Time slips away unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye, it was spring of the third year of Jingjing.
The first day of the fourth lunar month this year is the day when the mourning period ends. Thus, the mourning period is officially defined.
There are still some days left, but the palace can't hold back any longer.
Even the palace maids' clothes and accessories have become more elaborate.
Beautiful summer clothes have already been prepared everywhere. They're just waiting to be removed so that the flowers and willows can bloom in vibrant colors.
Those in power turned a blind eye, and no one paid attention to such details.
Yan Nangui has been well cared for these past two years and has gotten a little fatter.
He was looking at the clothes that the sewing bureau had sent over.
It was bright and beautiful, just the style she liked.
"Well, the size is about right. I'm too lazy to try them all on. Just wear one, and you can compare the rest."
The nannies at the needlework station naturally had no objections. Yan Nangui had tried one on, and they had compared the others to each other, finding no problems.
After bestowing the reward, he sent him away.
"The mourning period ends on the first day of the fourth lunar month, and the eighth day is Her Majesty the Empress's first birthday. It seems like it's going to be a grand celebration. However, I've also heard that many daughters of high-ranking officials will be coming to the palace to offer their congratulations. I wonder what to do?" Luo Kui said.
The Malabar spinach has grown up and is now a beautiful young woman. She's quite talkative, but absolutely loyal.
"The Empress has it tough. She hasn't even had a child yet, and on her own birthday, she still has to choose someone for His Majesty," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"This servant doesn't care about that. What I'm thinking is that your birthday is the Dragon Boat Festival. How should we celebrate it for you this year?"
"We can celebrate the family dinner together then. I don't care about that." Yan Nangui laughed: "They can't forget my birthday even if they wanted to."
Even the Malabar spinach laughed, "Isn't that right?"
"In the past six months, the two young ladies from the Ye family have frequently entered the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager and Consort Ye. This is... too obvious. I wonder how they will be arranged this time? If they enter the palace, I wonder what rank they will have," Luo Kui asked.
"It won't be too high. Having them as a comparison is a good thing for me," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"Ah? This... This servant is stupid and doesn't understand..." Luo Kui blinked her big eyes as she watched the geese fly south.
Yan Nangui flicked her forehead: "You've grown tall but not smart. Go ahead and get busy."
Luo Kui said "oh" and left.
As soon as they came out, he grabbed Chanyi and asked, "I really don't understand, can you explain it to me?"
Chanyi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is saying that all the other concubines want to gain something for their families. If they can't have children themselves, they drag their sisters into having children. They're so eager to tie their family's glory to His Majesty's belt. But our concubine isn't in a hurry to have children, and she doesn't ask for anything for her family. His Majesty has seen too much of that, so naturally he thinks our concubine is better. Isn't that a good thing?"
Luo Kui laughed: "I see, I was just being silly."
"It's alright, Her Majesty doesn't mind," Chanyi said with a smile.
The loquat stuck out its tongue, thinking to itself that it's better to be smarter, otherwise it's useless.
Soon after, His Majesty's rewards for various places arrived.
After all, removing the mourning period was a major event, and rewards from all sides were inevitable.
After Yan Nangui had seen those things, he thanked the Emperor and told someone to put them away first.
"We'll definitely need these this year."
“Yes, this is for the Empress’s birthday, the Dragon Boat Festival and so on, all the way until the New Year. We will definitely have to wear these clothes this year,” Jiang Xiang said with a smile.
“I was thinking that I don’t lack these things right now, but those concubines from less privileged backgrounds will be in a difficult position. By the way, the Princess hasn’t been to the palace for the past few years. She always says she’s ill. She can’t not come this time when the mourning period is over, can she?” Yan Nangui said.
“Of course we’ll come. Fourth Miss has come of age, and I’m afraid she’s eager to find a husband. Her marriage is all being arranged in the palace,” Jiangxiang said.
Yan Nangui smiled and agreed. Indeed. To marry someone not so badly, or rather, to be able to marry at all, one needed the approval of someone in the palace.
"Back then, when they were picking and choosing princes like cabbages, they certainly never imagined things would turn out this way."
Unless Yan Jinfei is willing to move far away and marry a lower-status man, she will not find a good marriage in the capital today.
"Father did mention a few places in Daiyang Pass out of consideration for his daughter. But Fourth Sister rejected them all." Yan Nangui smiled faintly. "Even Second Brother, out of brotherly affection, mentioned a few places in Bailu Prefecture, but Fourth Sister didn't like them."
"I suppose the Fourth Miss isn't in a hurry now, but there will come a time when she will be."
"Yes, she's not even twenty yet, I won't allow her to marry just anyone." Yan Nangui sneered, "Back then, she was the most vicious one. Don't be fooled by Yan Jinsi's sharp tongue, the one who truly devised the plans and was ruthless was Yan Jinfei. Now that she's full of schemes and plots, is she still of any use?"
At the Yan family home, Yan Jinfei sat there looking at the clothes and jewelry laid out on the table: "Is this all the Imperial Household Department sent this year?"
"This...this isn't all from the Imperial Household Department. Most of it was purchased by the servants at the behest of the Princess," the attendant said.
Yan Jinfei gripped the teacup in her hand and sighed, "Never mind, I'll just do it all."
Although these things aren't bad, it depends on what you compare them to.
Compared to those in the palace, they were truly unpresentable. In the past, their clothes and accessories were always the finest.
now……
We can't possibly buy everything from the Imperial Household Department, can we?
If the Imperial Household Department is willing to provide it, then it's because the palace has arranged for all the princesses to receive this treatment, but what good could that treatment possibly offer?
Wouldn't it be shameful to argue about this?
"And what about those in the manor?"
The maid lowered her head: "The ones in the manor... are even worse. The Second Madam said... that's all the concubine's daughters there are. She's quite the talker; the two she has are said to be registered, both being legitimate daughters, but... but you... the Third Miss doesn't have any of those either, saying she's already married..."
This time, Yan Jinfei couldn't hold back and threw the teacup away.
Where is Mother?
"The princess has a headache and is lying down."
Yan Jinfei got up and went to look for it, but it was no use. If she made a scene, wouldn't she be the one who ended up looking bad?
They were simply not satisfied; such a life was far too unbearable for them.
A humiliating disgrace.
Inside Fengxiang Palace, the Empress had just tried on a long dress adorned with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. She was now trying on jewelry.
Jewelry belonging to the empress is naturally both gorgeous and exquisite.
Nine phoenix tails, inlaid with large rubies.
This is something I haven't used in over two years.
It's all usable now.
"Once the mourning period is over, everyone will be able to serve His Majesty in bed, and His Majesty will be able to stay overnight in the inner palace. You must have been busy these past few days?" The Empress asked with a satisfied smile as she looked at herself in the mirror.
“Indeed, Consort Ye started taking fertility-enhancing medicine a month ago. I remember that in the past two years, His Majesty has only summoned her a handful of times. Now she’s so eager, but we don’t even know if it will be of any use,” Suzhen said.
“They don’t care if she drinks, Xiao Guirong drinks too… It’s really hilarious, Xiao Guirong hasn’t been summoned even once in the past two years.” Feiyue laughed as well.
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