Chapter 23 Greetings
After paying respects to the Queen, you have to follow the Queen to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
Su Ci held a high position, and followed behind Yan Zhaoyi and Song Zhaoyi side by side with Wei Zhaorong.
Wei Zhaorong was wearing a long dress with amber chrysanthemum pattern, which made her look bright and elegant, but she had a gloating smile on her face, which was quite incongruous.
"Congratulations, Sister Su! The Queen has gifted you with a complete set of jewelry. No other sister in the palace has this."
Su Ci raised her eyebrows and glanced at the red coral necklace on Wei Zhaorong's wrist.
From the tone of his voice, he seems to know something...
That's right. Wei Zhaorong and her maternal family all rely on the Queen and the Shen family. Even if they have children, it probably won't cause any trouble. So her bracelet probably doesn't contain musk.
It’s a pity that after Wei Zhaorong entered the palace for a few years, the number of times she had sex with the emperor could be counted on five fingers. It was quite miserable.
Seeing that no one answered, Wei Zhaorong frowned slightly and turned around, only to see Su Ci looking at her with sympathy.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Alas, Sister Wei, if you feel resentful, I can give you some of my share. After all, I entered the palace much earlier than I did. We are both Zhaorong, but I have wronged you to live in a side hall of my palace. Otherwise, when we meet the Empress Dowager later, I will help you plead for you to move to the main hall?"
“…”
Su Ci's voice was quite loud, and people in front and behind looked over.
Wei Zhaorong's face was stiff, but she couldn't get angry. She held her breath and gritted her teeth, squeezing out the words: "Su Zhaorong has the support of the Queen Mother. This is a unique honor in the palace. How dare I complain about being wronged?"
"Sister, are you really not wronged?"
"No, I'm wronged!"
"oh…"
Su Ci blinked innocently, "Forget it then. I'm going to Jingming Palace at noon to thank the emperor. I was thinking of saying a few good words for my sister in front of His Majesty. Since my sister isn't wronged, I won't say anything."
“…”
Wei Zhaorong's face was full of colors, and she held back a mouthful of blood without saying a word.
The Queen in front had a slightly gloomy face, while Concubine Yan and Concubine Song looked disdainful, while the concubines of lower rank behind all had thoughtful expressions, and from time to time they looked up at Su Ci, who had a charming figure and brisk steps.
…
"May the Empress Dowager live in peace and happiness!"
"No need to be polite."
The Queen Mother, dressed in a luxurious dark purple palace robe, sat in the main seat. She waited until all the concubines were seated before looking at Su Ci with a smile.
"Su Zhaorong is new to the harem. Are you used to living here?"
Su Ci stood up and replied with an innocent smile: "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your consideration. I slept soundly because you loved me so much."
These words sounded very intimate, but they were a bit too much in this situation.
But it played into the Empress Dowager's hands.
"Haha, that's good."
The Queen Mother smiled and glanced at the Queen, then raised her hand slightly. "It's been a while since we've had a newcomer in the harem. After all, you're a Zhaorong, at your prime, so you shouldn't dress too simply. I'll reward you with a set of jewelry. Dress up nicely before going to Jingming Palace to express your gratitude."
Nanny Xue walked up to Su Ci carrying a mahogany box, which contained a complete set of luxurious jewelry with pomegranate and grape themes.
Everyone understands the meaning of pomegranates and grapes.
The concubines all looked surprised and envious, with different expressions.
Su Ci took the wooden box and handed it to Guyu, then knelt down.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your kindness."
After paying their respects, the Queen looked unhappy and left quickly with Wei Zhaorong. However, Su Ci was surrounded by several concubines of lower rank.
"Sister Su Zhaorong is well. My sister is Qian Xiuyi from Jianshui Pavilion."
"Hello, Sister Su. I'm Liang Wanrong from Yu Cui Xuan."
"Sister Su is well, I am Lady Chen from Ningxiang Pavilion..."
The girls who entered the palace were all between fifteen and seventeen years old. His Majesty had been on the throne for several years, and the youngest concubine in the palace was already nineteen years old. She called Su Ci, who was only sixteen years old, "sister" in a very affectionate and natural way.
Su Ci smiled and accepted everything.
"Sisters, please don't bother me. I just entered the palace and I will need your care and attention in the future."
"That's not true. Sister Su is of noble status and is loved by the Empress Dowager. We can't even compare to her."
"Yes, Sister Su, I'm new to the palace and I'm not familiar with it. How about I take you around to get familiar with it?"
"Sister Su, my sister's Yu Cui Xuan has just opened a batch of pink chrysanthemums. Would you like to go over and see them?"
"Thank you all for the invitation, sisters."
Su Ci smiled apologetically: "But I still have to go back and prepare to thank you. Qian Xiuyi, Liang Wanrong, and Chen Meiren, I remember them all."
The three of them looked delighted.
"Then we won't bother Sister Su. If she gets bored in the future, she can always call us over to talk and cheer her up."
After a long round of sisterly courtesy, Su Ci led Guyu Fulu back.
Guyu approached his master with a thoughtful look on his face. "Master, these three have never served in the emperor's bed. It seems they just want you to say something nice to His Majesty..."
"That's quite normal."
Su Ci admired the flowers and trees along the way, and comfortably felt the rising sun. "As a palace concubine, it is my duty to compete for favor. What I said to Wei Zhaorong was to remind them that I am not as protective of food as the Queen and the two Zhaoyi."
Guyu thought for a moment and asked, "Master, are you trying to recruit helpers?"
"They can't be considered helpers, but we still need someone to stand on our side. We haven't established a firm footing yet, and if we run into any problems, we'll always need someone to speak up for us. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, not just someone's husband. Our Queen will never understand this."
"...Master, you are so intelligent that I cannot even begin to compare with you."
Guyu breathed a sigh of relief: "Then, Master, where should we go now? Should we go to another palace to make friends with the concubines?"
"Now, your master, I just want to take a nap. Otherwise, it would be a great loss to see His Majesty with two dark circles under my eyes."
Su Ci covered her mouth and yawned elegantly: "Ah, there is one more thing, Fulu, come here."
Fulu, holding two boxes, stepped forward quickly: "Master, what are your orders?"
"Go and help me do something. If you do it well, you will be my chief eunuch in the future."
…
Su Ci didn't even eat a few bites of breakfast, and fell directly into bed and slept for more than an hour before lazily getting up to wash up.
"It's only half an hour until noon. Master, please eat something to fill your stomach. Yanyu has made some milk cakes."
"Um."
Su Ci took a sip of tea and put it down, then picked up a piece of milk cake and took a bite.
"Not bad, Yanyu's cooking skills are becoming more and more like my mother's."
Yanyu chuckled, "My aunt has been teaching this servant for a long time, fearing that the master would crave this after entering the palace."
Su Ci chewed the sweet soft cake carefully: "Only the second day after entering the palace, I missed my mother. I don't know when I can see her again."
"Master, don't worry. Auntie is now a noble concubine, and with your support, her life will definitely be better than before."
Guyu changed the subject, saying, "Master, I'm going to wear the pomegranate jewelry given by the Empress Dowager. What kind of clothing should I wear with it? How about that rouge-colored light gauze satin dress?"
Yanyu also chimed in, "Since you're going to see His Majesty, why not wear the gold-thread peacock skirt you were given yesterday? The one with peach blossom embroidery beads is nice too."
"Neither."
Su Ci put down her chopsticks and gathered her wide sleeves. "Jingming Palace is next to the Imperial Study. It's where His Majesty reads and eats. He asked me to go there at noon, so it must be to serve him lunch. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to stand there in all my colorful attire. I'll choose that narrow-sleeved moon-white cloud-patterned silk dress, and a pomegranate-red belt to match the jewelry."
"Master is really thoughtful. I will find it out right away."
"besides."
Su Ci smiled slyly: "Don't wear the moon-white tube top inside, change it into the rouge low-cut gauze dress."
When dining, it is better to have something that looks delicious.
…
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