Chapter 2661
Being an Empress Isn't Easy 7
A few days later, Zhang Shanzhong, who was by the emperor's side, came to report that the emperor was coming that evening and asked the empress to make preparations.
Xining...
My sister is doing just fine as empress, busy yet comfortable every day. Do you think my life is too good for her?
The concubines had been making frequent visits to the emperor these past few days to try and get his attention. Consort Xiao and Consort Cui were still locked in a fierce battle, one sending him rock sugar and white fungus soup, the other conveniently sending him mung bean soup. The emperor had no choice but to drink a few sips of both, as a gesture of respect.
To be considerate of these concubines, she made a point of letting them go after paying their respects every morning, so that they would have more time to try to conceive before the new concubines arrived.
Even the time it takes to burn half an incense stick is a reminder for them to seize the time to produce offspring for the royal family.
After thinking for a moment, she said to Zhang Shanzhong, "Please report to Your Majesty that I have been unwell recently. Giving birth to Prince An may have damaged my health, and I need to rest for a long time. I can only ask the other ladies in the palace to help me. Please forgive me for not being able to accept Your Majesty's favor."
Zhang Shanzhong returned and told him the truth. Liu Cheng's lips curled into a mocking smile. He used to want to keep Zhang Shanzhong by his side every night, but now he had changed his mind.
Zhang Shanzhong carefully observed her expression, recalling the gold ingot bestowed upon him by the Empress in his sleeve. With a smile, he said, "I heard that the Empress almost suffered a postpartum hemorrhage when she gave birth to the Third Prince; her face is as white as a wall. She probably does need some time to recuperate. Besides, the Fifth Princess and the Third Prince are still young and need their mother's care. The Empress is busy with palace affairs and can't spare the time. Otherwise, why would she entrust such a major event as the imperial concubine selection to Consort Shu?"
Liu Cheng thought about it and realized it made sense. Perhaps it was because he felt his body couldn't bear the weight that he understood so many things. This was for the best. If he were still as petty, jealous, and controlling as before, the other women in the palace would inevitably complain after the new concubine entered the palace, and the Empress Dowager would be dissatisfied with him.
So he asked Zhang Shanzhong, "Who hasn't been the one to serve the emperor in the last few days?"
Zhang Shanzhong gave two names, and Liu Cheng thought back and realized that he hadn't seen them for about three or four months, so he just randomly picked one.
Consort Chen was more delighted than if it were New Year's Day. Upon learning that the Empress had claimed to be unwell, she seized the opportunity and the next day, she brought her embroidered handkerchief as a gift to pay her respects and express her gratitude.
Xi Ning looked at the handkerchief placed on the tray, embroidered with a picture of a chubby boy and girl offering longevity peaches. The chubby figures, like sculpted jade, were smiling and carrying large peaches together, their expressions both festive and endearing, lifelike. This was probably a gift originally intended for the Empress Dowager's birthday in six months, but she had presented it to her first as a gesture of respect.
She first put on a smile: "I've long heard that Consort Chen's embroidery skills are even beyond the reach of the best embroiderers in the Imperial Textile Bureau. They are truly exquisite, and I adore them. Come, go and grab some gold and silver beans to give to Consort Chen."
When the topic of gold beans came up, some of the concubines reacted slightly differently, while Cui Zhaorong showed disdain.
Lady Chen was born out of wedlock; her mother was an embroiderer who caught the eye of a minor county magistrate through her embroidery skills. The Chen family was of low social standing, and since his wife had been barren for many years, he took the embroiderer as a concubine. Unexpectedly, the embroiderer embroidered a "Pine and Crane for Longevity" painting for the mother of the prefect, which gave Magistrate Chen an opportunity to secure a position.
Originally, he wanted to give his daughter to the prefect as a concubine, but since the prefect already had three concubines, he was afraid that taking another concubine would be impeached for overstepping his bounds, so he presented her to the emperor.
After entering the palace, because of her cautious nature, she gained the empress's favor and was ostracized by the concubines who had arrived earlier. For the past five years, she has been as invisible as if she had never been seen.
Look at this plain-colored dress. If it weren't for the fact that she embroidered all the flowers herself, she would be dressed worse than some of the senior palace maids.
Cui Zhaorong's disdain stemmed from the fact that the Empress usually bestowed jewelry, silks, and satins upon the concubine, but instead, she was given gold and silver, which was tantamount to subtly reminding Consort Chen of her humble origins.
Consort Chen accepted the purse containing gold and silver, and curtsied slightly, saying, "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty the Empress."
Xi Ning smiled and said, "I'm getting old and I'm becoming less and less interested in worldly affairs. No matter how good my appetite is, I can only eat a bowl of millet porridge for one meal and can only lie in one bed every day. I should have been rewarded with some jewelry and cloth, but I feel that these are all empty things. I can't use the rewarded things casually. Gold and silver are more practical."
Consort Chen's family was not in the capital, and they probably didn't have much money to send to the palace to help her. Indeed, gold and silver were more practical than palace jewelry and fabrics that couldn't be pawned. Consort Chen's smile immediately became more genuine: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Everything Your Majesty has bestowed upon me is of the best. I am very pleased."
"Alright, you must have had a hard night too. Please take a seat." As soon as he said this, a venomous gaze was cast at Chen Meiren.
That's how it is in the palace. Sometimes it's not just about living well, sometimes it's just about surviving, and you can only fight for it.
But the Empress had changed her ways. Before, she wore magnificent clothes every day, adorned with a phoenix crown and jewels, exuding wealth and power. Now, however, she wore indigo cotton clothes, looking like a nun in a temple. Even the Empress Dowager dressed more extravagantly than her. If you didn't see her face, you would think she was the Empress Dowager.
Xining then asked about Consort Xiao's selection of concubines.
The answer was that they didn't want to disturb the people too much, so they would just randomly select a few people and set the date for the new brides to enter the palace in early May. Preliminary selections have already begun in various places.
Generally, the selection process involves preliminary selection at the local level, screening at the prefecture level, and a second selection in the capital. The best candidates are then chosen to enter the palace to learn the rules and await an audience with the emperor. If the candidate enters the palace in May, each step takes less than ten days. After all, even if the journey from the farthest place to the capital is changed from land to the fastest waterway, it still takes nearly half a month to send someone to the capital.
This shows how anxious they are, fearing that the person in question might change their mind.
After Xi Ning inquired about the newcomers' accommodation and meals, Consort Xiao responded without any problems. She then nodded and said, "It's been less than two months, which is a bit rushed. You'll have to put in extra effort to make sure the Empress Dowager and His Majesty are satisfied. This will also benefit you."
Consort Xiao immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will never forget Your Majesty's guidance."
She was just one step away from becoming a Noble Consort, but becoming a Noble Consort, only one rank below the Empress, was no easy feat. Therefore, the matter of her promotion hadn't been finalized yet, leaving Consort Xiao in a rather awkward position. Taking advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate her competence and virtuous character would provide her with a valid reason to do so.
Now Cui Zhaorong's resentful gaze was directed at Consort Xiao.
At that time, Consort Xiao's son died, which is why Cui Zhaorong has not yet been promoted to the rank of Consort. Even if she is promoted this time, her rank will be at most Zhaoyi.
Both had lost their sons, but Consort Xiao was promoted to the rank of Consort Shu, while she was not. She was only given some tonics and offered some perfunctory words of advice to grieve in moderation.
Just because her father was in the Ministry of War? And her own father was in the Ministry of Revenue.
Xi Ning saw it clearly: the original owner of this body was fortunate to have been born into a good family; no one dared to harm the original owner's children. In this era, filial piety was paramount, even tigers wouldn't eat their cubs, and there was the ancestral rule of establishing the eldest son before the most virtuous. The more children the original owner had, the more loyal the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be, and the more support the entire orthodox Wang clan would receive, thus stabilizing the court.
In this context, daring to mess with the Empress would definitely mean death. But messing with someone else might not necessarily lead to death.
That's why Consort Xiao and Cui Zhaorong focused their conflicts on each other, fighting each other to the death.
Xi Ning said a few more words of reassurance, repeating the same old advice about the importance of getting pregnant as soon as possible, and then the meeting ended.
After finishing, I rested for a while, then, with my long tail, went to the yard and the lotus pond to check on the renovation progress, offered some suggestions and modifications, and then went back to my sketchbook to do nothing. (End of Chapter)