“I don’t know why Empress Dowager said this?” Duke of Mu was confused.
Empress Dowager no longer played the charade, “Has my granddaughter returned to the mansion of Duke Mu?”
“Empress Dowager, please forgive me. It was for my incompetence that the county master has not been restored!” Duke of Mu knelt down as soon as Empress Dowager mentioned this matter.
But he couldn’t help thinking how could Empress Dowager know while he did it so reconditely?
Empress Dowager sighed, “I know it, Duke of Mu, stand up, please. This child probably couldn’t accept it immediately.”
“I am terrified. Originally, I was going to inform Empress Dowager of the matter about the county governor. However, after much deliberation, I decided to do it after everything is settled, so that Empress Dowager would not worry about it,” Mu explained.
Hearing Duke of Mu say this, Empress Dowager’s tone was also slightly gentler, “Okay, stand up, I didn’t mean to blame you.”
Then she asked Duke of Mu, “Duke of Mu, do you know what is the infanta doing in Jing City now?”
“Empress Dowager, although the infanta would not go back now, I still keep knowing what the infanta is doing. These days, she opened another shop in Jing City and only made some outlandish dresses.” Speaking of this, Duke of Mu couldn’t help frowning. It was apparent that he was unsatisfied with Yang Zijin’s doing business.
Outlandish dresses? After hearing Duke of Mu’s words, Empress Dowager couldn’t help thinking that the clothes Pingting wore before were designed by her granddaughter Yang Zijin?
Thinking of this, she wanted to see her granddaughter more and more, so she asked Duke of Mu, “Then, in your opinion, when could you let me see my granddaughter?”
“Empress Dowager, the infanta is quite obstinate. I’m afraid that I can hardly convince her to return to the mansion in a short time. But I will let her meet you once the infanta returns to the palace.” Duke of Mu said busy.
Hearing this, Empress Dowager was very disappointed, and she couldn’t help pulling a long face.
“Yes, I am withdrawing.” Duke of Mu said and walked out.
The birthday was held in the Royal Garden, and the scene was very grand.
The party was divided into many areas, such as music, dancing, performing, Chushi Youtian knew that Empress Dowager liked to watch opera, so he let the best opera team in Jing City enter the palace to celebrate her birthday.
There are also banquet tables everywhere, filled with fruits and snacks. Some of the ladies and concubines got together to talk about clothes and household stuff.
Getting out of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, Empress Dowager looked unhappy.
Seeing this, Chushi Youtian asked the people following Empress Dowager, but they didn’t even know why.
He had to give up! Then he told Eunuch Li to tell the troupe that they could start.
After having bid, Chushi Youtian walked to Empress Dowager, “Mother, the opera is going to start. Please follow me to go to the front to watch it.”
Empress Dowager nodded and followed Chushi Youtian to sit down in the front.
The opera was “Prosperity Brought by the Dragon and the Phoenix.”
When the opera was halfway, Chushi Youtian looked at Empress Dowager ‘s face and found that it was relaxed a lot. He felt relieved.
While watching the opera, the palace people withdrew the leftover snacks and fruits from the banquet tables, brought up the alcohols and dishes, and wrote down the seats of each official and lady in order.
After the opera, the luncheon officially started!
Everyone stood in their place, waiting for Empress Dowager to take her seat.
Empress Dowager walked to the central position and said, “I am very happy today. Then, make yourselves at home, and help yourselves.”
She didn’t take a seat until she finished her speech.
Half of the banquet time was over, officials got up one after another and drank a toast to Empress Dowager, saying auspicious words.
Only one person left the seat quietly and walked out. Nobody had noticed…
After the banquet, Chushi Youtian let the Crown Prince and the third prince end it up.
Then, he accompanied Empress Dowager and returned to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
In previous years, Empress Dowager counted the birthday gifts by herself, and then let the servants put them into the treasury.
Seeing Empress Dowager’s face was not good today, Chushi Youtian was going to count them with Empress Dowager this year, and Empress Dowager agreed.
Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
“Mother, are you happy today?” Chushi Tianyou asked.
Empress Dowager smiled, “With your filial piety, I am surely happy.”
“If you feel tired, you can go to rest first, and you can let me count the gifts. I will show you after I have them all counted,” Chushi Tianyou asked apprehensively.
Empress Dowager said, “It’s okay for me. It’s not late yet. I don’t want to have a rest yet. I will just sit aside and listen.”
“As long as you are happy, I will listen to you.” Chushi Tianyou also smiled.
Then he ordered Eunuch Liu next to Empress Dowager and asked him and Eunuch Li to count the gifts.
Eunuch Liu was responsible for recording the gifts, while Eunuch Li was responsible for reading aloud.
It’s only heard that…
“Mansion of Prime Minister presented a legendary luminous pearl.”
“Mansion of Minister presented a pair of jade Ruyi.”
“Mansion of Duke Mu presented a famous painting.”
“The ceremonial master presented….”
When Eunuch Li read the gift from the ceremonial master, he saw a big hole in the clothes. Suddenly, He didn’t know what to do.
Seeing Eunuch Li stop reading, Chushi Youtian asked, “Why not continue reading?”
“Your…Your Majesty, there is something wrong with the gift from the ceremonial master.” Eunuch Li said meekly.
Chushi Youtian frowned and said, “What’s the problem? Show it to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Then, Eunuch Li presented the dress with holes on it to Empress Dowager and Chushi Youtian.
Chushi Youtian’s face was distorted with fury after seeing it! “Absurd! How dare they present the incomplete clothing on Empress Dowager’s birthday? Call the ceremonial master for me!”
“Yes, I will call him now.” Then, Eunuch Li retreated immediately.
Empress Dowager beside him saw this, “You don’t need to be angry! I think the ceremonial master was not doing so on purpose.”
“Mother, you are too merciful. Such a thing happened on your birthday. I will never forgive them!” Chushi Youtian was getting much angrier now!
On the way, the ceremonial master and his wife asked Eunuch Li why the emperor called them in suddenly? Eunuch Li responded that it was for the gift.
The ceremonial master looked at his wife. The preparation of the gift was completely left to his wife. He even asked her at the luncheon what kind of congratulations she had prepared. His wife replied with a smile that Empress Dowager was very happy to see it.
How come they were called in for the matter of the gift? His wife shook her head to express that she had no idea.
She felt puzzled, too. When Empress Dowager saw it in the morning, she did nod and praise it. What happened on earth in such a short time?
Seeing that the ceremonial master and his wife arrived, Chushi Youtian was furious, “The ceremonial master couple, do you know that you are guilty?”
“We do not know?” The couple knelt down immediately for seeing this.
Hearing the ceremonial master’s answer, Chushi Youtian threw the dress that they presented hard in front of them, “You don’t know? Look at it yourselves!”
“How could this be?” The ceremonial master turned to his wife.
His wife hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, please forgive my sin. I do not know why there is a hole in this dress. It was fine in the morning when I brought it here.”
“According to your words, is it possible that I have played a trick?” Chushi Youtian stared at the ceremonial master’s wife.
Seeing the emperor question her in this way, his wife was so scared that she was frozen.
The ceremonial master said immediately, “According to my perception of my wife, she can’t do it. Maybe it was done by the tailor?”
“Tailor? Which tailor did it? And tell me all about it,” Empress Dowager said.
The ceremonial master touched his wife with his hand, only then did she react and said, “Empress Dowager, it is a clothing store recently opened in Jing City.”
“What is the name of the owner of this shop? Do you know?” Empress Dowager continued asking.
The wife of the ceremonial master thought for a while. She remembered that it was the wife of the minister who accompanied her to go there, and someone called him boss Yang when she ordered this dress, “Empress Dowager, the shop owner’s surname is Yang, but I don’t know what is his name?”
“Is the shop owner surnamed Yang? Remember when Shuo Ling told me that the name of the infanta is Yang Zijin now. Today, again, Duke of Mu said the girl started bizarre clothes business in Jing City. Could the owner be my granddaughter Yang Zijin?” thought Empress Dowager.
“Somebody is coming! Go and call in the boss and the tailors of this shop for me. How dare they play tricks on the gift for Empress Dowager’s birthday,” Chushi Youtian said while Empress Dowager was still thinking.
Empress Dowager walked to Chushi Youtian and took his hand, “Calm down. Don’t pursue this matter further today. Since I am tired, let the counting job end today!”
“It was me who was not considerate. Ceremonial master, you and your wife could also leave now. If it was really the tailor of the shop who did this, I would not forgive them in the future!” Hearing Empress Dowager said so, Chushi Youtian also thought that he was not considerate enough. He shouldn’t get into a big fight on the birthday of Empress Dowager.
After the emperor left, Empress Dowager instructed Eunuch Liu to leave the palace quietly to find Yang Zijin. She had to figure out the origin of the problem. Otherwise, Chushi Youtian would not let it go because of his character.
After the order was given, Eunuch Liu disguised himself, left the palace, and walked toward the mansion of Marquis.
It was already late. Yang Zijin had just returned from the Blossoming Peach to the mansion of Marquis. Before she sat down, Jiang Wei came and said. “Young Master, there is a man from the palace outside looking for you, He said there is something urgent for you.”
“A man from the palace? Has he told you what he comes for?” Yang Zijin felt puzzled because she didn’t know anyone in the palace!
Jiang Wei said, “I have asked, but this person did not say anything. He said that he wanted to tell you in person, and he was very anxious.”
“Got it. I’ll go out and have a look.” Then, Yang Zijin walked towards the gate of the mansion.
Seeing a person pacing back and forth at the door, Yang Zijin walked over and asked, “What may I do for you?”
“You are Yang Zijin?” Eunuch Liu asked.
“Is this person an eunuch,” thought Yang Zijin. After a second, Yang Zijin nodded.
Eunuch Liu quickly whispered to Yang Zijin, “Infanta, could we talk somewhere else?”
Yang Zijin was shocked by being called infanta. The eunuch in front of her actually knew her identity. She decided to figure out what is going on first. So, she stepped aside.
“I am the servant of Empress Dowager. Today, someone presented the clothes made by you as a birthday gift to Empress Dowager. There was somehow a hole in the clothes. This matter was known by the emperor. He wanted to call in you. But fortunately, Empress Dowager kept it under a lid. Empress Dowager then ordered me to call you into the palace to know the causes!” Eunuch Liu explained to Yang Zijin.