October is coming to an end
The concubines in the palace all changed into slightly thicker winter clothes. The flowers and plants in the Imperial Garden began to wither and turn yellow, and the leaves fell to the ground one by one.
One afternoon, Xu Lejin and Consort Xuan suddenly felt like taking a walk in the Imperial Garden.
"Sister Yufei, have you heard? The other day, Consort Rong selected two young and beautiful palace maids from the Imperial Household Department. One of them seems to be named Qing'er."
Consort Xuan glanced at Xu Lejin out of the corner of her eye and spoke softly.
Xu Lejin had a faint smile on her face. "The two palace maids that Consort Rong selected from the Imperial Household Department, one of whom is named Qing'er, is the one I had sent back to the Imperial Household Department to learn etiquette two months ago."
"She is now favored by Consort Rong and has entered Consort Rong's palace to serve her; this is her good fortune."
With a calm expression, Xu Lejin seemed unsurprised.
After thinking for a moment, Consort Xuan smiled and said, "Yes, Consort Yu is right. The palace maid you don't want, Consort Rong has taken a liking to. It's clear that this palace maid is quite good and has learned the rules of the Imperial Household Department well."
"Um."
Xu Lejin nodded slightly.
Just then, the sound of a man in brocade robes and a beautiful palace maid pulling and tugging could be heard not far away.
The man in brocade robes looked at her with admiration. "Fish, I truly love you. I will inform my sister and ask her to plead with the Emperor to grant you to me as his principal wife."
"Master Longke, I..."
The beautiful palace maid blushed and stammered, "I am a palace maid selected from among the commoners. I come from a humble family and am not worthy of you."
"Consort Gong may not be willing for you to marry me."
The man called Longkodo looked completely unconcerned.
"Fish, don't worry, I'll take care of everything. You're from my sister's palace, and I'm her own brother. I've already asked my sister, and she'll definitely agree."
"However, I have heard that Lord Tong has already chosen a noble lady from a high-ranking family as your wife, and I..."
The palace maid, referred to as "Fish," had a hesitant look in her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Longkodo said repeatedly, "Fish, don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Father only has his eye on the daughters of several ministers in the court. If I don't agree to marry them, there's nothing Father can do."
“If Ama really wants to form a marriage alliance with those ministers’ families, I have several younger brothers born out of wedlock. It would be the same if my brothers married them.”
"Fish, don't worry, you are the only one in my heart. You are the only one I have the ideal wife in my heart. I will definitely marry you in a grand and glorious way."
"..."
Xu Lejin and Consort Xuan heard the vows of eternal love made by the man and woman clearly.
They exchanged a smile and thought to themselves, "Is this what they call true love?"
Is it a love that transcends differences in identity and social status?
Xu Lejin returned to Yikun Palace, her mind filled with the scene in the Imperial Garden: Longkodo and Yu'er.
The Tong family in Consort Gong's palace seems quite interesting.
"Ruhua, have someone inquire whether there is a palace maid named Yu'er in Consort Gong's palace."
Ru Hua respectfully acknowledged and withdrew.
Three days later
Xu Lejin received shocking news.
In Consort Gong's palace, there was indeed a palace maid named Yu'er. This palace maid was seventeen years old, surnamed Wuya, and her full name was Wuya Chenyu. She was selected to enter the palace in the fourteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
The Uya Sinking Fish is exceptionally beautiful, possessing a beauty that could sink fish.
Most importantly, besides her ambiguous relationship with Consort Gong's younger brother, Tongjia Longkodo, Wuya Chenyu also had a close private relationship with Wei Zhu, a eunuch in the Qianqing Palace.
In addition, Wuya Chenyu also has a childhood sweetheart, a close friend she grew up with.
Upon hearing Ru Hua's whispered report, Xu Lejin tapped the table rhythmically with her fingers and said in a deep voice, "It's quite interesting. There's Longkodo, the son of a high-ranking official, a palace guard, childhood sweethearts, and Wei Zhu, a eunuch from the Qianqing Palace."
"In Consort Gong's palace, this palace maid skillfully navigated relationships with three—well, two men and a eunuch."
Ru Hua looked down at her toes.
After a moment, Xu Lejin said in a deep voice, "Don't let Lianzhi know about Wuya Chenyu's matter. This is between you and me, and no third person can know."
"In addition, have our people monitor Wuya Chenyu's next move."
Although Ru Hua didn't understand why, he respectfully agreed.
Time flies, and a month has passed.
The first snow of the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign arrived as scheduled, covering the entire palace in pristine white snow, a world of ice and snow.
"Sister Yufei, I heard that yesterday the Emperor favored a palace maid in Consort Rong's palace and bestowed upon her the title of 'official maid.'"
"Since the birth of the Eleventh Princess, Consort Rong has completely lost favor. Yesterday, when the Emperor went to Zhongcui Palace to visit the princesses, Consort Rong took the opportunity to push out a palace maid."
Consort Xuan lowered her voice and whispered to Xu Lejin.
Xu Lejin smiled gently and said softly, "She was just a palace maid who was promoted to the rank of official. It is only reasonable for Consort Rong to recommend her to serve the Emperor when she was not feeling well."
“Sister Xuanfei, there’s no need to worry. We are both consorts, there’s no need to trouble yourselves over a mere palace maid.”
Consort Xuan smiled and agreed.
The Empress sat upright on her throne, glanced around at the concubines, and then looked at Consort Rong for a long time before saying in a deep voice, "I heard that Consort Rong recommended a palace maid to serve the Emperor last night, and she was favored by the Emperor and made a palace maid."
"Your Majesty, I am unwell and unable to serve you. Therefore, I recommended the palace maid Qing'er. Today, I have brought Qing'er with me to pay my respects to Your Majesty the Empress."
Consort Rong replied respectfully, her eyes slightly raised as she gave Xu Lejin a meaningful look.
Xu Lejin smiled gently.
Qing'er? So that's how it is. In the palace, the palace maid Qing'er who tried to attract Kangxi's attention and climb into his bed, eventually became Kangxi's woman and one of the concubines in the harem.
Although the lowest rank was that of a palace maid, she had escaped the status of a palace servant.
A moment later, with the Empress's nod of approval, a woman dressed in a pink palace gown, with a charming and lovely appearance, walked gracefully into the hall and respectfully knelt down to perform a grand salute to the Empress.
The Empress looked at the palace maid, glanced at Xu Lejin, and said softly, "She is a well-behaved, lovely, gentle and considerate woman. The Emperor likes her. Since you have been appointed as a palace maid, you must serve the Emperor wholeheartedly in the future and strive to give birth to an heir for the Emperor as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress."
The woman from the official residence spoke softly and gently.
The Empress nodded and said, "Although the rank of 'Guan Nu' is only the lowest, they still serve the Emperor. So there's no need for them to refer to themselves as 'nu mei' (servant). They can refer to themselves as 'bi qie' (concubine) like the 'gui ren' (noble lady), 'chang zai' (ladies-in-waiting), and 'ying dai' (ladies-in-waiting)!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After paying her respects, the woman from the official residence quietly retreated to a corner, lowering her eyes and keeping her mind at ease.
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