Wei Wanru truly lived up to her reputation as the favored Consort Ling, who later became the most beloved concubine in the palace. She was indeed exceptionally beautiful and refined, and Yunyi couldn't help but stare at her for quite a while.
Wei Wanru felt uneasy under their gaze, and after she left, Qingdai asked her questions out of curiosity.
Yunyi smiled and didn't say anything, only that the girl was pretty and that seeing her made her feel better.
Qingdai carefully recalled the appearance of the palace maid from earlier; she was indeed very outstanding. Thinking of this, she sounded an alarm in her mind.
Such a beautiful palace maid was assigned to Chengqian Palace; I wonder if she has any ulterior motives.
As the most trusted head maid of her mistress, Qingdai became wary and started paying more attention to Wei Wanru.
Yunyi never expected that her curiosity in glancing at her a few more times would make Qingdai wary and set her sights on Wei Wanru.
At this time, Wei Wanru already had the idea of climbing the social ladder, and her coming to Chengqian Palace was also a deliberate act on her part.
Having lost her legitimate son, the Empress is now determined to conceive again. If she were to go to Changchun Palace, where the Empress resides, she would likely find it difficult to gain the upper hand.
Consort Hui was the emperor's favorite, the highest-ranking and most favored concubine in the harem, and she already had princes and princesses under her care.
For Wei Wanru, there were many opportunities in Chengqian Palace, so she used money to get assigned to Chengqian Palace when she entered the palace.
It seems that Consort Hui has been watching her today. Perhaps because she feels guilty, Wei Wanru was somewhat uneasy after returning home.
She knew that the ladies in the palace were the least tolerant of girls who tried to climb into their beds, so she originally planned to stay in the tea room for a while and gradually climb up the ranks while keeping a low profile.
Once you become a second-class or first-class palace maid, you will be able to serve tea to the emperor when he comes.
Wei Wanru's idea was good; she had thought the same way in her previous life. However, out of jealousy, Lady Gao did not allow anyone too beautiful to appear in her palace. Wei Wanru, who was exceptionally beautiful, was sidelined and not allowed to appear freely.
So when Wei saw that she had no hope with Consort Gao, she used other means to go to Changchun Palace, where Empress Fucha was.
Not long after Empress Fucha passed away, she was granted the title of Noble Lady by Emperor Qianlong because of her status as a former concubine of the late empress.
Starting as a Noble Lady, Wei Wanru rose through the ranks to become Consort Ling, then Imperial Concubine Ling, and finally Imperial Noble Consort Ling, the most powerful woman in the harem at the time.
Until her death, her son was made crown prince, and she was posthumously honored as empress by Emperor Qianlong, achieving a new height in her life.
But now everything has changed. If Wei Wanru hadn't taken the position, things would have been fine, but if she had, her future would be difficult.
Wei Wanru was unaware of Yunyi's thoughts. At this moment, fearing that her feelings might be misunderstood, she had been very careful and discreet lately, acting like an ordinary palace maid.
Qingdai had people keep an eye on Wei Wanru for a while but found nothing wrong. However, she did not let her guard down and continued to have people keep an eye on her, reporting any developments to her promptly.
The Wei family remained hidden in the Chengqian Palace, while the Xilin Jue Luo family was unusually active in the palace.
She was dreaming big, planning to give birth to a child and then seize that position.
As a result, Li Yu, who was guarding the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, said that he had been receiving more soups and broths recently.
In their quest for the emperor's favor, these concubines would either dance in the imperial garden or deliver food to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Li Yu, a eunuch, encountered Emperor Hongli several times, and he felt somewhat helpless about it.
Although Hongli loved beautiful women, he was somewhat unable to enjoy them.
Recently, Hongli has been avoiding the concubines and only goes to the Empress and Consort Hui's place, as these are the only two places where he can feel relaxed.
In addition, Hongli seemed to be so annoyed that he thought of the concubines he had neglected, and began to rest in the palaces of the Hai and Chen families.
The Hai and Chen families had served Hongli for many years, always keeping a low profile, like invisible people. After Hongli ascended the throne, they did not receive high positions, but settled down in the palace as ordinary ladies-in-waiting.
Four years have passed, and without favor or offspring, they have not been promoted and remain in the same position.
During this period, Hongli thought of them and visited more often, but after a few visits, Chen Shi fell out of favor again.
Having experienced Huang Gege's miscarriage, Chen was terrified and no longer wanted to be pampered. She only wanted to live quietly by herself, even if it meant being poor.
Chen Shi's personality and mindset made her performance poor when Hongli came, and it was normal for her to fall out of favor, but it was exactly what she wanted.
As for Hai Shi, after years of life in the capital, much of the unique Mongolian feeling she had developed had faded, and she had acquired a calm and gentle demeanor typical of women from the capital.
Therefore, unlike Chen, Hai Changzai was somewhat favored and was later promoted to the rank of Guiren.
August 13th was Hongli's birthday, also known as the Emperor's Birthday Festival. The palace had been preparing for the banquet for several days in advance.
Xilin Jueluo had been preparing her birthday gift for a long time, hoping to give the emperor a big surprise and stand out at the birthday banquet to win his favor.
Xilin Jueluo was willing to try any opportunity to increase her favor, hoping that she could get pregnant as soon as possible.
On the day of the Emperor's birthday
The banquet was held in the evening, but everyone was busy all day. The concubines in the harem had things to do, and as the person celebrating his birthday, Hongli was not idle either.
By mid-afternoon, Yunyi began to bathe, change clothes, and dress up in preparation for the evening's palace banquet.
During the Emperor's birthday celebration, all the concubines in the palace did their best to display their beauty.
Although Yunyi was unwilling, she couldn't appear too casual or unserious, so she had to dress up properly.
Qingdai chose peach pink, maple green, and soft yellow, but Yunyi wasn't very satisfied with any of them.
Peach red is too flamboyant. On this occasion, she doesn't want to compete with Empress Fucha, so why wear red?
Maple green is too old-fashioned. Although her children are already teenagers, she still looks like she's in her early twenties. This color is not suitable for her.
The soft yellow is too delicate, the opposite of green. Yongjie is also grown up. How can she dress like a teenage girl?
In the end, Yunyi chose the turquoise dress herself, but turquoise is neither cyan nor green; it's a bluish-green color.
Yunyi has fair skin, and this color suits her very well. Moreover, this color is neither too simple nor too flashy, which is very suitable for her current situation.
Niohuru was unable to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet due to health reasons, so after Yunyi arrived, only Hongli and Empress Fucha were still absent.
After everyone had arrived, Hongli exchanged a few pleasantries, and the palace banquet officially began.
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