Chapter 85 Noble Lady Qi Enters the Palace
"Are you aware of this as well? I heard that the Emperor isn't planning to hold a beauty pageant this time, so he's selecting several women of marriageable age from the families of former meritorious officials to enter the palace."
Shen Meizhuang took Zhen Huan's hand and carefully helped her sit down.
"Yes, it's the Guarjia clan. It seems that the queen is getting restless again."
Just as Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan were discussing this matter, a familiar voice came from the door.
"Empress Hua, how come you have time to come here today?"
Looking at Nian Shilan who walked into the house, Chen Meizhuang was a little surprised. Nian Shilan had said before that there were too many trivial matters in the palace these days and she couldn't go out to relax.
"I was really feeling suffocated, so I thought I'd go out for a walk. And now, I've accidentally ended up here. It seems like you're still the most attractive place. Look, isn't Miss Wan also attracted here?"
Shen Meizhuang gave her a coquettish look. What Hua Fei said now was becoming more and more difficult to follow.
Zhen Huan looked at the two people in front of her with a smile, and the depression that had been stuck in her heart was almost gone.
"Your Majesty just said that the newcomer to the palace this time is from the Guarjia clan?"
Zhen Huan thought of what Nian Shilan had said before and confirmed it again. This surname felt very familiar.
"Yes, it's her. Remember when I told you about Prince Dun? At that time, some people in the court wanted to use this case to pin the blame on the Nian family, including Guaerjia's father, Guaerjia Emin."
Yes, after hearing what Nian Shilan said, Zhen Huan remembered that Guaerjia Emin had tried many times in the court to link Nian Gengyao and Prince Dun together, but fortunately he did not succeed in the end.
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang looked at each other and thought of the same thing.
"Then it seems that the Queen must have had some influence on the Guarjia family's entry into the palace this time."
The Queen originally wanted to use this opportunity to find some helpers for herself, and the people she chose were of course those who had conflicts with them.
"Yes, the palace will be bustling again from now on."
Nian Shilan sneered a few times. The queen had a very good plan, but she didn't know if it would be as she wished in the end.
In her previous life, Emin of the Guaerjia clan sent her daughter into the palace thanks to her contribution in destroying the Nian clan. After entering the palace, this Guaerjia clan member relied on the merits of her mother's clan to become arrogant and domineering, self-righteous, and liked to stir up trouble.
In this life, the Nian family was not punished because of the emperor's suspicion as others expected, and Nian Shilan had no evidence in the hands of the Guwaljia family. Now that she entered the palace so early, it was time to settle the accounts of the Nian family in the previous life.
However, Nian Shilan did not expect that the queen would choose the Guaerjia clan as an ally. Didn’t she know before that the Guaerjia clan was a brainless fool?
"Sister Wan, your father has been involved in the affairs of the Guaerjia Emin clan in the imperial court. If this Guaerjia clan member enters the palace and uses the excuse that your father and her father are acquainted to live in Suiyuxuan, then you must be more cautious in the future.
This was all Nian Shilan could remind her of. She couldn't directly tell her that in her previous life, this Guaerjia was extremely jealous of Zhen Huan. After all, these things had not happened yet.
"Don't worry, my lady. I will keep your words in mind."
As Nian Shilan had expected, two days later, when the emperor came to Yiku Palace to have dinner with her, he brought up the matter.
"The Queen's proposal to select a few suitable women to enter the palace will be very helpful in appeasing those old ministers."
Nian Shilan agreed with the emperor's words: "I think this is indeed a very good idea. As for the political affairs of the previous dynasty, I don't understand them, but I know very well that having more sisters in the harem will help the emperor have children, which is the most important thing. In the future, the palace will be much more lively."
The emperor was very satisfied with what Nian Shilan said. He found that Nian Shilan was less willful than before and more virtuous and considerate, which made him even more relieved. Besides, Nian Gengyao was now safe and sound, so he felt more at ease about the Nian family.
"I feel that the Empress has been even more thoughtful for the Emperor. It is naturally extremely important to appease this important minister. If the Empress had not mentioned this, I would never have thought of this. It is my fault that I have failed to share the Emperor's worries."
Nian Shilan mentioned the Queen's suggestion seemingly unintentionally, and as she expected, the Emperor's expression paused. If you didn't look closely, it seemed that there was no change in him.
Given the emperor's suspicious nature, she reminded him of this and he would inevitably think too much, wondering if the queen had deliberately placed her own people around him for her own sake. This was definitely the emperor's biggest taboo. No matter what, it planted a thorn in the emperor's heart.
Even if Guaerjia enters the palace in the future, no matter how much the emperor likes her, he will definitely have reservations about her.
"Don't blame yourself, Shilan. You've done an excellent job. Since you have no other opinions on this matter, I am relieved."
The emperor's words made Nian Shilan roll her eyes secretly in her heart.
He acted as if he could decide this matter. Since the emperor had already agreed to let the newcomer enter the palace, it meant that the matter had been settled. Now he came to him in such a hypocritical manner and asked questions in a pretentious manner. It was simply ridiculous.
Of course, no matter what Nian Shilan thought in her heart, she was not stupid enough to show it on her face. She now knew very well that she just had to maintain her sensible temperament in front of the emperor.
A few days later, Guaerjia and another woman named Sun entered the palace.
I don’t know how the queen praised Guaerjia in front of the emperor. When she entered the palace, she was directly named a noble lady. She was given the same honor and favor as Zhen Huan, and was directly given the title of Noble Lady Qi.
The other Sun was not given much attention, and because her mother's family was not as powerful as the Guwalja family, she was only given the title of a concubine.
What surprised Nian Shilan was that Concubine Qi did not move into Suiyuxuan, but was arranged to live in Chuxiu Palace.
"But it's for the best. Huan'er will be giving birth soon, and we must not allow any mistakes to happen at this critical moment."
When Chen Meizhuang heard the news, she felt more at ease.
"In fact, this noble lady Qi had such an idea, but it was rejected by the emperor."
Zhen Huan looked at Nian Shilan and Shen Meizhuang who came to visit her, and explained to them what the emperor had said to her here the day before.
The emperor took into consideration that she was about to give birth, and after consulting her, he arranged for Concubine Qi to find another place. However, this also created the first grudge between him and Concubine Qi as soon as she entered the palace.
"Huan'er, even if you agree to let her live in Suiyuxuan this time, we will definitely have disagreements over other things in the future. These are inevitable."
Shen Meizhuang was worried that Zhen Huan would think too much, so she comforted her.
"Don't worry, Sister Mei, I know all this. How many women who enter the palace are not here to compete for favor? I can avoid it this time, but I can't avoid it next time. It's better to just get rid of this polite facade."
"Sister Wan is living a much more casual life now."
Nian Shilan looked at Zhen Huan now and felt happy for her. After all, she did not lose herself in the struggles in the harem.
"By the way, Lingrong came over a few days ago and said that the Queen seemed to have become suspicious of her and asked us to be more careful these days."
Since An Lingrong opened up to Zhen Huan and the others, she has been visiting Shoukang Palace much less frequently, which naturally made the Queen, who has always distrusted her, have some suspicions.
"The Empress's position won't be full for long anyway. Speaking of which, there are many vacancies for concubines and imperial concubines in the harem. It won't be long before the Emperor appoints new officials. Lingrong has been in the palace for quite some time now, so it's time for her to be promoted."
"Yes, this palace is really becoming more and more lively."
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