Chapter 199 Dumbfounded
"The colors are bright and beautiful."
The eldest princess stared at the red spot on the jade hairpin and nodded.
Seeing this, Yun Wan lowered her head and gave a few instructions. Soon, a palace servant came in with a set of head ornaments mainly made of red coral.
Yun Wan picked up one of the beads and chuckled, "I have never worn this headdress before. If the princess likes it, I will give it to her."
Everyone's eyes instantly fell on the coral head in the wooden tray, with envy in their eyes.
"This red coral is dazzling, and the princess's skin is fair, lush and fresh. It is extremely suitable."
"The Queen is so generous."
They could understand Yun Wan's approach. The empress was a role model for the six palaces and a role model for women all over the world. It was her duty to treat the royal heir well, so they didn't think there was anything strange about it.
The eldest princess looked at the virtuous concubine, hesitant and unable to make up her mind for a moment.
Xian Fei stroked her temples and said with a faint smile, "I remember that Your Majesty once had a coral bracelet that she loved very much. I think Your Majesty is also someone who likes such things. If I give it to Li'er, wouldn't that be taking away Your Majesty's favorite thing?"
Yun Wan nodded and said, "I did have one before. It was sent by the Bureau of Treasures. The Concubine Xian has also seen it. But for some reason, the bracelet broke and a few beads were missing."
"Later, when His Majesty learned of this, he ordered a new set to be sent."
She paused, sighed, and said, "It's just that it's not the same string as before. My interest in it wore off, so I kept it in the storeroom and didn't take it out. Now it's just the right time to give it to the princess."
Concubine Kang suddenly realized, "So it's broken. I was wondering why you didn't wear it anymore, seeing Your Majesty really like that bracelet?"
Yun Wan wore it once when she was still Princess Yun. The bright red string on her hand left a deep impression on everyone.
Others echoed: "The Treasure Bureau is becoming increasingly careless. They've made such a huge mistake. I wonder how much valuable materials they've secretly stolen?"
"I remember that the Bureau of Treasures was previously managed by Concubine Lu, right?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards Concubine Lu and saw her sitting quietly beside Concubine Xian with an expressionless face, and they couldn't help but sigh.
I remember how glorious it was when she was still the Concubine Shu, assisting in managing the six palaces.
Seeing the topic turned to herself, Concubine Lu curled her lips and sneered, "So what? The Bureau of Treasures is no longer under my jurisdiction. Do you still want to hold me responsible?"
Her words and attitude seemed to indicate she had given up hope.
The concubine who was mocked by her choked and wanted to argue with Concubine Lu, but Yun Wan glanced at her and stopped her instantly.
Not wanting to dwell on this topic, Yun Wan had the headpiece sent to the eldest princess. "There's no need to refuse, Concubine Xian. If the princess likes it, it will be considered a good use of it."
The eldest princess said: "Thank you, Queen, for giving up your love."
Seeing that she accepted it, Yun Wan talked about the main business of the day: "I want to hold a banquet in Hui Cui Palace in ten days to entertain the female relatives of the capital. If you have relatives you want to meet, you can give the list to Fuling, and then the invitations will be sent to all the houses."
Everyone was ecstatic upon hearing this.
It is said that once you enter the palace, it is like entering a deep sea. Since entering the palace, except for a few concubines who have children, the others have almost no chance to meet their families and ask about their well-being.
They met occasionally, but it was just a glimpse from a distance at a palace banquet and they couldn't talk at all.
As for those with ordinary family backgrounds and whose fathers and brothers were officials of the fifth rank or below, they did not even have the opportunity to attend the banquet. Yun Wan's decision undoubtedly gave them the possibility to meet their families.
Even though they had long been accustomed to the stagnant life in the palace and had practiced not showing their emotions, the concubines still couldn't help but get excited and expressed their gratitude.
Only Huipin, who loved to join in the fun, had an indifferent expression.
As for Concubine Lu with a sarcastic look on her face, she automatically ignored her.
Yun Wan took note of it silently, and after the others left, she found a reason to keep the other person.
"What's wrong with you? I noticed that you looked unhappy just now." She asked worriedly.
Huipin was stunned for a moment, then her expression became calm: "You must have seen it wrong, right? Isn't my expression always like this?"
Yun Wan shook her head, her tone firm: "No, it's just different. Especially when you mentioned meeting your relatives, you didn't seem to be looking forward to it at all."
Huipin curled her lips and said nonchalantly, "What's there to see? It doesn't matter whether we see each other or not."
"It seems that you don't have a good relationship with your family." Yun Wan hit the nail on the head.
Huipin raised her eyebrows, "Isn't the Empress different too?"
Yun pursed his lips and said, "My mother died early, so naturally I lost my father. He took his concubine as his wife, and they became a family. I have long since lost my thoughts about home."
Maybe there was, but the results were disappointing.
"You're different. Your parents are both alive, and you're their eldest daughter. Don't you miss them too?"
Huipin was silent for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said self-deprecatingly, "To be honest, I broke off relations with them a long time ago."
"Breakup?" Yun Wan was stunned. "Why?"
Huipin opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself.
Realizing that there was something fishy going on, Yun Wan signaled the palace servants, "You go down first."
When only two people were left, Huipin dropped another thunderclap:
"Forget it, it's okay to tell you that I was no longer a virgin before I entered the palace."
Yun Wan was shocked and subconsciously touched his ears to make sure he had heard correctly.
"It's a long story." Huipin sighed.
Yun Wan concentrated: "Let's make it short."
"I had no choice but to enter the palace." Huipin fell into reminiscence and said absentmindedly: "When I was young and in the boudoir, I fell in love with a..."
She paused, and said with disgust: "Bitch."
"He was my father's protégé, and I fell in love with him at first sight. After that, I created opportunities to meet and interact with him."
"He was not repulsive to me and even showed more care and concern. I thought he had me in his heart. Of course, this was just wishful thinking on my part. I became more open with him and had physical intimacy with him."
"When I thought I would marry him and was about to confess our relationship to my father, I accidentally saw him being affectionate and talking to his cousin."
Huipin's tone was filled with endless coldness. "He said that he was with me only to use me to gain favor with my father, and that he had no love for me. He said that he would bring her home after we married."
Huipin was struck by lightning at the time, feeling disgusted, and immediately broke off all ties with the other party and told her father about it. Who would have thought that -
"My father actually made me marry that bastard!"
Huipin gnashed her teeth and said, "I was unwilling to accept this, so I secretly submitted the list of candidates for the imperial selection. My father was afraid that the matter would be exposed and implicate the whole family, so he severed the father-daughter relationship with me."
Yun Wan was silent, "And then?"
Huipin shrugged and said, "The fact that I wasn't a virgin was discovered by the nanny who examined me. When I was being driven out of the palace, I happened to run into His Majesty, and he gave me a way out."
"I will become His Majesty's pawn, serving as his eyes and ears in the harem, and I will have my own place to stay."
This is the reason why Huipin has been able to maintain a stable position in the harem and remain safe and sound over the years.
Because she was a pawn of Emperor Jingxuan and had to follow his orders.
After hearing this, Yun Wan was dumbfounded.
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