Ciming Hall, this is the residence of the Queen Mother.

"Is your mother still in good health?"

As usual, Zhao Xu came to Ciming Hall after dinner to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Xiang.

"As an official, you are busy with government affairs, so you don't have to come to greet me every day!"

He said to the Queen Mother with a loving smile.

Her son died in infancy, so she regarded Zhao Xu as her own. It was her support that allowed Zhao Xu to be successfully established as the prince and inherit the throne.

"There have been a lot less things recently, especially since the Queen Mother wrote a letter to Brother Eleven before, and he has settled down. As long as he is here, I will feel relieved in the northwest."

Zhao Xu replied with a smile.

Last time Tong Guan told Zhao Xu the method Ning Fu came up with, Zhao Xu also immediately found the Queen Mother Xiang. Of course, the Queen Mother Xiang would not refuse, so he wrote a letter to Zhao Ji with full understanding of justice. Now Zhao Ji immediately became honest.

Come down and never mention coming back again.

"It's too late for me to be happy that I can share the worries of the official family!"

Queen Mother Xiang also laughed when she heard this, then pulled Zhao Xu to sit next to her, and asked about his physical condition.

Zhao Xu's body is much stronger than before, and there are many other things. Just from the look of his complexion, he is no longer as yellow and thin as before, his face has some color, and even the dark circles under his eyes are much lighter.

"Although the official's health has improved a lot, we still need to pay more attention and not act too hastily!"

The Queen Mother reminded Zhao Xu in a rather cryptic way.

"I know, don't worry, mother!"

Zhao Xu said with some shame that he had tried to persuade the Queen Mother before, but he wouldn't listen at all.

After chatting for a few words, Zhao Xu was about to stand up and say goodbye.

But at this moment, Queen Mother Xiang saw Tong Guan next to Zhao Xu, and immediately smiled again: "Guan, this Tong Guan next to you is a smart person. I may have to ask him to do things in the future!"

"My people are my mother's people, and my mother can send them wherever she wants!"

Zhao Xu laughed, but secretly wondered why the queen mother suddenly praised Tong Guan?

It was getting late, and Zhao Xu had to go to greet his biological mother, the Queen Mother Zhu, so he said goodbye and left.

After leaving Ciming Hall, Zhao Xu suddenly stopped, glanced at Tong Guan who was following him and asked: "The Queen Mother seems to value you very much?"

"Maybe I am more attentive to my work, so the Queen Mother will praise my servant!"

Tong Guan chuckled.

"Yeah?"

Zhao Xu was still a little doubtful. There were many eunuchs in the palace who were diligent in their work. Why didn't he see the Queen Mother praising others?

However, Zhao Xu didn't ask any more questions and went to the Empress Dowager Zhu's palace to say hello.

Empress Dowager Zhu originally only had the title of concubine, but with Zhao Xu's insistence, she finally got the title of empress dowager.

Empress Dowager Zhu was only in her early forties this year and was a little put on weight. She was very happy to see her son and pulled him to chat with him for a few words.

However, what Zhao Xu didn't expect was that Empress Dowager Zhu even praised Tong Guan when chatting with him. You know that Empress Dowager Zhu usually doesn't praise others easily.

In the end, Zhao Xu left with full of doubts. As soon as he returned to his palace, he saw a group of concubines from the harem waiting for him.

"Why are you all here?"

Zhao Xu looked at his group of concubines and couldn't help but asked in surprise.

"Please ask the officials to make the decision for us!"

As soon as the concubines in Wuxiangwu saw Zhao Xu, they immediately gathered around him with aggrieved faces, and then talked non-stop.

With so many women talking together, it was like thousands of ducks quacking. Zhao Xu couldn't hear what they were saying at all?

"Okay, let's talk one by one!"

Zhao Xu finally slapped the table and said, which frightened the concubines so much that they didn't dare to say anything.

"Guan Jia, please calm down. In fact, the sisters came to see Guan Jia because of this thing!"

The most favored Concubine Liu Xian stepped forward, took out a small porcelain vase from her sleeve and handed it to Zhao Xudao.

Zhao Xu deposed Empress Meng, and the queen position in the palace was vacant. However, according to rumors in the palace, Concubine Liu Xian was the most likely to succeed the queen, so of course Tong Guan wanted to curry favor with her.

"What is this?"

Zhao Xu took the perfume and asked with some confusion.

For this little bottle, let so many concubines in the palace come to find you?

"Let me demonstrate it to the officials!"

I saw Concubine Liu Xian taking the bottle again, opening the stopper, and smearing it on her wrist with the stick inside.

"Officials, please take a look!"

Concubine Liu Xian handed her wrist to Zhao Xu and said.

“It smells so good!”

Zhao Xu immediately felt the aroma, and then he was a little confused.

"This smell is so familiar. It feels like I've smelled it somewhere before?"

When Zhao Xu said this, his heart moved, and he immediately stretched out his hand to pull Tong Guan over, then lowered his head and smelled him a few times.

"Why do you have this kind of fragrance on your body, and the Queen Mother also seems to have this kind of fragrance?"

"For the record, this perfume was actually brought into the palace by slaves and given to the Queen Mother and the Concubines."

Tong Guan explained with a smile.

"No wonder the Queen Mother is praising you, it turns out it's because of this!"

Zhao Xu patted his head and finally understood what was going on.

"In the official family, Tong Douzhi only brought a few bottles of perfume. Except for the Queen Mother and Sister Liu, we didn't have any at all."

A beautiful woman named Zhang said with a complaining face.

This beauty Zhang had only been in the palace for half a year and was usually quite favored, so she dared to act coquettishly towards Zhao Xu.

"This is not easy to handle. Just ask Tong Guan to buy some more."

Zhao Xu pointed at Tong Guandao, feeling a little helpless at the same time. Why should he bother with such a trivial matter?

"this……"

Unexpectedly, Tong Guan showed a troubled expression.

"The officials don't know. I'm afraid even if you have money you can't buy this kind of perfume."

"What do you mean, is this perfume extremely rare?"

Zhao Xu asked in surprise when he heard this.

"For the record, this kind of perfume can only be sold at Huamei Restaurant in the capital, but..."

When Tong Guan said this, he showed hesitation again.

"But what?"

Zhao Xu asked impatiently.

"The officials should calm down. Originally, there is no need to alarm the officials for such a trivial matter. We were also prepared to spend our own money to buy perfume, but we didn't expect that Huamei Zhai would be closed down by Kaifeng Mansion!"

Before Tong Guan could answer, Concubine Liu Xian spoke first.

Tong Guan gave the perfume to the Queen Mother and her, which aroused the other concubines in the palace to be very greedy. They all sent people to ask Tong Guan about the origin of the perfume.

Tong Guan had no choice but to go to Ning Fu to inquire. Only then did he know that perfume was a specialty of Huamei Zhai, so he went to Huamei Zhai himself, but he did not expect that Huamei Zhai was closed by the Kaifeng government. Now

There was nothing he could do.

"Huamei Zhai has been closed? What's going on?"

Zhao Xu was also shocked when he heard this. He remembered that Huamei Zhai seemed to be related to Ning Fu, so why was it suddenly blocked?

"Guan family, I have heard some news. This matter seems to be related to Cai Fuyin!"
Chapter completed!