Seizing the throne, abolishing the adopted son, the imperial concubine rose to prominence

Gu Youning turned his head in the direction of the gaze.

The Queen's eyes narrowed for a moment. Today's events were indeed a little strange. Lin Yunv didn't fall earlier or later, but something went wrong at the last moment when she was about to succeed.

There are no coincidences in the world, and this is especially true in the harem.

The people who did it were none other than the concubines in the palace.

But she didn't expect that Gu Youning would suddenly turn around and look directly at her.

However, she quickly lowered her eyes to hide the cold light in them, and when she looked down again, she saw the palace maid from Changchun Palace whispering something in Gu Youning's ear.

She remembered that the palace maid had gone downstairs before Lady Lin performed her dance.

The doubts that suddenly arose in the queen's heart subsided a little. Even if Gu Youning was not on good terms with Lin Yunv, he probably didn't have the connections to do anything in the palace. His indifferent look just now was probably because he missed his biological mother.

Meanwhile, down the stairs, Gu Youning frowned after hearing Tan Yin's words.

Today, it was actually the stepmother herself who asked my father to bring my mother to the palace for the banquet. Moreover, her stepmother had already entered the palace first and was personally picked up by someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"There are many talented ladies in the capital, all of whom are willing to add luster to the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. I have selected a few of them."

"Your Majesty, just now you were startled. It so happens that there is a lady among you who is the best in the capital in the art of playing the zither, and is especially adept at the 'Pu'an Mantra.'"

The queen gestured to the side, and a palace maid retreated. A moment later, she led in a woman wearing a peach-pink veil and holding a green sandalwood harp.

The woman bowed gracefully to the seat of honor, then placed the zither on the prepared long table. As she sat down gracefully, a series of clear and melodious piano sounds rang out.

Then, the sound of the piano filled with a peaceful and Zen atmosphere spread from the center of the hall. In a short while, everyone felt as if they were in an ancient temple with the sound of evening drums and morning bells, and Buddhist chants.

She is indeed a good pianist. Gu Youning has already recognized the face under the veil.

She really didn't expect that her stepmother would follow the Queen's path and send Gu Youxin into the palace.

The song ended amid everyone's admiration and speculation.

"Whose child is this? It's rare for someone so young to be able to play such a Buddhist-inspired piece of music."

Queen Mother Cui's satisfied smile reappeared on her face.

"Miss Gu Si, please take off your veil and let the Queen Mother see the people."

The queen smiled gently and spoke to the people below.

Everyone in the hall looked over, especially the ladies who were attending the banquet with their masters. You know, if they could get a word of praise from the empress dowager at such a palace banquet, they would be able to gain a firm foothold in the circle of noble ladies in the capital in the future. If their family background was decent, they would be the best choice for marriage.

"Your humble servant, Gu Youxin, pays respects to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress."

In a blink of an eye, everyone saw that the woman had taken off her veil and bowed gracefully.

Gu Youxin, who is this?

Most people in the hall had confused expressions on their faces.

No wonder no one knew him. Gu Yuanshan was just a sixth-rank official in the past. Although he married a member of the Wen family's branch, he was still unknown among the noble families in the capital.

However, some ladies were very smart. When they heard the word "Gu", their eyes kept drifting towards the seats of the palace concubines.

"Mother, Your Majesty, this is Concubine Gu's younger sister, the fourth young lady of the Gu family."

The queen's explanation confirmed their guess.

As a result, most of the noble families in the palace gave up the idea of ​​marriage. However, one of the ladies looked at Gu Youxin with a look of great satisfaction.

This person is the wife of the Marquis of Anding. She originally thought that Gu Youxin's family background was humble and not worthy of her son. She wanted to marry her purely because her son liked her. Also, considering that Mrs. Gu came from a branch of the Wen family, she reluctantly agreed.

But these days, good news about the Gu family has been coming one after another. First, the second daughter of the Gu family was brought back to the palace and was conferred the title of third-rank concubine. It was said that she was quite favored by the emperor. Later, Gu Yuanshan made meritorious service in Dengzhou and was promoted two levels. Now Gu Youxin herself has also won the approval of the empress dowager.

In this way, Gu Youning could barely become the daughter-in-law of their marquis's mansion.

"He is also a sensible one. The Queen must reward him well."

The Queen Mother glanced at Gu Youning. She had some impression of him and knew that he was a very well-behaved man from a small family, but she still liked him.

It was she who originally bestowed the title of Concubine.

"Thank you, Queen Mother, for rewarding my sister."

Gu Youning hurriedly stood up, lowered his brows and politely bowed to express his gratitude. In the eyes of the empress dowager, he was respectful, but in the eyes of the emperor, he was unhappy.

He knew that the girl had suffered a lot of injustice from her stepmother and stepsister since she was a child. Given her straightforward nature, it was not easy for her to not show any emotion on her face at this moment.

The emperor felt more pity for Gu Youning as he felt that he was secretly holding on.

"Your servant thanks the Queen Mother for the reward."

Gu Youxin prostrated himself on the ground to express his gratitude, without looking around. He seemed more well-behaved than Gu Youning, but there was no sign of timidity in his behavior, only elegance and grace.

"Mother, I would like to ask for mercy for Fourth Miss Gu."

The queen glanced at the people below her with a gentle smile on her face.

"My mother loves to worship Buddha, and Miss Gu Si plays the Pu'an Mantra very well. Why not let her stay in the palace for a while? She can play the zither for my mother to relieve her boredom..."

The Queen noticed the emotion on her aunt's face, paused, and changed the subject: "The Emperor said that the women of the Gu Mansion were admitted to the palace because of some misunderstandings with He Chongyuan... This time, keeping Fourth Miss Gu in the palace can make amends."

When He Chongyuan was mentioned, the empress dowager's face looked very bad. She was usually rude to her eldest son's women, but she hated He Chongyuan to the extreme. Last time, she dared to speak wildly in front of her, and even the emperor did not dare to challenge her.

"Let Fourth Miss Gu stay in the harem for a few days. I've been staying in the house all day and I'm a little bored. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. I've noticed that Fourth Miss Gu's speech and manners are all good."

Empress Dowager Cui has always been self-centered. She would give face to anyone who made her uncomfortable and give them trouble.

"Your servant thanks the Queen Mother."

After hearing this, Gu Youxin suppressed her inner ecstasy and bowed properly.

"However, if Fourth Miss Gu lives in Ci'an Palace, it will inevitably disturb you sometimes..."

Before the Queen finished speaking, Gu Youning had a guess in his heart.

really.

"Why not let the Fourth Young Lady live in Changchun Palace? Firstly, the two sisters, Concubine Gu, can get closer and appreciate the Queen Mother's kindness. Secondly, if the Queen Mother wants to listen to the zither, she can just summon the Fourth Young Lady over. It will be very convenient."

The Queen Mother naturally had no objection.

In her eyes, Gu Youxin was no different from those women in the Inner Palace. She was just there for people's entertainment and there was no need for her to live in Ci'an Palace.

"I wonder what Concubine Gu thinks..."

"It is an honor for me and the Gu family that my sister can play the zither for the Queen Mother. I will obey the Queen Mother's orders in everything."

Gu Youning lowered his head and leaned forward to respond without waiting for the Queen to finish.

"Then set up another one next to Concubine Gu..."

"Then send Fourth Miss Gu back to Changchun Palace to rest so she can play the zither for her mother tomorrow to relieve her boredom."

The queen was halfway through her words when she was interrupted by the emperor with a smile.