readsfreenovel Chapter 552 Looking for Fish
Chapter 552 Looking for Fish
Emperor Shenwu thought that it was just two fish and there would be results within three to five days, so he agreed to Lan Qingwu's request without hesitation.
Lan Qingwu leaned in the arms of the Divine Martial Emperor, her lips curled slightly. "Let my arrogant husband go and find the fish slowly!" The fish were good in the depths of Qiling Mountain, but the books also said that the Lingxi River, where black dragonfish and silver phoenix fish are abundant, had been baptized by nature and changed many times over the past thousand years, and their location was no longer traceable! They were truly rare species!
The next day, the Shenwu Emperor sent his Phantom Guards to Qiling Mountain to fish. Thinking of the beautiful woman he had in his arms the previous night, only to be able to see her but not eat her, he secretly blamed Concubine Deng for this. There was no other way; Empress Dowager Li was his biological mother, and he had to find someone to bear the brunt of his anger! Furthermore, Concubine Deng was truly restless, having actually upset Lan Qingwu. The Shenwu Emperor wondered how he could quietly teach her a lesson. At this juncture, Empress Dowager Li was keeping a close eye on him, making even an excuse difficult. However, he hadn't anticipated that Lan Qingwu would strike first and teach Concubine Deng a lesson.
In the Crown Princess's Liangxu Palace, she was chatting with her nanny and the head maid. The Crown Princess was pregnant with the Crown Prince's first child, and she was in high spirits. She was beaming with joy as she sat at her dressing table, asking the maids to point out which hairpin was the most exquisite.
The head maid kept praising the ornaments, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess, the rewards have not stopped for the past two days!"
The Crown Princess was in a very good mood and raised the corners of her lips. Thinking of Lan Qingwu, she sighed to her nanny, "This mother-in-law of mine is really good at tricks! She was clearly punished with house arrest for angering the emperor, but she managed to lure His Majesty over without showing any signs! When the ban was lifted, she even rode in the dragon chariot with my father and was personally received by my father to the Qianzheng Hall. My father even issued an edict explaining that my mother had asked for house arrest in order to pray for the emperor and the empress dowager! It can be said that she gave her enough face inside and out! In my opinion, those newcomers are not a concern. That Concubine Deng has won some favor from my father. When will I be able to..."
Thinking of the emperor's supreme favor, the Crown Princess couldn't help but touch her belly, "Fortunately, I am also a lucky person!"
It was just such a coincidence that just as she was about to welcome two concubines of high rank into the Eastern Palace, she was diagnosed with pregnancy! Who wouldn't say a few words about their good fortune?
The nanny beamed and spoke earnestly, "My young lady... is the Crown Princess. You and the little master in your belly are naturally blessed! When the little master is born, he will be His Majesty's legitimate grandson, no other illegitimate child can compare! Just be patient, and there's no need to worry about not waiting for that day!"
The Crown Princess took a deep breath and said, "Once Mother returns to Fengqi Palace and is safe, I will go and pay my respects to her!"
The head maid and the nanny both nodded in agreement. The Empress, now freed from her confinement, was still in Qianzheng Palace, and no one else could see her. They could only wait until the Empress returned to Fengqi Palace.
Lan Qingwu also had plans for today. Early in the morning, she sent palace maids to notify the concubines in the six palaces one by one, asking them to pay their respects to the Cining Palace at noon today.
Now that the Queen has been released from house arrest, filial piety will naturally come first. After one day, the other palaces will resume paying their respects to the Queen.
Ruping, Ruhan and the palace maids from Qianzheng Palace helped Lan Qingwu dress and put on makeup directly in Qianzheng Palace.
Ru Ping said softly, "Empress, this morning His Majesty sent a reward to Fengqi Palace. I took the initiative to keep this Nine-Phoenix Pearl Crown. It will be just what you need when you go to Cining Palace today!"
Lan Qingwu nodded, "Use it!"
When Lan Qingwu put this Nine-Phoenix Pearl Crown on his head, he couldn't help but admire the exquisite craftsmanship!
The phoenix made of brilliant golden gold is light and thin. Nine phoenixes are arranged in a circle with their wings spread out, ready to fly. There are thin golden threads hanging from the mouths of the nine phoenixes, holding exquisite oriental pearls. The entire Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown is inlaid with more than a thousand pearls, and the nine phoenixes' wing feathers, tail feathers and eyes are inlaid with various colorful gems, totaling 603. This is because Lan Qingwu disliked the previous phoenix crowns that were too heavy. Otherwise, a regular phoenix crown would require at least more than 3,000 pearls and more than 1,000 colorful gems.
The phoenix at the front of the crown was even larger than the other eight. Ru Han deftly put the crown on Lan Qingwu with his hands. The phoenix landed right on the top of her head, and the Dongzhu in the phoenix's mouth gently fell onto Lan Qingwu's forehead.
"This Dongzhu is so beautiful!"
Ruhan exclaimed, "These are beads that only the Empress can use. They are truly exquisite, especially the Dongzhu on the Empress's forehead. It's a whole circle larger than the other eight Dongzhu!"
The other eight oriental pearls all fell into Lan Qingwu's cloud-like black hair, appearing and disappearing, shining brightly.
Lan Qingwu suddenly thought that the Emperor Shenwu had probably wanted to use this Nine Phoenix Pearl Crown to apologize to her last night! She curled her lips slightly. It was so ready-made! But she still wanted the Black Dragon Silver Phoenix Fish!
"After returning to Fengqi Palace today, prepare a reward for the Crown Princess!"
Lan Qingwu was under house arrest before, so naturally the rewards from Fengqi Palace could not be delivered to Liangxu Palace.
The Queen was released from house arrest, but the phoenix chariot set off from the Qianzheng Palace to the Cining Palace. The huge procession stretched for hundreds of meters, and all the palace servants, eunuchs, and even concubines on the palace road knelt on both sides of the road.
Lan Qingwu sat upright on the phoenix chariot, her back straight, graceful and elegant in her phoenix robe and gorgeous crown, making people dare not look at her directly.
Lan Qingwu's eyes didn't give anyone else a single glance, but she looked straight ahead with a solemn and majestic expression, showing the demeanor of a mother of the country.
When Concubine Deng was walking to the Cining Palace, she encountered a phoenix carriage with magnificent decorations. Before she could come to her senses, she was pulled to the side by the palace maids behind her and knelt on the ground in panic.
There were eunuchs singing in front of the phoenix chariot. They cleared the way to prevent any ignorant people from bumping into the phoenix chariot.
A large group of people inched past Concubine Deng. She felt as if she were being scratched by a cat, and finally couldn't help but secretly look up. She had never seen the empress, but she had often heard of this current empress during her time in the boudoir. The most striking thing about her was, of course, that she had been the emperor's exclusive favorite for over a decade in this flourishing harem! This made Concubine Deng's concubines amazed and envious.
When Concubine Deng entered the palace, she was still fantasizing that no matter how favored the current queen was, her blooming period was almost over and there was no way she could be compared with these beautiful women who were about to bloom!
Concubine Deng was stunned for a moment when she saw the Empress's profile. She was stunned by her beauty! Her elegant and unparalleled figure, full of grace and elegance, made her stare at the receding phoenix chariot.
Until the palace maid behind her was so frightened that she kept pulling at Concubine Deng's sleeve and said anxiously, "Master, don't look directly at the phoenix carriage! Get down quickly, the ceremonial procession hasn't gone far yet!"
Deng Cairen lowered her body again, her eyes flickering, and no one knew what she was thinking.
"Let's go! We need to take the small path to the Cining Palace first. We can't go there after the Empress!"
Empress Dowager Li met Lan Qingwu again after almost a month, and also met all the concubines in the palace.
At that time, almost all the concubines in the six palaces had arrived at the Cining Palace. Outside the Cining Palace, the chorus of voices was getting closer and closer: "The Queen has arrived!"
"The Queen is here!"
Lan Qingwu held Ruhan's hand and walked down the phoenix sedan chair. Ruping and Ruhan followed on both sides and followed Lan Qingwu step by step into the main hall of Cining Palace.
In the main hall, except for Dowager Li who sat still on the throne, all the concubines in the six palaces, led by Concubine Jiang, restrained their expressions and dressed up and walked to the gate of Cining Palace to welcome Lan Qingwu's phoenix carriage.
As Lan Qingwu entered the Cining Palace, Imperial Concubine Jiang and other concubines immediately knelt on the ground: "Your humble concubine pays homage to the Empress, may the Empress live a thousand years!"
Lan Qingwu walked straight forward, her wide sleeves embroidered with intricate phoenix patterns fluttering between the concubines.
Empress Dowager Li looked down at the scene from the highest point. All the concubines knelt at the feet of the Queen. No one dared to move without Lan Qingwu's order.
Empress Dowager Li frowned slightly. It seemed that her daughter-in-law was more strict and popular than she had imagined.
Lan Qingwu had arrived before Empress Dowager Li. She bowed gracefully and said, "Daughter-in-law greets the Queen Mother! May the Queen Mother be blessed with good health!"
Empress Dowager Li looked at Lan Qingwu's Nine-Phoenix Pearl Crown, knowing it was another masterpiece of her emperor son. She said calmly, "Is the Queen well? I heard that you didn't forget to pray for His Majesty and me during your confinement. How thoughtful!"
Lan Qingwu smiled gently, her smile gentle as spring water. "Your Majesty and your mother's health is your greatest wish! I have offered a copy of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra before the Buddha. It has been consecrated by Master Kunlun of Guoan Temple. I pray for the good health of Your Majesty and your mother! Please accept it!"
Empress Dowager Li nodded and said, "It seems that this scroll of scriptures has been offered for quite some time. The Queen is so thoughtful. Everyone, please stand up!"
Lan Qingwu stood up and faced the six concubines who were still kneeling, saying solemnly, "Stand up!"
Empress Dowager Li's eyes flashed again. None of the concubines in the six palaces moved when she spoke. After Lan Qingwu's voice fell, Concubine Jiang took the lead in thanking her and stood up: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The entire main hall came alive like flowing water. Lan Qingwu walked up the steps and sat on the right side of Empress Dowager Li. "Please take a seat!"
Imperial Concubine Jiang took the lead and sat down. Soon both sides of the main hall were filled with people.
Lan Qingwu and Empress Dowager Li chatted happily, one on each side. Empress Dowager Li asked about the Seventh Prince's health and said with emotion: "This little Seventh Prince has suffered a lot. I will go see him in a couple of days when I feel better."
Empress Dowager Li was not fully aware of the fact that the Fourth Prince was plotting against the Seventh Prince. She was recuperating in the Cining Palace. Her mother's family, the Li family, was not helpful. Emperor Shenwu also cut off the eyes and ears of the Cining Palace servants and did not let Empress Dowager Li know too much about the previous dynasty.
Lan Qingwu thought of this and said perfunctorily, "How can I let you go to visit him? Let Xiaoqi come to pay his respects to the Queen Mother another day!"
Empress Dowager Li said this, nodded, and looked at the end of the concubines: "Speaking of which, although the Queen has been under house arrest these days, there are still other concubines who are filial. Concubine Deng has been coming to the Cining Palace every day to pay her respects and serve me tea and water. She is a good child!"
Concubine Jiang widened her eyes slightly and unconsciously turned her head to look at the Empress Dowager and the Queen.
Not only Concubine Jiang, but also Concubine Wan, Concubine Liang, Concubine Han and others who were in front and close to the platform could not help but cast their eyes on the two most noble women at the top.
The entire hall was suddenly filled with the sound of a pin drop! The whispers that had been heard just now were now completely silent.
Until Lan Qingwu smiled and broke the silence in the hall: "Really? I wonder if this Concubine Deng is here today? I haven't met this Concubine Deng yet!"
The outspoken Concubine Liang sneered, "Not only has the Empress never seen her, she and I haven't had any contact either! Speaking of which, the Empress has been confined to her house for prayers these days, and we still visit the gate of Fengqi Palace from time to time to pay our respects and take a walk around. Not to mention the princes and princesses, even the eldest princess visits the gate of Fengqi Palace every day to pay her respects. Even though we can't see the Empress in person, we feel at ease!"
Concubine Han continued, "I wonder if Concubine Deng has paid her respects at the Empress's palace gate? I remember that Concubine Deng served in the bedchamber, and according to ancestral customs, she should have paid her respects at the Empress's palace the next day and listened to her teachings!"
Concubine Wan glanced at Imperial Concubine Jiang before saying, "As far as I know, this Concubine Deng has never even passed by the Empress's door!"
Imperial Concubine Jiang frowned and looked back: "That's definitely not right!"