Chapter 144 Musician's Register
The power to assist in managing the six houses naturally does not need to be handed over.
She was held in Emperor Zhaoheng's arms and coaxed softly for a long time before Shuixian's tears finally stopped.
Emperor Zhaoheng kept her in the Qianqing Palace for a day, and after dinner, she rode back to the Lihe Palace in the imperial carriage.
Narcissus not only returned on her own, but also brought back numerous gifts from Emperor Zhaoheng.
Previously, when Emperor Zhaoheng was coaxing Narcissus in the Qianqing Palace, he thought more and more that he had been obsessed with distancing himself from Narcissus recently.
Now that he had come to his senses, Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Narcissus, whose pregnancy was clearly visible, and felt that he had been a fool.
She asked for nothing but to be with him forever, and she bore him children, yet he neglected her for so long.
Thus, his guilt was transformed into a tangible reward.
After Shui Xian returned to Lihe Palace, the Imperial Household Department moved the items into the hall. A long procession followed, and the huge main hall was filled with treasures. Yin Zhu behaved quite well; this was not the first time she had seen Emperor Zhaoheng bestow such gifts upon his master.
This was the first time Ke Tinglu had ever seen such a sight, and she felt that everything she saw was priceless and extremely precious.
Her eyes were glued to them, looking at each one in turn. Before long, she came running back with bright, sparkling eyes, like a lively puppy.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is so good to you."
Tinglu recalled the time when the Emperor had been cold to his mistress, and she had felt anxious for her mistress at the time.
After all, the emperor's favor in the palace is fleeting, lasting only a day. Tinglu couldn't bear to see her mistress lose the emperor's favor while still pregnant with his child.
At the time, the master said there was no need to rush.
Tinglu looked around at the precious objects with bright eyes, and her admiration for Narcissus grew even stronger.
Your Majesty is absolutely right. Of course there's no need to rush. Although the Emperor neglected you for a while, he has now regained your favor and you've gained even more because of it!
Narcissus walked slowly to a sandalwood tray, which was piled with all kinds of beaded hairpins and ornaments, looking like a small mountain from a distance.
Gold inlay, kingfisher feather inlay, coral, beadwork... all sorts of exquisitely crafted jewelry that could be the store's prized possessions when displayed elsewhere are now piled up together, only fit to be admired in her hands.
Narcissus picked up a gold-inlaid jade hairpin from the pile of jewelry, examined it for a while, and then casually placed it among the other jewelry, producing a clear and pleasant clinking sound.
"You two can each choose two from there as part of your dowry. But when you're in the palace, you should keep a low profile and not wear them on your heads."
Shui Xian smiled and looked at Yin Zhu and Ting Lu. The two palace maids were now of marriageable age, so she naturally had to prepare some decent dowries for them.
After all, she had personally and carefully selected these two palace maids. She trusted those she used and did not use those she did not trust. She instructed them not to wear the items in the palace after they were selected, and then she stopped interfering with them.
As for the other rewards, Narcissus only glanced at them briefly before instructing them to put the items back into the storeroom.
From the very beginning, she chose to enter the palace to survive, to stand in a high position where she wouldn't be exploited. As for the gold and silver treasures...
Narcissus admitted that she was just an ordinary person, and seeing such a treasure would definitely tempt her, but that was all; she couldn't really say she was that excited.
Thus, Shui Xian and Emperor Zhaoheng had planned it out. They had just spent the night together yesterday, and Shui Xian was now pregnant. At the earliest, Emperor Zhaoheng would have to come to Lihe Palace to stay overnight the following day.
It is said that Emperor Zhaoheng has been busy with state affairs lately and has not entered the harem for more than ten days. For some reason, rumors have spread in the harem that although Emperor Zhaoheng has bestowed many gifts upon Consort Jin, he is now avoiding her due to state affairs, and their relationship has finally run into problems.
Shui Xian naturally heard these rumors as well. Since she was promoted to Imperial Concubine, there have been many more rumors in the harem speculating about her relationship with Emperor Zhaoheng.
It seems that ever since the Empress was temporarily exempted from the morning and evening greetings due to her poor health, and the two Consorts jointly managed the six palaces, speculation about the successor has always dominated the main topics of discussion in the harem.
Shui Xian felt that rather than the concubines wanting to decide on the successor in advance, it was more that they didn't want to believe that she, a lowly servant girl, would be the future successor.
Shui Xian ignored the rumors that she was becoming estranged from Emperor Zhaoheng.
Emperor Zhaoheng was naturally unaware of this, as he was currently busy with state affairs and neither his concubines nor Feng Shunxiang would allow any gossip to reach him and affect his mood.
Consort De remained as detached as ever. During this time, too many concubines had come to Yichang Palace to chat and socialize with her. Consort De used the excuse of needing to calm her mind and worship Buddha to temporarily close the gates of Yichang Palace.
Seeing that their attempts to provoke trouble had failed, Consort Wan and the others grew increasingly anxious.
Consort Wan is the head of Jingcheng Palace. A few days ago, after informing Consort De, Yi Shuyao moved in and lived in the same palace with her.
After returning from the morning meeting that day, the three of them, along with Consort Yun who had come to Jingcheng Palace along the way, gathered together again.
After the palace maids served tea and snacks to the three mistresses, they respectfully withdrew.
Only Consort Wan and two others remained in the hall, along with their respective trusted maids.
"Sister Wan's suggestion today is excellent. The journey to the imperial palace to admire the flowers is not short. If we could renovate all the carriages used by the concubines, it would certainly be more comfortable."
Consort Yun put down her teacup and slowly began to speak. At this point, she sighed softly, "It's such a pity that Consort Jin rejected such a good suggestion from Sister Wan."
This topic makes Consort Wan angry.
With a gloomy expression, she placed the teacup on the gilded table beside her. "Ha, isn't it just because she's afraid I'll steal her thunder?!"
Consort Wan recalled the past few days and said angrily, "Empress De doesn't bother with her, but she really thinks she's something special!"
"It's just the Flower Festival, not some major festival. Why is she taking it so seriously, doing everything herself from beginning to end? Isn't it just to impress the Emperor and show that she's worthy of being the Empress?!"
Upon hearing the words "Empress," a fleeting, unpleasant expression crossed Yi Shuyao's face as she sat at the back.
If that lowly maid Narcissus were to become the empress...
The thought of having to kneel before her and call her Empress made Yi Shuyao feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Her?! A lowly servant girl who was born into poverty!"
Yi Shuyao gritted her teeth and said, "If that lowly servant becomes the mother of the nation, the whole world will laugh their heads off!"
Born into a lowly family, they were at the bottom of the Qi Dynasty.
Being made empress is a disgrace, as if the emperor and his heirs were splattered with ink on white silk.
What she didn't notice was that upon hearing the words "lowly status," Consort Yun paused, a hint of unease flashing across her face.
This scene caught the attention of Consort Wan.
She suddenly remembered Consort Yun's background. Consort Yun was an old servant who had served in the Prince's residence. She was a Yangzhou "slender horse" presented by her subordinates and entered the entertainment register.
Musicians' registers were also considered lowly loans.
However, during the time Consort Yun entered the palace, she gained the favor of Emperor Zhaoheng, who was then the Crown Prince, for a period of time because of her exceptional pipa skills.
After Emperor Zhaoheng ascended the throne, he naturally helped her reduce her lowly status.
So much time has passed that many newcomers to the palace are unaware of Consort Yun's history. Just like Yi Shuyao, who, in her words, showed no knowledge of Consort Yun's background.
A hint of malicious mockery flashed in Consort Wan's eyes as she interrupted Yi Shuyao's impassioned speech.
"Consort Yao, please be careful with your words. Our Consort Yun was also born into a lowly family..."
Yi Shuyao was completely taken aback. Speechless, she rose respectfully, looking at the displeased Consort Yun, and said, "Your Highness Consort Yun, this concubine did not know..."
"never mind."
Consort Yun pursed her lips and couldn't help but glance at Consort Wan, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Did she not know what Consort Wan was planning?
This niece of the Empress Dowager, who had been gentle and obedient since entering the palace, suddenly became more active upon hearing that the Empress was seriously ill.
When the Empress was seriously ill, Consort Wan had only recently entered the palace and her position was not yet stable.
And the person standing in front of her at that time was Consort Li, Ruan Huan.
Consort Li, Ruan Huan, has a good family background, is favored by the emperor, and has a strong personality.
Consort Wan naturally wouldn't have dared to covet the position of Empress back then, but things are different now.
Consort Yun is very clever. If she weren't, she wouldn't have risen from a plaything offered to someone else to become a concubine in the palace.
Therefore, she immediately saw through Consort Wan's intentions and the main reason why she was trying to win her over and Yi Shuyao.
What Consort Wan wanted was to sow discord between Consort Jin and Consort De. If the two consorts were at odds, then the Emperor would punish at least one of them, no matter what.
Only by vacating the position of Imperial Concubine can Consort Wan have a chance to rise to the top.
Consort Yun's mind was sharp as lightning, but she didn't show it on her face. Seeing Consort Wan's gloating expression, she only slightly curled her lips.
"We're all close friends, why say such things?"
Consort Yun waved her hand impatiently in Yi Shuyao's direction. She couldn't afford to offend Consort Wan, but surely she could afford to offend Yi Shuyao?
Initially, Consort Yun treated Yi Shuyao with respect because of the Yi family.
But ever since she realized that the Yi family would never support Yi Shuyao, and even had to make Yi Shuyao practice dancing hard to please the emperor, Consort Yun unconsciously began to look down on her.
Yi Shuyao heard Yun Pin's words, which clearly indicated that she had forgiven her, but seeing Yun Pin's slightly angry expression, she felt as if she had offended Yun Pin.
She stood up cautiously and carefully walked back to her seat.
Whether it was the somewhat angry Consort Yun or the sensitive and cautious Yi Shuyao, Consort Wan felt incredibly comfortable looking at the two of them.
She had never received the emperor's favor since entering the palace, but in the harem, the emperor's favor was not indispensable.
Look, whether it's Consort Yun or Yi Shuyao, they were both favored by Emperor Zhaoheng for a period of time sooner or later. However, some of them came from humble backgrounds, and some couldn't rely on their families. Now they all depend on her for survival.
Consort Wan thought about many things.
She couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if she were the empress and had concubines like these under her command.
If she becomes the empress...
A dark glint flashed in Consort Wan's eyes.
Whether it's Consort Jin or Consort De, anyone who stands in her way will meet a terrible end!
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