Chapter 75: Hehuan Palace II
After the vermilion gate was pushed open, the white crane perched in the courtyard took off.
Kang Luhai pushed the door open and walked in, while introducing Shen Fu and the others behind him.
"This place was originally an abandoned palace, and no one lived there for years. His Majesty specifically ordered us to find a good place, and we immediately thought of this place."
Kang Luhai said as he turned his head and looked at Chen Fu with respect in his eyes: “Don’t look at the remote location, but the scenery is excellent.”
Just looking at it from outside the courtyard, the layout of this palace is exquisite, and it is even more eye-catching once you push open the door.
The palace is backed by a bamboo forest and is shrouded in a hazy mist in the early morning. As soon as you arrive, you can feel a light drizzle.
The soaring white crane stood on one leg on the green tiles, and the eaves bells hanging under the eaves made a gentle ringing sound.
As you look, the lotus flowers are swaying gently on the calm lake surface, the lake surface is like a mirror, and a few small fish are swimming in the water.
Rockeries, flowing water, pavilions, towers, and slightly swaying willow tree shadows falling on the moon gate. From beginning to end, the layout of the house is like a small courtyard in the south of the Yangtze River.
Shen Fu looked at them one by one.
Kyoto has a dry climate, which is different from the gentle climate of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River. No matter how well this courtyard is decorated, it is still far behind the real Jiangnan water town.
"Miss Ronghua." Kang Luhai may have noticed that something was wrong with Shen Fu, so he turned around and looked at her while standing still.
"Don't you like this?" His Majesty gave an order, and the entire Ministry of Internal Affairs was busy, working day and night for several days before it was done.
If this newly favored Shen Ronghua doesn't like it, wouldn't they have worked in vain?
Kang Luhai's expression suddenly became frightened, and his clear face showed a rare look of worry.
Sensing Kang Luhai's gaze, Shen Fu raised her head. This courtyard looks like it was modeled after a Jiangnan town, but in fact it is only a superficial imitation.
After all, anyone who has truly seen the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River will never be confused by such scenery.
It’s just… Chen Fu glanced at Kang Luhai, and naturally spoke with a bit of joy: “Of course I like it.”
"It's just that the scenery was so beautiful that I was stunned for a moment."
Shen Fu's voice was filled with joy, and the expression on her face was just right.
Kang Luhai breathed a sigh of relief.
"As long as my lady likes it." His Majesty suddenly conferred the title of Ronghua on this ancestor, which was unprecedented before.
Although we don't know the background of this Shen Ronghua, there are only a few people in the entire harem who can make His Majesty do this.
As the deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, Kang Luhai does have some foresight.
Seeing Chen Fu nod, the big stone in my heart finally fell back into my stomach.
"Then my young master, please take a look and see if there is anything else that needs to be adjusted?" After the work was done, Kang Luhai felt relieved.
He raised his hand and gently wiped his forehead.
Shen Fu shook her head: "This place is good enough."
It's only been a few days since she got the position, but the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have arranged it so well. You can tell at a glance that they put a lot of thought into it.
Shen Fu glanced at Zi Su from the corner of her eye. Seeing this, Zi Su immediately handed over the purse she had prepared: "Thank you, Eunuch Kang."
"I will thank you for your care in the future." Chen Fu is now a fourth-rank official, and her position is not small.
In this deep palace, apart from the women in the harem, the people you must not offend the most are the servants.
Kang Luhai is from the Imperial Household Department, so he must not be offended.
Kang Luhai took the purse, stretched out his hand and gently took a sip, knowing that there were banknotes inside: "This... I dare not accept it."
This Shen Ronghua is worthy of being a member of the Gu family, he is generous when he makes a move.
Kang Luhai knelt on the ground with his purse in his hands, muttering to himself.
Outsiders do not know the identity of this Miss Shen Fu, but he knows it in his heart.
Behind this person stood the Shen and Gu families.
Leaving aside the Shen family, even he knew about the Gu family's immense wealth. Kang Luhai looked at the beautiful face of Shen Fu, who was both beautiful and well-born.
Even if there was no reward, he would be happy to make this trip.
"No need to be so polite, sir." Chen Fu stepped forward and personally helped Kang Luhai up.
"Thank you for your hard work along the way." Chen Fu said, "Besides, I will trouble you a lot in the future."
Shen Fu hinted at something, and Kang Luhai finally felt relieved and put the purse back into his arms after hearing it.
"Then I will take my leave first."
Kang Luhai bowed his head, then left.
Chen Fu looked up and took a deep look at the name of the palace before following in this time.
As soon as I entered the room, a voice came from inside: "Servants greet Miss Ronghua."
A dozen servants knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Miss Ronghua, I am happy."
After these servants knew that the lady they were going to serve was Rong Hua, they thought that some lady had made it through.
But I didn't expect that it was the young lady who had just entered the palace.
After hearing the news, the servants were excited for a long time. His Majesty had never treated a woman like this before.
The servants knelt on the ground, looking towards Chen Fu from time to time. I want to see with my own eyes what this young lady looks like.
Chen Fu looked at the huge group of people kneeling on the ground, and knew in her heart that these were the servants chosen for her by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Everyone, stand up." Chen Fu said gently, "Don't kneel down."
Her voice was soft and pleasant to begin with, and after lowering it deliberately it seemed even more gentle.
The palace maids and eunuchs stood up obediently, but they had not yet seen the suitable appearance of this young lady Ronghua. Just by hearing this voice, you can tell that she is a rare beauty.
"The servants thank you very much, my lord."
After the palace maids and eunuchs stood up, they secretly opened their eyes and looked towards Chen Fu.
Until they saw Chen Fu's expression, they all froze in place as if their blood was touched.
Chen Fu's face would be stunning even in the harem. When the Emperor first saw her, he was stunned for a long time, let alone these servants who had never seen the world.
There were constant sounds of breathing around, and Shen Fu frowned slightly: "I'm a little tired, let's all go down."
She had just been promoted to a concubine. As for these servants, she didn't know who could be used and who could not be used, and whether there were other masters behind them.
I don’t understand any of this for now.
"I'm a little tired and want to go inside to rest." Chen Fu said, "Leave Zi Su alone to serve me, everyone else go down."
Zi Su was very tactful and gave rewards to everyone one by one. The servants took the reward money and went out happily.
After everyone in the house left, Shen Fu walked into the house.
As soon as I opened the door, a cool breeze blew towards me.
There was an ice container in the middle of the coral fleece carpet.
The weather in July is hot and humid, but a slight cool breeze blows on your face, which makes you feel comfortable all over.
After Zi Su entered the room, she couldn't help making clicking sounds with her mouth. She walked in and out of the house three or four times, and then said with surprise: "My lady, the layout here is much better than that in Changqiu Palace."
She has been with Shen Fu for many years, so she naturally knows what is good and what is bad.
Zi Su looked excited, but only Shen Fu looked slightly bitter. Her legs were weak from the moment she entered the room.
Looking around the house one by one, the first thing that caught my eye was a rosewood chair carved with a pattern of blue phoenix and peony, and next to it was a piano table made of Haiqing stone.
When Shen Fu first entered the room, she only felt somewhat familiar, but when she looked carefully, she realized that it was not just familiar.
Inside the house, the coral green velvet carpet was woven with gold brocade, and the Boshan stove placed in the center emitted wisps of fragrant mist.
Chen Fu struggled to move her gaze away from the copper incense burner. If everything she just saw seemed familiar, she could clearly smell the fragrance from the incense burner...
Shen Fu's face turned slightly pale, and her legs, which had just been standing firmly, felt weak.
Here…here…
Several thoughts flashed through Shen Fu's mind without even looking at Zi Su. He clenched his fists, mustered his courage and rushed into the house.
As soon as she entered the room, Shen Fu felt darkness in front of her eyes.
Even though she had thousands of thoughts in her mind, when she looked at the huge black jade bed, Shen Fu still saw darkness in front of her eyes.
The black jade bed was extremely large and the mattress was extremely hard. What made Chen Fu collapse the most was that the quilt on the bed was Qiu Yu Haitang's golden silk quilt.
Here, Shen Fu's knees shook and she almost fell to the ground.
"Young Master." Zi Su saw the young master kneeling on the ground without paying attention. She was so scared that she hurried forward to help her:
"My Lord, what happened to you?"
Chen Fu held Zi Su's hand, her mind filled with the three characters written in a flamboyant style on the door plaque when she first entered the room - Hehuan Hall.
She recognized the handwriting and could tell at a glance that it was clearly written by the Emperor himself.
Chen Fu's head was slightly dizzy. After chewing on the name of the palace carefully, she felt her cheeks flushed.
His Majesty clearly did it on purpose!
How could this be a proper palace? Hehuan Hall... and... and the layout of this room.
Everything before her eyes was exactly the same as the arrangement that day when she first served His Majesty.
At the Hua Ye Banquet in Qiongzhou, she served the Emperor for the first time after getting drunk.
The layout and furnishings in the room, even the bed, are exactly the same.
What is His Majesty's purpose in doing this?
Chen Fu felt dizzy when she thought of the word "Hehuan" at the entrance of the palace. I couldn't help but hold Zi Su's hand and said tremblingly: "Go to the imperial kitchen and make me a bowl of ginseng soup."
"Ah?" Zi Su didn't expect that they would suddenly talk about ginseng soup: "My lady, do you want to drink it?"
"Why are you drinking this in the hot summer?" Doesn't the young lady hate soup, water, ginseng and other things the most?
Shisu looked at her with curiosity.
Shen Fu turned her head away from Zi Su's innocent face. He looked out the window with a worried look on his face.
If nothing unexpected happens, she will probably have to make up for it tonight.
***************
Chen Fu moved to the Hehuan Palace, and the news that there was a new Rong Hua in the palace could not be concealed.
Within an afternoon's time, the entire harem knew that there was a new Shen Ronghua in the palace.
However, no one knows what Rong Hua was like, which family she came from, and how she got to know His Majesty and became Rong Hua.
Even though they have the same surname, Shen, no one has linked this person to Shen Ronghua from Changqiu Palace.
Many people came to the door of Hehuan Palace, and they all seemed to want to see the newly promoted Miss Ronghua clearly through the crack in the door.
Shen Fu knew that the people in the harem were probably talking about her.
She was not shocked at all. Since the day she started serving the Emperor, she knew that this day would come sooner or later.
Sooner or later, everyone in the harem will know her identity, and she has been prepared for this.
Even if we don't meet now, we will still meet when the time comes to pay our respects to the imperial concubine.
Shen Fu was not worried at all. The only thing she had to do now was...
Chen Fu looked out the window worriedly. It was dusk and there was a sunset glow outside the window.
As the sun is about to set, His Majesty is about to flip the card.
At this time, there was a sound of footsteps at the door, and Zi Su walked in holding a tray. Seeing Shen Fu's gaze, Zi Su said, "My lady, stop looking."
"Tonight, His Majesty flipped Concubine Song's card."
"Princess Song?" Chen Fu raised her eyebrows slightly: "Who is this?"
After she entered the palace, it seemed that she had never heard of this Concubine Song.
"I heard that she is new in the palace. She is the most outstanding girl among the beauties this year." Zi Su found out a lot about the matter during her trip.
While putting down the tray in her hand, she said, "I heard that His Majesty likes her very much and has been doting on her for two or three days in a row. She was promoted to concubine two days ago, and her name card was turned over again tonight."
"Princess Song?" Chen Fu's expression did not change after hearing this.
She thought that the most outstanding beauty among this year's contestants would be Zhou Shuyun, who had lived in the same room with her before.
I didn't expect that another Concubine Song would appear.
Shen Fu thought about it carefully and seemed to have never heard of this person in her previous life.
"Young Master." Seeing that the young master didn't say anything, Zi Su thought that the young master was sad after hearing this.
Zi Su looked at Chen Fu's face and said comfortingly, "The young lady just moved to the palace today, so it is normal that the emperor does not come on the first day."
"Besides, it's normal for His Majesty to go to someone else's place after the selection of concubines. My lady, you are so beautiful, His Majesty will come sooner or later."
When Chen Fu heard Zi Su say this, she looked up and saw Zi Su's worried face again, and she smiled bitterly.
Shisu was actually comforting herself.
Shen Fu rubbed her brows and almost laughed.
What is this, a lifelong couple? What is this, there are three thousand beauties in the harem but I only love you.
Shen Fu had never thought about these things before.
Even if Chen Fu had a hundred guts, she would not dare to imagine that His Majesty would ignore so many beauties in the harem and only favor her.
It feels like a dream when you hear this. Besides, where is this place? This is the harem, a place where you have to walk on thin ice and one wrong step could cost you your life.
It's not a play script written by those poor scholars.
If His Majesty dares to do that, Shen Fu will probably die within three months.
But there is no need to tell this to Zi Su.
"Okay, I'm fine." Chen Fu put down her hand and looked at the darkening moonlight outside the window, feeling relieved.
I hope she is overthinking it: "If that's the case, then go to bed early."
Today, this young lady was promoted to Ronghua for the first time. Everyone in the harem looked at the Hehuan Palace and saw His Majesty flipping over someone else's name card.
Only then did he look away.
The lights in the Hehuan Hall were turned off early.
The servants were not disappointed. After all, it was only their mistress's first day, so it was normal if the Emperor did not come.
Chen Fu hadn't slept well in Changqiu Palace for several days. She asked Zi Su to turn off the lights, and after washing up, she lay on the bed and fell into a sound sleep.
In a daze, he didn't notice a secret door beside the bed being pushed open.
Then a tall figure walked out from the secret door and strode to the bed.
The slender palm fell on Shen Fu's chin, and the fingertips gently pinched it, sneering: "You don't even wait for me?"
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