Qingyin didn't intend to get involved with the main characters, especially those in this small world. They were practically trouble-making machines; wherever they were, trouble was bound to happen. Although she quite liked the real Princess Ziwei, she remembered the trouble she had caused and simply said a few words to them before letting them leave.
"Your Majesty, this purse is embroidered quite exquisitely, the stitches are really well done." Alisa, who had now received training in the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty, knew that she could no longer call her mistress "Princess," so she awkwardly called her "Your Majesty" and exclaimed in surprise as she held the purse in her hands.
"But what about this purse, Your Highness? Should I let you wear it?"
Seeing that the Empress was about to accept the purse, Granny Liu glared at Alisa with a disapproving look. She was the nanny bestowed upon Qingyin by the Emperor. Looking at the naive Alisa and her new mistress, she disapproved and advised, "Your Majesty, the underworld in this palace is treacherous. The things sent here may not be of good quality. Your Majesty cannot simply keep them by your side!"
Alisa, startled by the old woman's words, stared wide-eyed. She hadn't expected that someone would dare to harm the princess just for delivering something.
Qingyin was well aware of the many schemes and tricks in the harem, but she had a cheat code that allowed her to check things. The system would automatically alert her if anything was poisonous or had an effect. She looked at the purse in Alisa's hand, remembered the little girl from earlier, and her heart softened. She said, "Go and ask a royal physician to check it. If it's not poisonous, then use it."
Seeing Qingyin accept the purse, Granny Liu was filled with worry. This new mistress was too naive. There were countless people in the harem who could deceive the imperial physicians. This empress was too unpredictable!
Unwittingly, Granny Liu and Qingyin's eyes met in a misty, clear gaze. Glancing at Qingyin again, Granny Liu instinctively slapped Alisa's thigh. Alisa, who was often treated this way by Granny Liu, glared at her accusingly. Granny Liu guiltily avoided her gaze. "Who else should I slap if not my old, frail body? Besides, she's my teacher!" Granny Liu thought, completely ignoring her initial reluctance to be assigned to teach Alisa manners, and haughtily looked back at her.
Tsk, with the Emperor protecting her, why should the Empress worry about anything?
Qingyin found it somewhat amusing to watch the two clowns putting on this show every day. The Emperor hadn't yet given her a palace, so she had to stay in the Qianqing Palace. Although the accommodations were indeed nice, acting out scenes in the palace all day was exhausting. Fortunately, these two mischievous clowns could relieve the boredom.
In Kunning Palace, it wasn't just Qingyin who was thinking about her palace; the Empress was also preoccupied with the matter. Originally, arranging a residence for the Consort should have been her responsibility, but unfortunately, that shameless Emperor preemptively declared that he would make the decision.
Now that Consort Yu is living in Qianqing Palace and the investiture ceremony has not yet been held, the Empress can't easily visit Consort Yu for fun, which makes her somewhat depressed.
No, she had to think of a way to get the Emperor to let Consort Yu move out as soon as possible!
The Empress pondered as she paced back and forth within the palace. Rong Momo, thinking that the Empress was indignant because of her favoritism towards Consort Yu, advised her, "Your Majesty, favoritism in the palace is only temporary. Don't be sad, Your Majesty has your heart."
Upon hearing what Rong Mama said, the Empress realized that Rong Mama had misunderstood.
"Who cares about that old man? I want to play with Consort Yu. You don't know, Granny, Consort Yu is so beautiful that you can't help but like her. Just looking at her face makes me want to eat an extra bowl of rice. It's infuriating that the Emperor still won't let Consort Yu out!"
"Oh dear, Your Highness, walls have ears! You can't just say the Emperor's words like that!" Rong Momo quickly stopped her when she heard the Empress's bold words.
"Granny, we have trusted confidants guarding the house, both inside and outside, so outsiders can't hear us." Seeing the worried Granny Rong, the Empress stopped talking.
After finishing reviewing the memorials in the Imperial Study, Emperor Qianlong couldn't wait to return to the Qianqing Palace.
He was stopped by the Empress on the way. Listening to her long speech, every word of which urged him to choose a palace for Consort Yu as soon as possible, he looked at the usually composed Empress with suspicion. Why was she so eager? Nevertheless, he still responded to her.
With no more obstacles on the road, Emperor Qianlong finally returned to the Qianqing Palace without incident.
The Qianqing Palace was brightly lit. Looking at the table set with delicious food and Li'er sitting in front of it, Qianlong suddenly felt the joy of ordinary couples.
"How long have you been waiting? Why don't you eat first?"
"Your Majesty has not yet returned. I wish to wait for Your Majesty to come with me." Looking at Qingyin, who was looking at him with such dependence, Qianlong's heart melted completely.
Over the past two days, Emperor Qianlong has been observing Qingyin closely and has figured out her preferences. He would occasionally pick out some of her favorite dishes for her, and Qingyin would reciprocate by offering her some of his preferred dishes.
The cozy dinner was quickly finished.
To help them digest their food, Qingyin and Qianlong decided to take a stroll in the courtyard. As they walked along the moonlit path, Qianlong brought up the matter of the palace that Qingyin had been concerned about.
"I can't think too far ahead about Li'er's palace; it needs to be large so that our children will have more space in the future. Does Li'er have any other ideas?"
Qingyin lowered her head, feigning shyness. "Your Majesty, I leave everything to Your Majesty's discretion. Your Majesty's choices are sure to be good."
Looking at Li'er's thick eyelashes, Qianlong suddenly wondered if people with such long eyelashes couldn't let their eyes be exposed to the sun, which was why they were so beautiful. Thinking of this, Qianlong smiled, took Qingyin's hand, and walked for a while before returning home.
The next day, Qianlong selected Qingyin's palace, Chunhe Palace (a fabricated name), which was not far from Qianqing Palace. The palace was spacious, and in the past few days, Qianlong had specially ordered the decorations to be renovated to reflect the characteristics of the Hui people, making it look particularly magnificent and special.
Now that Qingyin had her own palace, it was no longer appropriate for her to live in the Qianqing Palace. She moved to the newly renovated Chunhe Palace in preparation for the ceremony to welcome the Imperial Concubine.
Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs were already stationed in the main hall, waiting for the arrival of the new master.
Qingyin led Alisa and the others to Chunhe Palace. Looking at the short distance, Qingyin secretly complained about Qianlong's possessiveness. He chose such a close location because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to see her!
Granny Liu had no idea that her mistress felt the distance was too close. She looked at the spacious and bright Chunhe Palace, and its magnificent furnishings, comparable to Kunning Palace, and was extremely satisfied. It was good that the Emperor cared for the Empress; she would be worried if he didn't.
Qingyin walked into the palace and took a closer look. She found that the room was decorated with red curtains and the character for "double happiness" everywhere, as well as a large bed with a red mandarin duck quilt.
Several older matrons bowed separately, revealing the phoenix coronet and wedding gown they had laid out, and said joyfully, "Your Majesty, these were all prepared by the Emperor. And Your Majesty, please change into this gown quickly, the Emperor will be here soon."
Seeing the bright red wedding dress, which did not conform to the regulations for a Noble Consort, Granny Liu was shocked. The Emperor truly doted on the Consort, even preparing such a bright red wedding dress for her.
Compared to the shocked Granny Liu and the others, Qingyin was much calmer. She had received so much affection from others that she wasn't surprised by unusual favoritism.
Qingyin's calm demeanor was seen by the nannies opposite her as the demeanor of a great general, exceptionally intelligent, and unmoved by external factors. Their smiles became even more pronounced. No wonder she was such a beloved concubine of the Emperor; her beauty and wisdom were truly enviable.
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