Daughter Reborn as the Head of the Family

Chapter 112 When did the stepmother get on the same boat as Mrs. Ye and the Queen Mother?

The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. The Empress had already arranged for Xiang Xiu, the director of Zhaohua Palace, to pick up everyone in the Zhang Mansion.

The carriages of various official wives were already parked at the entrance of the palace.

Zhang Dingzhi and Song Jinyue got off the carriage one after the other, and they helped Xie get off the carriage.

Xiangxiu saw Zhang's carriage, walked up to him and said, "Mrs. Zhang, Miss Zhang, Second Miss Song."

Xie Shixu held up a handful of Hunan embroidery and said, "Why do I ask you to come here specially? Is everything going well for you lately?"

"Mrs. Hui Zhang, everything is fine with the Queen lately. Because today is a special day, I asked my maid to pick you up."

"Then I'd like to trouble the director of Hunan embroidery." Mrs. Xie thanked her again, and then she motioned for her daughter and niece to follow behind and headed to the Queen's Zhaohua Palace.

Today, there were more people in the palace than before.

Song Jinyue and Cousin Zhi were following their aunt Xie. From time to time they would meet acquaintances, and Xie would stop to talk.

In the past, it took one stick of incense to reach Zhaohua Hall, but today it took three sticks of incense.

When Xiangxiu led the group of people to Zhaohua Hall, the queen had been waiting for a long time. Fortunately, ladies came to visit from time to time, so the queen was not idle.

After seeing off the wife of Mr. Zhao from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Mr. Xie walked in.

"My wife, please see the Queen."

"Your Majesty, please see the Queen."

"..."

Today was different from the past. Mrs. Xie also wore court clothes and entered the palace. She entered the Zhaohua Hall and knelt down to perform a grand ceremony according to the palace rules.

The queen today wore a bright yellow court dress embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. She sat on the main seat and accepted the courtesy from Xie and others according to the rules. After the ceremony was completed, she hurriedly asked the director of Zhaohua Palace, Xiangxiu General Xie.

He was helped up.

"Sister-in-law, sit down quickly." The queen looked at Mrs. Xie and called out "sister-in-law" affectionately.

Mrs. Xie smiled and then sat down.

In the Zhaohua Hall, there were six or seven palace ladies serving them. Xiangxiu saw that the queen was afraid that she wanted to talk to Mrs. Zhang, so she took all the palace ladies out.

Zhang's maid, Zhang Dingzhi's maid, and Qiu Yun also withdrew.

Suddenly, only four people were left in the huge Zhaohua Hall.

The queen looked at Song Jinyue and asked with some concern, "Yue'er, is your father's injury still serious?"

Song Jinyue shook her head and replied: "Father broke his left leg. However, the imperial doctor said that in the future, my father will have children..."

As a young lady who has not yet left the government, she has some disagreements when it comes to her father's current injury.

But this matter will spread sooner or later.

From the beginning, she had no intention of hiding it from her aunt and grandmother's family.

The queen's expression paused. She had heard about the affairs of the Duke's Mansion before. The Duke of Guo, who had not taken a concubine for many years, suddenly took a concubine. Why?

It’s not just that I don’t want my uncle and aunt to adopt the disciple’s heir!

Mrs. Xie only learned about this from Song Jinyue today, and she suddenly coughed.

"Yue'er..." the queen said, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

The atmosphere in Zhaohua Hall was extremely heavy for a moment.

"Auntie, don't worry. There will be a road before the car reaches the mountain. Just take a step and watch it step by step." Song Jinyue comforted softly.

The queen nodded slightly.

After everyone talked for a while, the queen personally took them to see the Queen Mother.

Because the Queen Mother chanted sutras and chanted Buddha's name all day long, only sandalwood was burning in the palace.

Lotus flowers were also planted outside the temple.

Even the windows and doors of the coffin are carved with lifelike lotus flowers.

After all the wives have paid homage to the Queen Mother and the Empress, they will be taken by the palace maids to the Huanyue Pavilion to listen to a play and have tea first. There will be a lunch and dinner in the palace today, and the main banquet will be in the evening.

All the officials and their families gathered together with the emperor and empress to pray for the queen mother's birthday.

Before entering the Queen Mother's palace, I heard a burst of laughter coming from inside.

The maid in the Queen Mother's Palace looked at the Queen's searching eyes and replied: "Back to the Queen Mother, Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Song are accompanying the Queen Mother inside."

Song Jinyue followed her aunt Xie and couldn't help but frown slightly when she heard the palace maid talking about Mrs. Ye and Mrs. Song.

This Mrs. Song is naturally her stepmother, Mrs. Shen.

And this Mrs. Ye is the mother of Concubine Ye.

But when did these two people get together? Can they still chat and laugh with the Queen Mother together?

The queen nodded slightly and waited for the palace maid to pass the message, then she took Xie and her two nieces in to see the Queen Mother.

The scent of sandalwood smells faintly in the room, and the black lacquered Duobao shelves in the room are mostly filled with jade Buddha carvings and various types of wooden fish.

Even the gauze curtains in the palace are carefully embroidered with lotus patterns.

Most of the ornaments in the house are plain and elegant in lotus style.

"I would like to send my regards to the Queen Mother."

"My wife, Mrs. Xie, would like to send my regards to the Queen Mother."

"Your Majesty, please pay your respects to the Queen Mother."

"..."

Song Jinyue, her aunt, her aunt Xie and cousin Zhi knelt in the hall and saluted the Queen Mother who was sitting on a high seat.

"Everyone, please get up." The Queen Mother's voice was a little hoarse, and everyone slowly stood up.

The Queen Mother also specially wore bright yellow court clothes today. The string of beads in her hand was spinning without stopping. The Queen Mother slightly raised her lips and looked dignified and kind.

She lowered her head slightly, looked at Song Jinyue, and asked, "Is this the Song family's girl Yue? Come over to the Ai family and take a look."

Song Jinyue was stunned for a moment and could only raise her head and walk towards the Queen Mother step by step.

When the Queen Mother approached, Song Jinyue paused and bowed. The Queen Mother looked her up and down, then raised her hand to hold her palm, her eyebrows frowning slightly.

The subtle expression on the Queen Mother's face fell into Song Jinyue's eyes.

She glanced at her stepmother Shen and Song Jinxi who were standing behind Shen with her peripheral vision, and her heart sank when she saw that they were watching a good show.

Did the mother and daughter dig a hole for themselves in front of the Queen Mother?

"This body is too delicate..." the Queen Mother said in a rather disgusted tone.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the palace became a little heavy.

Mrs. Ye picked up the tea cup and drank tea by herself. She did not come forward to answer the question. She narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Mr. Shen.

"Yes." Song Jinyue still replied respectfully.

She couldn't help but think of her past life. Because the Queen Mother stayed behind closed doors all day long to eat fast and chant Buddha's name, and seldom let the concubines in the palace come to pay her respects, Song Jinyue did not have much influence on the Queen Mother in her memory.

But the Queen Mother never showed too much affection or regard for anyone in the palace.

Even among the grandchildren, no prince could win the favor of the Queen Mother.

There are rumors in the capital that the Queen Mother is indifferent and has little affection for her children and grandchildren.

Although Your Majesty is the Queen Mother's only heir, when the late Emperor confiscated the Du family of the Queen Mother's mother's family, the status of the Queen Mother, who was still Queen at the time, was not affected at all.

It is said that the Du family was accused of embezzling the national treasury.

The evidence was conclusive and the Du family had no reason to defend themselves. The Imperial Forest Army surrounded the Du family and confiscated a full one million taels of silver from the Du Mansion.

Since then, the entire family of the Empress Dowager's natal family, Master Du, who was the Minister of Civil Affairs at that time, was executed.

(End of chapter)