Chapter Nine

The imperial relatives, high-ranking officials, and their wives and children sat in the main hall for quite a while without any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, they chatted happily with their colleagues sitting next to them.

Once everyone had arrived and the princes had entered, the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor arrived late. Their announcement of "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager has arrived!" silenced everyone's chatter.

One by one, the voices of people rising and bowing, saying "Greetings, Your Majesty," "Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager," and "Greetings, Empress Dowager," rang out, as if they had been trained and were perfectly in sync.

Oh... no, it seems they really did train each other. Back in Chuxiu Palace, didn't the matron train all those young ladies together?

As a first-rank official, with many other members of the imperial family ahead of them, the Fucha family's position was not very high. The food on the table had long been covered with a layer of frost-like oil due to the winter cold, making it unappetizing to look at.

Besides, this was the women's area, so there weren't any good-looking young men to see. Chen Jialuo dismissed the voices of the other princesses as just perfunctory responses from her colleagues.

She also gleaned a lot of gossip from their conversation, and being a gossip herself, she couldn't help but chat a bit more, creating a rather pleasant atmosphere.

After the banquet—well, it wasn't really a banquet, by today's standards it was only a little past five o'clock, but it gets dark quickly in winter, and two princesses felt the atmosphere was rather stuffy and wanted to invite her to go for a walk together.

Chen Jialuo: Do ​​you really think I'm that stupid? What time is it? Where am I? Feeling bored? Going out for a walk? Do you want to be thrown into the lake again?

She glanced at the two princesses who had extended the invitation, one a Yehenara princess and the other a Hesheli princess... Hmm, so, she didn't like her at all.

"No need. I actually think the atmosphere in the main hall is quite nice; I just like a lively atmosphere." She's still a candidate to become the Crown Princess, so she has to be careful what she says, lest people think she dislikes the palace.

The Golden Festival banquet proceeded without incident, unlike the dramatic events depicted in TV dramas where legitimate daughters of concubines attend banquets only to be murdered and lose their innocence.

Chen Jialuo: Perhaps, I am not the female lead?

In short, Chen Jialuo felt that apart from being cold, she had gained some experience. With so many people and such a lively atmosphere, their conversations were not as high and mighty as she had imagined. They were just like the usual topics of conversation that girlfriends would have when they were having a meal together at a milk tea shop. They also liked to gossip and occasionally mentioned some embarrassing things that some of the princesses who were not present had done.

Very well, now she's a woman who's attended state banquets, how arrogant.jpg

Then, I received a summons from the Empress Dowager Cining Palace, not today, but the next day.

Fucha Fujin breathed a sigh of relief that nothing happened tonight, as she was afraid that someone would take advantage of her status to harm her daughter, since the position of Crown Princess was still a coveted prize.

That makes sense. After all, this is the annual Golden Award Festival, and it's taking place in the Imperial Palace with the Emperor and Empress Dowager in charge. Who would dare to make a move?

When the Empress Dowager summoned her, Consort Fucha was even more concerned than Jialuo. She came to her bedroom door early to wake her up, and Xiaoqing insisted that her makeup be elegant and dignified. Because of her request, Xiaoqing applied thicker makeup.

The clothes were also chosen by Consort Fucha. After washing up, changing, and putting on makeup, she carefully examined the clothes and nodded after confirming that there were no mistakes. Very good. She did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes.

"Do your best!" As Jialuo left for the carriage, Consort Fucha encouraged her daughter with great enthusiasm. In her eyes, her daughter was perfect in every way. She had even been taken back to the Uya family for a period of time to be taught, and her skills and cunning had caught up. Although she was still a bit silly at times, she was absolutely worthy of being the Crown Princess!

The winter morning was still quite cold. I was wearing a thick, fluffy coat with a snow-white cloak over it, holding a hand warmer in my hands, and wearing exquisite flowerpot-shaped high-soled shoes. Unlike yesterday when I put them down at the palace gate, I got off the carriage on the road leading to the inner palace after entering the palace.

Accompanied by her capable assistant Xiaoqing, she headed towards Cining Palace. As she walked towards Cining Palace, Crown Prince Yinreng of Yuqing Palace also received a summons from the Empress Dowager of Cining Palace.

Yinreng was not one to be kept in the dark, so he naturally knew that the princess from the Fucha family had entered the palace today.

Regarding the selection of the Crown Princess, Yinreng had no idea, and he knew that even if he had his own thoughts, he couldn't make the decision. After suppressing his recent headaches, he could hear them and got used to them, but they wouldn't affect his daily life.

After resting for two or three days, she regained her former noble elegance and graceful demeanor, the only difference being that her face had become a little thinner.

Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager had also heard reports from the four tutors that he was quite perceptive, and the Fucha family also valued him highly. Now, let's see how he fares in the final round.

They had barely exchanged a few words when His Highness the Crown Prince arrived outside the hall.

Chen Jialuo seemed to have noticed the Empress Dowager's satisfaction. That's why she focused her attention on the doorway and walked in with her back to the light. Her elegant and refined appearance was warm and cozy because of the charcoal heaters placed in the four corners of the Cining Palace. She then took off her outer cloak.

Chen Jialuo: Ah, the young man looks much thinner than he did two months ago. His once handsome face is now so pitiful.

As soon as Yinreng entered, he heard what Fucha Gege said. His face remained expressionless, but his eyelids twitched a few times. He walked in the hall, his demeanor respectful yet affectionate, and said, "Baocheng greets Mother Wuku."

When the Empress Dowager saw Yinreng arrive, she greeted him with an even more kind and gentle expression, like an ordinary old lady, "Baocheng is here. Mama Wuku has prepared some of Baocheng's favorite foods..."

The two chatted as if no one else was around. Chen Jialuo, sitting below, listened to their conversation with an elegant and proper smile, displaying impeccable court etiquette, her gaze seemingly casually fixed on Yinreng.

Chen Jialuo came from the soft-spoken Jiangnan region (in her previous life). She looked quite young, unlike the northern men. Yinreng was taller and stronger. In addition, the emperor emphasized horseback riding and archery, and practiced martial arts every day. Therefore, he looked a little more mature than his actual age.

Before her rebirth, Chen Jialuo wasn't much older. Compared to a recent graduate fresh out of university, she wasn't as mature as Yinreng, who had spent over a decade immersed in the imperial harem. (This is important, readers, please remember it.)

The aloof and refined young man acted like his great-grandmother, and Chen Jialuo felt a warm, maternal smile: Oh, so cute! I really want to kiss his cheek and give him a little rub.

I always have this illusion of being a fan of a celebrity (especially one who's good-looking), and the screams of a "mommy fan" are running wild in my heart. I love them so much, what should I do??

Unaware of Chen Jialuo's true thoughts, Yinreng was talking to the Empress Dowager when he heard Chen Jialuo's urgent scream. The meaning behind her words made Yinreng pause for two seconds, his ears turning slightly red.

How could she be so unreserved and reckless?

Also, also...

Although Yinreng didn't understand what "bobo" and "rua-rua" meant, he understood the "kiss" part and said he liked him a lot...

Yinreng also knew the saying "a life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body," but he had never encountered it and did not have this stereotype. Ever since he saved Princess Fucha, the voice in her heart was truly different from others.

This made Yinreng remember the flamboyant and scheming remarks at a glance, which were quite profound and blunt, striking Yinreng, who had never encountered such a situation before.

While listening to Chen Jialuo's inner thoughts, he chatted with the Empress Dowager without changing his expression. Before long, the Empress Dowager asked the Crown Prince to escort Princess Fucha out.

Clearly, they were given time to be alone together to 'cultivate' their relationship. After Yinreng and Princess Fucha left, the Empress Dowager relaxed and asked Sumalagu beside her in a deep voice, "Mo'er, have you found out?"

"Princess, I've had people investigate for over a month now, and I guarantee it's true. Princess Fucha's great-grandmother was indeed from Khorchin, and she was also my cousin..." Of course, Sumalagu had to find out the truth, especially since it had been so long ago. If they hadn't had enough manpower and it hadn't been so long ago, they really wouldn't have been able to find out.

Su Mo'er was originally a servant under the Khorchin Prince, but later she was fortunate enough to serve by the side of the princess and accompanied her to the residence of the Fourth Prince of the Great Jin (Huang Taiji) as part of his dowry.

Her cousin was not so lucky. She married into the Niohuru family and gave birth to an unfavored concubine's daughter. However, she was still a member of the Niohuru clan and married into the Uya clan of the Baoyi Banner as the head of the household and became a Fujin (principal wife).

Riding on the coattails of Huang Taiji and aligning themselves with the right side, the Uya clan rose to increasingly higher positions, eventually reaching the position of head of the kitchen. This was the grandfather of Consort De, who was granted the title of baron and the rank of first-class captain and captain by Huang Taiji. One cannot reach such a position without being trusted.

This is why she, as a bondservant, was able to marry into the Fucha clan and become the matriarch of the family. It wasn't that Consort De's rise to the rank of consort that brought prosperity to the Uya clan, but rather that the Uya clan already had a wealth of talent spread throughout many palaces at that time. The intricate relationships facilitated Consort De's rise to power.

Otherwise, most of the concubines in the harem were from the bondservant banners, and many of them were cultivated by their families (bondservant families) according to the emperor's preferences. There were plenty of gentle, understanding, and cunning women. Without the help of their families, no matter how cunning they were, they would not have been able to rise above the level under the crushing influence of Consort Tongjia.

"It's good, but this news should be known to Princess Fucha first..." The Emperor did not want the Mongol concubines to have children. No, it should be said that he had been wary of the Khorchin ever since Fulin.

They don't even realize that if they hadn't had the support of the Khorchin prince's army back then, the throne would have been seized by their relatives and banner lords long ago, and once they were in power, they would have turned their backs on them.

She was dying, and Qiqige (the Empress Dowager) had no mother-son relationship with Xuan Ye, so she couldn't protect the Khorchin.

"Don't worry, Princess, I understand." Su Mala Gu was very skilled at this and it wasn't a problem. Although the blood relationship was two generations removed, at least... there was still some blood ties and connection.

Regardless, she still wanted to restore the glory of the Khorchin Borjigit. Why couldn't she coexist with the Aisin Gioro clan?

"Mo'er, tell me, after so many generations, is it still useful? Like Fulin, whose maternal family was also Borjigit, yet he wasn't as close to the Tong family as Xuan Ye..." Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang felt a sharp pain in her heart when she thought of her son who died young, and her slightly cloudy eyes were filled with deep longing.

Most of those who grew up together in Khorchin have turned into handfuls of yellow earth. Whether it was Aunt Zhe Zhe, Hailanzhu, or Brother Wu Keshan, Dorgon, who shared beautiful memories of the grasslands with us, is gone, and so is Fulin...

Seeing the princess's sorrow and grief, Sumalagu continued to comfort her, "Princess, things can be accomplished by human effort. Besides, there aren't many daughters from noble families who have blood ties with our Khorchin anymore."

The wives of the imperial relatives include princesses from Mongolia and many from Khorchin, but they are all wives of Aisin Gioro imperial relatives. Could they possibly marry the crown prince?

We also have to be wary of the Emperor; if he finds out, he definitely won't agree.

Finding this information was a pleasant surprise. Before this was discovered, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had already taken a liking to Lady Fucha. This news was just icing on the cake, but it only strengthened her resolve to choose Lady Fucha as the Crown Princess.

Chen Jialuo, of course, knew nothing about what happened at Cining Palace. She was "escorted" away from Cining Palace by Yinreng, and she felt a little embarrassed as they walked together.

Despite her endless stream of lewd thoughts, she's just a coward who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. In the snowy winter, wearing a snow-white cloak, her bright and beautiful face blushes like a cluster of delicate pink peaches.

"Your Highness, thank you, thank you for saving me last time." Chen Jialuo's delicate face was flushed with embarrassment, her gaze drawn to Yinreng's attire.

With her aloof and elegant appearance, striking features, and moon-white brocade robe, she exuded nobility and refinement. As a child raised in the royal family with a life of luxury, she naturally possessed an air of arrogance, giving Chen Jialu a feeling that 'we are not on the same path'.

However, there's also a hint of "you're the prince and I'm Cinderella" in the mix. Which little girl hasn't fantasized about a prince charming falling from the sky and developing the story like in a romance drama?

Anyway, she has it.

Chen Jialuo: He's so handsome that it turned me from a mom fan into a girlfriend fan! Oh my god, how can he be so captivating? If he weren't the prince, I would have taken him home...

(End of this chapter)