Chapter 118: Harem Card Hall

When I entered the house, I was shocked by the smoke that made it impossible to even see people clearly.

The eldest princess introduced her in a hoarse voice: "This is Concubine Li, the most beautiful woman in Beijiang!"

"Hey, Xiaoyue, bring your friends to play?" Concubine Li had just won ten taels of silver and was smiling from ear to ear.

"This is Concubine Yan!"

The eldest princess introduced her to this lady and that lady. Some of them were smoking pipes, some had their feet on the stools beside them, and some had silver bills stuck in their hair!

Although they are all beautiful women, they are also easy to get along with.

No one cared about Hu Xiner's identity as a village girl, and greeted her with a smile.

No matter whether she wins or loses money, a beauty can be happy or angry, and her every frown and smile is full of charm.

Whether gentle and quiet or lively and cheerful, it can be reflected in just a few short sentences.

But after saying hello, he turned around and shouted at the top of his voice: "Hurry up and play your cards!"

Hu Xiner saw with her own eyes that Lady An, who spoke softly, turned around and started cursing her mother fiercely.

The reason was that Concubine Zhang fired a shot at the enemy.

After walking out of the house, Hu Xiner couldn't recover for a long time.

She found a pavilion to sit in. If it weren't for the concubines' beauty, she would have felt that what she had just entered might be a mahjong parlor in the urban-rural fringe area in the 1980s.

"How about it, woman? Are you satisfied with what you see?" The eldest princess ordered a few plates of snacks and asked while eating.

Hu Xin'er shook her head: "I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out."

The filter of the harem was shattered overnight.

The eldest princess explained, "It's okay. They are all very nice people. They just have nothing to do in the harem, so they play cards to relieve their boredom!"

Hu Xin'er had an indescribable expression on her face. "Could it be that they're using this card game as an opportunity to determine which faction owns which territory and property in the palace?"

This was the only relatively high-end explanation she could think of, but even so.

These also seem like the measures and methods that only underworld organizations would take!

The eldest princess almost spit out the water in her mouth: "You think too much!"

"But aren't the women in the harem all racking their brains every day, thinking about how to win favor, have children, and engage in palace fighting? What's going on with this scene that's strangely harmonious amidst the noise?" Hu Xin'er lay pitifully on the table.

What she wants to see is a truly high-end showdown between beauties!

"What you are talking about is something from the previous dynasty!" said the eldest princess with a smile.

It turned out that the current emperor was in power, the world was peaceful, and the harem was naturally peaceful as well. The concubines not only did not intrigue against each other, but were very close to each other.

"Is that so?" Hu Xin'er said slowly, "Am I really that superficial?"

"The most important thing is that the position of the crown prince was decided a long time ago. My father is devoted to practicing Taoism, but he is always very dedicated when he attends court. He doesn't have many worldly desires." The eldest princess crunched the biscuits.

Since there is no room for doubt about the most important throne, and the emperor can pacify the world with his own skills, there is no need to rely on the power of the harem.

Unlike the TV dramas Hu Xiner had watched before, the emperor in those dramas had to consider many things before deciding which concubine to favor.

In the first few years, the concubines in the harem were not used to it and were scheming against each other every day, and as a result, they were severely punished by the emperor.

Later they learned their lesson and began to practice music, chess, calligraphy and painting, trying to use various talents to keep the emperor.

Some concubines even took a different approach and learned alchemy and the Tao Te Ching.

The emperor remained indifferent.

Later... the queen began to invite the concubines to her palace to play cards every day...

The source of all evil began here. After enjoying the pleasure of playing cards, the concubines were immersed in this alternative intrigue every day.

They no longer cared about the heartless emperor and no longer pinned their happiness on empty love and men.

"You know that Concubine Li just now?" the eldest princess said, cracking melon seeds. "She used to be a major force in palace fighting, and later she practiced dice."

In the past, every time the emperor visited her palace, she would display her 18 skills, mastering all kinds of musical instruments and singing, and she also paid attention to body management.

Later, he practiced dice rolling hard and left the emperor aside.

"And there's Concubine An, who was good at dancing on her palms before she entered the palace. A minister even impeached her as Zhao Feiyan!" The eldest princess knew all about this, and it was obvious that she often heard such gossip.

And this kind of gossip is no secret in the palace.

"Wow!" Hu Xin'er was excited. This was the palace secret she wanted to hear. "So what?"

This is the aristocratic life she wants to witness!

Concubine An used to dance all over the capital, and after coming to the palace, she never slacked off.

She rehearses a dance troupe whenever she has nothing to do, and can be called the leader of the harem art troupe.

"Later, she promoted her senior palace maids to dance rehearsals, but they also became more interested in playing cards, so their palace became an underground card parlor."

Everyone went to her palace to play cards under the pretext of practicing and appreciating dance.

This relationship goes back and forth. Today you are the banker for me, and tomorrow I will give you the game. Isn't this how we get along?

As she spoke, the princess dismissed the servants around her, pulled Hu Xin'er over, and asked mysteriously, "Do you know why my father specially sent Erdong to protect Mu Qing?"

"Why?" Hu Xin'er really didn't know, "Because Mu Qing's father played cards with him?"

"What are you thinking about?" The eldest princess said angrily, "You are not smart at all!"

Hu Xin'er silently covered her ears: "Humph, I won't listen anymore."

The eldest princess took her hand away forcefully: "I don't care what you think, I care what I think!"

"Okay, then what is the reason?" Hu Xiner was just talking about it, she was still very curious.

"It's because my father wants to abdicate!" The eldest princess uttered a thunderous statement. "He wants to secretly go on a trip without telling us!"

Hu Xiner was embarrassed.

"But he's also worried that the Crown Prince's lack of experience might prevent him from gaining the support of the people. He wants to find someone to assist the Crown Prince!" The Princess deliberately kept the conversation a secret. "And that person is..."

"Could it be Mu Qing?" Hu Xiner hesitated.

She originally thought that the relationship between the prince and the emperor was not good, otherwise why would everyone suspect the prince when something happened?

Moreover, in history, the relationship between the crown prince and the emperor was rarely harmonious.

How does one go about it? A qualified emperor must abandon all weaknesses.

Isn't that how all the bloody and sadistic romances of old were written? Before becoming emperor, the prince had to overcome his emotional problems and kill his wife to prove his truth!

But he never expected that not only did the father and son have a harmonious relationship, but Mu Qing was also related to them!

"You guessed right! Mu Qing is the best candidate, but he was adamantly unwilling to do so before, so the emperor had no choice but to secretly send Erdong to protect him and persuade him at the same time."