The Emperor came over again midway through, and seeing that he was really tired, he instructed the four concubines to point out a few suitable candidates to the adult princes, as he did not want to bring in any more people.
Upon receiving this imperial decree, the four concubines were much happier. Now, they were all old and their beauty had faded; no matter how well they took care of themselves, their faces could never compare to those of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl.
Sitting here choosing a concubine for their husbands, each of them feels uneasy.
They claim they're selecting virtuous and talented women to produce heirs for the royal family. That's utter nonsense! They all have sons and are unwilling to let the emperor have children with new concubines—that would be taking away their and their sons' favor!
The eunuch made his final call; these were the last five women to be selected. He had been calling for most of the day without even having time to drink a sip of water.
"Daughter of the Prefect of Sichuan, Dong Qinglian! Daughter of the Military Advisor of Xuzhou, Xu Yamei! Daughter of the Fourth-Rank Ceremonial Officer, Niu Hulu Lanqin! Daughter of the Magistrate of Huzhou, Xie Wanyan! Daughter of the Imperial Guard Advisor, Tong Jiaying! They are here to pay their respects..."
The old nanny standing behind Consort De was taken aback. Looking at the five women who came out, she quickly lowered her head and whispered something in Consort De's ear.
Consort De was already quite listless. She was just thinking of asking Aunt Dai and the nannies in charge of looking after the candidates for the imperial concubines to recommend some. Then she would check the candidates' backgrounds and choose two for each of her two sons.
Unexpectedly, at the very last moment, yet another daughter of the Niohuru clan arrived late!
Consort De straightened up and stared at Lanqin from head to toe, her gaze making Lanqin a little uneasy. She guessed that the woman in the dark purple silk robe sitting in the middle must be Consort De!
She was able to guess Consort De's identity, not by luck or by striking the bell, but by observing her age, temperament, and demeanor.
The woman seated at the head of the table, dressed in deep rose-red, had makeup and clothing that were inappropriate for her age. Yet she still dressed like this; she must be of humble origin, perhaps Consort Hui of the Nalan family. She wasn't Nalan Rongruo's biological sister, but a distant cousin from another branch of the Nalan family who had been disgraced and demoted. Her poor background, coupled with old age and fading beauty, meant she had little imperial favor. However, because the First Prince, Prince Zhi, remained favored by the Emperor, she forced herself to put on a brave face, merely deceiving herself.
Seated second was Consort Rong. She wore an apricot-colored qipao, her headdress simple, her appearance amiable and elegant, yet her demeanor rather aloof. Judging from her age, she was unlikely to be Consort Yi, so she must be Consort Rong of the Ma Jia clan, who bore the most children for Emperor Kangxi. Consort Rong gave birth to six children in total, but only the Third Prince Yinzhi and the Second Princess Rongxian survived to adulthood. This woman had suffered the repeated loss of her beloved sons; had she run out of tears? Was that why her eyes were so calm and unwavering? Had she already seen the ways of the world?
Seated at the very back was a slightly younger, beautiful woman, dressed in a light purple gown, with bright, lively eyes and a smug expression. One could see the self-satisfaction and pride in her eyes, a clear indication of the emperor's favor. She was likely Consort Yi, the youngest of the four consorts. She was the birth mother of the Fifth and Ninth Princes, and was known for her outgoing personality and love of laughter and conversation.
The woman staring at him was none other than Consort De, of the Uya clan, who came from a bondservant family. She had delicate features, with arched eyebrows and a pretty nose. Although she wasn't a beauty that could topple kingdoms, she immediately revealed her intelligence and shrewdness.
The mother who could give birth to a cunning and ruthless man of Emperor Yongzheng's caliber was certainly no ordinary person!
Among the five young ladies-in-waiting, Consort De noticed that Lanqin was dressed the most simply, with her hair simply styled in two buns and adorned with minimal flowers, except for a few hair ornaments at the ends of her buns and a slightly pinkish white magnolia in the center. Lanqin and Lady Dong had picked the magnolia in the courtyard of Chuxiu Palace, and she found the magnolia delicate and charming, so she wore one.
"This child has some ideas; those pink magnolia flowers are quite ingenious." Consort Yi glanced at Lanqin, then turned to the other consorts and said, "Sisters, what do you think? Although she's not the most beautiful, she's clearly a child with a bright and intelligent mind."
Consort De, fearing that Consort Yi might take it upon herself to betroth Niohuru Lanqin to her son, quickly interjected, "Sister is right. The Fourth Prince loves magnolias the most, and this child suits his temperament perfectly. I'd like to betroth her to the Fourth Prince. What do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, Lanqin immediately held her breath, thinking to herself: "Consort Yi, please don't do anything strange. I will eventually enter the Fourth Prince's inner quarters."
As expected, Consort Hui and Consort Rong echoed each other without saying a word.
Upon hearing Consort De's words, as if she were afraid that Consort Yi would be the first to be betroth her son, Consort Yi felt no pain and retorted sarcastically, "Our Fifth Prince already has five sons and four daughters."
Standing below, Lanqin sighed inwardly: My fate rests on the words of these ladies.
Consort De was annoyed upon hearing this. Wasn't she implying that the Fourth Prince had few children? In recent years, the Emperor had spent most of his time with Consort Yi, and she had begun to show less respect to the other three consorts, making similar remarks quite a few times without thinking. Consorts Hui and Rong didn't argue with her, but Consort De was still somewhat embarrassed.
"I just find this child pleasing to the eye. The fourth prince just asked me for it, so I won't give it up. My sisters, please don't argue with me." Consort De said to the Ministry of Revenue advisor in charge of the selection of concubines who was serving her.
Consort Hui and Consort Rong exchanged a glance, and she said, "I think it's a good idea. The Fourth Prince's family has few heirs, which worries us greatly."
Consort Rong simply nodded without saying a word.
When Consort Yi saw that the two women had sided with Consort De, and since she didn't really want to compete with Consort De for this imperial concubine, she could only cover her face with her handkerchief and say with a smile, "Since you've taken a liking to her, then congratulations, sister!"
Lanqin slightly raised her head and looked up at the sky, thinking to herself: The course of history is truly unchangeable.
...
The draft is over.
Holland, having been directly appointed by the Emperor, has already moved into the Chuxiu Palace, awaiting training by the governesses before she can serve the Emperor. As for Lanqin, having been directly assigned to the Fourth Prince by Consort De, she has returned home first, waiting for a sedan chair to come and fetch her from the Fourth Prince's residence.
The palace eunuchs who had come to congratulate Lingzhu had already arrived at his residence to announce the imperial decree, and the entire household was now filled with jubilation.
Lingzhu even specially invited a dragon and lion dance troupe to perform at the door for a while, which aroused much discussion and envy among the surrounding neighbors.
The Niohuru family is about to prosper again; one member has entered the palace, and another has entered the residence of the Fourth Prince.
Lady Yang was even more pleased to see that her daughter had entered the palace, while Lady Anjia's daughter had been betrothed to the fourth prince. However, Lady Anjia didn't bother with her at this moment, since her daughter wouldn't have to go into that deep and secluded palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com