The snow that had stopped before started falling again. When Ji Feiyu wrapped herself in a cloak and left Zixiang Palace, dawn was breaking. She took the maids by her side to the imperial kitchen, found the ingredients for making plum blossom cakes from the imperial chef, and made a batch of plum blossom cakes for the emperor. After putting them into the steamer, she left the senior maid to watch over them and took the others back to her own Qiwu Palace first.
On the way, she passed by the plum garden. The cold plum blossoms in the garden were blooming defiantly against the snow, and a faint fragrance wafted towards Ji Feiyu along with the cold air. Looking at the blooming plum blossoms, Ji Feiyu suddenly recalled the days when she and her white moonlight went plum - picking and brewing wine together.
Her white moonlight loved good wine. So on a certain winter day, Ji Feiyu dragged him to the suburbs to pick a lot of plum blossoms. She said she would brew plum blossom dew for him. Later, the two of them buried the wine under a certain plum tree together and agreed to open the jar and taste it together in the next winter. However, she didn't expect that her white moonlight didn't wait until that day. Later, Ji Feiyu dug out the wine and drank it all by herself. To her, she couldn't taste the fragrance and sweetness of the wine. All she felt was the endless bitterness on her lips.
Ji Feiyu gathered her thoughts and quickened her steps back. After she got together with Yong Yaxuan, she warned herself not to think about her white moonlight, and most of the time she managed to do so. But sometimes, some memories would always invade her mind and make her extremely painful.
When Ji Feiyu returned to the palace, it happened to be the time for the concubines to pay their daily respects. So she changed into her usual queen's robe and went to the main hall, sitting behind the bead curtain.
By this time, all the concubines had already arrived, except for the Beautiful Concubine. As soon as they saw the queen coming, they all composed themselves and began to pay their respects in order respectfully.
After the formalities, Ji Feiyu came out from behind the bead curtain and chatted with the concubines. She heard Concubine Ru say in a sarcastic tone, "Your Majesty the Queen, the Beautiful Concubine has really become more and more disrespectful recently. Just because of a little stomachache, she didn't come to pay her respects to you. She really thinks she's special just because she has a backer."
Hearing this, Concubine Zhen laughed and said gently, "She didn't have a stomachache. She was poisoned. Oh, speaking of it, she's really pitiful. I don't know which sister here she offended. After suffering physically, she still has to be slandered like this in front of the queen."
Concubine Ru was so angry that the hairpins on her head trembled. Pointing at Concubine Zhen, she said, "What are you talking nonsense about? Who did I slander?"
Concubine Zhen sneered at her and said, "I didn't say anything. Some people should not jump to conclusions."
"You..."
Hearing their infighting, Ji Feiyu couldn't help but sigh. She remembered the scene yesterday after she left Lixiang Garden. The emperor pestered her for the antidote. It was really annoying. Later, Ji Feiyu casually threw a bottle on the stone platform and ran forward. The dog - like man immediately asked someone to pick it up and send it to the Beautiful Concubine, while he himself grabbed her... Ji Feiyu then thought of what happened between the two of them in Zixiang Palace yesterday, and her heart was immediately drawn to the man who was now in the court.
"Hey, stop arguing. The court has been unstable recently, and Her Majesty the Queen is very worried about it. Can't you share more of the burden for the emperor and the queen?" It was Concubine Ning who spoke. She seemed to be quite concerned about the overall situation.
Ji Feiyu came back to her senses and glanced at her. She was thinking about where the rumor of the unstable court came from, but on the surface, she remained calm and followed Concubine Ning's words, saying, "Concubine Ning is right. The court has been unstable recently, and people are restless. The emperor is very troubled by this. All of you here should share more of the emperor's worries. Recently, no matter which concubine the emperor spends the night with, you should serve him carefully. Never mention anything about the court and let the emperor have a moment of relaxation."
"I obey your order, Your Majesty." As soon as Ji Feiyu finished speaking, all the concubines curtsied.
"Very well said!" "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!" At this time, the Empress Dowager entered the main hall of Qiwu Palace surrounded by a group of people. The previous words were exactly what the Empress Dowager said.
"I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager!" When the concubines saw the Empress Dowager coming, they turned around and saluted again.
Ji Feiyu immediately walked out from among the concubines and came to the Empress Dowager's side. She said obediently and respectfully, "Mother, why did you come?"
Looking at Ji Feiyu's obedient appearance, the Empress Dowager's face was full of kindness. "Come here, Queen. I have something to tell you."
Ji Feiyu nodded respectfully, then glanced at the concubines behind her. All the concubines curtsied and said, "I see Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Queen off."
Ji Feiyu followed the Empress Dowager to the side hall. As soon as they arrived, the Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Queen, you must have heard something about the court affairs, right?"
"I've heard a little, Mother." Another matter about the court? Ji Feiyu looked up at the Empress Dowager and then quickly lowered her eyes. She couldn't help but sigh at the efficiency of information spread in the harem.
"Then you should think more about ways to quell the chaos for the emperor."
How did it suddenly rise to the matter of quelling the chaos? Ji Feiyu couldn't help but want to laugh. "Mother is joking. I'm just a woman. How can I discuss court affairs?"
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's face turned cold. "Do you really think I don't know about your strategy of dispatching troops without bloodshed back then?"
Ji Feiyu couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although the strategy back then was wonderful, it was actually thought up by her white moonlight, not her. But of course, she couldn't tell the Empress Dowager this. So she just smiled at her and said, "A woman should follow her husband after marriage. It's my duty to share the emperor's worries. But I don't even know what exactly has happened now. How can I talk about helping?"
"That's why I came to you. I'm not convenient to inquire about the court affairs. Obviously, the emperor doesn't want me to know and worry in vain this time. But this concerns the national system, and there are some rumors in the harem. I've always been worried. After thinking about it, only you can find out what exactly is going on."
So the reason the Empress Dowager came was to ask Ji Feiyu to find out the emperor's intention. She immediately understood. Truly, there is no parental love like that of a mother.
Since things had come to this, Ji Feiyu had no choice but to promise the Empress Dowager and send her back to the palace.
Ji Feiyu couldn't help but sigh again. There were really informants everywhere in this deep palace. It was just that the Minister of War had an urgent audience with the emperor last night, but in the harem, it had already become a matter of an unstable court and the need to quell the chaos. The harem had been quite well - ordered under her governance. Such panicking rumors shouldn't have appeared, but they did. Was there someone deliberately behind this? Ji Feiyu wanted to investigate the origin of this rumor.
Ji Feiyu looked at the sky and thought that the morning court should be over. So she rushed to the imperial kitchen. Just then, she saw her senior maid taking out the pastries she made from the steamer and putting them into a food box.
"Your Majesty the Queen, you've come just in time. Take a look at the appearance. How is it?" The senior maid said happily when she saw Ji Feiyu coming.
Ji Feiyu smiled at her. "The things made by this palace are naturally excellent. Let's go. Come with this palace to Zixiang Palace."
The senior maid wrapped the food box with a thick cloth and helped Ji Feiyu put on her cloak. Then she carried the food box and followed Ji Feiyu to Zixiang Palace.