She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan learned from Zhao Yi that she was to go to the palace to meet Consort Ling, and that very night she went to discuss the matter with the old lady.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, she got up to dress and then went to Shian Hall.

The moment Shen Qingtan stepped into the main room and saw the old lady, her eyes lit up.

Because the old lady was the Lady of Zhao, she had to dress up more formally when entering the palace.

At this moment, the old lady wore a pheasant crown, a pearl headband inlaid with pearls and peonies on her forehead, and a round-necked robe, a noblewoman's auspicious dress. The collar was embroidered with colorful auspicious cloud patterns, and the body of the robe was embroidered with cloud-shaped shoulder panels, sleeves, knee-length cloud and python patterns, as well as longevity mountain and blessing sea patterns.

Shen Qingtan carefully examined the old lady for a few moments. After she put on the auspicious clothes for a noblewoman, her whole demeanor became even more dignified.

She curtsied and said, "Greetings, Grandmother."

"Tan'er, have you had breakfast yet?" The old lady held the cane bestowed by the emperor in her hand, her face kind: "It's still early. If you haven't eaten, have something to eat here to tide you over."

"Granddaughter-in-law has already eaten." Shen Qingtan helped the old lady walk out and said softly, "Second Master instructed the kitchen to make meat and rice porridge, which was seasoned with chicken broth and contained minced meat, water bamboo shoots, cilantro, and pine nuts. It was especially fragrant and delicious."

As she spoke, she seemed to still savor the memory, and smiled, "I heard that he got the recipe for this meat and rice porridge from you."

"He has to watch his diet; he can't eat this or that, but he loves to collect recipes for delicious food." The old lady perked up when she mentioned food, and said with a smile, "Next time, tell the cook to use shrimp broth; it's incredibly delicious. And if you add some pickled vegetables to balance the flavor, it'll be even more amazing."

Shen Qingtan said with a smile, "I'll have the cook make it later."

The grandfather and grandson arrived at the side gate, chatting and laughing.

Shen Mingzhu was already waiting at the side gate. When she saw Shen Qingtan and the old lady chatting and laughing, the smile on her face vanished completely.

She tried to please the old lady, but the old lady didn't buy it. She was very polite to her, but not as kind as she was to Shen Qingtan.

"Grandmother, Second Sister-in-law." Shen Mingzhu composed herself and curtsied. "Yesterday, the Imperial Concubine invited me to the palace, so I waited here for you to come with me."

Earlier, Emperor Jing'an invited Shen Qingtan to the palace for an audience. Shen Mingzhu wanted to go to the palace with him, but the old lady refused.

Therefore, after receiving Consort Ling's invitation yesterday, she did not go near the old lady, fearing that she would miss the opportunity to enter the palace and broaden her horizons. So she waited at the side gate early this morning.

Besides, I also secretly felt a bit like showing off.

Even if they didn't take her with them, she could still enter the palace to see the nobles.

The old lady frowned upon hearing this; how could she not see through her little scheme?

She didn't want to say more: "Get in the car."

Seeing that the old lady's attitude had turned cold, Shen Mingzhu bit her lower lip in grievance and followed Shen Qingtan into the carriage.

The old lady sat down in the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.

Shen Qingtan, meanwhile, was lost in thought, trying to figure out what Consort Ling was thinking.

Shen Mingzhu sat to the side, secretly observing the old lady and Shen Qingtan.

They were indifferent to her performance upon entering the palace and were not surprised.

It's like a surprise she'd planned for a long time, intending to secretly amaze everyone, only to have everyone's reaction be lukewarm, causing her to feel a huge sense of disappointment.

She secretly harbored competitive thoughts, intending to win the favor of the Imperial Concubine and severely overshadow Shen Qingtan.

The group remained silent until the carriage stopped outside the imperial city, where they were transferred to a palanquin and arrived at Consort Ling's Yanxiang Palace.

Shen Qingtan helped the old lady up by the right hand, and they entered the hall together.

Shen Mingzhu quickly supported Shen Qingtan's left hand and carefully observed her.

From the moment she entered the palace walls, she was awestruck by the magnificent palace, her nerves taut, not daring to glance around, and acting entirely in accordance with Shen Qingtan's manner.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Shen Qingtan kept her eyes straight ahead and bowed respectfully alongside the old lady, neither humble nor arrogant.

Shen Mingzhu was very nervous, her palms were sweaty, and she bowed stiffly.

"Lady Zhao, there's no need for such formalities." Consort Ling sat upright in the main seat and ordered her maids to help the old lady to her seat: "I have invited you to the palace today because I had no other choice."

The old lady smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty is thinking of the late Empress and is going to hold a grand memorial ceremony for her. As the late Empress's birth mother, I should naturally do my part as well."

Consort Ling seemed relieved to see that the old lady showed no dissatisfaction.

“My sister has appeared to me in my dreams for several days in a row. I have been reminiscing about her life these past few days. Especially the time I stayed at the Duke’s mansion. My sister and I were like sisters. We ate the same food, wore the same clothes, slept on the same bed and played together. You treated me like a daughter back then. But since I entered the palace, I can no longer visit you at the Duke’s mansion as I used to.”

Consort Ling's eyes reddened as she spoke, and she used a handkerchief to press her eyes shut: "I miss my sister and I want to see you even more. That's why I'm asking you to come to the palace on the occasion of my sister's memorial service."

The old lady looked sad and her eyes reddened.

"I lost my composure and upset you." Consort Ling slowly composed herself, turning her gaze to Shen Qingtan and Shen Mingzhu beside her, her tone intimate: "It's embarrassing for the younger generation."

Then, she ordered tea and snacks to be served. The snacks were prepared with great care, and they were all things that Empress Yuanrong liked.

The old lady was easily moved by the sight of the object and found it difficult to pull herself out of her grief.

Seeing this, Shen Qingtan quickly said, "Your Highness's affection for my aunt is truly touching. How could we juniors dare to laugh at such a thing?"

Shen Mingzhu followed up, saying, "Your Highness and Aunt have a bond stronger than blood, like that of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya. How dare we juniors laugh at them?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Ling couldn't help but glance at Shen Mingzhu.

Shen Mingzhu's heart pounded wildly as she caught Consort Ling's attention, her excitement barely concealed, and a hint of pride in overshadowing Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan's eyelids twitched, and she couldn't help but glance at Shen Mingzhu sideways.

Shen Mingzhu caught it out of the corner of her eye and saw Shen Qingtan's expressionless face, which made her feel even more pleased.

Shen Qingtan must be jealous of her right now, right?

Jealous that she stole the spotlight!

The next moment, Consort Ling frowned slightly. This woman was the daughter of Marquis Chengen who had been living in the countryside.

The phrase "管鲍之好" can actually be read as "管鲍好之".

Even if you can't recite the book fluently, you still dare to show off and flaunt your knowledge.

Consort Ling looked down on her and turned to look at Shen Qingtan beside her.

She was wearing a short-sleeved blouse in the color of Xiangfei silk with gold brocade, which perfectly covered the waist of her gold-brocade horse-face skirt, making her look tall, slender and charming.

Especially her beautiful face, with its almond-shaped cheeks and rosy cheeks, could captivate anyone with a single glance.

No wonder Zhao Yi was bewitched by her. Yesterday, no matter how the Emperor tried to persuade him to stay, he insisted on returning to the Duke's mansion. It was clear that he couldn't bear to leave the beautiful woman in his room.

After all, if Zhao Yi's condition worsened before his marriage, he would stay in the palace to recover before returning to the Duke's mansion.

It was precisely because Zhao Yi valued Shen Qingtan that she wanted to summon Shen Qingtan.

Consort Ling saw that Shen Qingtan allowed her to look her over, and that she was gentle and calm, without showing any fear. She had also spoken appropriately and without showing off.

Her brow, which had been furrowed by Shen Mingzhu's words, slowly relaxed.

“When Yi’er brought his wife to see the Emperor before, he didn’t bring her here for me to see. Seeing how tightly he kept her hidden, I became even more curious. So today I’ve summoned you all to the palace to see you.” Consort Ling smiled and said, “Now that I see you, you are indeed beautiful. Not to mention Yi’er, any young man who marries you will have to protect you carefully.”

Shen Qingtan blushed with embarrassment at the teasing.

Shen Mingzhu was stunned and unconsciously clenched her hands in her sleeves.

It was clearly her words that caught Consort Ling's attention, so why did Consort Ling praise Shen Qingtan instead?