bayedsolid Chapter 845 [Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 35]
Chapter 845 [Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace 35]
At the beginning of winter, a grand family banquet was held in the palace. The concubines of each palace were dressed in gorgeous clothes and came to the banquet with great manners. They held in their hands the dumplings they had carefully made, hoping to win the favor of Emperor Hongli.
However, just as everyone was competing with each other, Ruyi slowly walked out. She smiled and said softly, "All of you sisters are clever and skillful, but I really don't have the energy to make dumplings. However, I have made some rose vinegar by myself, and I would like to present it to the emperor and all the sisters present."
When Hongli heard this, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. He praised, "Ruyi, you are the most thoughtful! Vinegar is indispensable when eating dumplings."
Ruyi lowered her head slightly and responded humbly: "I was just taking advantage of the situation. It is my honor to receive such praise from Your Majesty." As she spoke, a shy smile appeared on her face.
At this moment, Hongli looked at Ruyi with a gentle and caring look in his eyes, and said slowly: "Well, you have indeed suffered some injustices during this period of time. Today, I will promote you to the position of concubine."
Hearing this, Ruyi was stunned at first, then she quickly stood up and thanked the emperor respectfully: "I thank the emperor for his grace."
Seeing this, the concubines whose ranks were lower than Ruyi congratulated Ruyi and said in unison: "Congratulations, Empress Xian, on your promotion to the rank of concubine." For a moment, the whole banquet was filled with a festive and peaceful atmosphere.
Ruyi happily accepted the blessings from her sisters, and her eyes inadvertently swept across to Ah Ruo who was sitting opposite her. Ah Ruo had delicate makeup and looked very proud. Ruyi couldn't help but whispered, "Ah Ruo, I never thought you would become the emperor's person."
Jiapin, who was standing by, heard this and raised her lips slightly. She interrupted with a hint of sarcasm: "Empress Xian, you are wrong! You can't call her A Ruo anymore. She is now Concubine Shen."
"I'm just used to being called that, and I really can't change it!" Ruyi said with difficulty. She looked pitiful, but what she was thinking in her heart, probably only she knew it.
Youyou, who was standing by, saw everything. She knew clearly that Ruyi was just making excuses. As expected, Youyou's mouth slightly raised, revealing a barely perceptible smile, and then she said before Hongli could speak: "Sister Xianfei, you'd better get used to changing your words as soon as possible. After all, things are different now."
Hongli was about to say a few good words for Ruyi to help her out, but Youyou spoke out before him. In this case, he naturally didn't want to offend Youyou, so he followed Youyou's words and echoed, "Yes, Ruyi, what Concubine Zhao said makes sense. You should get used to the new title as soon as possible."
Ruyi never expected that Hongli would not stand on her side, and she suddenly felt lost and wronged. However, she couldn't get angry in front of everyone, so she had to suppress her unhappiness and said with a sullen face, "Yes, I know."
Seeing Ruyi's reluctant attitude, how could Youyou let go of this opportunity? She immediately added, "Sister Xian, you must not just talk about it, you must put it into action, otherwise if you accidentally call her the wrong name one day, it will not be good."
Faced with Youyou's continuous attacks, even though Ruyi was unwilling, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and respond again: "Yes, thank you, Empress Zhao, for your advice." After saying this, Ruyi couldn't help but secretly clench the handkerchief in her hand, secretly thinking about how to deal with the aggressive Concubine Zhao in front of her in the future.
At night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, and the silver moonlight sprinkled like water between the palaces and pavilions of the Forbidden City. Hongli, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, walked slowly into Chengqian Palace with steady steps.
As soon as he entered the palace, he saw Youyou sitting in front of the couch. Her eyebrows were slightly frowned, and there seemed to be a trace of sadness on her pretty face. Hongli smiled slightly, walked forward, stretched out his finger and gently touched Youyou's smooth forehead, and said softly: "What's wrong with you today, girl? How did Ruyi provoke you?"
Hearing Hongli's question, Youyou raised her head, stared at him with her beautiful eyes, and said with her red lips: "Your Majesty, are you coming here just to vent your anger for Empress Xian?"
Hongli quickly shook his head and denied, "Of course not, how can Ruyi compare with you? Wanyin, you are the one I love most in my heart, otherwise I would not have helped you at the banquet." After that, he gently pulled Youyou's hand, placed it in his palm and rubbed it.
However, Youyou didn't seem to believe it. She pouted her lips slightly and said in a mocking tone, "Then why do I feel that the emperor likes Ruyi very much?"
Upon hearing this, Hongli hurriedly explained: "That's impossible! You are obviously the one I like the most."
At this time, Youyou blinked and suddenly said, "But since I was in the palace, I have heard that Your Majesty and Ruyi are childhood sweethearts."
After hearing this, Hongli could not help but frowned. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Childhood sweethearts? Not really. I grew up in the Old Summer Palace, and only met Ruyi a few times after returning to the palace. The so-called childhood sweethearts are just rumors from the outside world. In fact, the relationship between me and her is more of a relationship of exploitation."
As soon as she finished speaking, Youyou could no longer suppress her inner doubts and blurted out: "Since the emperor is using Ruyi, why does he still..."
"We must not allow one family to dominate the harem. We must check and balance each other! But you have never been interested in the complicated palace affairs. In this case, I can only rely on Ruyi to achieve this goal. After all, everyone knows that Ruyi and I are childhood sweethearts, and using this point can just deceive people." Hongli said slowly, his eyes deep and firm.
Youyou frowned slightly and asked softly: "Your Majesty, you actually told me such a confidential matter. Aren't you afraid that I might accidentally leak the news?" There was a hint of doubt and worry in her eyes.
Hongli smiled slightly and replied in a steady tone: "Of course I trust you. In this huge palace, you are the only one I can confide in." He reached out and gently held Youyou's hand, giving her a warm and reassuring smile.
Hearing these words, Youyou was touched and a smile bloomed on her face. She said in a sweet voice, "Then I would like to thank the emperor for his trust in me. I will definitely live up to your expectations and keep my mouth shut."