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

Outside the courtyard, under the pavilion.

Qiuju looked at Taoxi, who was standing next to the swing, staring blankly inside.

"Sister Taoxi, what's wrong?" She looked in the direction of her sight.

The young lady was sitting at the door painting, and Steward Quan was standing next to her grinding ink for her. The young lady was wearing an indigo dress, which made her even more beautiful than the painting. She was extremely beautiful.

Taoxi pulled Qiu Ju and said, "Shh."

Qiu Ju quickly covered her mouth and lowered her voice: "Sister Tao, what happened!"

"Do you think that Xiao Quanzi and Xiaozhu are weird..." Taoxi touched her chin with half-closed eyes.

"Young Master and Steward Quan? What's strange about that? It looks very normal to me." Qiuju looked at her and tried to hold back her laughter.

"Sister Tao, you must be jealous because you see that Butler Quan is always serving the young lady and sometimes she doesn't even call me sister!" Qiuju covered her mouth and laughed.

"Go away! What do you know, little girl?" Taoxi blushed, as if her thoughts were discovered: "I'll clean this place, you go and do something else."

Qiuju left happily.

Taoxi stared at Zhaoyue and the others for a while, picked up the broom handle, and said to himself: "No, it's very wrong..."

And it started a few days ago. When the two of them stood together, there was an inexplicable aura, as if it was just them, and no one else could fit in. The way Xiao Quanzi looked at his master was also like that. How can I put it...

Gooey.

Taoxi couldn't figure it out, so she shook her head to get rid of the thought. Forget it, she decided to study more about the food that the young lady would like to eat.

-

In Fengyi Palace.

The queen was looking at the monthly account book of the young lady in the palace: "Xunqiu, has the rain stopped outside?"

"Your Majesty, it's not raining heavily." Xun Qiu said, "Your Majesty... have you heard the rumors in the palace?"

"You said it was a rumor, how could I take it seriously?" The phoenix beads on the queen's hairpin flashed with light, and even though it was a rainy day, the brilliance could not be concealed.

She rubbed her brows and said, "Hua promised that she had worked hard in serving His Majesty. You can ask someone to send some things to comfort her. His Majesty is also still ill. There are so many concubines in the harem, but you have to choose..."

Xun Qiu: "My lady, doesn't this just prove that Hua Da Ying is a brainless vixen?"

"No brains?" The Queen sneered, "I think she has brains. Her most useful thing is her body."

"Don't be angry, Madam. Hua promised to remember your kindness even if she is favored. She is just a stone beside you. If you are unhappy, you can kick her away."

"I am pregnant now, so it is better to have someone by my side to serve His Majesty than for them to be the only ones to stand out. Concubine Gao certainly did not expect that there would be a day when she would be ignored by His Majesty, haha..."

The queen rubbed her belly, her expression gentle: "What's going on with Concubine Gao?"

"I can't tell anything else, but the imperial kitchen said that all the food that was promised to Hua was thrown away by Caiyue."

"Then you can take care of her. I still need her now."

Xun Qiu: “Yes.”

"Your Majesty, Concubine Qi is here." The maid at the door spoke.

The queen raised her eyes.

Concubine Qi had a face full of indignation, and even raindrops fell on her shoulders, which showed that she was walking very fast. As soon as she came in, she cried, "Empress!"

The queen frowned carelessly, waved her hand, and Xun Qiu said, "Go get a stool."

Concubine Qi looked aggrieved, holding a green handkerchief in her hand: "Your Majesty, I really can't sit still. Your Majesty has even gone to Concubine Fang's place. Now the new Concubine Hua is favored by Your Majesty even though she is sick. Your Majesty doesn't even remember me."

She mumbled a bunch of words.

The queen felt a headache and said, "Okay, sit down first. You are a concubine after all. It's unbecoming of you to come here in the rain just to get favor from someone!"

Concubine Qi's eyes turned red: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean it. It's just, it's just..."

But she saw that everyone was favored. When she followed Concubine Ling, she could see the emperor once a month, but now she can't even see the shadow of the emperor.

"I mentioned you in front of His Majesty, but His Majesty went to Concubine Fang that night. In the final analysis, you are useless." The Queen spoke bluntly.

Concubine Qi's face turned pale: "Yes, I am not outstanding in appearance or talent, so it is reasonable that Your Majesty does not like me."

The Queen sighed, "But after all, Your Majesty is thinking of the affection you had when you were in the mansion, otherwise you wouldn't have gone to Concubine Fang. You should calm down more on weekdays. You are not young anymore, but you are still so impetuous."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My family sent two pieces of the finest black fox fur to me. I brought them here for Your Majesty to choose from and make into a cloak to keep me warm in the winter."

Xiao He brought the things up, Xun Qiu took them and presented them to the Queen.

One black and one white, both shiny and smooth, excellent complete animal hides.

The Queen touched him and said, "If you use your cleverness in the right place, it's intelligence. You always helped Lingpin before, but now that she's gone, why don't you dare to fight for yourself?"

"Your Majesty, I want to do it too, but I don't have the ability." She couldn't even see His Majesty, let alone take the initiative to find Him.

"Send this black piece to the Embroidery Office and tell them to make it for His Majesty. Please be very attentive."

Xun Qiu: “Yes.”

"As for the white one, Concubine Qi, you can keep it for now. I can't stand the smell." The queen waved her hand.

Concubine Qi burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty."

"Remember, the more you talk, the more mistakes you make. His Majesty likes gentle beauties. I have some skirts made of Suzhou and Hangzhou brocade here. You can pick a few."

After Concubine Qi left, Xun Qiu stood beside her and asked, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has never liked Concubine Qi very much, why did you help her?"

"I am not helping her, but myself. As long as her pregnancy is good..." The Queen stopped talking and said, "Just in case, send some more passion incense and tell her how to use it, so as not to hurt His Majesty's body."

"Yes."

-

Ningzhu Pavilion.

Zhao Yue stopped writing and said: "I think I don't have any talent in painting, so I might as well practice the piano, at least it looks pleasing to the eye.

He Quan wet the handkerchief, took her hand and wiped it, looking at the painting on the table: "My lady, don't belittle yourself. I think this painting is excellent, especially this... little shrimp, it is so majestic."

"This is a crab." Zhao Yue raised his eyes.

"..." He Quan coughed: "The crab you drew is so delicate."

After wiping her hands clean, he saw that Zhao Yue still looked depressed, so he coaxed her, "My lady, you don't need to be an expert, you can be a generalist. As long as you put in a little effort, His Majesty will be bewitched."

She liked what he said, Zhao Yue smiled and said, "The rain has stopped, you can go to Concubine Fang and give her the sachet."

"it is good."

Last time, His Majesty assigned a few people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to her, but they were all doing odd jobs in the outer courtyard and did not serve her closely.

He Quan went to the back and said to the young eunuch who was dealing with weeds: "Xiao Yinzi, come with me."

The young eunuch raised his head, his face was quite handsome, and he looked a bit timid and humble: "Yes."