And so, today is another day for paying respects.
On the day He Zhuo brought back Cao and Dong, he made it clear that he was not happy. After serving Yin Zhi, he did not immediately ask them to pay their respects at the main courtyard, saying that they could pay their respects on the day of the morning greeting.
A concubine's status was only formally established after she knelt and bowed to the first wife upon entering the inner courtyard; otherwise, she was nameless and without status.
"Let's begin."
He Zhuo spoke.
"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed."
The two women performed the full kneeling ceremony, and He Zhuo did not make things difficult for them. He encouraged them with a few words: "Serve me well, behave yourselves, do not cause trouble or create problems, and have children for me."
He touched his lips to the teacup and then distributed the rewards, just like the ones given to Chao and Gao, the two concubines, at the wedding: a pair of silver bracelets and a bolt of palace silk, all taken from the head maid of the front courtyard.
Then, the two newcomers were introduced to everyone in the backyard.
Fan Gege won first place because she gave birth to twins.
“This is the birth mother of the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess, Princess Fan,” He Zhuo said.
"Greetings to Princess Fan."
Dong's voice was as melodious as a nightingale's. She wore a beige qipao and had her hair styled in the single-bun hairstyle commonly used by concubines and princesses. She also wore a few freshly picked yellow sunflowers, which made her look even more charming.
The "one-character head," also known as the "small two-bun head," comes in several variations, but it was the most common in the palace, worn by everyone from the Empress Dowager down to the palace maids. However, there are further subdivisions. For palace maids and concubines, who were at the lowest level, the "one-character head" was a more fitting description, resembling the Chinese character "一" (one). Palace hair ornaments were regulated; they couldn't wear wigs or use frames to secure them. They typically used velvet flowers for decoration, as gold and silver jewelry was difficult to hold in place without a frame.
There was a rule in the palace that palace maids were not allowed to wear gold jewelry.
Fan Gege personally took Dong Shi's hand and said, "Sister, get up quickly. We all serve the master, we are all the same." Her words were very kind and friendly, just ignore the jealousy and gritted teeth in Fan Gege's eyes.
When Cao and Dong entered the prince's residence, the first person to be affected was Princess Fan.
Fan Gege naturally disliked the two of them.
Fan Gege noticed that the silver hairpin in Dong's hair and the pattern on her qipao were the same, and deliberately asked, "Sister, your dress is so elegant. What kind of flower is that?"
Like a startled lark, Lady Dong timidly said, "This is a daylily. It was a gift from Consort Hui." Her appearance made her seem even more pitiful, and her actions drew everyone's attention, leaving Lady Cao with nothing to do.
Cao knew her greatest advantage was her ripe, peach-like figure, and because of the Fujin's show of force that day, she had deliberately tried to conceal it today, even binding her chest. Nevertheless, it was still striking. Now, all the attention was drawn to Concubine Dong.
Hearing about the gift from Consort Hui, Consort Fan didn't want to make things difficult for her, but the handkerchief she was churning in her hand revealed her unsettled state of mind.
Upon hearing the words "daylily" and the fact that it was a gift from Consort Hui, even the usually composed Consort Guan was drawn in and said, "Daylilies are also known as 'men-producing grass'."
When Consort Fan heard this, she was furious. Wasn't this blatantly hoping that Consort Fan would give birth to a son? And she couldn't say anything, since Consort Fan was a gift from Consort Hui, while she was a princess bestowed by the Emperor himself.
"My sister is beautiful and will surely give the master another son. We must not disappoint the Empress's kindness in bestowing daylilies upon her. The hairpin that my sister received was also a gift from the Empress."
Fan Gege's words were somewhat malicious; translated, they meant that if you couldn't give birth to a prince, you would be letting down the Empress.
When Lady Dong heard Fan Gege's words pointing at her, she trembled, looking utterly pitiful.
All the women in the room were disgusted by her appearance.
There are no men here, so who are you trying to impress?
He Zhuo found it amusing to see her like this.
Consort Wei, of the Liang clan in Consort Hui's palace, was truly delicate and timid, so pitiful that I felt sorry for her. After seeing Consort Wei, one couldn't help but feel that Lady Dong was a counterfeit, and a crude one at that.
Lady Cao was once again relieved that she hadn't worn the pomegranate-patterned qipao. Consort Hui had also rewarded her with a hairpin and a qipao with a pomegranate pattern. Pomegranates have many seeds, which is an excellent omen.
Because of her voluptuous figure, she was always ostracized and isolated. She also had a beautiful face and long, narrow eyes that made her even more alluring. In the backyard, she could easily become the target of everyone's ire. Her first priority was to survive, and then she could think about other things.
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
