nycdaug Chapter 292 Meeting the Queen Mother
Chapter 292 Meeting the Queen Mother
After Queen Li left, Yu Zhenzhen was like an ant on a hot pan, restless. She glanced at the silent Yu Zhengsha and finally couldn't help but ran outside the palace to wait eagerly.
Suddenly, she saw a person coming towards her. His tall figure and graceful gait made Yu Zhenzhen feel dizzy just by looking at his back. She quickly reached out to hold onto the tree trunk beside her, thought for a moment, and then ran to catch up.
"Your Highness the Prince of Yan." Yu Zhenzhen was as shy as a peach blossom.
Murong Yanhui raised the corner of his lips into a smile.
Just now he wanted to sneak into the Queen's palace to eavesdrop, but he had no idea where to start in broad daylight. When he was thinking of asking a palace maid or eunuch later, someone came to his door.
Murong Yanhui slowly turned her head, the faint smile at the corner of her lips had not yet faded, her eyes under her long eyelashes were as deep as the sea, and she was like a whirlpool in her unpredictable changes.
Yu Zhenzhen had never seen Murong Yanhui with such an expression. In that instant, she felt that her whole body and heart were drowned in Murong Yanhui's eyes.
"It's Miss Yu." Murong Yanhui pretended to be surprised and asked, "Are you here to visit the Empress?"
Yu Zhenzhen was distracted and nodded and shook her head when she heard this.
Murong Yanhui smiled softly, "You are nodding and shaking your head, I don't understand."
Yu Zhenzhen felt that Murong Yanhui's smile was as radiant as clouds, and it made her heart beat faster. She also felt that this was a rare opportunity, so she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Your Highness, Prince Yan, Zhenzhen has come to the palace to ask the Empress to persuade His Majesty to postpone the wedding."
Murong Yanhui raised her eyebrows, "Has the Queen agreed?"
"Yes, I'm afraid there will be news soon."
Murong Yanhui sneered inwardly, but said, "Then Miss Yu, please return to the palace quickly, lest you offend the Empress. I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
After Murong Yan finished speaking, he left without even looking back, without waiting for Yu Zhenzhen to react.
Yu Zhenzhen looked at Murong Yanhui's back and shouted hurriedly, "Your Highness, the Queen Mother has agreed to let Zhenzhen enter the palace to accompany her. From now on, Your Highness will be able to see Zhenzhen often."
Murong Yan paused for a moment, then walked faster and faster. He didn't want to get into unnecessary romantic troubles.
Yu Zhenzhen looked at Murong Yanhui's increasingly quick pace, her heart aching with worry. Was she being too proactive?
In the imperial study, Murong Shiling sat behind the desk. On the table was a cup of freshly brewed Dahongpao tea. The fragrance of tea filled the air, making people feel refreshed.
Queen Li has been here for a quarter of an hour, but Murong Shiling still hasn't expressed his opinion, and no one knows what he is thinking.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Yu is still waiting for a reply. Look at this..."
"Let him wait. He's become increasingly arrogant these days, repeatedly disobeying my orders. What's going on? He's not even the father-in-law of the emperor yet, and he's already thinking of rebelling?"
Empress Li frowned, but still smiled gently. She stepped forward and brought the cup of tea to the emperor's lips. "Your Majesty, calm down. Even if Prime Minister Yu had the guts, he doesn't have the heart. Don't you understand this?"
The emperor snorted coldly. He was naturally aware of Yu Zhengsha's loyalty, otherwise he would not have used him for so many years.
Queen Li had a smile on her face, but she secretly complained in her heart that this damn Yu Zhengsha would really be killed by him. If he was not of some use to her, she would not have to condescend to ask for a favor for him.
Seeing the Emperor remained silent, Empress Li continued, "Actually, Prime Minister Yu's actions are understandable. Your Majesty, think about it, the Crown Prince already has a crush on Miss Liu. If they were newlyweds, how could he have the energy to care about Miss Yu? In this case, wouldn't Yu Zhenzhen be like being sent to the cold palace?"
"In that case, even postponing the wedding wouldn't help, I'm afraid?"
"That's not necessarily true. Yu Zhenzhen is young and beautiful. She just didn't have the opportunity to become close friends with Your Majesty before. If she could live in the palace for a long time, there's no guarantee that Your Majesty wouldn't be tempted."
Murong Shiling glanced at the Queen thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Queen, why are you helping Yu Zhenzhen?"
"I just want to do Prime Minister Yu a favor. After all, we are relatives. Even if it is for the sake of my deceased sister, I can't flatly refuse him when he brings his daughter to the palace to ask for my hand in marriage, right?"
Empress Li did not want to hide this matter at all. Moreover, she knew very well that even if she concealed it, the emperor would find out everything. It would be better for her to confess it herself.
Murong Shiling sighed when he heard this. It seemed that he had to agree to the Queen's request today, whether he wanted to or not.
"Alright, go back and tell Yu Zhengsha that I'm giving you, the Queen, a favor. If there's a next time, I won't tolerate it!"
"Yes, I will convey your words."
The Empress left the Imperial Study with great satisfaction and returned to the Chaofeng Palace. Murong Shiling had lost interest in writing. He stood up from his chair, glanced at the autumn sun outside the window, and turned to ask, "Xiao Fuzi, speaking of which, it seems that Concubine Yu hasn't even visited the Empress Dowager yet!"
"Your Majesty is so busy with affairs of state that he naturally neglected it. Concubine Yu is very shy. During the time she has been in the palace, I have not seen her go to any of the palaces for fun."
The emperor said thoughtfully, "This won't do. If it goes on for too long, she'll get suffocated. Little Fuzi, go and ask Imperial Concubine Yu to come and accompany me to visit the garden. It's my fault, after Yu'er reappeared, I haven't formally introduced her to anyone else."
"Yes, slave, go right away."
Eunuch Fu agreed and soon brought Concubine Yu over.
In the Cining Palace, Yu Qingli was massaging the empress dowager's head. Lying on the jewel-inlaid couch, the empress dowager looked kind and comfortable.
"Grandmother, have you had a headache these past few days?"
"Ever since I followed your instructions, I haven't had any problems, Qingli girl. In my opinion, you are much more capable than those mediocre doctors in the Imperial Hospital."
Yu Qingli smiled faintly and said, "Grandmother, you are too kind. How can Qingli's little tricks be compared with those of the masters in the palace? Qingli just found the right symptom. There is also a lot of luck involved!"
The empress dowager just smiled without saying anything. She was thinking of giving Yu Qingli some more rewards when she heard a message coming from outside the palace.
"The Emperor has arrived, and Concubine Yu has arrived..."
Upon hearing this, the empress dowager opened her eyes and sat up from the couch. Yu Qingli also stopped in time and stood aside with her hands hanging down politely.
Not long after, Murong Shileng appeared in front of Yu Qingli and the Queen Mother, holding Concubine Yu's hand. The two of them saluted the Queen Mother, and then Yu Qingli also saluted the Emperor and Concubine Yu in a proper manner.
Murong Shileng was a little surprised to see Yu Qingli in the Empress Dowager's palace. Thinking of what had happened between him and Yu Qingli before, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
Yu Qingli lowered her head and stood beside the empress dowager in a very polite manner.
Murong Shiling turned his head to look at Concubine Yu, then looked at Yu Qingli who had been keeping her head down and keeping silent since she saluted. He laughed in his heart. He was so lustful before that he even got the person wrong. Now that he thought about it, although Yu Qingli looked similar to Concubine Yu, how could her cold and indifferent personality compare to Concubine Yu's charm and enthusiasm?
It seems that he missed Concubine Yu too much before, and he couldn't even tell the truth from the false.
Concubine Yu couldn't help but feel a little nervous when she saw Yu Qingli present. Fortunately, Murong Shiling thought that it was normal for her to feel a little uncomfortable because it was her first time meeting the empress dowager, so he didn't take it too seriously.
The empress dowager looked at Concubine Yu in front of her, with a hint of speculation in her eyes. Who on earth was this unidentified Concubine Yu who could have bewitched the emperor so much? It seemed that it was necessary to conduct a thorough investigation.
"Noble Concubine Yu, I heard that the Emperor likes you very much and even neglected three days of morning court for you. It's not wrong to be favored by the Emperor, but everything should be done in moderation. In this regard, you are indeed inferior to Noble Concubine Lin."
"Yes, I know I was wrong." Concubine Yu agreed obediently without saying anything back.
"Mother, please calm down. Actually, the fact that there was no morning court is not what you think. It is your son..." Murong Shileng took over the conversation, as if he wanted to explain for Concubine Yu.
The empress dowager glanced at him coldly, and even the emperor felt a sense of pressure from her heart under her majestic and gloomy gaze.
"What? Can't I speak to the Emperor's concubine? If so, from today onwards, none of you should come to pay your respects to me. Why are you being so hypocritical? I have no interest in knowing whether the Emperor is in court or not." The Empress Dowager paused and said, "Do you really think that because I'm old, I can fool you so much? I'm sure you know the truth of the matter very well."
The Empress Dowager's words were extremely harsh. Concubine Yu's face turned pale and she knelt down on the ground. She didn't dare to say a word, only a little cold sweat seeped out of her forehead.
The emperor's face looked a little ugly. He had been on the throne for many years, and no one had said this to him for a long time. Now that the empress dowager said this, he remembered that when he was still the prince, he was often reprimanded by the empress dowager in this way.
"Mother, please calm down. I know I was wrong."
Murong Shiling lowered his noble head and apologized sincerely. The Queen Mother didn't seem to want to continue scolding him. She just nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'm just a little worried. Fortunately, the Emperor has some self-control and doesn't indulge in women. I'm relieved."
The Queen Mother glanced at the woman still kneeling on the ground as she spoke, "Your name is Yu Liuli? Even if you want to win His Majesty's favor, you should explain your life story clearly. This palace is different from other places. If you are so unclear, it will inevitably attract criticism."
"The Queen Mother taught me that this is just a restriction imposed by my family rules. I must never reveal my identity, so..."
"Mother, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly in the future. I will not trouble you any more."
The empress dowager did not say much upon hearing this, but as per custom, she ordered her servants to fetch a treasure and give it to Concubine Yu as a gift.