Once she arrived here, she had no say in many things. Rong Yang had few thoughts; all she wanted was to survive.
As long as I can survive, it's all worth it.
As for offspring, forget about it.
After a while, the head maid of the palace came in and reported softly, "Your Majesty... The Empress just sent someone to say that you have had a long journey and served His Majesty last night, so you must be tired. She said you should rest well and that today's greetings are unnecessary."
Is there no need for greetings?
Rong Yang was somewhat surprised that a concubine who had only been in the palace for a day was exempted from paying her respects; this was unprecedented.
Rong Yang was unsure what the empress of the harem was planning to do.
Before coming to Dajing, she had heard many rumors about this empress. Some said that this empress was an extremely powerful person with ruthless methods. She had overthrown the previous empress and her family in a short period of time and firmly grasped the emperor's heart, which made people shudder.
However, after entering the Great Jing Dynasty, the people praised their empress for her virtue and wisdom, and she enjoyed high prestige among the common people.
If this empress is truly so good, then exempting her from paying respects doesn't seem like a big deal.
But Rong Yang dared not gamble. She didn't know what kind of person the Empress was, nor did she know how the Empress would treat her.
So she decided to follow the proper etiquette and pay her respects to the Empress to see what kind of person she really was.
So she turned to the head maid and asked, "When should we pay our respects to Her Majesty the Empress?"
The head maidservant respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, greetings are given at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and the gathering disperses at Sishi (9-11 AM). However, if anything happens in between, you may excuse yourself to the Empress in advance."
Rong Yang nodded, indicating that he understood.
Then he waved for the head maid to leave.
The head maid accepted the order and left without asking any further questions, because she knew that these people were all arranged by the Empress and that they were very discreet in their actions.
The emperor held court at dawn, and he had just left. It was still far from dawn. Rong Yang hadn't slept all night and now had a splitting headache. Rong Yang moved back to bed and said to A Ye, "Although the empress said I was exempt from paying my respects, I'm new here and there's no reason for me to take advantage of her. So I definitely have to pay my respects."
Ah Ye... pick a few suitable items from my dowry to give as gifts to the concubines in the palace.
I'll take a nap first, then wake me up when it's almost time.
Feeling sorry for her master, Ah Ye quickly nodded in agreement.
The unfamiliar environment made Rong Yang very uncomfortable, and she only drifted off to sleep. She felt like she hadn't been asleep for long before A Ye woke her up.
Rong Yang wasn't quite used to the people in Minghua Palace, so none of them were allowed into the inner hall to serve her. A Ye did her hair and makeup all by herself.
"Your Highness...you haven't slept all night, and your face is too pale. I'll use some powder to cover it up for you later."
"No need..." Rong Yang shook her head, "Let's leave it like this..."
Seeing this, A-Ye felt a pang of pity, but she knew that her master's decision had its reasons, so she said nothing more and simply tidied her hair and clothes with even more care.
As the hour of Chen approached, Rong Yang was dressed in an elegant palace gown, with only a few simple pearl flowers tucked into her hair. She looked both dignified and possessed a delicate, frail beauty.
She gently stroked her face in the bronze mirror, a resolute and determined glint in her eyes.
"Let's go and pay our respects to the Empress."
To be honest, Rong Yang was also quite curious about Empress Da Jing and wanted to see what kind of person she was.
Outside Minghua Palace, palace servants were already waiting, leading her through the winding palace paths toward the Empress's Zhiyue Palace.
Throughout the journey, Rong Yang tried her best to appear calm and composed, but she couldn't help feeling uneasy inside.
She knew that this was not just a simple greeting, but the first step she was taking to establish herself in the harem.
Inside Zhiyue Palace, the Empress was already seated on the high hall, exuding grace and elegance.
Rong Yang glanced at her without showing any emotion and figured that the Empress was probably only a few years older than her, and that her face was gentle and dignified.
When the Empress saw Rong Yang arrive, she smiled slightly. Her smile contained both the majesty of the Empress and a touch of gentleness and care.
"Consort Xian has arrived. Please have a seat."
The Empress spoke softly, her tone conveying a sense of warmth.
Rong Yang bowed as instructed and then sat down in the seat below the Empress.
She looked around and saw that the palace was decorated in a way that was both luxurious and elegant, with every detail revealing the empress's taste and thoughtfulness.
The Empress then introduced the current concubines in the palace.
Emperor Dajing was preoccupied with state affairs and respected the young empress, so there were not many people in the harem. Including the newly arrived Rongyang, there were only six people in total.
The most senior consort should be Consort Lan, who raised the eldest prince and the third princess.
Emperor Dajing had only three children.
The Empress has a legitimate son who is only a few months old and is greatly favored.
The eldest prince was the son of the deposed empress, and his position in the harem was awkward.
The Third Princess was Consort De's biological daughter and was also very much loved by her.
Consort Zhao, a woman from a noble family, appeared gentle and serene, with a kind and intelligent heart.
There were also two concubines, and they both seemed like the kind of women who didn't compete or fight for anything.
The relationship between the concubines and the empress seemed to be good, without that suffocating feeling.
To be honest, this was the simplest harem Rong Yang had ever seen. During the Southern Dynasty, the late emperor's harem had many beauties and many disputes, which caused quite a stir every now and then.
His father, the emperor, was not fond of beautiful women, but before he ascended the throne, he had more concubines in his harem than the Great Jing Emperor.
Rong Yang greeted them one by one and presented the gifts he had prepared in advance.
They accepted the gifts with smiles and also gave Rong Yang the gifts they had prepared for their first meeting.
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