Concubine Jin took good care of her child. Just a few days before the full moon banquet, she suddenly heard another piece of bad news.
"What did you say?! Out of nowhere, the Emperor is going to start another beauty pageant?"
Qian Wei sighed softly and nodded: "Yes, I heard that this is still the decision of the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor has no right to interfere!"
There are indeed not many concubines in the harem now. Those who were selected to enter the palace have either died or gone crazy, and there are only a few left.
It's understandable that the Empress Dowager is worried about the Emperor's heir and wants to fill the harem. But the Empress Dowager insisted on having the Emperor hold a public selection at this critical juncture, which was clearly a slap in the face and a embarrassment for her!
"Can't we wait until our Second Prince's full moon banquet before putting on this drama?"
"The Empress Dowager is just like that. Please don't get impatient and angry."
Concubine Jin sighed softly, "Who made me the daughter of the Qu family? It's understandable that she doesn't like me."
Wandering alone in Chengqian Palace, I felt more and more depressed the more I thought about it.
After coaxing the second prince to sleep, she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, so she got up and put on her coat.
Qian Wei was awakened by her movements and hurried over to greet her: "My Lady, it's getting late, where are you planning to go?"
"I'm so worried I can't sleep, so I want to go for a walk around the Imperial Garden." Imperial Concubine Jin didn't dismiss the servants. "If you're not sleepy enough, you can go with me."
She actually didn't like flowers and plants very much, always feeling that they attracted mosquitoes in the summer, which was troublesome. If she hadn't been thinking about her first encounter with the emperor, in this imperial garden full of flowers, she wouldn't have placed so many bonsai in her palace.
Therefore, whenever she thought of him, Concubine Jin would go to the place where they first met to take a look. As long as she recalled the tenderness and sweetness they had shared and the vows they had made, her current anxiety would instantly dissipate.
Just as she was staring at the lake, silently reminiscing, there was suddenly the sound of a stone falling to the ground, which seemed particularly clear in the quiet night.
Qian Wei looked around curiously: "Your Highness, I think I heard something unusual just now."
As she spoke, she carefully instructed the eunuchs behind her: "You guys, go take a look around the rockery!"
In order to protect the safety of their master, they must work with all their might.
Imperial Concubine Jin looked away somewhat unnaturally, her eyes evading: "Qianwei, you stay here and guard. I'm going in. I have something to do."
"Ah?! Your Majesty, it's getting late, and there are many rockeries and puddles in the Imperial Garden. What if you accidentally look the wrong way and fall down?! It would be better for me to stay by your side..."
"No need for that. I'm not yet deaf or blind."
Before Qianwei could finish her words, Concubine Jin refused her request to accompany her and walked towards the darkness on her own.
"It's so late, what can we do?"
Qianwei stood there muttering to herself, feeling uncomfortable all over, but still stayed there according to the rules.
The person Concubine Jin wanted to see was none other than the Imperial Master of Yiqingtai.
That sound just now was a code word that was well known to both of them. It was just unknown why it was so rashly uttered in front of the palace servants, thus alarming others.
"Your Highness, you have risked your life to come here. Aren't you afraid that this maidservant might become suspicious?"
"I have always believed that the Imperial Master would not frame me. You asked me to come here so late at night. I guess you have something important to discuss?"
Yu Huai stood with his hands behind his back. "After Concubine Jia went to Shoukang Palace, the Emperor decided to hold a beauty pageant. Not only that, I also heard that among the newly promoted ladies, there are relatives of Shu Wanyi. Now, Lord Bai is working in the previous dynasty and has risen rapidly. It would not surprise me if he were to become the equal of the Minister of the Central Secretariat one day."
Hearing this, Concubine Jin became visibly anxious. "Master Imperial Preceptor, you know this! In this harem, the most difficult survival is for the heir to the throne! To prevent a repeat of the past, I stay by the Second Prince's side almost around the clock. I'm completely overwhelmed by the instigation and covert manipulation of others... and I can't think of a good way to deal with them!"
Yu Huai turned around and looked at her with a half-smile. "So, Your Majesty, you firmly believe that as long as you have the Second Prince by your side, you can firmly grasp the Emperor's heart for the rest of the time? You must know that flowers do not bloom forever. The Emperor will always be attracted by the fresh buds around him. It won't be difficult to give birth to the next favorite concubine."
Concubine Jin's tone was already filled with annoyance. "You don't need to tell me these profound truths! Did the Imperial Preceptor specially summon me here just to teach me a lesson?!"
Perhaps because her voice was a little loud, it attracted the attention of nearby passers-by. Yu Huai suddenly looked behind him cautiously and shouted, "Who is it?!"
A dark shadow flashed by, and Concubine Jin rushed out nervously, but saw nothing.
"Oh no! Could it be that someone saw me and the Imperial Master chatting here? After all this night, nothing will happen, right?!"
"He wouldn't have the guts to do that! We can't stay here for long. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving first!"
The first time the two of them discussed things privately, they ended up having a quarrel.
Concubine Jin calmed down and walked back, only to see Qian Wei running towards her breathlessly. "Your Majesty, are you alright?! I thought I heard you talking just now, and I was so worried! Turns out the paths in the Imperial Garden are so hard to navigate at night! I had a hard time finding them, and I even fell!"
Seeing the stains on her body, Concubine Jin did not suspect anything, but shook her head helplessly: "Just stand there and wait. In this huge harem, there are patrolling guards. Is it possible that I will be killed?"
"Yes, Your Majesty is right! I was indeed overly worried!"
Qian Wei sat with Concubine Jin in the pavilion for a while before following her back to Chengqian Palace. After tidying up the inner chambers and confirming the Second Prince's condition, Qian Wei rubbed her aching waist and walked out of the palace.
A group of low-ranking palace maids lived in the ear room near the side hall.
Qian Wei walked over there and knocked on the door gently: "Ahem...do you have any cough medicine? I think I've caught a cold."
"Wait a moment, I will bring it to you, aunt."
An unfamiliar maid came out carrying a brown cloth bag. After exchanging a glance with Qian Wei, her voice deepened: "How far have things progressed?"
"We can't get too close. Yu Huai is also a tough guy who has practiced martial arts for many years. I'm afraid if he sees us, all our efforts will be wasted."
"So, what did you see?"
Qian Wei took the cloth bag and said, "Two people are meeting in the imperial garden, and a man and a woman are hiding behind a rockery. What else can they do?"
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