Regards
Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Concubine Yi walked in with the Sixth Prince and Xuan in high spirits. She looked around and smiled, covering her mouth with her hands, saying, "I'm not late either."
"Sister Yifei is different now," Concubine Ke said, her eyes wide open. She used to be able to pretend, but now she's completely unyielding. And rightly so, being one of the four consorts, with two raised princes, including the eldest, who would be so glorious if Concubine Yi wasn't?
Concubine Yi just smiled and said, "Isn't Concubine Yang coming today?"
Li Qingping then said, "Concubine Yang is not feeling well. The Emperor and the Empress have both specifically instructed her to take good care of herself. There's no need to bother her on weekdays."
Because she had helped manage the harem in Xijing before, Empress Li asked Li Qingping to help with miscellaneous matters during the month she entered the palace. However, Li Qingping was only busy with the mourning month. After all, now was different from the past, and it was not easy for her, a concubine, to bypass her previous concubine to assist in the management of the harem.
However, when assisting, Li Qingping discovered that Concubine Yang's share was actually based on the rank of a concubine. She asked about it, and when she learned that it was Emperor Yongping's intention, she stopped talking.
Li Qingping's words were pleasant, but everyone present knew that he still had to maintain some dignity. Concubine Yang had already been despised and confined to her residence. She had thought she would be released after becoming an empress, but she had never expected the emperor to deny her this opportunity.
"The Queen has come out."
Queen Li walked slowly out of the inner room and sat at the seat of honor, smiling and telling the concubines not to be so polite.
The first thing the Empress mentioned was the ceremony for conferring titles on the rank of concubine and above: "In addition to the Empress's ceremony, Your Majesty has indicated that Concubine Ke and Concubine Yi will be conferred on the same day, while Concubine Yang and Concubine Ding and Concubine Jia will be conferred together, on the sixth and nineteenth day of next month respectively. In a few days, the Imperial Clothing Bureau will prepare the respective formal attire and send it to each palace."
Now it was just a title. Only after the canonization ceremony could she become a real concubine. There was nothing for Concubine Ke and others to refuse.
Those below the rank of concubine looked on with envy. They had no enthronement ceremony, no formal dress. There were still differences between concubines. No wonder everyone wanted to rise to the top.
"Now that the mourning period is over, it's time to put the matter of serving the emperor in bed on the agenda. The names of the sisters have been prepared, but I hope that you won't cause unrest in the harem just to compete for favor." Although Empress Li smiled, her tone was not very friendly. After speaking, she softened her voice and said, "All of you here have followed the emperor since the Qiandi Palace. Even if there are new people in the future, your relationship will still be different. You can still live a comfortable life."
"The concubines understand."
Finally, Empress Li said, "I still have many palace affairs to attend to. You don't have to come every day to pay your respects. You can come every fifth or tenth day. If you have any matters on weekdays, I will also see you by presenting a card."
That's good, I don't have to get up early every day to pay my respects. It's okay now, but in winter when the cold wind blows, it will be a real pain.
At this time, a servant came to report that the Crown Princess, the princesses, the fifth prince, and the Princesses of Gong and Dun had come to pay their respects to the Queen.
Queen Li smiled and asked everyone to come in quickly.
Following the Crown Princess, they saw a line of children, from the eldest, Yu Jin, to He Xie, the youngest from the Prince's Residence. He Xie was born at an unfortunate time. His older brother, He Yun, was nine years older, while his younger brother, He Xuan, was three years younger and hadn't yet joined the Prince's Residence. Even among his sisters, there were no other children his age. So, among this group of grown brothers and sisters, He Xie sat at the very back, almost invisible. He followed Yu Jin like a little tail, almost stepping on his older sister's skirt when he saluted.
Li Qingping almost couldn't hold back his laughter. After greeting the Queen and saying a few words, he hurriedly waved for He Xuan to come over.
When he got to the front, his elder sister Yuxi asked him, "Why are you hiding behind?"
He Yan smiled and said, "Those are my sisters and sisters-in-law. It's not appropriate for me to walk in front."
Concubine Ke was sitting on the left of Li Qingping. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but sigh, "We and Xin have to stay in the prince's residence for two years by ourselves. How pitiful." Her four older brothers have all been made kings and set up their own residences outside the palace. The princesses don't have to go to the prince's residence, so now she and Xin are staying there all alone.
Li Qingping understood his son and scoffed, "Pathetic? He's the boss there, so worrying is unnecessary."
A month ago, when she first entered the palace, she was worried about whether He Xie would be lonely and scared in the prince's residence. Now, Li Qingping just hoped that He Xie would not cause her any trouble. Every time Yun Lian brought back news, she said that it was a grasshopper fight today and a cricket race tomorrow. She didn't know who had inherited this mischief from. I heard that the teacher in the study was also very angry about He Xie.
"Princess Yurong and others have also come to pay their respects to the Empress."
Someone outside came in again. Empress Li was no longer as eager as before, but she still said with a smile, "Please come in."
Emperor Qianyuan had few children. Besides Princess Yurong, he had only two sons and one daughter, a total of four children. Princess Yurong and Hesheng were both born to his wife. His second daughter, Yuhua, and second son, Heyao, were both born to concubines.
As the eldest sister, Princess Yurong led her younger brothers and sisters to pay their respects to the Queen, and then to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. Finally, she performed a half-bow to all concubines and above.
After doing all this, Queen Li said a few words and then said she was going to pay her respects to the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
Princess Yurong followed the team that went to pay respects, watching all this with a complicated expression.
If not for the previous incident, these honors should have belonged to their family in the Eastern Palace. She had been delighted when the news broke that He Sheng would be crowned Crown Prince, but it was all a fantasy. Fortunately, she was married and had her own princess residence outside the palace, but her three siblings would have to remain in the palace for at least several more years. They were called princes and princesses, but everyone knew they were nowhere near the same dignity as the emperor's own children. She didn't show it on the surface, but in reality, she hated them like thorns in her side.
Life is full of ups and downs. From being the favored daughter of the Eastern Palace to being an adopted child living under someone else's roof, it's just a matter of a thought.
The Empress Dowager was old and did not keep them for long, so everyone went to the East Side Hall to pay a visit to Empress Dowager Chongshou.
Both the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager lived in the Cining Palace. The Grand Empress Dowager, as the elder, lived in the main hall, while the Empress Dowager, no matter how noble she was, could only live in a side hall. However, it was still better than the other concubines and imperial concubines, who had dozens of people crowded into the smaller Shoukang Palace.
Besides, the Empress Dowager really doesn't dare to complain now.
Her eldest son, the former Prince Ling, had been demoted to a commoner, stripped of his imperial surname, and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court for treasonous acts. Before his death, Emperor Wenzong had left a note of incompetence, condemning him as a poor parent, a charge that would be condemned in the annals of history. She lived in constant fear, and the new emperor's refusal to take issue with her and honoring her as his legitimate mother was a measure of magnanimity. The Empress Dowager dared not act with any airs of superiority.
Therefore, when facing the people who came to pay their respects, the Empress Dowager did not dare to say much, but just said a few casual words that were not out of the ordinary.
As he was speaking, he heard that Emperor Yongping had come down from court with the Crown Prince and Prince Gong, Prince Dun, and Prince Yong to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Chongshou.
Most of the concubines below quickly sat up straighter and asked the palace maids to check if there was anything wrong.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Yongping didn't even look at them when he arrived. He and Empress Li were chatting casually with the Empress Dowager about some unimportant things. The Empress Dowager didn't say a word of objection, but just said that it was up to the Emperor to decide.
The Empress Dowager was so kind, and the Emperor was happy to give her some respect: "I'll have Yihong come to the palace to pay his respects to the Queen Mother later."
Yihong is the Empress Dowager's youngest son, Prince E, Yunhong. Since the current emperor ascended the throne, all other princes were required to avoid using the emperor's name, so the character "Yun" was changed to "Yi." Now a prince, Yihong, due to his kindness towards Emperor Yongping, then still Prince Xuan, enjoys the best life of the Empress Dowager's three sons. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager's youngest son, Prince Zhao, remains idle at home, doing nothing all day.
The Empress Dowager had not seen her children for a long time. Although Emperor Yongping still refused to let Prince Zhao enter the palace, it would be good enough for him to see Prince E.
"I appreciate the emperor's kindness." The empress dowager felt bitter in her heart, but she still smiled.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was tired, they paid their respects and left in a hurry.
Emperor Yongping still had government affairs to attend to, so he left quickly, much to the disappointment of the concubines who wanted to show off their charm.
But that was none of Li Qingping's business. Empress Li had palace duties to attend to, and Concubine Ke wanted to speak with her eldest son, Prince Dun, who hadn't been seen in a few days (he was busy with government affairs), so she took Yu Jin and He Chang back to Yonghe Palace. Yu Xi and He Xian went to the Imperial Academy, one to study, and the other to the Upper Study.
He Chang fell into a deep sleep as soon as he returned to the palace. Li Qingping smiled helplessly and handed him to the wet nurse.
Yu Jin brought her children to the palace today. Yu Jin's eldest son is named Cheng Yi, and her second daughter is named Hui Wen, both names given by Emperor Yongping. Cheng Yi is almost five years old, while Hui Wen still needs to be carried and can't walk.
Li Qingping asked Concubine Wu to visit his two grandsons. Concubine Wu hugged Huiwen lovingly and glanced at Chengyi twice. She felt quite satisfied. She left the two pairs of gold bracelets and did not disturb Li Qingping and Yujin's conversation. She bowed and took her leave.
Yu Jin looked at her biological mother's back with a complicated expression and said to Li Qingping, "Sometimes I don't know why she took the risk to keep me, but I have to be grateful to her for giving birth to me."
In reality, Concubine Wu had always been a very restrained person. She seemed to never expect anything from her child, always being polite and leaving after a few words. Yet, she couldn't hide her love for her daughter. Judging from Concubine Wu's life over the years, she must have been very frugal to afford two pairs of such weighty gold bracelets. When Yu Jin got married, she had already spent years of her savings on her dowry, and these two pairs of gold bracelets must have drained her savings even further.
Li Qingping comforted her, "A mother always loves her children."
"Cancan still goes to the clan school frequently at her age? I remember that when I was her age, I was already learning how to manage the household and arrange marriages." Yu Jin asked Li Qingping after sighing.
Li Qingping said, "There's no rush. She has three older sisters, Yulang, Yuzan, and Ping'an. Yulang said she'll get married next year, and Yuzan hasn't even found a partner yet. Ping'an's figure is so bad, she'll have to be looked at more carefully than the fourth princess. It's unclear when our little monkey will get his turn."
Yu Jin smiled and said, "But the situation is indeed different now than when Yu Zhen and I were together. They are princesses, and they can choose any good husband in the world. They will be worshipped wherever they marry, and there is no need to rush. Cancan is also my father's youngest daughter, and my father can't bear to let her go."
She still remembered the grand ceremony of Yuxi's full moon celebration that was comparable to that of a legitimate daughter.
"Actually, I heard that Princess Gong is two months pregnant, but it's hard to tell during the mourning period." Yu Jin sent her son and daughter to play with Yun Su and the others. "I saw that Concubine Yi was very proud today. She will be even more proud if the eldest grandson is born."
In the past, there weren't so many secrets in the palace because it was so small, and the position of Crown Prince was obviously the legitimate son, so what was there to fight for? But now it's different. Everyone in the palace has big plans. The Crown Prince's position is currently unstable. Fortunately, most of the current princes are from the Li sisters, but it's hard to say what Concubine Yi and Prince Gong are thinking.
"You don't have to worry about these." Li Qingping shook his head.
Yu Jin said, "What about those rumors outside? Has Auntie heard about them?"
Li Qingping's eyes were sharp.
"What's that rumor?"
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