Chapter 27 A Family of Actors

Zhou Huanghou swept her gaze slightly past the door, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Qingwu, your mother is asking you, didn't A Yue get married before? Why is she here in the capital alone now? Did something happen to her husband?"

Zhou Huanghou asked delicately, but Yu Qingwu understood instantly.

She also vaguely sensed that Zhou Huanghou didn't seem as close to Gao Minyue as she claimed.

And what did Zhou Huanghou want to find out from her?

Yu Qingwu was suspicious. She stood up, bowed to Zhou Huanghou, and answered respectfully and distantly, "Your Majesty, I am not clear on this matter."

"Jin Yan didn't tell you about these things?" Zhou Huanghou frowned, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

After a pause, without waiting for Yu Qingwu to reply, she took her hand and said gently, "Qingwu, you are the Crown Prince's Liangdi (a type of concubine), you must pay attention to these things. What you should ask and what you should manage, you must not slack off in the slightest."

?

She was just a concubine, and not even officially conferred as one. What qualifications did she have to ask about anything?

Yu Qingwu was increasingly unable to figure out Zhou Huanghou's intentions.

However, she nodded and followed Zhou Huanghou's words, "Yes, I will remember your teachings, Your Majesty."

"Good child." Zhou Huanghou patted her hand. After speaking, she glanced outside again and sighed softly, "Qingwu, we are all family, your mother is not afraid of you laughing at her."

"That A Yue was a fisherman's daughter who my husband and I stayed with during a private visit. Later, A Yue's father passed away due to illness. My husband, grateful for her father's kindness in taking us in, decided to send A Yue to Shu to study with Jin Yan."

"Thinking that having some martial skills would prevent her from being bullied in the future. But who knew… this A Yue would have such wild ideas, thinking that we were cultivating her to be the Crown Princess. And Jin Yan, that good-for-nothing, he..."

At this point, Zhou Huanghou didn't continue. She just looked embarrassed, held Yu Qingwu's hand tightly, and said, "Qingwu, you are a good child. Jin Yan's main wife, although the daughter of the Duke's mansion, is also incapable of handling important matters. I can't rely on her. Crown Prince… I can only rely on you…"

As Zhou Huanghou spoke, she sighed again and again. Her phoenix eyes, which resembled Xie Jinyan's by seventy or eighty percent, were filled with tears, sincere and sad. If it weren't for her rosy complexion, Yu Qingwu would have almost suspected she was entrusting her with her last wishes.

Yu Qingwu felt depressed, but seeing Zhou Huanghou's tearful appearance, she couldn't bear to interrupt, so she could only agree and appease her.

One appeasement lasted almost half an hour.

When she returned to the main hall, it was already noon.

Xie Jinyan had been suddenly summoned away by the Emperor due to official business.

In the huge front hall, only Gao Minyue remained.

Seeing Zhou Huanghou come out, she hurriedly greeted her and affectionately took Zhou Huanghou's arm, "Aunt Huanghou, you've finally come out."

Zhou Huanghou's eyes darkened. She withdrew her hand imperceptibly, as if she hadn't heard Gao Minyue's words, and looked at Yu Qingwu gently, "Qingwu, what would you like to eat for lunch? I'll have them prepare it."

Such deliberate coldness, even a fool should understand.

Yu Qingwu quietly looked at Gao Minyue and saw that her eyes were red.

Perhaps because they were both orphans, Yu Qingwu felt a trace of sympathy for Gao Minyue at that moment.

She curled her lips, turned her gaze to Gao Minyue, and said with a faint smile, "Your Majesty, anything is fine with me. Why not ask Junior Sister? Junior Sister is skilled in cooking. It would be most appropriate to have her order the dishes."

Hearing this, Zhou Huanghou's expression darkened even more, clearly displeased.

However, since her daughter-in-law had already said so, she couldn't refuse, so she had to nod and ask Gao Minyue, "A Yue, what would you like to eat?"

"Mother…" At that moment, a crisp and bright female voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

Following the direction of the voice, they saw Xie Jinyan and a girl in green standing at the door. The girl tilted her head slightly, staring at Yu Qingwu in the hall with a smile.

She sized her up while walking closer, then complained to Zhou Huanghou unhappily, "Mother! You're really something. You didn't even tell me you were meeting Sister-in-law today, so I didn't prepare anything."

"Greetings, Sister-in-law, I am the Sixth Princess, Xie Ruizhi."

As Xie Ruizhi spoke, she took out a bracelet from her sleeve and happily stuffed it into Yu Qingwu's hand, "I came in a hurry, so please don't dislike it, Sister-in-law."

Clear and translucent, it felt cool to the touch, a top-quality jade, worth more than a thousand gold.

If the Empress's reward earlier had made Yu Qingwu feel flattered, then the Sixth Princess Xie Ruizhi's gift completely stunned her.

Yu Qingwu didn't understand why the Empress and Princess would treat her, a merchant's daughter who had entered the Crown Prince's residence with such a scandalous reputation, with such favor.

Yu Qingwu was stunned for a long time before she came back to her senses. She met Xie Ruizhi's cheerful and lovely face and hurriedly bowed to thank her, "This commoner thanks the Sixth Princess for her gift."

Xie Ruizhi bent down to help her up and smiled, "Sister-in-law, you don't have to be so polite. We're all family now. Who knows, I might even need your help in the future."

After Xie Ruizhi finished speaking, she pulled Yu Qingwu to sit at the table. Her crescent-shaped eyes looked at Xie Jinyan and said in a complaining tone, "Sister-in-law, if Imperial Brother bullies me again in the future, you must help me!"

"Ruizhi, long time no see. You've changed so much. I didn't even recognize you just now." A cheerful atmosphere filled the hall, but a corner and awkward female voice suddenly broke it.

Gao Minyue had been fantasizing that Xie Ruizhi would recognize her, so she could regain some face in front of Yu Qingwu.

But she had been standing in the hall for a long time, and Xie Ruizhi hadn't even looked at her. She couldn't help but speak.

She walked slowly to Xie Ruizhi with a smile on her lips and a face full of flattery. She pointed to herself and said, "It's me, Gao Minyue. We used to play together often in Gao Family Village."

Hearing this, Xie Ruizhi looked somewhat blank.

She squinted at her for a long time, shook her head, and looked at Xie Jinyan in confusion, "Imperial Brother, who is this? Another Sister-in-law?"

"Xie Ruizhi, don't talk nonsense. This is Uncle Gao's daughter." Xie Jinyan glared at her, then looked up at Gao Minyue and explained, "A Yue, Ruizhi had a serious illness before, and she doesn't remember things from the past very well."

"Oh, is that so?" A hint of disappointment flashed in Gao Minyue's eyes, and she looked very awkward.

Perhaps suddenly realizing that she wasn't very welcome, she didn't say another word during lunch.

After lunch, Zhou Huanghou instructed the palace servants to bring snacks for Yu Qingwu to take back to the Crown Prince's residence.

Seeing Yu Qingwu gradually 'stealing' her affection, Gao Minyue's eyes became even redder, and her hands clenched tightly.

She bit her lip and quietly walked to Zhou Huanghou's side, looking troubled, "Aunt Huanghou, there's something about Senior Sister Qingwu that I've been thinking about for a long time, and I feel that I should tell you. After all, the reputation of the royal family cannot be ruined by a concubine…"