For a moment, the hall was completely silent.
Qian Shengyan looked at the jade thumb ring for a moment, then her gaze fell on Lü Yun's pale face, and she suddenly smiled.
Her smile startled Green Cloud, who was already in a state of extreme terror. She suddenly began to shout, "So what if I love the Emperor! Is Your Highness a jealous woman? Why won't you make arrangements for me?!"
Her shout immediately silenced the room. A moment later, all the palace maids began to kneel down, especially Lu Shui, who shared a room with Lu Yun. She was so frightened that she lay on the ground, trembling like a leaf.
Qian Shengyan chuckled, then pulled hard on her hand and ripped the red rope off. The ring rolled on the ground with a clatter, hit the corner of the table, spun twice, and then lay still on the ground.
"Ah!" Green Cloud, seemingly overwhelmed by these emotions, suddenly cried out, breaking free from the stunned grasp of Wang Baoen. She ran to Qian Shengyan's feet, squatted down, and picked up the ring, muttering, "Mine, mine, this was given to me by the Emperor..."
"Are you crazy!" Green Water couldn't help but cry out, lying down, "Yun'er, what are you doing! Didn't you get together with that fellow villager surnamed Li? What are you doing!"
"No, no..." Green Cloud trembled as she picked up the ring, but she couldn't hold it. The ring rolled to the ground again. This time, Green Cloud didn't pick it up, but just stared at it blankly.
“Stealing the master’s property, send him to the Censorate and deal with him as he sees fit.” Qian Shengyan flicked her sleeve, took a light step, and stepped on the thumb ring, grinding it down again.
It has a warm and smooth texture, yet it is very tough. It won't break even if you step on it, but it will get covered in dust.
Perhaps what you ask for or hope for, she disdains.
Green Cloud seemed to be provoked, trembling as she cried out, "Your Majesty was once just a palace maid, why can't you give us a chance! I love the Emperor and am willing to serve him, but Your Majesty never makes any arrangements for me! Jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce, Your Majesty, you can't... umm..."
Green Cloud was gagged and dragged away, while everyone in the room remained kneeling on the ground, too afraid to move. Qian Shengyan sat on the couch and sighed slowly.
She said, "It is I who have delayed you."
"This servant wouldn't dare!" everyone said in unison.
Qian Shengyan pressed one hand to her forehead, feeling that the day had passed exceptionally long.
She slowly spoke, "The late Emperor once decreed that anyone over thirty could request to leave the palace, but that is indeed a bit too old." Looking at Green Willow and Green Smoke, she said, "You are all twenty-five. If you are truly willing, I will plead with the Emperor on your behalf. If you wish to leave the palace, then go ahead."
After saying that, she laughed and said, "If anyone really wants to serve the Emperor, I'm sorry I can't recommend anyone. Whoever has the ability can try it themselves. If you succeed, I'll call you Your Highness when we meet again. If you don't succeed, you don't need to come back to Yongshou Palace."
"This servant wouldn't dare!" It was the same sentence again, but the fear in her tone was even greater.
"As for any cases of 'eating together' (or having extramarital affairs), if I discover them, they will all be expelled from Yongshou Palace," Qian Shengyan said calmly. "If you wish to get married, speak to me properly. Whether you are a guard or a physician, I will provide you with a dowry and a grand wedding. Alternatively, you can leave the palace to marry freely, and I will also prepare some silver for you. You can do whatever you want."
“But eunuchs are not good men, and I will not allow it,” Qian Shengyan said calmly.
The practice of palace maids and eunuchs engaging in sexual relations was most prevalent in the Ming Dynasty, but how many of them actually fared well? Moreover, forming relationships or enmities was not a good thing for their masters.
Qian Shengyan looked at the familiar faces in front of her and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Today I guess I'm playing the villain.
"Your Majesty is kind, but this servant wishes to stay in the palace and serve Your Majesty and the young masters for a long, long time," Qingxue said first.
Green Willow also said, "This servant has never thought about getting married. What's the point of marrying into a stinky man? It's better to serve my master."
Qian Shengyan sighed, then looked at Lushui: "And you?"
"This servant, this servant..." Green Water was at a loss. She was terrified and was still in a daze.
Qian Shengyan had already made her decision: "I will ask the Emperor to release Lushui from the palace, so she can marry as she pleases."
"Master!" Green Water was startled, but seeing Qian Shengyan's calm expression, her lips trembled and she had nothing more to say. She could only bow deeply and say, "This servant thanks Master."
Green Smoke then hesitated before saying, "Master, this servant..."
"I know that your family is well-off and has already arranged a marriage for you, just waiting for you to return." Qian Shengyan had heard about these Manchu palace maids before and had been planning these things for a long time.
Emperor Kangxi decreed that palace maids could leave the palace at the age of thirty. Historically, this was changed to twenty-five during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. However, there has been no official decree yet. Qian Shengyan calculated that Lüyan is only twenty-three this year. She originally planned to wait two more years, but then this happened…
She sighed: "I will plead with the Emperor to release you from the palace. There's no need to wait any longer."
"Master..." Green Smoke was a little excited. She originally thought that turning thirty would be fine, at least she would have something to look forward to. As for marriage, although it was impossible to wait until she was thirty, it would at least give her some peace of mind for the time being.
She dared not think any further, but unexpectedly, she became the beneficiary of Green Cloud's commotion.
But Green Smoke started crying again: "This servant can't bear to part with my master..."
"Then you should go out and get married first. If you are destined to meet again in the future, you can serve in the princess's residence." Qian Shengyan was also a little reluctant. Lvliu and Lvyan had been serving her since she arrived. Although they were not as close as Qingxue, they were the people she knew best, even longer than Yinzhen and Hongli had been by her side.
Qian Shengyan forced herself to finish dealing with these matters and then dismissed everyone. Unable to hold on any longer, she slumped onto the small couch, staring blankly into the distance, her gaze unfocused.
She was too tired; she was really not good at doing these things.
It was already the third year of Yongzheng's reign. Although it seemed that everyone hadn't quite adapted to their current roles before, by the end of last year, Yinzhen's euphoria had finally subsided somewhat, and he had become much more composed. It also seemed that everyone in the harem had found their place. The empress was becoming more and more like an empress, the concubines were becoming more and more like concubines, and even the palace maids were becoming more and more like palace maids.
But she remains the same.
Is it because things are developing in the same way as history, and she wants to lie low, so she hasn't kept up with the pace of change?
No, not at all.
No matter how she changes, she can't scheme like Ulanara to use human lives as tools, nor can she be like Li, who would rather send women directly to Yinzhen's bed.
Deep down, she is still a modern person with principles, who understands the law.
Qian Shengyan was not particularly strict with the palace maids; perhaps she...did not know how to truly be a mistress.
A huge sense of frustration welled up inside her. Qian Shengyan turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and plunged herself into darkness.
Human desires are endless, and the Forbidden City is perhaps the place with the most complex and numerous desires in the world...
"Your Majesty, Consort Guo is here again," Qingxue reported softly from the doorway.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
