Chapter 31 After Marriage
"Sixth Sister!"
Angel immediately grinned, got up, and ran towards the door.
Angrama slowly got up and patted her skirt.
It was a clear, watery color that she had specifically chosen.
She remembered that Dong Eshi wore an apricot-pink cheongsam that day.
I've heard that another famous woman, Lady Dong'e, was a gentle and tender woman.
Even though her looks weren't as striking as Jialuo's, she was far more favored by the Emperor.
She seems to really like simple yet refreshing colors.
Mother said that as long as lives are not at stake, sisters can openly and honestly compete for positions.
Her battlefield has only just begun.
………
Jialuo caught Angel, who was running towards her, and gently stroked her chubby little face before looking up and seeing that the other four concubines had all left.
"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
A few days ago at Cining Palace, all the concubines were dressed very formally, so it was probably impossible to tell the difference between them.
Today, however, one can clearly see the clothing preferences of several people.
Niohuru preferred more grand and imposing styles; her eyebrows were broad and her eyes were clear and bright.
Zhen'er, on the other hand, was very similar to Dong Eshi, dressed beautifully, with a gentle air about her between her brows.
Angela Ma wore a light blue cheongsam, her features gentle.
Jialuo lowered her eyes slightly, a hint of melancholy appearing in them.
It seems that my fifth sister is determined to have the Emperor.
She used to love "red" and "gold" the most when she was on the grassland, as if only in this way could she hide the worry and unease in her eyes.
Only Angel was dressed exactly the same as those on the grassland.
The light blue color made her face look exceptionally cute and lively.
To project an image of composure, Jialuo wore a blue satin cheongsam with a blue butterfly pattern.
The headdress was adorned with an exquisitely beautiful kingfisher feather and phoenix hairpin.
With a touch of makeup, her features were exquisitely beautiful.
This person is bright and exquisite, like an immortal.
The group was visibly taken aback, and when they stood up again, their demeanor became noticeably more reserved.
Jialuo was very satisfied with the results.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man, and she was in charge of managing the concubines, ensuring that no problems arose under her jurisdiction.
"Alright, we're all sisters, no need to be so reserved, just relax."
A eunuch brought over a small stool, and Jialuo sat down, her posture relaxed, but her overall demeanor carried a sense of oppression.
"From today onwards, I will have someone arrange the days for each of you concubines to serve me in bed. If anything is lacking in your palace, just tell the Imperial Household Department, and they will make the necessary arrangements for you."
Jialuo glanced at the concubines, as if she had thought of something, and said, "As the emperor's concubines, we are naturally different from other places. For you ladies to share the emperor's burdens, the first priority is to have children and offspring."
Which of the women who entered the palace were truly pampered girls raised in an ivory tower?
They remained composed, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your guidance."
"Well, that's good. I just came to see you all. I'll be leaving now. You must be busy today, so I won't keep you any longer."
Jialuo stood up and slightly raised her hand to decline the gifts from the concubines.
She took Emerald's hand and walked towards the palace gate.
She had just reached the door when she suddenly turned around.
The concubines abruptly withdrew their expressions, but Jialuo, as if she hadn't noticed, slowly said, "There's one more thing I forgot to mention. Once you ladies enter the palace, you are all the Emperor's concubines. So please be mindful of your status, and know whether you should or shouldn't do certain things, and whether certain disputes should or shouldn't occur."
"Although the imperial court and the harem are strictly separated, I would like to ask all of you to consider your families outside the palace when you do things."
Upon hearing this, the girls all froze.
Only Angelama slightly raised her head, her delicate eyes blinking at Garo.
Jialuo glanced at her, but made no comment. She simply relaxed her eyes slightly, nodded slightly, and turned to step out of the palace gate.
"Agate, you have no idea how majestic our master is!"
Jade vividly described to Agate the majestic appearance of Garuda and the reserved manner of the concubines.
Agate cupped her face in her hands, looking utterly amazed.
"Yeah yeah!"
"Hmph, the day Master went to Cining Palace to see those five young ladies, I noticed that each of them was arrogant and haughty. Tch."
"Right now, they've been taken down with just a little suppression from our master!"
At this moment, Jialuo held her milk tea with a smile on her lips, sighed and said, "I don't know why, but I always feel like I'm a child pretending to be an adult."
"But then I thought, these girls are actually younger than me."
Jade and Agate both turned their heads and said in unison, "That's not true, Your Highness. You've forgotten, besides Consort Ke, you are the youngest."
Jialuo was taken aback, and a look of realization appeared on her face.
Yes, isn't she even younger than those girls now?
"His Majesty has arrived."
Jialuo stood up and, with Emerald's help, went to the door to greet the Emperor.
Now she's slowly getting used to wearing platform shoes.
It's still early, and the weather is fine today—the sky is cloudless and the water is crystal clear.
As soon as Fu Lin entered the door, he saw Jia Luo.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment, then remained fixed on her.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Jialuo lowered her eyes slightly and bowed.
The boy took a few steps and stood in front of her, extending his hand towards Jialuo's eyes.
She was already extremely familiar with Fu Lin's hands.
She slowly reached out and placed her fingers in the boy's palm.
When Jialuo got up, she noticed that the boy's features were unusually clear and bright.
"Your Majesty has come to my humble abode so early today."
"But what's wrong?"
"Jialuo asked in a low voice."
Fu Lin didn't go inside, but he didn't let go of Jia Luo's hand either. Instead, he led her outside.
"Your Majesty, where are we headed?"
Jialuo moved her hand, which was being held by Fulin, and tried to pull it back.
"Didn't I say I would let you leave the palace?"
"!!!"
Jialuo's mood suddenly soared upwards, like she was on a roller coaster.
"Really? Right now? Where to?"
She asked happily.
Fulin seemed particularly happy about leaving the palace.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday that you could leave the palace? When I go somewhere, you will accompany me, and then you can go wherever you want?"
"We need to return to the palace before curfew."
Fu Lin concluded.
"Um!"
Jialu nodded, filled with joy.
Once they left the palace gates and got into the carriage with Fulin, the hands that had been clasped together naturally let go.
Jialuo breathed a soft sigh of relief; the hand that had been held still retained the warmth of Fulin's palm.
This made her extremely uncomfortable. She took out her embroidered handkerchief, pretending to hold it, but actually gently wiping the spot where their fingers had just touched.
"Your Majesty, where are we going now?"
The carriage began to move gently.
"Jialuo asked curiously."
Upon hearing this, Fu Lin turned his head slowly, a faint smile on his single-layered eyes, and said in a low voice, "It's just a palace."
Jialu nodded without asking any further questions.
She was thinking about the rice noodles she had eaten with her brother in a small alley last time.
I also want to try the spicy pig's trotters that are a specialty of a certain restaurant.
Hmm…
There are also pastries from several pastry shops.
Although the imperial chefs could make these things, they just didn't have that unique flavor.
She was lost in her own thoughts, completely oblivious to the fact that Fu Lin was subtly watching her from the side.
Until the carriage slowly came to a stop.
When Jialu got off the carriage, she realized that it was actually a rather large mansion.
Jialuo glanced at Fulin and noticed that his previously good mood had completely vanished.
At this moment, he transformed into an emperor whose expression was unreadable.
Jialuo couldn't understand why Fulin's emotions were changing so drastically.
Upon entering the mansion, she discovered it was filled with monks.
"?"
The monks remained calm, showing no surprise or tension upon seeing the emperor; they simply bowed respectfully.
When she arrived at a main hall, she saw a monk who looked to be about fifty years old kneeling on a prayer mat. In front of him was a low table with three cups of tea on it.
One lamp was in front of him, and the other two were opposite him.
Jialuo raised an eyebrow slightly and silently followed Fulin into the palace.
"This humble monk, Xing Sen, greets the Emperor and Empress."
"Holy monk, you may dispense with the formalities."
Fu Lin was easygoing, then lifted his robe and knelt on the prayer mat.
Jialuo also knelt down.
Na Xingsen also sat down and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, shall we continue the sutra that we didn't finish last time?"
Fu Lin nodded slightly.
Jialu looked at the two of them, completely baffled as to why they would bring her along so openly for such a historically private sermon.
After listening for a while, he couldn't make out anything strange, and Jialuo's legs started to feel sore and numb again.
She glanced at the two people who seemed extremely focused, then quietly changed her posture.
Unexpectedly, Fu Lin stopped and turned to look at Jia Luo.
Xingsen was also forced to stop, and he turned his head slightly to look at Jialuo.
Jialuo: "…………"
"Well... um, please continue. I think I've been disturbing you both a bit."
Jialuo stood up and said to Fulin, who was still looking at her, "Your Majesty, I will go out and wait for you."
At this moment, Xing Sen, who had remained silent until now, spoke first.
He looked up, his calm gaze fixed on Jialuo.
His eyes had a slight brown tint, but the depths of his eyes were like a calm, still lake.
"I've heard that the Empress comes from the vast and boundless Khorchin Grassland?"
Jialuo nodded, she withdrew her steps that were about to leave, and knelt back on the original prayer mat.
"What guidance does the holy monk have?"
Clearly, Ling Xingsen was somewhat surprised by Jialuo's question.
He shook his head and said, "This humble monk dares not offer any guidance."
"I just wanted to ask the Queen if you still miss the time you spent on the grasslands."
Jialu gazed at the monk before him. His face was serene, and he wore a worn-out monk's robe, gently moving his prayer beads in his hand.
"I would also like to ask Venerable Monk Xingsen if he still misses the time when he served as an official in the Ming Dynasty at the end of the Ming Dynasty?"
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Author's note: Do you prefer this layout? Or was the old layout better?
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