The Job of an Imperial Concubine

"Is Concubine Zhao still happy with that water lily?" the emperor asked when Gao Dezhong came back.

"Back to the emperor, Concubine Zhao is very fond of water lilies, so she immediately asked the eunuch of Taoyu Pavilion to move the water lilies into the house." Gao Dezhong replied honestly.

"En," Feng Jin nodded upon hearing this, and waved Gao Dezhong back.

Concubine Shu hosted a banquet at the Queen's Jingyang Palace on her birthday. Zhuang Luoyan arrived not too early and not too late, and she was not too conspicuous among the concubines. After sitting down next to several concubines with similar status, she sat at the same table Several of the concubines chatted with her.

"Sister Zhaopin looks very good today," said Jiang Xianpin at the next table with a smile.

"Sister is the same," Zhuang Luoyan smiled back, although she didn't know whether Jiang Xianpin was just being polite or had ulterior motives, she didn't want to guess too much.

Concubine Yangui sat on top of Concubine Zhao, and when she heard the conversation between the two, she turned her head to look at Zhuang Luoyan, and said with a smile: "Sister Zhaopin really looks good, could it be that her birthday is approaching, and she is in a better mood."

Sure enough, it came. Zhuang Luoyan found it hard to resist this kind of words that were obviously pleasant but actually hidden. I was a little overjoyed first, but it made my sister see a joke."

Concubine Yangui smiled but didn't smile: "Concubine Shugui's birthday is naturally happy." After finishing speaking, she looked away, as if she had no interest in talking to Zhuang Luoyan anymore. On the other side, Jiang Xianpin and Wang Cong looked at each other, as if they didn't see the confrontation between the two.

"The empress is here."

Zhuang Luoyan stood up and saw the queen appearing in a phoenix robe, the corners of which were shining in the candlelight. Along with all the concubines, she paid her respects to the queen. Seeing that the queen moved the seat of Concubine Shu to her lower head, she lowered her eyes, looking at the ground.

"Today is Concubine Shu's birthday. We are all sisters, so we don't have to stick to the rules. Just have a good time." The queen sat down with Concubine Shu's hand, and after all the concubines sat down, gave Heyu the With a look, He Yu understood, and waved for the musicians waiting outside to come in and sing and dance.

The first dance is Magu's birthday celebration. The main dancer has a soft body and a graceful dance posture. A person like Zhuang Luoyan who has no dance ability can watch it with gusto.

"I see this dance is not bad, it's auspicious and graceful," the queen said after the dance, "Heyu, thank you!"

"My servant thanked the empress," the woman playing the role of Magu thanked her with a big gift.

Seeing that the empress rewarded things, other concubines followed suit one after another. Zhuang Luoyan was also happy to see it, so she also rewarded some things. Looking at the age of this dancing girl, I am afraid she is only about fifteen or sixteen years old. For some reason, she always felt that the smile on Concubine Shu's face was a bit stiff.

I peeled a longan and put it in my mouth. The sweet taste made Zhuang Luoyan feel good. After Magu celebrated her birthday, a few dancers with pipas came up.

"In the early years, Concubine Shu's younger sister danced a pipa to crown the harem. Although these dancers are not as good as you, you can still watch them when you think about it," the queen said, and clapped her hands to let these dancers start.

As expected of the court dancers, these women's dances are so beautiful that they give people a feeling of flying. Zhuang Luoyan glanced at the beautifully dressed Concubine Shu, wondering how beautiful the dance of Concubine Shu was back then?

The sound of the pipa was like pearls falling, and when Zhuang Luoyan was in high spirits, he only heard the eunuch's sharp voice coming from outside.

"The emperor is here!"

Now the song stopped singing, the dancing stopped, the concubines stopped flattering each other, and even the queen stood up to greet her.

When Feng Jin arrived at the Empress's Palace, he looked at the beauties of all colors in the room, with a smile on his face, "My beloved concubines, you don't need to be polite." After speaking, he supported the Empress's hand and walked towards the superior.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the concubines stood up and stepped aside, and did not sit down until after the empress sat down, but they were much more reserved than before.

Zhuang Luoyan covered her mouth with a handkerchief and spat out the longan core in her mouth, then sat obediently, never being that eye-catching person.

"It's Concubine Shu's birthday today, so I'll take a look," Feng Jin smiled at Concubine Shu, and rewarded him with a bunch of things.

All the concubines were both jealous and hated, but seeing that even the queen was not dissatisfied, they all laughed and said auspicious words, probably only they knew what they were thinking.

The queen brought the wine cup to Feng Jin, Feng Jin took a sip, looked at the dancer who was quietly standing aside, "How about dancing just now, how about now."

"Yes," the dancers jumped up again, Feng Jin watched for a while, then put down the wine cup and said, "This dance is still worse than Concubine Shu's."

The queen smiled and said, "The dancing posture of Concubine Shu is really rare. These girls can dance a little bit of the charm of Concubine Shu, but it is hard work."

"Well," Feng Jin nodded, "If it comes to dancing, Concubine Yan is the first and Concubine Yan is the second." After finishing speaking, he gave Concubine Shu another cup of wine, but there was no reward for Concubine Yan.

Zhuang Luoyan saw that Concubine Shu drank the wine shyly and timidly, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Even people who don't drink alcohol will have to forcefully drink the wine bestowed by the emperor.

After listening to the song for a while, Feng Jin glanced over the concubines, and noticed Concubine Zhao who was peeling the longan shell. Seeing her happy appearance while eating longan while listening to the song, it really gave people a sense of carefree Feng Jin couldn't help but take a second look.

The longan in front of her was pretty much eaten, Zhuang Luoyan wiped her hands with a handkerchief regretfully, and listened to the song carefully. Although she didn't quite understand the meaning of the ancient song, it's good to appreciate the beauty's voice.

"I see that this longan is really good." Feng Jin peeled a longan and put it in his mouth, and said to the queen, "Everyone can offer another longan."

The queen said yes, and everyone present had another plate of longan.

Seeing that there was an extra plate of longan, Zhuang Luoyan smiled and continued peeling the shells to listen to the music. By the way, she took a sneak peek in the direction of the emperor. Seeing that none of the first few people paid attention to her, she took out the previous tricks of messing around, seemingly eating Slow, but never soft when it should be fast.

Because Concubine Shu drank a few more glasses of wine, her cheeks were reddish and her eyes were blurred as she looked at the musicians below. She thought of the time when she surprised the emperor with a pipa dance, and now there are more and more newcomers. I wonder if the emperor has forgotten her. day?

After the banquet, Feng Jin left with the slightly drunk Concubine Shu, and the rest of the concubines also obediently greeted An and left.

The queen sat on the phoenix seat, watching the silence of the hall, and glanced at the wine cup and fruit plate in front of the emperor, and saw that the plate of longan, which the emperor said was good, did not move much.

"My palace is exhausted, let's settle it down." The queen's face was as calm as water, she stood up holding Heyu's hand, looked at the plate of longan again, and walked away.

"Master, the emperor rewarded you with some fragrant pears, saying that they are for removing heat and reducing fever." Ting Zhu came in with a food box, and there were four fragrant pears in it.

Zhuang Luoyan was stunned for a moment, then relieved, it would be good to eat some pears in this hot day.

Seeing that the master liked it, Yun Xi picked a pear and peeled it, thinking about it while peeling, the master used so many longan tonight, the body is easy to get angry, eating a pear is very suitable for the body.