"Lan'er, do you know? In this harem, only you dare to say these things to me." Huang Taiji looked at her with complicated eyes, feeling even more that this woman was no ordinary person.
Hailanzhu didn't understand Huang Taiji's meaning and thought she had said something wrong, so she quickly lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, I have spoken recklessly."
“You have done nothing wrong, so why should I forgive you?” Huang Taiji comforted him.
Only after hearing this did Hailanzhu dare to raise her eyes and look at Huang Taiji.
Huang Taiji continued, “The other concubines, including the Empress, all do their best to recommend people from their own families, regardless of their abilities. Only you, Lan’er, can persuade me to bring talents into the palace. How can they compare to you?”
Hailanzhu lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes casting two faint shadows on her face. "Your Majesty, are Lan'er's thoughts also your thoughts?"
Huang Taiji nodded and said, "Of course."
"Then why don't you pass on the order?" Hailanzhu asked, puzzled.
"I am worried that they might have ulterior motives, after all, the Ming Dynasty..."
Before Huang Taiji could finish speaking, Hailanzhu interrupted, "As long as Your Majesty treats them sincerely, it shouldn't be a problem."
It should be noted that Nian Gengyao, who pacified the Northwest, was a Han Chinese; Zuo Zongtang, who recovered Xinjiang, was a Han Chinese; and Lin Zexu, who destroyed opium at Humen, was also a Han Chinese. They were loyal to the country and the people, and dedicated their lives to serving them. How could they have any disloyalty?
Many Han officials also did their utmost to benefit the people.
She dared not say these words aloud. Whenever she thought of the invasions by foreign powers at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the loyal ministers who fought to the death to defend it, her eyes would turn red and her heart would ache.
Seeing her like this, Huang Taiji stopped asking and quickly comforted her, saying, "Lan'er, don't cry, I believe you." After saying that, he reached out and wiped away the tears on her face.
In fact, Hailanzhu also felt sorry for Huang Taiji, seeing the country he had worked so hard to build, only to end up like that.
"Your Majesty..." Hailanzhu choked back tears, and it took her a long time to regain her composure.
Perhaps she had cried for too long and was exhausted, and unknowingly fell asleep leaning on Huang Taiji's shoulder.
Huang Taiji looked at Hailanzhu's fair face, gently picked her up, and slowly placed her on the bed.
During this time, he moved very carefully, afraid of waking her.
Huang Taiji was also a gentleman. The next day, he issued an edict allowing intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese and permitting Han Chinese to enter officialdom.
Naturally, many Manchu bannermen opposed him, but Huang Taiji had his own abilities; as long as he was determined, nothing could stump him.
Hailanzhu was overjoyed upon hearing the news and even ate an extra bowl of rice.
...
The day of Wu Keshan's arrival in Beijing was fast approaching. Dayuer prepared early and went to Qingning Palace to await his arrival.
Hailanzhu, on the other hand, dawdled for a long time before finally setting off from Guanju Palace.
On the one hand, she didn't genuinely welcome Wu Keshan's arrival; on the other hand, she was afraid Zhe Zhe would see through her act, so she deliberately wore a haggard makeup.
She had just bowed to Zhe Zhe when Wu Keshan arrived in full military uniform.
"Aunt, Yu'er, Sister, are you all well?" He asked the three of them after performing the Mongolian greeting.
"It's all good, it's all good." Zhe Zhe was as gentle and kind as ever.
Hailanzhu looked up and took a serious look at Wu Keshan. He was not yet thirty, but his eyes were shrewd and his figure was extremely robust.
"Sister, you look very tired. Is something wrong?"
His words made Hailanzhu quickly look away. Hailanzhu said weakly, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about you last night and couldn't sleep because I was so excited. That's why I look a little haggard."
Wu Keshan chuckled, "Sister still cares about me the most. Look at Yu'er, she's in such good spirits, she must have slept very well last night."
Da Yu'er teased, "That's because I want to meet you in my dreams first."
“Yu’er is still as mischievous as ever.” Wu Keshan laughed heartily.
The entire hall was immediately filled with cheers. Except for Hailanzhu casually chuckling twice in agreement, the laughter slowly dissipated after a long while.
Seeing that everyone was getting into the zone, Wu Ke-qun quickly called the people outside in.
"This servant Yinyu greets Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Chen, and Consort Zhuang," the woman said respectfully, kneeling on the ground.
Hailanzhu glanced down and immediately guessed that she was Qilei, the future mother of Princess Jianning.
Her face was small and fair, but her eyebrows and eyes had a heroic air about them, like a combination of Hailanzhu and Dayuer. Her big, bright eyes seemed clear, but in fact they contained many secrets.
"No need for formalities." Zhe Zhe waved his hand, his smile never fading.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Yin Yu rose gently and flattered her, her soft figure making it seem as if she had no bones.
“Aunt, sister, Yu’er, if there’s anything you need, just tell her,” Wu Keshan said, making it clear that Yin Yu was one of their own.
Zhe Zhe nodded. "She's a good girl, Ke Shan, you're very thoughtful." Then she asked, "Has the Emperor bestowed upon her the title of Consort?"
Wu Keshan smiled and said, "The Emperor saw that she was very happy, so he made her a concubine."
“Very well, although her rank as a concubine is not high, she is still a concubine in the harem.” Zhe Zhe said with a forced smile.
During this time, she secretly glanced at Hailanzhu and saw that there was no smile on her face. She thought that Hailanzhu was afraid of losing Huang Taiji's favor. She thought to herself: Hailanzhu, you have a time like this too. I believe you will soon understand how I feel.
But how could Hailanzhu understand her thoughts? The reason she was unhappy was because she didn't want to see Wu Keshan's hypocritical face, and she felt uncomfortable spending even a minute more with him. She wanted to ask him many times how long he would stay and when he would leave, but she didn't know how to bring it up.
It was only after Zhe Zhe asked that he learned he could only stay in Beijing for one more day and would be setting off back to Horqin the next day.
Upon hearing this, Hailanzhu became overjoyed, a smile spreading across her face, and she regained her energy.
Hailanzhu was only able to return to Guanju Palace after Wu Keshan left.
Little did she know that after everyone left, Zhe Zhe threw a huge tantrum, smashing everything she could, leaving the entire Qingning Palace in a complete mess.
"Wu Keshan, are you never going to stop? One Hailanzhu wasn't enough, now you have to add another outsider to steal my husband?" Zhe Zhe screamed hoarsely, her eyes filled with tears and anger.
She was a completely different person from the gentle and magnanimous one just now. She was also quite tolerant, and no one could see her anger in front of others.
Seeing this, Zhen Ge was extremely distressed, but she was powerless to do anything about it. All she could do was kneel on the ground and plead, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Calm down! How can I calm down?" Zhe Zhe screamed hysterically, her hands trembling. "That's my husband, why should so many people share him?"
She can only let loose when no one is around.
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