Chapter 5: The Harvest Maiden
As soon as Concubine Shen entered, she first saw the Empress, who was already seated at the top.
"Greetings to the Empress." Concubine Shen casually performed a greeting and then sat down on the throne to the left of the Empress.
Today, only the two of them are responsible for the re-selection, so the position opposite Concubine Shen was left empty. A group of palace maids and eunuchs stood behind the two empresses, their faces stern and imposing without anger, striving to create an aura for their respective empresses and give the newcomers a taste of their authority.
The head palace maid beside the Empress, Han Qiu, brought over a roster, which was caught by Man Xing and then handed to Shen Yuqing.
"This is the list of the candidates who passed the preliminary selection this time." The Empress gazed far into the entrance of the main hall and slowly said, "Your Highness must already know the Emperor's intentions. Except for that Miss Su, do not let anyone else into the Yunxiang Palace."
Concubine Shen was not surprised; she casually flipped through the booklet and responded softly.
"Those who are unwilling to enter the palace, I will first issue a notice." She said, turning to Shen Yuqing, "The roster has all the markings; those with circles around their names are the ones."
Shen Yuqing nodded, "Yes."
Quickly flipping through the roster, she saw that a few names had been marked with red ink. These were the noble ladies who were definitely going to enter the palace, something Shen Yuqing already knew. She turned to Manxing beside her and asked, "When does the re-selection start?"
"There's still a quarter of an hour." The little darling in Manxing's arms was fussing, perhaps wanting to go over and ask for a hug upon seeing the Empress.
Manxing couldn't hold on any longer. He glanced at the noble consort, and seeing that she showed no reaction, he had no choice but to let go and let Adult move closer to the empress.
Shen Yuqing picked up her cup and took a sip of tea, conveniently covering the smile at the corner of her lips.
Empress Fu paused for a moment, reached out to pick up Adult, and casually glanced at Shen Yuqing.
Always felt that she was doing it on purpose, but didn't know why.
However, this isn't the first time such things have happened; Empress Fu is already used to it.
When she first entered the palace, this concubine was a real troublemaker. Not only would she confront anyone she didn't like, but she also showed great disrespect to the empress herself. The emperor secretly spoke with Shen Yuqing a few times, but the results were not good. Shen Yuqing is not an easy person to talk to; she would still retaliate if she was unhappy.
Everything suddenly changed six months ago.
At that time, it seemed that Shen Yuqing had discovered some secret, suddenly no longer speaking to her with hidden daggers like the other concubines, but instead treating her like an ally. Although usually arrogant and overbearing, she still showed great respect towards the Empress.
Empress Fu had asked the emperor about this matter, and after pondering for a while, the emperor said, "She might have found out about our relationship."
The emperor and empress are not a couple; previously, Shen Yuqing was too lazy to investigate these hidden relationships, so she didn't know. But half a year ago, one night, while she was wandering around the palace to clear her mind, she stumbled upon the strange way the Emperor and Empress interacted, and only then did she realize that the Empress was actually on her side. Moreover, it wasn't like she had previously thought, that the empress was the emperor's true love, which was why the emperor didn't let her confront the empress.
So, Shen Yuqing decided to change her approach and spent some time carefully investigating the emperor's attitude towards the concubines in the harem and the empress dowager, and then figured out the limits of her actions. The Empress Dowager cannot be confronted, the Empress cannot be confronted, but the rest, as long as they are not from her family and holding important positions in the court, can be confronted at will.
In the harem, it's rare to encounter a pure and beautiful woman who can be flirted with. Shen Yuqing, who likes women, was bored and wanted to find someone to date. After observing for a few months, she decisively decided to test Empress Fu's attitude.
First, use Master Cat to build a closer relationship, then find an opportunity to reveal the truth. Empress Fu is a clever person; she will definitely understand her intentions. If she finds someone she likes, then just bring her home. The emperor doesn't want her anyway, so it works out perfectly for her.
Under the owner's gesture, the cat snuggled up in the queen's arms, acting cute. Unable to resist, Queen Fu's tense face softened, and she couldn't help but chuckle lightly, tapping the cat's little nose.
"Are you hungry?" She raised her hand, and the chief maid Han Qiu immediately presented the dried fish.
Knowing that the noble consort would come today, she had already prepared the dried fish, just waiting to bring it to the master.
The lord was happily eating the top-grade dried fish, and the queen watched him for a while. It wasn't until the chief eunuch, Xia Sui, came forward to report that the time had come that she slightly nodded and said, "Let's begin."
The election has begun.
According to the roster, five people enter the main hall in groups. Those who passed the secondary selection went to the East Side Hall to wait for the final selection, while those who did not pass waited in the courtyard outside the hall to be sent out of the palace in batches.
Groups of people were brought into the West Side Hall, and the order of the roster was unknown; it seemed that those from outside the capital came first. However, none of them were daughters from particularly prestigious families. At most, there was the daughter of a high-ranking official from outside the capital. Unfortunately, either they looked frail and weak, making them unsuitable for childbirth, or their families had already leaked information and decided to withdraw.
Concubine Shen idly leaned against the throne, watching with utter boredom. After watching for a while, she yawned during the shift change, thinking it was more interesting to watch the cat master play.
The Empress also looked a bit tired, but upon seeing this, Consort Shen immediately perked up. After sitting up straight, she waved her hand, signaling Manxing to come over.
"Your Highness?" Manxing lowered her voice.
Shen Yuqing gave a knowing glance, and Manxing immediately understood. She took out the small jade bottle she always carried with her and handed it to Hanqiu.
"Sister Hanqiu, this is the essential oil my lady prepared herself. It can relieve fatigue and refresh the mind." She shoved it into Hanqiu's hand, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and people are just prone to feeling drowsy."
Han Qiu accepted it with a smile, not fearing that the Concubine might have poisoned it to deal with the Empress: "Then thank you very much, Concubine."
After speaking, he presented the essential oil to the queen.
After using the essential oil, the queen indeed felt revitalized and no longer tired. She instinctively glanced at Shen Yuqing and met her smiling eyes.
Shen Yuqing is quite good-looking. If she didn't often deliberately put on a harsh and sharp demeanor, she would actually be very likable.
Empress Fu calmly averted her gaze, lowering her eyes to smooth the fur of Adult.
At this moment, the next group of beauties entered.
The five new candidates clearly have a higher level of beauty compared to the previous ones. This task of selecting candidates is usually taken over by the concubines, who find it both painful and enjoyable. On one hand, you can choose your opponents, but on the other hand, you can't go too far. No matter how much you want to make a group of not-so-good-looking ones, if you encounter someone with exceptional beauty and talent, you have to take charge and keep them. Otherwise, it won't be easy to explain to the emperor.
Fortunately, Empress Fu and Consort Shen didn't have such worries, especially Consort Shen, who couldn't wait to pick more beautiful women with unremarkable family backgrounds to annoy the women in the palace. Anyway, she can freely take on those of lesser backgrounds, without fearing that once they climb to high positions based on their looks and talents, she won't be able to offend them.
"The one in the middle, lift your head." Concubine Shen said lazily.
In the middle was a young woman in a pink dress, her delicate and timid appearance made Consort Shen feel very familiar.
The other person slightly raised their head but didn't dare to look up, still keeping their eyes lowered. However, having already revealed her appearance, she was indeed a little beauty, with skin like cream, a delicate face, and a petite figure.
Shen Yuqing slightly raised an eyebrow: "Lift your gaze, let me have a good look at you."
The girl in the pink dress shivered slightly, mustered her courage to lift her gaze, and looked at the noble consort sitting on the jade steps. A trace of astonishment immediately crossed her eyes. Compared to her own lack of refinement, the noble consort was indeed much more dignified and majestic.
Her big, watery eyes looked timid, and she must look beautiful when she cried. The noble consort was extremely pleased, "Very good, what is your name?"
"Commoner Fang Cai'er." She quickly replied, "The daughter of the governor of Nanzhao Prefecture."
Nanzhao County is right around Huai Capital, although it's outside the capital, it's not far away. In the Jiangnan region, there are many beautiful girls, so Shen Yuqing wasn't surprised and directly looked at the chief eunuch, Que Ri, beside her.
Que Ri understood, "Leave a nameplate, bestow a sachet."
Naturally, a young eunuch stepped forward and presented a sachet.
Empress Fu watched the entire time and did not interject. After Shen Yuqing finished speaking, she finally asked about the situation of the other several ladies. However, she didn't ask each one individually; she just had everyone look up and then pointed out two particularly beautiful ones.
The first person had a shrewd and calculating look, which Empress Fu didn't like, so she kept the second one.
"Commoner Du Wei." That girl was quite well-behaved; after politely stating her name, she didn't say much more and didn't proactively showcase her talents.
Empress Fu nodded, very satisfied, and left a plaque.
After this batch of talented women left, Empress Fu casually asked, "Sister Guifei seems to really like that Miss Fang?"
Consort Shen smiled faintly, "Sister, my relationship with Consort Shu is like that of sisters. Seeing someone who resembles her so much brings me great joy. I believe Consort Shu would like you too."
Send in a beauty of the same type as Shu-fei; who knows if Shu-fei will be so disgusted that she won't even be able to eat.
Unfortunately, the Feiyue Palace of the virtuous concubine has already been booked to send Miss An from the Shangshu family. Sending another Miss Fang would be a bit too deliberate. Otherwise, if the proper Consort Shu and the low-budget version of Consort Shu were placed together, it would be quite a show to watch.
The Empress did not give a clear answer, but merely said, "Yao Caijin lives alone in Shengxiao Palace and there is no main seat, so let Miss Fang move in."
Palaces without a main seat are all good positions; once one rises to the position of a lady, there is a chance to enter the main hall. The queen has chosen a good place for Miss Fang; it all depends on whether she has the ability to take the lead.
In the palace, there are four large palaces on each side, and besides that, there are only small-scale palaces. Even if one occupies the main position, it doesn't count for much. However, there are only eight large palaces. Jianjia Palace, Yunxiang Palace, Feiyue Palace, Yong'an Palace, and Xianliu Palace already have their masters, leaving only Shengxiao Palace and Sumei Palace, making the competition quite fierce.
"What about Miss Du?" Concubine Shen asked curiously.
The Empress pondered for a moment and said, "The Hall of Eternal Rest, then."
The Su Mei Palace was also very empty, with only Xue Xiurong present. This person is the distant cousin of the Empress Dowager, and it was she who took care of the Empress Dowager when she had a poor appetite before. Xue Xiurong is a modest and principled woman who never does evil to others and doesn't like to seek favor in the name of the Empress Dowager. Unlike Yao Caijin in Shengxiao Palace, who is so restless, the Empress is quite attentive to Du Wei.
Concubine Shen gave an ambiguous chuckle, making it impossible to tell whether she agreed or disagreed.
Empress Fu looked at her for a moment longer, not knowing why she was in a bad mood again.
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