Cuizhi obediently shook her head, "I have checked all the newly assigned palace maids to the East and West Six Palaces, and there are indeed no palace maids with the surname Dong among them."
"Your Majesty, perhaps she was sent by the Imperial Household Department to the Qianqing Palace or the palaces of the imperial concubines?"
That's possible. Although the late emperor lived a short life, he took in quite a few concubines (of course, most of them were Mongol concubines, since the Mongols were powerful and the court needed to maintain stability and appease them).
Most of these people currently live in several palaces that have been separated, such as Shou Kang Palace and Shou An Palace. Although their daily food, clothing and other necessities are not as luxurious as during the reign of the late emperor, with the presence of the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, they are certainly much better off than the other insignificant concubines in the harem.
Therefore, every year the Imperial Household Department would dutifully send servants to these imperial concubines in accordance with palace regulations, and send some of the older palace servants back home.
Consort Shu was unaware of this detail, but after Cuizhi reminded her, she felt that the probability of this was very high.
"But how did Lady Dong manage to serve the Emperor in these places?" It was much more difficult for a palace maid to serve the Emperor than in the novels she had read.
When she finally arrived in the Qing Dynasty, Consort Shu realized how far-fetched the descriptions in the novels she had read before were. However, she was not good at history and could only rely on her experience from the novels to explore and move forward little by little.
After pondering for a moment, Consort Shu decided to have Cuizhi use the connections she had previously placed in the Qianqing Palace to secretly investigate Lady Dong.
“This person is very important. I want to know the specifics of her situation.”
Consort Duan was directly promoted to the rank of Consort in the sixteenth year of her reign, and before that, she had given birth to a princess for the Emperor, which shows that she had considerable background and strength.
It was only after becoming pregnant that Consort Shu understood how difficult it was to give birth safely in the early days of Emperor Kangxi's harem.
Not to mention the problematic food that pops up almost every now and then, it's easy to trip and fall while walking on the street. If there are no problems with that, then something really strange has happened.
"Furthermore, hurry up and contact the outside world to tell Father and Mother about my current situation."
If Niohuru's people don't arrive soon, I fear I won't be able to protect the child in my womb.
Consort Shu lowered her eyes, gently touching her four-month-old belly, feeling an inexplicable surge of irritation.
Empress!
Once she has a free time, she will definitely take matters into her own hands and deal with that 'magnanimous and benevolent' Empress Yuan.
...
"Thump thump thump—thump thump—"
The tightly closed door was knocked on again, and everyone who had been resting in their rooms came out.
The first person to come out of the room was Dong E Jingxin. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she had become accustomed to being the leader among the five people, and now, no matter what was being done, she would always be the first to step forward.
This time was no exception. While the other four were standing at their respective room doors, Dong E Jingxin had already opened the door that had been knocked on.
"Who are you"
Dong E Jingxin looked at the person who came in front of her, a knowing look flashing across her eyes.
"Greetings, ladies. I am a newly assigned maid from the Imperial Household Department."
The woman standing at the front smiled and bowed, then stepped back so that Xiuning and the others could see their faces clearly.
This time, the Imperial Household Department assigned five palace maids to each of the young ladies living in each room.
Three women and two men.
Of course, these five people did not serve just one of them, but were responsible for the daily life of the entire No. 2 room. The palace maids served them with their food and daily life (but did not include some of the young ladies' private matters, such as washing and dressing), and the two eunuchs were responsible for running errands and delivering messages, but they would not enter the room.
Xiu Ning and the others memorized the names of the five people. Then, Dong E Jing Xin handed over the task of cleaning the entire room to the leader among the five. As for the other girls who were to be selected for the imperial concubine selection, they naturally went back to their rooms to rest.
Before entering the house, Xiu Ning noticed that Shu Mu Lu Yi Xuan and Gua Er Jia Yu Xi had walked together.
'Is this a pre-arranged alliance before it even begins?'
Xiuning muttered to herself, then turned and walked into the inner room behind the screen, sitting back down on the bed.
'System, you said that of the five newly assigned palace servants, how many might be spies for other people?'
Feeling utterly bored, Xiuning chatted with the system in her mind once again.
In fact, every time the imperial court holds a talent selection, it attracts a considerable number of people who pay attention.
Almost everyone in the harem, from top to bottom, devoted their attention to this.
After all, the selection of the young ladies was closely linked to the fate of their families. Some could transform themselves and lead their entire families to great heights, while others, lacking the skills to compete, would fall from grace and end up in obscurity.
The family power struggles and exchanges of interests involved here are breathtaking.
Xiu Ning couldn't guarantee that she would be safe and sound in this re-election, and she dared not underestimate anyone in the harem. She knew that it was not uncommon for people to stumble over small things, and she should take this as a warning.
'Host, would you like to spend some points to investigate?'
The system believes that relying solely on visual perception is not accurate, but if one can pay money to buy cheats, it is quite reliable.
'Not buying'
Xiuning refused decisively, "It's not the right time yet. Besides, we need to use our points wisely."
If she always relies on external forces, how will she survive the next few decades in the harem? People still have to rely on themselves. External forces can be used, but in moderation.
'Help me record the daily activities of these five people,' Xiu Ning decided to analyze it herself first, and then ask the system for help later.
The system has no objection; it approves of the host's strong ambition, as this is essential for progress after completing tasks. Otherwise, stagnation or even regression will prevent this combination from going far.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
