The shadows of the sun in late autumn are always longer than usual. Every dusk, Shen Dingzhu always feels suffocated by the sun. She often loses her appetite and doesn't even eat.
Nanny Song was worried about her health and said, "My dear, would you like Dr. Cen to come and take a look? Your menstruation has been irregular for two months."
It’s not that he didn’t come, he just came for a day or two and then stopped.
Shen Dingzhu leaned on the beauty's couch, his eyes lazily falling on the embroidery album in front of him.
While she was studying, she said nonchalantly: "Didn't Dr. Cen come to ask for Ping'an Pulse last time? He said that I was too preoccupied, which affected my body. He prescribed several Kangxin Pills, but they were of no use."
Grandma Song shook her head, obviously not thinking so.
"Mr. Cen came here last month."
"In a few days, Dr. Cen will come to ask for Ping'an Pulse again. It's time to let him see it. It will save trouble." Shen Dingzhu said.
When Grandma Song heard this, she nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Xu Shou came.
"This servant pays my respects to the noble concubine." As soon as he entered the palace, he smelled the refreshing fragrance of agarwood in the palace.
Xu Shou keenly thought that the emperor's side had recently been replaced by agarwood, and Xiao Langyan, who originally liked bamboo silk incense, had gradually moved closer to Shen Dingzhu's hobby.
Thinking of this, when Xu Shou spoke again, he was even more respectful, with a smile on his face.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has asked your servant to tell you that tonight several cabinet ministers are gathering in the Imperial Study Room to discuss political affairs, and Your Majesty will not come to have dinner with Your Majesty."
Shen Dingzhu put down the picture album in his hand, held his chin in his hand, and smiled sweetly and plumply: "It's okay if the emperor can't come, but you must remember to tell the emperor for me that no matter how busy you are with government affairs, you still need to eat."
"I know that your Majesty is infatuated with the Emperor. Even if I see it, I will praise you and the Emperor as a match made in heaven."
Shen Dingzhu smiled and did not take the compliment seriously.
Xu Shou added: "However, the emperor also assigned one thing. No, October is coming soon. The large maple forest beside the Qinxin Lake in the palace is full of red leaves. It is a good time to watch the gorgeous scenery."
"I just passed by that way. When I looked at it from a distance, it looked like a big fire. My Majesty, the Emperor said, please work hard and hold a lakeside boat party. At that time, there will be a distinguished guest coming in from outside the palace. .”
Shen Dingzhu's dark eyebrows were raised faintly, and a dark smile filled her beautiful eyes.
"My father-in-law, don't be too pretentious. This distinguished guest is the protagonist of the banquet that the emperor wants to entertain, right?"
"Nothing can be hidden from your Majesty's discerning eyes. This noble person is the third young lady of the Sun family, and his father, Mr. Sun, is the famous Iron-faced Minister of Dali Temple."
After Xu Shou finished speaking, Shen Dingzhu recalled for a moment and remembered who the Sun family was. .
Lord Sun, the father of Third Miss Sun Qingya, was only a third-rank official, but the Sun family had already taken refuge in him when Xiao Langyan was still a prince.
Sun Qingya's eldest brother Sun Su has been with Xiao Langyan since he was a child, serving as the prince's companion, and did not take the scientific examination until he was fifteen years old.
And her second brother, Sun Yu, was Zhou Luli's number one general. Now, at a young age, he held the position of fifth-grade military guard, and his future was immeasurable.
In addition, the Sun family has a clean background, and the family is the mainstay of the new rich in the court. What's more, the Sun family has long followed Xiao Langyan.
Shen Dingzhu understood for a moment that Sun Qingya was probably the queen Xiao Langyan had chosen for herself.
In fact, the structure of the Sun family is very similar to that of Shen Dingzhu's family, but the Sun family is very lucky. They have developed steadily since the time of the late emperor and did not suffer such a major disaster as the Shen family.
After Xu Shou finished speaking, he saw Shen Dingzhu falling into confusion.
The whole hall was brightly lit. Shen Dingzhu was wearing a peacock blue dress. She had a slender waist, icy muscles and jade bones. The golden hairpin in her black bun was dazzling, and her pretty pink and white face was even more bright.
But sometimes, she seemed to be frozen there, immersed in her own thoughts.
Xu Shou felt bad in his heart, fearing that what he just said was not nice enough and would make Concubine Shen jealous.
After all, Concubine Shen should understand why the emperor did this, but how can there be a woman in the harem who really hopes that the emperor will marry and have a wife?
Concubine Shen should be no exception.
"Your Majesty, in fact, the emperor did this, I dare to guess, to let you have more contact with Miss Sun San first. I heard that Miss Sun San has a pleasant personality, and the emperor is afraid that you will be bored in the palace and have someone from outside to accompany you. Talking and becoming friends is also a beautiful thing.”
Xu Shou's words were very cryptic.
The implication is that Xiao Langyan gave a gift that allowed Shen Dingzhu and the future queen to become friends in advance.
In this way, after Sun Qingya enters the palace, Shen Dingzhu can also take care of her, and the two of them will not conflict with each other. This is probably the harem that Xiao Langyan wants to see.
Shen Dingzhu shook his head.
These days, she has been acting in front of Xiao Langyan and everyone in the palace, letting everyone know how much she loves the emperor.
Perhaps the acting was too serious, and she almost thought that she really fell in love with Xiao Langyan.
Otherwise, why would she be distracted for a moment when she heard that he asked her to hold a special banquet for Sun Qingya?
Her heart seemed to have fallen like a snowflake, cool and bright.
Shen Dingzhu came back to her senses, and in the warm light of the candle, a pretty smile appeared on her red lips.
"My father-in-law, please don't misunderstand me. I am thinking about how to arrange it properly. Please go and tell the emperor that Miss Sun San will come to the palace to appreciate the maple leaves this time. I will definitely live up to the holy expectations."
The anxiety in Xu Shou's heart subsided.
He smiled and said: "That's good, I will go back and report to the emperor right now."
With that said, he left in a hurry.
After Xu Shou left, everyone in the Yaoguang Palace was silent. Everyone was thinking that the emperor loved the imperial concubine so much, but he still wanted the imperial concubine to contact the future queen first.
Isn't this a kind of cruelty?
Aunt Song sighed, which could be clearly heard in the silent palace.
Shen Dingzhu had regained his energy: "Xiucui, Shen Bi, you two go to Concubine Cui De for me, as well as Guiren Tong and Guiren Zhang, let them all know that I will hold a maple viewing banquet on a boat to entertain the nobles. , please invite them to attend when the time comes.”
Shen Bi nodded and asked, "Do you want to send a message to Du Jieyu?"
Shen Dingzhuyu held the pen and thought for a moment: "Send it away. If she wants to go, she can go. If she doesn't want to, let her continue to take good care of herself."
While everyone in Yaoguang Palace was busy working on this matter, Xu Shou had already returned to the imperial study.
Xiao Langyan asked a cold and calm question from the pile of memorials: "You have told her, what is her attitude towards this matter?"
Xu Shou answered truthfully: "The empress is very calm and asked the servant to tell the emperor that she will definitely handle the matter well. It seems that she has no intention of disliking Miss Sun San."
Xiao Langyan's imperial pen suddenly stopped, leaving an ugly ink spot on the memorial.
His drooping thin eyes were dark and unpredictable, as if some emotion flashed past him so quickly that he didn't even catch it.
"Your Majesty?" Xu Shou asked tentatively, "Do you still want to send invitations to the Sun family?"
Xiao Langyan came back to his senses, closed the memorial in front of him, and threw it aside.
"Send it off." His voice was cold, and there was no hint of joy or anger anymore.
However, something happened in the palace the day before Sun Qingya entered the palace.
