After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1089 Provocation
Haitang was sitting at the table, seemingly admiring the competition and performance of the most outstanding ladies with everyone else, but in fact her attention was always on Empress Dowager Xu.

She observed Empress Dowager Xu as inconspicuously as possible, trying to find out her true temperament and character.

Thanks to the fact that she had lived for several lifetimes, she had a vague idea of ​​Empress Dowager Xu's personal background and roughly knew the preferences of this noble lady.

The most obvious point is that Empress Dowager Xu probably doesn't like those talented ladies who perform well in front of others. She probably thinks they are too ostentatious, love to be the first, and love to be in the spotlight. Although she seems to be smiling and looking at everyone lovingly, in fact, she doesn't like it at all. When the ladies performed brilliantly, her eyes were actually empty and she was looking in other directions...

Haitang knew what was going on. She didn't show any strange expression, and watched the performance with a smile along with everyone else. She made appropriate remarks at the right time, applauded when necessary, and smiled and greeted other guests at the table when necessary. She was neither too outstanding nor too low-key, and naturally blended in with all the ladies.

This flower-viewing banquet ended with the daughter of the Feng family winning the first prize in poetry and the daughter of the Lu family winning the first prize in both zither and flute. Feng and Lu have been fighting overtly and covertly since they were young, always vying for the title of the most talented woman in the capital. Today, in front of the empress dowager, they tied again. They were both given marriages to royal families, and their fiancés were both legitimate princes. They would become sisters-in-law in the future, and it is estimated that they will continue to be equal. It is unknown when the competition will come to a conclusion.

Although both of them were somewhat unwilling, the Queen Mother was kind and tolerant, and gave them each a prize. The other ladies present at the party also received rewards. They were not fools, so they naturally knew when to stop, so they all bowed down to express their gratitude, and planned to find another opportunity to compete next time, and they must step on the other party.

When the banquet ended, it was already past noon. The Empress Dowager specially sent a female official to take Miss Zhou Xuejun and Miss Wu Qiong away. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and there will be a small banquet in the palace, as well as a lantern festival. The Empress Dowager wants to keep the two young people in the Cining Palace for two days to enjoy the lanterns together.

Zhou and Wu probably knew about this beforehand, so they were not surprised. They bowed to Queen Mother Xu and left. Queen Mother Xu still smiled kindly and sent her trusted maid to accompany the two guests. It was obvious that she was very satisfied with the two future daughters-in-law.

After Zhou and Wu left, the ladies all said goodbye and left. Haitang had been among them, not conspicuous at all, but before she left the palace, Empress Dowager Xu's trusted palace maid came over and whispered, "Miss Hai, please stay. The Empress Dowager wants to see you."

Haitang had no choice but to stay where she was, and said goodbye to Zhang Yingfeng with a smile. Zhang Yingfeng smiled and just turned around, but before she took two steps, Concubine Zhang Gong arrived: "Yingfeng, it's good that you haven't left yet. I have something for your sister, please help take it back."

Zhang Yingfeng looked at the brocade box held by the palace servant behind Concubine Zhang Gong and lowered her eyes: "Yes, Concubine Dowager."

Concubine Zhang Gong lived in a side hall in the backyard of Shoukang Palace. It only took her a few steps to get to the front hall. However, she had not shown up during the flower viewing banquet, but now she showed up. The other ladies who attended the banquet had already left under the guidance of the palace servants. Only Haitang and Zhang Yingfeng were left in front of the hall. The latter kept her eyebrows lowered and stood aside. Although Haitang was in a similar posture, she had a bad premonition in her heart and always suspected that Concubine Zhang Gong was going to make trouble. Otherwise, if she wanted to ask her niece to help take some things back to her parents' home, she only needed to send a maid to pass the message, just like Empress Dowager Xu also ordered the palace servants to pass the message to Haitang and asked her to stay. Concubine Zhang Gong came in person. Does this make sense? It's not like she doesn't have palace maids to order around her!
Just as Haitang was thinking of this, she heard Concubine Zhang Gong speak: "This is Miss Hai, right? The one who is engaged to the son of Jin. I heard that your grandfather was a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue? I never thought that the Empress Dowager loved her nephew so much that she would marry him to a wife of such an ordinary family."

Zhang Yingfeng looked up at her aunt in surprise.

Haitang was very calm: "In reply to Your Majesty, the Dowager Concubine, my marriage with Young Master Jin was granted by the late Emperor's will, not by the Empress Dowager." So, Your Majesty, do you have any objection to this marriage? Do you think that the late Emperor's will is inappropriate?

After all, Concubine Zhang Gong was a daughter of the royal family and had lived in the palace for decades. She immediately realized that she had said something wrong. She coughed and tried to cover it up: "Given the late emperor's love for the empress dowager, if the empress dowager wanted to marry a noble lady for her nephew, the late emperor would not have refused. That's why I feel confused."

Haitang still had a calm expression: "The late emperor issued an edict to grant the marriage, and he had his reasons." Did Concubine Zhang Gong want to question the late emperor's thoughts, or did she want to say that the late emperor was not that fond of the empress dowager?
No matter which statement is true, it is fatal to the current Concubine Zhang Gong, so she naturally dare not answer this question. She pulled a long face and couldn't help but glared at Haitang: "Miss Hai is a sharp-tongued person, no wonder the son of the Jin family is so attracted to you! Even if Miss Hai does not have a good family background, as long as the son of the Jin family protects her, what can the Queen Mother say? She will naturally protect you everywhere. Your family background is ordinary, but now you have the care of the Queen Mother, your grandfather and brothers have a good future, what else do you have to worry about in the future? Even your relatives who are from the Eighth Route Army, who have obviously lost their reputation, can be rewarded by the Queen Mother because of their relationship with you. Such honor and favor is unheard of! Miss Hai must be careful in what she says and does, and don't let the Queen Mother down!"

Zhang Yingfeng could no longer conceal the surprise on her face. She really couldn't understand why Concubine Zhang Gong wanted to hold on to the daughter of the Hai family today? Whether it was the Hai family or Jin Jiashu, who had offended Concubine Zhang Gong? ! The latter acted like this, and acted like this in front of the main hall of Shoukang Palace. Isn't this obviously a slap in the face of the empress dowager? !

Is the Queen Mother crazy?! The Zhang family still has to look at the face of the palace! The princess and her husband also have to rely on the grace of the new emperor! Why is she provoking the Queen Mother at this time?!

Even Haitang, who had been very calm, couldn't help but look up at Concubine Zhang Gong and said, "Please tell me clearly, the relatives of my ministers who have lost their reputation when you mentioned them, are you referring to my aunt in the eldest branch of my family?"

"If it's not her, then who is it?!" Concubine Zhang Gong snorted coldly, "I don't care about what's righteous or not. A widow is restless and shamelessly remarries someone else, and then divorces her second husband's family. What kind of decent woman can do such a thing?! If it were in our Zhang family, such a person should have died to atone for her crime! We are the descendants of the family, and we have always attached great importance to reputation. It is impossible for our daughter to remain a widow and remarry!" She glanced at Haitang, then looked towards the main hall, "The Queen Mother treats such a person so well. If you say it's because of your nephew's wife's family, it's too much. I don't know if there is any special reason..."

Haitang couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, wondering if Concubine Zhang Gong had noticed something?
The late emperor had already made a final decision, and only a few months had passed, and already someone wanted to overturn the verdict?