Huangming

Chapter 102 Favored Concubines Pursuing Personal Gain, and the Palace Guarding Justice

Huiluan Palace.

Snowflakes were falling heavily.

The palace where Consort Li resided was not cold.

Under the emperor's special instructions, her treatment was not much different from when Zhu Changluo was alive.

Despite being a cold palace, Huiluan Palace was not desolate because of the emperor's favor.

Inside the warm pavilion of the Huiluan Palace, a gilded charcoal brazier was crackling and sparking.

The eighth princess, Zhu Weiti, knelt before the rosewood table, wearing embroidered gold tiger-head shoes. The silver bells on her lotus-colored dress jingled with her movements.

She bit her cherry-pink lower lip, her chubby little hand gripping the bamboo pen, and wrote the crooked character "永" (yong, meaning eternal) on the rice paper. The two butterfly hairpins with tassels in her hair trembled and swayed.

"Look, Mother!"

The little girl suddenly tilted her head back, her nose still stained with ink, and her round almond-shaped eyes sparkled and curved into crescents.

The palace maid serving the ink hurriedly wiped the sweat from the princess's palms with a silk handkerchief, only to see the little princess suddenly extend her ink-stained index finger and draw a round little pig on the rice paper, exclaiming in her childish voice, "This is a snowball my royal brother gave me!"

Consort Li's eyes were filled with doting affection.

"You'd better study hard, or your brother won't want to play with you anymore."

The emperor doted on this beautiful little sister, often bestowing gifts upon her and even taking her to the inner training ground to practice martial arts.

Consort Li naturally cherished her daughter even more, as she was able to gain the emperor's favor.

Zhu Weiti nodded emphatically, her eyes as determined as if she were about to join the Party. She said in her childish voice, "My brother said I can recite the Three Character Classic now, so he took me to the Imperial Garden. I'm going to memorize it today!"

Consort Li was amused by this charming woman and breathed a sigh of relief.

Only when this old lady calmed down did she have time to do other things.

Just then, a eunuch walked in from outside the palace. He was Li Jinzhong, a confidant of Consort Li.

Li Jinzhong brushed the snow off his shoulders and stepped into the warm room.

"This servant pays homage to the Empress."

He lifted the front of his python robe, about to bow, but Consort Li quickly raised her hand to excuse him from the formalities.

"No need to be polite."

"Your Majesty, there is great news!" Li Jinzhong said with a fawning expression.

“Why are you still calling me Your Highness? I am merely a concubine.” Concubine Li frowned slightly.

In the Huiluan Palace, she no longer dared to be as arrogant as she had been when Zhu Changluo was there.

She usually dared not let the palace servants call her "Your Majesty".

Li Jinzhong's face was flushed with excitement as he said:
"The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs just delivered a message that His Majesty has specifically instructed the Ministry of Rites to discuss the title of Imperial Concubine Dowager! Now, addressing her as 'Your Majesty' is perfectly legitimate."

"Is this true?"

Consort Li still did not believe it.

Happiness comes too suddenly.

She thought she would only ever be a concubine, destined to live in the cold palace!
It seems His Majesty still remembers her!
His Majesty truly remembers her!
Zhu Weiti looked up at him with a bewildered expression, and the silver bells jingled as she turned her head.

She noticed that her mother's usually pale cheeks had suddenly turned a rosy hue, and even her pearl-embellished bodice was heaving violently, as if a canary was about to break through the brocade and fly away.

"Mother, is my brother coming?"

Consort Li shook her head and said, "It was your imperial brother who brought a gift for Mother."

Empress Dowager Yi, this gift is truly precious!

She turned to Li Jinzhong and asked, "Among the Six Bureaus and One Division, quite a few new palace maids have been brought in. Are there any pretty ones among them?"

Since the emperor had feelings for her, Consort Li naturally wanted to reciprocate.

All the beautiful women in the palace were sent to the Qianqing Palace!

"There are too few new palace maids, and not many of them are pretty."

Li Jinzhong was also very concerned about this matter, but unfortunately, the palace maids selected from the local areas had not yet been sent to the palace. Most of these newly recruited palace maids were from the vicinity of the capital.

As for why palace maids were selected, it was because when the emperor reorganized the inner court, he killed many people, including eunuchs and palace maids. Naturally, there was a need to fill the gaps.

"Can the Ministry of Rites begin preparations for the imperial concubine selection?" Consort Li suddenly asked.

Li Jinzhong nodded and said, "Officials both inside and outside the palace are very concerned about the selection of officials. The Ministry of Rites is probably already preparing to formulate the selection process, issue imperial edicts, and supervise the preliminary selections in various regions. I heard that some of the people from the Inner Palace Administration have already left the palace."

The talent show is a big deal.

Empresses and concubines were born from within it.

If one can gain the Empress's support, it will benefit both officials outside the capital and those inside the capital.

Undoubtedly, the talent show will also become part of the political game.

"Have the people outside keep an eye out for suitable women who are pretty and well-proportioned. If they can be selected during the imperial concubine selection, I will have a helper in the palace."

Upon learning that she would be nominated to be the Empress Dowager, Consort Li's spirits were rekindled.

The form of address also changed from "I" to "This Empress".

"Your Majesty, this is probably very difficult. We have no power or influence outside, and even if there are women of marriageable age, it is not our turn."

Li Jinzhong could only manage a wry smile.

The Ministry of Rites stipulated the conditions for women to participate in the selection, such as their background, age (usually 13-16 years old), and place of origin, excluding families of prostitutes, actors, servants, and laborers, and giving priority to the daughters of gentry and commoners.

Moreover, the attrition rate is extremely high.

Take the Wanli reign as an example.

The selection process began with an imperial edict from the Ministry of Rites: ordering all provinces to select virtuous women, with a three-month deadline for the preliminary selection.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, officials in various prefectures and counties immediately began the selection process. Local officials screened a total of 5000 people, eliminating the sick and weak during the journey to the capital, leaving approximately 2000 people.

Upon arriving at the Forbidden City, the Imperial Household Department would conduct further screenings, with eunuchs examining the physical appearance of the women to select 300 for entry into the palace.

These three hundred people cannot yet be considered as having entered the palace.

They also had to undergo training by the Six Bureaus, where female officers taught them etiquette and observed their temperaments, and in the end only 50 people were retained.

Not all of these fifty women could become imperial concubines.

During the Wanli era, Empress Dowager Li, as the final vetting and interviewer, selected nine women to be made concubines. Consort Zheng entered the palace at this time.

Of the five thousand people, only nine remained to become concubines or consorts.

How can we select eligible women in advance?

Unless the candidate is truly stunningly beautiful and happens to be seen by the emperor, she will not have the opportunity to be admitted to the palace.

Otherwise, if you follow the rules, no matter how beautiful it is, you still have to go through the procedures.

"That's fine!"

Li Xuanshi's newly aroused enthusiasm was immediately extinguished.

He was alone and helpless in the palace, and had no help outside the palace.

What's the point of all this fuss?
Let's just enjoy our retirement!
just
Before even turning thirty, he's already enjoying his retirement. How lonely that must be!

Just as Consort Li was lost in thought, a palace maid came to announce her arrival.

"Your Majesty, the palace maids from Cining Palace have arrived."

Cining Palace?
Consort Zheng?
Consort Li frowned slightly.

bother you for something.

She didn't show any reaction when she was in the Huiluan Palace, so why is she here now?

Consort Li looked at Li Jinzhong with suspicion and asked, "What happened at Cining Palace?"

Li Jinzhong's eyes darted around, and he immediately said, "I heard that Cui Wensheng and Zheng Yangxing have both been arrested and taken to the imperial prison. The Empress of Cining Palace must be very worried."

Upon hearing that this was troublesome, Consort Li immediately said, "Then I cannot see her."

Although Consort Li was not clever, she was definitely not stupid.

Friendly troops are in trouble and remain as motionless as a mountain.

Consort Zheng is in dire straits herself, so she must stay far away.

Having received a bribe from Consort Zheng, Li Jinzhong, seeing this situation, quickly advised from the side, "Your Majesty, why not listen to what the person has to say? If it's easy to do, then help; if it's difficult, then just send him away. Now Your Majesty is the Imperial Concubine Dowager, no less honorable than Consort Zheng."

After a moment's thought, Consort Li immediately nodded in agreement.

"What you say makes some sense, so let's meet him."

Consort Zheng was, after all, an old servant in the palace, and had previously offered her advice; she still had to give her some face.

Li Jinzhong immediately opened the palace door and went out to bring people in.

Suddenly, a gust of snowy wind swept in from outside the warm pavilion, causing sparks to fly wildly from the gilded charcoal brazier.

Zhu Weiti shrank her neck and snuggled into her mother's arms.

Consort Li gently patted her daughter's back, her palms tapping softly on the silver-red floral satin.

"Your Majesty, the person has been brought."

"Come in."

Before the words were finished, a solitary figure was revealed by lifting the gauze curtain.

Su Xin, the head maid of Consort Zheng, was wrapped in a gray squirrel fur cloak. She didn't even bother to brush the fine snowflakes from her hair as she entered the room and bowed deeply to the sandalwood table.

When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Consort Li leaning back arrogantly, the handkerchief in her sleeve almost twisted into a pretzel.

What's the air?
It's not yet in a state of obscurity.

Of course, the palace maid Su Xin had come to ask for a favor, and dared not show her emotions on her face.

"Greetings to the Consort."

Su Xin held the carved lacquer food box above her head; the twin lotus patterns engraved on the lid dazzled the eyes in the charcoal fire.

"Her Imperial Concubine has recently acquired some candied plums from Suzhou and has specially ordered me to deliver them to Your Highness for her to try."

Consort Li casually picked up a plum, and amber-colored frosting fell into the peacock-blue glazed plate.

Zhu Weiti tiptoed to reach for it, but her mother held her small hand down: "His Majesty just bestowed coconut sugar from Siam yesterday, so this plum is nothing special."

The palace maid frowned and had no choice but to put the food box down.

She crawled half a step on her knees and took out a brocade pouch from her sleeve.

The moment the golden thread knob was loosened, the charcoal fumes filling the room were suppressed by the lustrous glow of the South China Sea pearl.

"The Imperial Concubine said that there is still one bushel of South Sea pearls left from the gifts bestowed by the late Emperor, which is just right for the Consort to use."

When Consort Li's fingertips brushed against the South Sea pearl, her eyes suddenly lit up.

The love of jewelry is every woman's instinct.

She thought to herself: There are really a lot of good things in Consort Zheng's palace!
However, the weasel's New Year's greeting to the chicken was not a friendly gesture.

You think you can make her risk her life for a bushel of South Sea pearls?
Consort Zheng looked down on her too much.

Consort Li suddenly sat up straight and put the South Pearl back in its original position.

"Why did that person from Cining Palace summon you here?"

Su Xin sensed Li Xuanshi's displeasure and immediately said, "I only ask Your Majesty to help me find out why Cui Wensheng and my uncle were convicted."

"That's it."

Consort Li sighed and said, "I am merely a dying person residing in the Cold Palace. How can I be entrusted with such an important task? Go back and tell the Imperial Concubine that I cannot and dare not interfere in matters of the palace."

Upon hearing this, the palace maid Su Xin was about to speak when Consort Li directly said, "Show the guest out."

The palace maid Su Xin, her face flushed with anger, snorted coldly and got up to leave.

Once outside the Huiluan Palace, she could no longer contain herself. Filled with hatred, she turned to look at the palace gates and said, "Consort Li, your time to beg the Imperial Concubine will come!"

However, before Su Xin even returned to Cining Palace, she sensed people pointing and whispering about her, as if they were watching her as a joke.

That look made her frown. She immediately pulled a young eunuch over and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The young eunuch stammered, then said to those behind her, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is here!"

What Imperial Guards?

As Su Xin turned around, she saw Xu Xianchun, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, licking his dry lips and looking at the palace maid Su Xin with the eyes of someone eyeing prey. He said, "Palace maid Su Xin, you are involved in the major case of Cui Wensheng and Zheng Yangxing. Come with me to the Northern Garrison Command!"

(End of this chapter)