Chapter 373 The First Wife Given Away by Her Husband 11 (Bonus Chapter 2 for Donations)
"Your Highness, I have always loved Your Highness and wish to stay with you for the rest of my life."
"I will obey Your Highness's every command. I will do anything Your Highness asks as long as you keep me here."
The others also expressed their opinions, all speaking with sincerity, which moved Ning Yan.
"Very well, since you all obey me, then you should make your preparations. I have a group of generals under my command who have been fighting for many years and are still unmarried. I will bestow you all upon them."
These women couldn't believe what they were hearing. The prince was actually going to reward them to those generals?
"Your Highness, I am yours... Your Highness, please don't!"
“You all know that you are concubines, and concubines are bought and sold.”
Soon these women were taken away, leaving only the six old concubines in the mansion.
"You may offer the princess a cup of tea. From now on, stay quietly in your own courtyards. The manor will not lack a single meal for you."
The bond between those who had slept with others and those who hadn't was different. King Yue was willing to support them until they grew old, as long as they didn't cause trouble.
Ning Yan had no objection to this. After all, she had served the man, and she couldn't just send them all away.
Pang Xuan'er did not come to serve tea to Ning Yan, and although the King of Yue was displeased, he did not say anything.
Ning Yan has no shortage of tea.
After lunch, King Yue took Ning Yan to the Buddhist hall where he usually chanted sutras.
He even picked up a Buddhist scripture and read it to Ning Yan, who closed her eyes and became drowsy in his arms.
That night, after the pleasure, King Yue held Ning Yan's body and prayed devoutly: "I have guarded the border for the country for twenty years, protecting the people of Da Mo from the poison of foreign tribes. I have also devoted myself to Buddhism for more than ten years. If Heaven truly has the virtue of cherishing life, I pray that Buddha will grant me a child."
After he made his wish, the person in his arms let out a soft moan and turned over, as if in response to him.
The King of Yue couldn't resist and stripped the woman in his arms naked again. He didn't know why he had become bewitched by her, but if being bewitched was like this, he was willing to serve her with his body.
...
In Biyun Courtyard, Xiang Zizi was cricket-chasing with Pang Xuan'er again. "If you ask me, Xuan'er, it would be best if you married your cousin. He is sincere to you and has loved you for so many years. He would never bully you in this lifetime."
Xiang Zizi and her sister got married in the same year, but their child was a year older than Pang Xuan'er's. This was because the Prince of Yue had just gotten married and then rushed to the frontier, where he stayed for more than a year. He only returned to the capital to recuperate after the war on the frontier ended, and it was during that time that Pang Xuan'er was born. However, before the child was born, he rushed to the frontier again. Therefore, he was not in the mansion when the princess died from severe bleeding.
Thinking of Qu Fusheng, Pang Xuan'er curled her lips. She was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Yue. How could she marry someone who didn't even have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination)?
People will laugh at me whenever I go out.
"Aunt, stop talking nonsense. Marriage has always been a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's word. Father would never allow me to marry my cousin."
Xiang Zizi cursed inwardly: "That brat! She's usually so easy to fool, but when it comes to her marriage, she makes all sorts of excuses. Isn't it because she doesn't like my son?"
Hmph, whether it's the Prince of Yue or a princess, she has to get one of them; she can't let these past ten years go to waste.
...
Before they knew it, the day of the Empress's palace banquet arrived.
Early in the morning, the Prince of Yue prepared Ning Yan's clothes and placed them by her bedside. He then gave the maids a series of instructions before having breakfast and going to court.
Ning Yan glanced at the simple white dress beside her and said softly to Xiao Yu, "It's kind of Your Highness to prepare such an elegant yet gorgeous dress for me. Also, please bring that white jade hairpin; it's perfect for wearing today."
Thankfully it's October now; if I wore this outfit in December, I'd probably be seen as crazy.
Xiao Yu calmly found the jade hairpin and only gave the princess a pair of jade bracelets that were entirely green.
When Ning Yan made her first formal appearance at such a grand banquet, following behind the Empress, she felt countless scrutinizing gazes upon her.
To look stunning in white, while others might look chic in white, Ning Yan, dressed in this white outfit, truly resembles a female bodhisattva, as if she's about to ascend to heaven at any moment.
Her child is already a teenager, but she looks like she's only in her early twenties. Time hasn't left any marks on her face; she's truly blessed.
"Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress, may Your Majesty be well. Greetings to the Princess Consort of Yue, may the Princess Consort of Yue be well."
The Empress raised her hand. "Rise. Everyone, please don't be so formal. It's been so long since we've held a banquet; I don't even know which of these beautiful young ladies belongs to whom."
Seeing the young ladies all looking shy with their heads down, Ning Yan really wanted to laugh.
Her daughter, Xiaoyu, was a master of gossip. Every day, she would use the excuse of going out of the mansion to buy things to gather inside information and then tell her about it when she returned.
So-and-so's daughter boldly expressed her love at the poetry gathering; so-and-so's daughter disguised herself as a man and sneaked into a brothel at night; and some even took a fancy to a scholar and secretly made love to him. Of course, some of these gossips were true and some were false, but these girls were not as shy as they appeared.
The Empress said, “It’s rather boring to just look at flowers like this. Why don’t you talented young men and women compose a poem on the theme of flowers? The top three will be richly rewarded by me.”
Poetry recitation was almost a must-do at every banquet; it was a way to check whether these young ladies and gentlemen were good-for-nothings.
Of course, some people prepared cheat sheets in advance, so as not to embarrass themselves by not being able to write a poem later.
While everyone was writing poems, the Empress took Ning Yan to see the new chrysanthemum varieties cultivated by the florists. "Sister-in-law, feel free to choose. If you like any, I will have them delivered to your residence after the banquet."
The King of Yue was very protective of his new sister-in-law. Before the banquet began, he even sent someone to tell her to take good care of her.
"Then thank you very much, Your Majesty."
The Empress smiled slightly, "No need to thank me, we're all family. By the way, quite a few young gentlemen have come today. You can also help Xuan'er take a look. Fifteen years old, not young anymore. When I was her age, I was already pregnant with the Crown Prince."
Ning Yan: "Okay, but I'm afraid the princess I've chosen won't like me."
"She's just a kid, what does she know about good and bad? We elders should worry about her more."
That's what they said, and that's how things had to be done, but whether Pang Xuan'er appreciated it or not was none of their business.
While chatting with the Empress, Ning Yan admired the rare chrysanthemums, such as the black chrysanthemum, phoenix spreading its wings, green peony, dragon claw chrysanthemum, purple jade plate, and Thousand-Hand Guanyin. Each pot was extremely rare, and only the royal family could collect so many varieties of chrysanthemums.
At this moment, Pang Xuan'er came over with her maid. She first bowed to the Empress, and then reluctantly bowed to Ning Yan as well.
"Xuan'er, how about it? Have you found anyone you like?"
Pang Xuan'er said shyly, "Auntie..."
Seeing her shy expression, the Empress knew that she truly had someone she liked, so she gave Ning Yan a look and then pulled Pang Xuan'er aside.
The two spoke in hushed tones for a while, and the Empress also turned her gaze to a young man in a blue robe who was painting.
complete.
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