Yikun Palace
Two lists of imperial concubines were laid out on Yi Hua's table. From their appearance, the one on the left was neat and rigid, while the one on the right, although made of rough paper, had fresh and interesting text and illustrations.
The one on the left is produced by the Imperial Household Department, and the one on the right is the version that was snapped up in the capital. This small booklet, only about an inch wide and thick, costs ten taels of silver. Of course, there is also a simplified version, which only gives you a general idea and doesn't include any pictures.
Granny Chen was explaining the intricacies of these two rosters to Yihua.
"Your Majesty, look at the last column of each page. Those marked with this vertical line are the ones that have already received guidance and are guaranteed to pass the first round of preliminary selection."
"Can the people from the Imperial Household Department really influence whether I choose someone or not?" Yi Hua asked curiously.
“These people all come from good families and are good-looking. The Imperial Household Department is doing a favor for them in advance so that outsiders can feel at ease,” said Granny Chen. “After all, it’s just the preliminary selection. They will all pass unless there are major problems.”
Yi Hua shook her head. The people in the Imperial Household Department were professionals at how to line their own pockets.
"Your Highness, these are your visiting cards for today." Granny Chen handed Yihua several exquisite visiting cards; those that didn't require her to attend to had already been filtered out by Granny Chen.
"Princess Yu and her mother?" Yi Hua flipped through the pages. "Let's invite the two of them today."
Princess Yu came to ask for a wife for her son. Since they had already chosen someone, Yi Hua was happy to do her a favor and repeatedly assured that she could get the Emperor to arrange the marriage.
"Yu Xue, send someone to inquire whether the youngest son of Princess Yu and this girl are already engaged."
Yu Xue looked up, somewhat puzzled.
“Now my palace is also a hotbed of activity, with everyone wanting to carry me on their laurels. I cannot let anyone use me as a pawn,” Yi Hua said with a smile. “Princess Consort Yu is a kind person, but when it comes to children, mothers are always irrational.”
"yes."
In the afternoon, Ulanara Fujin was led in, and she first warmed her hands on the stove for a while.
"It's bitterly cold outside, but it's warm and cozy here, Your Highness."
"It just snowed, and Mother came over. I hope everything went smoothly on the way."
"Your Majesty looks even better. I need to take a closer look so that I won't be unable to answer your father's questions when we get back."
"Mother, how is Father's leg?"
"These days are always tough, but things will get better when the weather warms up," said Consort Ulanara casually.
"I asked the Imperial Hospital to change the prescription. Mother, take it back for Father to use. It's an external application and an internal medicine, hopefully it will relieve the pain." Yi Hua was a little worried. Fei Yanggu's injuries from the battlefield when he was young were now coming back. He was always sad at times like this.
“I have come here today to ask Your Majesty for a favor,” said Consort Ulanara. “It concerns Mingxuan.”
"Mother is joking. I watched Mingxuan grow up, so his marriage is naturally important." Yi Hua's smile faded a bit. "My sister-in-law is quite different now."
“Your elder brother is a sentimental person. Originally, my idea was to find him a concubine. Your sister-in-law is not clear-headed, so she shouldn’t go out.” Ulanara Fujin sighed. “I had almost chosen her, but he couldn’t bear to do it. In addition, your sister-in-law has indeed changed a lot. For the sake of the children, he let her go.”
"This is a family matter for your mother; you should make the decision."
“You’re clearly angry,” Consort Ulanara said, leaning closer. “Mingxuan needs to get married soon, otherwise someone with ulterior motives will always try to make trouble for the child.”
"I don't ask for a wealthy and noble family. As long as the family has a good moral character and the children can endure loneliness, that's enough. With their mother's support, they won't suffer if they marry into the family."
Yi Hua nodded. How could she not suffer a loss?
The thought of spending time with an empty shell of a person, confined to the inner quarters of the house, would drive Yi Hua mad.
“Hongyan hasn’t come to the manor for a long time. Your father misses him terribly and talks about him all the time. He’s even left him a lot of new and interesting things. When the weather gets nicer, we’ll come to the manor to pick up the prince and let him play.”
"Yes, let Father see how much Hongyan's skills have improved."
When the topic turned to children, Yi Hua's smile became much more genuine. Ulanara Fujin breathed a sigh of relief. Although the person in front of her was her daughter, the difference in their status made her more cautious in her speech.
******
Honghui returned to his residence and saw his younger brothers struggling at the door.
Hongyan tried to pull Hongyun inside, but Hongyun held him tightly, saying, "Hongyan, let's go in when Big Brother comes back, okay?"
"No!" Hongyan shouted. "I heard Empress Dowager say this morning that she was going to send some pretty ladies over to my elder brother. I want to see pretty ladies."
“You misheard me,” Hongyun said firmly, his ears turning red. His mother had recently given him her head maid, something a child Hongyan’s age shouldn’t know.
"No, Hongyan's hearing is excellent." Hongyan suddenly let go of her hand, bent down and rushed inside. The guards at the door wanted to stop her but dared not. Everyone knew that the eldest prince doted on his younger brother. If the fourth prince cried, they would be in deep trouble.
"There are many beautiful sisters at the Empress Dowager's place. Third Brother will go with you to see them. Let's go now!"
Honghui sighed. Indeed, four palace maids had been sent over that morning in the name of the Emperor. He couldn't refuse, so he had to accept and settle them in. He hadn't expected Hongyan to be so well-informed.
"Hongyan, stop fooling around!" Honghui glared at Hongyan with his hands behind his back.
The little guy immediately became obedient, standing still with his head down.
Honghui walked over, reached out and grabbed Hongyun's arm, rolled up his sleeve, and saw a bluish-purple bruise.
Hongyan was a little stunned. He had gotten so excited that he forgot to control his strength. The little guy looked guilty and said, "Third brother, I'm sorry, Hongyan was wrong."
"It's alright, Hongyan didn't do it on purpose, Third Brother knows." Hongyun touched Hongyan's hair bun.
"Come in, everyone. Hongyun, wait a moment. I'll go get some medicine for your injuries." Honghui has a lot of ointments for various bruises and sprains, all prepared for Hongyan.
After entering the room, Hong Yan began to peek around, but after looking for a while, he didn't see any new faces. "Big brother, I was playing in the Imperial Garden today and I heard a lot of people whispering. They said you're going to take in concubines. What are concubines? And why do concubines have to be very beautiful?"
"Cough cough cough!" Hongyun choked and his throat hurt. He pulled his arm back. "Big brother, I suddenly remembered that Mother wants to see me. I'll go first."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
Honghui looked at the person in front of him. The one who had just left was too shy, and the one in front of him was too bold. If only they could be a good balance.
Honghui reached out and took Hongyan's hand: "I can take you to see it, but you're not allowed to say anything out of line."
"Okay." Hong Yan smiled contentedly.
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