The emperor, seated on his high throne, raised his hand and said, "Rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qiao Qiu and Qiao Dong did not stand together, but stood on opposite sides, one on the far left and the other on the far right.
The emperor, dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a golden crown, was extremely handsome and dashing. His peach blossom eyes were devoid of any emotion as his gaze lingered on their faces, stopping at Qiao Dong for a moment before turning to Qiao Qiu.
Just like in the portrait, Qiao Dong was stunningly beautiful, while Qiao Qiu's appearance was average. However, Qiao Qiu's charm lay in her innocent and adorable nature, making her seem like a child who hadn't grown up. Looking at her like this, the quiet Qiao Qiu did indeed possess a certain allure.
The emperor, wanting to test Qiao Qiu's character, said, "Qiao Dong will be granted the title of Beauty, Qiao Qiu will be granted the title of Talent, and Tang Xuan will be granted the title of Virtuous Lady."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." The three knelt and bowed in gratitude, while the two who were thanking him were led away by the eunuch.
Sitting on the lower left, Zhao Yucheng saw that Qiao Dong had indeed caught the emperor's eye. He clenched his hands tightly, but his face remained expressionless.
Qiao Qiu, Qiao Dong, and Tang Xuan were led to Chuxiu Palace by a young eunuch, who arranged for each of them to have their own small courtyard before they left.
Qiao Qiu was assigned to a two-courtyard compound on the west side, called Xianghu Courtyard, which consisted of a main house, two side rooms, and four wing rooms on the left and right. The layout was very clear, and one could see it at a glance once inside.
Qiao Qiu was initially dissatisfied with the Emperor's arrangement because she felt the courtyard was too small. She intended to ridicule Qiao Dong, but discovered that Qiao Dong's rank was higher and her courtyard was larger. This strongly fueled her resentment, leading to the scene where she slashed Qiao Dong's face.
Qiao Qiu now quite likes this courtyard. There are six red maple trees in the courtyard, and potted plants and many unknown wildflowers are placed around the trees.
When the palace maids and eunuchs sweeping the courtyard saw her enter, they all knelt on the ground, saying, "This servant greets Lady Cai."
Qiao Qiu calmly walked to a red maple tree, stood there, and reached out to stroke the tender green leaves, saying, "Get up."
"Thank you, Lady Xie."
“A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Even if there are few people in my courtyard, there must still be some order.” Qiao Qiu turned to look at the two of them, her gaze sharp.
The palace maids and eunuchs were terrified by her gaze, and stood there with their heads down, not daring to move.
“You must all keep to your duties and do your jobs well. You are not allowed to gossip outside. If I find out, you will kneel in this courtyard for half a day.”
"yes."
What are your names?
"This servant is Green Bamboo."
"Your servant, Little Li."
“In my palace, you shall refer to yourselves by your own names and shall not refer to yourselves as servants. Once you leave this palace, you shall abide by the rules of the palace.”
"No need to refer to yourselves as servants?" Green Bamboo and Little Li exchanged a strange glance and replied, "Yes."
After saying this, Qiao Qiu went into the main room. Inside, the central room was the main hall. To the left was a round table, and to the right was the bedroom. In the very center of the room was an embroidered bed. To the right of the bed was a mahogany cabinet, and in front of the cabinet, near the window, was a table. To the left of the bed, near the window, was a soft couch.
Qiao Qiu walked over, took off her shoes, opened the window, lay down on the soft couch, and looked at the scenery outside.
There was a lake outside the window. It wasn't very wide, only about two meters wide, before it was separated by the courtyard wall and flowed outwards through a semi-circular passage. Thinking about it, this lake actually looked more like a small puddle flowing into the lake outside the wall.
She likes it quite a bit, but with this lake around, she's afraid her blankets will get too damp to use in winter. However, she probably won't stay here then.
In the afternoon, Qiao Qiu received the reward she had received for being appointed as a concubine, along with Hong Lan who had come with her. This step was considered to have settled the matter.
That night, the emperor summoned Qiao Dong to his bedchamber.
Qiao Qiu sat outside in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky. The emperor, with his three palaces and six courtyards, countless concubines—did she really want to share a bed with him?
Qiao Qiu never even considered the possibility of not sharing a bed with the emperor. She was the prime minister's favorite daughter, and he would be serving him either today or tomorrow. The emperor wanted to win people's hearts, so he couldn't afford to neglect her.
Moreover, in her memory, Qiao Qiu had served the emperor for one night before being banished to the cold palace, and that night was the night after Qiao Dong's.
She is already free and can choose the life she wants, so why does she have to come to the palace?
Qiao Qiu blinked her big eyes, and the stars in the sky twinkled incessantly.
"well."
Honglan thought she was unhappy that Qiao Dong was the one serving the emperor tonight, so she comforted her, "Don't be sad, Your Majesty. The Emperor will surely think of you."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiu felt inexplicably moved. "Silly Honglan."
...
The following day, after Qiao Dong was sent back, the secret guards brought news of Qiao Qiu.
After hearing this, the emperor raised an eyebrow, but simply sat in the courtyard looking at the stars, appearing somewhat melancholy. Surprisingly, he did not lose his temper or throw a tantrum.
Unbelievable! Is this still the same willful and capricious Qiao Qiu?
The following night, the emperor summoned another concubine to his bedchamber.
Qiao Qiu was quite surprised that she wasn't called out, but she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't ready to serve that openly philandering man.
Qiao Qiu happily asked Hong Lan to bring her a guzheng and began to play "A Laughter in the Vast Sea".
On the morning of the third day, the emperor received the news again, and his thoughts immediately became a jumbled mess, unable to figure out what Qiao Qiu meant.
Qiao Qiu was in a great mood. After breakfast, she took Hong Lan for a walk in the Imperial Garden.
"Who do we have here? It's my sister."
Qiao Qiu was admiring a white peony when a voice as melodious as a nightingale's song drifted over. She raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't even gone to find her yet, so why had she come to her of her own accord?
Qiao Qiu turned around with a flick of her sleeve and gave a graceful bow, "Greetings, Beauty Qiao."
Qiao Donglian stepped forward to help her up, her hair ornaments swaying slightly, her beauty surpassing even that of flowers. "Sister, please rise. How can I accept such a great courtesy?"
"Is Consort Qiao perhaps still adjusting to the palace rules?" Qiao Qiu sized up Qiao Dong, a dark glint flashing in her eyes. Having reincarnated so many times, her judgment of people was exceptionally accurate. She could tell at a glance whether a woman had consummated her marriage with a man. This Qiao Dong, she hadn't even lost her virginity. Could it be that the Emperor was impotent?
Qiao Dong's smile froze, and she changed her expression, sneering, "Consort Qiao, your rank is now lower than mine."
"I don't need Miss Qiao to remind me, Qiao Qiu understands this perfectly well." Qiao Qiu deflected the question with ease, her expression calm.
Qiao Dong was furious, unable to gauge Qiao Qiu's emotions. But he was also wondering why Qiao Qiu was different from the previous one. Could it be that Qiao Qiu had also been reborn?
The thought crossed Qiao Dong's mind again, and he was terrified.
Qiao Qiu ignored her and turned to leave.
"Qiao Qiu, you stop right there..."
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Qiao Dong was startled and rushed towards Qiao Qiu, grabbing her sleeve. But Qiao Qiu turned around with the force of her movement and fell to the ground.
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