"Thank goodness the little princess is alright, it's truly a blessing from heaven." Consort De leaned closer to Yun Duoduo, her face full of concern.
"I heard that the little princess loves to eat honey, so I brought two pots of flowers from the palace for her."
With a smile, Consort De ordered someone to place two pots of blooming gardenias on the table in front of Yun Duoduo.
"It smells so good! It's the scent of gardenias!" Yun Duoduo blinked her big eyes.
The gardenias in Consort De's palace must be of the highest quality. If such fine gardenia fruit were used in medicine, it could cure restlessness and insomnia, toothache due to excessive internal heat, mouth ulcers, and hematuria...
However, Yun Duoduo frowned as she looked at Consort Chen and Consort De, who had suddenly appeared in the room.
What kind of strange aunties are these? They all crowded around her, smiling at her, and even trying to pinch her cheeks.
This little rascal is quite cute!
Thankfully, this little brat is a girl, otherwise there would be another contender for the crown prince position!
[Don't even mention a little princess; even the King of Heaven himself can't stand in my son's way!]
[This little child is quite ordinary, why does His Majesty like him so much?]
As she listened to Consort Chen and Consort De's innermost thoughts, her temples throbbed. Each of them wore a smiling facade, but each harbored their own selfish calculations.
These stepmothers really do have their own agendas.
Yun Duoduo pursed her lips; these strange aunties didn't seem easy to deal with.
She was puzzled. Her three elder brothers were all very good people, but Consort Chen and Consort De in this room didn't seem like kind people. How could they have raised her eldest and third elder brothers to be so kind-hearted?
"His Majesty has arrived!" A eunuch's shrill voice rang out from the doorway. Then, Yun Beiye, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, walked in, followed by Empress Zhaoyuan.
Hearing the commotion, Yun Duoduo turned around to look. Wow, everyone's here! This is going to be lively!
Unlike her attire when she came to apologize a few days ago, today the Empress was dressed extremely appropriately. She wore a light pink pearl bird dress, an exquisite kingfisher hairpin with pearls and kingfisher motifs, and a jade pendant with vine flowers at her waist. Her eyes and brows were full of smiles, and she looked radiant.
Yun Duoduo turned her head and looked at the Empress with her big eyes. Upon closer inspection, she realized that as long as the Empress didn't speak or curse, she was a beautiful and dignified woman.
The description in the storybook is quite accurate; the imperial harem was indeed a place for selecting beauties from all over the country, and each one was beautiful in her own unique way.
"Your Majesty has arrived! Your humble servant greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress!"
Consort Chen, with her red lips and white teeth, smiled alluringly as soon as Yun Beiye entered.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress!" Consort De blushed slightly and looked at Yun Beiye with a shy expression.
Yun Duoduo noticed the change in the expressions of the others and got goosebumps all over her body. She also understood a little. No wonder the emperor stopped holding court in the morning because of such a harem!
Consort Chen and Consort De have two different faces, one in public and one in private!
Yun Beiye, dressed in a yellow dragon robe, entered Shouchang Palace. As soon as he entered, he smelled a pungent odor of various perfumes mixed together. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the colorful concubines sitting next to the Empress Dowager and awkwardly touched his nose.
"ah……"
Yun Beiye was about to say something, but for a moment he couldn't remember which palace these two concubines were from or what their names were.
"My two beloved concubines, please rise!" Yun Beiye gently helped the two concubines who were bowing in greeting.
"Your Majesty, Consort Chen and Consort De have just arrived. They said they came to see the little princess. It was in this side hall that the Second Prince and the Third Prince rescued the little princess," Zhang Mama said, keenly observing Yun Beiye's expression.
Yun Beiye looked as if he had just realized something, "Yes, they are all my good sons!"
"My two beloved consorts, you have taught them well!"
"Yizhong has done his utmost to protect the little princess's safety this time. I'm afraid among all the princes, only Yizhong has done so well," Consort Chen said with a smile, subtly praising her son and hoping to attract Yun Beiye's attention.
“Consort Chen, you can’t be so sure of yourself. Yishu came to read stories to the little princess the other day. I’ve never heard of Yizhong being so attentive to the little princess!” Consort De said from the side, glancing at Consort Chen.
Consort Chen curled her lip indifferently.
[You wretched woman, how dare you gossip and compete with me for my affections?]
[You shameless woman! She actually resorted to such seductive tricks to seduce the Emperor!]
Yun Duoduo listened as the two concubines cursed each other's ancestors in their hearts.
Empress Zhaoyuan poured a cup of hot tea for the Empress Dowager, then sat down to the side and behind her. While eating melon seeds, she watched the two concubines bicker, enjoying the spectacle.
While chatting, she suddenly thought of something. She stood up and walked to Ah Xiang's side, smiling at Yun Duoduo. She took out a glass and jade jewelry box, waved it in front of Yun Duoduo, and then stuffed it into the embroidered quilt wrapped around Yun Duoduo.
Wow, this jewelry box looks beautiful!
Yun Duoduo's eyes were bright; the Empress's jewelry must be of the finest quality.
Jade from Yunnan, pearls from the South China Sea, emeralds from Xinjiang, gemstones from Xining…
Yun Duoduo was quite excited. Back in modern times, she was a little money-grubber. She always wanted to own all the red, blue, and yellow gemstones in the shop windows. This genuine jewelry box would be her first fortune.
She suddenly realized that even though her father, the emperor, was so wealthy, he hadn't mentioned making her a longevity lock or anything like that!
"My dear daughter, these are all fashionable styles that your mother has carefully selected, such as butterfly hairpins, white jade and jade hairpins. You can try them on when you grow up!"
"Your mother has plenty of these things. Once your hair grows back, you can pick whatever you like!"
Yun Duoduo's smiling face froze for a moment. Yes, she didn't even have any hair yet, so how could she wear jewelry?!
"Ahem, Empress, my beloved concubine, you should go back and rest. I have something to say to my mother." Seeing that the scene was a bit awkward, Yun Beiye cleared his throat and gave them the order to leave.
Consort Chen and Consort De glared at each other, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."
Empress Zhaoyuan also withdrew from Shouchang Palace.
...
At noon, Yunbei went to Shouchang Palace to have lunch with the Empress Dowager.
"The selection of guards for Duoduo will be in a few days. Choose carefully," the Empress Dowager said while drinking soup.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my best. Judging by the journey, the Jin family will be arriving in the capital soon. When that time comes, let them stay in the palace for the time being."
"Yes, you should make your preparations. I will be going to Wanfu Temple soon."
"Back then, I prayed to Heaven to grant me a little princess. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, and after so long, it's time for me to go and give thanks."
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