The Favored Concubine in the Palace_The Feast of Masks【Complete】(205)

Yao Niang took a book and began to tell stories to the two little guys.

This was Xiao Bao's idea at the beginning. At that time, he was trying to make trouble with King Jin in various ways. At night, he stayed on Yao Niang's couch and didn't want to leave, so he asked Yao Niang to tell him stories. She said that she couldn't fall asleep without listening to stories, so Yao Niang developed the habit of telling him stories when she coaxed Xiao Bao to sleep at night.

Yao Niang told a story that Xiao Bao had never heard of before. The general idea was that a very knowledgeable poet had a baby boy one day. Everyone who came to congratulate him was very happy, but he wrote a very inappropriate poem. Then Yao Niang read the poem "I only hope that the child is stupid and rude, and will be a noble without any disasters" in Xiao Bao's dim eyes.

In fact, Yao Niang also felt that this poem was inappropriate to put here, but she really couldn't think of a better poem to tell a story.

"Look, he is obviously a father. People all hope that their sons are smart, but he hopes that his son is not so smart. Why is that?"

"Why is that?" Xiao Yueyue asked with a pair of curious eyes.

Xiaobao looked embarrassed, but he had to pretend to listen carefully, and at the same time ignore the stupidity of stupid mother and stupid Yueyue. Outside the door, King Jin just walked to the door and heard the voice inside.

He stood there silently and listened for a long time until there was no sound inside, then walked in.

On the couch, Xiaobao and Yueyue were asleep, and Yao Niang was still awake. When she looked up, she saw him walking in, and the two exchanged glances.

King Jin was a little embarrassed, covered his lips with his fist, coughed lightly, and stretched out his hand. Yao Niang put down the book and was about to get up, just as King Jin walked to the bed, she grabbed his hand, and King Jin took the opportunity to hug her.

She put her arms around his neck, a little embarrassed: "I can walk by myself."

Prince Jin didn't say anything, and looked down at her thin nightgown on her chest.

There was a floor heating in the room, but not outside. Prince Jin didn't know where he got a cloak from, wrapped it around Yao Niang, and carried her away.

As for the previous quarrel, it didn't exist.

The first day of the first lunar month, this day is the first day of the year.

Prince Jin got up before dawn. Yao Niang asked him a question in a daze, and she didn't know what he said. The two of them slept too late last night. Anyway, Yao Niang felt that she didn't sleep for a long time, and Prince Jin got up.

Today, she had to go to the palace to worship the ancestors in the Fengxian Hall. After the worship, there would be a grand court meeting.

This kind of occasion naturally has nothing to do with the female family, but today all the ladies inside and outside the palace need to go to the palace to pay tribute to the queen.

Yao Niang lingered on the couch for a long time until Yuchan came to her quietly for the second time to tell her that it was time to get up, and the young master had already gotten up, so she supported herself to get up from the couch.

The King of Jin was not a human being. He knew that today was a critical day, but he still pressed her down like a beast for half a night. The key point was that she was not very competitive and did not refuse firmly at all.

Yao Niang, who did not sleep well and felt sore all over, went out with a belly full of anger. Seeing that the King of Jin had packed up and sat at the table, she immediately glared at him. Unfortunately, she was not angry enough. After seeing the King of Jin slightly narrowed his eyes, she was very unpromising and took back her eyes.

She went to see Xiaobao again and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Xiaobao shook his head. The ointment was very effective. It didn't hurt when it was applied. He secretly took a look in the morning and the swelling had also subsided.

After the meal, they went their separate ways.

The King of Jin entered the palace first, and Yao Niang was fine later. After sending the King of Jin away, Yao Niang took Xiaobao and Yueyue out to get in the car, and she slept for a while in the car. She specifically told them not to rush, because when she woke up, the sky in the east was already white, and it was their turn to enter the palace at Xuanwu Gate.

After a whole morning of tossing and turning, it was already afternoon when they left the palace after the banquet. Prince Jin had already left the palace and sent someone to pass on a message to wait for her at the palace gate.

Yao Niang went with Princess Qing. When they arrived at Xuanwu Gate, not only Prince Jin was there, but Prince Qing was also there.

They said goodbye to each other and got into the car separately. When Yao Niang was helped into the car by Prince Jin, something attracted her attention and she couldn't help but frown. Prince Jin asked, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

After getting into the car, Yao Niang was still thinking about the scene she had just seen. Concubine Han stumbled when she got into the car, and Prince Qing helped her from the side.

It should be nothing, but Yao Niang always felt a little uncomfortable watching it. She attributed this to the fact that she and Princess Qing were good friends, and Concubine Han had hurt her. At the same time, she couldn't help but think of the unusual silence of Princess Qing during the two times she met her.

Chapter 157

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Get in the car quickly." Prince Qing took back his hand and said.

Concubine Han looked at her elbow with some disappointment, and without saying much, nodded and lowered her head to get into the carriage.

In another carriage, Princess Qing looked at this scene through the window, her eyes wavering.

Beside her, Zhuzhu pulled Princess Qing's sleeve, "Mother, I'm sleepy."

Princess Qing held her in her arms and said softly, "If you're sleepy, mother will hold you to sleep." She pulled the curtain of the carriage with one hand and didn't look at it anymore.

Arriving at the Qing Palace, the Qing King turned over and got off the horse and came to the front of the carriage. He first took Yan Ge'er down, and then went to hold Zhuzhu. Zhuzhu slept like a piglet and didn't wake up when she got off the carriage. Princess Qing led Yan Ge'er and followed the Qing King inside.

"Ah..."

A female voice came from behind, it was Concubine Han's voice.

Turning around, she saw her stroking her calf with one hand, her eyebrows were tightly knitted, and her face looked painful. There was a girl following beside her, looking at her helplessly.

Prince Qing couldn't help but stop. Concubine Han saw that Prince Qing was looking over and immediately called out with tears in her eyes: "Your Highness, I seem to have twisted my foot..."

Prince Qing looked at her hesitantly, and then looked at Princess Qing.

Princess Qing was expressionless, and Concubine Han cried out again. Prince Qing said hesitantly: "She is pregnant... I will come back after I send her back..."

Princess Qing took the pearl and walked away with her head down without saying a word.

Seeing the backs of the crowd leaving, Prince Qing's eyes flashed with depression, until he was called again, and then he slowly walked over.

"Mother." Yan Ge'er called out with some concern. He only called his mother in front of others, and usually called her mother.

"What's wrong?" Princess Qing looked at him with a smile.

"Nothing." Yan Ge'er shook his head, hiding the worry in his eyes.

Except for a day of leisure in the mansion on the second day of the Chinese New Year, starting from the third day of the Chinese New Year, Prince Jin took Yao Niang and Xiao Bao out to visit and drink everywhere.

The first place to go was of course the Ningguo Mansion, which was bustling all day, followed by the Huiwang Mansion, Anwang Mansion, Daiwang Mansion, and Yongwang Mansion. The former was a visit, but as for the later Luwang Mansion, Qingwang Mansion, etc., they would only go if they were invited to the door. When going to other people's houses, they would be alert and rush around. For several days in a row, Yao Niang was very tired. It was not until the people from Qingwang Mansion invited her that she finally smiled.

On this day, she slept until Chenshi before getting up, cleaned up, washed, had breakfast, and prepared a carriage to go to Qingwang Mansion.

Qingwang Mansion was no different from the other mansions, all of which were in a festive mood. The servants were dressed up and smiling. At this time, even if there was a funeral at home, they had to wait until the New Year was over.

Qingwang naturally invited not only Jinwang, but all his brothers.

Except Huiwang who did not bring his princess, all other princes brought their princesses. It was the Prince of Jin who brought Yao Niang with him. Everyone knew that something had probably happened in the Prince of Jin's mansion. The Princess of Jin had fallen out of favor and was sent to the manor to recuperate. Seeing that the Prince of Jin was used to bringing Yao Niang with him, Emperor Hongjing did not say anything, and others would not say much.

At such times, it was natural to celebrate as much as possible. The Prince of Qing's mansion also invited a troupe to perform in the hall. Now it is popular in Beijing to watch operas. People who can sing or not can hum a few lines of opera. Yao Niang did not like it. She felt that the martial arts were too noisy, and she could not understand the literary opera. She patiently accompanied him to listen several times, and she felt dizzy every time.

When she told the Prince of Jin, he said that she had not listened to it enough.

Not to mention, Yao Niang had not listened to operas many times when she was still at home. There were only two times when she was a child when a rich family in the county town invited an opera troupe to perform at the temple fair. She followed and listened twice, but there were crowds of people, and there was not even a shadow of a female role.

Before the banquet was set up at noon, everyone sat in the theater to watch the play.

Children are indispensable in such occasions. There are more than 20 children in the eight palaces. The older ones play with the older ones, and the younger ones play with the younger ones. As for the older ones, they all accompany their fathers or mothers.

For example, Zhao Zuo, the prince of Hui Wang's family, and Rongxia Princess, the fourteen-year-old eldest daughter of An Wang. Rongxia Princess looks like An Wang's wife, with a round face and fine eyes, and she is quiet and doesn't talk much. Unless someone talks to her, she mostly sits beside An Wang's wife and keeps silent.

As the women chatted, they talked about Rongxia Princess's marriage.

Among the princesses, Wu Wang's wife was the youngest, but she talked the most. She asked Rongxia Princess so many questions that she blushed and wanted to hide, but she didn't stop talking. Yao Niang and Qing Wang's wife looked at each other, but didn't ask a question. They just sat silently beside them and listened.

The men sat on the other side, separated from this side by a hall. From this side, we can clearly see the situation over there, but we can't hear what they are saying.

On the other side, several half-grown children came and went, running upstairs and downstairs. They were completely different from what we usually see in the palace. They probably knew that they couldn't make trouble in the palace, but they could make trouble outside.

It was also the New Year's Day, and there were taboos at this time. Generally, even if the children were naughty, no adults would scold them.

Seeing that Princess An and Princess Wu were at loggerheads and seemed to be arguing, Princess Qing and Yao Niang looked at each other, stood up and made an excuse to go to the palace.

The two left the theater.

The weather was good today. Although it was still cold, there was sunshine.