Chapter 125 Concubine Yan
Situ Nanzhi's jade fingers gently fiddled with the handkerchief, and her voice was soft and sweet: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
Seeing Xiao Heng's expression, the Queen Mother knew that he was very satisfied with Situ Nanzhi, and she felt relieved.
"Nanzhi is a very sensible girl. She knows that the emperor likes to listen to music, so she practiced the guzheng for several days and is ready to play it for the emperor today."
"Oh?" Xiao Heng looked at her with interest.
"With such sincerity, I must listen carefully."
Situ Nanzhi stood up gracefully, "Then I will present my humble service."
So, she moved lightly to the guzheng and sat down. She raised her jade hand gracefully and placed it on the strings. The sound of gurgling water poured out from her fingertips, and she played an unknown tune smoothly.
Liu Yuetang listened quietly. The sound of the piano was sometimes clear and crisp, like pearls falling on a jade plate, sometimes gentle and low, and sometimes sad and desolate.
To be able to incorporate such delicate emotions into the sound of the piano requires superb piano skills.
When the song ended, Xiao Heng was the first to applaud, his eyes full of admiration: "What a wonderful piece of music!"
"Miss Situ's zither skills are so exquisite, but I have never heard this piece of music before. I wonder where it comes from?"
Situ Nanzhi smiled broadly and said, "Your Majesty, this is a piece of music I composed myself, called 'Two Swallows Flying Together'."
When Liu Yuetang heard it, she softly said: "Falling flowers, a man standing alone, light rain, swallows flying in pairs, it's a good song title."
She didn't expect that her low voice would fall into Xiao Heng's ears.
Xiao Heng turned to look at Liu Yuetang: "Jieyu Xi and I have the same idea."
Liu Yuetang raised her eyes.
Their eyes met, and silence spoke louder than words.
Situ Nanzhi looked towards Liu Yuetang. After she sat down, she noticed this bright and graceful lady.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be Concubine Xi, who was favored by the emperor.
According to the Empress Dowager, Concubine Xi has been in constant favor with the Emperor since she entered the palace, and can even be compared with her childhood sweetheart, Concubine Zhao.
Now I see that she is both beautiful and talented, no wonder the emperor loves her so much.
Mingpin, who was standing by, snorted softly, and the hairpin on her cheek swayed arrogantly.
She muttered to herself, "How shameless of an unmarried woman to come up with such a name, and yet she's so proud of her literary talent."
The Jade Concubine sitting in the first seat raised her beautiful eyes and opened her red lips: "Sister Situ plays the guzheng so well, the emperor must reward her well."
"It's necessary to reward him well." Xiao Heng pondered for a moment.
Situ Nanzhi's eyes were filled with anticipation and nervousness, and she pursed her red lips waiting for Xiao Heng's answer.
Xiao Heng glanced at the empress dowager and then set his eyes on Concubine Yu.
"You call me sister so affectionately, Concubine Yu. Why don't we keep her in the palace as a sister?"
"Also keep Concubine Yu company."
Situ Nanzhi breathed a sigh of relief, a smile reflected in the corner of his eyes.
This was naturally what Concubine Yu wished for. Her idea was that after Nanzhi entered the palace, the two of them would support each other, pull the queen down from the throne, and dominate the harem.
But when he suddenly heard Xiao Heng's words, he felt uncomfortable.
Until a few months ago, she was still unwilling to give up and drank pregnancy medicine day and night, but there was still no movement in her belly.
If she couldn't get pregnant, why would she conspire with others?
However, she didn't want others to know about her relationship with the Situ family so quickly, so she smiled and said, "The whole palace is full of my sisters, so I don't need to look for a companion."
The corners of Concubine Yu's mouth raised a bright arc: "Then, what position will the emperor give to this sister?"
"Just..." Xiao Heng had just finished speaking when his gaze stopped when he saw Liu Yuetang.
Situ Nanzhi's father was a third-rank official, the head of the Censorate, and was more than qualified to be conferred the title of concubine.
But if he gave Situ Nanzhi the position of concubine, then Liu Yuetang would have to bow respectfully in front of her and also have to look at her face, and she would probably suffer a lot of grievances.
So Xiao Heng said, "Let her be made a Consort, and given the title Yan."
Jieyushi is not a low rank either, and if she is promoted again she will become one of the nine concubines.
Her starting point was much higher than that of many concubines who entered the palace through selection.
Concubine Yan lifted her skirt and knelt down, overjoyed, saying, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your grace."
The inclusion of Concubine Yan into the harem had long been expected, so none of the concubines were surprised.
Seeing that the matter was settled, the Queen Mother stood up and said, "This is a banquet for you young people. I am bored here. Let's return to the palace."
The Queen Mother was always stubborn, so the Empress gave up trying to persuade her. She stood up and said, "I will escort the Queen Mother back to the palace."
The Queen Mother's eyes were filled with a gratified smile, and she said in a gentle voice, "I appreciate the Queen's kindness, but you are the master of the Six Palaces, so you should be here."
After saying that, she slowly left with the help of the nanny.
When she reached Mingpin, the Queen Mother looked at her with a sorrowful face and said, "Accompany me back to the palace."
Mingpin was slightly startled, then smiled and stood up: "Yes."
She raised her eyes and glanced at Concubine Yan who was sitting in the upper seat, her eyes full of pride and satisfaction.
No matter how favored the concubines in the harem were, only she could call them aunt and cousin in front of the empress dowager and the emperor.
Just based on this title, they will always be inferior to me.
Along the way, Concubine Ming frowned slightly.
The Queen Mother saw through her thoughts and said calmly, "It's just a title of Consort, yet you're already losing your temper."
Mingpin felt a little aggrieved, pouting her cherry-like lips, and said in a delicate voice, "I don't like the fact that my aunt loves her so much and sent her to the emperor."
"You have been in the palace for several years, but you haven't grown at all." The empress dowager rolled her eyes at her.
She was extremely disappointed with her cousin.
"Look at the Empress, she's calm and magnanimous. Look at Concubine Xi, she's so young yet she's able to grasp the Emperor's mind and handle things with caution. What about you? You just act like a spoiled brat."
"You can show off your temper, but you have to do it in a way that pleases the emperor and makes him happy. You can't just go around with a gloomy face and make enemies."
The Queen Mother knew very well that if Mingpin was not her niece.
If she had not been pregnant with two children, she would have been deeply loved by Xiao Heng.
She had long been rejected by the emperor.
Mingpin knew that the Queen Mother was right. She lowered her head in shame, her face filled with anger. "I understand what my aunt said, but I just can't stand their pretentiousness."
The Queen Mother shook her head gravely. "What this palace has the most of is women. The selections will only bring in more concubines. We must choose some who we know well to keep by our side."
A hint of doubt flashed across Mingpin's eyes, and the Queen Mother continued, "Yan Jieyu's mother was virtuous and kind, and I think the daughter she gave birth to would not be much worse."
"Although the Empress is filial and sensible, she still has her own thoughts when it comes to the Emperor. The Emperor has always been distant from me, so I must keep someone I like by his side."
"Instead of giving the emperor's favor to others, it is better to give it to our own people."
Mingpin pursed her red lips tightly: "Yes, Ge'er knows."
"It's because Ge'er didn't think it through enough."
Seeing Mingpin's face full of disappointment, the Queen Mother sighed that her niece was a love-struck person, and her tone softened a little: "Keep calm and understand strategy, only then can you last long."
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