After everyone left, Ji Huan looked at Qing Yin and said, "I've made arrangements for your mother and younger brother. Now tell me about the situation in the palace!"
Since Ji Huan was going to enter the palace, she couldn't possibly go unprepared; Qing Yin was one of her people.
Then, Qingyin told me what she knew about the situation in the palace, as well as what happened at Xianfu Palace.
There is no principal consort in Xianfu Palace. Currently, a sickly concubine named Lin Changzai lives in the rear side hall. The Empress has even exempted her from paying her respects. The two Han Banner concubines who entered the palace this time, Wang Ying and Li Changzai, have been assigned to Xianfu Palace, but they have not yet entered the palace.
There was no main seat; instead, four lower-ranking servants lived there.
If one person gains favor while the others lose it, it will inevitably arouse the jealousy of the others, causing them to fight each other!
She had just entered the palace and there were still a few days before she was to be summoned to the emperor's bedchamber. She needed to think about what she should do. It wouldn't be difficult for her to stand out; she could know the emperor's whereabouts at any time, and besides, the emperor remembered her.
Her problem is that she is only fifteen years old. The emperor, that big jerk, prefers mature and charming older women. Although she has started menstruating, the system says that her eggs are not mature enough, so the child conceived this way will not be healthy.
After much deliberation, she chose to actively vie for the emperor's favor rather than feigning illness to avoid his attention. She simply couldn't bear the hardship; no amount of money could alleviate the Imperial Household Department's torturous methods, which would only fuel their greed.
As for the fact that the emperor likes mature women, she can't change that, but she has a secret weapon: a top-notch beauty, both inside and out, so it's unlikely anyone would refuse her.
As for the crisis inside Xianfu Palace, that's not a big problem.
After all, Emperor Qianlong was a big jerk, but he was very generous with titles. Thinking of Consort Ling in Yanxi Palace, she was favored by Emperor Qianlong in the tenth year and was made a Noble Lady. In the same year, she had no son and was made Consort Ling. Two years have passed, and her favor remains.
He is truly generous; as long as he's happy, rules and regulations aren't really a big deal.
Since there was no principal seat in Xianfu Palace, she felt that she was quite suitable to be the principal consort.
Ji Huan smiled and then began to prepare.
Time flies, three days have passed, it's time to pay my respects to the Empress.
Over the next three days, the newlyweds received gifts from various palaces one after another. These gifts were generally of fixed amounts and were given according to their rank, with nothing particularly special about them.
During this time, Ji Huan did not interact much with the other people in Xianfu Palace. Ji Huan took Qing Yin and Zhao Lu out and then met Wang Daying and Li Changzai.
All three were outstanding in appearance, but it was clear that Consort Wang and Consort Li had already teamed up because they both came from the Han Banner Army.
After exchanging greetings, the three of them went to Changchun Palace together.
"Please wait in the warm room, ladies. Once all the ladies and consorts have arrived, please come in to pay your respects to the Empress and the other ladies and consorts."
"Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."
Before long, Consort Ying arrived. This Consort Ying, a member of the Mongol Banner, had a title and came from a good family. As long as she didn't make any major mistakes, she was sure to become the head of a palace in the future. Although her appearance was not as outstanding as the three of them, she was quite proud. She only nodded slightly in response to their greetings.
It was very quiet in the greenhouse.
About an incense stick's time later, the aunt who had brought them in came in and said, "My four young ladies, please follow me."
The four followed their aunt into the main hall. Changchun Palace was magnificent and suited Emperor Qianlong's tastes perfectly—a symbol of worldly wealth and luxury! Fortunately, the wealth was not so ostentatious that it was too much of an eyesore to look at.
They had all learned etiquette, and according to the rules, after paying their respects to the Empress, the Empress said gently, "My sisters, please rise. Now that you have entered the palace, you should serve the Emperor well and bear him children."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
Ji Huan then saw the Empress's appearance clearly. She had a gentle and virtuous face, with tender eyes and a dignified and elegant beauty, but she looked somewhat sickly.
The Empress then said, "Pay respects to the ladies of each palace!"
Ji Huan and the other three began to bow again. At this moment, Ji Huan's desire for promotion became even stronger. She didn't want to kneel before everyone she met, but as a low-ranking official, she had no choice but to bow her head whenever she saw someone, even if she didn't have to kneel.
This person is prone to cervical spondylosis from always looking down, and she doesn't want that. She needs a promotion, she absolutely has to get promoted.
My small goal is to move into the main hall of Xianfu Palace this year.
The newcomers were young, and although they were beautiful, the people who already knew the Emperor's preferences didn't particularly like the four of them, but they weren't very hostile either.
The greeting process went smoothly, which was also due to the Empress's virtuous and capable nature, and her ability to maintain order.
There are always favored concubines in the imperial harem, but no favored concubine has ever surpassed the empress. How so? The current emperor probably wants to be a perfect person. How can an emperor be a perfect person? Naturally, he should be a wise ruler. And as we all know, a wise ruler is paired with a virtuous empress.
Empress Fucha clearly also wanted to be a virtuous empress.
After paying her respects, Ji Huan immediately returned to Xianfu Palace. Don't ask why; the answer is simply that she didn't want to see anyone and just went about her business.
In the afternoon, Qingyin came to report: "Your Highness, Consort Li and Consort Wang strolled in the Imperial Garden. Consort Wang's words and actions offended Consort Jia. Consort Jia was just diagnosed by the imperial physician as pregnant and needs to rest. Consort Li was punished by copying books, and Consort Wang was punished by being confined to her quarters for three months. This was an order from Her Majesty the Empress."
Ji Huan was still shaken when she heard this. There were only four new brides in total, and Jiafei had effectively rendered two Han army banners useless in a short period of time.
However, this is also a good thing for Ji Huan. After all, if all four newcomers had an accident, it would be a disaster.
"Do you know how Consort Wang offended Consort Jia with her words and actions?"
"Consort Wang was particularly afraid of insects. It is said that when an insect landed on her, she screamed, which startled Consort Jia, who was also in the Imperial Garden."
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