tallest building

Chapter 294 First Courtesy

Consort Hui was troubled for a long time. After much thought, she decided that she had to do something before leaving the palace.

So he discussed it with Granny Xia: "Judging from what you said, the two of them are not really together yet. In that case, why not try to be polite first and then take action?"

"What does Her Majesty mean by 'courtesy before force'?" asked Granny Xia.

“I think Wen Mingqian is well-educated and polite, and her son is a disciple of Master Zhuge. She can’t do anything too shameful,” Consort Hui said. “I’ll try to probe her indirectly first. If she is a person who knows her place and knows when to advance and retreat, then there will be no further developments.”

“Your Majesty is right. The common people say that if a woman doesn’t attract men, it’s hard for men to get close to her,” said Granny Xia. “As long as Wen Mingqian can hold her ground, the Prince Consort will not really do anything to her in the end.”

They felt that Wen Mingqian was different from the previous palace maid because Wen Mingqian had a higher status.

Dong Gang could have an affair with her, but he couldn't force her, because he had to be careful.

"Here's what we'll do! Go and invite her over later, and tell her I want to have a word with her," Consort Hui said. "Back then, Emperor Taizu of Song released his generals from their command over a cup of wine, and wasn't that a smooth and easy victory?"

Sure enough, that afternoon, Xia's mother came to Wen Mingqian's place.

Xiaoyue was quite surprised to see her arrive, but still greeted her with a smile, saying, "Granny Xia, you are a rare guest, please come in!"

Granny Xia smiled and said, "Is Lady Wen here? Our Lady sent me to invite her."

Wen Mingqian was doing needlework inside the room when he heard this and quickly got up to greet her: "So it's Granny Xia. Please have a seat. Xiaoyue, go and pour some tea."

"No need, no need, I can just stand here and say a few words." Granny Xia quickly stopped her. "Does Madam Wen have a moment to spare right now? Our lady would like to invite you over for a chat."

When Wen Mingqian heard her say this, he knew that Consort Hui wanted to see him.

Consort Hui is leaving the palace tomorrow, so why is she calling me now?
"I'm not busy right now, so I'll go with Granny." Wen Mingqian straightened his clothes, checking himself to see if there was anything inappropriate.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Please come with me, my lady." Xia Mama said as she walked out.

Wen Mingqian followed her to Consort Hui's palace. The inner room where Consort Hui was staying was quiet, and there wasn't even a servant by her side.

Granny Xia led her in and said, "Madam, please keep our lady company while I make tea."

Wen Mingqian greeted Consort Hui, who smiled and said, "Knowing you're a very busy person, I specially asked Granny Xia to come and invite you. Please sit down! Your residence isn't close to here!"

"I wonder what Your Majesty has summoned me for?" Wen Mingqian did not sit down. "How dare this servant sit opposite Your Majesty?"

“Don’t refer to yourself as a servant. You were never originally a servant in this palace. Although you are divorced, your status is still there. And with such an outstanding son, everyone in the palace, even the Empress, looks up to you. How could I not respect you?” Consort Hui looked at Wen Mingqian with a smile and said, “No wonder everyone values ​​you. You should also respect and cherish yourself!”

She emphasized the words "self-respect and self-love" very much. Wen Mingqian remained calm on the surface, but his heart stirred.

He said humbly, "Your Majesty's praise is too much; I am truly ashamed." "Oh dear, please sit down! I just wanted to talk to you; it's unbearable for you to stand like this." Consort Hui urged Wen Mingqian to sit down again.

Wen Mingqian could not refuse, so he asked to sit down, but instead of sitting in a chair, he chose a drum stool next to him and sat down at an angle.

Consort Hui felt much more at ease seeing that she spoke humbly and without overstepping any boundaries.

At this moment, Granny Xia brought over some tea, and Wen Mingqian quickly got up to accept it.

"Mingqian, I called you here today for two things. First, I want to thank you properly. You've helped me with so many things all the time. You always do your best, which is really great."

Although it was the Empress's order, you could have easily taken a break if you wanted. But you're so concerned about everything, and you always come to ask for my opinion.

"I've been saying for a long time that I should reward you properly," said Consort Hui.

“Your Majesty, please don’t say that. Serving the masters is my duty. If I do it poorly, I should be punished; if I do it well, it is my duty. There is nothing extraordinary about it. How can I accept Your Majesty’s reward? Besides, Your Majesty has already rewarded me with quite a few things.” Wen Mingqian stood up and replied.

"Sit down quickly," Consort Hui said. "Let me finish what I have to say. It's my idea to reward you. No one forced me to do so. Besides, I'm not someone who can't afford to reward you."

"Among all the women in the harem, besides the Empress, Your Highness holds the most esteemed position," Wen Mingqian said. "Your Highness is certainly worthy of such a reward, but I am deeply ashamed and feel unworthy of it."

"Alas, you know how lonely the harem is; it's truly rare to find two people who click. I took a liking to you the moment I saw you, but since you serve the Empress exclusively, I can't get too close." As she spoke, she had Granny Xia bring something up. "This is a string of diamond prayer beads, a total of one hundred and eight beads. I've heard that this is most suitable for those who worship Buddha. I don't use it on a daily basis, so it's just sitting here gathering dust."

I know you've been practicing asceticism for the past few years, so I imagine you'll find this useful.

Wen Mingqian looked at the diamond bracelet lying flat on the tray in Xia Mama's hands. It was clear and flawless, and each bead was as big as a fingertip. It was really rare and precious.

"Such an extraordinary treasure is truly beyond my ability to receive," Wen Mingqian said in a flustered manner. "Your Majesty, have I done something wrong?"

“You did nothing wrong, you’re perfectly fine. What’s the rush? I’m not going to eat you, sit down!” Consort Hui said in a gentle tone, “You think this thing is valuable because you value it, I don’t think it’s anything special.”

“Madam Wen, this is a token of our Empress’s goodwill. If you refuse it repeatedly, wouldn’t you be breaking her heart?” Granny Xia chimed in from the side.

Wen Mingqian knew that Consort Hui was determined to give him this gift today. If he didn't accept it, she wouldn't know what to say next, so he might as well accept it and see what her purpose was.

“Then…this servant will respectfully accept your offer and thank you deeply, Your Highness.” Wen Mingqian stood up and thanked you solemnly before accepting the string of golden beads.

Seeing that she had accepted the request, Consort Hui's brows relaxed even more, and she said, "That's the first thing. The second thing is that I want to ask you, how did you raise such a good son?"

"Oh dear, this child is actually quite mischievous. He's just a little bit clever, which is something he was born with," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

"Ah, I really envy you! You have such a good son." Consort Hui sighed. "He is so intelligent, handsome, and quick-witted."