The imperial harem is holding a selection of candidates.
The news had not been officially released yet, but it had already spread throughout the inner palace.
"After all, the Empress Dowager spoke to the Empress in person, so no matter what, the Emperor cannot slap the Empress Dowager in the face. It seems that the Empress will be in a difficult situation for a while."
At least during the selection process, the Empress's life was not very smooth, and she could only endure it because of the Empress Dowager's interference.
As if she had just thought of something, Chen Yuwei suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.
Having just come out of the Cining Palace to pay her respects, Chen Yuwei remained seated in her sedan chair, with the other concubines far behind her.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Niohuru clan has prepared several candidates for the imperial concubine selection, including both direct and collateral branches. It is clear that Your Majesty intends to put a lot of effort into this matter."
Xia He suddenly recalled the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the first year, where the Empress Dowager and the wife of the Niohuru clan chief stood together and chatted happily.
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Tsk tsk, does the Empress Dowager really intend to promote her own family member to the throne? Putting aside the Empress's family background, the Empress herself has done quite well, there's no reason for this to happen.
"Once you become the Empress Dowager, you have many more things to consider, and the kind of life you live depends entirely on your own ideas."
Clearly, their Empress Dowager didn't want to be idle, so adding a few more members of her family to the harem was something that Niohuru clan members were capable of doing.
"Xia He, besides the Niohuru clan, have any other families made any moves regarding this talent selection?"
They didn't have many connections outside the palace, and their ability to gather information was not as good as that of the local concubines.
But well, it's better than nothing.
Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well run errands for Yikun Palace and fish in troubled waters among the others. Who knows, I might be able to find out something.
Xia He nodded and then shook her head. "The Niohuru clan made the biggest commotion. The other families just went through the normal process." The Niohuru clan was already widely known after the first year of the reign.
Which family's beautiful young daughter, instead of staying obediently at home, would run to the palace with her elders during festivals and occasionally even bump into the emperor going to the Cining Palace to pay her respects?
Their various behaviors practically screamed "I want to enter the palace!"
The others didn't say anything, but it was only out of consideration for the Empress Dowager's reputation. She was the Emperor's birth mother, and she was not someone for them to gossip about.
However, everything is clear now, and everyone can speak freely without holding back.
"I wonder how many young ladies from the Niohuru clan will be selected this time."
From the outside, it looks like a grand spectacle, and the concubines in the palace are all on high alert. But the real fear is that the people who come in won't be as powerful as they seem.
"Your Majesty, with the Empress Dowager present, even if only one person enters, their rank will not be low."
She is almost certain to be the head of the first palace, and if the Empress Dowager manages things well, with the strong support of the Niohuru clan, the position of a concubine is not out of the question.
Chen Yuwei tapped the armrest, "There aren't many palaces in the harem that are currently unused."
If this selection process produces several more high-ranking concubines, then the rest of the harem will be in danger.
At the end of last year, the Emperor had just conferred the title of Noble Lady on Keliyete Shuying and the title of Consort Jia on Jin Xiangling, which made the harem quite lively for a while.
If this year's draft brings in a few new favorites who can rival the veterans, then the issue of rankings will become difficult to manage.
The emperor cannot possibly use up all the available positions for concubines and consorts; doing so would throw the harem into complete chaos.
But leaving only one or two fishermen to appease them is unlikely to quell the greed of the majority.
"Just watch, once this period of mourning is over, our harem will be filled with a wave of joyous events."
While there was still a chance to climb the ranks, everyone was working desperately hard, and the key was finding an heir who could persuade the emperor to let go.
This September, Yong-hong and Yong-kun will also move to the A-ge residence, leaving only four-year-old He-zhuo and Fu-ling sisters by her side. Should she also join in the fun?
Never mind, she already has enough children. All she can do now is raise them well.
The idea flashed through Chen Yuwei's mind for only a moment before she immediately abandoned it.
When she had her two daughters, Chen Yuwei had already calculated that if she were to have another child, it would be around the time her two daughters went to live with the princess. This would not only alleviate the loneliness of Yikun Palace without children but also give Chen Yuwei more free time.
But that was just a plan. In reality, Chen Yuwei had given birth to quite a few children, and even the original owner of this body should be satisfied with that.
Throughout the entire Qianlong reign, the most fertile concubine was none other than Consort Ling, née Wei.
She became pregnant seven times in ten years and gave birth to six children, but only two sons and two daughters survived to adulthood.
Chen Yuwei now has three sons and two daughters, all of whom she is supporting and waiting for to get married and have children. What a huge family she has!
Chen Yuwei was preoccupied with the children's affairs and didn't continue talking to Xia He.
Seeing that her master was not making any move, Xia He also shut up and remained silent.
Soon, they arrived at Yikun Palace.
Chen Yuwei alighted from the sedan chair, placed her hand on Xia He's arm, and the two entered the palace smoothly.
Mother
Mother
He Zhuo and Fu Ling'a rushed in from the side hall and hugged Chen Yuwei's legs.
The two little figures, whose tricks they learned from whoever they were, each had one, and their roles were clearly defined.
Chen Yuwei hadn't removed her makeup yet, and she was still wearing the same outfit she wore when she went to pay her respects.
"Good boy, let go of your mother. Your mother will change her clothes and then play with you two."
Chen Yuwei reassured the children, then instructed the wet nurse who entered later to watch over the two children, while she quickly went into the inner hall to change her clothes.
When they came out again, Hojo and Fulinga had already climbed onto the couch with the help of the wet nurse.
The two little ones are round and chubby, and their whole bodies are adorable and lovely. They are clearly children who have been carefully raised.
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