Later that evening, the imperial concubines and ladies of the court changed into formal palace attire and came to pay their respects. Today was the day of the Golden Festival, and the ladies of the court did not need to wear court dress to pay their respects. The jewelry for Lady Tong was sent to her by Linglong Pavilion yesterday by Qingyan. In just ten hours, she was able to make a new set of clothes. Is this the highest level of a noblewoman?
"The Fourth Princess's headdress is exceptionally novel. As expected of the owner of Linglong Pavilion, every headdress is so exquisite!" Madam Ma Jia looked at the headdresses worn by Consort Tong and Madam Tong and couldn't help but feel envious.
Consort Rong entered the palace earlier than Consort Tong, but she lost the Emperor's favor. Now, Yin is more valued than Yin Zhi. Compared with Consort Dong E, Consort Qing is more representative among the consorts.
"Madam Ma Jia is right. Every headdress from Linglong Pavilion is exquisite; it's just that the people who order them have different preferences." Qingyan had spoken highly of her family's Linglong Pavilion.
When the Ma family ordered jewelry from Linglong Pavilion, they only received second-class jewelry.
"Moreover, Mother must use only the best; no outsider can use it!" Qingyan uttered these words, causing many of the palace concubines to gasp. Consort Tong changed her headdress almost daily, and nearly half of her headdresses were sent to the palace by Qingyan. So...
Among the wives of the principal wife, Qingyan had the most money, but she couldn't afford to spend it like this.
Instantly, the women were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Their jewelry was all given to them by their maternal families, and the silver they managed in the mansion was merely circulating silver. The remaining silver was simply not enough to buy the finest jewelry from Linglong Pavilion.
"Your Highness, the things you bestow upon me are mostly specially made by Linglong Pavilion," Consort Rong said sourly. Qingyan would always prepare a batch of jewelry for Consort Tong as a reward. Although they were not very expensive, they were still very exquisite.
Compared to the inner workshops, the craftsmanship of Linglong Pavilion is superior.
Consort Tong smiled, and in the deep palace, she was an object of envy.
"Fourth Prince Consort, you and the Third Prince Consort married into the royal family at the same time. The Third Prince's residence already has a son and a daughter born out of wedlock, and the Fourth Prince's harem..." Seeing Consort Tong's smug look, Consort Rong's mood worsened.
Qingyan was taken aback. What was Consort Rong going to do?
"Yes, Fourth Princess Consort, it's time for the imperial concubine selection again this year. You see..." Madam Tong had finally gotten this opportunity, so how could she let it go? She quickly tried to persuade Qingyan.
Originally, the Tong family, as Consort Tong's maternal family, was considered an elder of the Prince, making Qingyan's job the most difficult. Now, with the Tong family pressing her step by step, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
The women glanced at the concubine's daughter following behind Madam Tong and began to make their own plans, thinking that this girl would probably become the last remaining symbol of the Tong family.
"Yes, what kind of girls does the Fourth Prince like? This year's candidates are all of very high status, many of them are the legitimate daughters of high-ranking officials!" Lady Dong'e chimed in from the side. The remaining women did not want to get involved in this struggle, fearing that something might happen that would be detrimental to their families.
Everyone knows how much Yin protects and safeguards Qingyan; he will retaliate whenever Qingyan is involved.
"Ladies, is this... because we don't have any girls in the family to recommend?" Qingyan tilted her head and said with a slightly confused look.
The young ladies selected for the imperial concubines in the next few years will not be chosen by the Fourth Prince's household. Yin and Kangxi have made an agreement that in a few years, when Yin has gained a firm foothold in the court, he will be able to support Qingyan.
"Fourth Princess Consort, what you said is rather unethical. Every family has outstanding young ladies who are chosen for the imperial concubines. Without His Majesty's selection, who would dare to choose husbands for them?" Ma Jia was taken aback. Qingyan was quite ruthless. With just one sentence, he turned the young ladies from several families into restless women.
I'm carrying my own pillow and mat!
No matter what kind of woman bears this reputation, it won't be a good thing. In addition, the requirements for the grand selection of beauties are extremely strict, and there can be absolutely no stain on their reputation. Once, Qingyan almost had her reputation ruined by someone.
Fortunately, Kangxi, Fei Yanggu, and Yinzhen thoroughly protected Qingyan; otherwise, if the Empress Dowager had succeeded, Xiao Guai's life would probably have been much worse.
"Mother, I noticed that each of the ladies is followed by quite a few socialites." Qingyan turned her head and looked behind them; there were always one or two young and beautiful young women following them.
Consort Tong knew perfectly well that these people were targeting Qingyan.
Linglong Pavilion and Yuelai Inn grew larger and larger, and Yin was especially protective of Xiao Guai. This double success in love and career made many women envious. How could they let go of any opportunity to provoke Qingyan?
“Yes!” Seeing the hint given to her by Consort Hui, Lady Yin Genjue quickly spoke up to help Qingyan. “Fourth sister-in-law is right. These young ladies are all first-rate and look like they could be the principal wives.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyan sneered inwardly. Her sister-in-law was following in her footsteps, saying that these young ladies had willingly fallen into depravity?
Although the principal wife of a member of the imperial clan and the concubine of a prince are nominally the principal wife and the concubine, the difference in their status is too great. The princes may rise to the highest position in the future, and then the concubines will also become high-ranking imperial concubines.
How much they hoped their daughters could become high-ranking imperial concubines! Wasn't Consort Tong also a concubine?
The Tong family's position in the court was partly due to the protection of Empress Dowager Tong, but more so because Consort Tong was favored by the Emperor.
"Sister-in-law, you're not doing this right!" Seeing her mother-in-law's outburst, Dong Eshi followed closely behind and argued with Qingyan, "We are all the prince's principal wives, how can we have any jealousy?"
Dong Eshi's righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor made many court ladies laugh inwardly, but they all nodded in agreement on the surface.
Consort Tong simply sat upright in her high seat, watching the people below begin their performance.
"No jealousy?!" Qingyan sneered. "Third sister-in-law, how ironic it sounds to hear you say that?"
When Consort Dong'e punished the concubines in the Third Prince's harem, it caused a death. One of the main reasons why Emperor Kangxi would take Yinzhi and Consort Dong'e with him on his southern tour was because he was worried that the censors would cause trouble in the capital.
puff!
Consort Tong covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and several other court ladies below her wore the same expression. They had all heard of Dong E's formidable reputation and expressed their determination not to let their daughters be favored by Yin Zhi.
Some of the young ladies-in-waiting were originally well-educated and reasonable, but they were forcibly disciplined by the matrons and were no longer allowed to touch a single book on Chinese studies, all because they were worried that Emperor Kangxi would send them to the residence of the Third Prince, Yinzhi, to be his concubines.
The Crown Princess smiled and looked down. Little Darling was relentless in her pursuit of justice, retaliating so quickly.
She caught a glimpse of Consort Tong's pleased expression out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but wonder why Consort Tong would also express her agreement.
"Your Highness, you be the judge! Hasn't Fourth Sister-in-law gone a bit too far?" Dong'e grabbed the Crown Princess, hoping someone would side with her. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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