I swept the harem by pretending to be weak

Ai Ziyi was startled by Liu Zhirou's ugly face, and quickly spoke to comfort her: "It's okay, I won't be hungry if I don't eat. It just so happens that I ate something in the palace before, so I'm not hungry."

Liu Zhirou didn't feel comforted after hearing her words, but she still forced a smile.

Danger never comes only from food, but it is obviously too late to call Ai Ziyi back now.

It is acceptable and understandable to take leave because of pregnancy, but it is undoubtedly too much to rush back after coming. Doesn't this mean you don't respect the Queen Mother?

When Ai Ziyi was in favor, it might not mean anything, but if she lost power one day and someone dug up this old account, it would be evidence of conviction.

While Liu Zhirou was still here, she could certainly help her best friend, but she would have to leave one day, and she was not blinded by her seemingly wealthy and prosperous life at the moment.

Liu Zhirou could only remind Ai Ziyi to be careful at all times and not go to places where there were no people.

This banquet was a luncheon, but even though it was a luncheon, no one except the most distinguished masters in the palace could wait until noon to come.

Not long after, several concubines came one after another. As soon as Concubine Liang saw Liu Zhirou, she immediately came over.

Perhaps it was because Liu Zhirou had gone with her to the Weiyang Palace to find Concubine Xian before, Concubine Liang seemed to have a good impression of her and was very cordial as soon as she came over.

"I haven't seen you for a few days. Sister Chunpin has become even more charming. The Empress Dowager must be very fond of you."

"Sister Liangpin, you are too kind." Liu Zhirou smiled reservedly.

The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries, and then another group of concubines came over warmly.

Ai Ziyi was annoyed by the crowds and the noise, and it happened that Concubine Xian sent someone to call her, so she went straight over and sat next to Concubine Xian.

To some extent, this is a little bit against the rules, but in the current palace, the emperor's offspring is the biggest rule, the emperor's favor is the biggest rule, and no one is ignorant of the situation and says anything bad.

"Will the Queen attend the banquet? How is the eldest princess?" Liu Zhirou knew that Concubine Liang had always been on good terms with the Queen, so she asked her this casually.

Liangpin glanced at her with a strange look and sighed, "Sister Chun, I don't treat you as an outsider, so I told you this. Please don't mention this in front of other people. I think the eldest princess is not in good health."

She looked melancholy, as if she were genuinely troubled by the misfortune the Queen was facing.

This is not surprising. After all, she is a concubine who depends on the queen. If the queen can control all the power in the harem, her life will be much better. Similarly, if the queen is completely suppressed by Concubine Chen, she probably won't have a good life.

"No way! When I visited the Queen a few days ago, the eldest princess was still full of energy." Liu Zhirou looked shocked.

She was indeed very shocked. Although she had never seen the eldest princess in person before and had no idea how she was doing, at least she could hear the roars and sounds of banging coming from the inner hall. From that aspect, the eldest princess' condition should not be that bad.

"Alas, who said it wasn't? She suddenly couldn't hold on." Liangpin shook her head, and seemed unwilling to continue talking about the eldest princess. Liu Zhirou didn't mention it anymore.

The Queen naturally takes care of the eldest princess' affairs, so she doesn't need to care about these things.

The palace servants who hosted the banquet had already set up a tent for the concubines to rest under. Even though it was late autumn, the sunlight was still very strong and it was easy to get a tan.

The emperor's concubines are in a profession where they particularly need to maintain their appearance.

In this situation, necessary protective measures have to be taken. Otherwise, if any empress finds that there is something wrong with her skin after returning to the palace, they will be in trouble.

The emperor still had to attend the morning court, and after the morning court he had to review memorials, so there were many things to do. The empress dowager obviously did not intend to have too much contact with these concubines, so they had to gather together to entertain themselves.

A group of women gathered together and could only chatter about all kinds of gossip. One would expose the shortcomings of another, and then one would annoy another. The scene was not chaotic, but it was not much better either.

Liu Zhirou rubbed her eyebrows in distress.

Ai Ziyi seemed to have adapted well. The palace maid behind her seemed to be afraid that she would feel cold, so she put a white fox fur scarf on her.

She was now chattering about something with Concubine Xian. Liu Zhirou was quite far away and couldn't hear clearly. She could only tell from Ai Ziyi's expression that she seemed quite happy.

That's good. Liu Zhirou felt a little relieved. Concubine Xian is a very experienced person. Although she seems to have some other thoughts, she probably won't cause trouble for herself under such a high-profile situation and will protect Ai Ziyi a little.

That would be great.

About half an hour later, the eunuch in charge brought out a golden Buddha statue. It looked to be about ten feet long, but it was not very heavy and four people carried it easily.

Unlike Concubine De who believed in Taoism, the Empress Dowager was more of a Buddhist, and this banquet was to some extent related to this.

Liu Zhirou suddenly felt a little uneasy.

But there seemed to be nothing unusual in the surrounding environment, and everyone was talking and laughing casually.

The concubines who entered the palace earlier seemed to have experience, and they lined up quietly according to their respective positions. The leaders were of course Consort Xian and Consort De.

When Concubine Shu was deposed and Concubine Chen became pregnant again and was unable to go out due to her baby's care, the two of them were the face of the entire harem and naturally had to take on more responsibilities.

Xianfei washed her hands and took the scroll handed over by the eunuch. After reading a passage of incomprehensible scriptures, Defei ordered someone to bring a thick stick of incense, bowed twice, and then lit the incense and inserted it into the incense burner.

The actions of the two were not particularly formal, but not as casual as before. Upon seeing this, the concubines behind them quickly quieted down and each stepped forward to worship the Buddha statue according to their rank.

Although Liu Zhirou was named a pure concubine, she was the youngest and had the least experience, so she was ranked last. Ai Ziyi was pregnant with a dragon seed, and although she was still a beauty, she was more respectable than the average concubine. The two of them walked forward side by side.