Although Qin Huaiqiu was quite curious about what had happened between Qin Huailian and the emperor, the current cold treatment from the emperor was exactly what he needed, so he couldn't be bothered to change the situation.
Moreover, he had his own secrets to hide, so he rarely inquired about the emperor's secrets.
"Let's hurry up," Sikong Ting said. "It's almost time."
Although Sikong Ting didn't like Qin Huaiqiu, he was a filial son and didn't want the empress dowager to wait because of him. Besides, seeing Qin Huaiqiu so frightened after just one threat made him feel better, so he didn't bother to continue pestering on this matter.
Relieved to have escaped the emperor's anger, Qin Huaiqiu let out a sigh of relief. Then he was immediately dressed in palace clothes by several maids. After that, he was seated in front of a dressing mirror. One maid applied makeup on him while another crushed several cardamom flowers, wrapped the petals in cloth, and ground some alum to prepare for nail - dyeing.
Although Qin Huaiqiu was the youngest son and intended to live a carefree and wealthy life in the future, he was from a military family and knew some martial arts, so there were calluses on his hands. Seeing that the maid was about to dye his nails, he was both disgusted and worried that others might notice something. He quickly refused, saying, "I don't want this."
The maid was startled and looked up at the emperor as if seeking his opinion.
Sikong Ting glanced at Qin Huaiqiu and said flatly, "If he doesn't want it, then forget it."
Only then did the maid put away the things and step back.
After all the grooming, the two finally arrived at the Ci'ning Palace where the empress dowager lived.
The customs in the border areas were bold and unrestrained. How could it be like the countless red - tape in the palace? Moreover, since Qin Huaiqiu was currently dressed as a woman, he was even more unfamiliar with the female etiquette. Inevitably, he felt a bit nervous and kept his head down all the way until they reached the main hall.
After what happened yesterday, Sikong Ting was certain that Qin Huaiqiu was just pretending, so he ignored him. When they arrived at the Ci'ning Palace, he stood in the front and bowed to the noble - looking woman sitting in the middle of the hall, saying,
"Your son pays respects to the empress dowager."
Naturally, Qin Huaiqiu followed suit. But since he wasn't used to the female etiquette, it took him a while before he managed to say,
"... Your servant pays respects to the empress dowager."
The empress dowager had been waiting for a long time. She had been extremely worried about Sikong Ting's hidden fear of women. Later, when she learned that Qin Huailian could cure her son's illness, she was overjoyed.
Although she knew the importance of propriety and didn't say the real reason out loud, she actually doted on Qin Huailian very much.
However, it seemed that her excessive doting before had made the girl unable to control her temper and had annoyed her son.
The empress dowager sitting on the upper seat had also noticed the coldness between the two. After all, she was just a mother, and she was afraid of saying something wrong. After hesitating for a while, it was not appropriate to say anything on the first day the imperial concubine De entered the palace. So she just pretended to be extremely happy and said,
"Ah! You're here."
"I've specially sent away the other concubines just to wait for you young couple. Lian'er, come quickly and let me take a look at you."
No wonder he hadn't seen the other concubines.
Qin Huaiqiu was completely confused.
He rarely saw the female relatives in the harem. Although he knew that the empress dowager doted on Huailian, he didn't know that it was to such an extent.
He couldn't figure it out and couldn't help but look up at the empress dowager.
The woman in the hall was dressed in luxurious clothes, exuding an air of grace and dignity. Although she was already the empress dowager, she was obviously well - maintained and didn't look old at all. For some reason, she made Qin Huaiqiu feel a strange sense of closeness.
"What are you standing there for? Come and sit down," the empress dowager said impatiently, pointing at a stool on one side.
Qin Huaiqiu quickly thanked her and walked forward to sit down with the emperor.
Only then did the empress dowager smile and hold Qin Huaiqiu's hand. Without looking at the emperor, she said kindly, "Lian'er, you've worked hard. You came so early today. Why didn't you rest more?"
Qin Huaiqiu didn't know how to answer. Finally, he could only say awkwardly,
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your servant is not tired."
After answering just one sentence, Qin Huaiqiu stopped talking. He lowered his head and looked at his hands on his knees, looking like a delicate and gentle young lady. Little did he know that he just knew the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes you make" and didn't dare to make up nonsense.
The empress dowager was really touched. Seeing Qin Huaiqiu acting so "gentle and virtuous", she couldn't help but turn to Sikong Ting, who was sitting beside her drinking tea, and said,
"Lian'er has just entered the palace. You should treat her well. If she has any difficulties, you should help her more. Do you understand?"
This made Qin Huaiqiu have a headache. He would rather the empress dowager not dote on him so much, but it was not good to disappoint the old lady's kindness. So he just lowered his head and acted like a decoration.
Little did he know that Sikong Ting, who was sitting there drinking tea with his head down, also had a headache. He just gave a vague grunt, showing no sincerity at all.
The empress dowager knew her son's bad temper and ignored him. She continued to hold Qin Huaiqiu's hand and chat about daily life, asking in detail about everything, such as whether life in the border areas was hard, whether he was used to life in the palace, and if there were any dietary taboos.
Qin Huaiqiu kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart. He just answered whatever the empress dowager asked and never said an extra word.
Looking at Qin Huaiqiu, the empress dowager seemed to see her future grandson. The more she looked, the more she liked him, and she couldn't help but hold his hand tightly.
The young master was struggling internally but didn't dare to pull his hand away at all. He let the majestic empress dowager hold his hand, but he didn't expect...
The empress dowager was stunned and suddenly said, "Oh, why do you have calluses on your hands?"
Qin Huaiqiu made up a story, saying, "Children in the border areas need to practice martial arts."
The empress dowager said happily, "That's good. The emperor also practices martial arts occasionally. You can ask him to accompany you more."
Qin Huaiqiu was already used to the empress dowager's way of always pulling him and the emperor into conversations. He just said, "If the emperor has time, he can accompany your servant."
They sat in the Ci'ning Palace for more than an hour. Only when the empress dowager was tired of chatting did she finally let them leave after several exhortations.
Qin Huaiqiu had never dealt with such things before. He felt that listening to the empress dowager's chatter was even more tiring than practicing martial arts at home.
Unexpectedly, when he turned his head, he saw Sikong Ting with a gloomy face and a hard - to - express look of suffering. The two looked at each other. Just as Qin Huaiqiu was about to shift his gaze, he heard:
"Humph!"
"Imperial Concubine De, don't forget my warning to you. Keep your mouth shut and don't say what you shouldn't."
From yesterday to today, Qin Huaiqiu had been exhausted. He was already very tired from dealing with the empress dowager just now. Now, being inexplicably scolded and warned, he suddenly felt wronged.
So he didn't say a word.
Sikong Ting frowned when he didn't get a response and emphasized again,
"Imperial Concubine De, did you hear me?"
"........"
"Imperial Concubine De!!"
"... Humph, didn't Your Majesty tell your servant not to talk?"
In the Qin family, he was also a young master who was highly regarded, so he was naturally proud. Now he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"What, has Your Majesty changed his mind?"