Chapter 17 Concubine
The next day, Baorong Palace.
Xuan Yi walked into the main hall and nodded slightly, "May your Majesty Queen be well."
"No need to be polite."
The Queen Mother raised her hand and looked at her son's face. "The Emperor just finished his morning court near noon. He must be hungry now. Please sit down and eat first."
"Yes, mother."
The mother and son moved to the round table and sat down. After having lunch and rinsing their mouths and washing their hands, they waved to the palace maids to leave.
"The Emperor's diligent work is a blessing to the court and the people, but his health is also paramount."
Xuan Yi took a sip of tea, his tone still calm.
"I'm worried about my mother."
Not to mention others, even the Queen Mother, her own mother, could not help but get used to her son's appearance.
"I asked you to come here today because I want to ask about the young lady from the Su family."
Xuan Yi's eyes paused slightly, and the line of crooked words unconsciously popped up in his mind again.
"Excuse me, Mother."
bite.
The Queen Mother unconsciously loosened the tea lid in her hand and stared at her son's face in surprise.
If she hadn't seen it wrong, her son was laughing...
It is said that no one knows a child better than his mother, but the son she gave birth to is different from others. He has been like a little old man since he was young.
He kept a stern face all day long and was indifferent to everything. He hardly spoke to his own mother, let alone smiled at her.
Xuan Yi raised his eyes and saw his mother staring at him blankly.
"Mother?"
"Well…"
The Empress Dowager put down her teacup and her eyes turned slightly. "I think that the reason why this southern tour of salt administration went so smoothly is that Su Yan, a mere civil servant, was so brave and resourceful. Not only did he uncover two corruption cases, but he also cleverly helped the Emperor avoid a cult ambush. His contribution is truly invaluable."
"If this reward is too little, it might discourage the people."
"What the Queen Mother said is very true."
Xuan Yi nodded slightly. "I share this thought. The two corruption cases involve important officials in the court. Su Yan handles matters properly and is a rare talent. I intend to promote him to the position of Minister of Rites."
"…As for matters concerning the harem, Queen Mother will make the decision."
"Well, the emperor has considered it very carefully."
The Queen Mother nodded and carefully studied her son's expression. "The positions of the Four Consorts in the Harem are still vacant. The daughter of the Marquis of Runan and the daughter of the Prime Minister of Song are still Zhaoyi. They are the only two high-ranking concubines below the Empress."
"Well, there is a vacant Zhaorong position, but most of the Xiuyuan, Xiuyi, and Xiurong below are daughters of third and fourth rank ministers. It would be inconvenient to let Miss Su surpass them..."
Xuan Yi lowered his eyes, thinking of that smiling face that was as blooming as a hundred flowers, yet defenseless.
Looks like someone who could be easily bullied...
"Promote Su Yan to the rank of Third Grade Shangshu, and confer the title of Zhaorong upon Fourth Miss Su and bring her into the palace."
…
Su Ci didn't know that the sketch portrait she gave her would have such a great effect. It directly helped her improve several levels.
At this moment, she was following Lin Sulan, who had just been promoted to a noble concubine, kneeling on the cushion in the ancestral hall and kowtowing earnestly.
Zhao Yu gritted his teeth and tried hard to breathe to suppress the anger in his heart.
She had to remember Rong'er's repeated warnings, but they were only temporary. When Su Ci fell out of favor and fell into poverty, Lin Sulan would still be just a lowly concubine, and she would still be in her control...
Since you are my concubine, you can no longer live in that dilapidated Shuiyun Pavilion.
The old lady waved her hand and asked Lin Sulan to move to Zhuyun Pavilion, and also sent a capable maid to serve her.
Sitting in the spacious and bright room, Lin Sulan was still in a trance, her hands shaking slightly unconsciously.
Su Yan couldn't help but feel extremely distressed, and stepped forward to hold her hand and patted it to comfort her.
"Lan'er, don't be nervous, the ceremony has been completed."
Lin Sulan pursed her lips, took a breath, and raised her red eyes.
"Master, can I go back to my parents' home now?"
"…right."
Su Yan closed his eyes and nodded with a guilty look on his face: "Lan'er's status is different now. No one can stop you from going home to visit your family. After I finish taking care of Ci'er's affairs, I will go back with you."
“…”
Lin Sulan burst into tears.
Her hometown was in Lin'an County, three or four days' journey from Zhuo Jing. She became pregnant with a daughter in the first year after entering the Su Mansion. When her mother and sister-in-law came to visit her, they were insulted and driven away by Zhao Yu's men.
That day, she suppressed her sadness and sent a letter home, asking her family not to visit her again.
For the next sixteen years, she never saw her family. Su Yan was the only one who helped her receive or write letters. Even when her grandparents passed away, she was unable to go back to kowtow to show her filial piety.
Su Yan felt heartbroken. He hugged the tearful girl into his arms and coaxed her softly.
Outside the door.
Su Ci smiled, turned around, and quietly walked back to her boudoir with Yanyu.
"Wow..."
The smile on Su Ci's face froze, and she looked speechlessly at the fat girl who was trying hard to pout.
"Why are you crying?"
"Oh... I can't help it, Aunt Lan is so pitiful..."
"Silly girl."
Su Ci laughed and pinched her chubby face: "Now my mother is a concubine, her status is only below the mistress. No one dares to look down on her anymore. We should be happy."
"Also, from now on you have to call me Aunt Lin."
This era was really harsh on women. If a concubine did not have a son, she would be a servant who could be sold at the mercy of her mistress and could not even have her own surname.
Therefore, the biological mother of the illegitimate son Su Mu can be called Aunt Zhang, but Su Hui's biological mother Liang Li can only be called Aunt Li, and Lin Sulan has always been Aunt Lan. According to the rules, she needs the consent of the mistress before she can even step out of the door.
Although Su Yan wanted to help, he was an official of the Ministry of Rites, and the rules were there. If he broke them, he would be breaking the law knowingly. If he was accused by the censors of favoring a concubine and killing his wife, it would bring shame to the Su family.
"oh…"
Yanyu sniffed and laughed, "I'm crying because I'm happy for Aunt Lin."
Su Ci laughed. "Thankfully, my mother found someone who truly loves her. For the past decade or so, whenever my father passed through Lin'an County, he would stop by to visit my maternal grandparents. Every year around the end of the year, he would have his entourage send some money and other gifts over. This at least puts my mother at ease."
Yanyu pouted and nodded: "Yes, the master has always been very good to Aunt Lin. It's a pity that the master can't always keep an eye on her in the backyard, and the mistress bullies Aunt Lin in the name of rules and family education. Even the old lady can't find any fault..."
"Forget it, let's not talk about the past. Let's just be good to each other from now on."
Su Ci waved her hand: "Have you found the matchmaker I asked you to find?"
Yanyu rubbed her eyes and nodded.
"I have found it. As the young lady instructed, we have an appointment to meet at Yunxiao Pavilion at 9:00 PM tomorrow. But young lady, you have many maids at home. Why do you want to go out and buy one?"
"Of course it's to train our own people."
Su Ci sat down and slowly fiddled with the tea tray: "I can't bring only you into the palace, I need at least two of you, otherwise my stepmother will send another spy over and I won't have a reason to refuse."
Yanyu suddenly realized.
"Oh, that's right. Madam is pretending to be so nice now. She must have bad intentions. Fortunately, the eldest girl is not here, otherwise the spy would have been delivered to her door."
"Yes, thanks to Su Yin's incident, Su Rong was confined by her mother-in-law, which saved me a lot of trouble."
"But you can ask the master for help, why do you have to go there yourself? You are going to enter the palace now, you can't see men outside."
Su Ci slowly poured hot water into the teapot.
"I'm looking for someone who is absolutely loyal to me, just like you, who only recognizes me as his master."
She naturally trusted Su Yan, but Su Yan also had to consider the future of the Su family.
But she had just entered the harem and had not yet established her foothold, so she had to be cautious at every step. She didn't want to have a spy around her who could tip off the emperor at any time.
Whether that eyeliner is good or bad.
Yanyu was stunned for a moment and nodded heavily.
"I understand. Just like the girl said, after entering the palace, we all have to rely on ourselves. We can't trust anyone completely."
"Ah, it seems that you have made progress after studying with Nanny Qin these days."
…
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