Peach Blossom.

Tao Ye hesitated for a moment. She thought, no matter what, Xiaowan is now the concubine of the current emperor. It may not be a good thing if she still has expectations for another man.

So, she changed her statement: "Actually, Chen Ji never liked me, it was just a misunderstanding!"

Xiaowan looked shocked.

Tao Ye explained, "Chen Ji is a man with great ambitions, and he is not bound by personal relationships. He seems to treat me differently from others, but in fact he just needs my help, just like the time when I went to the Sima Mansion... You know."

"How could this be?" Xiaowan was at a loss and her eyes began to become flustered.

After all, if Chen Ji's liking for Tao Ye was just a misunderstanding on her part, then wouldn't her entering the palace instead be worthless?

Xiao Wan was confused, and suddenly she remembered something: "But, didn't you marry Master Chen? I just don't understand why you married him despite your status as a beautiful lady in the house? Could it be that you did it just to embarrass the princess?"

"This... this is a long story..." Most of the things Tao Ye did while pretending to be Man Tang Jiao were not suitable to be told to others, and she couldn't even make up a story.

Xiao Wan was even more curious: "Besides, why did you go to the Wang family and pretend to be Mantangjiao for so long?"

Tao Ye and Xiao Wan are old friends, and it is not good to be too perfunctory when answering questions from an old friend. Tao Ye scratched her head and finally came up with an answer that was neither perfunctory nor a lie: "To be honest... I... I like Wang Jing, so I did this..."

Xiaowan's eyes widened, and she looked even more shocked than before.

"I... I heard that Wang Jing was deeply in love with his first wife, and Chen Ji... Chen Ji came up with this idea to thank me for helping him before... As for my marriage with Chen Ji... it was just a fake marriage. I only found a place to hide temporarily because Wang's mother-in-law wanted to chase me away..." Tao Ye made up the story half-truthfully and was sweating from nervousness.

But she thought...Xiaowan could regard this nervousness as a girl's shyness.

Xiao Wan really believed it: "I remember that you only met Prince Wang once before you left the Princess's Mansion? Did you fall in love at first sight?"

Tao Ye nodded as a matter of course, and held Xiao Wan's hands again: "So... I really thank you for entering the palace for me, so that I can have the opportunity to go to the Wang family..."

Tao Ye smiled warmly, she thought this was a good idea, as it not only cleared up the suspicion of love rivalry between her and Xiao Wan, but also made Xiao Wan's entry into the palace on her behalf seem very meaningful.

In order to match Tao Ye's warm smile, Xiao Wan had to relax her brows and smile, but she began to worry about Tao Ye: "But you know how much effort the princess has put into marrying the prince! How can she allow you to fall in love with her?"

"Yes, he only has his beautiful wife in his heart, and there can only be princesses by his side... There is no place for me anywhere..." Tao Ye's warm smile turned into a bitter smile. When she said this, she felt a little bitter in her heart.

Although she does not belong to this era, and although she approached Wang Jing in order to complete the mission - the takeaway mission assigned by the Ghost King and the secret espionage mission entrusted by Chen Ji, she has indeed fallen in love with Wang Jing.

"It's painful to be unable to get the love you want, but having love in your heart is better than having no love at all." Tao Ye tried to make her smile sweeter. She was saying this to comfort herself and Xiao Wan.

Xiao Wan was deeply moved when she heard these words that resonated with her. She couldn't help but burst into tears again: "Sister, what you said is very good. If you could stay with me, I wouldn't find life so hard."

Tao Ye chuckled: "I am also very uncomfortable facing Concubine Zhou every day. But how can I choose a place in this palace?"

Xiao Wan thought for a while and said, "Perhaps, we can ask the Queen to make the decision."

So Xiaowan took Taoye out and walked towards Zhaoyang Palace where the Queen lived. Cailing, Caiwei and other palace maids followed behind.

As she walked, Tao Ye heard the sound of zither and harp in the distance. She felt it was very fresh and pleasant, and she couldn't help but concentrate on listening.

Not long after they walked, they saw in the distance a cluster of red plum blossoms, which looked as if dyed blood and looked gorgeous. Because they had just bloomed, there were still some buds on them, which were gently swayed by the cold breeze.

When they got closer, they saw that there were more than a dozen red plum trees with their branches intertwined to form a circle.

Some people outside the circle played the piano and the flute, and various instruments played in concert.

There is a woman in the circle, wearing a dancing dress the same blood-red as the red plums. She has a slender and graceful figure and a light step. She dances back and forth between the red plums, her wide sleeves brushing her face. It is truly: "Bending the waist to meet the two sleeves, stamping the feet to turn the two scarves. The eyebrows and the beautiful face, seeing this, only make people sad."

Tao Ye was so stunned that she didn't even dare to blink. She leaned close to Xiao Wan's ear and didn't dare to speak loudly: "Who is dancing?"

"It's the Queen." Xiaowan's expression was very normal, as if she was already accustomed to the scene before her.

Tao Ye was even more impressed after hearing this: "Her body is so soft that it seems like she has no bones... She is so beautiful and thin... She is actually the queen?"

Tao Ye, who knew very little about history, vaguely remembered that there was a queen in a film and television drama who was "so light that she could dance on the palm of her hand", and that was Zhao Feiyan.

She accidentally asked, "Is the queen's surname Zhao?"

Xiao Wan replied, "The Queen's mother's family is the Shen family."

Tao Ye suddenly remembered, yes, she had heard about it from Madam Zhou's maids. The current queen was Shen, the second concubine of Si Yu when he was a prince.

Tao Ye was silently admiring when she suddenly saw Queen Shen step on her dancing skirt, bump into a red plum tree, and then fall down under the tree.

The process of the fall left Tao Ye stunned.

The maids hurriedly put down their instruments, shouted "Empress!", and went forward to help her.

Xiaowan and Taoye also walked over quickly and immediately smelled a strong odor of alcohol. When Queen Shen was helped up, her face and body were covered in mud and she could not even stand steadily, but she was still smiling.

The maids carried and supported her, and also advised: "My lady, please take care of your body and go back to rest early!"

"It's okay, it's okay. I'll just have another drink..." Queen Shen's cheeks were rosy and she smelled a little tipsy.

Tao Ye frowned and whispered to Xiao Wan, "I think we came at the wrong time. The Queen is drunk. How can she make the decision for us?"

Xiao Wan shook her head: "If it's because of this, then it's not the right time for you to come any day."

Tao Ye was shocked. Does this mean that it is normal for the queen to be drunk?

Empress Shen vaguely heard Xiaowan and Taoye's voices and squinted her eyes to look over: "Who... who is there?"

"I am Zhang Xiaowan." Xiaowan knelt down and bowed quickly.

Tao Ye and others also followed suit.

Empress Shen finally stood up slowly, holding the hand of the maid, and walked towards Xiaowan: "So it's Concubine Zhang..."

Queen Shen burped suddenly after she had just said a word. Tao Ye, who was standing behind Xiaowan, just wanted to hold her breath, but Xiaowan was still as usual.

Tao Ye curled her lips. She really thought this queen was quite weird!

A maid brought some hangover soup, and the queen took a few sips and stood still again: "Ms. Zhang, why did you come here in such a cold weather? Is there something wrong?"

Xiao Wan pulled Tao Ye closer and told Empress Shen the purpose of her visit: "Your Majesty, this is Tao Ye, my best sister before I entered the palace. Now I serve Madam Zhou. The palace is lonely at night, and I long for Tao Ye's company, but I dare not ask Madam Zhou. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me!"

"It's just asking for a maid, what's so difficult about that?" Although Queen Shen was drunk, she did not look confused. On the contrary, the alcohol made people feel more approachable.

Empress Shen really took good care of Xiaowan. In order to take care of Xiaowan, she changed into another set of Huiyi, combed her hair into a bun, decorated her hair with hairpins and earrings, and brought Xiaowan, Taoye and others to Xianhua Palace.

Madam Zhou had already returned to Xianhua Palace. Upon hearing that the Queen had arrived, she greeted her with courtesy.

Just as Tao Ye guessed, Queen Shen was a straightforward person. When she met Madam Zhou, she went straight to the point without any further greetings.

"The girl Tao Ye beside Madam Zhou was originally a close friend of Zhang Cairen. They met again after a long separation and they inevitably wanted to be together, but they were too embarrassed to ask Madam Zhou for help. I am naturally nosy, so I came to talk to you!"

Queen Shen spoke in a very casual tone.

Mrs. Zhou naturally knew that Taoye and Xiaowan were old friends, but she wanted... to let Taoye go to Xiaowan, which was probably not what Si Yu wanted to see, right?

There was a distinction between the upper and the lower, and Madam Zhou did not dare to be as casual as the Queen, so she could only be polite: "The Queen only knows one thing, not the other. Although Miss Tao Ye is only a palace maid now, she is someone the Emperor specially kept in the palace. It would be better if she could see her often! If she follows Concubine Zhang, I'm afraid it would be inconvenient!"

"How strange! Does it mean that since Taoye is with Concubine Zhang, the emperor can no longer see her? What's the inconvenience?" Queen Shen looked puzzled.

Everyone in the harem knew that Si Yu disliked Concubine Zhang, but in front of Zhang Xiaowan, Madam Zhou always had to be more tactful in her words. However, the Queen insisted on pretending to be ignorant even though she knew the truth, which made Madam Zhou smile helplessly.

Seeing that Madam Zhou was in a difficult situation, Xiao Wan had the idea of ​​backing out: "Empress...how about...how about just forget it! Tao Ye is with Madam Zhou, and I can see her..."

Empress Shen smiled coldly, her dissatisfaction was obvious: "Why? As the Empress, I am in charge of the affairs of the harem. Can't I even make the decision on such a small matter as mobilizing palace maids?"

Xiaowan and Taoye looked at each other. Although the matter was small, since the Queen had come in person to ask for the favor, where would their face be if it failed?

Madam Zhou didn't want to offend the Queen, so she had no choice but to kneel down and said, "The Queen's words are golden, and I should obey them. But I left the peach leaves here because of the emperor's order. I dare not go against the Queen's will. I beg the Queen to forgive me!"

"How dare you use the emperor's power to suppress me?" The queen's face became even uglier.

Madam Zhou knelt down and kowtowed: "I dare not, but I serve the emperor and always put the emperor first in everything. Why does your majesty embarrass me?"

Empress Shen suddenly put away her bitter face and made a summary with a smile: "Madam Zhou first claimed that it was inconvenient for the emperor to go to Zhang Cairen's place, which was nothing more than to show that the emperor favored you the most among all the concubines. This is - a contempt for me! I am in charge of the harem, but you openly disobeyed my decision to transfer the palace maids. This - is a disregard for the palace rules!"

Mrs. Zhou was really at a loss for words about how these charges came about.

"The emperor can indeed suppress me, but... the empress dowager should also be able to suppress the emperor." After Queen Shen said this, she waved her hand to her personal maid Fuxuan.

Fuxuan took out a piece of paper and read, "The Queen Mother's order: Madam Zhou has openly disrespected the Empress and ignored the palace rules. Effective immediately, she will be demoted to Concubine."

Taoye and Xiaowan were both very confused. From the moment they saw the Queen dancing drunk, she had always been with them. The incident happened suddenly, so how could they have the chance to get any "Empress Dowager's handwritten instructions"?

As expected, Concubine Zhou also questioned the "Empress Dowager's handwritten order": "The Empress Dowager said these words to me, which happened just now. Where is the Empress Dowager's handwritten order?"

"That's of course because the Queen Mother is a prophet!" The Queen smiled slightly and waved to Fuxuan.

Fuxuan showed the paper in her hand to Concubine Zhou, who opened her eyes wide to see: It was indeed the Queen Mother's handwriting! The Queen Mother's jade seal!