out before finally stopping. He then turned and looked at Zǐ Yìn, who had patiently waited."I've made up my mind." Qí Lín promptly spoke up, walking beside Zǐ Yìn and giving a slight smile. "But I sti...Chapter 43: Be More Careful Today, Premier on 17K

"Your Excellency, today is the Empress Dowager's birthday. All concubines are dressed up for the occasion. This dress was specially selected by His Majesty and sent to you. It looks very good on Your Excellency."

Looking at this outfit, a light pink robe hugged her body, with a white gauze outer layer. The skirt had pleats that shimmered like moonlight as it flowed gracefully on the ground, extending about three feet in length, and was complemented by a long pale pink silk tassel. Qi Lin smiled faintly; she merely followed imperial orders.

After putting on the sachet given to her by Yu Mu, Jin Yu came in with a pleased smile.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has sent the Golden Phoenix Palace carriage waiting outside," said Jin Yu. "His Majesty is truly considerate."

"Hmph, and what about the newly ennobled Concubine Mei" Qi Lin guessed that if she appeared in such an outfit today, many others would be jealous. She wondered how Bu Yao was faring; with her intelligence, she should be quite favored by His Majesty, which is why she hadn’t caused any trouble for Qi Lin all these days.

Jin Yu hesitated before saying, "Only Eunuch Ning mentioned that the Emperor left Mei Tang Palace this morning."

Mei Tang Palace Qi Lin frowned slightly but then relaxed with a slight upturn of her lips. Mei Tang was Bu Yao's bedroom chamber; it seemed she was living quite comfortably.

Sitting in the Golden Phoenix carriage, all concubines they encountered moved to one side as a sign of respect although Qi Lin caught glimpses of surprise in their eyes—perhaps they did not expect her to appear like this. It made sense that after being silent for over ten days, His Majesty suddenly favored another concubine so much; naturally everyone would think she had lost favor. But today’s palace carriage seemed unfamiliar to most, hence the expressions.

Arriving at Thousand Carp Pond, which was once a quiet place but now bustling with music and dance, officials were almost fully assembled, praising the water windmills endlessly. Qi Lin spotted Bu Yao beaming among several concubines, occasionally touching her white jade hairpin, causing envy in nearby concubines.

Once the carriage stopped, Qi Lin leaned out; Feng Changqiang had already offered his hand to help her down. Meeting his gentle gaze, she placed her hand in his.

"This concubine is late, please forgive me, Your Majesty," Qi Lin immediately bowed when her feet touched the ground and gently withdrew her hand.

Feng Changqiang did not attempt to hold onto her hand again; he simply said, "Today it's like a family banquet, there’s no need for your concubine to be so formal."

Pausing briefly, Feng Changqiang continued, "I heard you couldn’t sleep soundly at night. How are you feeling"

Qi Lin looked at Feng Changqiang; he was wearing a clean and elegant white brocade robe today with his hair neatly tied up in an immaculate jade crown. His attire paired well with hers, resembling a couple's ensemble.

"It concerns the Emperor to worry about me, but I am fine," she replied faintly. Qi Lin looked around and saw that every concubine who had come was dressed up beautifully as Guo Ran said, but there was no sign of Xiao Ran in the crowd. She thought he might not have attended the banquet until she spotted him at a corner. Even though he wore red clothes, his face looked very haggard. Qi Lin thought for a moment and said to the Emperor, "All the royal relatives are here today; Your Majesty needn't worry about me. I will take care of myself."

Seeing Feng Changqing wanted to say something else, Qi Lin quickly added, "If Your Majesty is concerned that I am not treating the royal relatives well enough, I would feel guilty. Right now, I still want to chat with my sisters-in-law; I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."

"Go ahead," Feng Changqing knew that Qi Lin did not wish to be with him.

Having received the Emperor’s approval, Qi Lin left his side. The Empress Dowager had yet to arrive, and all the other concubines were boasting about their glory days. Even Bu Yao was flaunting her status too. On the far end of the hall, only Du Ruo Huan accompanied Xiao Ran; he looked somewhat desolate. Seeing Qi Lin walking over to them, Xiao Ran rudely waved his hand in dismissal and left.

"I pay my respects to Your Excellency."

Qi Lin turned around to see Cheng Ren smiling at her. His narrow eyes made her extremely uncomfortable. She did not give him a good face either but sneered, "The High Priest is too polite."

Af ter saying that, Qi Lin planned on leaving; however, when she turned, Cheng Ren raised his hand to stop her. Qi Lin frowned and said, “What does the High Priest mean by this”

"I dare not," Cheng Ren retracted his arm and looked around before continuing, "Regarding the matter of the ghost shadow, Your Excellency has done a great service. I extend my congratulations."

When he mentioned the ghost shadow incident, Qi Lin became furious and replied coldly, “It appears that the High Priest knows much about this so-called ghost shadow. Are you trying to explain something to me”

Seeing Cheng Ren’s mischievous smile made her want to vomit, but Cheng Ren did not deny it but instead took a step closer to her. Qi Lin also stepped forward and lifted her chin defiantly as if challenging him; this forced Cheng Ren to take a few steps back so that there was still some distance between them.

"As for the matter at hand, Your Excellency is more aware than I am. Little Prince Rui was just a decoy, isn’t he Why doesn't Your Excellency tell the Emperor about it" Cheng Ren said with a smile.

"Tell him the truth" Qi Lin snorted and asked again, "May I ask what High Priest means by the ‘truth’ What exactly is the truth"

Cheng Ren was stunned. Qi Lin’s eyes brimming with anger made him feel very uncomfortable as if she were trying to see through him; he wiped his forehead and said, “This matter Your Excellency knows better than I do.”

"That's right. After all, I have seen it," Qi Lin smiled and slowly patted her sleeves before saying, "Without the High Priest, how could there be any ghost shadow"

“What does Your Excellency mean by that” Cheng Ren was alarmed as he said, “I am the Emperor’s appointed High Priest. Every day I observe the stars to relieve the Emperor of his worries; how can I spread rumors”

Qi Lin smiled satisfiedly and continued, "When did the High Priest ever hear this queen say anything about spreading rumors What I mean is, without the High Priest, how could one calculate these ghost shadows I am merely exaggerating his importance; why are you so nervous"

Cheng Ren stared blankly at Qi Lin and wiped his sweat nervously.

"The High Priest must be feeling hot. Why not go for some tea to cool off a bit." After saying that, Qi Lin walked past Cheng Ren and left.

Although Cheng Ren's intercession had allowed her to leave the palace last time, people like him were unreliable; he was too petty, and in addition, Qi Lin did not like his promotion of blood sacrifices.

About an incense stick later, Lü Zhu informed Qi Lin that the Empress Dowager was approaching. Feng Changqing had asked her to come over to greet her together with him. Qi Lin patted down her clothes and followed Lü Zhu towards Feng Changqing's side.

Just a few steps in, she saw Feng Changqing’s figure along with Bu Yao by his side; Cheng Ren was standing next to Bu Yao as well. Qi Lin had a million reasons not to approach them, but the green-clad shadow beside Feng Changqing caught her eye and finally gave her an impulse to move forward.

Seeing Qi Lin approaching, Mu Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction. He did not speak until she reached his side: "It has been quite a while. Has your Highness been well"

Qi Lin nodded and said, "What do you think, Mr. Mu"

"Hahaha! With the Emperor around, how could I be anything but well This is my impoliteness." Mu Qingfeng opened his fan and laughed as he commented, "With such beautiful ladies surrounding Your Majesty, I can only envy."

Feng Changqing joined in with laughter. "When I arranged a marriage for you back then, you chose to become a monk instead. Are you regretting it now" He was not bothered by Mu Qingfeng's teasing and looked at the time before saying, "It is time; there are many good shows today."

For some reason, when she heard about the “good shows,” Qi Lin felt an unease in her heart. Perhaps she was overly sensitive.

The moment Empress Dowager Feng's golden phoenix carriage slowly entered the Thousand Carp Pond, Feng Changqing stepped forward to personally help her disembark; the Empress Dowager looked just as imposing as when Qi Lin had seen her before—her golden imperial robes making her stand out more than all the other concubines present.

"All officials pay homage to the Empress Dowager. Long live the Empress Dowager, long live!" The civil and military ministers bowed in unison.

Feng Changqing carefully assisted the Empress Dowager to her seat at the main table; all the courtiers also changed their directions accordingly when kneeling.

"Rise, my loyal servants," said the Empress Dowager with a nod.

"Please be seated." Su Xiaoxiao walked forward and said loudly, then stepped back.

The civil and military officials all took their seats and waited quietly for the next instruction. Only the two frontmost positions were empty; those belonged to Zi Yin and Long Ye. However, there was another position above them, which Qilin initially thought might be for some other royal relative. But after everyone sat down, that spot remained vacant, and Empress Dowager looked helplessly at it before shaking her head in resignation. At this moment, Qilin understood who the owner of that seat was.

It turned out to be Bai Qianye. If the empress dowager knew that Bai Qianye was still alive, would she laugh And if she found out he was actually within the palace, would she die from anger again

"Ministers, you needn't拘禮。儘情享受便是。”太後宣佈宴席開始。

齊琳坐在鳳長卿的右下方，步瑤就坐在她的對麵，其他妃嬪按位份依次而坐，不一會兒一群舞姬身姿輕盈的上來，開始表演，樂師也開始工作。

The officials were enjoying themselves, complimenting each other on the dancers' performances. The food in front of Qilin remained untouched; she only sipped a little wine. Suddenly, she noticed a woman beside Bu Yao whose facial features resembled Mu Qingfeng's. When she seemed to have caught Qilin staring at her, she raised her cup to toast Qilin, who reciprocated with a nod.

"Mistress, that’s Miss Mu Qingcheng, the wife of Sir Mu," Lüzhuu took advantage of pouring wine for Qilin and said, "Sir Mu asked me to relay this message: 'Take care today; there's danger to your life.'"

Danger Qilin lifted her eyes imperceptibly in search of Mu Qingfeng. While replying the other concubines' toasts, she finally found him on the opposite diagonal side chatting with a minister beside him. Cheng Ren was looking at her with a strange expression. Coldly glaring at him for a moment, Qilin turned away and pondered Mu Qingfeng's words carefully.

Could it be that Cheng Ren would do something to her Glancing at Feng Changqing’s seat, she saw him also looking in her direction. She smiled faintly as a reply. Feng Changqing raised his cup in a toast which Qilin returned.

The next part of the banquet was for the concubines to offer gifts, typically showcasing their talents and presenting offerings.

First up was Xiao Ran dressed in red attire that shone brightly under the sun. She performed a ritual bow and then took out a long flute saying, "Imperfect as I am, may this performance of Long Joy bring joy."

Xiao Ran didn't just play music; she also started dancing while playing her tune. Her soft yet agile movements made for a melodious piece that enchanted everyone present. Xiao Ran looked like a phoenix in motion or a blazing fire, capturing everyone's gaze at all times, including Feng Changqing's.

Qilin watched intently; suddenly, Xiao Ran pulled out a short sword from her flute, startling Qilin.

Holding the sword with one hand and the flute with another, she began to dance gracefully while playing. The final note resonated as she knelt down, saying, "I wish Empress Dowager longevity and health; may joy last forever."

"Reward," said the empress dowager smilingly, clearly satisfied with Xiao Ran's performance.轉碼失敗！請您使用右上換源切換源站閱讀或者直接前往源網站進行閱讀！