After traveling through time, I became the aunt of the loyal dog emperor

"You are such a good old woman. You don't usually care about your niece, but now that Xiang Wanxuan comes, you have set your eyes on my winter plum blossoms. You even want to put them in your own Buddhist temple. How can I give them to you? I think you are just dreaming."

Wan Ning complained madly in her heart, but she still needed to maintain the harmony on the surface, which required some effort. She tilted her head and showed a deliberately flattering smile, walked to the Queen Mother with small steps, and quietly blocked the Queen Mother's hand from the wintersweet by stroking the flower.

The Queen Mother was not expecting this move. Her smile froze on her face, her mouth trembled slightly, and she slowly retracted her hand. Wan Ning pretended not to see it, lowered her head and sniffed the fragrance of the flowers on the branches, and said, "The fragrance of flowers is short-lived, and only with roots can it last long. If the branches are broken and have no roots to rely on, I'm afraid it will wither in a moment. Why not plant it here? If the Queen Mother likes it, come to Xiang Wanxuan?"

The Queen Mother asked meaningfully, "If I come here more often, will Yan'er be annoyed?"

"How could that be? I wish you could come more often! You know, Yan'er has never seen her mother since she was a child. In my heart, you are the same as my mother." After saying these words against her will, Wan Ning felt a little disgusted and wanted to end this bad topic, so she took the empress dowager's arm and forcibly took her away from here and walked towards the front hall.

While pulling the Queen Mother forward, he spoke very seriously, not giving her time to refuse: "It's windy here, and it's blowing on the Queen Mother. Let's go to the front hall and sit down. By the way, Queen Mother, is there something you want to say to Yan'er when you come to Xiang Wanxuan today?"

In a blink of an eye, the two of them walked to the front hall. Wan Ning pushed the Queen Mother to the main seat, and then she retreated to the side seat and sat down. Suddenly, she felt that something was missing, so she asked Wan Tao to serve tea.

The Queen Mother looked at her flustered appearance, hesitant to speak, and had many things she wanted to complain about. She was distressed that the princess had become so careless and casual. But then she thought that if she traced the root of all this, it could be traced back to when she "abandoned" the young princess in Xiang Wanxuan, so she just endured it.

"Empress Dowager, please forgive me for my poor hospitality. Where were we just talking about? By the way, is there anything you need to come to Xiang Wanxuan today?"

The Queen Mother was a person who was roundabout and tactful. In the past, she would have avoided the question and let people guess her intention. But when she was about to speak, she saw Wan Ning staring at her with her "ignorant" dark eyes and a silly look on her face. The Queen Mother had to think twice whether the person in front of her could understand the meaning of her words.

"The sun is shining brightly today, so it's a good time to go out for a walk. By the way, come and see how Yan'er is preparing for the talent show?" The Queen Mother still showed a kind smile.

"Okay, I said that no one would come to see me for no reason. The Queen Mother must have other plans. I will wait and see what she has to say." Wan Ning thought to herself.

Then she answered, "Thank you for your concern, Empress Dowager. Thanks to you, everything is going according to plan and everything is going well."

"As long as everything goes well, the selection will be one of the biggest events for Chu Country next year. We cannot allow for any mistakes. We must select a concubine suitable for Heng'er so that she can give birth to an heir for Chu Country as soon as possible."

"Yes, okay." Wan Ning responded perfunctorily.

"Yan'er, you too."

"Me? What's wrong with me?" Wan Ning asked in confusion when the topic was thrown back to herself.

"You have already reached the age for marriage, so you must choose a prince consort of your choice in this selection. If Yan'er gets married, although she will leave the palace, it will be much closer to home than going to Tumo." The queen mother seemed to be thinking about something and avoided the question.

Her words were a little messy, as if she was reminding herself of something, and Wan Ning was also muttering in her heart. Could it be that she was reminding herself that the emperor intended to send her to Tumo for marriage, but if she could get married in this selection, then the emperor naturally had no way to stop it?

While the two were talking, Wan Tao came forward with her head down, holding a cup of tea, attracting their attention. They all watched Wan Tao put the cup from the tray in front of the Queen Mother and bowed gently. The Queen Mother seemed very satisfied with her, always looking at her with an appreciative look, with a hint of smile on her lips, which she had never had when she looked at Wan Ning.

"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager?" Wan Ning called her softly. Following her gaze, she could only see Wan Tao's receding figure. "Wan Tao is a very good assistant. It seems that the Empress Dowager is reluctant to let her go?"

"Hmm?" The Queen Mother didn't seem to understand what Wan Ning meant, but she was unwilling to show it. She quickly returned to her normal expression and replied according to Wan Ning's words: "Yes, she has a kind of kindness that makes people want to get close to her. Is everything okay in taking care of the princess's daily life?"

"Okay, all is good." The Queen Mother did not directly answer Wan Ning's question, but threw the question to her again.

"That's good. Let's talk about the talent show. This is a big deal and there must be no accidents. If Yan'er needs any help, just come to me." The Queen Mother said reluctantly, and she seemed to be embarrassed as she had many things left to say.

Wan Ning was puzzled. The Queen Mother usually stayed at home. Could it be that she suddenly came to Wan Xuan today just to talk about these things? If so, how bored must she be? But seeing that she was hesitant to speak, it was clear that there was something else. But Wan Ning didn't know where to start, so she simply didn't ask and waited for her to speak when she wanted to.

Wan Ning simply changed her mind. Since the Queen Mother had sent "warmth" to her door, it would be impolite if she did not ask for anything. She smiled slightly, came up with an idea, and said in a pretentious manner: "There is indeed one thing. I am afraid that only you, the Queen Mother, can make the decision at this time?"

"Oh, what's the matter?"

"I would like to ask you, the Queen Mother, for a few houses in the palace. After the new year, the girls and boys who will participate in the beauty pageant will have to enter the palace, but the places to live have not been chosen yet," Wan Ning said.

"In previous years' talent shows, the girls had fixed residences in the palace. Is this place okay?" The residence the Queen Mother mentioned was the place that was used in previous talent shows. Wan Ning had seen it and it was very small. If it was just the girls, it would be fine, but this time there were also young masters coming to the talent show, so it would not be appropriate to live together.

Wan Ning shook her head. "I plan to hold a new format for next year's talent show. The previous venues are too small to adapt to the new competition system. I think Yudie Palace and Lanzhi Garden are good. They are not too far away from each other. Will the Queen Mother approve them for me to use?"

The Queen Mother laughed and her frown relaxed: "It's not difficult. I'll lend it to you."

Wan Ning naturally had her own selfish motives. The two houses were not far from the Wuming Palace. She planned to quietly arrange for Concubine Xia to live with the concubine under a false identity, and then secretly eliminate her and send her out of the palace. If someone traced her in the future, they would not link her to a concubine who was eliminated early.

Before she finished her cup of tea, the Queen Mother had already stood up and was about to leave. Until now, Wan Ning still couldn't figure out the real purpose of the Queen Mother's visit today. She simply didn't bother thinking about it. After a long time, everything would be clear.