Following the palace maid, Lin Jinyan turned her head and looked at Bai Zhi, with a warning in her eyes.
Bai Zhi nodded clearly, silently reached into her sleeves, and held the powder packet containing the drug.
After leaving the Longevity Palace, a soft sedan stopped in a quiet place. At the palace maid's signal, Lin Jinyan got into the sedan without asking any questions.
After sitting down, Lin Jinyan squinted her eyes while thinking about the person she was going to meet later and what role the Queen Mother would play in it.
While silently calculating the distance, he estimated where he had arrived.
When the soft sedan stopped, the previous doubts in Lin Jinyan's heart disappeared, but new doubts suddenly arose.
The curtain of the sedan chair was opened from the outside. Lin Jinyan took Bai Zhi's extended hand and bent out of the sedan chair. She raised her head and looked above the palace door, with the words "Wang Shu Gong" hanging high.
The palace maid asked Lin Jinyan and the two of them to wait outside the door, then went in alone. After a while, she came out again and took the two of them in.
The palace maid stopped as soon as she entered the door. Lin Jinyan and the two walked to the hall and caught a glimpse of Concubine Jade, bowing respectfully.
Concubine Yu's cold and casual voice came: "Get up and sit down."
Bai Zhi took off Lin Jinyan's cloak, and Lin Jinyan sat down and looked up.
Concubine Jade was wearing a blue and green shirt, looking cold and lonely. She turned her upper body to face the chess table beside her. The room was also elegant and dusty, without any trace of New Year's Eve.
"I don't have any visitors during the holidays, but this is unusual. I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't prepare anything to eat. Just have some refreshments."
Lin Jinyan: "It's enough to see the empress."
Concubine Yu turned to look at the pretty girl sitting down, her eyes paused for a moment on Lin Jinyan's face, and then glanced up and down:
"It's grown longer, but the eyes haven't changed."
Lin Jinyan said with a smile: "Your Majesty is no different from what she was many years ago. It can be said that she is eternally young."
Concubine Jade: "Okay, stop telling such lies, can you play chess?"
Lin Jinyan: "I know a little bit."
Concubine Yu: "Sit down and talk with me."
Lin Jinyan stood up and stepped forward with a smile: "I will obey your Majesty's instructions."
Hearing this, Concubine Jade raised her lips slightly:
"As I grow up, I also learn to be glib."
Lin Jinyan sat down, glanced at the chess game, raised her hand and took out a piece and dropped it:
"Today is New Year's Eve. Why don't we see the little prince? Why are you alone?"
Concubine Yu looked at the chessboard, paying close attention to Lin Jinyan's position, raised her eyebrows, and then placed a piece:
"After practicing calligraphy in the afternoon, I played like crazy for a while. I was so tired that I fell asleep. I still haven't woken up yet."
Lin Jinyan: "We haven't seen each other for many years. How are the empress and the little prince in good health?"
Concubine Jade raised her eyes and glanced at Lin Jinyan, then glanced at the maid of Longevity Palace at the door with her peripheral vision:
"I'm still the same as before. Cheng'en was weak when he was young, but thanks to God's blessing, he is now in good health. I only feel chilly in winter, and I don't know when I will get better."
Lin Jinyan smiled like the spring breeze blowing on her face, talking to Concubine Yu, going back and forth:
"The little prince is a lucky man. I hope he will be taken care of for a good life. He will be fine after a while."
Concubine Jade: "I hope so. Mothers are like this. They always have endless worries."
Lin Jinyan: "I have pity on the hearts of parents in the world."
After Lin Jinyan finished speaking, Concubine Yu's eyes couldn't help but shine:
"This is an excellent move. It seems that you are good at chess. It's rare for someone to play against me. It would be great if you could come to my place more often."
Lin Jinyan: "My daughter is willing to do so, but the palace rules are very strict. The palace is not something that my daughter can enter just because she wants to."
Concubine Jade: "That's true. There are many things that I can't help but do in life. That's all. It's a happy event to have you playing chess with me on New Year's Eve. I should be content."
(End of chapter)
