Chapter 495 Women Enter the Palace
Everyone was stunned, and then Daiyu asked, "Are we going to the palace with Grandmother? Are we all going together?"
"The old lady is not going, but the Empress in the palace has sent someone to convey the imperial decree, inviting the young ladies to go. Miss Lin, Miss Bao, Miss Shi, Miss Qin, the second young lady, the third young lady, and the fourth young lady are all there."
Baochai asked suspiciously, "Why did Her Majesty allow us to enter the palace? Did she invite anyone else?"
"I don't know about other mansions, but in addition to the young ladies, our mansion also has the three concubines of the Third Master of the East Mansion. Our second wife and the eldest wife of the East Mansion have also been invited."
"Ladies, please get ready. The head steward of Fengzao Palace is waiting in Rongxi Hall, chatting with the old lady. The old lady has already ordered the carriage to be prepared in the front yard, and I still need to pass on the message to the others."
After saying that, Amber left in a flash.
Although all the girls were suspicious, they did not dare to delay and immediately returned to their rooms to prepare.
Although Daiyu, Baochai, and Baoqin no longer live in the mansion, there are still some changes of clothes for them. As for Xiangyun, there is no need to say more. The mansion has always kept her own courtyard.
After receiving the message, Yuanyang and the others all washed up and put on their imperial makeup. They were all of high rank and naturally different from the other girls.
Today, Keqing was chatting in Wang Xifeng's courtyard. After hearing Hubo's message, Keqing asked in confusion, "Why did Her Majesty invite both of us? Although we served tea to Her Majesty before, and She also rewarded us, why would she give her another banquet?"
Wang Xifeng thought for a moment, then said with a look of trepidation and shyness on her face, "Have you not noticed anything different about the people Your Majesty invited?"
"What's the difference?" Keqing asked puzzledly.
"Humph, who among us isn't related to some enemy? We're either his concubines or sisters. I guess the queen must be worried about our master, so she let us go."
Keqing's cheeks flushed instantly. Wang Xifeng had mentioned this to her before , and she feared the Empress also knew about the affair between her and the Master. Now it seemed that this was indeed the case. Otherwise, what was the status of the two of them? She had no apparent connection to the Master, so why would the Empress come to ask for her specifically?
"There will always be a way out. There's no need to overthink it. After all, that enemy is favored by the Emperor and the Empress, so I don't think he'll embarrass us. Don't go back home. Just wash up here and we can go together."
Even though everyone prepared as quickly as possible, it still took more than half an hour to finish dressing up.
Everyone first gathered in Wang Xifeng's courtyard, and then all headed towards Rong Xi Hall.
After entering Rongxi Hall, everyone bowed to the old lady and Zhou Gui. Zhou Gui quickly stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "No need to be polite, everyone. I am only here to help the Empress convey her orders. I don't deserve such a grand ceremony."
"If you are all ready, then we will enter the palace immediately to save Her Majesty from waiting for so long."
The old lady at the side said, "The Empress's banquet is a blessing for you. Now that you are in the palace, you must be careful with your words and actions. Don't act recklessly like you do at home."
Everyone agreed and then walked out of Rongxi Hall. Jia Zhong, along with his eunuchs and maids, harnessed the carriage and waited outside the Neiyi Gate.
Wang Xifeng and Keqing got on one car, Yuanyang and the other two got on one car, Baochai and Daiyu got on one car, Yingchun and Tanchun got on one car, and little Xichun took Xiangyun and Baoqin to ride in one car.
Because they were entering the palace, their maids did not follow them. Instead, the carriage was driven by a eunuch, and accompanied by old women and their female guards.
Zhou Gui's sedan led the way, and the huge carriage left the mansion and headed straight for the palace.
As Baochai and Daiyu were in the carriage, Daiyu asked in confusion, "Bao-ya-tou, why did the Empress suddenly give a banquet? Did she send us here specially, or did all the ladies and relatives from the various mansions come?"
"Speaking of which, Her Majesty is truly kindhearted. Look, before in our house, Keqing and Second Sister-in-law only offered Her Majesty a cup of tea, and Her Majesty still remembers it."
Baochai smiled lightly, but thought in her heart: The Queen is not concerned about the kindness of the cup of tea, but is concerned about the dignity of her enemy.
However, Baochai also had some doubts in her heart. It was true that the Emperor and Empress were fond of her own Cong'er, but in any case, this favor was a bit too much. When she and Daiyu were celebrating, the Emperor and Empress came in person. Although it was beyond etiquette, it could be barely justified. After all, Jia Cong was about to lead the army, and the Emperor and Empress came to show their favor.
However, if the Queen was only hosting a banquet for her and her people today, she would not be able to understand.
Even if they are interested in Jia Cong, there is still a layer of separation between them and the Empress. What is the Empress's intention in doing this?
Just like that, the women followed Zhou Gui directly into the palace with trepidation and suspicion.
After the carriage stopped at the palace gate, Zhou Gui led everyone into the palace and saw a group of female officials waiting, led by Yuanchun.
Adhering to the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes, everyone greeted each other respectfully, and then followed Yuanchun all the way to Fengzao Palace.
Outside the palace, Yuanchun waited with the other women while Zhou Gui went inside to report. Daiyu, who was standing beside Yuanchun, took this opportunity to whisper, "Big sister, are there any other women from the mansion attending the banquet given by the Empress today? And why didn't she invite Grandmother, but instead invited us here specifically?"
Yuanchun naturally didn't dare to be disrespectful to this future 'brother-in-law' and immediately said, "Miss Lin, don't think too much about it. It's just that the Queen is a little bored today, so she wants to talk to someone. You have all met the Queen before and are quite familiar with each other, so the Queen has asked someone to summon you."
Not long after, Zhou Gui came again and invited everyone in.
They walked straight to the back hall, and everyone hurriedly bowed to the ground and saluted, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen!"
As the mistress of the harem, Empress Shang was naturally accustomed to seeing all kinds of beauties. Not to mention the concubines and noble ladies of the various palaces, even the ordinary female servants, who was not gorgeous and graceful? The female servants in the palace were not maids from the various mansions. The maids from the various mansions were all purchased, while the female servants in the palace were mostly young ladies, Mingzhu and the like from the various mansions.
Just like Yuanchun before, although she was the legitimate daughter of the Jia family, she was just a female official in Fengzao Palace. Most of the other female officials also had extraordinary status. If they were favored by the emperor, or if the emperor wanted to show favor to a certain family, they would be given a position and naturally they would climb up the tree and become a phoenix.
Even so, when the queen saw this group of beauties, big and small, she felt amazed.
