Winter has passed, and spring has quietly arrived.
During this period, Yinzhen would visit Jiayue two or three times a month, which meant he was favored, but not by much. Jiayue had gotten used to his presence.
In March, the Forbidden City begins to bustle with activity.
The first general election of the Yongzheng reign began.
The selection of concubines was overseen by the Empress, and Jia Yue had no intention of joining in the fun. After the preliminary and semi-final selections, the final selection finally arrived, and the location was Jiangxue Pavilion in the Imperial Garden.
Chuxiu Palace is very close to the Imperial Garden, and Jiayue can occasionally hear the noise outside while she is in the palace.
Where is the draft going?
"I sent someone to keep an eye on it. It should be over soon. To be honest, this selection process wasn't very big. The Emperor only selected princesses from the families of officials serving in the capital. The number of people was not large, and it ended quickly."
"The Empress previously summoned two princesses from the Ulanara clan, who are said to be sisters. It's unlikely that they will both enter the palace. It's just unknown which one of them will be able to enter the palace!"
"This servant does not know either, but does the Empress intend to have a child through surrogacy?"
Bao Chun said in a very soft voice.
Jia Yue shook her head slightly: "Who knows! What I didn't expect was that the Niohuru clan also sent a princess to participate in the selection. She's not from the same clan as Consort Xi. The Fucha family's princess is also here to join in the fun, as is the Guarjia clan. If they enter the palace, it will be quite a spectacle!"
In the past, Yinzhen's harem consisted mostly of Han Bannermen concubines.
Historically, Yinzhen was already 45 years old when he ascended the throne, which was quite old. In addition, there was no general election for three years after his ascension. By the time he started the election, he was almost 50 years old, and the eyes of the major Manchu families had already been set on his son.
He ascended the throne several years earlier, and everything was different.
The princesses of the Niohuru clan were from the same branch as Empress Xiaozhaoren of the late emperor, that is, the maternal clan of the late emperor's tenth prince.
Lady Fucha, Ma Qi once had an affair with the Eighth Prince. Although this Lady Fucha was not from the direct line of his family, she was from a relatively close collateral branch.
The princesses of the Guarjia clan belonged to the branch of the late emperor's crown princess, and their relationship was neither too close nor too distant.
It seems that because they weren't deeply involved in the struggle for the throne, sending their daughters to the palace was also a way of begging for mercy.
Many people were involved in the succession struggle during the Kangxi era. Even if Yinzhen only wanted to show his stance, these three people still had to enter the palace.
The Manchu banner must have four men, the Han banner must be included, and the Mongol banner must also be present.
There are quite a few newcomers this time.
The key issue is the power and interests represented behind them, which will only become more complicated.
After the final election, Bao Chun came to report.
"Your Majesty, seven people have been selected this time: Ulanara Shuqing, Niohuru Fangqin, Fucha Baoyun, and Guarjia Mingyue from the Manchu Banner; Lin Qingyue and Zhao Yunqing from the Han Banner; and Bayalage from the Mongol Banner."
The Mongol banner is not relevant for now; her entry into the palace is more symbolic.
In the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, there might still be some competitiveness. During the Yongzheng era, there was not much of a future. However, once one gained seniority, a position would definitely be attainable.
Four men from the Manchu banner and two men from the Han banner.
She had heard about these six people; each had their own unique appearance, especially the two who came from the Han Banner Army, who were particularly eye-catching.
The turmoil in the imperial harem never ceases!
"Now I only hope that no new women will be admitted to the Chuxiu Palace, or that someone who is more docile will be admitted."
"The Sixth Prince is still here! Even if new people enter the Chuxiu Palace, it won't cause too much trouble, after all, the Empress is very 'caring' towards the imperial heirs."
Jia Yue laughed: "You're right, I was overthinking it. The Empress is here!"
There's a child in Chuxiu Palace who cries a lot. If the new bride is too noisy, it will make the Empress seem ill-intentioned. The Empress values her reputation, but she's overthinking it.
Two days later, Jia Yue learned the newlyweds' positions.
All seven of them held the rank of "Changzai" (常在). In fact, each of them had a different powerful backing, but on the surface, none of their fathers held high-ranking positions.
They were all just ordinary people, neither high nor low in rank, and none of them had a title.
Nothing interesting happened during the selection process, so it seems that Yinzhen's heart is still with the Consort!
A few days later, the palace where the newlyweds would stay was decided, and the result was good. The newlyweds did not enter the Chuxiu Palace. In response, Jiayue smiled and rewarded Baochun with a very heavy gold hairpin.
A month after the talent show ended, the newcomers began to enter the palace one after another.
According to her rank, Jia Yue gave the seven people roughly the same rewards, all of which were things that would not go wrong.
"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the newlyweds' first time paying their respects. I've had several new outfits made for them. Please take a look, are there any you like?"
Jia Yue looked at the several outfits and then chose a sapphire blue Cantonese embroidered chrysanthemum dress, which made her look dignified and was also in line with her current status as her mother.
Of course, this color shouldn't be worn by the newlyweds, to avoid the awkward situation of wearing the same color as them.
"This one will do."
Bao Chun called Bao Qiu over and asked her to prepare matching jewelry.
The next day, Jia Yue went to Jingren Palace wearing her new sapphire blue dress. As soon as she sat down, she heard Consort Yu speak.
"Consort Jing's dress is quite beautiful. The Cantonese embroidered chrysanthemums on it look so real. I wonder which embroiderer made it?"
Jia Yue smiled and said, "It was made by a palace maid in my sister's palace. If you like it, I'll have someone send you a copy of the embroidery pattern."
"That would be wonderful, thank you very much, sister."
"You're too kind, sister."
After discussing the clothes, Consort Yu began to talk about the new bride.
"The newly arrived ladies are all waiting in the warm room. Have you met them yet?"
"Not yet. Her Majesty the Empress is considerate of my sister, as the Sixth Prince is quite noisy there. She hasn't arranged for a new sister to enter Chuxiu Palace. Instead, my sister's Zhongcui Palace is occupied by Consort Lin."
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