Another day later, it was Shu fei's birthday.
The atmosphere of the Great Zhou Dynasty is fairly enlightened. It is cheaper for high-ranking concubines to meet male relatives, especially juniors, if they are on birthdays, big festivals, or with special permission from the emperor.
Therefore, the two brothers Shao Kai and Shao Ying were able to enter the palace this time to celebrate the birthday of Shu fei. Although they only entered the hall and bowed before going out, they could be regarded as grace.
On the birthday of the concubine, the main event is still at the wife's family.
The harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty is naturally still respected by the Empress, followed by the noble concubine and the four concubines, the second grade is the ordinary concubine, then the five third grades such as Zhaoyi Xiuyi, and then the fourth graDe fei, a total of six , Behind is the low-ranking servants like Jieyu, nobles, and beautiful people. As for the lowest Baolin and Cainu, they are just a little more decent than the usual maids.
Shu fei is just the niece of the old Yingguo Duke. She is not a relative, she can give birth to the third prince safely, and she is not a leisurely generation. In this palace, except for the Empress who has been lying on the bed for a long time and who does not care if necessary, there is only The eldest prince's biological mother, De fei, can sit on an equal footing with her.
People in Yingguo Gongfu are relatives and are the first to arrive.
The boys in the family had already gone back, and Shao Xun and Shao Qiong followed Zheng behind them, standing under the corridor of the main hall of Yanjia Palace where Shu fei lived, waiting for the call.
After waiting for the palace maid to enter the hall to report, within a short while, the big palace maid Pearl, which is the most useful by Shu fei, came out with a smile and led everyone in.
Yanjia Palace is the residence of Zhengyipin's concubine. Naturally, it occupies a little larger area than ordinary palaces. However, Shu fei does not like to be public. She is quite elegant and the decoration in the hall is very delicate, but it is not luxurious. Most of the furnishings are Jade antiques are elegant and refined everywhere, but they are not decorated with gold and silver.
Shu fei was in Xici at this time. According to the rules of the palace, Shao Xun took his younger sister and walked into the room with her stepmother bowing her head down, kneeling down and bowing:
"The minister's wife / minister's daughter pays courtesy to Shu fei, long live niangniang."
Shao Xun heard a gentle and soft female voice resounding at the top: "Get up quickly, my family, you don't need to be so polite."
The three of them thanked them and got up.
Although the son of Shu fei is about to reach adulthood, she is far from being old. A woman in her thirties, with delicate and delicate care, white and tender skin, and no signs of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, she looks only twenty-eight. The nine-year-old looks, with thin eyebrows and long eyes, and extremely thin lips. His looks are not gorgeous, but there is nothing ugly. There is no sign of grace.
She sat on the eastern head of the Arhat bed, put down the tea cup in her hand, and asked Zheng to sit on the opposite side with a smile, but Zheng's refusal was worthy of answer.
"I have just met Ah Kui and Ah Ying. They grew up so big in a blink of an eye. They were born with such a talent and behave well. This is all the credit of the sister-in-law."
Zheng said modestly: "The son of the elder was raised up by the husband alone, so it is naturally good, but Ah Ying is not a child, so he is not worthy of the praise of the empress."
Shu fei shook her head, then waved to Shao Xun and Shao Qiong, and the sisters stepped forward and stood beside Shu fei.
Shu fei smiled and said to Zheng: "Ah Qiong will be fifteen years old this year, right?"
"If you return to Niangniang, this girl will be ready in November this year."
Shu fei's slender fingers rubbed the back of Shao Qiong's hand thinly: "I still remember how they looked when they were young, now… it's really time to grow old."
Before Zheng could speak, Shao Qiong said first: "The lady is not old at all, she is so young, like our sister."
"Ah Qiong!" Zheng Clan frowned and scolded: "There is no place for you to speak here, so don't hesitate to plead guilty to the empress!"
Shao Qiong always has a sweet mouth, and because of this it is especially attractive. This is just an instinctive thing to her. She was scolded abruptly, her face turned pale in shock, and she would kneel down if she was reflexive.
Shu fei hurriedly raised her hand to stop, pulling Shao Qiong to laugh from ear to ear: "Let her say it. Such words will only make people happy, and no one will blame it."
Shao Qiong let go, glanced at Zheng, and sat down obediently.
Shao Xun watched them talking. In fact, she knew that although Shao Qiong's flattering Shu fei really did not blame her, it was certainly not as effective as it was shown. After all, in her capacity, these words have long been heard. If this was spoken by a two or three-year-old ignorant child, she might not be happy, but Shao Qiong would be fifteen years old.
The joy she is showing now is just to show her father's face and to show her kindness.
Shu fei patted Shao Xun's hand again: "The second princess is here soon. Go and talk to her. She came to you last time, but unfortunately you are out of the palace."
Shao Xun was a little surprised, and nodded in the end: "Yes."
"Is my sister playing well with the princess?" Shao Qiong asked curiously.
Shao Xun shook his head: "However, the princess does not dislike it because of the fate."
The second princess Zhao Ruotong is the daughter of Concubine Gong, and she doesn't know what's going on. Her mother is a second-tier concubine, and she is also a princess with golden branches and leaves, but she has developed a cowardly and timid temperament, and she doesn't like to go out and socialize. It was indeed a coincidence that Shao Xun and her met, and they were not familiar.
Shao Qiong was in poor health when she was a child. Both Zheng and Yingguo Duke were so tight that she became more squeamish. When she was older, she would go to the palace less often. Usually Zheng gave her all the important things in the palace and little love. So many things sound very new.
She blinked: "My sister's friends must be very good. I want to talk to the princess, too. I don't know if she will be willing."
Shao Xun glanced at her and listened to Shu fei said: "The second princess is very gentle, it is not difficult to get along with you, you can befriend with it, but if you meet Princess Kejing, you must remember to be more cautious."
Princess Kejing is named Ruozhen, the only daughter of the Empress and the first child of the emperor.
This is the habit of the palace, not to speak thoroughly, so as not to lose the conversation, Shu fei said that there will be no more details here, but Shao Qiong is very curious and will immediately ask.
Before she could ask her words, Shao Xun winked at her and shook her head slightly.
Shao Qiong wasn't stupid, she was stunned, and she still swallowed her doubts back into her stomach.
This time, the birthday banquet was placed in the Yichun Pavilion on the edge of the imperial garden. There are high platforms on all sides. Songs, dances and operas can be arranged in the middle for people to entertain. Generally, if you want to set up a wine and banquet in the harem, as long as it is not too formal, it will usually be Choosing there, the banquet was about to begin, and Zheng said goodbye to Shu fei and went to Yichun Pavilion first.
After leaving Yanjia Palace, Shao Qiong whispered and bit her ears with Shao Xun: "Sister, what's the matter with Princess Kejing?"
Shao Xun said with a voice that no one could hear: "The Empress has always been behind closed doors to recover from illness. Few people have seen her come out, and Your Majesty never visits. She is often less in awe of the empress in the harem.
The eldest princess is the eldest daughter of the empress and her majesty. She was descended from Yongxing Boss the year before. The princess was from the main palace. Your Majesty treated her very kindly. Naturally, she was so arrogant that she was arrogant and looked at other concubines. By the way, we are relatives of Yanjia Palace, it's best to stay away from us."
When Shao Qiong heard this, she was scared, but was more curious on the other: "Why did the Empress fall out of favor?"
Shao Xun put his finger on his mouth to signal his sister not to ask: "Your Majesty Long Wei is unpredictable. He has his own reasoning, how can we guess it."
Shao Qiong pouted, and stopped talking in dissatisfaction.
The concubine's birthday is neither the emperor's Longevity Day nor the Empress's Qianqiu Festival. It is of course not very solemn and formal. The people who come are the fateful ladies who are familiar with the concubine, or the wives of the ministers whom the third prince have met. Or a daughter, a total of ten people.
Zheng took them to the seats and chatted with the female relatives who were familiar with them. Many concubines and concubines also came one after another, and most of them knew Shao Xun.
Concubine Hui is the oldest one in the harem. Liu Xiuyi once gave birth to a princess, but unfortunately she couldn't feed her. Yibi has Your Majesty's youngest son. Libi is the most favored prince in recent years, but there seems to be no news in recent years…
There were also a few Shao Xun who really didn't recognize them. Many people came. Even those who did not come, such as De fei and Concubine He sent their birthday gifts, and the pavilion gradually became lively.
After another cup of tea, Concubine Gong also came in with the second princess. She was the most distinguished person among the visitors, and everyone stood up and saluted.
Not long after the second princess sat down, she noticed Shao Xun. She raised her head and showed a slight smile, and nodded to Shao Xun.
Shao Xun naturally smiled back.
Shao Qiong saw her on the side, tilted her head and said, "Sister and the second princess are better like this. You can take me to introduce them later, okay?"
Before Shao Xun could speak, the inner supervisor said loudly: "Shu fei is here–"
Shu fei was loaded into the scene, and when she was seated, everyone congratulated her on her birthday, and Fang Ling was permanent.
Shu fei looked very happy, and she was not in a hurry to appreciate the singing and dancing, but she found a conversation and chatted with everyone a few gossips, which naturally did not lack people to join in.
"Ah Xun, come here in this palace."
Shao Xun was taken aback. Shu fei treats her more generously on weekdays, but in fact, there is a difference in respect and inferiority. When she gets along with Shu fei, she seems to be decent, but in fact, she always has such a heart. I want to use her to pull into the relationship with Yingguo Gongfu. For my cousin, there may be love, but it doesn't necessarily matter how close I am. What about this time…
Shao Xun kept thinking in her heart, but there was no change in her face. She stood up obediently and walked over, and was dragged by Shu fei to sit down.
Shu fei looked at Shao Xun.
What she is wearing today is a set of light red clothes with a short skirt on the top and a pleated skirt on the bottom. The round neck and half arms of the outer cover are slightly lighter than the short skirt, and they are tied together in a palm-wide belt. The chest is undulating, the waist is slender, and the bangs are combed to reveal a smooth and full forehead. The eyebrows are low and pleasing, and the eyes are unclear, but the eyelashes are thick like a feather fan, and the skin is white, almost emitting a charming and hazy light. At a glance, I felt inexplicably shocked.
Shu fei was taken aback for a while, and after a while, she came back to her senses and said to others: "Look at this niece in this palace, how marked her birth is, if any of you can find a better than her, Ben Gong Ke takes it."
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