to the Queen Mother. The concubines had different expressions on their faces, some were confident, some were nervous.

Your Majesty first presented a rosewood, mother-of-pearl and gold-inlaid screen with a birthday poem. Between the screens was the word "Longevity" written by Your Majesty himself in azurite, bordered with black silk and gold thread, and embellished with paintings of peace and prosperity for the country and the people. The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly.

"The emperor's calligraphy and painting have become more and more sophisticated."

The queen smiled and presented a double-sided hollowed-out Ruyi handle made of Hetian white jade: "I accidentally got Hetian white jade from the Qilian Mountains. I carved this Ruyi handle and presented it to you, Your Majesty. Please don't despise it."

The Queen Mother looked at the Queen and smiled more tenderly: "I like it."

Concubine Gao presented a green jadeite Pixiu beast to ward off evil spirits, which was also praised by the empress dowager. She happily sat back at the table and looked at His Majesty with affection.

"A gift from Concubine Ling—the Guanghan Red Palace coral inlaid hand-bead incense burner."

The Queen Mother's expression changed, and she raised her hand and asked, "Buddha's hand beads?"

Concubine Ling bowed and pinched her throat, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a Buddha's hand bead. It was a relic and a Buddha's hand bead that was transformed after Master Guangjing passed away. I got this bead by chance."

The Queen Mother looked at the crystal clear beads that heated up when touched, and then looked at Concubine Ling: "Good child... You have a connection with Buddha. You are... Concubine Ling?"

"Yes, Queen Mother."

"If you have nothing to do in the future, would you be willing to come and serve me?"

Concubine Ling suppressed the joy in her heart: "Of course I am willing." She raised her eyes and saw His Majesty looking at her with admiration. She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

Her gift was the best, and all the other gifts that followed seemed mediocre. Concubine Gao sat in her seat with a dull look in her eyes, glancing at Concubine Ling from time to time, and no one knew what she was thinking.

The Queen Mother sat on the high seat and suddenly asked, "Who sent this gift?"

The eunuch replied hurriedly, "It is a red carp-carved cup sent by Zhao Changzai."

"Zhao Chang is here?" The Queen Mother looked at Zhu Dingyuan: "I remember now, the little girl who saved people at Qianli Pond?"

His Majesty also felt curious about the gift and nodded, saying, "Zhao Changzai."

Zhao Yue was picking up a piece of bamboo shoot with chopsticks. She wiped her mouth quickly and stood up: "I'm here."

The Queen Mother: "Come closer, let me see you."

Zhaoyue left the table. She was wearing a light-colored dress today and had a light makeup. She made her eyes a little rounder, which reduced her charm. Her eyes were sparkling, making her look particularly cute and innocent.

Her appearance was the most stunning in the harem. The Queen Mother was stunned when she saw such a person, and her smile faded a little: "Others give auspicious patterns, but do you have any explanation for your gift?"

Zhao Yue replied politely, "I fell into the water a few days ago. I was confused and seemed to be pulled up by an immortal. I tried to open my eyes but could only see a long bright red tail.

I have heard of the legend of the Thousand Carp Pond, so I made this carp statuette to present to the Queen Mother. I did not believe it at first, but I thought that the Queen Mother had blessed the world and protected the Thousand Carp Pond, so the immortals were willing to help me. I want to thank the Queen Mother for saving my life."

A sycophant.

The concubines all changed their expressions and rolled their eyes secretly.

After hearing this, the Queen Mother also recalled the bizarre experience in her youth. Her eyes warmed up as she looked at the red carp ornament: "At such a young age, you are so eloquent. It's nothing, but you put a lot of thought into it. Reward."

Zhao Yue heaved a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Queen Mother!"

In her previous life, her appearance made the Queen Mother very unhappy. In this life, I have managed to please her half way with gifts. I wonder if she will have a preconceived notion that she is a vixen.

Zhaoyue looked up, but met Zhu Dingyuan's eyes, which contained a bit of admiration. She quickly lowered her head pretending to be shy.

The Queen Mother chased after the Buddhist beads in her hand and said: "The Emperor's concubines are all very clever and thoughtful. I am very satisfied, but..."

She looked at His Majesty: "Emperor is busy with official duties, but he should also understand the expansion of the royal family. Only if he has more princes and princesses will I be happier."

Then her eyes fell on the Queen.

The queen answered with a smile, but her face gradually turned pale. It was unknown whether she could give birth to a legitimate son, but now that His Majesty had no heirs, she had to give birth to a legitimate son, otherwise... she was worthy of the position of the Empress.

"Queen Mother, I understand. I have only been on the throne for a short time and am very busy with official duties. I will definitely make more time for you in the future. Is that okay?"

The Queen Mother could only sigh and said, "Forget it, forget it. You will blame me for being nosy later. You can handle it yourself."

The gift-giving segment came to an end. The dancer who performed the dance in the middle was extremely beautiful, but she made a mistake because she was too deliberate. She wanted to fly onto a tree and become a phoenix, but she never expected that His Majesty would directly sentence her to death.

During the meal, Concubine Ling stole the spotlight again, saying that the new chef in the kitchen, who came from the same place where the Empress Dowager lived when she was a child, made a super fresh and tender seasonal soup, which reminded the Empress Dowager of her youth.

"Ling Fei... you are so thoughtful... I haven't tasted this flavor for a long time. Emperor, you should try it too."

His Majesty took a bite and nodded in appreciation. Concubine Gao sipped the flavor and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to try it too. Even the Empress Dowager remembers it so vividly. What is the taste like?"

All the limelight today belongs to Concubine Ling.

After His Majesty gave the order, she really served the soup, with an expression of indescribable pride on her face, and the maids brought it to the concubines one by one.

Zhao Yue looked at the milky white soup in front of her and felt that something was wrong. Everything had been going smoothly until now, but Lanpin...

As she was thinking, one of them suddenly held her stomach and said it hurt, tears rolling down her cheeks: "Ah... my stomach... Your Majesty, help me... it hurts... this soup..."

After she finished speaking, she almost fell to the ground, and the maid quickly held her up.

Concubine Gao was just taking a bite, and when she saw this unexpected change, she was so frightened that she almost stood up: "What's wrong?"

Everyone present was stunned, and Zhu Dingyuan's face darkened: "Someone, take her away."

Suddenly, there was a sound of bowls and cups falling to the ground, and Lanpin's maid Cuiyun called out, "My lady! My lady! What's wrong with you?"

Everyone's attention fell on Concubine Lan again, only to see that her face was as pale as paper, with traces of soup on her lips, and she was holding her stomach and groaning in pain.

Cuiyun cried, "My lady, you have lost so much blood! How could this happen, Queen Mother... Your Majesty..."

Those who were nearby saw the blood flowing from Concubine Lan's body and forming a pool on the ground. Concubine Qi was so frightened that she almost had a stitch in her side.

"Imperial Physician! Call the Imperial Physician!"

Zhaoyue also stood up with a frightened look on her face and glanced at Concubine Ling who was so proud just now. She now looked terrified and as if she was about to faint, staring straight at the bowl of soup.