RPAGF Chapter 109 The Queen Mother's Reward
Chapter 109 The Queen Mother's Reward
After walking for a long time and passing a neatly paved bluestone road, they arrived at the residence of Queen Dowager Zhao: Renshou Palace.
According to the Zhaoguo Palace regulations, only concubines ranked among the nine concubines were qualified to follow the empress to pay their respects to the Renshou Palace regularly. Of course, those who could be summoned by the empress dowager alone did not count.
This is Shen Zhiyao's first time here.
At a glance, she saw that the entire palace faced north and south, with bright red brick walls and bright yellow glazed tiles on the roof, which showed its grandeur.
In addition to precious seasonal flowers and plants, the courtyard is also filled with lush pine and cypress trees, which symbolize longevity.
When the wind blows, the branches sway and make a rustling sound. Shen Zhiyao closes her eyes and listens, feeling so comfortable.
When they were almost at the main hall, Shen Zhiyao got off the sedan chair and walked far away to show respect to the empress dowager, while Qiuyue waited outside alone.
When she entered the front hall, she saw the queen mother sitting on the throne, twirling Buddhist beads in her hand, looking at her with a smile on her face, appearing very kind.
It was obvious that the Queen Mother was a person who knew how to enjoy life. There were many rare toys placed in the palace, including an exquisite little tree made of red coral, which was priceless.
"Your servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen Dowager. May Your Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years." Shen Zhiyao knelt three times respectfully.
The Queen Mother smiled and looked her over, then raised her hand and said, "Stand up. Concubine Jin is now one of my favorite concubines. The more I see you, the more I like you. Don't be too restrained when you are here with me."
Queen Mother Zhao gave birth to her only prince, Bo Muxi, when she was 24 years old. She still looks very young, with long and thin eyebrows, an oval face, and a pair of phoenix eyes that are very similar to Bo Muxi's, and both are very charming.
Shen Zhiyao thought that Bo Muxi was so handsome and charming, and owed a lot of love debts, probably because he looked more like his mother.
"I admire the Empress Dowager very much. Every time I see you, you treat us with kindness and love, which always makes us feel very warm!" Shen Zhiyao looked at the Empress Dowager generously and smiled sweetly.
The Queen Mother smiled even more broadly upon hearing this, but she was sneering in her heart, thinking to herself, "This girl is just talking nonsense! With my reputation, how can I still make the concubines feel friendly to me?"
"I heard that the saddle and stirrup you invented have begun to be promoted in various industries, and the feedback and benefits are quite rewarding. I think Concubine Jin's reputation must have skyrocketed as a result of this." The Queen Mother took a sip of tea and said with a smile.
Shen Zhiyao cursed in her heart: "I knew you were going to set me up again!"
"Where does my reputation come from? I just put forward a small idea. It is all thanks to the Queen's wisdom and help to make this budding dream come true." Shen Zhiyao said it very sincerely, and it didn't sound like she was being falsely modest.
Seeing that the concubine was indeed cunning and not easily taken in, the Queen Mother chuckled and said, "That's true. The Queen is gentle and virtuous, and has a vision and foresight that other women don't have. I have always admired her very much."
"When it comes to being powerful, no one can compare to you, the Empress Dowager!" Shen Zhiyao smiled brightly.
"You girl, you only know how to make me happy. Why don't you tell me how powerful I am?" the Queen Mother asked with a smile.
"I am not just trying to please you. Think about it, the Empress Dowager personally selected a woman of Her Majesty's talent and ability for the Emperor! So, your vision is the best and most powerful!"
Shen Zhiyao blinked her peach blossom eyes and said naively.
"You..." The Queen Mother smiled happily upon hearing this: "You really have a delicate heart and a clever mouth. You are really blessed by God!"
"I am just a little clever, but I can't compare to your wisdom!" Shen Zhiyao said with a sweet smile.
"You, girl, have made me very happy. I must reward you handsomely." The Queen Mother gently placed the Buddhist beads in her hand on the tea table and said with a smile.
When Shen Zhiyao saw that she was going to reward her, alarm bells immediately went off in her heart. If someone was being too attentive to her for no reason, she must be a traitor or a thief. This old lady must have no good intentions!
Queen Mother Zhao gave a look, and Nanny Wang, who was waiting on the side, understood and brought out a gorgeous ink green dress with very realistic plum blossoms embroidered on it, showing extraordinary craftsmanship in every stitch.
Nanny Wang handed the dress to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother reached out and stroked the embroidery on it. She smiled and said, "This dress is made of the Shuiyue brocade presented by the Zhuyu Kingdom as a tribute. I found the best embroiderer in the Zhao Kingdom and spent several months to make it carefully. What do you think?"
Regardless of their age, women always maintain their passion for pursuing beautiful things.
What kind of valuable clothes had Shen Zhiyao not seen in her previous life?
But in order to please the Queen Mother, she gave her face and pretended to be amazed and said, "Although I don't know much about craftsmanship, this casual dress looks very dazzling and is indeed exceptionally gorgeous."
"Gorgeous clothes need to be matched with beautiful women. I like you even more when I see you today. I think this palace dress suits you very well. Why not, I will give it to you as a reward!" said the Queen Mother with a smile.
Shen Zhiyao didn't think that the Queen Mother liked her very much, nor did she think that she would be so kind for no reason.
She looked at the Queen Mother with a smile, and in the Queen Mother Zhao's kind eyes, which were full of smiles, there was a hint of murderous intent.
Facing those piercing eyes like an eagle's, Shen Zhiyao knew there was something fishy going on, but she had only one choice: to accept the reward and express her gratitude.
On the other side, the queen's sedan chair was also heading towards Renshou Palace.
"Empress, you said that the Queen Mother summoned you over. Is there something important?" Shijin asked curiously.
The Queen Mother had never been very close to the Queen, but only maintained a superficial friendly relationship. She rarely took the initiative to invite the Queen to Renshou Palace, so it was no wonder that Shijin was curious.
"If it was a good thing, why would you think of me?" The queen laughed at herself.
Their "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship" had completely broken down due to their different positions.
The queen knew that the main reason why the queen mother never took action against her was because the harem needed someone like her who could intimidate the palace.
Also, she was the perfect "weight" who could play a balancing role in the game between Bo Muxi and Queen Dowager Zhao, but she was just a qualified tool.
"I really love your Majesty. You have to clean up all the messes here." Shijin said angrily.
"You... are good at everything and are very smart, but you have a temper that is too violent." The queen looked at Shijin and smiled gently.
"This girl Shijin was chosen by her mother back then!" The queen sighed in her heart.
When I thought of my mother, I couldn't help but recall the scene when I first met Queen Dowager Zhao.
Gu Yunran's mother died early. At one point in time, she worshipped and respected Queen Dowager Zhao as her own mother.
But it was also Queen Mother Zhao who taught her the first lesson after marrying into the Marquis's Mansion!
It is also the culprit for her transformation to this point.
Therefore, in her life, what she hates most are those who play the true feelings card with calculating intentions and deliberately try to please those who are close to her, and she hates those who betray her even more!
"I am still very angry. Her Majesty is so concerned about Concubine Jin. If she really has such evil intentions, I will..." Shi Jin changed the subject and continued to talk about what happened in the morning.
Upon hearing this, the Queen lowered her eyes slightly, listened to the silly sound of leaves, and sighed softly...