The emperor just doesn't treat everyone equally, and it's none of my business!

On the fifth day of May, the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Dowager returned to the palace.

Queen Shangguan Yan and all the concubines in the harem greeted them at the palace gate.

"Your son/your concubine/your concubine respectfully welcomes the Queen Mother/the Queen Mother and the Consort Dowager. I pay my respects to the Queen Mother/the Queen Mother and the Consort Dowager."

The Queen Mother stepped down from the carriage with a gentle look on her face, took Shangguan Yan's hand, and said, "Everyone, get up. The Queen has worked hard."

"Mother, this is what I should do."

This was the first time that Gu Shijin saw the empress dowager. She was wearing a plain palace dress embroidered with peonies. Her hair was simply tied up with only a phoenix hairpin inserted in it, but it still couldn't hide her graceful and elegant demeanor.

She is obviously already forty years old, but because of proper maintenance, she looks only in her early thirties.

Soon after, a woman in purple palace dress got off the carriage behind. She should be the imperial concubine. She had a more worldly air.

She is older than the Queen Mother and looks a little older, but her face gives people a kind feeling.

"The Queen looks a lot thinner than when I left the palace," said the Concubine Dowager.

Shangguan Yan bowed and said with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Madam Concubine. Your Majesty has worked hard for the country in the previous dynasty, and I should also manage the harem for your Majesty."

"The Queen is a sensible person." The Queen Mother patted Shangguan Yan's hand with satisfaction.

"Your humble concubine/your humble concubine pays respects to Her Majesty the Queen, may Her Majesty be blessed with good health and good health."

"My son, I send my regards to my mother."

At this time, the two women, each holding a man and a woman, walked up to Shangguan Yan and bowed deeply.

"My lady, those are Concubine Xian and Song Xiuyi." Xingzhu reminded Gu Shijin in a low voice.

Those two children are the second prince and the third princess.

Shangguan Yan took two steps forward, holding a child with one hand, and said, "Hurry up, my two sisters. Thank you for your hard work in accompanying the Queen Mother out of the palace to pray for blessings."

Xian Fei and Song Xiuyi stood up, and Xian Fei said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is what I should do."

The virtuous concubine wore a purple palace dress with a light blue gauze outer layer, a wide belt around her waist, and a white jade pendant on top, showing her dignified and noble temperament.

Song Xiuyi wore a light yellow dress with a pink and green gauze top, which made her look charming and attractive.

After all, they were at the palace gate, and after a few greetings, the empress dowager asked everyone to go back and meet again at the banquet in the evening.

"Yes, I will take my leave."

Only Shangguan Yan stayed and helped the empress dowager back to the Cining Palace.

"Xingzhu, do you know how old the Concubine Xian is?" Gu Shijin asked.

The Third Princess is three years old this year, and Concubine Xian doesn’t look very old either, but her eyes are calm and peaceful, as if she has seen through the world.

He gives people a feeling of seclusion from the world, and only when he looks at the third princess does his eyes show some light.

"My lady, the virtuous concubine is nineteen years old this year."

Nineteen years old. In Gu Shijin’s previous life, girls of this age were still in school, but here, a nineteen-year-old child is already three years old, and one can see one’s future at a glance.

Hey……

"Please help me dress up."

"Yes, my lord."

The gifts to the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Dowager were not presented at the banquet, but were sent directly to the Cining Palace and the Concubine Dowager's Palace by the various palaces.

"Your Majesty, these are the gifts sent by various palaces." In Shoukang Palace, the concubine's maid pointed to a table full of gifts.

The toffee took one look and waved her hand, her tone calm: "Take it."

The gifts in the palace are the same every year, with nothing new, and the concubine dowager is too lazy to even look at them.

The concubine's maid is called Rong Xi. She has followed the concubine since she was a child and knows the concubine's preferences very well. One look at the concubine's expression tells her that she is not interested in these things. However, there is one thing here that Rong Xi thinks the concubine will definitely like.

Rong Xi picked up a booklet and handed it to the Concubine Dowager with both hands, saying, "Concubine Dowager, this was sent by Jin Ronghua from Ningyu Pavilion. I think it is a music score."

"Jin Ronghua?" The concubine thought for a moment and said, "Is she the one that the emperor likes very much recently?"

The Empress Dowager and the Concubine Dowager knew that Lu Junze favored Gu Shijin, but they just didn't take it to heart.

"Yes, she sang a song called "Watching from the Wall" before." Rong Xi said.

The concubine then showed some interest, and took the booklet handed over by Rong Xi, saying, "That song is good."

The Concubine Dowager was happy, so the people below her would naturally make an effort to please her in this regard. Gu Shijin had finished singing "Watching on the Wall" the day before, and someone told the Concubine Dowager the next day, and performed it in front of her.

The toffee opened the booklet, and her eyes became brighter and brighter the more she read. She was very surprised by the contents of the booklet.

She collected a lot of music scores, some of which were unique copies. She thought that ordinary music was no longer to her liking, but the ones Gu Shijin sent her were indeed very novel and she had never seen them before.

The concubine became more and more engrossed in watching and soon forgot the time. It was Rong Xi who reminded her.

"My lady, the dinner is almost time."

"Hmm? So soon?" The concubine handed the booklet to Rong Xi reluctantly and said, "Put it away and read it when I come back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Inside the Cining Palace, the empress dowager also received gifts from the concubines. Everyone knew that the empress dowager liked to worship Buddha, so Gu Shijin was not the only one who sent hand-copied Buddhist scriptures.

The Queen Mother just glanced at it calmly, waved her hand and said, "Take it to the Buddhist temple and worship it."

Whether good or bad, it’s a thoughtful gesture.

Shangguan Yan also copied Buddhist scriptures. When he heard the Queen Mother's words, his eyes flashed but he didn't say much.

To put it bluntly, the current empress dowager is neither the biological mother of the current emperor nor has she raised the current emperor. She became the empress dowager just because of the etiquette, and the people in the harem naturally don't take the empress dowager too seriously.

Today, the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, but the Emperor did not go to the palace gate to greet her. This shows something.

This is really unfair to Lu Junze. Although he really has no feelings for the Queen Mother, he would not do such a thing. Lu Junze was tripped up by something.

"Empress Dowager, Jin Ronghua from Ningyu Pavilion has made an inner garment for you. Would you like to see it?" asked Hongmian, the Empress Dowager's personal maid.

Hongmian has been with the Empress Dowager for a long time and can guess some of her thoughts relatively accurately.

"Oh?" The Queen Mother nodded, "Then let's take a look."

Gu Shijin's embroidery skills have improved greatly after practicing for a while, but she is still not as good as the embroiderers in the palace. Therefore, the empress dowager can tell at a glance that the clothes here are indeed made by Gu Shijin herself.

The Queen Mother took it and touched it, saying, "Jin Ronghua is thoughtful." Then she handed the inner garment to Hong Mian and said, "Put it in the room."

The Queen Mother looks young, but she is actually not young anymore. How could she not expect someone to truly like her?

Her own biological son had already gone to his fiefdom, and she could only see him once or twice a year. Although the emperor was good to her, he was not very sincere.

Gu Shijin didn't expect that both the Empress Dowager and the Concubine Dowager liked the gifts she gave to them. She just thought that these two people had high status in the harem, so she should try to please them a little and not make things difficult for herself in the harem.

"Sister Jin is always so thoughtful. I heard that she even gave a sheet music to the Concubine Dowager." Shangguan Yan said from the side.