Baozhu looked at the Queen Mother's cold gaze with some astonishment, and stood up at a loss.
The Queen Mother snorted coldly, still looking at Baozhu with disgust in her eyes and said: "Ms. Song, do you know your guilt?"
Bao Zhu swallowed her saliva, knelt down with her back straight, looked at Qi Junce with sad eyes and said, "I don't know what mistake I made. It's my fault that I made the Queen Mother displeased."
"Queen Mother..." Qi Junce couldn't help but said, "What happened to Baozhu? She is the most docile and well-behaved."
"Be good?!" the Queen Mother scolded sternly, choking back Qi Junce's words. "Emperor, I'm afraid you've been stunned by beauty."
Qi Junce and Queen Gu Linqing looked at each other, and they could feel that the Queen Mother was really angry.
"Mother, there are so many people here, and this matter..." The queen's face was full of embarrassment, as if it was a particularly unspeakable matter. Baozhu felt a chill in her heart, and the knife was pointed at her after all.
"My son suggested that we should go to the inner hall?" the queen said.
The Queen Mother remained silent and looked at the kneeling Baozhu angrily.
Qi Junce couldn't help but look at Baozhu, whose belly was bulging, still kneeling. When he was about to speak again, a voice came.
"My son, I'm late. I wonder if my mother has left my favorite crispy duck for me!"
A clear male voice sounded, and everyone looked for it. It turned out to be King Yangcheng who had arrived belatedly. The moment he opened the door, there was still a trace of wind and snow outside.
King Yangcheng's originally smiling face froze when he felt the strange atmosphere at the scene.
"Yo..." King Yangcheng looked at the kneeling Baozhu and said, "What's going on?"
Seeing the arrival of King Yangcheng, the Queen Mother's expression softened a little, but she was still solemn. "Yu'er, why are you here so late?"
King Yangcheng didn't feel guilty when facing the Queen Mother's questioning. Instead, he smiled and leaned over, taking out a small box from his arms.
"Mother, this is the elixir that my son specially found for you. It is said that taking it will prolong your life and strengthen your body." King Yangcheng glanced at everyone and then continued.
"Good mother, please don't be angry, otherwise the elixir won't work."
The Queen Mother was finally calmed down by King Yangcheng, and she felt a little relieved when she looked at the kneeling Baozhu.
"Get up," the Queen Mother said as she stood up. "Whether there is any grievance, let the inner palace decide."
Baozhu watched everyone walking towards the inner hall, feeling confused. My mind was rewinding all the recent events, but I didn't know where I went wrong.
Yue Nu and Haitang quickly helped Baozhu up, but Baozhu staggered a little. Qi Junce, who was on the stage, subconsciously wanted to reach out to help him, but since the Queen Mother was still around, he retracted his hand, but was caught in the Queen's eyes.
The group of people walked to the inner hall, and everyone except Baozhu sat down. Baozhu stood helpless in the middle, stroking his belly uneasily.
Jiang Heng looked at the queen and frowned. "What is this queen going to do..." Jiang Heng said softly.
"The Imperial Concubine," Fang Guiren leaned close to Jiang Heng's ear and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito's fly: "The Empress seems to be dissatisfied with Concubine Chen. Recently, she has been asking around for news about her stay in the palace."
When Jiang Heng heard this, he looked at Fang Guiren with wide eyes. Fang Guiren nodded firmly to prove that he was not talking nonsense.
Jiang Heng's eyes looked at Baozhu with a little more worry, and he twisted the handkerchief tightly with his hands.
The Queen Mother took a leisurely sip of tea and then said slowly: "Mrs. Song, when you were in Fulin Palace, you often sold your own embroidery to supplement the expenses, right?"
Bao Zhu gritted her teeth, that humiliating time came to mind again, and she heard herself spit out the word "yes" with difficulty.
The Queen Mother looked as if this was true, "So, there is a eunuch named Ayan in your palace, right?"
Before Baozhu could answer, Qi Junce helped to reply: "Yes, Queen Mother, there is an inner tube in Concubine Chen's palace, which she brought back from Fulin Palace."
The Queen Mother ignored Qi Junce's words and glared at him helplessly.
"Why did the Ai family hear about you and this eunuch?" When the Queen Mother spoke, she specially emphasized the word eunuch, and Baozhu's uneasiness reached the extreme.
"Not only do they interact closely with each other, but they even spend a lot of time alone in the same room?" The Queen Mother finally revealed the purpose of her questioning, and Baozhu's face turned pale.
Baozhu knelt down, looked at his fingers, and couldn't stop trembling: "The Queen Mother clearly knows that these are all nonsense."
"Tsk," Liu Guiren's annoying smacking voice sounded again, "It's nothing. This rumor has spread throughout the palace."
Liu Guiren turned to Qi Junce and said: "Your Majesty, everyone in the palace said that this person named Ayan is very handsome, and Concubine Chen must remember to take him with her even when she returns to the palace. Isn't it because of her deep feelings?"
Qi Junce's face was filled with anger, "Shut up!" With a scolding, Liu Guiren immediately fell silent.
"Mother, this rumor is a bit ridiculous. How could a eunuch have an affair with a concubine?" Although Qi Junce looked ugly, he still spoke for Baozhu.
The Queen Mother laughed dryly and said: "The palace maids still have sex with the eunuchs, but it was only because of the strict prohibition by the late Emperor that no one dared to do such dirty things."
The smell of blood filled the lips that Baozhu was biting, and the child in his belly was turning uneasily, as if he could feel the dangerous situation of his mother at this moment.
"And there is no smoke without fire. Since Song Baozhu has a clear conscience, where did the rumors come from?" The Queen Mother asked Qi Junce in turn, and Qi Junce remained silent.
"That's right, the Queen Mother," Liu Guiren saw this and started to fan the flames again, "If the Queen Mother and the eunuchs unite, it will put His Majesty's safety at knifepoint."
Everyone started whispering, and Baozhu's mind was in a mess. The queen was buried with her own innocence. Even if Baozhu was innocent, Qi Junce would once become suspicious.
Then it will take root and sprout crazily like a seed, and it may explode and rot one day.
Baozhu closed her eyes helplessly. Even if she tried her best to avoid it, she was still easy to dodge and hard to defend against.
"Your Majesty, I think it's better to find out the truth. I can't unjustly accuse Concubine Chen."
Baozhu raised his head and saw Concubine Cheng standing up to speak for him, and felt a little moved in his heart.
Concubine Cheng continued: "I have been to Weiyang Palace many times, and I have also met Ayan several times. That child is well-behaved and does not seem like someone who would do such a scandalous thing."
"Sister Cheng Fei," Zhen Cairen, who had always been silent, suddenly spoke, "how can we know what it's like behind closed doors?"
Baozhu straightened up and looked at Qi Junce with tears in his eyes, trying to arouse some sympathy from him.
"Concubine, no." Baozhu said loudly.
King Yangcheng's eyes wandered back and forth on several people, and he understood seven or eight points in his heart. Thinking that Concubine Chen was now pregnant, King Yangcheng looked at the Queen with a more meaningful look.
"Oh, let me tell you, today is such a beautiful day, how can we let such a vanishing thing ruin our fun?" King Yangcheng was still smiling as usual.
He walked to the Queen Mother, held her hand and continued: "Mother, my children are all hungry. Let's go eat first."
Qi Junce didn't wait for the Queen Mother to speak, and hurriedly walked down the steps of King Yangcheng and said, "Sixteenth Brother is right, the Queen Mother hasn't eaten yet. She should eat first, and we'll deal with it later."
Qi Junce helped the Queen Mother up. The Queen Mother looked like he was about to speak, but in the end she didn't say anything. A good New Year's Eve was interrupted like this, and everyone lost interest.
Qi Junce looked at Baozhu, who was still kneeling, and said in a cold tone: "Concubine Chen, you are pregnant. Please go back to Weiyang Palace to rest first. If you have nothing to do, don't go out."
Baozhu's heart skipped a beat, and she silently said yes.
Liu Guiren showed a sly smile when he turned around and went out. The queen still looked calm.
Jiang Heng and Bao Zhu secretly exchanged a look, and Bao Zhu nodded, signaling Jiang Heng not to worry.
Yue Nu held up Baozhu, and the group returned to Weiyang Palace in silence.
As we approached the palace gate, a gorgeous firework exploded in the sky. Bao Zhu couldn't help but look up. This was his second New Year in Li Kingdom.
But it was not as lively and happy as when I was in the palace. Although I was embarrassed at that time, I was still happy and free.
When we returned to Weiyang Palace, the palace was empty. It turned out that Ayan had been taken away, and Baozhu couldn't stop the pain in his heart.
Back in the inner hall, the fragrance of the flowers Ayan picked in the morning was still there, but there was no one who was willing to brave the wind and snow to pick flowers for him.
Baozhu sat dumbly, while Yue Nu and Haitang looked at each other anxiously.
"What's going on? Your Majesty is back so early?" asked A'Zi, who didn't follow her, wondering what happened.
Yue Nu pulled Ah Zi away and whispered to her what happened in the palace. Ah Zi couldn't help but exclaimed, and Yue Nu quickly covered her mouth.
"Your Majesty," Haitang said unbearably, "There is also fresh mutton delivered this morning in the small kitchen. Can I go make some dumplings for you?"
Bao Zhu took a deep breath, not wanting his dejected look to affect others, and managed a forced smile.
"Bring it to the inner hall and let's wrap it up together." Baozhu looked at the fireworks exploding outside the window and murmured, "Now, it's the New Year."
Seeing this, Haitang snorted and quickly went to bring the meat-stuffed dough. Everyone made a tacit agreement not to mention what happened just now.
When the first pot of dumplings floated roundly in the boiling water, they were presented to Baozhu on the first night.
Although Baozhu has no appetite, the child in her belly cannot be hungry. Bao Zhu reluctantly ate two or three and put down her chopsticks.
"Haitang, you have some old friendship with Grandma Liang from the Shenxing Division. Can you give Ayan a bowl of dumplings?" Baozhu asked.
Haitang was still wrapping dumplings on her hands, and the white flour stuck to her fingers.
"I think Ayan must have been taken there. It's New Year and he hasn't eaten anything yet." Baozhu said sadly.
"But Madam, wouldn't this be good?" Although Haitang wanted to do so, she was very hesitant.
Baozhu stood up and took out a heavy gold ingot from the box and handed it to Haitang.
"What your Majesty just said is to ground me. But everyone knows that Ayan is innocent." Baozhu said with hatred in his tone.
"Tell Ayan that I am the one who caused him trouble." After Baozhu said that, he went to help Ayan pack the dumplings.
Haitang held the gold ingot with tears in her eyes. Yue Nu and A Zi also had red eyes, but silently lowered their heads to make dumplings.
Weiyang Palace spent a silent New Year.
