The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Xie Run's Chunshan Courtyard and Concubine Yun's Qiufeng Courtyard are quite far apart.

After moving, both of them lived a secluded life.

I am not very familiar with the maids and servants around each other.

Xie Run stood up and said, "It's cold outside, let's talk inside."

Dan Tao and Xiao Shu followed her in, and the little girl stopped outside and waited.

Before entering the house, Xie Run did not forget to remind Chun Juan, "Remind the kitchen to prepare some brown sugar ginger soup, which will be given to your sisters to drink to ward off the cold."

"Playing is fun, but you still have to take care of your body."

Chun Juan said with a smile: "Master, I will remember your words!"

"I must have seen my sisters drink all the ginger soup with my own eyes."

Xie Run smiled and said, "Then I'll give you an extra bowl!"

"Others only have one bowl, you drink two!"

Chun Juan scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "Thank you for the reward, Master."

After entering the room, Xie Runxian took the invitation handed to him by Xiao Shu.

Xiao Shu said, "The invitation is from Concubine Yun. The eighteenth day of the first lunar month is Princess Ruyi's third birthday, and Concubine Yun is planning a grand celebration."

"The little girl outside is called Lingling. She is here to pass on a message for Concubine Yun."

Xie Run unfolded it and took a look. It was indeed an invitation to attend Princess Ruyi's birthday party.

"Call in."

As soon as Lingling came in, she bowed to Xie Run and said, "This servant greets Concubine Xie."

"Get up," Xie Run said softly, "Your master sent you here specially, but what message does he want you to convey?"

Lingling nodded, "Exactly!"

"The eighteenth day of the first lunar month is my princess' birthday. The master specifically instructed that it doesn't matter if others don't come, but Concubine Xie must be invited!"

"There are only three concubines in the palace now. Concubine Fang is under house arrest and cannot come. If even Concubine Xie doesn't come, others will not understand the inner situation and will simply think that our master has no face and cannot invite a noble guest."

Lingling has a pair of beautiful eyes that seem to speak when she looks at people.

At this moment, she already sounded a little aggrieved, "My master begs the concubine to thank you for coming, considering our past sisterhood."

"At the birthday banquet, the princess will personally pour tea to thank Empress Xie Shufei."

She added, "My master has also issued an order that if I don't invite Lady Xie Shufei to come, I will not be allowed to return."

"Thank you, Madam Concubine, for loving me. Please don't let me, a foolish girl, stay in Chunshan Courtyard and occupy its land."

Her distinct black and white eyes looked at Xie Run eagerly, just like a pure white kitten begging for food.

Not to mention Xie Run, even the two girls Dan Tao and Xiao Shu couldn't help but feel soft-hearted when they saw it.

"You're such a talker! None of the girls in my yard can compare to you!"

Xie Run smiled and said, "If your master doesn't want you anymore, you can stay with me."

Xie Run also followed with a playful wink, "Don't worry, I will definitely love you. Even your sister Dan Tao and Xiao Shu can't compare to me."

"Ah?" Linglong opened her mouth, her black and white eyes wide open, a look of surprise and bewilderment: "Are you really going to keep this servant?"

Xie Run and the others all laughed.

Dan Tao smiled and said, "This girl is quite clever with her words, but she is not very clever."

Xie Run smiled and shook his head: "Forget it. Your master has already said so. If I don't go, wouldn't it be too embarrassing?"

Xie Run put down the note and said to Linglong, "Go outside and have some tea to warm yourself up before returning to tell your master the news."

Linglong smiled happily, "Everyone in the palace says that Concubine Xie is a kind person, with the best temper, and she is the most compassionate to the servants."

"I used to only hear other sisters talk about it, but now that I've experienced it myself, I understand what it means to be as gentle as a spring breeze and to have a compassionate heart."

Logically speaking, since Xie Run became a concubine, she could be called "Empress".

But the status of a concubine is really not high.

Some royal palaces do not follow the rules and arbitrarily appoint concubines, resulting in concubines being worthless.

Sometimes people call her "Empress", but more often it's a mockery.

But Linglong has a sweet mouth, and her words touch people's hearts. Her heart and eyes are full of respect, and people who listen to her feel comfortable all over.

Xie Run smiled and said, "Dan Tao, give her another handful of melon seeds. She came all the way here, she can't let them freeze for nothing."

Linglong's eyes lit up, and she threw out a bunch of sweet words without asking for any money.

After seeing Linglong off, the smile between her pale peach brows slowly faded away.

"Master, what does Concubine Yun mean by this? She insists that you attend Princess Ruyi's birthday banquet. What will happen then..."

"Linglong is right," Xie Run said gently, "There are no concubines in the palace now, only three concubines. Concubine Fang is still under house arrest. If I don't go, I'm afraid there will be criticism from outsiders."

Xiao Shu frowned, not quite satisfied. "Just for her face, she wants the Master to take risks with a seven-month-old belly?"

"She's so proud, is she more important than the grandson in the master's belly?"

Xie Run shook his head, "You have such a bad temper, why are you getting so impatient?"

"Since she has made up her mind to invite me, she is just begging me with nice words. If I refuse, she will ask the prince and princess for help."

"Instead of waiting until it gets ugly, it's better to just accept it now."

Xie Run raised his hand and touched his belly. "I can't just ignore everyone just because I'm pregnant."

She worries about her children and is careful about everything, but other people won't understand.

In the eyes of the prince and princess, Xie Run would also be considered pretentious.

I'm just going to attend a birthday party, have a meal and then come back, so I can't go?

It is precious that Xie Run is pregnant with a child, but Concubine Yun is also hosting a birthday party for Princess Ruyi.

Who isn’t a prince or grandson of the emperor?

Dan Tao said, "I'm afraid that Concubine Li and Concubine Han will both be there. Those two babies haven't even settled down yet."

After a pause, she continued, "And Concubine An."

Concubine An's baby is half a month older than Xie Run's, so it will be seven and a half months old by then.

"If they all go and our master doesn't go, I'm afraid they will all say that our master is taking advantage of Qiao. Besides, the prince has always loved Princess Ruyi, so it's inevitable that he will be dissatisfied with our master."

Xiao Shu suddenly didn't know what to say.

"I just feel that she has bad intentions. What should I do if something happens?"

Xie Run patted Xiao Shu's shoulder and said, "It's because she tried so hard to invite me that she couldn't let anything happen to me at the birthday party."

"Concubine Yun hasn't been favored lately, and she doesn't have a son. If something happens to the pregnant women at the birthday banquet, what good will she get out of it except being disliked by the prince?"

Xiao Shu: "That's true."

Xie Run: "If the banquet today was hosted by Concubine Fang or Concubine Han, I really wouldn't dare to go to this birthday banquet."

Who can blame these two people for being so ruthless now that they "both have" children?

Dan Tao said, "Even though that's what I said, we still have to be careful. If Concubine Fang doesn't have any intentions of harming others, there's no guarantee that the others attending the banquet won't have any."