Summer is hot and dry, and the afternoon sun is particularly scorching, causing layers of heat waves to erupt from the steaming earth.
In the courtyard of Yaoguang Palace where Shen Dingzhu lived, the green banyan trees wilted, and the fish in the viewing lotus pond also sank to the bottom.
Everything was lazily except for the sound of women crying one after another in Shen Dingzhu's palace.
"My dearest concubine, you must make the decision for me!"
"My Lady, please don't listen to Zhang Guiren's slap. She grabbed my hair first and then I fought back."
The two noble men in palace skirts had messy hair and looked at each other with evil eyes.
Shen Dingzhu sat on the main seat, holding a jade porcelain spoon in his bare hands, lowering his beautiful eyes, lazily stirring a bowl of bayberry ice drink.
The beauty's fingertips were not smeared with any cardamom, but they looked extraordinarily pink and white. Her jade hands were as delicate as goose fat, and the red bayberry's sweet ice water looked even more delicious.
Shen Dingzhu sighed: "After listening to you guys crying for so long, I understand. It's just Zhang Guiren who went to deliver soup to the emperor, but he didn't expect that Tong Guiren was about to deliver snacks to the emperor. Then the emperor said that as long as One of you cooked the food, so you started arguing outside the Imperial Study Room?"
Zhang Guiren and Tong Guiren nodded silently.
"Your Majesty, if Tong Guiren hadn't spoken rudely, I would not have been angry and taught her a lesson. Outside the imperial study, she laughed at the unpleasant taste of my soup. She also laughed at me for not having tea with the emperor as often as she did since entering the palace. ." Zhang Guiren said, feeling very aggrieved and wiping his tears with a handkerchief.
Tong Guiren raised his round face with tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty! Zhang Guiren obviously deliberately wanted to embarrass me in front of the emperor. At that time, I was holding a food box in my hand, and she deliberately squeezed over and tried to knock me away. The snacks sent by the emperor, Zhang Guiren has evil thoughts, but I can't get angry and can only say a few words."
At this point, she glanced at Zhang Guiren resentfully: "Who would have thought that she would actually push my concubine."
Shen Dingzhu took advantage of the time they were talking to eat half of the bayberry sweet water. She licked her red lips with her pink tongue. Since she was a child, she has been fond of cold and sweet.
When Sister Song saw it, she quickly stepped forward and took the bowl away from Shen Dingzhu's hand.
Shen Dingzhu's beautiful eyes raised in surprise: "Mommy, I haven't finished eating yet."
Nanny Song smiled and covered the mouth of the bowl to prevent Shen Dingzhu from grabbing it. She turned around and immediately let Xiucui take it down.
"My Lady, please don't embarrass the slaves. The Emperor has told you that eating too much cold food is not good for your health. I know you like it, so I will let the slaves take good care of you. If you have a bad stomach, the Emperor will punish you." What’s good?”
Shen Dingzhu leaned back in his chair sadly.
Zhang Guiren and Tong Guiren looked at each other, and their crying gradually stopped.
They were here fighting over who to send food to the emperor, and almost beat her head to pieces. However, the emperor, who was busy with everything, was still worried about Concubine Shen not eating too much cold food, lest she feel uncomfortable.
What is pampering? They knew it well, so they felt the situation was even more sad and embarrassing.
Shen Dingzhu took the handkerchief from Mother Song and wiped the corners of her lips. She raised her beautiful face, and the bright golden-purple tassels dangled in her dark cloud-like bun.
"You beg me to seek justice, but I feel that you are all at fault. The palace rules state that you are not allowed to compete for favors in front of the emperor, but you have all violated this taboo."
The two noble men lowered their heads in disbelief. Thinking about it now, they felt so embarrassed.
Nanny Song laughed at the side and said: "How could Guiren Zhang and Guiren Tong start fighting outside the royal study? You see, it's not that the emperor drove him away angrily, but it's because he made it difficult for himself."
Tong Guiren raised his head and looked at Shen Dingzhu longingly.
"My dear concubine, you are kind-hearted and beautiful. I dare not compete with you for your favor, but I don't want to be rejected by the emperor. But please give me some guidance on how to make up for today's mistakes."
Zhang Guiren also asked quickly, with a sincere attitude, and the two of them regarded Shen Dingzhu as a savior.
Shen Dingzhuyu held the tea cup in his hand, and his slender eyelashes slowly drooped, like butterfly wings fluttering.
She remembered her past life.
At that time, she was also Xiao Langyan's Concubine Shen. She also dealt with the quarrel between the two concubines in the palace. She beat each of them twenty times.
But what about the end?
Fu Yunqiu interceded for one of the concubines, saying that the concubine was seriously ill after being beaten, and she couldn't bear to see it.
Xiao Langyan did not reprimand Shen Dingzhu severely, but still said lukewarmly: "I won't like it if you care too much about competing for favor."
Later, the power of the mother's family of the two concubines who were beaten was impeached by the court, saying that Shen Dingzhu was a favorite in the harem and used power to suppress others.
Look, with just one word from Fu Yunqiu, he felt that she was not doing well, and the court officials also felt that she was an eyesore.
Shen Dingzhu has learned her lesson. She will never meddle in such nosy matters again. If the concubines like to fight and make trouble, let them do it. What does it have to do with her?
The cigarette smoke in the Purple-Gold Crane Immortal Furnace floated faintly, and in the majestic and magnificent hall, the sound of water drops rolling down the ice mirror could be heard quietly.
Shen Dingzhu came back to his senses, put down the tea cup, and a light smile appeared on his bright face.
"Although you are both at fault, your intentions are all for the good of the Emperor. In my opinion, it is better to negotiate a peace. Tomorrow, at noon, Mr. Tong will deliver snacks, and in the evening, Mr. Zhang will deliver soup. With such a staggered schedule, no one will be driven away. Gone, right?"
The two noble men were stunned for a moment, never expecting that there could be such a peaceful solution.
Shen Dingzhu's eyes were soft, illuminated by the light, showing shallow brown pupils. His eyes were twitching, and a smile was already curling up the corners of his lips.
"But Mr. Tong must remember that the emperor doesn't like cakes that are too sweet. You might as well make Poria cakes. Mr. Zhang's soup should not be too thick, and should be light. Now in summer, let's make lotus seed soup. The emperor likes it. .”
Zhang Guiren was the first to react and quickly thanked him. After a while, Tong Guiren also thanked him again and again.
The two of them wrote down the methods taught by Shen Dingzhu and went back to prepare themselves.
After they left, Nanny Song stepped forward and glanced outside the door worriedly.
"Your Majesty, by doing this, aren't you pushing the Emperor towards the two of them?"
Shen Dingzhu was a little tired, so she stood up and patted her slender waist with her jade hands. She yawned as if she was charming and silky.
Just by looking at Nanny Song, Nanny Song felt that her heart was about to soften.
Their mother-in-law is really a stunner!
"If I don't do this, does the emperor belong to me alone? The emperor is not my own, but belongs to the Sixth Palace. Even if I receive more favors on weekdays, so what? Do you think the emperor no longer has concubines? Do you mean it?"
Grandma Song was silent.
Shen Dingzhu was very sober, she smiled brilliantly, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "I don't want much, I just want my family to be happy."
As she said that, she went to lie down on the couch, and suddenly remembered something, raised her body half up, her shoulders were half exposed, and half of her pink and white lotus dress was exposed, causing her chest to tremble, like a lotus blooming and coming to life.
"Go and ask Chunxi why Shen Bi hasn't been seen lately. Where has she been?"
"Yes." Nanny Song left quickly.
Shen Dingzhu then lay down to rest.
The next night.
Xiao Langyan was in the royal study room, looking at the lotus seed soup sent by Zhang Guiren in front of him, his thin eyes fell into a darkness like the deep sea.
Xu Shou watched from the side. The emperor's fingertips were rubbing unconsciously and his eyes were narrowed. This was a sign of anger!
