Tang Baozhu was startled by Situ Rui's words, after all, he suddenly said that he was going to promote her rank without any prior notice.
However, she was still very happy to hear that he wanted to bestow upon her the title of Imperial Concubine.
"Your Majesty, I am but a peasant girl. Is it too hasty to bestow upon me the title of Imperial Concubine? Will the Empress Dowager agree?"
Even if she was secretly thrilled, she still had to decline verbally to avoid making him think she was too eager, and besides, the concubines in the harem would definitely be extremely jealous of her.
Situ Rui thought Baozhu was just too timid. What did it matter if they disagreed? If he wanted to give it to her, he should just accept it.
"It's alright, no one will have any objections. You'll be out of confinement in about half a month, and we'll hold a formal investiture ceremony for you after that."
If it weren't for the fact that she had twins and Baozhu would have to undergo two postpartum periods, it would have been arranged for her half a month ago. However, it's not too late to arrange it now, so that people can prepare in advance. By the time she finishes her postpartum period, everything will be ready.
"Then I thank Your Majesty!"
Soon it was time for Tang Baozhu to finish her postpartum confinement. She washed herself with several buckets of water early in the morning and finally had a good bath. She felt like she had lost several pounds.
After washing up, she asked the palace maids to do her hair and makeup, since today was her special day.
Wearing the imperial concubine's robes, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, exuding nobility and elegance. With her face, she was simply radiant.
Before going out, I went to check on the children. Hui'er had already started studying in the study, and now there were only two infants still nursing in Changchun Palace.
They are exactly two months old now, and their appearances have grown quite a bit. Although there are still significant differences between them, it is now easy to tell them apart. But one thing is for sure: they are both very good-looking.
Tang Baozhu felt that it was indeed a gift from her, after all, she herself was so beautiful, and Situ Rui was also good-looking, so the baby they had would definitely be good-looking too.
The three children each have their own unique characteristics, and they should all be exceptionally handsome when they grow up. Of course, we just hope they don't turn out badly. If they don't, we can look forward to seeing them grow up to be very good-looking.
After checking on the two children and seeing that they were about to sleep, I quickly asked the wet nurse to take them back. The weather was getting colder, and the children were still young, so I was worried that they would easily catch a cold if they were exposed to the cold wind.
The ceremony for bestowing the title of Imperial Concubine was held in front of the main hall. There were no ministers outside, but all the concubines in the palace had arrived. It was the first time that Tang Baozhu had seen all the concubines in the palace.
Seeing their envious looks, I suddenly felt quite proud for some reason, but at the same time I was glad that I had the red envelope group, otherwise, what difference would my life be from theirs?
Tang Baozhu and Situ Rui sat at the very top of the main hall. Since there was no empress at the moment, she was the highest-ranking imperial concubine, and all the other concubines had to pay their respects to her.
Even if they were unwilling, they had to obediently bow because the emperor was on their side, even if they did so reluctantly.
“My dear consort, now that you are a Noble Consort, why don’t you take over some of the affairs in the harem? It’s not good to keep troubling your mother.”
Tang Baozhu dared not take on any official duties in the inner palace. After all, the Empress Dowager was not the type to willingly relinquish power. Even though she seemed to be treating her well now, it was only because of the three little princes. If she dared to touch her palace power, she would regret it in no time.
Thinking about it, she decided to give up. What was there to meddle in palace affairs? She wasn't short of money, and with three little princes under her name, no one would dare to skimp on her. It was so comfortable not having to worry about anything, and she had no worries about food and drink. She didn't want to cause herself any trouble.
"Your Majesty, I really don't have the time. The little princes are growing up, and I want to focus all my energy on them. Besides, I have never studied housekeeping or management, so I really don't know how to manage them. I'm sorry to disappoint Your Majesty."
When Situ Rui saw that Baozhu refused, he didn't say anything. He had just made a suggestion. If she was interested, he would let her manage some unimportant palace affairs. He just wanted to train her slowly.
However, I did forget that the little prince is still young and the Consort really doesn't have time to manage him. Since that's the case, then let Mother Empress continue to manage him. Anyway, Mother Empress manages him quite well.
"It was my oversight. Let's wait until our son is a little older before making a decision."
Let's leave this topic aside for now. Back when the Emperor asked Tang Baozhu to manage palace affairs, the concubines below were green with envy. Fortunately, Tang Baozhu refused in the end, and the concubines thought she was being sensible.
Tang Baozhu was eager to finish this quickly. She knew that she had been in postpartum confinement for the past two months, and the Emperor hadn't yet received her share of the profits. She couldn't wait to go back and count her money.
"Your Majesty, has business been any better in the last two months compared to the previous months?"
Situ Rui is such a clever man. As soon as Baozhu mentioned it, he remembered that he hadn't received his dividends for the past two months. Now that he remembered, he'll collect them in a moment.
"Don't worry, my dear consort. The dividends for the past two months have been higher than those for the previous months. We've built several more workshops because of the high demand. There will be even more in the future."
Situ Rui was still thinking, wondering if his beloved concubine had any better ideas. After all, this glass recipe had already made him a fortune, and it would be even better if there were more.
Of course, he knew that such a good prescription was rare and hard to come by; he just had a wishful thought in his heart.
Tang Baozhu thought that almost a year had passed, and the emperor should have made a lot of money. She should be able to produce the cement formula now. Building bridges and roads would be a good deed. The glass formula made money, while the cement formula lost money. Overall, she was still making a profit.
The song and dance performance below was quite entertaining. We enjoyed it while having lunch, and it didn't end until we finished eating.
Once the banquet was over, Tang Baozhu couldn't wait to return to Changchun!
"Baozhu, I'm going to get something. You wait for me at Changchun Palace."
Tang Baozhu wondered if she should go get the silver notes. It seemed possible; she could take the cement formula out before he arrived.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I await your arrival."
Tang Baozhu, accompanied by two palace maids, Yuxiang and Yumi, was walking back to Changchun Palace. She thought that since entering the palace, except for the last time when she was conferred the title of Consort Shu, she seemed to have been staying in Changchun Palace all the time. She had never seen such beautiful scenery in the palace. This time, she could take her time to walk around and take a good look.
I've heard that the flowers in the Imperial Garden are exceptionally beautiful, and there's even a glass conservatory in another area with particularly rare and precious flowers. I wonder if that's true or not; I'd really like to go and see it sometime.
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