Chapter 132 The Duties of an Imperial Concubine To say what's different about becoming an Imperial Concubine...
To say what's different about becoming a concubine doesn't seem to be that much different from before. It's just that the nominal status has changed, the living quarters are bigger, and there are more people under one's control?
Hehe, okay, actually the changes are quite significant. If she was just a potato mine when she was a princess, then she was a hand grenade when she was a crown princess. Now that she's a noble consort, the hand grenade has been upgraded and doubled, becoming a rocket launcher.
Although she had become a concubine, Cheng Qianyue still felt somewhat uneasy. Sometimes she even felt that her mood was constantly teetering on the edge of happiness and unhappiness.
She was naturally happy that Yinreng treated her as well as always, making her the only Imperial Concubine and granting her the power to assist the Empress in managing the six palaces, elevating her to a high position and overshadowing all the other concubines. This affection was truly precious. Sometimes she even felt that true love couldn't be more precious than this.
So why was she unhappy? It all comes down to this: because Yinreng had become emperor. When she was with Yinreng, her fear of the rulers of the feudal dynasty would occasionally surface. Even everything around her seemed to remind her who she was truly facing.
Cheng Qianyue was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Over the years she'd spent with Yinreng, he'd spoiled her rotten. Especially with the shift in their relationship—from a simple master-servant dynamic to...bed partners?—and then they had children. More importantly, she'd never imagined Yinreng would ascend the throne. The longer they were together, the closer Yinreng got to being deposed, and the more casual her interactions with him became. As the saying goes, the world only sees the shining successes; the failures are forgotten in the shadows. Therefore, her fear of Yinreng had diminished day by day, almost disappearing by now.
Moreover, she had once imagined that, perhaps by flattering herself and adding to her own merits, a concubine who had borne several children, combined with her years of companionship, might be able to match the status of a prince who was imprisoned? But now everything was in chaos. Although she had been made a Noble Consort, Yinreng had suddenly become the emperor. Have you ever seen anyone else standing beside the emperor?!
Sometimes Cheng Qianyue would sigh and say, "Ah, I really want to be confined to the West Garden." She longed to experience what it meant to grow wildly in a place where no one cared.
But less than a minute into that reflection, she wanted to slap herself. Because those words sounded utterly outrageous. And if she actually said them aloud, she was sure she'd be drowned in a sea of spittle.
As the old saying goes, "Go with the flow and ride the wind," and "Those who know when to yield are the heroes!"
Cheng Qianyue felt she should act like a hero. Finally, she devised a plan: if Yinreng wanted to be family with her, then she would be family with him. But if it involved imperial power or the court, then she would abandon her reverence for power and become a nobody, a yes-man, obeying Yinreng's every word!
Okay, it's decided then.
Having figured all this out, Cheng Qianyue felt much more at ease and grounded. Then she busied herself with moving.
Where to move? To Yongshou Palace!
Mentioning Yongshou Palace filled Cheng Qianyue with joy, because it was located right behind Yangxin Hall, very close by. Being able to live there was like having another seal of honor bestowed upon her the title of favored concubine. Wasn't that something to be happy about?
So the first thing Cheng Qianyue did after moving to Yongshou Palace was to inspect the "favored concubine's" residence. Her first impression was its size, especially compared to the west courtyard of Xiefang Palace. The palace had a front hall, a rear hall, four side halls, and numerous side rooms and auxiliary rooms—roughly dozens of rooms in total. Then there was its beauty. Aside from the hard furnishings, everything was new; the people from the Imperial Household Department must have put in extra effort. While not exactly opulent, the furnishings were certainly antique and elegant. There was no room left for her belongings from Xiefang Palace.
Cheng Qianyue thought moving to a new residence was a joyous occasion, and immediately rewarded all the servants in the palace. She then said to Lin Quan'an, "The people from the Imperial Household Department's Construction Bureau and the Imperial Workshops have done a good job. Go and see for yourself how you reward them."
Lin Quan'an bowed swiftly and said, "Yes, sir." Their master hadn't developed any connections in the palace over the years, so he had to take this opportunity to gather people together. Lin Quan'an immediately led two eunuchs carrying reward money out happily.
That evening, Yinreng visited Yongshou Palace. Cheng Qianyue praised her new home to the skies in front of him, then expressed her gratitude. Yinreng looked at her gently and said, "How could I dare to put anything here if it wasn't good?"
Cheng Qianyue, still trying to maintain her composure, drawled out her words like she was performing in an opera, "This humble servant is truly unworthy of such praise~"
Yinreng burst into laughter, but quickly grasped her hand and said, "How could I dare to accept such an honor? Since you are to assist in managing the six palaces, shouldn't you adopt a more dignified demeanor as a Noble Consort? This will prevent some fools from daring to deceive the emperor."
Cheng Qianyue suddenly remembered something. Oh dear, she had been so happy about her promotion that she had forgotten she still had her duties to perform. Thinking about it, she felt really guilty, because she didn't know how to assist in managing the six palaces! She earnestly asked him what she, as a Noble Consort, could and should do.
Yinreng explained to her, point by point, the important matters in the harem: "The Empress Dowager is getting old, so we need to pay extra attention to the affairs of Ning Shou Palace. In addition, there are the late emperor's concubines. These concubines will be supported by the princes in the future, but they will still need to live in the palace for the next few years. Now is the time to extend our favor to them."
Cheng Qianyue listened attentively, nodding in agreement. The Empress Dowager, needless to say, was the highest-ranking and most honored person in the palace. As for the Imperial Concubines, she understood Yinreng's arrangement. Although Yinreng had become Emperor, he still had many younger brothers, so he needed to secure his position and subdue these princes before releasing the Imperial Concubines.
Yinreng patted her hand and continued, "Then there are the younger generation. The princes who haven't yet established their own residences, as well as our princes and princesses, have also moved to the back. We have to take care of them."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and said, "I wonder if Hongyan and the others are getting used to living at the Fifth Academy in Gandong. Tomorrow after they finish school, I'll send someone over to ask them, and also ask if things are peaceful at the Fifth Academy in Ganxi."
Yinreng nodded and said, "Very well." After catching his breath, he continued, "As for the others, they are nothing more than servants in various palaces and places." He paused, "Speaking of this, there is indeed a more important matter. I plan to release the palace servants who have reached the age of marriage or who have served in the palace for many years."
"Great! This is wonderful!" Cheng Qianyue quickly replied. Palace maids usually entered the palace at fourteen or fifteen, some even as young as twelve or thirteen. But while entering was easy, leaving was difficult. Without special favor, palace maids had to serve until they were thirty. Thirty! So much youth was wasted in the palace. Moreover, in ancient times, young marriage was valued, unlike modern times where many women marry close to thirty. So, she should seize this opportunity to leave the palace as soon as possible.
Yinreng smiled. His decision to release the people from the palace served two purposes: first, to demonstrate his benevolent rule, and second, to reorganize the palace staff. He needed to have the Forbidden City firmly under his control to feel at ease as emperor. As Yinreng pondered this, he slowly came to his senses, only to hear Cheng Qianyue repeating what he had just said—she had genuinely been seriously considering how to be a good imperial concubine.
"I will inform the Empress of these matters as well. When that time comes, you can consider which tasks she assigns to you," he said slowly.
Cheng Qianyue belatedly realized: Oh right, the Empress is here! If she makes any mistake, the Empress will probably remind her. Thinking this way, she felt more confident, hehe.
As expected, after the ceremony to establish the empress concluded, someone from Jingren Palace came to invite her to a meeting. Then, the empress entrusted her with the task of sending palace maids to other posts.
Cheng Qianyue had thought about this beforehand. It was simply a matter of summoning all the stewardesses or nannies in charge of the palace and ordering them to compile a list of people who had served in the palace for more than five or ten years.
She planned to personally pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and inform her of the matter. As for the imperial concubines, those who held higher positions during the late emperor's reign still resided in the Eastern Six Palaces, but some noble ladies, consorts, and concubines had moved to the five northern palaces of the Cining Palace. She thought she should have Ruoyun and Lin Quan'an politely inform the imperial concubines. Otherwise, running around to each palace would be too tiring, and sending her head maid and eunuch would be just as effective.
Once she had a clear idea of what to do, Cheng Qianyue immediately thought of the people in her palace. She had actually wanted to release the older ones for a while, so she simply called them all over to ask. As it turned out, of her four head maids, only Ruoxia and Ruocai said they wanted to stay for another two years, while Ruoyun and Ruohong were willing to leave.
Ruoyun said, "This servant thought that the master couldn't be without anyone to serve him. Those who are a generation younger than us still need a year or two of training before they can stand on their own. Besides, the new palace maids also need to be disciplined. So this servant discussed it with them. Ruoxia is two years younger than me, and Ruocai is three years younger than me. They are willing to stay."
Since they had already discussed it privately, Cheng Qianyue agreed. As for Ruoyun, she was indeed getting older, and it would be too late if she didn't leave soon. As for Ruohong, she had always been in charge of the furnishings and decorations in the house, and she was rather dull and not the kind of person with ambition, so it was only natural that she wanted to leave the palace.
Cheng Qianyue still had a lot of affection for them, so she said, "You have served me for so many years, and I remember all the good things you have done for me. Moreover, I have already prepared your dowries, which are in the northernmost storeroom. Ruoyun and Ruohong, you two can go out first. Ruoxia and Ruocai, you can also go out and get married in a year or two. But remember, no matter if you are in the palace or outside, you are all people from Yongshou Palace. If you are bullied outside, send word back, and I will definitely stand up for you."
Ruoyun and Ruoxia kowtowed immediately, and when they stood up, each of them had tears in their eyes.
Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "Alright, you're talking about good things, why are you crying?" Then she pretended to be stern and said, "We haven't left the palace yet. You can only leave after you've finished your business, otherwise I'll have to keep you here longer."
Ruoyun burst out laughing first, and with her leading the way, everyone else wiped away their tears with a smile.
Cheng Qianyue held Ruoyun's hand and said, "After leaving the palace, let's meet some people and see who we're sure about before we get married."
She had originally considered arranging a marriage for Ruoyun with a promising young man, but the problem was that she didn't know anyone. Not only did she lack connections, but she also had no influence with the Cheng family outside the palace. She figured her head maid should marry well, at least with an official position; otherwise, it would be a waste. So, she decided to send them out in a grand display. Silver and jewelry were a given, and she also planned to have them take things like dressing tables, screens, and other utensils. The more generous the gifts, the bigger the spectacle, and the more appealing the news, the more attention they would attract!
Ruoyun smiled and said, "Don't worry." She didn't even know who she was; she was a senior palace maid serving the Imperial Concubine, and even though she was older, many families sought her hand in marriage. She figured that once she returned home, there would be quite a few suitors coming to her door, and she would have to choose a few. Of course, she wanted to marry someone capable; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get close to the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince.
Cheng Qianyue was naturally at ease. She knew Ruoyun's personality well; she was definitely not the kind of person who would be deceived or bullied. Then she said to Ruohong, "You too, although you don't like to talk much, I remember you. If there's anything outside that you're unsure about but don't want to tell me, go and discuss it with your sister Ruoyun. She will protect you."
Ruohong smiled and bowed, saying, "This servant understands."
Cheng Qianyue felt much better now that she had something on her mind. It was just a bit late, and the Empress Dowager would probably be having dinner around 2 o'clock, so it wasn't the right time to talk. She said, "I'll send someone to Ning Shou Palace to ask if the Empress Dowager is free tomorrow morning, and I'll go over to pay my respects."
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