Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Upon hearing Cao Zhong's words, everyone in the hall was taken aback.

Chen Ruobing? Who is that?

Only Miaoyu, sitting in the first seat of the first row on the left, suddenly blushed.

She was sitting in the front, and with her bright and beautiful appearance, her unusual reaction naturally attracted attention.

Could this be Miaoyu's secular name?

As expected, facing everyone's scrutiny, Miaoyu hesitated for a few seconds before hastily standing up, walking to the center and kneeling down.

"This humble woman, Chen Ruobing, receives the imperial decree..."

She was originally the daughter of the Suzhou Textile Commissioner; her father's surname was Chen.

But she grew up in a nunnery at a very young age, so she didn't have a formal name at all.

Her parents used to call her "Yu'er".

That's right, in this era, the probability of Yu'er appearing is frighteningly high.

For example, Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu, and Lin Hongyu.

The character "Yu" in her Buddhist name, Miaoyu, may have originated from this.

She had no official name, and Miaoyu was also her Buddhist name.

For her, who did not want to be a nun for the rest of her life, a formal name was naturally necessary.

Ruobing was the name Jia Lian gave her.

I never imagined that my first public appearance would be in such a setting.

Cao Zhong glanced at the woman in front of him with some surprise, but after seeing her stunning beauty, he understood.

So he cleared his throat and loudly read out the contents of the imperial edict of investiture.

The high praise, described as "as beautiful as an orchid and as talented as a fairy," made even an old eunuch like him take another look at the woman below.

Then he smiled and said, "Consort Hua, please accept the decree."

After saying that, he added, "Because of the urgency, the Imperial Household Department has not yet had time to make the imperial seal and edict for the Empress."

"But Your Majesty, rest assured, once we return, this servant will urge the Imperial Household Department to manufacture it as soon as possible and send it to Your Majesty's palace."

Cao Zhong was just trying to make conversation, since everyone had seen that the imperial edict was issued on the spot.

In this situation, unless he could foresee the future, it would be impossible for him to prepare anything else.

Seeing Miaoyu's beauty and the fact that she had been bestowed the title of Consort Hua, he knew that her future status in the palace would not be low, so he gave her a smile in advance.

However, Miaoyu could not understand, and even if she did, she would not care about the goodwill shown by an old eunuch.

He accepted the imperial edict, didn't even glance at Cao Zhong, thanked the emperor, and then withdrew.

In her mind, she was still pondering Jia Lian's evaluation of her, as well as the weight and significance of the title of Consort Hua.

Cao Zhong's attempt to curry favor was met with a cold shoulder, leaving him with a slightly embarrassed expression.

However, he didn't have time to think about it, because Jia Lian was already waving at him.

It turned out that while he was announcing the imperial decree, Jia Lian had already written two more copies and whispered two sentences to him.

After understanding, he took down the imperial edict and temporarily placed it on a tray held by a ceremonial eunuch, then loudly proclaimed:

"Jia Tanchun and Jia Xichun, receive the imperial decree."

Uh……

For Grandmother Jia and others, Tan Chun receiving an official title was something they had expected.

This was a major event for the Jia family, and Jia Zheng and Lady Wang naturally dared not keep it from Grandmother Jia for long.

To their surprise, there was actually something to do with Xichun.

However, this was not entirely unexpected by Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, after all, that boy had always been so greedy!

Grandmother Jia could only sigh.

That's good. The Jia family has only four granddaughters in total across the two mansions, all of whom she raised herself.

Now, including Yuan Chun, everyone has entered the palace.

I don't know whether to be happy about my granddaughter's upbringing or to scold Jia Lian for being too greedy and not leaving her any.

On the other side, Xiangyun looked at Tanchun in disbelief.

Faced with Xiangyun's gaze, Tanchun felt as if torture was inflicted upon her, and dared not meet her eyes.

He could only lower his head and silently get up to receive the imperial decree.

Upon seeing this, Xiangyun quickly turned around to look at Xichun.

Fortunately, Xichun looked completely bewildered, clearly unaware of the situation beforehand.

Seeing Tan Chun and Xi Chun walk to the front and kneel down to receive the imperial decree, Xiang Yun couldn't help but feel surprised and suspicious.

If even Xichun is to be given a title by Brother Lian, then wouldn't that...?

After all, I'm not bad myself... Although I often go against him, he's always the one who bullies me first...

"Your Highness, Consort Lan, please accept the imperial decree."

"Your Highness, Consort Zhi, please accept the imperial decree."

Cao Zhong mechanically issued Jia Lian's imperial edict.

After Tan Chun and the other woman received the imperial decree and expressed their gratitude, Cao Zhong glanced at the women on his left and suddenly asked, "Where is Xiao Qinshi?"

All eyes in the hall immediately turned to Qin Keqing.

Faced with the gazes of so many elders, Qin Keqing's heart pounded.

I felt ashamed, yet I couldn't help but be moved.

Can I really do it too...?

But he didn't tell me beforehand that this was a surprise for me?

Although she was nervous, she obediently got up.

Cao Zhong said, "His Majesty has decreed that Consort Zhi is still young, and you are to live with her in Chuxiu Palace to take care of her."

Qin Keqing was taken aback, then immediately kowtowed: "This concubine accepts the decree."

When the others heard that Qin Keqing was to be sent to the palace to take care of Xichun, they immediately felt much relieved.

However, many people speculate that this was just a smokescreen by Jia Lian.

With Qin Shi's charming appearance, it would be strange if he wasn't tempted.

Now it's just a matter of using a trick to get the person into the palace first.

Daiyu naturally saw through it all, and subconsciously wanted to reach out and vent her dissatisfaction.

Jia Lian seized it beforehand.

Upon discovering that she had stopped working, he took one of her hands and placed it under her abdomen, while he wrote with only his other hand.

He is in a very good mood now.

The feeling of looking down at the girls below while arbitrarily bestowing titles upon them, and the fact that they not only don't refuse but also kowtow in gratitude, is truly quite peculiar.

Therefore, he wrote as if divinely inspired, and soon five more imperial edicts were issued.

Cao Zhong, the "tool man," still fulfilled his responsibilities:

"Xing Xiuyan, Shi Xiangyun, Xue Baoqin, Li Wen, and Li Qi, receive the imperial decree."

Everyone was numb.

Come on, the people sitting over there today, apart from Yingchun, are all the concubines he has his eye on!

Xiangyun was momentarily stunned when she heard her own name called.

She quickly looked at the expressions of the remaining sisters.

Sure enough, Baoqin and the three younger Li sisters all lowered their heads and silently got up immediately.

Xiuyan, on the other hand, reacted in a similar way, seemingly surprised, yet also shy.

I feel somewhat relieved.

Seeing that Baoqin and the other two had all gone downstairs.

Suppressing her embarrassment, she took Xiuyan's hand and whispered, "Sister Xiuyan, let's..."

"Um."

Looking at the row of women kneeling before him, each one more obedient and adorable than the last.

Even Cao Zhong had to admit that the beauty of these women from the Jia family was excessively high.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a land where dragons may lurk.

He made a casual remark and then continued to perform his duties.

"Your Highness, Consort Tian, ​​please accept the imperial decree."

"Your Highness, receive the imperial decree."

"Your Highness, receive the imperial decree."

"Your Highness, please accept the imperial decree."

"Your Highness, receive the imperial decree."

After reading through all five imperial edicts, Cao Zhong's mouth was dry.

He subconsciously turned to look at the table in front of Jia Lian, and thankfully, there seemed to be only one table there all alone.

Just as everyone was speculating about who Jia Lian would bestow titles upon in his final imperial edict.

Cao Zhong stepped forward, took the document, glanced at it, and then announced loudly, "Qingwen, receive the imperial decree."

No one, including Qingwen herself, expected that this final favor would fall upon her.

Faced with the envious and jealous looks from the other maids, Qingwen reacted quickly.

She moved with lightning speed, flashing past the pillar to the center of the hall, where she knelt down with a thud and kowtowed with a loud "thud".

Judging from the loudness, it was obvious that the force was not controlled.

Seeing her furrowed brows after she looked up, as if she wanted to rub them but didn't dare, many people almost burst out laughing.

"...

Er Qingwen is charming, clever, and graceful.

Having served me for many years, he has deeply comforted my heart.

Now, with the imperial seal and edict, she is hereby granted the title of Consort Qing.

You should be careful and refrain from speaking an angry word.

So be it.

"Your Majesty, I thank you! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!!"

Qingwen's voice was clear and high-pitched.

Like a serf who has been liberated for many years, she is determined to sing a song so that everyone can hear her heartfelt words.

Indeed, everyone in the hall could hear from her voice how excited and happy she was.

Grandmother Jia was most moved.

Who could have imagined that a maidservant I casually gave away years ago would have such a fortunate life?

Although she was happy for her, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but think of something else.

If we meet again in the future, I'm afraid I'll have to turn around and kowtow to her.

I wonder if, given this girl's personality, she'll catch me beforehand.

Jia Lian, who was above, saw Qingwen give him a grateful look after receiving the imperial edict, and a smile appeared in his eyes as well.

He bestowed the final reward upon Qingwen, not only because it was something she deserved.

After all, she was the first concubine in his own household.

It was only because he had become accustomed to her personal service over the years that he had kept her in the position of maid.

Secondly, her rank of concubine was also used to distinguish her from the rank of imperial consort.

Otherwise, all the women who are conferred titles tonight would be concubines, making the title of concubine seem worthless.

Even more so.

We also used Qingwen as an example.

Actually, there are still many rewards he wants to bestow tonight.

Ping'er, Xiangling, Yuanyang, Xiren...

However, this was limited by time and occasion, and also because it was not appropriate to bestow too many rewards at once.

It makes him seem too lecherous and immoral.

Giving Qingwen a title would give the other beauties who are also connected to him a clear expectation.

Although Qingwen was only granted the rank of concubine, the lowest rank among the women who were conferred titles tonight.

However, the noise it caused far exceeded that of most of the people before it.

Looking at Qingwen, who had become the object of desire for countless maids and palace women, Feng Jie finally couldn't help but say to Jia Lian:

"I know you like this girl, but there's no need to bestow such a high title upon her."

After that, when the old lady and other women saw her, they would kowtow to her.

Consorts and concubines, as imperial consorts with official titles and seals, were qualified to lead their own palaces.

Therefore, from the rank of concubine and above, all women of official rank outside the court were required to kneel and bow upon seeing them.

Sister Feng felt that Qingwen, being a maid, could simply be given a title like "Talented Lady" or "Beauty."

Even if they are important people, at least the proper order of things will not be disordered.

Conferring her the title of Imperial Concubine is going too far.

Jia Lian said, "What's wrong with kowtowing? I am the sovereign and father of all people, and my women are their elders."

Is it really so wrong for them to kowtow to their elders?

Jia Lian knew that Feng Jie had a deep-seated sense of hierarchy and looked down on people of servant origin.

Then let's fight fire with fire.

Although he doesn't usually like to use traditional moral principles to pressure people.

Seeing that Sister Feng was at a disadvantage, Daiyu quickly turned her head to speak up for her: "Sister Feng, why do you care about him?"

He's the emperor now. If he likes it, what's wrong with appointing him prime minister or general?

I think bestowing upon her the rank of concubine is too conservative.

Daiyu's humorous words clearly dispelled Fengjie's embarrassment.

She rolled her eyes at Jia Lian, then glanced back at Baochai, who was quietly sipping her tea beside her, before turning to Daiyu with a smile:

"You know what, there's one of us here who has the talent of a prime minister."

Who knows, one day what you said might come true.

Daiyu smiled and said, "Really? Then I'm really looking forward to it."

The first female prime minister in history—it's fascinating to think about.

"Hahaha……"

Sister Feng ended the matter completely with a laugh.

As the object of their teasing, Baochai merely glanced at them casually and said nothing.

Although she did not believe she truly possessed the talent of a prime minister.

But if Jia Lian needs her, she is willing to work hard to learn.

Because it was late, and seeing that Jia Lian had no further arrangements, Grandmother Jia and the others tactfully knelt and withdrew.

Baochai wanted to see Aunt Xue off out of the garden, but Aunt Xue stopped her.

"Now that you are a Noble Consort, how can I personally see you off? Go back now."

Serving the Emperor well is what you should be doing.

Seeing that Aunt Xue was adamant, Baochai could not disobey her. She could only tell her about Jia Lian's appointment of Xue Ke to serve as the head of the Commerce Department, and finally said that she would go back to see her when she had time the next day.

When Aunt Xue heard that Xue Ke had been granted an official title, although she was happy, she couldn't help but say, "Now that he has bestowed a title upon Ke'er, what about your brother...?"

Baochai immediately glared at her, and Aunt Xue quickly put on an apologetic expression.

It wasn't that Baochai suddenly became unfilial; rather, the mother and daughter had discussed this matter long ago and reached a consensus.

That means you cannot actively seek an official position for Xue Pan.

Because that could harm the Xue family, and it would also harm her.

She was naturally angry at Aunt Xue's unpredictable and fickle words.

They all knew Jia Lian's temper; he wouldn't even glance at someone he looked down on, let alone promote or give them important positions.

Didn't you see how Lady Wang asked Jia Baoyu for a reward in front of so many people, and he was refused?

At the very least, Aunt Xue's words were a sign of spoiling her son and making things difficult for her.

To put it bluntly, she was using the favor she had painstakingly maintained to fill the huge pit that was Xue Pan.

If Xue Pan were to affect her status, then the Xue family would truly be doomed.

Aunt Xue realized this as well, and after apologizing, she took her daughter's hand and whispered:

"You'll be busy going to the palace tomorrow, so you don't need to see me."

"If you're so kind, try to get him to come home with you when he's less busy, so the Xue family can shine. That would make your mother completely satisfied."

Baochai felt embarrassed upon hearing this.

But considering that Jia Lian treats his mother much better than he treats his brother.

In the past, when he visited my home, he would often praise the food there.

In that case, if he brings it up casually when he's in a good mood, it's not impossible for him to succeed.

"Yes, I'll try my best."

When her daughter agreed, Aunt Xue smiled from the bottom of her heart.

She gave her daughter a few more instructions on how to survive in the palace before leaving with Grandmother Jia and the others, satisfied.

The reason for not going through the back gate of the Grand View Garden.

Because Jia Lian was coming and would be staying overnight, the entire Grand View Garden was under martial law, and many gates were closed to traffic.

Therefore, since Aunt Xue did not want to make any special arrangements, she could only leave the Rongguo Mansion first and then turn back to Ningrong Back Street.

Even so, on her way back, Aunt Xue was stopped and questioned by the palace guards. (End of Chapter)