Because it was the Emperor's birthday banquet, which was both a matter of state and a family affair, the banquet that night was attended not only by the concubines of the harem but also by the ministers of the court.
Thanks to Yun Yi's influence, and of course, Gao Bin's own efforts, his seating arrangement was very high, only slightly behind Prince Hongzhou and the Empress's family, the Fucha family.
From this position, Yunyi can see Gao Bin, her father, very clearly.
Gao Bin is over fifty years old, with graying temples. His years of working on water management along the Yellow River have taken their toll.
Beside Gao Bin was his second wife, Ma, whose son, Gao Pu, was Gao Bin's youngest child.
Gao Bin had only two sons. His eldest son, Gao Heng, was born to his first wife, while his youngest son, Gao Pu, was born to his second wife.
The original Gao Yunyi was born to Gao Bin's first wife. She was the eldest daughter of the Gao family and the eldest sister among all her brothers and sisters.
Madam Ma was also partly responsible for Gao Heng's spoiled state. She had her own son, so it was difficult for her to deal with the legitimate son born to her first wife.
She couldn't teach him, but she also couldn't not teach him. She was caught in this dilemma, and in the end, Gao Heng was spoiled and eventually executed by Emperor Qianlong for embezzlement.
Fortunately, Yunyi had long ago instructed Gao Bin to properly educate the two men in the family, so Gao Bin was very strict with his two sons and always kept them by his side to teach them.
Having witnessed the devastation of the floods and the suffering of displaced people, the two brothers did not become spoiled brats, but instead resolved in their hearts to become good officials.
Gao Heng passed the imperial examination a few years ago and went to work in the Hanlin Academy. Despite having a father who was a high-ranking official and an older sister who was a concubine in the palace, he was still down-to-earth and worked diligently, refusing to rely on his family's influence.
However, because of Yunyi, Hongli had some impression of Gao Heng, the younger brother of the Consort, and after learning about his character and conduct, he also developed a fondness for his talent.
With this in mind, it is foreseeable that Gao Heng's future will be bright.
At the palace banquet, dancers performed, musicians played, and everyone present laughed heartily, raised their glasses, and drank merrily.
Suddenly the music changed, and the dancers who had been dancing gracefully changed their formation.
Hongli sat at the head of the table and saw that the dancers were gathered together, with what looked like a figure in the middle.
With such obvious movements, everyone guessed that the performance to come would be quite spectacular.
Hongli was not surprised. He played with the wine cup in his hand, his eyes fixed on the dancers below, his curiosity aroused.
I want to see what kind of performance is going to cause such a commotion.
The musicians changed the tune, and the dancers began to dance gracefully to the music.
Like flowers, the dancers' bodies swayed and unfolded like petals, finally revealing the heart of the flower.
She was a girl with a veil covering her face, a graceful figure, and beautiful features.
Her captivating eyes were fixed on Hongli above, igniting a burning desire within him, as if he couldn't wait to lift the veil of mystery and see the woman's face clearly.
But while he was curious, Hongli also felt that the girl looked familiar, as if he had seen her before.
The group kept changing, but the veiled woman remained the focus of attention, with everyone's eyes fixed on her.
Empress Fucha felt somewhat helpless; it seemed that the harem would soon have another concubine.
Unlike the ministers' amazement and admiration, the other concubines' eyes were filled with apprehension. The emperor's gaze was too intense, and they knew what it meant.
Yunyi didn't feel any apprehension, jealousy, or fear. She felt the same way as Hongli, thinking that the dancing girl looked familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
Yun Yi glanced at the veiled woman, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the location of Consort E, of the Xilin Gioro clan. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she finally remembered that the veiled woman was from the Xilin Gioro clan.
Lady Xilinjueluo was also at the palace banquet tonight, but she made an excuse that she had soiled her clothes and needed to go back to change, so she left her seat for a long time and did not return, and no one remembered her.
That explains everything. No wonder Yunyi felt she looked familiar; it turns out she really was someone she knew.
After the dance ended, the dancers knelt down to pay their respects, but the veiled woman simply squatted down to offer a curtsy.
Looking at her proud and independent demeanor, the curiosity in Hongli's eyes faded, replaced by an indescribable emotion. He spoke, his words cold and hard: "Why do you not bow when you see me?"
The veiled woman smiled charmingly, but her words surprised everyone present: "Your Majesty, I have already paid my respects!"
Dancers were of low social status, even lower than palace maids. When they saw the emperor, they were expected to perform a grand ceremony.
The veiled woman had only performed a curtsy, a minor gesture typically used in daily interactions, which is how concubines usually greeted the Emperor.
Hongli was somewhat angry at this moment, thinking that this dancer was ignorant of her place. He had not yet issued an edict or decree to confer upon her the title of concubine, but she assumed that he had just taken a liking to her and had presumptuously performed the curtsy and acted as a concubine.
But upon hearing that familiar voice, Hongli suddenly realized that this person was not a dancer, but his own Consort E, of the Xilin Gioro clan.
Sure enough, seeing everyone's reaction, the veiled woman removed her veil, revealing her true face, which was none other than Xilin Gioro.
Instead of his earlier anger, Hongli was quite pleased. He hadn't expected that the Xilin Gioro clan member would have such dancing skills, surpassing all the palace dancers.
After the crisis was averted, everyone thought that the audacious dancer was going to be dragged away and dealt with, but unexpectedly, the plot took a turn and the dancer turned out to be Consort E.
After Xilin Jueluo's identity was exposed, the ministers who looked at her maternal family, father and brothers, gave her strange looks.
This one unusual thing was that the subsequent palace banquet was unremarkable, exactly the same as in previous years. Yunyi felt extremely bored and was about to fall asleep.
After the palace banquet, Consort E, of the Xilin Gioro clan, who had shone brightly at the Emperor's birthday celebration, became the new favorite concubine in the harem. Even though she had no children, she was promoted to the rank of Consort E.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already the fifth year of Qianlong's reign. Although Consort E was still favored, she still had not conceived.
Just as she was anxiously preparing to seek medical advice and folk remedies, Consort Hai of Zhongcui Palace became pregnant.
Consort Hai only had a few pets, and Hongli didn't visit her often. Last month, he only went for one day, but it was on that one day that Consort Hai became pregnant.
Xilinjueluo became even more anxious and frantically asked her relatives outside the palace to find folk remedies to help her conceive.
Things changed a month later when she was serving Empress Niohuru at Shou Kang Palace.
Because of a strange illness, Niohuru had a habit of drinking tonics every day. On this day, when Granny Liu brought the tonics over, Xilinjueluo naturally took the bowl of medicine, preparing to serve the Empress Dowager the medicine.
However, the strange feeling in her chest was very obvious. Xilin Jueluo tried her best to suppress the feeling, but she couldn't. In the end, she couldn't help but gag.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
