Hosta
If Concubine Ke really takes action, she will be very decisive.
That day, an imperial decree was issued from the palace, announcing that Concubine Ke was hosting a chrysanthemum viewing banquet. Besides several close concubines and princesses, she had also invited her mother, Lady Cao, the eldest wife of the Li family, the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an, and Lady Wang, the wife of the Left Censor-in-Chief and the wife of a Hanlin Academy scholar, to the palace.
As soon as the guest list was released, everyone knew that Concubine Ke was helping her daughter, Princess Shuhui, to choose a future husband's family.
The weather was just right on the day of the banquet, with some gusts of wind, and it was a clear and crisp autumn day.
The wife of Marquis Qing'an was so nervous when she went out that she subconsciously touched her sleeve.
It's no secret that the Emperor favors Concubine Ke of the Chengqian Palace. Rumor has it that Concubine Ke was spoiled and domineering even during her time in the Qiandi Palace. Princess Shuhui, Concubine Ke's only daughter, has been cherished and loved by Emperor Yongping and Concubine Ke since childhood. Could she be like her mother? If Concubine Ke is displeased with this marriage but dares not express it openly, the Marquis of Qing'an's wife will undoubtedly face hardships on this journey.
The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an had rarely spoken to Concubine Ke, having only met her twice from afar, so it was natural for her to be worried. Even during the recent Mid-Autumn Palace banquet, the two hadn't spoken in depth due to the sudden arrival of Prince Dun.
Just as they were about to get off the carriage outside the palace gate, the wife of Marquis Qing'an met Wang, the wife of a scholar from the Hanlin Academy, and the two of them decided to travel together.
Speaking of which, this Lady Wang was the mother of Princess Liang of Dun County. The Liang family was originally a prominent family in Xijing. After the current emperor ascended the throne, the third young lady of Prince Xuan's mansion became the prince's consort. The family of Princess Liang followed her to the capital to settle down, giving Princess Liang some confidence with her family close by.
Seeing the nervous expression on the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an's face, Madam Wang smiled and said, "Madam, there's no need to be nervous. The Queen has a gentle and sincere temperament, and is definitely not the arrogant and domineering person that the rumors say she is."
Because her daughter was Concubine Ke's biological daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wang had had a lot of dealings with Concubine Ke over the years, so the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an naturally believed her: "Thank you, Madam."
Mrs. Wang reminded her again, "But our Empress is a very sentimental person. She likes what she likes and dislikes what she doesn't like. For example, the Empress Jiapin, she usually doesn't pay much attention to her. In front of the Empress, sincerity is the best way to interact."
This really hit the nail on the head, and the wife of Marquis Qing'an understood what was going on.
After entering the harem, one must first go to Kunning Palace to pay a visit to Queen Li.
After talking for a while, Empress Li smiled and said, "I won't keep you two any longer. The chrysanthemums in Concubine Ke's palace are indeed well cultivated. You two should go quickly."
When they arrived at Chengqian Palace, the wife of the Left Censor-in-Chief and the Princess of Dun were already sitting in the flower hall chatting.
The few of them exchanged greetings. Princess Dun first exchanged a smile with Madam Wang, then said to the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an with an apologetic smile, "My mother and Madam Cao were talking with Princess Shuhui inside. It was not intentional to neglect you, Madam."
Of course, it wasn't neglect. The palace maids of Chengqian Palace were diligently waiting on her. She had been escorted along the palace path by palace maids, and upon entering the palace gates, tea and snacks were served immediately, and the flavors were just right. If this was considered neglect, then how many people outside were against the rules?
While moistening her lips with a cup of tea, the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an took advantage of the cover to look at Chengqian Palace calmly.
Chengqian Palace had housed numerous Imperial Noble Consorts and Imperial Noble Consorts throughout the dynasties, so every corridor and pillar was naturally of inestimable value. Concubine Ke was also deeply favored, and the furnishings within her chambers were filled with rare and valuable items not often seen outside. The palace attendants were well-behaved and respectful, yet not formal, demonstrating Concubine Ke's ability to manage her subordinates. It seemed the rumors were untrue. If Concubine Ke were truly domineering, her servants would never behave this way. During the previous emperor's time, the favored concubines, often complacent, were often seen looking down upon even the servants within the palace.
"I didn't pay attention to the time and talked too much. Please don't blame me."
When Concubine Ke came out of the inner hall, the wife of Marquis Qing'an saw a noble lady and a young girl in a horse-faced skirt beside Concubine Ke when she was paying her respects. The noble lady was Lady Cao, the eldest wife of the Li family, and the young girl must be Princess Shuhui Yulang.
Since it was a chrysanthemum viewing banquet, Concubine Ke asked everyone to sit in the yard outside.
As expected, after everyone was seated in the courtyard, Concubine Ke pulled Yulang over and said to the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an, "This is my daughter, Yulang."
The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an smiled and said, "The princess has grown into such a dignified and graceful person. The more I see her, the more I like her."
The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an had already looked at Yu Lang generously several times before, and her praise was without any falsehood.
Yu Lang also looked carefully at his future mother-in-law. The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an was also a famous beauty in the capital when she was young. He smiled shyly and said, "My lady, you are too kind."
"Empress Ding has arrived, Concubine An has arrived, and the Sixth Princess has arrived."
Li Qingping, Yuxi and An Guiren were led in by palace servants, and everyone in the courtyard stood up to greet them.
The chrysanthemum garden in Chengqian Palace, meticulously arranged by twelve gardeners over several days, now features a diverse array of precious chrysanthemums scattered around a white marble table. Palace maids offer seasonal teas, such as "Golden Silk Chrysanthemum Tea" and "Black Peony Dew." Each cup of tea is accompanied by a small note bearing the corresponding variety of fresh chrysanthemum, inscribed with verses from past dynasties that extol the chrysanthemum.
The Left Censor-in-Chief's wife finally understood why she was invited to the banquet today. Her eldest daughter was also going to marry a prince next year, the fourth prince, Prince Yong, born to Concubine An.
Lady An smiled faintly at the wife of the Left Censor-in-Chief.
Seeing that everyone was present, Concubine Ke smiled and said, "I have nothing to do today, so please come and chat and enjoy the flowers. Don't be too restrained."
Sitting down again, the wife of Marquis Qing'an couldn't help but look again and again at Concubine Ding, who was favored by Emperor Yongping.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, she went to the palace for a banquet and wanted to pay a visit to Yonghe Palace, but unexpectedly the princes and princesses were all there and it was not easy to disturb them, so the wife of Marquis Qing'an had to leave with the other ladies.
Princess Mingjing Yujin had a wide network of friends outside the palace. Any prestigious family in the capital would send an invitation to Princess Mingjing's residence when hosting a banquet. It just so happened that Cao □□, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Qing'an, had a good relationship with Yujin. Two years ago, before the current emperor ascended the throne, the Marquis of Qing'an's wife had met with Princess Mingjing, then still the Princess of Pingyang, at the full-month and first-birthday celebrations for Cao □□'s children. This frequent exchange of gifts ensured that the two families would exchange gifts for each other during festivals.
Because of this relationship, it was not too surprising for the wife of Marquis Qing'an to visit Yonghe Palace.
As Li Qingping took her seat, the jade bracelet on her wrist clinked against the edge of the white marble table, making a resonant sound. Concubine Ding had chosen a lilac-colored, gold-woven horse-faced skirt for the day. The hem featured a subtle pattern of entwined chrysanthemums, a subtle echo of the precious "Phoenix Spreading Its Feathers" pot on Concubine Ke's desk. They were truly renowned sisters, both in the imperial court and the harem.
Perhaps because his gaze lingered for too long, Li Qingping put down his teacup and smiled at the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an, saying, "Madam, this Suzhou embroidery dress is quite beautiful and unique. Is it made of the cloud satin from Suzhou in the south of the Yangtze River?"
"Your Majesty, you have a good eye. This material belongs to my boy..." The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an paused, and under the curious gazes of Li Qingping and Concubine Ke, she continued, "My son Mingrui brought it back specially when he went to the south of the Yangtze River with his father."
Concubine Ke smiled and said, "It's rare for Erlangjun to have such a heart."
Cao Mingrui was the second child in the family. If his father had not been a general with a title and the only legitimate son, he would not have been worthy of being a Princess Geshang. The Marquis of Qing'an's ancestral home was in Jiangnan, and he would return there every year to pay homage.
Concubine Ke added, "If it were my family's, I'm afraid they wouldn't even be able to tell the difference."
Princess Dunjun testified: "That's the truth."
"Actually, how would my boy know what the pattern is? He just heard the owner praise the satin to the skies, and he liked it, so he bought it." The wife of the Marquis of Qing'an sighed, "But it's a child's filial piety after all."
Concubine Ke said, "Filial piety is the most precious thing. What's more important is that Erlang Jun has the heart to make Madam happy and thinks about her everywhere. Many men can't even do this superficial work."
"In fact, Mingrui brought back not only fine silk but also several pieces of jade of excellent quality. One of them was as white as snow, and my boy thought it was a perfect match for the princess. He asked the master craftsman to carve it into a jade hairpin. But he didn't know how to give it to the princess. Today, he knew that I was coming to the palace, so he wanted me to give it to her on his behalf."
Concubine Ke watched as the wife of Marquis Qing'an took out a jade hairpin from her sleeve.
The jade is naturally the finest mutton-fat jade, and the workmanship is also exquisite. The jade hairpin is carved into the shape of a lotus with two stems, which is lifelike.
For some reason, Concubine Ke's heart also calmed down.
"Yulang, tell me yourself, do you want to accept this jade hairpin or not?" Concubine Ke chose to throw the question to Yulang himself.
Yu Lang had been sitting quietly, playing with the forbidden belt on his waist, occasionally feeding Yu Xi a piece or two of cake. Hearing this, he paused, two blushes flying across his cheeks, and said angrily, "Mother."
But he still smiled shyly at the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an and said, "Thank you, Second Young Master Cao, for your kindness."
The wife of Marquis Qing'an was delighted, and a palace maid stepped forward and placed the jade hairpin on the jade tray. The palace maid then turned to Yulang and presented the jade hairpin to the princess.
Amidst the teasing looks of the elders and Yuxi's curiosity, Yulang picked up the jade hairpin, caressed it for a long time, and put it away carefully before whispering, "It's a pity that my clothes and jewelry don't match today, otherwise I would have put it on right away. Please tell Erlangjun that I like it very much."
"Okay, okay." The wife of Marquis Qing'an smiled with relief and peace of mind.
Afterwards, they admired the chrysanthemums and played drinking games in a harmonious and natural atmosphere. They also had a meal with chrysanthemums in the dishes.
Before leaving, a palace maid brought out a brocade box embroidered with a lotus pattern, containing chrysanthemum seedlings personally selected by Concubine Ke. Concubine Ke took the hand of the Marquis of Qing'an's wife and said, "I've heard the flower room in the Marquis' mansion is quite famous. I hope you won't mind these green peonies. If you have time in the future, you can come to the palace and talk to me."
Several ladies said goodbye, and Princess Dun said, "The daughter-in-law has left the palace and returned home first."
Concubine Ke instructed, "Tell Hexian to stop running around all the time. Ask his sister to keep an eye on him at the Princess's residence. If you have time, you can also invite Second Young Master Cao to your residence for a visit."
Princess Dun agreed with a smile.
Noble Lady An was about to take her leave and return to the palace. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for today. The wife of the Left Censor-in-Chief is a kind person, and I believe her daughter is also a smart one."
Concubine Ke waved her hand and said, "It's okay." Concubine An will be promoted to a concubine sooner or later, so it's really a good time to establish a good relationship with her.
After everyone left, Li Qingping shook Concubine Ke's hand and said with a smile, "Now you understand what's going on?"
"Although I don't know if the jade was really chosen by Lord Cao, but the fact that he chose to carve it into Yulang's favorite lotus pattern is a thoughtful gesture." Concubine Ke couldn't help but smile when she thought of the jade hairpin. "For a marriage between the royal family and a noble family, this kind of thoughtfulness is enough."
The closest and most distant husband and wife. Don't dare to expect too much.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
