Chapter 304: Establishing Authority
Dawn is breaking in the sky.
Zhao Luoxuan sat blankly on the edge of the bed, looking at the sky through the stained glass window.
The warm sun tore a hole in the sky, the thick ink color gradually dissipated, and the towering mountains rose and fell, outlining a landscape painting in ink.
Behind these mountains is the southern border of Daliang.
When the maid saw that she had woken up, she hurried over and asked softly, "Princess, are you okay?"
Zhao Luoxuan felt sore all over, but her heart was even more sore.
It's a mixture of emotions, I can't describe how it feels.
It was as if she was a shell with a new core, without any desires or requests.
"fine."
The maid helped her to stand up slowly. Another maid came over quietly and tidied the bedding. Suddenly, she saw a red cloud on the mattress.
The two maids smiled at each other, overjoyed.
The marriage was finally consummated.
Zhao Luoxuan sat in front of the dressing mirror with a lack of interest while her maid combed her hair.
"Princess, the concubines are supposed to pay their respects to you today. They have already been summoned this morning."
Normally, Zhao Luoxuan was impatient with playing nice with the concubines. Apart from acting with Duan Yu in front of others and taking care of all the affairs in the harem, she didn't care about anything else.
Therefore, the concubines were exempted from paying respects.
But after the two of them consummated their marriage, Zhao Luoxuan would really seize the position of the queen of the harem and hold the king's heart.
She wants to be the backing of the Mu family army!
The maid was still a little worried and was about to say forget it when she heard Zhao Luoxuan's indifferent response.
"good."
The maid's eyes suddenly turned red and she turned around and nodded to another maid.
They followed the self-deprecating Zhao Luoxuan to southern Xinjiang, so they were naturally loyal to her.
But loyalty cannot be eaten. Now that the marriage has been brought to Dali, if she does not have the king's favor and no offspring, the group of women in the harem who are eyeing her covetously will want to eat their master in one bite.
If the master is not favored, the servants will be the first to suffer.
The road ahead is long and they are very anxious.
Now that the princess is willing to get along well with the king and is willing to establish herself, how can they not be happy?
The maids quietly began to prepare in an orderly manner.
They are all maids and nannies who have been strictly trained in the Daliang Palace, and they are very skilled in doing these things.
Concubine Yu and a group of beautiful girls stood outside the gate. They had been standing there for nearly half an hour and her face looked unhappy.
In the entire palace, she was the only one who had given birth to a prince.
Zhao Luoxuan didn't love him, and he occupied her son. What a thing!
Do you still dare to put on airs in front of her?
Concubine Yu glanced at the impatient Concubine Qi with resentment.
"The princess is quite arrogant."
When the concubine daughter of the King of Qi State and Concubine Qi received Concubine Yu's gaze, she could not help but speak first.
She entered the palace on the same day as Zhao Luoxuan. As princesses married to foreign countries, she prided herself on her high status and even looked down on Concubine Bai.
Concubine Yu hurriedly said, "Concubine Qi, please don't talk nonsense. The princess has been in the palace for more than a year, and she just consummated her marriage yesterday. She must be tired."
This sentence irritated Concubine Qi.
She waited for a year and was not favored. Why should a widow be able to surpass her?
"Ha, I still don't know if it's true. It's been a year, and although the king comes to her every now and then, he doesn't want to touch her at all. Did he touch her yesterday? Maybe she drugged the king."
These words immediately aroused the jealousy of the concubines, and they all spoke up.
"My sister guessed right. The princess entered the palace holding her late husband's spirit tablet. Our king was magnanimous and allowed her to act recklessly, but isn't that annoying?"
"That's right. Which man doesn't have taboos? What's more, he is our great king. The princess can really do that."
"Be careful with your words."
Concubine Bai, who was usually taciturn, frowned.
Concubine Qi glanced at her and said, "Sister Bai, you are not low in status. You are the legitimate daughter of the Dali Imperial Master. You are the most noble among the female concubines in this country. The princess doesn't even give you face, how can you tolerate it?"
"Sisters, please also speak up for Concubine Bai. If it weren't for the Imperial Master, our King..."
"If you want to die, don't drag me!"
Concubine Bai's face darkened and she interrupted their increasingly nonsensical conversation in a low voice.
She was the first woman to marry Duan Yu as a concubine.
At that time, Duan Yu had just been supported by all the court officials as the heir to the throne, and the Imperial Master was the chief of the ministers who supported him.
It was at that time that Concubine Bai married Duan Yu, and it was thought that she would be the principal wife.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Duan Yu ascended the throne, he asked Daliang to marry the princess.
With the support of all the court officials, the Imperial Master could not say anything, so she could only be relegated to the position of concubine.
However, Duan Yu was cold-hearted and she had few opportunities to sleep with him. Her pregnancy was not good, so Concubine Yu took the lead and gave birth to the only prince.
Concubine Bai looked at Concubine Qi and all the concubines with a cold look: "The princess is a legitimate princess of Daliang, and her status is higher than ours. Moreover, the princess was personally asked by the king to marry her, and she is the bond of peace and friendship between the two countries. None of you can think of crossing the princess's honor. If you want to challenge, just go ahead, and don't blame me for not reminding you when the time comes."
All the concubines quickly said they dared not.
Concubine Yu was not afraid and smiled softly, "Sister Bai, please don't scare me. It's hard to say whether the princess can become a bond between the two countries. Her mother and Queen Daliang both want to unite with the king..."
"How dare you!" A loud shout came, interrupting Concubine Yu's words.
Everyone looked up, surprise flashing in their eyes.
Zhao Luoxuan changed her usual plain clothes and wore a flying Hundred Phoenix Chaoyang Skirt, the standard dress for a queen, and a headdress of a princess of Dali.
The Dali Kingdom advocated white. Bright and vivid colorful flying phoenixes were embroidered on white dresses, and bright and three-dimensional peonies were embroidered on vests.
It makes Zhao Luoxuan's fair and flawless face look more beautiful.
The shoulder line is straight, the waist is upright, and every gesture shows elegance.
It was the first time they saw Zhao Luoxuan like this.
Zhao Luoxuan looked at the group of beautiful girls with an expressionless face, and finally realized the difficulties her mother faced in the harem.
"I have always been reluctant to argue with you sisters, but the peace of the harem is related to the foundation of the country, so I cannot be a fool."
She glanced at the maid guarding the door and asked, "Who said something disrespectful just now?"
The maid was Zhao Luoxuan's person, and she had long been indignant at this group of women slandering the princess.
He immediately pointed at several people.
The concubines of lower status were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they all looked at Concubine Qi and Concubine Yu.
They were the ones who instigated it.
Concubine Qi sneered: "Princess, this is the first time you have summoned all the concubines so early in the morning. Are you trying to establish your authority by using your sisters?"
Zhao Luoxuan curled her lips, but she didn't smile: "Isn't it possible?"
Concubine Qi's smile froze: "I am the princess of Qi!"
Zhao Luoxuan walked down the stairs step by step with a smile and stood in front of her.
Zhao Luoxuan was half a head taller than Concubine Qi, and looked down at her arrogantly.
"Why? Did Qi send you to deliberately disrupt my Dali harem and destroy the diplomatic relations between Daliang and Dali?"
Concubine Qi's face turned pale and she stepped back repeatedly: "No, no."
Zhao Luoxuan was too lazy to talk to her, so she turned around and ordered in a clear voice: "Those who just gossiped and said treasonous words will be slapped thirty times to serve as a warning to others!"
Zhao Luoxuan's wet nurse immediately ordered people to catch them one by one and started beating them.
For a moment, screams were heard.
The maids and the maids were very harsh.
Concubine Yu struggled to break free, pointing at Zhao Luoxuan and angrily said, "My Lady Princess, I am the biological mother of the eldest prince, how dare you touch me?"
Zhao Luoxuan stood on the steps, looking at her coldly.
"Since you are the biological mother of the eldest prince, you must behave strictly. Moreover, you are a woman sent by Daliang, so I must be strict with you. Otherwise, how can you convince others?"
"Concubine Yu is guilty of insubordination and provoking trouble. She is guilty of an even greater crime and shall be slapped fifty times in the face."
Concubine Yu's face turned pale: "You..."
Before she could finish, the wet nurse stepped forward and kicked her in the knee.
With a thud, Concubine Yu knelt heavily on the ground. Before she could open her mouth, she was slapped hard on the face.
Zhao Luoxuan shifted her gaze to Concubine Bai, who was looking at her with an inquiring look.
"Concubine Bai, if you have time, come in and have a chat?"
Concubine Bai immediately bowed: "Yes."
His lowered eyes moved slightly. He didn't expect that Zhao Luoxuan was also a ruthless character.
The others who were not summoned did not dare to leave and could only watch as several concubines were punished.
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