Even though the concubines in the first palace were so aggressive, the concubines in the lower ranks were even more afraid to make mistakes. They came out earlier than Xie Ziyue, and they took photos again and again before going out, for fear that there would be something wrong with their appearance.
At the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, all concubines, officials, and their wives and children must dress in accordance with their status.
In such a big occasion, no one can bear the punishment if anything goes wrong.
Although the Queen Mother is not the biological mother of Han Xianzong, the deep love between royal mother and son must be shown at the Wanshou Banquet. Therefore, Han Xianzong has not come yet, and he will attend with the Queen Mother and others.
Of course, there is Princess Fukang.
As the biological daughter of the Queen Mother, it is only natural that Princess Fukang should appear together with the Queen Mother.
When Xie Ziyue arrived, Concubine De had already arrived. She was dressed extremely beautifully today. Her pregnancy did not seem to affect her. Her skin was fair, her complexion was excellent, and she looked extremely bright.
In contrast, Xie Ziyue was heavy and had some difficulty moving, and her appearance could only be described as quite satisfactory.
But she was extremely beautiful, and she looked stunning without having to dress up. She surpassed other concubines, and many concubines clenched their handkerchiefs tightly underneath.
Gu Xuan had never seen such a big scene before, and it was very strange. But she is very sensible and knows that her mother is inconvenient now. There are so many stairs here, and if she moves rashly, it will increase her mother's burden.
So she stayed in her mother's belly obediently and waited for Xie Ziyue to sit down at the table before she started to move actively.
Today is a wonderful day, the sky is blue and cloudless. It is auspicious to celebrate birthdays in this kind of weather.
The Queen Mother's birthday has always been prepared by the Queen, and every detail shows her intention. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Queen decided to hold this birthday in the Royal Garden.
The queen specially chose an open place with a good view to host the banquet, and the male and female family members were seated separately.
Because the location is open, there is no obstruction, and Xie Ziyue's location is exactly where the sun shines.
The golden sunlight shone on her body, coating her whole body with a wonderful golden light. Her whole body seemed to be shining, and even her hair seemed to be flying.
The brilliance of motherhood and the softness of women were so vividly reflected in her body that many of the female relatives were stunned.
No wonder the imperial concubine is said to be the most beautiful woman in the world... If this is indeed the case, it is no wonder that His Majesty loves her so much!
When the Queen and Princess Fukang helped the Queen Mother out, the first thing they saw was Xie Ziyue who seemed to be glowing.
Han Xianzong followed them, his eyes fixed on Xie Ziyue, his eyes full of amazement.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, and Princess Fukang are here!" After a few people appeared, the eunuch next to them hurriedly sang a promise loudly, and everyone knelt down to salute.
Just as Xie Ziyue was about to stand up, Han Xianzong quickly stepped forward to support her: "My beloved concubine is heavy, so these etiquettes can be dispensed with."
This was not the first time that Han Xianzong had given Xie Ziyue face in public, and the Queen Mother said that she was used to it. The Queen also knew that the Queen Mother had made preparations for the banquet today, so she behaved quite calmly.
Princess Fukang, on the other hand, glanced at Xie Ziyue's belly several times in a row. Gu Xuan was inexplicably uncomfortable by her look and moved subconsciously.
Xie Ziyue hurriedly put her hands in front of her body and did not follow Han Xianzong's instructions not to salute. Although she did not salute greatly, she still saluted the Queen Mother and others.
Then he raised his head slightly and happened to catch Princess Fukang's eyes.
The other person looked at her pregnant belly with complicated and unkind eyes, which made Xie Ziyue feel wary from the bottom of her heart. She used her wide sleeves to tighten her belly and saluted to several people.
Hearing this voice, Princess Fukang also realized that her eyes were too obvious. She coughed awkwardly and looked away:
"The imperial concubine's belly is so big, so don't bow."
The Queen Mother originally wanted to take the opportunity to tease Ziyue for a while, but she didn't expect that her daughter would be so careless, so she just let her get up.
And after all, it was her own daughter who said it. If the Queen Mother embarrassed Xie Ziyue in person, she would not give her daughter face.
In addition, today is her birthday, so the Queen Mother narrowed her eyelids slightly and smiled next to her:
"Fukang also feels sorry for the imperial concubine. The imperial concubine has worked hard for the emperor to spread her branches and provide heirs. There is no need to pay attention to these false etiquette. It should be regarded as mourning for the family and caring for the unborn emperor's grandson."
The Queen Mother is worthy of being an old man in the palace. What she said was impeccable. She not only expressed her general knowledge, but also showed that she valued the emperor's heir, and she was worthy of the status of Queen Mother.
Xie Ziyue naturally thanked her. Then Tao Xiang helped her to sit down. Han Xianzong originally wanted to help her, but the Queen Mother spoke appropriately at this time and mentioned the Queen.
In order to give face to the Queen Mother, Han Xianzong could only sit with the Queen.
The Queen Mother naturally sits in the most conspicuous position. The banquet has not started yet. After the female family members saluted the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother waved:
"The banquet hasn't started yet. Today is a happy day. Why don't you all just stroll around in the imperial garden and have fun together? You will be able to live up to the Queen's hard work."
Today's imperial garden is indeed very neatly tidied, and there are also many rare and rare plants on display, which are rare treasures brought as tribute from other countries. Even if the people present are all dignitaries and noble ladies, it is inevitable that they will be novel.
When the Queen heard the Queen Mother's praise, she nodded slightly and said with a smile: "It is my concubine's honor to perform filial piety for the Queen Mother and make the Queen Mother happy."
In private, she called the Queen Mother Aunt to show her closeness, but publicly she still addressed her as Queen Mother to avoid being criticized.
The women below were peaceful again, and they all praised the Queen's virtue together. After talking for a long time, they dispersed.
Generally, large banquets are a good time for families to see each other. After the imperial garden dispersed, it was particularly lively. Taoxiang was so excited that she saw Xie Ziyue sitting in her seat and asked in a low voice:
"Mother, don't you want to go and see it too?"
"What's there to see in this palace every day?" Xie Ziyue glanced around her. Anyway, this place was not new to her, and it wasn't safe if there were too many people.
Tao Xiang thought so, but a lot of ingenuity must have been put into the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. The imperial garden was decorated in a unique way, and it was indeed very different from before.
Of course, she still didn't say this, thinking that saying it would make the queen unhappy.
Xie Ziyue's original intention was to stay where she was. Although it was boring, at least there was no danger.
But after sitting for a while, she suddenly felt a strange fragrance coming from the tip of her nose. The smell was very unique.
Thinking of the musky ink she had been given before, she couldn't sit still. There was no one around here, so it was hard to guarantee that someone in the palace had not lit some incense that hurt the fetus in order to deal with her.
"Taoxiang, help me go out for a walk." Xie Ziyue stretched out her hand.
