Chapter 26: An Auspicious Day for Entering the Palace
The seventh day of the third lunar month is auspicious for marriage and moving into new homes. It is an auspicious day for new ladies to enter the palace.
It was a sunny and fine morning, but within half a minute a dark cloud floated over the western sky, covering it. In a blink of an eye, sand and rocks flew everywhere, and thousands of raindrops fell from the sky.
Meng Yan got up early, had breakfast, combed Doukou's hair, and sat on the kang in the main room to look at the account book. Doukou sat opposite her, playing with nine-linked rings with her head down, and was very obedient and not making any noise.
Hearing the noise outside the window, Meng Yan pushed the window open and looked out. She saw mist filling the sky and earth, and all the scenery was hidden behind the vast rain curtain.
"Today is a good day for these newlyweds to enter the palace, but it's raining so hard. I wonder if anyone got wet."
Meng Yan said casually while admiring the rain outside the window.
Ruizhu lit a stick of agarwood to dispel the dampness in the room and said, "Your Majesty is kind enough to even consider whether they got wet. I wonder how many of these people harbor evil intentions."
Meng Yan pursed her lips and smiled, her bright face full of calmness.
Thinking about my previous life, I was so anxious and restless at this moment. It seems really ridiculous now.
It was because she no longer cared about Lu Haozhi's love that she could now enjoy the rain scene so leisurely.
Come to think of it, did it rain on this day in your previous life?
Why did she vaguely remember that it was a bright sunny day?
In order to build up momentum for Lin Yanrong, the book even went so far as to describe the weather and scenery: the sun was shining brightly, the magpies were chirping, and the wild geese were flying high. What happened now?
"Yunxiang went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get colored thread, and unfortunately she ran into this rain."
While the master and servant were chatting, Yunxiang came back in the rain, took off her hat and raincoat under the corridor, and came in to see her master.
"The colored thread has been brought back. The servants in the Imperial Household Department are really annoying. They are in a mess. They keep saying they are busy with the settlement of the new young lady. Not a single person is doing any real work. It was only after I lost my temper and said that the Empress was eagerly waiting for the colored thread that someone finally brought it back."
"They're busy today because of something important." Meng Yan smiled slightly, looking at the water dripping from Yunxiang's temples, and said with concern, "Thank you for taking this trip. Ask the kitchen to make some ginger soup for us later. Give a bowl to everyone in the palace too, so they don't catch a cold and fall down."
Yunxiang thanked her quickly. The imperial concubine was now much more easy-going. She often had a smile on her face all day long and rarely beat or punished her servants. She was truly gentle and charming.
Although she and Ruizhu were both born servants from the Yiyang Marquis's Mansion and had been serving the Imperial Concubine since childhood, and were naturally loyal to her, but to be honest, she still liked the current Imperial Concubine better.
"Everyone outside is talking about how kind and gentle the Imperial Concubine in Changchun Palace is. Many people are offering bribes to get a job there."
Ruizhu happily interrupted and said that the master had a good reputation, and it was also a glory for them, the servants.
Meng Yan listened and just smiled without saying anything.
As the saying goes, dripping water wears away stone. If this goes on for a long time, she will definitely be able to escape the tragic fate of that supporting actress in this life.
"I have something new to tell you, Madam, to cheer you up."
Seeing Meng Yan in such a good mood, Yunxiang spoke excitedly, "When I came out of the Imperial Household Department, I heard two young eunuchs from Yongshou Palace talking about it. They said that before Consort Lin came into the palace, the weather was fine. As soon as she entered the long street, she saw two crows in a tree cawing loudly in broad daylight. Then, a dark cloud drifted over from the sky, and it immediately started to rain. Your Majesty, tell me, is this a funny thing?"
When Meng Yan heard this, her beautiful eyebrows raised slightly - Oh, there is such a thing?
What’s going on in this life? It’s completely different from my previous life and from what was written in that book.
She didn't take this slight change to heart, and she believed that Lin Yanrong's status as the heroine would not change because of these little things.
"Don't say such things again. Otherwise, if you get carried away saying them in the palace, you might accidentally spread them out. And if they get to the ears of someone with ulterior motives, it will cause trouble for no reason."
Meng Yan gave instructions, and seeing that her two capable palace maids obeyed her orders, she nodded with satisfaction.
Since she began to strictly regulate the palace, the maids and eunuchs in Changchun Palace have become much more modest in their speech and behavior. They are no longer as aggressive and aggressive as they were in their previous life, causing dissatisfaction everywhere.
She then asked, "When did Bai promise to arrive at Changchun Palace? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
Ruizhu smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, you forgot that Bai Ying is of a lower rank and will not enter the palace until after noon. Those who are entering this time are all young ladies of higher rank than the imperial concubines."
Meng Yan suddenly realized that these things happened too far away and she could hardly remember them.
In the selection in the fifth year of Qianyuan, a total of six beauties were selected. In addition to the heroine Lin Yanrong and the concubine Bai Yuxin, there was one noble lady, one maid, and two concubines, namely Song Xiyue, Han Xiaomei, Liu Miaoyi and Shen Zhaohui.
Some of these people had been enemies with Lin Yanrong for a long time, some became Lin Yanrong's sworn sisters, and some were just supporting roles.
Meng Yan planned to stay away from everyone except Bai Yuxin, with whom she had a relationship, and let them perform their show.
When Lin Yanrong learned that she was moving into Yongshou Palace, she was both happy and surprised.
What made her happy was that she learned from the book that Yongshou Palace was the palace closest to the Yangxin Palace, and there were plenty of opportunities to get close to the emperor on weekdays.
This is also written in the book. She became favored in the future, and Lu Haozhi personally gave her a palace to live in as a token of his favor.
However, how could this happen so sooner? Right now, she should have been banished to Gyeongbokgung Palace by that Concubine Meng.
This other plot twist made her feel uneasy.
Could it be that the scene he had performed in the Imperial Garden had left such a deep impression on Emperor Lu Haozhi that he allocated this place for him to live in so early?
Yes, it must be so.
Otherwise, who else would give themselves such a nice place to live?
Thinking of the stunning glimpse she got that day, of Lu Haozhi's tall and heroic figure and handsome face, Lin Yanrong couldn't help feeling a little sweet in her heart.
She didn't mind being favored earlier than what was written in the book.
However, just as she entered the long street, the good weather arranged for her by the plot came to an abrupt end. Crows cried in the trees nearby, dark clouds passed overhead, and suddenly a violent storm broke out.
Lin Yanrong and her servant were instantly soaked, with water flowing down their trouser legs.
Xiuzhi quickly took out her straw raincoat and bamboo hat and put them on her master. Then she heard the eunuch leading the way mutter, "This is really rare! The weather was fine this morning, and then it rained out of the blue. It's not summer yet. Seeing crows in broad daylight is really unlucky!"
Lin Yanrong's face suddenly turned gloomy.
Is this eunuch making a veiled criticism?
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