Chapter 16 Draft
Lu Yingfeng had thought that she would be satisfied with getting the rank of concubine upon entering the palace. She didn't care much about such things. At least she would be a principal of a palace and wouldn't have to live at the mercy of others. Hongzhao and Hongjin could be raised by her own parents instead of being sent to the princes' or princesses' residence.
Unexpectedly, she received the rank of concubine and a nice-sounding title, which was a pleasant surprise. She didn't care whether others were happy or worried. She happily took Xuexin, who was almost seven months pregnant, back to pack her things.
Her son and daughter are both in the palace now, and she wants to see them as soon as possible.
Some were happy while others were sad. Cao Qinmo stood in an inconspicuous spot at the back with a pale face, watching everyone gradually leave, the sorrow between her brows impossible to dispel.
She endured all the hardships of pregnancy, experiencing every discomfort imaginable. Yet, even so, Nian Shilan continued to make things difficult for her every few days, simply because she had stolen her thunder on her birthday due to her pregnancy.
Later, by taking advantage of her struggle with the Empress, she followed Nian Shilan and offered several suggestions, finally finding a chance to catch her breath.
She thought her days in the manor were almost over, but now that she'd entered the palace, she was going to have to live with Nian Shilan. When would this ever end?
"My child, you must be a princess, so that your mother can keep you." She held her belly and tilted her head back slightly, the sunlight causing tears to well up in her eyes.
The next day.
Hongzhao and Hongjin stood at the entrance of Yongshou Palace, the two little figures craning their necks and staring intently at the palace road in the distance.
"When will Mother come? I miss her." Shu'er asked in a soft voice. Hongzhao patted her head reassuringly, then shook his head a couple of times with his hands behind his back, pretending to be mature. "Don't worry, don't worry. Judging by the time, she has already entered the palace. We still need to thank Grandmother, Father, and Mother. She should be arriving soon."
As they were talking, a group of people came out from the corner of the palace road in the distance.
Before Hongzhao could notice, Shuer dashed off like a swallow returning to its nest, calling out as she ran, "Mother!"
Hongzhao's eyes narrowed. His mother was seven months pregnant and couldn't withstand such a sudden movement, so he quickly ran out after her.
His movement had a significant impact; more than twenty maids and eunuchs following behind him suddenly started running after Hongzhao.
Lu Yingfeng was perhaps stunned for a moment because she had never seen so many people rushing towards her all at once. Fortunately, Xuexin, who was beside her, was quick-witted and squatted down to catch the little princess who was rushing towards her.
Shu'er felt a little wronged because she couldn't hug her mother whom she hadn't seen for many days, and her little mouth twitched as tears were about to flow.
Lu Yingfeng felt a pang of heartache upon seeing them. Shu'er and You'er had never been away from her for so long before, and they must be terrified. Looking into their identical, watery eyes, her heart melted.
She slowly knelt down and hugged the two little children, gently patting their backs, and said tenderly and affectionately, "You missed your mother, didn't you? Your mother missed you too."
The weather is getting a little warmer now, but it's still not advisable to stay outside for too long.
"Your Majesty, let's go inside first. I've set up the charcoal brazier and lit the underfloor heating so that Your Majesty, the prince, and the princess can get rid of the cold."
Lu Yingfeng looked up at the person who spoke and saw that he was dressed in eunuch's clothes and standing at the front. The clothes were embroidered with patterns, so he must be of a certain rank. He had a round face with a naturally smiling expression, which made people feel happy.
This must be the head eunuch of Yongshou Palace.
Lu Yingfeng got up and walked to the main hall of Yongshou Palace amidst a crowd of people. Xuexin helped her sit steadily on the soft couch, and the wet nurses on either side carried Hongzhao and Hongjin up and sat down next to Lu Yingfeng.
"Your servant Hong Xihai, leading all the people of Yongshou Palace, respectfully wishes Consort Xin good health and auspiciousness, Fifth Prince good health and auspiciousness, and the First Princess good health and auspiciousness."
The person at the very front was the head eunuch who had spoken earlier. Hongzhao was very satisfied with him. Before his mother moved in, he was in charge of the repairs of Yongshou Palace. He could be directed by Hongzhao on one hand and supervise the work to ensure it was completed on schedule on the other. It was clear that he was a smart man.
"Get up, everyone." Lü Yingfeng raised her hand slightly, and Xue Xin stepped forward to distribute the prepared purses to everyone.
Although she wasn't like Nian Shilan, whose family sent her countless amounts of money that flowed like water, she still had the confidence and resources to afford it all. She had no shortage of daily expenses and was quite generous in her spending.
The crowd weighed the heavy purses in their hands, their loyalty growing even stronger.
"I am not one to cause trouble, nor can I stand to see others cause trouble. You all do your jobs well, and I will not treat you unfairly. Otherwise, don't blame me for reporting to the Emperor and sending you away. Do you understand?"
"Your servants will follow Your Majesty's lead without question."
He was quite heavy and tired from the journey, so he didn't say much. He gave Hong Xihai a few instructions and then dismissed everyone, saying there would be plenty of time to get to know each other later, and there was no need to rush.
——
"Have all the people in the palaces been settled?" Yixiu looked down at the pure white gold-flecked paper on the table, holding the fine wolf-hair brush in her hand, carefully considering where to place the brush.
"It's all settled. Consort Hua had a lot of stuff, so she made quite a fuss for a while. Consort Fang complained that the place was too far away and wanted to go to the Emperor to cry and make a scene halfway there, but when she heard that there was a stage in Suiyu Pavilion, she stopped making a scene."
Yixiu smiled, her eyes as compassionate as a Bodhisattva's, yet one could read disdain in her gaze. With a flourish of her brush, she wrote the character "和" (harmony) on the paper.
"I heard... the Emperor has agreed to hold a selection of concubines..." Jianqiu asked tentatively, glancing at the Empress's expression.
Yixiu paused, adding an extra dot to the end of a perfectly good short horizontal stroke. The abrupt ink stain ruined the entire piece of calligraphy. She frowned slightly, crumpled the paper into a ball without saying a word.
"The emperor is the Son of Heaven, so it's inevitable that he has a harem. What's so strange about a selection of concubines?"
Yixiu moved her stiff neck and said calmly, "As the Empress, I should naturally be a model for the nation. Even if many new concubines enter the palace, the Emperor will still come to Jingren Palace on the first and fifteenth of the month. What difference is there from the past?"
"Your Majesty is right." Perhaps seeing that there was no sadness on her face, Jianqiu breathed a sigh of relief—"It makes no difference to us, but others will probably have a sleepless night."
"Since Consort Fang finds Suiyu Pavilion too remote, let's send a few white magnolias there and plant them in the courtyard. The fragrance of the magnolias will be delightful, which is fitting for her title." After saying this, she gave Jianqiu a deep look.
Jianqiu nodded knowingly, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
