Chapter 144 Concubine
Before leaving, Concubine Shu was still reluctant to leave and kept lingering around the place, watching intently.
The maid beside her stood by her side, leaning forward to console her: "My Lady, let's go."
His Majesty is already so angry, there is no point in waiting here any longer.
It would be better to go back first so that we can plan for anything later.
The palace maids tried their best, and the corners of Concubine Shu's eyes turned red. But even though she had been looking for such a long time, the Emperor refused to even glance at her.
She knew that if she stayed any longer she would only bring humiliation upon herself.
Suppressing the uneasiness in her heart, Concubine Shu gritted her teeth, raised her chin and said fiercely: "Let's go."
"Return to the palace."
Concubine Shu left in the sedan chair without looking back. Compared to their previous high spirits, now the palace maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads and looked dusty and dirty.
After all, they have followed Concubine Shu for many years and have always been in a high position in the harem.
Not only was Concubine Shu arrogant, but even the servants felt that they were superior. But now that Concubine Shu was scolded by His Majesty in person, even they, the servants, felt humiliated.
Concubine Rong stood where she was, watching Concubine Shu's sedan chair disappear before her eyes.
The status of Concubine Shu in the harem was so high that sometimes even she had to avoid her.
Over the years, His Majesty has indulged and doted on Concubine Shu, and sometimes even she, the Imperial Concubine, had to give way to him.
Today was quite interesting, as I was able to see Concubine Shu’s miserable face.
Concubine Rong sneered, and when she turned her head, she looked at Chen Fu with a smile on her face:
"Congratulations, sister."
Her eyes fell on the hand that the Emperor was holding Shen Fu, and she looked away after a moment.
"Sister, you have already been promoted to the position of Concubine at such a young age. Your Majesty's favor towards you is truly enviable."
Concubine Rong was full of tenderness when she said this, as if she was truly happy for her.
But Shen Fu couldn't help but think of the little eunuch who came to call her.
If that little eunuch hadn't come forward today and said that it was the Imperial Concubine who asked her to go over, she would have been afraid that she wouldn't have run into the Concubine Shu.
All this seems like a coincidence, but the more coincidental it is, the more it is not a coincidence.
Shen Fu knew in her heart that this was obviously a trap set by someone. He took advantage of coincidence to bring her into conflict with Concubine Shu, and then reap the benefits.
As for whether it is the person in front of me...
Chen Fu looked at the smiling face of Concubine Rong in front of her and knew it clearly in her heart.
Is it Concubine Rong? Or is it that he doubts her? None of this matters to Concubine Rong.
After all, with her status and position, and even her weight in the Emperor's heart, they are not something she can compare to at this moment.
After Shen Fu figured it out, she didn't reveal a single bit of it on her face. She just lowered her head, tilted her face, lowered her eyes and pretended to be shy: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Concubine Rong was smiling. She glanced at His Majesty and raised her lips, "I have something else to do, so I won't bother His Majesty anymore."
She bowed her head and saluted, saying, "I'll take my leave."
After saying this, Concubine Rong left without any regrets. Only after her figure disappeared from his sight did Xiao Yu look at Chen Fu again.
"Shall I take you back?"
His Majesty's tone was tentative, and even his attitude seemed a little humble.
Chen Fu looked at the hand extended by His Majesty, and stepped back, shaking her head: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I can go back by myself."
Xiao Yu looked at his empty palms and Chen Fu's deliberate avoidance of him, and couldn't help but sigh deeply: "Are you still blaming me?"
"I dare not." Shen Fu said in a dull voice without raising her head.
"Are you afraid to blame? Or do you not want to blame?" The emperor's voice was deep, his eyes fell on Shen Fu's face, and his dark eyes were as heavy as a pool of stagnant water.
Shen Fu raised her head and faced His Majesty's eyes. The moment she raised her eyes, she was so frightened by the inky blackness in His Majesty's eyes that she took two steps back.
She calmed down. His Majesty came at the right time today. Even if Shen Fu was very angry, she should not blame him at this time.
What's more, His Majesty had just promoted her.
If you want to live a good life in this harem, status and position are naturally the most important. Since Chen Fu is a concubine in the harem, all the glory and prosperity in the future still depends on the Emperor.
So at this moment, she can refuse His Majesty, but her methods cannot be too abrupt and obvious.
The most important thing is to find the right balance. Don't refuse too much, but don't be too reserved either.
This matter can actually be summed up in four words: wanting to welcome but also to reject.
"My concubine..." Chen Fu raised her head and glanced at His Majesty with a charming look.
Her trembling eyes trembled slightly, as if filled with endless grievances: "I dare not, nor do I want to blame Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, you saved me from the dire straits today. I am grateful to you."
Shen Fu's voice was soft, and seemed particularly gentle in the empty surroundings. "It's just that the Emperor has just promoted me to a concubine, and now everyone in the harem is watching."
"It is a good thing that Your Majesty sends me back, but sometimes I should be more sensible and not trouble Your Majesty for everything."
After Shen Fu finished speaking, she bent down on her knees. He took Zi Su and left without looking back.
But just as she left, she heard another angry shout from behind: "Stop!"
After Xiao Yu said this, he couldn't help but reach out and rub his eyebrows.
Since I took up the throne of meditation, I have never felt so irritable and restless. But Shen Fu, a little girl, could easily manipulate his emotions.
"Are you deliberately trying to alienate me?"
His Majesty frowned and strode to the side of Chen Fu. He leaned over and stood opposite Shen Fu, looking down at her back and forth.
Those sharp eyes and brows seemed to be able to see into Shen Fu's heart.
When Shen Fu met His Majesty's gaze, her eyes trembled and she even stepped back.
"Why would Your Majesty say that? How could I be estranged from Your Majesty?"
His Majesty's eyes were too fierce. The moment Shen Fu met his gaze, she felt as if she couldn't breathe.
"If that's the case, then what did you do just now?" Xiao Yu sneered, obviously not believing what she said.
"You neither stay with me nor get close to me. Even when I want to hold your hand, you want to retreat three feet away."
He seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, and walked forward and grabbed Chen Fu's wrist fiercely: "Chen Fu, I won't allow you to dodge one more step."
Shen Fu was held in the arms of His Majesty, and could only feel the rapid breathing above her head, along with the deafening heartbeat.
She placed her hands on His Majesty's chest, clasping her fingers tightly together. Her slender fingertips were as white as jade, with a faint pink on them.
Xiao Yu lowered his head, pulled up Chen Fu's fingertips and kissed her: "Chen Fu, don't leave me, and don't ignore me."
Shen Fu didn't even let him look at her these past few days, and he was furious. But after hearing what Chen Fu said that night, all that was left in my heart was a wave of heartache.
"My concubine..." Chen Fu's voice trembled. She struggled slightly for a few times, then pretended to be well-behaved and allowed His Majesty to hold her.
Chen Fu sighed and murmured, "I am your Majesty's person in my whole life, and I will never ignore you in my whole life."
Chen Fu sat on the Emperor's imperial sedan chair and walked towards the Yong'an Palace in a grand manner.
The news of her promotion to the rank of Concubine spread like wildfire, and everyone in Yuquan Mountain knew about it.
Shen Qingru stood in front of the palace gate of Concubine Rong for a long time with her big belly, but Concubine Rong didn't come for a long time.
It was such a hot day, and she stood there for half an hour, until finally she heard a word from the nanny beside Concubine Rong.
"The Imperial Concubine has gone to deal with other matters and has no time to visit you for the time being. You should go back first, Young Master Ronghua."
Shen Qingru was delicate and frail, and she was already shaky after standing for so long.
After hearing this, he couldn't help but raise his eyes: "Didn't the queen say that she had something to discuss with me during the visit, and that's why she asked me to come here?"
She put her hand on her lower abdomen and couldn't help biting her lip when she said this.
Once you enter the palace, it is like entering a deep sea. Once the women in the harem enter the palace, it is extremely difficult to see their relatives at home.
The same is true for Shen Qingru and others. She has never had the chance to see her family members in all these years since entering the palace.
Now, the Yuquan Mountain incident is a great opportunity for her to meet with her family.
When the imperial concubine called her, she started waiting early. But now, after waiting for such a long time, the imperial concubine refused to even look at her?
Shen Qingru's hand fell on her lower abdomen, she bit her lip, and pleaded to the nanny: "Mammy, you see, it's very difficult for me to walk out while pregnant."
Ever since she became pregnant, this thing in her belly seemed to be sucking away her energy and gnawing at her bones and blood.
She tossed and turned every day, and in just over a month she experienced almost all the sufferings in the world.
If it weren't for the fact that the imperial concubine wanted to see her family members, she would not have been able to hold on.
After standing for half an hour, Shen Qingru's legs were still trembling slightly under her skirt.
She glanced at the palace maid beside her, and the palace maid immediately stepped forward and said, "Madam, please be kind and help our young master."
The maid quickly stuffed the silver in her hand into the palm of the maid: "You see, our young lady is pregnant now, she really shouldn't work too hard."
The nanny looked down at the silver coins in her palm and pushed them back without changing her expression: "It's not that our queen doesn't want to see the young lady, but the queen is really busy now."
The chubby face was full of a loving smile: "The queen is with the emperor and has no time to see the young master. You should go back first."
When Shen Qingru heard this, she knew that the last glimmer of hope was gone.
Concubine Rong is with His Majesty right now, so how could she have the mind to see me?
She covered her slightly bulging belly and said with a cold face, "Sorry to bother you, Madam."
Since Concubine Rong went to see His Majesty, why didn't she tell me earlier?
She had been standing here for such a long time in vain, but no one told her.
Shen Qingru felt that her whole body was sore from standing, her body was shaky, and she didn't even have the strength to stand up straight.
“Chen Ronghua, you’re polite.” Nanny’s expression did not change at all, and she always stood on one side, bending over and kneeling.
Shen Qingru was still angry, and before leaving, she said coldly: "Madam, please call me Miss Shen next time. I don't like others calling me Shen Ronghua."
Ever since she became pregnant, there have been a lot more considerate people around her.
Knowing that she didn't like the name Shen Ronghua, very few people dared to call her that to her face.
"I have heard of this." Nanny nodded: "There are two young ladies of Ronghua in the palace, and they both have the same surname, Chen, so it is indeed not convenient to address them."
"It's good that you know." Shen Qingru said with a cold face.
The nanny smiled, but she was neither humble nor arrogant to Shen Qingru: "It's just that Master Shen doesn't have to worry about this matter in the future."
She looked at Shen Qingru with doubt, and said with a deep smile:
"Just now, His Majesty has promoted Shen Ronghua to Concubine, so you don't have to worry about it in the future."
Mammy's words were suggestive but not explicit.
Shen Qingru was left alone with a puzzled look on her face, and walked into the inner room without looking back.
As soon as the nanny entered the room, a voice came from inside: "Sent away?"
"She was sent away." The nanny stepped forward quickly and nodded to Concubine Rong: "She was surprised and happy before she left. I guess she was the one His Majesty promoted."
She deliberately didn't explain it clearly, just to make Shen Qingru think too much. Thinking of Shen Qingru's eyes before she left, the nanny couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"She is pregnant, so it's understandable that he would promote her." Concubine Rong lay on the beauty couch, letting the palace maid behind her massage her legs.
She had just performed a scene in front of the Emperor and her face was almost frozen from laughing. He reached out and rubbed his cheek:
"Just waiting for the decree to be issued. When she finds out that His Majesty promoted her sister instead of her, I really want to see what her expression will be."
Concubine Rong's tone was full of laughter. The maid stepped forward to send the maid who was massaging her legs away, and then stepped forward with an attentive look on her face: "Your Majesty, how long has Chen Fu been in the palace? In less than half a year, she has been promoted to a concubine. Isn't it too fast..."
His Majesty is extremely unconcerned about promotions in the harem, and he only remembers to promote and reward concubines during festivals.
Even the Concubine Shu, who was promoted the fastest after entering the palace, climbed up one step at a time, one year at a time.
From Jieyushi to the noble concubine of a palace, and finally to Shufei, it took four years to wait for these two levels of Shufei.
But Chen Fu...was a fourth-rank official when she first entered the palace, and now she has been promoted to the position of imperial concubine.
It is only two steps away from the position of noble concubine of the palace.
And now she is only sixteen years old, at the prime of her youth and beauty. If this continues for a long time, her future will be...
"If you continue to let this go, I'm afraid the next concubine will..."
The smile on Concubine Rong's face faded. She raised her head to look at the nanny's face, then lowered her eyes:
"Let's wait until she takes the throne of the first palace."
Concubine Rong put her hands on the armrests and supported herself to stand up: "Whether she has the ability to make it that far depends on her own luck."
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