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

"Didn't the Queen say she invited a few ladies into the palace? I'd like to see how many surprises are in store."

Xiao Heng leaned back, his handsome face showing interest.

As soon as these words were spoken, many ministers secretly regretted it in their hearts. They should have found some way to let their daughters appear in the palace, perhaps they could be blessed by the emperor and enter the palace.

Now that the emperor has few children, not everyone has a chance.

Even those noble families who had already sent their daughters to the palace had other ideas in their minds. At that time, the crown prince was weak and the position of the heir to the throne was unstable for a time. Naturally, they would not send their most outstanding daughters to the Eastern Palace.

For example, the Cui family.

The queen was just an inconspicuous one among the many concubines of the Cui family. The eldest daughter of the Cui family married Prince Liang, but the Cui family had no shortage of both legitimate and concubine daughters, and they were thinking of sending another daughter into the palace.

Even though the Cui family is still standing behind King Liang, this does not prevent them from having another way out. After all, there are many daughters in the family, and it is their duty to sacrifice for the family.

If we wait for the draft two years later, many girls in the family will be over the age limit.

"Your Majesty is right. Miss Gu will return to the harem to rest. If you need anything, just tell me and your sister."

Without mentioning the thoughts of these ministers, the empress took her seat, her eyes sliding over the Gu sisters, and she obeyed the emperor's wishes with a calm expression.

"My daughter obeys."

Gu Youxin was very unwilling, but before entering the palace, her mother repeatedly told her to keep calm.

Anyway, she has already moved into the harem, and with her looks and talent, she will have plenty of opportunities in the future.

After Gu Youxin was taken away, two other ladies from ordinary families performed their talents, one dancing and the other playing the flute, but with Gu Youxin's talent in front of them, theirs didn't stand out much.

However, after hearing the life stories of these two ladies, Gu Youning had to admire the queen. If she remembered correctly, these two families were both humble families that Xiao Heng trusted.

If the emperor wants to take a concubine, it will increase the power of the poor families in the harem. If the emperor is not interested or looks down on them, it doesn't matter. These ladies can get a few words of praise, and their marriages will be more satisfactory when they return home. This can be regarded as a favor to others on behalf of the emperor.

More importantly, no matter how much she disliked her younger sister staying in the palace, she could not question the queen's kindness in front of the emperor.

But Gu Youxin...she wanted to see what ambitions her stepmother and stepsister had.

Thinking of the emperor speaking for her just now, Gu Youning felt that she should be grateful, so her eyes drifted over the seat of honor from time to time, trying to meet the emperor's eyes.

But this action was not obvious, and the concubines in the palace were eager to keep their eyes on the emperor. Perhaps the emperor would go to their palace tonight.

But Xiao Heng knew clearly that after making eye contact with this woman three or two times, he felt both comforted and helpless in his heart.

Even if this woman wants to be grateful, she should do so when they are together in private.

But she has always been so straightforward, so how could she understand these things?

"It's getting late, and your Majesty Queen needs to rest. After everyone presents the birthday gifts, your son and the Queen will escort you back to Ci'an Palace."

After taking another sip of wine, the emperor spoke respectfully.

After sitting for nearly two hours, Empress Dowager Cui felt a little tired and agreed.

"Brother, your Majesty, the princess and I have been preparing for our mother's birthday for a long time. Today, why don't you let me start by giving some ideas?"

As soon as the Queen Mother nodded, Prince Liang spoke loudly with a flushed face.

The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant for a moment. No matter who was older or younger, high or low, the emperor had to make the first offering. It was okay that Prince Liang usually overstepped his bounds by relying on the Queen Mother's favor, but today he was doing this in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.

"What does the Queen Mother think?"

"Today is your birthday, and everything is based on your wishes."

The emperor turned around with a smile.

How? The Queen Mother naturally wanted to obey her beloved son, but she was not stupid.

If she was asking for a title for Yan'er today, she naturally couldn't give in, but since it was just a gift, there was no need to argue about who was better and only make these court officials dissatisfied with Lang'er.

"After a few drinks, you've become dizzy with joy. Why don't you ask your princess to help you go back and sit down?"

The Queen Mother angrily spoke to her young son.

"Your Majesty, be careful."

Princess Cui of Prince Liang hurriedly stood up and helped the man back to his seat.

A gloomy look of resentment flashed across Xiao Lang's eyes, but he didn't show it in the end.

"My Queen Mother loves Buddha, so I specially had a pair of white jade Guanyin carved for her."

After King Liang returned to his seat, Cao Zhong presented the birthday gift prepared by the emperor. The Guanyin statue inside had a solemn and dignified look and the jade color was translucent.

There are not many good jades produced in Dazhao, and it is even more difficult to obtain these two large pieces of flawless jade.

"The emperor has a heart."

If you do something that pleases her, the Queen Mother will rarely give you a good look.

"As long as the Queen Mother likes it."

Below the emperor are the concubines.

The Queen's birthday gift was quite ordinary, a set of gold and jade head ornaments.

However, Concubine Zheng gave a red coral that was half a person's height.

Even though the Queen Mother disliked the Zheng family, she nodded with satisfaction when she saw Coral.

The next one is He Chongyuan.

"My gift is naturally not as precious as that of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine."

He Chongyuan raised her hand and asked the palace maid to present a rosewood box.

The Empress Dowager didn't like He Chongyuan in the first place, and wanted to let the eunuch beside her take it over directly, without even planning to take a look at it.

"This pine and crane hairpin with kingfisher feathers was made by Lan Sizhen of the Imperial Treasures Office. The feathers are bright and vivid, and the hairpin is engraved with the symbols of fortune, wealth, and longevity. It is very suitable for the Empress Dowager."

He Chongyuan personally stepped forward, opened the box, and handed it directly to the empress dowager.

When Gu Youning heard He Chongyuan mention her aunt, his heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but look up.

"presumptuous!"

"Are you trying to curse me?"

The empress dowager, who was sitting on the throne, took a casual glance inside and her face turned pale, and she slammed the table fiercely.

When the palace concubines heard that outrageous remark, they thought that the empress dowager was taking the opportunity to attack He Chongyuan. After all, it was a well-known fact that He Chongyuan had offended the empress dowager because of Prince Rong's falling into the water. But after hearing the second sentence, everyone felt that there was another hidden story.

What happened to that hairpin?

Everyone in the hall was guessing, and Gu Youxin's palms were covered in cold sweat.

"The Queen Mother has misunderstood. How dare I..."

He Chongyuan was about to explain, but when her eyes fell on the box, her face suddenly turned pale: "How could it be..."

"Mother, the civil and military officials below are still waiting to present the gifts. We will discuss this matter after the banquet."

The queen naturally saw what was in the box, and without waiting for He Chongyuan to say anything else, she spoke with a serious expression.

"Mother, I will definitely give you an explanation on this matter."

Xiao Heng's brows also frowned.

The Queen Mother snorted coldly, clearly still angry, but she also didn't want this matter to ruin her birthday.

"He Chongyuan is not feeling well. Please help her to the back hall to rest."

The queen gave instructions to the palace maid beside her.

"I wonder what birthday gifts Concubine Gu and the First Prince have prepared for the Queen Mother?"