The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

"Mind your manners and don't bring shame to your family!"

The birthday party begins.

After Madam Yu took her seat with the other ladies, she noticed that the concubine's daughter she brought with her was looking around, so she quickly warned her in a low voice.

She entered the palace today with a lot on her mind, worried about the safety of her beloved daughter Yu Tingjin, and also had to be careful when meeting the empress dowager, so she had to be cautious in everything she did.

But her husband wanted her to bring a concubine's daughter into the palace to "see the world".

What she said was: "Su Su has reached the age of marriage, and she should be seen with all the pomp and ceremony she deserves. Birthday banquets are a rare opportunity, and officials and wives of officials can bring girls into the palace. As her legal mother, you must take good care of her. You must know that when she has a promising future, she will be the first to show her filial respect to you, her legal mother."

No room for rebuttal.

Madam Yu was extremely disgusted.

But she was in a hurry to go to the palace early in the morning and had no energy to waste time with her husband on such matters.

Seeing the concubine's daughter dressed up so gorgeously, he felt disgusted at first sight, but there was no time to ask her to go back and change her clothes.

Madam Yu ignored the concubine along the way.

When meeting the Empress Dowager, she was left outside the Ciyu Palace and was not allowed to go in.

Now that the main birthday banquet had begun, Madam Yu saw that the other noble ladies were all well-mannered, with their heads bowed and expressions composed, but her own concubine's daughter was looking around everywhere, which made her very angry.

He immediately warned her sternly.

After the warning, he threatened:

"If you dare to embarrass me in the palace, you will stay at home and never go anywhere. No matter how charming your concubine is, she can't overcome the strict rules of the palace. If you lose your manners in the palace, the master will never forgive you!"

Yu Sujin responded softly and quickly lowered her eyes, not daring to look around anymore.

Naturally, I felt very aggrieved.

After entering the palace, she behaved herself properly and didn't dare to make a wrong step. How could it be embarrassing?

It was obvious that her stepmother was jealous of her aunt's favor, and was even more worried that she would be more successful than her elder sister in the future, so she deliberately suppressed her!

But this kind of grievance was inevitable until she became successful.

Who made her a concubine's daughter?

Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but glance at the bright yellow throne in the main seat.

The emperor was also born out of wedlock.

Yu Sujin's face turned slightly red.

Today's emperor...

He is such a handsome and elegant person.

It’s a pity that the eldest sister did not know how to cherish it, and she actually angered the king and lost her position as a noble concubine.

But we should also be thankful that the eldest sister has lost power.

Otherwise, she would have no chance.

The palace is wonderful.

Better than she could have imagined.

The palace was magnificent, the maids and eunuchs were graceful, the concubines were adorned with pearls and jade, the singing girls and dancers were like fairies, so many musicians played in unison, and there was a constant flow of delicious food...

All of this is absolutely impossible to see outside the palace.

Noble and elegant.

How dazzling!

"Look, that's the virtuous concubine!"

"The virtuous concubine actually played the zither herself!"

"This piece of 'A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix' was played with such masterful skill that it truly moved the heart!"

Suddenly I heard someone talking.

Yu Sujin came back to her senses and shifted her attention from Yu Guang's throne to the hall.

Only then did he realize that a jade zither had been placed in the middle of the hall, and a beautiful palace concubine in gorgeous clothes was playing the zither with her slender fingers.

The sound of the piano is sometimes passionate and sometimes gentle, which makes people feel as if they are in Yulin, Kunshan, and see the grand feeling of hundreds of birds singing in pilgrimage.

"What a wonderful piano! Wonderful!"

After the song is finished, the lingering sound remains in the air.

The emperor on the throne was the first to praise.

Then, loud cries of praise rang out in the hall.

All the civil and military officials, clan ladies, and concubines sitting in front of the throne all cheered for the virtuous concubine's piano playing.

There may not be many people who understand the zither, but since the emperor praised it, everyone naturally followed suit.

Yu Sujin watched from afar as the virtuous concubine left the Qintai, walked gracefully towards the emperor, leaned forward and bowed, and was rewarded with a cup of imperial wine by the emperor.

I really yearn for it in my heart.

She is also good at music.

She thought she was even better than the virtuous concubine.

I wonder when she will have the good fortune to taste and talk with the emperor...

There were many envious gazes like Yu Sujin's in the hall.

The virtuous concubine was naturally proud under the gaze of everyone.

"A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was dedicated by her to the Empress Dowager.

It is also dedicated to myself.

The queen is "recuperating" and cannot appear even on such a grand occasion. In time, perhaps she will be not far from that position.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for the wine. May Your Majesty live forever, and may the Empress Dowager live as long as the Southern Mountains!"

She covered her sleeves and drank the entire cup of imperial wine.

He showed the bottom of the cup to the emperor and bowed again to wish him a happy birthday.

The Queen Mother smiled kindly and ordered someone to bring the dish in front of her to the table of the virtuous concubine.

"Ever since Imperial Concubine Chun was demoted, I haven't heard such beautiful music for a long time. Imperial Concubine Xian has been very busy lately, so it's hard for you to find time to practice the piano and celebrate my birthday."

The virtuous concubine felt that it was bad luck.

The Queen Mother actually compared that criminal Yu Tingjin with her!

Although Concubine Xian did not witness the undercurrents between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager in Ciyu Palace with her own eyes, she could roughly guess what was going on.

Within just a few days, Yu Tingjin was sent to the cold palace, the queen was "bedridden", Concubine Qing was promoted to assistant, but the empress dowager issued an imperial decree to let Concubine Zhao recuperate for three months.

The mother and son are using them to fight each other.

She wanted to please the Queen Mother today, so she pretended not to hear the subtle meaning in her words.

Smiling, she offered the Empress Dowager a glass of wine and said, "Thank you, Her Majesty, for the meal. I am so happy to receive Her Majesty's praise. No matter how busy I am lately, it is all for today's birthday banquet. As long as I can make Her Majesty smile, I am willing to do anything."

The emperor smiled and said, "The virtuous concubine is very filial. Unlike some people, who appear innocent and simple-minded, but actually harbor evil intentions. The empress dowager is willing to listen to the zither. In the future, let the virtuous concubine come to Ciyun Palace more often to serve you."

The virtuous concubine quickly returned to her seat, stopped trying to please the empress dowager, and retreated for a while.

She really didn't expect that the emperor would contradict the empress dowager in public at the banquet.

When the Queen Mother mentioned Yu Tingjin, he said that Yu Tingjin looked kind but had a dark heart.

The virtuous concubine wondered what had happened to His Majesty?

Although he would not tolerate anyone offending the Emperor's dignity, he could treat the Empress Dowager with respect...

"The virtuous concubine has to take care of the trivial matters of the palace, so she doesn't have the time. Never mind, wait until the queen recovers, then the virtuous concubine can serve me. Emperor, you should pay more attention to the queen's health and let her recover soon."

The Queen Mother refused to give in and struck directly.

Seeing the emperor's smile deepen, Concubine Xian knew that the emperor was probably even angrier.

She didn't want to be the cause of the confrontation between the two.

Before the emperor could say anything, he immediately gave Lan Zhaoyi a wink.

Lan Zhaoyi stood up to help Concubine Xian, saying, "Empress Dowager, after this dance is over, we'll have something exciting to watch. The capital's most popular opera troupe has brought their best to the palace to celebrate your birthday. The most interesting piece is 'Liu Sheng's Woodcutter,' and it has some new twists. Just come and see if it's exciting and whether you like it."

The Queen Mother waited.

Seeing that the emperor didn't say anything else, I felt a little relieved.

Nodded to Lan Zhaoyi.

"That's all right, I'll just give it a listen. I've seen plenty of songs, dances, and operas from the Imperial Music Bureau back home, so I'd also like to see something new out there.

In short, these things are just for fun, not for serious work, so it's harmless to try them. If it's serious work, then it's better to behave properly."

The virtuous concubine thought to herself.

This is clearly a warning to His Majesty not to favor newcomers with shady backgrounds!

It's a pity that she took the trouble to select a play for the empress dowager and recommended a troupe, but before the play even started, the empress dowager used it to harass the emperor.

It’s your birthday, old man, could you please not cause me any trouble?

Didn’t you see that although His Majesty was smiling, his eyes were becoming colder and colder?

The virtuous concubine winked at Lan Zhaoyi again.

He also looked at the empty seat under the throne.

Unexpectedly, Lan Zhaoyi did not understand the meaning, but followed the empress dowager's words and continued to talk about the opera troupe.

The virtuous concubine did not want the opera troupe she recommended to be used as a pawn by the empress dowager again, otherwise what would happen if she offended the emperor?

Suddenly, someone from among the concubines spoke.

The voice was clear and cold.

"Why is the seat next to His Majesty empty? Is it reserved for someone?"

Although the sound was not loud, it was clearly heard by people nearby when the music paused.

The virtuous concubine secretly praised that the timing of saying this was very appropriate.

When I turned around, I saw that it was Yingcai Nu Zhishu who spoke.

I suddenly had a better impression of Zhishu.

The virtuous concubine smiled and said, "That is Prince Rui's seat. His Majesty specifically ordered that the prince's seat be placed under the throne."

This sentence reminded the Queen Mother.

"Where did King Rui go?"

The birthday party had already started for a while, but the youngest son had not yet arrived. This was not like his style.

Next to Prince Rui's seat, Princess Rui held her waist and stood up.

He smiled and replied, "The prince has a birthday gift for the queen mother, it will arrive in a while."

A smile spread across the Queen Mother's brows.

It was completely different from the superficial smile just now.

"What weird thing is this kid doing again?"

"The Queen Mother will know after taking a look."

"Okay, sit down and be careful."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Princess Rui was still in the early stages of her pregnancy, with her belly only slightly bulging, but she insisted on holding her waist and pretending to be so, which made Concubine Xian very uncomfortable.

Glancing at the emperor, I found that his eyes had indeed become even colder.

There were few descendants in the harem. Several princes in the early years died before they were one year old.

At present, the emperor has only two princesses, and they are still very young.

Prince Rui has many children. In addition to those born by his concubines, the princess herself has also given birth to one child. Now she always shows off her second child in the palace. Isn't this embarrassing for the emperor?

"Your Majesty, please try this dish. I have found an ancient recipe and specially ordered the kitchen to replicate it."

The virtuous concubine comforted the emperor in time.

Princess Rui sat down over there, smiling generously and appropriately.

But he was secretly angry in his heart.

Prince Rui did prepare a special birthday gift, but he was not absent because of the birthday gift.

Others didn't know, but when she couldn't find Prince Rui just now, she secretly discovered that the prince's follower Hulu secretly took clothes and ran into the hidden pavilion of Taiye Lake in Shanglin Garden.

Know what kind of person your man is.

Princess Rui immediately guessed that Prince Rui might be doing something stupid.

Which noble lady is this who wants to marry into a rich family?

Or is she a palace maid who dreams of marrying into a wealthy family?

How dare you take advantage of her pregnancy to seduce the prince in the palace...

Princess Rui has already sent people to investigate secretly.

If she finds out anything, she will definitely skin the other person alive!

"Cao Bin, this dish is delicious. Send it to Concubine Zhao. She should nourish herself more while she recovers from her injuries."

Suddenly, the emperor spoke from the throne, interrupting Princess Rui's thoughts.

After taking a bite of the dish recommended by Concubine Xian, the emperor actually gave these instructions.

Princess Rui couldn't help but think that this recently favored Concubine Zhao was really valued by the emperor.

I don’t know how beautiful she is.

How could the emperor be seduced into this state?

The virtuous concubine secretly groaned in her heart.

The Empress Dowager used the opera troupe she recommended as an excuse to criticize the Emperor for breaking the rules and doting too much on newcomers of humble origins.

The emperor used the dishes she recommended as a pretext to oppose the empress dowager and insisted on serving them to the newlyweds.

So, all her preparations for the birthday banquet were in vain because of a noble lady named Zhao?

Snapped!

Cao Bin has not left yet with the dishes.

The Queen Mother placed the wine glass down heavily.

Very loud sound.

For a moment, all the concubines and ladies nearby were shocked and looked over.