Chapter 10: Loulan
Consort Shen indeed repeated, "This fabric is cool to wear as clothes."
"......" Manxing doesn't understand the world of the wealthy.
Miss Manxing left with a dreamy expression, holding the ice silk cloth, while Concubine Shen took out the "calendar" and began to flip through the upcoming palace events.
The calendar was made by Manchen at Shen Yuqing's request. It's a thin booklet with thirteen sheets of paper, each containing twenty-nine to thirty lines, corresponding to the first to the thirtieth day of the lunar calendar.
The lunar months are basically chosen between twenty-nine or thirty days, and the exact number mainly depends on whether the fifteenth day of each month is the day when the moon is fullest, which requires astronomical knowledge for calculation. During the Dayan Dynasty, there was a specialized astronomical department, the name of which Shen Yuqing forgot, but it seemed to be called the Qintian Supervisor.
But even so, a year of 365 days still falls short by 11 days, so roughly every three years there will be a leap month, meaning that year will have two identical months, such as two Februarys.
This year has an extra June, which means this year has thirteen months.
The first five pages were casually flipped through by Concubine Shen, directly turning to June. Today is June 14th, coincidentally during the Minor Heat period. Shen Yuqing has an NPC system that counts days according to the Gregorian calendar, and today happens to be July 7th. At this time of year, it was already very hot.
Manchen carefully recorded some major and minor events in the palace for the second half of the year, noting the corresponding dates. For example, on the twenty-ninth day of the sixth month, the Qian Sui Banquet, which is the Empress's birthday banquet, will be held. Coincidentally, the emperor's birthday is the day before, on the 28th of June, the Wan Shou Festival.
"How could they get so close..." A thought flashed through Shen Yuqing's mind, but before she could grasp it, it vanished. However, she always felt that these two dates held significant meaning.
From June 14 to June 28, there were no activities in the palace during this period; each day was just about paying respects to the Empress. And every ten days, one must go to pay respects to the Empress Dowager; apart from that, there was nothing else. Besides the Thousand Years Banquet and the Ten Thousand Longevity Festival, the next closest event is next month when Lady Mi will host a banquet and invite all the concubines to Xianliu Palace. It seems that day is a festival from her hometown, Loulan.
"How boring." Shen Yuqing tossed aside the calendar. The women in the palace never had good motives for hosting banquets; any celebration of a festival was definitely a lie. She just didn't understand what Madam Mi was up to.
Manchen brought in the milk pudding that had been set with well water and handed it to Shen Yuqing.
"Your Highness, have some snacks first. If you're really bored, why not take a stroll in the Imperial Garden?"
This is a common pastime for the women in the palace. They often stroll through the Imperial Garden when they have nothing to do. Even if they can't encounter the emperor, they might still run into a few concubines. Everyone gathers together to engage in verbal sparring to pass the time. Although there are always some who end up at a disadvantage and feel uncomfortable, it's still much more interesting than just sitting around in the palace.
Shen Yuqing looked out at the sun with a sense of sorrow; it was already past noon, and the sun was gradually becoming less intense, making it a perfect time for a walk. This indirectly indicates that going out will definitely mean encountering quite a few people.
Fortunately, today's Huai Capital isn't as hot as it will be in the future, with temperatures not reaching the thirties or forties all day long. It's still not too hot to go for a walk in the evening.
"Alright, then let's head to the Imperial Garden."
The noble consort downed the trembling milk jelly in one go. This stuff has a texture similar to double-skin milk; it melts in your mouth and is quite convenient to eat. Man Chen's gaze was calm; he was already accustomed to his lady's extravagant style.
She turned around and waved her hand, telling the little maid to go prepare.
As a high-ranking concubine, every time she goes out, everything must be meticulously prepared, with essentials like a soft sedan chair and refreshments ready, ensuring that the empress can eat, drink, and enjoy herself comfortably wherever she goes.
Soon, Shen Yuqing set off alone.
"Alone" means without Adult. Adult is taking a nap, and no one is allowed to disturb her; otherwise, whoever disturbs her will be scratched.
"No cat to pet." Consort Shen maintained a noble and elegant expression, quietly complaining to Que Ri beside her.
Manxing took Qingyan to deliver something and hasn't returned yet. Usually, the only two palace maids who accompany Shen Yuqing when she goes out are them. Out of necessity, they brought out Bi Liu, who had nothing to do for the time being. However, she is just a second-rank palace maid. The only first-rank palace attendant by the side of the noble consort Shen is a chief eunuch named Que Ri.
Que Ri was clever and intelligent, unlike Que Yue, who was calm and composed. She knew how to make the noble consort happy. Seeing the noble consort complain, she quickly reassured her, "The lord is asleep now, but she probably won't be able to sleep later. Your Highness can spend more time with her. As for tomorrow's morning greeting, just take a leave and don't go."
It's not a big deal if the Noble Consort doesn't want to pay her respects to the Empress; just informing the Empress would suffice, and she would help find an excuse to deal with the other consorts. Shen Yuqing thought for a moment and found it feasible.
You shouldn't pursue your wife too aggressively; if you scare her off, it won't end well. It's okay to miss breakfast together once in a while. Who knows, if she doesn't come, the queen might suddenly feel like something's missing?
Developing habits is half the battle for success.
Concubine Shen patted Que Ri's head with great satisfaction and said, "That's settled!"
Speaking of which, we have already arrived at the Imperial Garden.
The imperial garden in the rear palace is the Rear Imperial Garden, and there is also a Front Imperial Garden in the front palace, located between the Forbidden Tower and the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Forbidden Tower connects the front and rear palaces; it is a massive city tower with five gates below, located at the center of the Meridian Palace Road, which divides the front and rear palaces. To the north and south are the front palace and the rear palace, accessible through the gate openings. To the east and west is the Meridian Road, traversed via the city tower above. Exiting leads to the Azure Dragon Gate and the White Tiger Gate.
It is said that the front imperial garden is only half the size of the back imperial garden, and it is not as exquisite as the back garden, with its rockeries, flowing water, and winding paths leading to secluded spots. In general, the front garden is neat and grand, while the back garden resembles a Suzhou garden, containing small pavilions and towers, used only for daily rest and not for living. Moreover, the concubines are very likely to get lost in the back garden.
For example, Shen Guifei, whose sense of direction is stronger than her peers, but it is still a little weak.
Growing up in the vast desert, Shen Guifei knows the paths within the desert, but her ability to navigate the Central Plains is not as strong. But compared to other Mingjiao disciples, she was already much better.
However, as long as the paths are very similiar, in a garden with such twists and turns, Concubine Shen would definitely not be able to find her way out.
If no one is around, she would probably just swing her chains and fly up into the sky with her lightness skill. Once she's in the sky, she doesn't have to worry about finding her way; she just needs to fly back home in the right direction. However, when it wasn't convenient to fly, she could only wander aimlessly around the garden, getting more and more lost.
Previously, without learning her lesson, Concubine Shen found the palace maid annoying and quickly walked off, only to realize she was lost after shaking her off. She wandered around for a long time before being found by the people from Jianjia Palace. Later, she never acted recklessly again; no matter how annoying it was, she always had a palace maid by her side to guide her.
"Every time I come to the Imperial Garden, I feel like I've never been here before." Shen Yuqing said with a straight face.
It feels like the Imperial Garden is the same everywhere, yet also different everywhere. Shen Yuqing had been here many times, yet she still couldn't remember the places she had been to; everywhere felt like the first time she had visited. Only a few pavilions that are frequently used for banquets still linger in her memory.
After wandering around, they quickly reached the depths of the Hundred Flowers, and Shen Yuqing felt like she had never seen it before.
"What kind of flower is this? When was it planted? How come I've never seen it before?" Do they still grow this flower in the imperial garden?”
Que Ri glanced at it and said, "Your highness, this flower only blooms in summer, so the Empress naturally hasn't seen it."
Shen Yuqing had been in the palace for a full year. When she first entered the palace, she would run outside every day and didn't even remember what summer was like inside the palace.
After listening to Que Ri's explanation, Shen Yuqing was taken aback, just as she was about to say something, several women emerged from the side path.
"Hm, who is this? It turns out to be the noble consort.” She covered her lips and laughed softly, "This concubine thought it was someone who couldn't recognize the flower......”
After saying that, she immediately changed his tune, apologized, and said that she was just being straightforward, asking Shen Yuqing not to take it to heart.
Shen Yuqing ignored her.
Those who come up just looking for a fight are usually just bored and looking for trouble. She noticed that another group of people was nearby, probably having heard the commotion and come over. When the time comes, let them deal with it.
The visitor was none other than the elusive Lady Mi, known only by name but never seen in person.
When Shen Yuqing "recovered," Madam Mi suddenly claimed to be ill and didn't come out. It wasn't until the election ended and the new people entered the palace that she was seen. At first, people jokingly said that the noble consort had recovered but passed her illness onto Madam Mi, but the empress dealt with them, and they no longer dared to speak carelessly.
When Madam Mi first entered the palace, Shen Yuqing "fell ill." It's been two months since Madam Mi entered the palace, and the two of them have never even met. How could there be any talk of holding a grudge? However, Shen Yuqing probably knew why this woman claimed to be ill and didn't come out; the reason was probably similar to what the people in the palace had concocted about Shen Yuqing.
——Concubine Shen was initially "infuriated by Lady Mi entering the palace," while Lady Mi was probably "infuriated by the news of the election."
However, both of them are just pretending to be sick.
Madam Mi heard about the election in advance, perhaps because the emperor mentioned it while staying in her palace the day before, so she fell ill the next day. The emperor, who had been so gentle and indulgent towards her for the past month, might not cancel the election for her, but at least he would spend more time with her and comfort her. Who would have thought that the emperor immediately forgot about her, favoring new concubines one after another, completely forgetting that he had a Western Region concubine.
Madam Mi was anxious, but she was in a difficult position and couldn't find a good excuse to say she had "recovered," so she had to drag it out for so long. Until yesterday, when the emperor suddenly remembered her and visited her palace for a while at noon.
However, the emperor did not stop by her palace and instead went to Liu Shuyuan's place in the evening, probably because he was displeased with her previous childish behavior.
The news of her recovery came out this morning. It seems she didn't expect the emperor to favor someone else, and suddenly realized she couldn't keep pretending to be sick and make the emperor unhappy, so she quickly recovered.
She is not like Concubine Shen. When Concubine Shen pretended to be ill, the emperor would visit her from time to time. If he couldn't go himself, he would send the head palace maid, Jin Li, to run an errand for him, and he would even send some rewards from time to time. Madam Mi pretended to be ill, and as a result, not only did she not receive any rewards, but the emperor didn't even come to visit, as if he was afraid of catching her illness.
It is very infuriating comparing what Lady Mi went through compared to Concubine Shen.
So, it's strange that Madam Mi can tolerate Shen Yuqing.
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