The next morning, Xiao Chuang was dressing up.
She was wearing a plain-colored palace dress that was a little too simple. There were strange and strong branches embroidered on the material with dark brown silk thread, and blooming plum blossoms embroidered with peach red silk thread, extending from the skirt to the waist. A wide belt of the same color tightened her slender waist, showing her graceful figure. She also gave off an indescribable cold aura that was independent from the world. She wore a milky white jade bracelet on her hand, and her elegant hair was combed into a simple double-handle. There was a jade hairpin made of jade in her hair. She made it look like she was wearing a green bamboo on her head. She had a pink stamen on her temples, which made her look simple and outstanding. The beetles on her forehead completely covered her sparkling eyes, making her look docile and polite. No makeup, no eyebrows, no lips, no fragrance. In the harem, where flowers bloom, my dressing is simple and generous.
"Little Master, isn't this dress too plain? There was no makeup on her face. There was only a flower and a hairpin on her head. Her clothes were also light. Why don't she change into another set? Also, her beautiful big eyes were covered. What a pity! Today, when meeting the Empress, Little Master must be more beautiful than all the other beauties.”Bao Juan said, unwilling to give up. Although Hui Xue didn't say anything, her eyes clearly didn't understand why I was doing this.
I said coldly," Did I embarrass you? Without beautiful clothes, I'm so ugly that I can't be seen?”
Baojuan was frightened by my straightforward words and knelt on the ground. She kept saying," This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die. This servant doesn't mean that. This servant only hopes that little master will be more beautiful. Ah, no, this servant, this servant, little master is originally very beautiful. This servant deserves to die!"”Maybe it was because I had never said harsh words to them, especially to Hui Xue. I had always been gentle to her. My current attitude scared her so much that her face turned pale and her body was on the verge of collapsing. Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with unspeakable innocence and grievance. She bit her lips tightly and didn't know where to put her hands.
"As slaves, you should do your duty. Don't talk and do more. Have you forgotten? If you forget, I don't mind sending you to the Punishment Division to discipline you! There is Consort Hua who is beautiful and noble. There is an Empress who is graceful and noble. If you don't understand what I mean, you will have lived for nothing.”I continued to lecture him with a cold expression. Baojuan and Hui Xue couldn't help but cry and keep explaining.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Hui Xue is not a child. Baojuan has been in the palace for so long, you should understand how difficult it is to survive in the harem. If I dress up gorgeously today, won't I become the target of the entire harem? I won't even know how I die!”I think of it, use emotion to move it, use reason to persuade it. "This servant knows her mistake. This servant was rash. This servant will serve little master with all her heart in the future!”Bao Juan quickly wiped her tears and promised. Although Hui Xue felt wronged, she knew her mistake and nodded. She was afraid that I would anger her.
When I went out, Xu Wanhai was already waiting by the side. He sized me up without showing any emotion. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. I knew that he was satisfied with my performance. I walked up to him in a dignified manner and said," Eunuch Xu, you stay here today and teach Baojuan and Huixue well. Let Xiaoshun Zi and Qiaohui accompany me to see the Empress. What do you think?"”Xu Wanhai said slowly,"I understand."”He bowed and left.
They met Zhen Huan and Shen Mei Zhuang in front of Zhaoming Palace. After a round of greetings, they tacitly sized each other up and fell silent. They were indeed smart people. They were all dressed in ordinary, simple, and elegant clothes. They had a high bun and a pair of chrysanthemum hairpins made from tortoiseshell. They were in season and the color was simple and elegant. Behind the bun was a small silver-gilded worm head. He also chose a light red flowing color cloud brocade palace dress to wear. The color was festive but not outstanding. Shen Mei Zhuang no matter how noble the young lady was, her temperament was like a delicate peony in the boudoir. In addition, Zhen Huan's clear and beautiful face could be called a beauty.
Inside the Bright Sun Hall, the new fifteen female cultivators had already reached the tenth rank, and the concubines had also arrived one after another. The seats in the hall were almost full. The Empress sat on the phoenix seat under the support of the palace maids. She wore a purple gold phoenix pearl crown and a crimson gold and silver silk phoenix embroidered court dress. Her aura was calm and graceful. Everyone hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects and said in unison,"Long live the Empress." The Empress smiled brightly." My sisters, you're early. Rise."”
Jiang Fuhai led the new concubines to kowtow to the Empress. The Empress accepted the gift kindly and ordered the inner supervisor to reward the gift. Everyone thanked her. The first seat on the left side of the Empress was empty. The Empress lowered her eyes slightly and Jiang Fuhai said,""Consort Duan is ill and cannot come today.”The Empress said thoughtfully,""Consort Duan's body is not well, after the ceremony you send someone to take a look.”
Jiang Fuhai pointed at the first person on the right side of the Empress and said,""The young masters greet Consort Hua."
I respectfully bowed my head and looked at this woman who had a tragic ending.
She was wearing a rose-red dress with flowers and peony on the floor. The outer layer was a moon satin embroidered with a flying butterfly dress. The inner layer was a light pink brocade wrapped around her chest. The cuffs were embroidered with exquisite golden butterflies. The beautiful and complicated buttons on the front of her chest represented her noble status. There was a gold-rimmed Psychic Jade lying quietly in front of his neck, adding a sense of elegance. A pair of verdant jadeites hung beside his ears, and a peacock feather was coiled on the top of his head. She then plucked a Magnolia and pinned it on her head, making her look extremely fresh, beautiful, and elegant. His sword-like eyebrows were sharp, and his phoenix-like eyes were deadly no matter how they moved. Her cherry lips were as red as the setting sun, delicate and charming. She waved the jade-faced fan in her hand elegantly.
As expected of Consort Hua. I believe many concubines are thinking the same thing as me. She was indeed a beauty that could topple a country.
We didn't need to kneel to Consort Hua. We bowed and half-squatted, waiting for Consort Hua to call out. Concubine Hua, however, only spoke to the Empress through the jade. Although she lamented that the jade could not bring out her beauty and that she was already old and frail, she was actually implying that all the concubines in the harem were just mediocre and that people like the Empress were already old. She didn't pay any attention to us and continued to play charades with the Empress. I knew that this was a show of strength. Her half-squatting body was a little uncomfortable. She trembled slightly and could only force herself to hold on.
The Empress looked at us and said gently,"The sisters are still bowing to you. Let them get up first."”The Empress has spoken. Although Consort Hua's heart is not comfortable, she can only take advantage of the situation to let us get up. I thought to myself, Zhu Yixiu, you only know how to pretend, pretend to be virtuous, pretend to be magnanimous. You can't wait for Consort Hua to make things difficult for us so that we can kill each other while you, the Empress, sit on the fishing platform. Concubine Hua's tyranny will only make you look like the mistress of the household and have a virtuous bearing.
Sure enough, look, Concubine Hua was about to bring out Zhen Huan and Shen Mei Zhuang again. She calmly asked," Noble Wan and Noble Shen, which two?”Even though Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan were shocked, they still responded. Concubine Hua was full of praise for Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan, and the small mistakes in Shen Meizhuang's words were also greatly resolved by her. Fortunately, Zhen Huan was quick-witted and came back to her senses, but it made these two stand out. I stood in the crowd and watched them get jealous. His expression was cold. At this moment, I felt that the Empress and Consort Hua would occasionally glance at me, but they would only look at me a few times before giving up. After all, I was from a small family and wasn't worthy of the Empress and Consort Hua, who doted on me in the six palaces, saying a word or two.
Concubine Hua's position is below that of Concubine Que. The Emperor favored many people, but the highest ranking people below the Empress were Consort Hua, Consort Duan, and Consort Que. Not only were the positions of the four concubines of the first rank empty, but even the wives of the second rank were useless. Consort Duan, Qi Yuebin, was the daughter of General Huben, Qi Fu. She was the earliest to enter the palace and was the first concubine by the Emperor's side. She was also conferred the title of Consort on the same day as the current Empress. Her qualifications were far above Consort Hua and even two Empresses. She had been a Consort for more than ten years, most likely because she had no children. It was also said that she was weak and sickly, and she only saw the Emperor a few times a year. Consort Que was the birth mother of the eldest son. Although her mother had been promoted to the position of consort because of her son's nobility, she was not liked by the emperor because of the eldest son's mediocre talent, and her birth mother was also not favored for many years. Consort Hua had only entered the palace for three or four years, and to be ranked first among the three consorts was already a great honor. At this time, Jing Fei was still Jing Fei.
I walked with Zhen Huan, Mei Zhuang and the other two. We were all immersed in our own thoughts and couldn't help but feel uneasy. At this moment, someone behind him said,"The two sisters were eloquent just now. I admire them."”This person's tone was filled with ridicule and hostility. We couldn't help but turn around and see that it was Liang Cairen who entered the palace on the same day. Liang Cairen walked to our side and looked at Zhen Huan and Shen Mei Zhuang's attendants who were full of rewards. She said enviously,"My sisters 'servants received so many rewards, can the palace let them go?”Wasn't this the arrogant Yue Jing from the Palace Selection?
Mei Zhuang smiled and said kindly,"Lady Guan and I both feel that the sisters should share the grace of the Heavenly Family. We were just thinking of getting someone to pick some good ones to send to the sisters 'palaces when we return to the palace." He didn't expect Sister Liang to arrive first, so he picked some that he liked first.”As he spoke, he asked the internal supervisor to bring the things rewarded by the Empress to Liang Cairen.
Unexpectedly, Liang Cairen didn't even look at him and sneered,""Elder sister is truly virtuous, no wonder the emperor praised her when she was selecting the emperor. It seemed that her sister really knew how to buy people's hearts! My Xia family doesn't lack such things!" Mei Zhuang and Zhen Huan looked embarrassed and angry. They knew that they had already been in the limelight today. If they continued to cause trouble, they would probably be punished.
I walked up and coldly said,"I heard that Sister Liang was born in a scholarly family?" Younger Sister really admires you!" Then, he stopped looking at her and pretended to pull Zhen Huan away. Mei Zhuang didn't expect that someone as weak as me would also resist eloquently. Previously, she isolated me from Zhen Huan, but now she felt a little embarrassed and inexplicable. However, I just want them to know that I'm not useless.
"My family is a well-known scholarly family in Xunyang. How can you, a mere county magistrate's daughter, compare to me?" It's really vulgar!"
"Oh," I said coldly,"Seeing is believing. Today, seeing Liang Cairen's upbringing, I thought that the scholarly family was just spreading rumors."”
Liang Cairen was still puzzled and angered by my cold attitude. "If you don't believe me, you can go to Xunyang and ask around…" Mei Zhuang and Zhen Huan couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even the palace maids behind us covered their mouths and laughed secretly. There was actually such a stupid person in the world who could be conferred the title of a talent. It was really a joke in the world! Liang Cairen saw us laughing so much that we lost our composure, so she understood. Immediately, anger appeared on his face and he slapped me in the face. Seeing that I couldn't avoid it, I had to suffer the humiliation of her slap. However, her hand was grabbed in mid-air and she could no longer move.
I looked behind Liang Cairen and immediately bowed."Concubine Hua, good luck!" Zhen Huan and the other palace servants were shocked by Lady Liang's actions. They only reacted when they saw me bow and greeted Concubine Hua.
Liang Cairen's hands were firmly grabbed by Consort Hua's close internal supervisor Zhou Ninghai. She couldn't see the situation behind her and couldn't resist. Seeing us salute, she was scared out of her wits and her whole body went limp. "Let her go!" Concubine Hua shouted.
Liang Cairen couldn't stand steadily and fell to the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic. He couldn't even finish his words and only knew how to desperately say,"Please spare my life, Concubine Hua."”
The three of us also lowered our heads, not knowing what Consort Hua would do to us. Consort Hua sat on the chair that the palace people had brought over and said leisurely,"Autumn is coming and the palace is very beautiful. Why didn't Liang Cairen appreciate it properly but was so presumptuous in Shanglin Garden?”The corner of her eyes swept over me, the first person to bow without a change in expression. Oh no, she definitely won't let me off in the future. I don't know why I have such thoughts.
Liang Cairen was in tears as she cried,"Attendant Anxuan spoke rudely, ChenQie only wanted to lecture her.”
Consort Hua didn't even look at her and smiled gently,"I thought that the Imperial Concubine and I were no longer around, yet I actually had to trouble you, Lady Liang, to lecture the Imperial Concubines.”She glanced at the trembling Liang Cairen on the ground." It's just that BenGong is afraid that you can't bear this kind of hardship, so why don't you let Eunuch Zhou take you to a good place!”Her voice was indescribably charming, but the situation could not help but make people feel shocked by every word, as if there was an endless danger hidden in this endless charm.
She looked at the bright red maple trees in Upper Forest Park leisurely and said slowly,"Since the maple leaves are so red this year, I'll reward Liang Cairen with a 'red hand'.”I smiled in my heart. She, Xia Yuejing, was so arrogant and unreasonable. Today, she would use the rest of her life to pay for the humiliation she suffered during the Hall Selection. I should thank Consort Hua. At the same time, he was also feeling sad. This kind of life was worse than death. Would it be his turn one day? How am I going to gain a foothold in the harem? What would be my ending?
"A one-zhang-hong is a punishment used by the palace to punish the concubines and palace servants who have made mistakes. A two-inch thick and five-foot-long board is used to beat the female prisoner below the buttocks. It does not count the number of hits until all the bones and muscles are broken until the flesh is a mess. From afar, it looks bright red, hence the name.”Song Zhi sneered. With such torture, Liang Cairen's legs were considered crippled! Haha. Zhen Huan and Mei Zhuang's faces were pale with fright, but they still stood tall and proud, not willing to submit to Concubine Hua's power. My face couldn't help but turn pale. I had never faced life and death so directly in my previous life or this life. One sentence meant life and one sentence meant death. This was a harem. Before this, I still had the mentality of a transmigrated woman being lucky and that I knew the plot myself, thinking that I could escape. It was just that I didn't expect human lives to be so worthless. I panicked and wanted to cry. But I won't. It's a sign of weakness. At least in front of so many people, I'm not allowed to cry. I won't allow myself to be weak. Even if I die, I will fight with my life.
At Pine Wind Pavilion, Concubine Hua had already left majestically like a proud peacock. Zhen Huan and I ran all the way here like mice. The three of them looked at each other, feeling unspeakable fear. After a long time, I finally said,"You scared me."”
Zhen Huan had calmed down and pondered for a moment before saying,""I've heard that Consort Hua dotes on her and no one dares to stop her, but I didn't expect her to be so ruthless…"
Mei Zhuang sighed." It's just a pity for Liang Cairen. Although she's stupid and arrogant, she doesn't deserve this."”I hurriedly looked left and right, afraid that Concubine Hua's ears and ears would hear me. When I was sure that there was no one around, my heart was slightly relieved. "Concubine Hua severely punished Liang Cairen and seemed to be trying to rope us in."”Zhen Huan was silent for a long time. Seeing the doubt in Mei Zhuang's eyes, she said in a low voice,"" In the future, we will have to depend on others. Our days will be difficult…" The three of them listened to the rustling of the autumn leaves and were speechless for a long time.
After calming down a little, Zhen Huan saw that her face was still pale and she was already in a daze. She said," Alright, everyone knows what happened today." Ling Rong, go back and have a good rest. Mei Zhuang and I will also go back.”I pretended to be disappointed and didn't even have the strength to answer. She helped me up and saw that there were only two people serving me, Xiao Shunzi and Qiao Hui. She thought about it in her heart and said," You don't even have anyone to serve you. This is Ju Qing. She is very clever. Let her serve you in the future."”
I heard her gentle and long-winded care, and even Mei Zhuang was very concerned and consoled me. Perhaps he saw that I was really out of it, so he left.
Although Zhen Huan arranged for Ju Qing to stay by my side, I still have to check it out. After all, Zhen Huan has only been in the palace for a few days. I don't believe that she has the charm to make a palace maid follow her to death. It was best if it was useful. If it wasn't, well, it would be useful one day.
Hui Xue and Baojuan, who were looking left and right in the Lan Yi Lou, were shocked to see my absent-minded appearance. They even forgot to bow and quickly helped me into the house. Xu Wanhai just walked towards the room where the servant rested. Xiao Shunzi understood and followed up with some instructions. Xu Wanhai already had a plan in his heart.
I sat up straight and half-lay on the beauty couch. Xu Wanhai walked over to me with a heavy body and a heavy bow. He pondered for a moment and said," Is Little Master feeling unwell?" Do you want to call for a doctor?" The other servants had already been sent away.
I narrowed my eyes and thought that the palace was indeed like walking on thin ice. Now that Consort Hua was favored and powerful, the Empress was a backstabbing person. Wrong, you don't even know how she schemed against you. That's scary. After Mei Zhuang was favored, Zhen Huan was also favored, and that was the official beginning of everything. My palms were covered in cold sweat as I kept thinking.
I directly got out of bed and walked towards Xu Wanhai without any doubt. I said sincerely,"Eunuch Xu, are you willing to help Ling Rong in the palace?"”I stared at him, not letting go of any expression.
Xu Wanhai bowed and said,"I will do my best to serve you!"”I couldn't help but curse the old fox in my heart. My tone suddenly became cold.”Then, he lay on his side on the beauty couch and narrowed his eyes without saying a word.
Xu Wanhai's body trembled. He opened his drooping eyelids and looked at me in disbelief. Finally, he bowed sincerely and said,"This servant greets Young Master An. I wish Young Master An good luck."”
"Eunuch Xu is too polite. My background is low, and I still need to rely on you, an old man in the palace, in this harem! Moreover, Eunuch Gong treats me sincerely. When Eunuch Gong retreats, Ling Rong will repay him sincerely with gifts so that Eunuch Gong can enjoy his old age and live a peaceful life!”I looked at him with a sharp gaze and said in a coaxing tone.
Xu Wanhai naturally took the bait. He knelt on the ground respectfully. I said coldly,"No matter how bright it is now, there will be a day when the flower powder will fade. Can it stay in its prime?" What's the difference between serving people with sex and prostitutes? The high and mighty Emperor had always treated the women in his harem as playthings. Not to mention carrying on the family line, not to mention the Empress Dowager, in the Emperor's heart, there was only himself and his beautiful rivers and mountains! As for Zhu Rou, hehe, one must know that the living would never be able to compete with the dead!”
Xu Wanhai was obviously frightened by me. He thought to himself that this was a powerful woman. With such a temperament, she would definitely become someone great in time. It was really too terrifying. It was not that she was not favored in the harem, but she was afraid that when she was favored, she would not be able to tell the truth. I can be considered to have someone to rely on. I just don't know if it's glory and wealth or a tragic death. Xu Wanhai's expression became more respectful as he said,"Young Master is right, but the matter of the Emperor cannot be casually discussed." He carefully looked at me and said,"Now is not the best time to be favored, so you have to wait." He didn't want to talk anymore.
" In this world, some people want to have two boats at once, and some people don't want to ask right or wrong, but let me tell you, only those who stand firm can live longer.”I closed my eyes and lifted my hair mischievously. His tone was so indifferent that it was as if the wind had just blown past.
Xu Wanhai shivered and said,"Young Master is right." This servant will naturally serve Little Master with all my heart!”He lowered his body even more respectfully.
I coldly snorted,"How could Ling Rong dare to be presumptuous in front of father-in-law? Father-in-law is sincere about Ling Rong, so Ling Rong should be grateful." The worst way to win a man's heart was to be obedient. This would make the man feel that it was boring. The middle-class method was to keep a distance between them, making men feel that they were within sight but out of reach. The best method was to ask for it but not get it. Today, I was frightened and have to recuperate for a long time. I, An Lingrong, will recover as soon as Zhen Huan recovers. Do you understand? As for the imperial physician? Eunuch has been in the palace for decades, he shouldn't let Ling Rong down.”
Xu Wanhai bowed and said respectfully,"I understand."”Then, he went out.
Empress Dowager, Xuan Ling, Zhu Yixiu, Concubine Hua, Zhen Huan.。No matter who it is, those in the harem who don't let me live well are my enemies.
I thought my novel hadn't been written yet. I was just casually looking at the comments today and saw that there were people supporting me. I was so happy. I was even happier than when I was young and won first place in my studies. I'm really happy. I hope that everyone will like my An Lingrong, and then what? I hope everyone will be happy. Oh oh oh yeah ~
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