Yongshou Palace
In the bedroom, the retired emperor asked Yuan Meng, "Have the emperor and empress arrived?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, the Emperor and Empress have not arrived yet."
"Then I will lie down for a while and let the concubine and the others wait."
For the sake of his son and daughter-in-law's reputation, the emperor could only lie back on the dragon bed.
As someone who usually never slept in, the emperor felt uncomfortable lying down and tossed and turned. Yuan Meng felt tired for him.
At this time, a eunuch's voice sounded outside the bedroom: "Your servant has permission to report to the Supreme Emperor. The Emperor and Empress have arrived."
The emperor immediately turned over and sat up, "Quick, come forward and serve."
After some rustling, the retired emperor finally finished. He looked at himself in front of the bronze mirror before stepping out of the bedroom.
When Bei Lingyao and Emperor Kangde arrived, the eight concubines, Shu, De, Xian, Liang, Zhuang, Jing, Duan and Shun, were already waiting in the main hall of Yongshou Palace.
The emperor and empress did not come, and the emperor emeritus did not show up either. They all sat there properly.
In the harem of the retired emperor, the empress and the imperial concubine are of superior rank. When the empress is in power, there will be no imperial concubine.
Below the Imperial Noble Consort is the First Rank Noble Consort. The Emperor Retired originally had a Noble Consort.
The four virtuous and good concubines were of the first rank.
The four concubines Zhuang, Jing, Duan and Shun were of the second rank.
The emperor did not give up the position of concubine.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived!"
"The Concubine Shu, the Concubine De, the Concubine Xian, the Concubine Liang... greet the Emperor and the Empress."
The eight concubines all saluted Emperor Kangde and Bei Lingyao.
As concubines of the retired emperor, they did not have to kneel down and pay homage to the emperor and empress except during major celebrations such as the enthronement ceremony or the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven.
Just common courtesy will do.
If they are the empress, imperial concubine or biological mother of the retired emperor, they do not need to pay respects to the emperor and empress. In turn, the emperor and empress have to pay respects to them.
Now in the palace, apart from the emperor emeritus, the emperor and the empress are the biggest.
However, the status of the four concubines was not as high as that of the empress, imperial concubine, and biological mother of the emperor, but they were also elders.
Not only did she give birth to princes and princesses, but she also watched Emperor Kangde grow up, so Emperor Kangde should respect her.
Emperor Kangde raised his hands and said, "Please stand up, all the concubines. You have all watched me grow up. You are my elders. There is no need for formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress."
The eight concubines bowed slightly and stood up, and Yuan Meng's voice came, "The Emperor has arrived!"
"Your servants are here to pay their respects to the Supreme Emperor."
"Son and daughter-in-law, pay your respects to the emperor."
"Everyone, get up."
The emperor sat in the main seat, the eight concubines sat on both sides, and Bei Lingyao and Emperor Kangde stood in the middle.
The palace maid brought the tea over. Emperor Kangde first offered tea to the retired emperor, and then to Bei Lingyao.
After the emperor and empress offered tea to the retired emperor, he happily wrapped two big red envelopes.
"Thank you, Father."
Bei Lingyao and Emperor Kangde accepted the red envelope.
The emperor introduced several concubines to Bei Lingyao.
Bei Lingyao greeted each of them one by one. These eight concubines were all in their forties, fifties and sixties, and they still had their charm. It can be seen that they were all beauties with their own styles when they were young.
Bei Lingyao was humble and polite, but the concubines did not dare to accept all her gifts.
The retired emperor was very pleased with this. He said, "Now that the queen has entered the palace and has received the phoenix seal, the management of the harem will be handed over to the queen."
It didn't matter to the four concubines Zhuang, Jing, Duan and Shun. They all had to give birth to children before they could become concubines, and the emperor also treated them well.
No matter who manages the harem, they will not be treated unfairly.
When they were young, they still competed for the throne, but when they grew older and lost their children, with the death of Empress Ning and the Imperial Concubine, the Emperor no longer appointed a queen or a Imperial Concubine.
They have nothing to fight about.
However, the four concubines, Shude, Xianliang and Liang, who had been managing the palace power, felt nervous.
There is no queen in the palace, and the imperial concubine has been dead for ten years. The harem has always been managed by the four of them.
Although they knew that the new emperor would ascend the throne and the queen would marry into the palace, they would have to hand over their palace power sooner or later.
But I didn't expect the emperor to be so impatient, and I felt a little uncomfortable.
If their prince were still alive...
"Thank you, Father! I just married the Emperor and would like to spend more time with him. Your Majesty is still in good health, and the Concubines are radiant. Until the Emperor recovers, I will have to trouble you and the Concubines."
Bei Lingyao's words made the retired emperor very happy. Although he was seventy years old, he did not admit his age.
Moreover, given his son's health, the emperor didn't dare to relax at all.
The queen did not rush to seize the power of the palace, but focused all her attention on her son's health. The emperor could not be more satisfied.
This daughter-in-law is really impeccable in every way.
"Okay, let the concubines manage the harem for you. But you must remember that you are Cheng'er's queen, holding the phoenix seal, and it is your responsibility to manage the harem. You still have to learn how to manage the harem so that you won't be panicked when you take over the palace power in the future."
"Thank you, father, for your guidance. I will not let you down."
"Okay, okay, Cheng'er is the right queen to marry."
The emperor was cheerful.
Emperor Kangde's smile never faded. "Thank you, father, for choosing a queen for your son."
The emperor was even happier with his son's gratitude.
"Cheng'er and the Queen stay, you guys go back."
The emperor did not keep any more concubines.
The smiles on the faces of the virtuous and virtuous concubines also became more sincere.
If the emperor passed away, they would naturally no longer be able to manage the harem.
But the retired emperor was still alive. They had lost their child and had managed the harem for many years, so they were reluctant to give up their power all of a sudden.
Now that the queen does not take the initiative to seize power and even pushes it away, some of them think the queen is stupid, but they also feel jealous in their hearts.
The queen is the master of the harem, and has more legitimate rights than the concubines of the retired emperor. She can take back the palace power at any time.
However, they were relieved that the queen did not want palace power.
Now that the emperor had spoken, they tactfully withdrew.
"You must be hungry, Yuan Meng, please ask the imperial kitchen to serve the food."
The retired emperor had a kind face, completely different from the crazy killer in the world's memory and the tyrant that the court officials talked about privately.
The palace ladies came in one after another, with more than a dozen dishes of food, soup, porridge and pastries.
Bei Lingyao glanced at the food on the table and found that the foods were incompatible.
Is this only for Emperor Kant, or does the retired emperor usually eat like this?
If the retired emperor eats like this on a regular basis, there will be no problem. His body may be automatically immune and immune to all poisons.
What if it’s not?
Bei Lingyao was also unsure, so she stood up and bowed, "Daughter-in-law, serve the food to father and the emperor."
"No, you sit down."
The Emperor Emeritus waved his hand, and Emperor Kangde also pulled Bei Lingyao and asked her to sit down. "There are no such rules when my father and I dine privately."
"Yes, Queen, please sit down."
The emperor also spoke.
Bei Lingyao didn't really want to serve anyone, she just thought about how she had just gotten married, and she didn't want the father and son to eat incompatible foods on the table.
But when he saw the retired emperor and Emperor Kant, he simply confessed.
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