After the rebellion was successful, I realized that this place was the Red Mansion

Chapter 34: The Harem of a Fallen Nation
Many years later, whenever Qinghe heard someone mention "Gu Shun", she would always think of the scene on the eve of the fall of the Dashun Dynasty, when she stayed up all night in Yuqing Palace with a book in her hand.

That night, she changed the candlelight three times. The palace maids could not bear it and fell asleep. Even the most loyal Shuyu fell asleep on the table. Only she sat alone on the couch covered with a fox fur mattress, wearing a flowered robe woven with gold thread and peacock feathers, holding a book, and did not turn the page for a long time.

She looked out the window. The moon had disappeared at some point, and even the light of the stars had disappeared. The sky and the earth were dark.

Qinghe suddenly became afraid of the coming of dawn.

As soon as the sun rises, that man will enter the city and take over the palace. Her life and death, honor and disgrace all depend on that man's thoughts.

She was afraid of many things that might happen.

But the day will eventually dawn.

The palace maids and eunuchs woke up on time. Qinghe heard their footsteps outside. Then, Shuyu, who was sleeping on her stomach in the room, also woke up.

"Princess, didn't sleep all night?" Shuyu asked in surprise.

"I can't sleep, but I'm not sleepy either."

Qinghe shook her head gently, "After today, I will no longer be a princess."

Shuyu was speechless for a moment, and after a while she said, "Princess, don't worry too much. As the saying goes, there is always a way out when you reach the mountain. And there is also a saying that a blessing in disguise..."

She shut up, realizing that this statement was not very good. How could it be a blessing to have a destroyed country and ruined family?
"Princess, I'll call someone to help you wash your face and change your clothes."

Shuyu went out to call people, and Qinghe smiled rarely. Because of her name, Shuyu never said "wash and rinse".

A quarter of an hour later, Shuyu came in with several palace maids.

She hesitated to speak, and Qinghe saw it and said, "Don't be harsh. Just change my clothes for me."

There were half fewer people serving her today than usual. Fortunately, Shuyu went out to call for help, otherwise no one would have remembered her, the princess of a fallen country.

……

After getting dressed, Qinghe left Yuqing Palace and walked towards the emperor's sister-in-law.

The sky in the distance has brightened. Under the palace wall, there are many eunuchs and palace maids walking hurriedly. In the past, when they saw me, they either avoided me or stood at the foot of the wall with their heads down and waited, but today, these eunuchs and palace maids just walked past quickly, bowed briefly and went about their business.

Shuyu complained a few words, but Qinghe said nothing and went straight to the emperor's sister-in-law's palace.

The emperor's sister-in-law looked even uglier than her. After seeing her, she was in a trance for a long time.

The aunt and sister-in-law were speechless.

"Let's go to the Queen Mother." said Empress Zhang.

So Qinghe and the emperor's sister-in-law came to the queen mother's palace together. Originally there were only two of them sitting there in silence, but now there were three of them.

"Let's go to the old concubine." said the queen mother.

Qinghe came to the Fengzao Palace of the old empress dowager again, and saw that the virtuous concubine who played the piano last night was also there, as well as Yang Guifei, Wu Guifei, Xiao Wu Fei and others. Most of the concubines in the harem came to pay their respects to the old empress dowager, so that the virtuous concubine Jia Yuanchun could only stand - the concubine of the retired emperor was her elder.

"You are all here."

The old empress dowager looked around and saw a room full of concubines. There were concubines of the retired emperor who were in their fifties or sixties and had entered the palace for forty years ago, as well as the young emperor's new bride who was not even twenty years old and was in her prime.

And there is Yuanchun. This poor child has served her in Fengzao Palace for ten years and was just named the Virtuous Consort, but now she has to suffer this misfortune.

"It's good that you're here." The old concubine sat down and said slowly: "I can see you one more time. After today, everyone will go their separate ways. The new emperor's harem can't accommodate us concubines of the old dynasty."

All the women in the room were wiping their tears with their handkerchiefs.

"Don't cry," the old concubine said, "this is how dynasties change. It's just that our family's fortune has come to an end, and we can no longer enjoy the blessings we once had. If you young people have to endure hardships in the future, just consider it as paying off your debts."

As she spoke, she looked at several young and beautiful concubines and said, "When the new emperor enters the palace, he might ask you to serve him. You... make your own decisions."

Several beautiful young concubines blushed, unsure how to respond. Jia Yuanchun asked calmly, "Old Concubine Dowager, since Your Majesty has already given up Prince Qian, we will follow him when he leaves the palace. We will continue to serve Your Majesty in the future."

No one spoke. Qinghe sighed in his heart. Concubine Jia's words were so naive. In history books, those who conquered the capital often took the concubines and palace maids of the former dynasty into the harem or gave them to their subordinates.

The empress and concubines of Emperor Xian of Han followed him to his fiefdom, but Prince Qian's throne was not obtained by abdication, he broke into the capital!
"If that's the case, it's not bad." Concubine Zhou said in a low voice. Her complexion was much better, as if Prince Qian had entered the palace and they just had to move to a new place to live.

Empress Zhang glanced at her. This Concubine Zhou only had a good appearance and was born charming and frivolous, but she was empty-headed. She only knew how to flirt in front of the emperor all day long.

As he was speaking, a eunuch suddenly came to announce, "Your Majesty has summoned the Empress Dowager, Noble Consort Wu, Noble Consort Wu, and Noble Lady Zhou to the Qianqing Palace!"

The empress dowager asked, "Why didn't the emperor come to pay his respects to the old concubine today?" The emperor did not come to pay his respects to his elders every day, but today was different. Prince Qian had entered the city and everyone was about to move out of the palace. No one knew what would happen in the future. As the emperor, he should come to pay his respects to the old concubine, the retired emperor, and the empress dowager.

It is just daybreak and all officials are leaving the city to welcome Prince Qian. The emperor does not need to attend court as there is plenty of time.

"This...I don't know." The eunuch replied.

Empress Zhang suddenly noticed one thing. The three people her husband called were all favored concubines. Thinking of the thing she had been worried about, she couldn't help feeling afraid.

She took the three concubines and said goodbye to the old queen mother. After going outside, she immediately called Xia Shouzhong and said, "Go and get some trustworthy eunuchs to follow me."

Jia Yuanchun, who stayed in Fengzao Palace, also went back after sitting for a while, preparing to go back to her bedroom to pack up her things and leave the palace.

Half an hour later, an old concubine suddenly started yelling, "Are you blind?! Where are you all going? We are still here. Why don't you stay and serve us?!"

Qinghe looked outside and saw that most of the eunuchs and palace maids who had been standing outside the door waiting to be served were walking out.

One eunuch said in a sarcastic tone, "Prince Qian is about to enter the city. We should go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and wait to kneel before our new master. Don't be angry. We don't know who we will serve in the future. If we come back to serve you then, we will kowtow to you and apologize!"

He walked away while talking, he didn't look like he was going to apologize at all.

There were only three or five eunuchs and palace maids left outside the door, including Qinghe's personal maid Shuyu, but she did not kneel to welcome King Qian.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have treated them so well in the past. Now these lowly slaves have found an opportunity to show off to me!"

The old concubine jumped up in anger and kept cursing.

"Stop shouting, it gives me a headache." The old concubine said, and the concubine shut up in disappointment.

Another half hour passed, and as Qinghe and the others were waiting for Prince Qian to enter the palace and issue orders, a eunuch suddenly ran over in a panic, shouting, "Oh no! The Emperor is going to set himself on fire with the Empress and the concubines! Old Concubine Dowager, please go and take a look!"

"what?!"

Everyone in Fengzao Palace was horrified. The old concubine stood up anxiously, but then sat down again. Everyone rushed to see her.

Qinghe said anxiously: "Old Concubine, please sit down. Qinghe will go to see the emperor!"

Having said this, she hurried out, the tassels of the pearl hairpin on her head swaying constantly, losing the demeanor of a royal princess, and it was obvious that she was shocked.

Shuyu hurried to follow her, and just as she was about to leave, the eunuch who had brought the news pointed to the other side and said, "The emperor is in Changchun Palace!"

Qinghe turned around quickly.

"Why did the Emperor go to Changchun Palace?" Shuyu asked him. The eunuch replied, "There were many people in the Qianqing Palace earlier, and a group of people were watching the Emperor. Perhaps because he couldn't burn himself to death, the Emperor said he wanted to relax. When he arrived at Changchun Palace, the Emperor stood at the door, pretending to talk, and suddenly closed the door with several eunuchs!"

"You are so confused!"

Qinghe rarely blamed them.

I hurried to Changchun Palace and saw a group of eunuchs surrounding the palace gate. The palace wall was not very high and there was a ladder set up.

But when Qinghe looked up at the palace wall, he saw four or five eunuchs standing there, holding bamboo sticks in their hands, ready to hit anyone who went up to them.

"Is this how you are loyal to the Emperor? I, under the command of the old Concubine Dowager and the Queen Mother, order you to open the palace gates!"

Qinghe came to the palace wall and loudly questioned them.

The eunuch on the palace wall gritted his teeth and replied, "Seventeenth Princess, the empire is doomed, and the Emperor will be humiliated by that thief king. We have received Your Majesty's grace and trust in the past. How can we watch helplessly as the thieves break into the palace and take the Emperor prisoner? Princess, there is no need to say more. The Emperor is now in there with the Empress and the concubines. They are willing to sacrifice their lives for their country with the Emperor!"

Qinghe was the first one who didn't believe it, at least her sister-in-law wouldn't do that!

The eunuchs all shouted, "Quick, someone get on the wall! If the emperor dies, Prince Qian will kill everyone in the palace!"

A group of eunuchs and palace maids were extremely anxious, but they could not do anything about the people on the palace walls for the time being.

In the midst of the chaos, they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves and a rhythmic sound of footsteps in the distance. Everyone turned around and saw a tall and strong man riding on a black horse, leading two rows of fully armed soldiers, arriving at the gate of Changchun Palace.

The eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly made way and stood at the foot of the palace wall, bowing their heads.

Qinghe turned around and saw the man on horseback coming up to him. He looked her up and down as if he were staring at something he loved, and then he praised her, "It's a nice name."

At this moment, Qinghe was spinning.

This person wasn't complimenting her on her nice name, he was clearly complimenting her on her good looks!
(End of this chapter)