Chapter 193 Empress Cheng is anxious to "select a concubine" for Xie Shang.
“If Your Majesty wants to find Second Sister-in-law, you can send someone to find her. However, Father Emperor has given her an order, and she is very busy. I'm afraid she won't have time to come to the palace to serve Consort Yan. Your Majesty seems to be much better now!” Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, neither angry nor annoyed.
"No matter what, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring..." Consort Yan had just finished speaking.
Immediately afterwards, the concubines from the palace also arrived one after another. They respectfully greeted Jiang Fenghua, saying, "Greetings to Princess Heng."
She smiled and said, "Greetings, Your Majesties." It turned out that today was also the day when the concubines of the various palaces paid their respects to the Empress.
You can tell from their clothes and attire which concubine has been favored by the emperor the most recently; the more rosy their faces are, the more smug they appear.
Consort Ya was undoubtedly the winner, and she still looked like the noble princess, with a beautiful figure and stunning face.
The rest were naturally concubines of lower rank, or those with more seniority, such as Consort Yan, who were countless, or those who had long been forgotten by the emperor.
At this moment, Consort Ya walked directly past the senior Consort Yan towards Kunning Palace, which made Consort Yan's eyes redden instantly, and she exhaled hot breath from her nose.
After Wang Zhaoyi was promoted, she was rarely summoned by the emperor. She was left alone in her palace at such a young age and died there. It was indeed quite tragic. However, no matter how low her rank was, she still stood tall in front of Consort Yan and did not even glance at her.
None of the concubines took her seriously. Consort Yan, a middle-aged woman living alone in the palace, was indeed the most miserable.
Jiang Fenghua glanced at Consort Yan and thought to herself: I really don't know who gave Consort Yan such an arrogant face. No one in the palace respects her, yet she treats her daughter-in-law like a human being. Truly, evil people will be punished by heaven.
Jiang Fenghua didn't want to say any more to her and went straight into Kunning Palace.
The Empress, already dressed in her finest attire, sat upright in her usual spot, while the concubines once again bowed and greeted her.
After exchanging pleasantries, Empress Cheng said, "Ruan Ruan, come sit next to me."
Jiang Fenghua sat obediently beside Empress Cheng. Her expression was calm and serene, like a gentle breeze, and she was exceptionally beautiful. Perhaps because she was the emperor's wife, while the others were the emperor's concubines, she didn't have much to say to them.
This is the generation gap between two different generations; there is no conflict of interest, and everyone leaves each other alone.
Consort Yan was the last to enter. She plopped down in her seat. Although she was old and no longer favored by the Emperor, and the other concubines in the palace did not respect her, her seat in front of Empress Cheng was always in the front row, and no one could shake that position. This was the advantage of the palace's hierarchical system.
Empress Cheng smiled and said, "I heard that Princess Yu was commended by the Emperor. I haven't congratulated Consort Yan yet. My daughter-in-law is so capable, it's truly a cause for celebration."
Consort Yan gave a forced smile, saying, "A woman's duty is to be a good wife and mother. What kind of behavior is it to show her face in public all day long?"
She wouldn't be happy if her daughter-in-law's achievements surpassed her son's. Now she heard that Jiang Fenghua was quite famous in Shengjing City, and the Empress didn't care. As the Princess Consort of Heng, she didn't live in the Heng Prince's mansion, but instead lived in the palace all day long. Luo Ziqiong was also her daughter-in-law, so why wasn't she allowed to enter the palace to serve her? Instead, she had to do what men do.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and naturally she didn't give anyone a pleasant look. But even when she was angry, she only dared to complain in her heart. Since Luo Ziqiong wasn't there, and there was no one for her to vent to, she could only sulk, which looked quite ridiculous.
Seeing her bad attitude, the Empress also turned cold. "Is Consort Yan seriously ill and gone mad? It was a task assigned to the Second Princess by the Emperor. If you don't want the Second Princess to go out and show her face, you can go and talk to the Emperor."
How could Consort Yan possibly see the Emperor? She hasn't seen him in so many years. If the Emperor were to actually come to her palace one day, she would be willing to die. Life in the palace is too unbearable. If she could go mad like Su Qingqing, at least the Emperor would glance at her, and she would be willing to do so.
But she just endured it all, not knowing when it would end.
The key issue is that her son lacked the ability to compete for that position; otherwise, she too…
Seeing that she remained silent, the Empress did not send her away. She continued, "The New Year is approaching. Everyone, think about how you plan to celebrate this year. I will reiterate my point: do not be extravagant. With war raging on the border again, we should be even more frugal and set a good example for all women in the land. Remember, we are the Emperor's women, and we must set a good example. Each of your families is responsible for supervising this..."
Empress Cheng was chanting sutras like a monk, and they were all tired of hearing it. The crowd mechanically and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, we will obey Your Majesty's decree."
Jiang Fenghua watched and found it all rather dull. It wasn't as interesting as when she celebrated the New Year at the Jiang family mansion. The whole family would have a reunion dinner, and her parents would give her and her sisters lucky money. Then the family would guess riddles, drink and chat. The Jiang family members all had a good capacity for alcohol, so they would drink and stay up late on New Year's Eve, and there were fireworks...
It sounds wonderful, unlike the palace, which is so lifeless and cold.
The Empress forbids the concubines in the palace from dressing up in fancy clothes. New Year's is for wearing new clothes. Doesn't Her Majesty the Empress make new clothes for the people in the palace?
Similarly, it's no wonder that no one likes the Empress.
But she is the head of the harem, and these matters are decided by the Empress. How can a junior like her interfere?
After the concubines had all left, Empress Cheng kept her behind, took her hand, and said, "Ruan Ruan, I have something to discuss with you."
Jiang Fenghua said gently, "Mother, please speak frankly."
"You and Shang'er have been married for almost a year now, and you are pregnant. I think it must be tiring for you to take care of Shang'er all by yourself. Why don't we arrange for a few more people in the mansion to help you share the burden?" Empress Cheng said slowly.
Jiang Fenghua remained calm and composed. "Whether the Prince should take a few more concubines into the manor is entirely up to the Empress Dowager." She was merely pretending to ask her, because Empress Cheng had already chosen who to bring into the manor.
She was trying to find another obedient and sensible woman to place by Xie Shang's side, preferably someone who could become the Empress's spy. Little did she know that Xie Shang hated this kind of woman the most, and also hated Empress Cheng's suffocating and unbreathable maternal love.
For over twenty years, Empress Cheng has been unable to break her habits.
“These things should have been handled by the Princess herself, but you are heavily pregnant…”
"Your Majesty, I do feel that my belly is getting bigger and bigger lately, and walking is becoming more and more difficult." Jiang Fenghua didn't want to get involved and annoy Xie Shang.
"Since that's the case, then I'll decide for you. We won't choose many, just five for now. Let's see what type Shang'er likes, and we'll choose more carefully when the concubine selection takes place." Empress Cheng, considering the long term and perhaps speaking hastily, added, "Shang'er only has you and Consort Su as women, and Consort Su isn't pregnant. For the sake of the imperial heir, we'll choose only those with impeccable backgrounds..."
Empress Cheng kept nagging in Jiang Fenghua's ear, and finally selected a few girls, "They are all daughters of officials in the court, regardless of whether they are legitimate or illegitimate, they must be good at bearing children."
Jiang Fenghua reminded her, "I have no objection to the person Your Majesty chooses, but the Prince is still just a Prince. Your Majesty, please don't say things like that about choosing concubines." If any concubines are to be chosen, they should be chosen for the Emperor. Has Empress Cheng gone mad with desire to become Empress Dowager?
Empress Cheng realized she had spoken too quickly and slapped herself hard. "Then select a few concubines to enter the household."
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