Chapter 31: Always Provoking Jealousy
Shen Meizhuang was still thinking, "The emperor is a little mentally disturbed," but when he heard "something unusual must be wrong," he quickly put down the pen in his hand and replied:
"It is my misfortune that I am not favored by the Emperor."
[You're playing this kind of trick on me? ]
"I heard that the last time Concubine Sun was in the emperor's bedchamber, the emperor wanted to pick your name, but you refused?"
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood me. I am of low rank. When the Emperor turned over my name card, I was overjoyed. How could I refuse? It was just that I happened to have my period that day, so it was inconvenient for me to serve the Emperor. That's why the Emperor was not interested."
"Every time I think of this, I feel so regretful."
It has been more than a month since she entered the palace, but Shen Meizhuang still cannot understand why she had an affair whenever she thinks of it.
She still didn't believe that she would get pregnant with another man.
After thinking about it, it must be that the emperor pampered me to the top of the world, and then kicked me into the abyss, which hurt me so much that I took advantage of the opportunity and did such a stupid thing.
Otherwise, there is no other stimulation that can make me choose another man.
Adultery is too dangerous.
In this case, why not refuse this favor from the beginning?
Everyone in the palace knows that Concubine Hua cares about the Emperor the most. Since she has chosen to rely on Concubine Hua, why should she compete with her for favor?
Nian Shilan glanced at her and said: [She is quite smart.]
Shen Meizhuang knew that she had done the right thing.
【But he is just being clever. 】
Shen Meizhuang: "..."
Nian Shilan remembered that in her previous life, when Shen Meizhuang was favored, he only did it twice, and she could have been favored three times. But now it was the other way around.
Sun Miaoqing got it four times, and I only got it twice.
She was not concerned about whether it was one more or one less time, but the emperor always regarded the former dynasty and the harem as one, and when he favored his concubines, he would also take their family background into consideration.
Could it be that, after being reborn and borrowing the good fortune of the Nian family, my brother fell out of favor early?
Seeing that her master looked unhappy, Songzhi naturally wanted to speak for her master. She handed him a cup of tea and said soothingly:
"People of humble origins are capable of any despicable means. Who knows, some of them may have used some means to seduce the emperor behind the scenes. They are just looking for something new. Your Majesty, don't take it to heart."
Shen Meizhuang just felt that Song Zhi's words were unpleasant. No matter how humble the status of a woman sent into the palace was, how humble could she be?
How could he use despicable means to seduce?
[Despicable means? It's not like someone in the palace hasn't used such means before.]
Shen Meizhuang:!!!
[An Lingrong did use some inferior means to keep the emperor, but Sun Miaoqing had just entered the palace, so she probably wouldn't dare to use those things, right?]
Lingrong?
Using inferior means to compete for favor?
Shen Meizhuang could never imagine that her weak, timid and cowardly sister Lingrong would become like that.
In order to win favor, she later used... love perfume?
[And does Sun Miaoqing know how to use spices...? ]
[There was no such person in the palace in my previous life. The unknowns are really a headache. It's a pity that my brother is not in the capital, otherwise I could ask him to help me check. ]
【But these are all good things, which shows that the future is not unchangeable.】
Nian Shilan doesn't care about her own life or death, believing that the future can be changed, and says that her family and brother will be saved next year.
[Shen Meizhuang is an example. This morning in her previous life, she bumped into a father-in-law and got her clothes wet. She was fined two months' salary, but that didn't happen today.]
There is such a thing!
If you hit a father-in-law, you have to pay two months' salary!
Which palace is this eunuch from? He has such a noble status!
The New Year is almost here, and after being punished for two months, he won't be able to give out gifts to his servants during the New Year. Shen Meizhuang tightened his grip on the pen, and once again felt thankful that he had made the right choice.
Zhou Ninghai came in and said that it was someone from Yu who came to deliver the order.
The emperor ordered Xu Sun Miaoqing and Shen Meizhuang to learn together and assist in managing the affairs of the six palaces.
In addition, she was given a title.
She is the only one among the newcomers in the harem.
When the news reached the six palaces, it was like a drop of water falling into the boiling oil in the harem, and it exploded in an instant.
In Jingren Palace, the ladies who had woken up early to pay their respects were talking without restraint.
The Queen arrived a little late. Seeing that Nian Shilan had already sat down, she felt a little happy. "What are you talking about?"
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen."
The concubines left their seats to pay their respects to the empress, and then sat down. Concubine Qi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I was just told that Concubine Sun from Yanxi Palace is here."
Xin Guiren said quickly, "Madam Concubine Qi is wrong. The woman is already Concubine Gong."
Lipin continued, "That's right. After she was favored, he immediately gave her a higher title. The emperor really dotes on her to the core."
Nian Shilan felt that this kind of discussion would only lower her own status, and she sneered.
[Stupid, what kind of "favor" is this? ]
[Intelligent and observant is called respectful, which means that Sun Miaoqing was able to see the emperor's intentions and dared to go against the Nian family.]
[To put it bluntly, just like Feng Ruozhao and Shen Meizhuang, he is just another tool used to divide favors and balance power, to deal with the Nian family.]
Although Nian Shilan was still unsure of the reason why the emperor preferred Sun Miaoqinglu as the top pick, she was certain that given the emperor's character, he would always put the country first and then his concubines.
When Jingpin heard her own name, she lowered her eyes slightly: Divide favors and check and balance?
In this way, the emperor had actually seen all the torture he had suffered at the hands of Nian Shilan for so many years, but he just didn't care about his situation.
Now that his tool is useless, he immediately goes to look for a new tool.
In fact, she herself knows that she is a tool, but she feels uncomfortable when she confirms it from others. Alas, the women in the harem are all the same in nature.
Feng Ruozhao pretended to cover his lips with a handkerchief to hide his already unclear emotions.
When the queen heard what Nian Shilan said, a smile appeared on her face.
The word "Gong" is a title, which can't be considered bad.
Being intelligent and able to observe subtle details is called respectful, being respectful to one's relatives is called respectful, and being humble and obedient to superiors is called respectful.
The emperor was praising Sun Miaoqing for her ability to understand his intentions, to prevent her brother from making mistakes, to be knowledgeable about classics, and to be loyal and obedient to the emperor.
Concubine Hua is right, this is not a favor, at best it is just a reward.
Or to put it bluntly, it is a naked exploitation.
The Queen said leniently, "It is not permitted in the ancestral system to confer a title upon a woman after having slept with her. The Emperor, out of respect for the rules, only gave her a title."
"Just a title?"
Lipin immediately retorted, "She has only been in the palace for a few days, and she has been given a title and is learning to assist in the affairs of the six palaces. At this rate, won't the entire harem have the surname Sun in a few days?"
As a concubine, Concubine Qi also had the responsibility to teach the concubines. She immediately spoke out to stop them, "Concubine Li, be careful with your words. The Empress is still here. How can she be the one making the decisions in the harem?"
Lipin was a little unconvinced and was about to refute, but when she saw Sun Miaoqing coming late, she immediately turned her spearhead towards her.
"Well, Concubine Gong is now in a different position, so she comes to pay her respects earlier than others."