Chapter 195 The Concubines of Emperor Wusu
Ji Qingwu slept too soundly and woke up late, so she can only make up for the lack of food in her stomach now.
While enjoying the exquisite and delicious snacks, her gaze also fell upon the other concubines.
She felt something was off.
Because apart from Consort Wei, the others had only said a few words when they entered the hall and paid their respects to the Empress Dowager, and then remained silent, sitting quietly to the side.
Could it be that they dared not utter a word because they saw the Empress Dowager and Consort Wei speaking with veiled barbs?
There was another thing that surprised her the most.
Ji Qingwu once thought that the emperor's Phoenix Palace was filled with stunningly beautiful women like Consort Wei.
The harem of the former Liang King consisted of women of all shapes and sizes, each possessing their own unique beauty, while Emperor Wusu's concubines...
They can only be described as being tall, short, fat, and thin, each with their own unique characteristics.
Judging from their appearance, they are all honest, dignified, and know how to behave appropriately, although there are a few with delicate and pretty features.
Throughout history, the criteria for selecting imperial concubines have always been both inner talent and beautiful appearance.
Clearly, Emperor Wusu only valued the former.
Having collected so many "variable" items, he really isn't picky.
Moreover, these ladies-in-waiting were so proper in their manners that they didn't seem to be there to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager for tea; they were even more serious and attentive than the court officials attending the morning court session.
In contrast, Ji Qingwu, who was eating snacks and drinking tea, seemed somewhat carefree and unconventional.
She quickly finished the crab meat pastry in her hand. The pastry was so crisp that crumbs fell onto her dress, and she bent down to pick them up with her handkerchief.
The shouts of eunuchs came from the doorway.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The Empress Dowager was overjoyed, and the unpleasantness from her argument with Consort Wei vanished completely. She stood up from her throne.
The imperial concubines below also stood up, ready to respectfully welcome the emperor.
When Ji Qingwu stood up, the silk handkerchief embroidered with eight-treasure lotus flowers slipped down and was blown into the passageway by a gust of wind from the doorway.
But she could only bow along with the others.
Light footsteps sounded.
Ji Qingwu felt a flush of heat when he saw a pair of black court boots stop in front of him.
The Empress Dowager also noticed the handkerchief and frowned as she looked at Ji Qingwu.
Whether intentional or unintentional, dropping a woman's handkerchief in front of the emperor is an act of flattery and bewitching the ruler...
How could you do that in front of all the concubines?
If you're going to do it, you have to do it in private. How stupid!
Li Yuzong, who was standing behind the emperor, picked it up and returned it to Ji Qingwu.
He smiled respectfully and said, "Miss Ji, please accept this."
Ji Qingwu took it and thanked him in a low voice.
The Empress Dowager noticed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Emperor Wusu stood before Ji Qingwu and said, "Get up."
The crowd rose at the sound of the shouts, but the emperor had not yet moved.
He said jokingly, "Use more of these for breakfast from now on, so you won't be unable to even hold a handkerchief."
Ji Qingwu tightened her grip on the silk handkerchief, looked up at him, and found that he had already walked far away.
Seeing that Emperor Wusu did not seem displeased, the Empress Dowager said, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs. When I visited yesterday, I saw that Your Majesty was still busy discussing matters with the ministers. It is good that you are diligent in your duties, but you should also pay more attention to your health."
Under the guise of concern, I brought up the matter of her going to look for me yesterday.
Emperor Wusu said indifferently, "Empress Dowager should also take care of her health and take more walks in the Imperial Garden and by Taiye Lake."
The Empress Dowager's smile froze, a clear indication that she was being told to avoid the Hall of Diligent Governance.
She maintained a respectable smile on her face: "With Your Majesty's concern, I will surely recover. However, Your Majesty should also make more of an appearance in the inner palace."
Emperor Wusu raised his eyes and looked at the Empress Dowager with a half-smile.
"Just now, Consort Wei was complaining to me." The Empress Dowager seemed to have misspoke and corrected herself, "It wasn't a complaint, it was a slip of the tongue. Apart from the last time Consort Wei's brother returned, His Majesty has not visited her palace."
Consort Wei wanted to offer a few words of explanation, but the Empress Dowager had truly hit the nail on the head. She also wanted to know when His Majesty would be able to come to her palace again.
"Your Majesty, please don't tease me. Which of the sisters in the harem doesn't long for the Emperor to come and sit down?"
As he spoke, he looked at the crowd.
As a result, none of the concubines responded. Instead, they sat upright, their expressions even more serious than before, and dared not make any eye contact with the Emperor and Empress Dowager in front of the hall.
Ji Qingwu's eyes darted back and forth. The reactions of these concubines were very similar to the scene when Qiuqiu was in class in the Imperial Study and was called on by the Grand Tutor to answer a question.
Wei Liru seemed used to it and didn't feel embarrassed, continuing the conversation on her own.
"The wine I brewed recently is ready to be enjoyed. Your Majesty, when you have time, you may come and have a taste."
Emperor Wusu said, "I remember your elder brother loves to drink, so give him all of mine."
Wei Liru agreed dejectedly, and the emperor then spoke up: "Last night, I was discussing matters with your brother."
"It is a blessing for the Wei family that my brother can share the Emperor's burdens." Wei Liru said with pride.
Emperor Wusu's gaze fell on the rear of the hall: "But I heard that Wei Ting stayed in the palace for half an hour last night."
Ji Qingwu immediately straightened his head and body.
Even though she was sitting far away from the emperor, she inexplicably felt a cold glint behind her back.
Consort Wei's expression changed, and she explained, "Brother, he came to see me and told me about some family matters. Grandmother hasn't been feeling well lately."
Emperor Wusu's lips curled into a smile as he coldly said, "Tell your brother that the old lady at home is unwell, and he should stay by her side to take care of her. He shouldn't be running around."
Consort Wei lowered her head and agreed, but she was extremely surprised. Why did Wei Ting not abide by the palace curfew? Where did he go?
The emperor always liked to say only half of what he meant and leave the rest unsaid.
He may not be unaware of where his brother went; he was simply using this incident to put pressure on the Wei family.
Many people in the hall knew why Madam Wei was unwell.
It's simply because a few days ago, Wei Ting openly proposed to marry the fifth daughter of the Ji family in court.
Wei Ting was not present, but Ji Qingwu, another party involved, was.
No matter how upright these concubines sat, they couldn't suppress their gossipy hearts.
Ji Qingwu suddenly attracted a lot of prying eyes.
She looked back at them one by one with great confidence, her gaze firm, until they were too embarrassed to look at her anymore.
It was rare for Madam Qiao to see Xiao Wu so assertive. Madam Ji and Madam Wei, who were not on good terms with each other, nodded slightly when they saw Ji Qingwu being generous and frank.
Ji Qingwu scanned them one by one, and when he caught sight of a pair of upturned, cold black eyes, his imposing aura immediately dissipated.
She bent her neck, wondering if the emperor knew that Wei Ting had come last night.
Was the person who came in the middle of the night really him?
If Emperor Wusu had known that Wei Ting was looking for her, he would have grabbed her by the neck and shaken her awake, judging from his reaction.
As he was thinking, he noticed that the concubines had begun to get up.
She said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."
Consort Wei was the highest-ranking concubine in the palace. She walked ahead of everyone and gave Ji Qingwu a deep look when she passed by.
A voice came from the hall...
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