Chapter 20 He didn't believe she wouldn't come over on her own
Lin Xiu Nu?
Lu Haozhi was a little confused and it took him half a day to remember such a person.
"That's the young lady I met in the Imperial Garden the day before the selection? Her name is Lin...what's that?"
Rong An smiled and said, "In reply to the emperor, my surname is Lin and my given name is Yanrong."
He secretly thought that the Emperor couldn't even remember this Lady Lin's name, which showed that she held little weight in his heart. She hadn't even entered the palace, and she was already causing such a scene. I'm afraid Lady Lin's future wouldn't be so smooth.
"That's her name, the youngest daughter of the Prince of Nanping, right?"
As he said this name, Lu Haozhi vaguely remembered the day when he met Lin Yanrong in the Imperial Garden.
Just after the court session, he was worried about the war and went for a walk in the imperial garden to relax.
In early spring, when all things come to life, a slender woman in a water-clear dress stands among the sparse shadows of apricot blossoms, holding a branch of apricot blossoms.
After being accustomed to the colorful flowers and willows in the palace, suddenly seeing such a fresh and beautiful dress was like a breeze blowing from the south of the Yangtze River, blowing towards my face.
The woman seemed to have no idea who he was. She did not observe etiquette like other palace ladies. Instead, she opened her watery eyes and asked him who he was.
Lu Haozhi actually understood that the general election was approaching and there was a group of concubines waiting to be selected in the palace who were learning the rules, and this girl was probably one of them.
The woman was alert and kept being vague, refusing to reveal her identity and name. It was not until Rong An arrived that she woke up from her dream and knelt down to confess her guilt.
Lu Haozhi learned that her name was Lin Yanrong and she was the youngest daughter of the Prince of Nanping.
Lin Yanrong's background was actually a bit awkward. Her father, the Prince of Nanping, was actually the crown prince of the previous dynasty.
The emperor of the previous dynasty was incompetent, the officials were corrupt, and there were successive natural disasters, making life miserable for the people. The founding monarch of the Zhou Dynasty led his troops in a rebellion, overthrew the rule of the previous dynasty, and established his own kingdom. Naturally, the crown prince of the previous dynasty was also imprisoned.
In order to demonstrate benevolence and righteousness, the late emperor appointed the deposed crown prince as Prince of Nanping, and settled his entire family in the southwest, without any real power, and only made him Prince Anle.
To show their loyalty, the Prince of Nanping sent their daughters to the palace for selection every year to show their submission.
In order to appease the people, the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty also accepted all of them. Now there is an old concubine in the palace, who is a girl from this mansion.
Lu Haozhi learned that the girl in front of him was from this mansion. Considering the tense situation on the southwestern border, it was even more important to maintain internal stability. So he did not pursue her crime of overstepping her bounds and being rude. He just chatted with her for a few words and then said goodbye.
Later, the selection was organized by the Queen Mother and Concubine Xuanhe, and he did not ask about it. It turned out that this girl also had a name tag.
Lu Haozhi thought of what happened earlier and asked casually, "She's just a concubine who hasn't entered the palace yet. What does she have to do with the rumors in the palace?"
Rong An looked at the emperor's expression and replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, these past few days I've heard people in the palace say that this Miss Lin was already favored before the selection, and she will definitely soar to the top and become a phoenix in the future..."
"absurd!"
Lu Haozhi shouted angrily before he could finish.
Rong An knelt hurriedly, slapping his own mouth, "This slave deserves death. I shouldn't have used such filthy words to pollute the emperor's ears."
Lu Haozhi's eyes were deep, and he asked again: "How long have these words been circulating? Why didn't I know anything about it?"
Rong An replied, "Ever since the selection, there have been some rumors in the palace, but they've become more and more intense in the past two days. Your Majesty is busy with state affairs all day long, so how can you have time to listen to these idle gossips?"
"I don't know how the Imperial Concubine manages the palace. Even something as insignificant as this can be allowed to spread rumors among the people below!"
Lu Haozhi twirled the nanmu prayer bracelet in his hand, his face as gloomy as water. After a while, he said calmly, "The ambition of the Nanping County Prince's Mansion has become even bigger."
As the saying goes, there is no wave without wind, and there is no smoke without fire.
He had grown up in the imperial palace since childhood, so how could he not know about the goings-on in the harem? He didn't believe that these gossips were all fabricated out of thin air.
Is it true that Lin has already started to build momentum for herself before even entering the palace?
Although she was just a beautiful lady waiting to be conferred a title, she had the Prince of Nanping's Mansion behind her and an old aunt, the Concubine Dowager, in the palace, so it was not difficult for her to accomplish these tasks.
That day, amidst the sparse shadows of the apricot blossoms, she appeared gentle, well-educated, slender and delicate, but one had no idea that she was full of thoughts.
"The rank of this concubine has not yet been distributed. Is it still possible to get the name card?"
The cold words made Rong An break out in sweat - is the emperor planning to not let Lin Yanrong enter the palace?
If this is true, then Lin Yanrong is finished.
If a woman is retained by the royal family and then released, she must have caused great trouble in the palace. Her reputation will be ruined. Who would dare to marry her in the future?
Rong An thought about what the old masters in the palace had told him, and bravely advised, "Your Majesty, please forgive my audacity. This Lin Xiunu was personally chosen by the Empress Dowager, and the Dowager Concubine Xuanhe has also taken care of her several times. This..."
Lu Haozhi's thick eyebrows furrowed slightly. Concubine Xuanhe was Lin Yanrong's aunt, and the Empress Dowager and this old Concubine had known each other for many years. During the late Emperor's lifetime, they had weathered many storms in the harem together. Even he had been taken care of by her in his childhood.
If he rejected Lin Yanrong at this point, it would not only hurt the reputation of the two elders, but the Queen Mother's keeping the nameplate for the Lin family also had the deep meaning of showing favor and comfort. How could he not know this?
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Lu Haozhifang spoke again, "Well, let's put this matter aside for now. I know what's going on. Tomorrow, go to the Ministry of Punishment and instruct the eunuch in charge to punish these servants who have spread rumors and misled the people in the palace. In the future, if I hear any rumors about this again, they'll be in trouble."
The emperor is majestic and every word he says can lead to the death of a person. Rong An agreed repeatedly, but felt relieved in his heart.
Lin Yanrong must have been saved, otherwise even if the emperor didn't punish him, the empress dowager and the imperial concubine would definitely not forgive him.
Lu Haozhi suddenly raised his leg and kicked him.
"Speaking of the Imperial Concubine, where did all this rambling get you to?!"
Rong An winked and smiled apologetically, "Your Majesty, if this rumor has reached the Yangxin Palace, I think it will probably reach the Changchun Palace as well."
Women are always jealous, aren't they?
Besides, how much did the Imperial Concubine care about the Emperor in the past? Wouldn't she have immediately exploded after hearing those words? He was surprised that they hadn't come to the Yangxin Palace to attack.
"Just for this?"
Lu Haozhi was a little suspicious at first, but when he thought of Meng Yan's personality in the past, he felt that it was possible.
"She's really got a bad temper!" He said softly, "I thought she'd calmed down a bit these days, but it turns out she's still got the same old temper."
Just for such a small thing, she had a big fight with him. Did Meng Yan really think that I must spoil her so much and that I would have to coax her whenever she was unhappy?
He didn't believe that she wouldn't come to him on her own if he left her alone for a while!
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