When the Queen saw that Concubine Hua did not respond, as if she had not heard anything, her gentle face finally darkened.
This Concubine Hua is becoming more and more presumptuous. I call her but pretend not to hear.
The queen raised her voice and called Concubine Hua again.
Songzhi saw that the queen's face was getting darker and darker, and the other concubines were looking at them, so she could only secretly press Concubine Hua's back as a reminder.
This time, Concubine Hua's thoughts were finally brought back.
The queen said, "Concubine Hua, I'm calling you, don't you hear me?"
Concubine Hua did not apologize at all for her lack of concentration just now, and said directly, "I just thought of something else and was lost in thought, so I didn't notice it. I'm really sorry."
"But the queen has always had a lot of things, so she doesn't care about this little thing."
The queen said, "Of course."
*
After the meeting, Sun Miaoqing ran as fast as usual. Unfortunately, with one look from Concubine Hua, Zhou Ninghai, who was lame, stood in front of her in a few steps.
"Why are you leaving so quickly, sister Sun? Are you hiding from me?"
[You already know that I am avoiding you, why are you still asking? 】
[I am not just avoiding you, I am avoiding each of you equally. 】
Sun Miaoqing said, "Concubine Hua is joking, how can I avoid my concubine? I just thought that the emperor's birthday banquet is close, and I haven't embroidered a single word of the Diamond Sutra, so I wanted to finish it quickly to avoid missing the time."
Speaking of the Diamond Sutra, Concubine Hua couldn't help but taste it. This was the first time the emperor eagerly asked for a gift for the Longevity Festival. (The birthday of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was called Wanshou Festival, which means longevity without borders.)
If another person were as favored as Sun Miaoqing, or if Sun Miaoqing was like ordinary people, she would have been unable to bear it.
It's just that she cares about the emperor and her family. Don’t they all say, don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst.
Concubine Hua said, "It's just a volume of the Diamond Sutra. Sister Sun is from Suzhou, so she is naturally a proficient female singer, so that's no problem."
"I made some new snacks there. I thought Sister Sun would like them, so I wanted you to come with me and have a taste."
"Embroidery takes the most time, no less than this hour and a half."
Sun Miaoqing shouted in her heart, "I'm bad!" I'm almost crazy! 】
Concubine Hua pursed her lips and smiled, and continued to add fuel to the fire, "Maybe I did something wrong and offended my sister, so my sister doesn't want to go to Yikun Palace?"
[You have said this, can I still not go? 】
[No matter what other people think, Hua Pangpang has been really good to me since entering the palace. Although I don’t want to get involved in the feud, but...]
[Forget it, there are still about three years left, let’s talk about it then. 】
Sun Miaoqing nodded, "Your Majesty is very kind to my concubines. They are like sisters. How have you ever done anything wrong?"
"Since the empress said so, I will go over there with you. It just so happens that I am also thinking about the crab cakes in your palace."
Concubine Hua smiled and said, "The crab-eating season has passed. The last basket of this year was delivered the day before yesterday, just in time to taste it with Sister Sun."
After the two of them finished speaking, they each got on the chariot and went to Yikun Palace. The little eunuch stepped forward to catch up. The moment he stood up, Concubine Hua's gorgeous and cold fingertips made a harsh sound on the sandalwood handrail.
It turns out that her Nian clan actually has less than three years left...
Songzhi walked beside Concubine Hua and felt the air pressure coming from Concubine Hua's body, like a string of firecrackers, which would explode on the spot with the slightest spark.
The empress's temper, whenever she thought, was already like this. No matter how bad it is, no matter how bad it is, it can always break through her cognition easily.
Songzhi secretly turned her head back, glanced at Sun Miaoqing, and then quickly turned her head to look straight ahead.
Zhi promises...Zhi promises...
I don’t know how long she will have to wait if Zhi agrees.
Carefully looking at Concubine Hua's clouded face, Songzhi suppressed the impatience in her heart.
She squeezed the silk handkerchief tightly with some fear, always waiting for the empress to nod. She was not the kind of ungrateful slave who asked for glory behind her master.
*
When Sun Miaoqing walked into Yikun Palace, she smelled a strong fragrance. Compared with the previous times when she came here, it was so strong that it almost choked her nose.
Sun Miaoqing couldn't help covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, "Hua Fei, did you order this incense?"
Concubine Hua said proudly, "This is called Huanyixiang. I only like this flavor."
This is proof of her great favor. Even if there are people who can compete with the emperor for a moment of honor and favor these years, they can never surpass her.
So what if the poisonous queen, the Queen, occupies the position of the head wife? The emperor didn't care half as much for her as he did for himself.
Sun Miaoqing asked, "But the fragrance today seems to be much stronger than when I came to Yikun Palace before?"
Hearing this, Concubine Hua sniffed it gently and said confusedly, "No, it's the same as before, just right."
Songzhi explained from the side, "I don't know, Sir Cheng, that when this incense was still in the palace, the emperor got a piece of ambergris and took half of it and mixed it himself for the empress."
"This incense is worth a lot of money, and it can only be used by our mother-in-law. The spices sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs every month are not even a little bit more."
Songzhi's face was full of pride. Whenever she talked about this with others, Concubine Hua would be very happy.
This time was no exception. Concubine Hua's sweet expression seemed to be dripping with honey.
With a flick of her hand, the silk handkerchief danced in an arc, and Sun Miaoqing could hear the shyness in her voice.
"It's all in the past. Let's go see if the snacks are ready. It's rare for Sister Sun to come over, so I can't neglect it."
Sun Miaoqing and Concubine Hua sat aside, and Zhou Ninghai directly asked someone to carry the dining table in front of them.
Then seven or eight palace maids each brought a plate of snacks and placed it on the table. In a short time, the table was full.
Concubine Hua pointed at the things on the table and introduced them to her one by one.
"This is Osmanthus Cloud Tea Parfait, with the fragrance of tea and the sweetness of Osmanthus. It is refreshing and chewy."
"This is a mullet cake. It is made from a pound of mullet. The larger ones are too old and the smaller ones are too tender. With eggs and minced pork, it tastes delicious and tender."
"And this one, steamed salty rice cake with taro, made from the finest Lipu taro, sausage, and glutinous rice. It has a unique flavor."
"Sister Sun, try this again. This is crabapple quicksand cake. It is different from ordinary crabapple cake. The filling inside is made of salted egg yolk."
"and this......"
Sun Miaoqing tasted a piece of each and everything was delicious, but seeing Concubine Hua in such a state, she lost her appetite for the crabapple quicksand cake on the plate.
When discussing deeds, one does not care about one's heart, and there is no saint when discussing one's heart.
Maybe Concubine Hua isn't that bad? Even if she really had ulterior motives, at least she still had good intentions until now.
