The eunuchs hurriedly put down the sedan chair.
Li Yuanjing looked at the dilapidated palace wall. It was the Xiangyun Palace. Liu Qiao'er angered him and was demoted to Concubine Qiao. She lived in this palace with her two children.
After all, Concubine Qiao is the master of a palace, but the outer courtyard wall is so old. If the Yue Kingdom delegation saw this, they would gossip behind the scenes and say that the concubines of Qing Kingdom were treated poorly.
When the emperor arrived, the palace maids fell to their knees.
The two children in the yard were so frightened when they saw Li Yuanjing that they stammered, "Father...Father, I pay my respects to you."
Li Yuanjing waved at them: "Come here."
Two children came over slowly.
Li Yuanjing's eyes fell on the two children. Their clothes were not new, they were thin and as timid as quails. When they saw Li Yuanjing, the two children trembled and dared not raise their eyes.
She is too cautious and timid, and does not behave like a royal child at all.
Li Yuanjing frowned.
The salary of a concubine is not small, enough to provide the children with food and clothing. But why are these two children still wearing old clothes?
"Your Majesty, your Majesty pays your respects." In the room, Liu Qiaoer, who was embroidering, heard the noise and hurried out.
She didn't expect the emperor's sudden visit. She was wearing old clothes, her face was bare of makeup, and fine lines at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible.
Some even look pale and thin.
At first glance, Li Yuanjing almost didn't recognize that this was the once beautiful and charming Liu Qiaoer. Liu Qiaoer now has an old face and rough skin. She doesn't look like a concubine at all. She looks like an old palace maid doing laundry in the laundry department.
Li Yuanjing wondered: "Did the Queen withhold the salary of Xiangyun Palace?"
Liu Qiaoer was terrified and shook her head to deny, "No. It's just that I don't like luxury and I don't like to wear makeup."
She has always kept a low profile and never caused trouble. The queen didn't take her seriously, and the people in the palace followed suit and looked down on Xiangyun Palace. Most of Qiaopin's monthly salary was withheld.
But she didn't dare to publicize it. If she rebelled, she would probably be targeted by the Queen.
Simple food and drink are enough to fill your stomach, as long as you can survive.
Li Yuanjing was silent for a while.
Even if you don’t like to put on makeup, at least take care of yourself a little. The concubines in their twenties were dressed like old maids in their forties.
It brought shame to the royal family.
Li Yuanjing ordered Deshun: "Send someone to renovate the outer wall of Xiangyun Hall. Ask the clothing bureau to make five new clothes that fit you."
After a pause, Li Yuanjing looked at Liu Qiaoer's sallow face and said, "Send me some more rouge."
De Shun respectfully accepted the order.
Li Yuanjing asked about the schoolwork of Qiaopin's son Li Chengxun. Li Chengxun is also his son and has received his elementary education in Anguo Temple.
But as soon as Li Yuanjing opened his mouth to ask, the child was so scared that he stumbled and couldn't utter a complete sentence. When Li Yuanjing asked again, the child was frightened and started crying.
Li Yuanjing immediately lost interest. This child was so timid and cowardly. He turned away.
Liu Qiaoer stood at the palace gate and respectfully saw Li Yuanjing off, staring at the emperor's sedan chair for a long time.
"The emperor still has me in his heart." Liu Qiaoer smiled faintly with a sad look in her eyes.
During this period, Concubine Chen Wei was in great favor and stole the limelight. The emperor stayed in Yongning Palace every night and never set foot in the palaces of other concubines.
But today, the emperor came to her and asked her about her well-being. Deep in the emperor's heart, he still hasn't forgotten the affection they showed to each other as childhood sweethearts.
"Your Majesty, I dare not ask for your favor." Liu Qiaoer sighed. She didn't want the tragedy of her previous life to happen again.
The scenes of her family falling apart and her children dying were vivid in her mind, becoming her nightmare in past and present lives.
The only way to survive in the harem is to avoid being favored.
Concubine Chen, Concubine Shu, Concubine Lan, the Queen...let them continue fighting. Maybe they will fight to the end and end up with nothing.
Maybe in the end, Liu Qiaoer could be lucky enough to live safely to the end.
...
On the other side, Concubine Lu Xuan received news that the emperor would come to her place tonight.
Lu Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that the Emperor is tired of Concubine Chen.
In this harem, no woman can enjoy the emperor's exclusive favor for long. Whether it was Concubine Chen or Concubine Shu, they could only watch the emperor's favor disappear little by little.
Only by giving birth to a child can you barely keep the emperor's heart.
"Xiaoqin, set up the chessboard. I want to play chess with the emperor tonight." Lu Xuan is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. When she was the most favored in the harem, Li Yuanjing loved playing chess with her the most.
Lu Xuan dressed up in front of the mirror and put on her makeup carefully.
She was born with a beautiful face, and in the entire harem, only Concubine Mei could be compared with her. Just apply a little powder to cover the fine lines at the corners of the eyes, and you will look radiant.
She put on a precious skirt with a double butterfly cloud pattern, a jade hairpin in her hair, a red dot between her eyebrows, and rouge at the corners of her lips. While doing her makeup, Lu Xuan asked, "Which palace did the emperor go to today?"
The maidservant who was helping Lu Xuan with her makeup answered, "After the emperor finished handling state affairs, he first went to Concubine Qiao and rewarded her with clothes and silver. Then, the sedan chair came to our Changxin Palace."
Lu Xuan paused while applying rouge, and seemed to be thinking: "Qiaopin..."
Concubine Qiao has always been very low-key, but she is an old member of the Prince of Yan's Mansion after all, and she gave birth to a pair of children.
It's a potential hidden danger.
In the future, it must be eliminated.
In this huge harem, no one can stay out of trouble.
From outside the house came the voice of Eunuch Deshun: "The Emperor has arrived."
Lu Xuan stood up happily and looked at herself in the bronze mirror again to make sure that her makeup and clothes were correct before she stepped out to greet him.
At dusk, the walls of Changxin Palace were filled with roses, like falling clouds. Lu Xuan came forward with the palace maids to greet them. She knelt and saluted: "I pay my respects to the emperor."
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