Hongli told her that he did not want any more concubines. The young women were given to royal relatives and nobles, and they might even be favored. If they entered the palace, they were destined to live out their lives alone, just like the four young women in the first batch.
However, the Empress Dowager demanded that Su Yushan keep a few of the selected women. If she didn't keep any, the Empress Dowager would blame her. It was truly a dilemma.
On the day of the palace selection, the fate of these thirty young ladies would be decided by Hongli, because the bestowal of marriages was related to the politics of the court. Yushan did not understand these matters, and only Hongli could make the most appropriate decision after careful consideration.
Of the thirty women selected for the imperial concubine selection, twenty-five were betrothed. As the number of women dwindled, the Empress Dowager grew impatient and bypassed Hongli, choosing one woman to keep in the palace.
Upon hearing the name Nara Rongzhen, Su Yushan's heartstrings tightened instantly, simply because she had heard of this name before.
Yesterday, she was playing with her children in the Imperial Garden when the Empress happened to come by. In the past, the Empress would have deliberately avoided her and ignored her, but yesterday she went up to her and made a special detour to the hexagonal pavilion to greet her.
After the Empress took her seat, she ordered the servants to be dismissed. Su Yushan unconsciously became wary, worried that the Empress would cause trouble again.
"Your Majesty, please speak frankly. Yunfang is one of us, there is no need to avoid her."
Yu Ying chuckled and snorted, "What? Afraid I'll hurt you?"
Su Yushan smiled politely, "Her Majesty the Empress is of noble status, how could she possibly take me seriously? Dong Ling is short-sighted and sees me as a great enemy. Her Majesty the Empress has never intended to harm anyone, so I have nothing to worry about, don't you think?"
Yu Ying felt a tightness in her chest from being ridiculed, but she had no reason to get angry. She needed Su Yu Shan's help, so she couldn't afford to have a conflict with her and could only remain polite and courteous.
“What my sister says is absolutely right. We are all the Emperor’s women, so we should get along harmoniously.”
Su Yushan refused to dismiss the palace maids, so Yuying no longer hesitated and directly stated the purpose of her visit.
"Tomorrow is the palace selection. Among the selected ladies-in-waiting is a woman named Rongzhen, who is the younger sister of my ninth brother's wife, Yuzhen."
Yu Zhen? Su Yushan remembered this woman. In the previous selection of imperial concubines, Yu Zhen passed the second round of selection and was later favored by the Empress, who bestowed her upon her ninth brother, Fu Heng, as his wife.
Three years later, Yu Zhen's younger sister, Rong Zhen, participated in the selection again. The girl had fair skin like snow and stood out in the crowd. In addition, she was a descendant of Mingzhu, the prime minister of the Kangxi era, and a member of the Nara clan. Her superior family background and beautiful appearance made Rong Zhen stand out and pass the second round of selection.
At the time, the Empress Dowager said that this girl was related to the Empress, but there were too many young ladies present, and Su Yushan did not listen carefully. Now, after hearing the Empress mention it, she realized that Rongzhen was Fuheng's sister-in-law.
Hearing this, Su Yushan guessed to herself, "Does Your Highness intend to find her a good husband? Do you have someone in mind?"
Yu Ying sighed helplessly, "If she is willing, I will choose a suitable husband for her. But I met Fu Heng a couple of days ago. He told me that Rongzhen... she has someone she loves and does not want to stay in the palace."
With a soft "hmm," Su Yushan replied casually, "Then Your Majesty can speak to the Empress Dowager and ask her to grant you some mercy."
"If I were to tell the Empress Dowager that she should not enter the harem and that a husband should be chosen for her from among the imperial clan, the Empress Dowager would certainly agree. However, the person this girl loves is neither from the imperial clan nor from the lineage of nobles. Only if she is rejected can she have her wish fulfilled. But her conditions are so good that the Empress Dowager would certainly not agree to let her be rejected. If she knew that she had someone she loved, the Empress Dowager would definitely be angry and might even punish her. Therefore, I cannot tell the Empress Dowager."
When Fuheng brought up this matter, Yuying was in a very difficult position. If she succeeded, all would be well, but if she failed, it could implicate her. However, Fuheng pleaded repeatedly, and Yuying couldn't bear to refuse her brother, so she agreed to give it a try.
However, this year's talent show was handed over to Su Yushan, and Yu Ying had no decision-making power, so she could only come to Su Yushan to put in a good word for her.
Upon hearing this, Su Yushan had already guessed the Empress's intention: she wanted Su Yushan to handle this thorny matter.
"It's manageable before the second round of selection; there are many reasons to disqualify her. But once she passes the second round, it's recorded. These thirty young ladies are all carefully selected. Even if they don't enter the harem, they will be given to members of the imperial family. Your Majesty, you know this rule. Even I can't just disqualify her at will."
Who isn't she? It's just a pity that Fuheng told her too late, and it's hard to change anything now. "This matter is indeed difficult to handle, but the Empress Dowager has already handed over the decision to you. Please do me a favor and find a way to make her lose the election! Consider it a favor I owe you."
It's truly pitiful that a girl with a sweetheart is forced to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection. If Yu Shan could make the decision, she would definitely be willing to let Rong Zhen fail the selection. But the Empress Dowager only said that on the surface. When it comes to the actual palace selection, how could the Empress Dowager really let her make the decision?
"The Empress Dowager will definitely intervene in this matter tomorrow. If she does not choose Rongzhen, I will petition the Emperor to have Rongzhen rejected. But if she does choose Rongzhen, then I am afraid I cannot do anything about it."
Yu Shan agreed not because she wanted to help the Empress, but because she felt sorry for the young ladies who couldn't control their own destinies. However, she didn't make any promises because she was worried that something unexpected might happen.
As it turns out, what you fear most comes to pass. During today's palace selection, the Empress Dowager took a liking to Rongzhen at first sight and was determined to keep her in the palace.
Hongli had no intention of keeping anyone else. "Empress Mother, there are many eligible relatives this year. We should prioritize the needs of our relatives."
"Relatives are certainly important, but you are the emperor, and your harem also needs new women. I believe the relatives will understand."
The Empress Dowager insisted on this, and in front of all the young ladies, Hongli unexpectedly argued with her to avoid being ridiculed by outsiders.
Yu Ying looked anxiously at Su Yu Shan, who was also in a dilemma. The Empress Dowager had already spoken, so what could she do? Rong Zhen was indeed pitiful, and Yu Shan wanted to help her, but if she defied the Empress Dowager's wishes in public, she would be asking for trouble!
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