Chapter 1879 They Came to the Door
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all the imperial concubines wore their everyday clothes, while the officials' wives wore their court robes. Qingyan sat with the Empress Dowager, Consort Tong, and the imperial concubines of the retired emperors. The officials' wives mostly had serious faces, as the affairs of the two princes' families were already known to the upper-level officials.
The actions of the Emperor Emeritus and Yinzhen after the incident completely silenced them.
The two legitimate sons are growing up healthy, so the Emperor Emeritus will definitely protect them.
After the banquet, everyone began preparing to leave. Yinzhen and Qingyan finally had some time to rest and strolled down the street with their two children.
"After we return to the capital, the talent show will begin. I will give you the list of candidates," Yinzhen said, looking at the twins in the distance.
"Alright, but the imperial wives will certainly not let this opportunity pass them by," Qingyan remarked.
"Let them make a fuss." Yinzhen wanted to see who would step forward first.
After the imperial edict for the selection of officials was issued, everyone was in an uproar. Many officials' wives began to move around, thinking that Yinzhen was finally no longer coming to Qingyan alone.
Some officials' wives even wanted to see Qingyan make a fool of himself, but Yinzhen, of course, refused. He even thought about how to deal with these people.
"Little darling, if anyone dares to say anything bad about you, just shut them down directly," Yinzhen said, patting Qingyan's head.
Qingyan smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, you're so kind!"
Just after midnight on the 17th day of the first lunar month, the gates of the imperial palace outside the pass slowly opened, and carriages left one after another. Qingyan was carried into the carriage by Yinzhen while she was asleep, and the three children were in the carriage behind, carried by the head nanny.
"Your Majesty, things have already started to move in the capital. Many people are trying to find connections to get their children into this year's imperial concubine selection," Su Peisheng said as he entered and approached Yinzhen.
Behind the screen, Qingyan was sleeping, completely unaware that someone had come from outside.
"Have someone keep a close eye on things and send the whole list over!" Yinzhen waved his hand, dismissing Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng left to inform Bayan, instructing him to send someone back to the capital to ensure that the situation here was settled for Yinzhen.
It was almost dawn when Qingyan woke up. She heard Yinzhen still processing memorials outside the screen. She got up, looked at her casual clothes, and smiled.
"Fourth Prince, how long have we been traveling?" Qingyan asked, looking at Yinzhen.
Yinzhen turned his head to look at Qingyan's beautiful face, and a smile appeared on his face: "She has been gone for almost two hours."
Qingyan nodded: "Let's talk after we've had breakfast."
"Su Peisheng has sent people to investigate, and they will give you feedback soon. Little darling, there may be a tough battle to fight after we return to the capital." Yinzhen gave Qingyan a heads-up in advance.
Qingyan leaned on his shoulder and looked at the roof of the carriage. After returning to the capital, he guessed that the first people to come to visit would be the two maternal aunts of the Jue Luo clan.
“I don’t want Mother to be in a difficult position. After we return to the capital, let Father and the children leave the capital,” Qingyan said, turning to look at Yinzhen.
"Okay," Yinzhen promised.
Meanwhile, officials who remained in the capital began visiting each other's homes. Many eligible young women from collateral branches were brought into the residences of the main line, and in some cases, their family genealogies were even altered to elevate their status.
For the first time, both masters of the Jue Luo family had come to the mansion. The Jue Luo ladies were already talking about how they would go to the Ulanara new residence to look for someone the next day.
Fei Yanggu and his two sons returned ahead of schedule. Qingyan had told Jue Luo not to come back, but Jue Luo refused, insisting that she would not see her family when she returned.
After breakfast, Lady Jue Luo received a letter from Qing Yan mentioning the imperial decree for the selection of concubines. She quickly sent Fu Rong, who was by her side, to inform the guests that the palace would be closed to visitors for the time being.
Just as Furong informed the gatekeeper to prepare to head to the meeting place, two ladies of the Jue Luo clan came into her view.
"Furong, does your sister-in-law have time?" asked Madam Jueluo.
"Madam, the mistress has not been feeling well lately. The imperial physician was summoned yesterday, and he said she needs to rest." Furong had served Lady Ulanara for many years and knew the situation of the Gioro clan all too well.
"Let's go check on my sister-in-law, see if she's really been wronged." The First Madam quickly pushed Furong aside and tried to walk inside.
Furong quickly looked at the maids beside her and told them to go through the path and inform Jue Luo Shi as soon as possible.
Inside the main courtyard, Lady Ulanara overheard the maids' conversation and chuckled inwardly. She concluded that it was only because her sister-in-law was being so considerate of her that it was all for their own benefit.
She quickly asked Pearl to remove her makeup and apply a layer of loose powder, making her face look somewhat pale. The recent continuous travel had already left her very tired, making her look even more like she was sick.
When the two ladies arrived at the courtyard, Lady Ulanara was already prepared and had Pearl give a hint to Hibiscus.
"Sister Furong, please, both ladies, have a seat. The ladies have just gotten up and aren't quite settled in yet. They just asked you to help them with their washing and grooming." As soon as Pearl finished speaking, the First Madam barged into the inner chamber. "Madam...Madam..."
When the First Madam entered the inner chamber, Lady Ulanara was leaning against the bed, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and she looked exhausted.
"My two sisters-in-law, what brings you here? Pearl, how could you be so inconsiderate? Why don't you invite the ladies to the main hall instead of coming here?" said Lady Ulanara.
Seeing that Lady Ulanara was in good condition, the two ladies breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left with Pearl.
Furong helped Lady Ulanara sit in the bronze mirror, changed into a crimson-purple casual dress, and put on the kingfisher feather headdress bestowed upon her by Qingyan. Then, with Furong's help, they went to the main hall.
"Sister-in-law, didn't you go out with the Emperor? Why did you come back early?" the First Madam asked curiously.
“Master and the children need to come back to their duties first. Sisters-in-law, is there something you need?” said Lady Ulanara.
The two ladies exchanged a glance. The eldest lady gave an awkward smile: "His Majesty didn't issue an edict for a selection of concubines. I was thinking that Qingyan has been by His Majesty's side for so many years. If a selection is held this year, women will definitely be chosen. You should talk to Qingyan and tell her not to argue with His Majesty over this. The daughters of the Jueluo clan are related to her to some extent, and they certainly won't try to steal her favor."
These few words left Lady Ulanara stunned. In the end, weren't the two of them just thinking about sending their daughter into the palace?
"I remember your daughter is already married?" Lady Ulanara said. "How come your household still has women waiting to be selected for the imperial concubine selection?"
“Who says there aren’t? Aren’t there legitimate daughters in the collateral branches of the family?” the two ladies said.
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