Kunning Palace Main Hall

Hesheli Fangyi sat half-reclined on the couch, leaning against a sewn soft pillow, covering her lips with one hand, laughing happily.

Hahahaha, even Consort Ma Jia has gotten herself into this situation. Let her flaunt her son who is always sick with the prince. Humph.

"Your Majesty, Consort Ma Jia is now hiding in Zhongcui Palace and won't even show her face. It seems that the humiliation she suffered in Qianqing Palace last night has really upset her."

As the maid Tan Yun spoke, she also took the time to describe to Hesheli Fangyi the rumors that were now spreading throughout the palace.

There are no real secrets in the harem. No sooner had Consort Ma Jia fallen from grace than the news spread throughout the entire harem, making her the laughingstock of everyone.

"It's good to teach her a lesson, otherwise she'll really think she's superior just because she gave birth to a prince."

Hesheli Fangyi raised her beautiful eyes slightly, exuding a heroic aura.

Especially since Hesheli Fangyi was in a good mood today, she simply wore a crimson cheongsam. The bright red color, combined with the sunlight streaming in from the window, made her look noble and beautiful.

Although the qipao was simple and lacked common accessories such as gold thread and jade, Hesheli Fangyi put a lot of effort into her jewelry and headdress.

Each hairpin, gilded and inlaid with gemstones, dangles with pearl tassels, and large pearls adorn the earlobes, gleaming and exuding an air of nobility.

"This servant greets Your Highness."

Granny Su held a stack of rosters in her hands and respectfully bowed to Hesheli Fangyi.

"Granny, get up quickly!"

Hesheli Fangyi was in a good mood, and her voice was much softer than before, which was quite pleasant to listen to.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department has already compiled the list of candidates for the second round of selection."

As she spoke, Granny Su stepped forward and handed the roster she was holding to Hesheli Fangyi.

Upon hearing this, Hesheli Fangyi's expression changed, and her gaze swept lightly over the list that had been sent to her side.

He reached out and casually flipped through the list. "Are all the ladies-in-waiting on this list confirmed to participate in the palace selection?" His voice carried a hint of coldness. "They came very quickly. The ladies-in-waiting haven't even all left the palace yet, but the list has already been released."

Granny Su bowed her head and replied, "These servants from the Imperial Household Department are very good at reading people's expressions. They would never let the masters of the harem wait any longer."

The roster was divided into three banners: Manchu, Mongol, and Han. At the top were the women from the Upper Three Manchu Banners, followed by the Lower Five Manchu Banners, the Eight Mongol Banners, and the Eight Han Banners.

The roster was quite thick, and naturally contained a considerable number of women selected for the imperial concubine examination.

Among them, the most important were the Upper Three Banners of Manchuria, because the Upper Three Banners were mostly composed of prominent Manchu families and powerful clans. Whether they entered the palace as concubines, married into the imperial family, or formed alliances with powerful officials, the probability was very high.

Empress Hesheli Fangyi came from a very high social standing; otherwise, she would not have been able to defeat Consort Shu, Niohuru, and ascend to the throne of Empress.

Her mood suddenly soured, and Hesheli Fangyi's eyes darkened as she looked at the rows of names of the selected women.

Honestly, any normal woman would be very unhappy about a talent show.

What is this thick register? It's a list of her husband's concubines, and even Hesheli Fangyi couldn't say how many of them were after her for the empress's position.

"Have the roster been sent to both the Cining Palace and the Qianqing Palace?"

Her words were spoken calmly, but anyone could hear the dissatisfaction in Hesheli Fangyi's voice.

Granny Su nodded, "It has already been delivered."

Snap—

"Take it away. This selection of concubines is not my responsibility. Only the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will attend the palace selection."

If that's the case, what's the point of her getting angry here? The Emperor can't possibly refuse to select these beautiful young women.

“Your Majesty, you are the Empress, the mistress of the harem,” Su Mama stepped forward to support Hesheli Fangyi, her words of noble authority flowing freely, “No matter what they do, they cannot threaten your position.”

Hesheli Fangyi smiled bitterly, "Many ants can kill an elephant, let alone the fact that they are ambitious to begin with."

Two fists can't fight four hands. Hesheli Fangyi was confident in herself, but unfortunately, the others were not weak either.

It's no wonder that Hesheli Fangyi gets nervous and flustered every time she participates in a talent show. She has a rival who has given birth to a son out of wedlock, and a newcomer who is coming on strong. To make matters worse, she doesn't have a legitimate son yet. It's no exaggeration to say that she's sitting on pins and needles.

The predicament faced by Hesheli Fangyi cannot be resolved overnight. If she does not break the deadlock soon (by having a legitimate son), and the imperial concubine selection process continues, she will truly face a desperate situation.

...

Outside the palace, the residence of the Hittara clan

As soon as it was light, Lady Fucha got up early and dressed.

"Madam, the princess's carriage will probably not leave the palace until 9 AM. You went to bed late last night and got up early today," the maidservant said with a troubled expression, afraid that her mistress might have a headache or something, turning a joyous occasion into a bad one.

“I’m fine. Xiuning has been gone for more than half a month. I’m so worried about her since I haven’t seen her.”

Fucha couldn't help but clench her fists, her eyes constantly darting outside, even though she knew Xiuning wouldn't be back so soon.

The maid deeply sympathized with her mistress's worries, after all, the selection of the princess was related to the fate of the entire family, as evidenced by the number of visits within the clan in the past two days.

"Fortunately, no bad news came out during this period, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been even more unable to sleep."

So-and-so's daughter has been sent back to the capital, so-and-so's daughter has suddenly fallen ill... These days, almost every prominent family in the capital is facing its own difficulties.

Seeing this, the maid quickly brought a cup of tea and handed it to her mistress, saying, "Your Highness is clever and won't be fooled."

Upon hearing this, Lady Fucha's lips curled slightly. "Her? She's just clever in a petty way." She said this, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She slowly sipped the warm tea in her hand, and when the time came, she immediately led her people to the main gate.

With Xitala Debao not at home, Fucha was too lazy to pretend to be harmonious with her wives and concubines. She simply told her concubines to stay in the courtyard and not come out. Fucha was left alone, gazing longingly at the long street in the distance.

Soon, a carriage bearing the Xitala sign came into Fucha's view.

"They're back! They're back!"

Lady Fucha breathed a sigh of relief, her hand holding the maid's trembling slightly, showing how nervous she had been for a moment.

The carriage came to a stop at the door, and Xiuning calmly stepped out of the carriage.

Mother

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Fucha reached out and grabbed Xiuning's wrist, her eyes unconsciously glistening with tears.

The mother and daughter didn't linger at the entrance to catch up, but instead went straight to the main courtyard.

Of course, the many packages that Xiuning brought back were sent to her courtyard by servants arranged by Madam Fucha.

"Xiuning, you've suffered these past few days."

Sitting on the couch in the main courtyard, Empress Fucha felt both heartache and sadness when she saw Xiuning's face, which had become noticeably thinner. It had only been half a month, but Xiuning would soon be a permanent resident of the harem.