When Xie Weixing learned that Su Liuyuan was going to the palace, he looked at her in surprise and asked him to take her there. Su Liuyuan thought for a while and nodded in agreement. With someone leading the way, she should take less detours.
The imperial palace of Nan Qi was different from Su Liuyuan's impression, with blue tiles and white walls, but it still exuded a majestic and intimidating look.
"Thank you, young master." When a father-in-law saw Xie Weixing, he bowed respectfully.
Xie Weixing nodded slightly and said to the father-in-law: "This is Miss Su that Concubine Qian wants to see. It is her first time to enter the palace, and she wants to trouble Eunuch De to show her the way."
"Young Master Xie is so polite. I am overjoyed to be able to serve Mr. Xie, Miss Su."
"Well, Miss Su, Wei Xing will be sent here." Xie Weixing turned to Su Liuyuan beside him.
"Thank you." Su Liuyuan slightly bent her knees to him and said.
Xie Weixing looked at Su Liuyuan with unclear meaning in his eyes: "After finishing the work at hand, I will pick you up."
Su Liuyuan was startled when he heard this and nodded casually.
"Miss Su, please come with me." While she was deep in thought, Xie Weixing had already left, and Eunuch De said to her respectfully, clasping her hands.
Su Liuyuan smiled: "Thank you for your service, Mr. De."
There are carved buildings and painted buildings everywhere, and the fragrance of flowers is everywhere. However, Su Liuyuan did not even look at these beautiful scenery. Such quality made Eunuch De, who led the way, secretly praise him. In recent times, the fifth young lady of the Su family who has not been seen has quickly become famous for being the number one in the flower club and having extraordinary swordsmanship. He originally thought that her reputation was just in vain, but now looking at her demeanor and grace, it turns out that she is not a thing in the pool.
After a while, the two came to a palace with three big gold characters "Qianqiu Palace" hanging high. Eunuch De turned to Su Liuyuan and said, "Miss Su, please wait a moment."
Su Liuyuan nodded.
Eunuch De walked up to a palace maid wearing a bun and whispered a few words to her. The palace maid looked up at Su Liuyuan and then turned around and went in.
"Miss Su, the empress is waiting for you. Please follow me into the palace." Not long after, the palace maid came out and said to Su Liuyuan who was standing at the door.
Su Liuyuan and the palace maid nodded briefly, then turned to Eunuch De and said, "Thank you, Eunuch De, for leading the way."
"It should be." Eunuch De lowered his head and replied softly.
The current concubine system in Southern Qi is somewhat similar to that of the early Tang Dynasty, with one concubine and three concubines. However, the titles of the three concubines were given casually by the emperor, so there were no fixed titles. Just like Su Liuqian, the emperor directly named her Concubine Qian. There are nine concubines under the three concubines, namely Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong and Chongyuan. There are twenty-seven concubines under the nine concubines, and eighty-one royal wives under the concubines. Under the imperial wives, there are also the ministers of palace, ministers of rituals, ministers of clothes, ministers of food, ministers of sleep, ministers of merit, etc., these plus Although there were not three thousand in total, there were still a hundred or so people.
The palace affairs some time ago caused people to panic, and there were many gossips among the concubines. However, on the cusp of such a storm, everyone was in danger, so they did not dare to talk casually. But who will be the next queen has become the most concerned issue among the concubines.
"Sister Qianfei, according to my opinion, the emperor treats you very well." Guo Jieyu, who wore a blue flower on her head, smiled flatteringly at Concubine Qian.
"Yes, what Sister Guo Jieyu said is absolutely right. In the last flower viewing party, the emperor did not bring anyone with him, but he brought sister Qianfei. It shows that he loves his sister very much." Zhaoyi raised her eyes slightly, He looked at Concubine Qian with a smile.
Another Xiuyuan, who was wearing a goose-yellow long-sleeved shirt, stood up and said in a voice: "Now that the queen has gone crazy, the emperor has not mentioned the matter of establishing another institution. My sister is also a lazy person. It must be cheap to do things like this. others!"
After Xiu Yuan finished speaking, everyone in the palace looked at Concubine Qian.
Concubine Qian, who was sitting in the upper seat, smiled lightly from beginning to end and did not interrupt. Seeing them all looking at him at this time, he could only say: "Thank you sisters for your concern. However, the emperor has his own ideas about this matter. Besides, the establishment of a queen is a major matter, and I can't do anything about it."
"It depends on whether you can do anything or not!" Xiuyuan felt a little resentful when she saw Concubine Qian being so tepid.
Concubine Qian glanced at Xiuyuan lightly, her eyes were like water, and her smile was charming: "Xiuyuan thinks that I have not done anything?"
Everyone was stunned and looked at each other. Xiuyuan was overjoyed: "Sister?!"
Concubine Qian sighed and shook her head.
"Sister... but because of that palace?" Zhaoyi turned to look to the southwest.
Concubine Qian smiled noncommittally.
"Hmph, you charming waiter!" Zhang Meiren, who had never spoken much, snorted coldly.
Concubine Qian frowned lightly and said: "Zhang Meiren should say less about these words in the future, so as not to put it in words."
Zhang Meiren bit her lower lip gently and lowered her head.
There was a trace of ridicule on Zhaoyi's face, but she quickly covered it up: "In my opinion, among so many sisters, no one can match my elder sister's looks. In terms of talent, even after five years, , my sister’s talent is unparalleled.”
"Sister Zhaoyi is right." Guo Jieyu quickly nodded in agreement.
Concubine Qian seemed to think of something when she heard this, and her face was filled with sadness. She shook her head and sighed: "It's a pity that beauty sometimes fades away, and black hair eventually turns to snow..."
At this time, a palace maid walked lightly to her ear and said a few words in a cute voice. Concubine Qian wiped away her sad face, showed a smile of interest, and nodded gently.
The maid turned around and left quickly.
"Have you all heard about the three talented women in the capital recently?" Concubine Qian suddenly asked.
Xiu Yi glared and said, "Of course I know something. Miss Wang's sword dance dominates the crowd, Lu's magical embroidery skills attract colorful butterflies, and what's even more surprising is the fifth sister from her natal family. His arithmetic skills are so superb that even Mr. Baili was astonished!"
"Sister, if you don't mention me, you have forgotten. I have only seen Miss Su San and Miss Su Si coming to see my sister, but I have never heard that there is a fifth miss in the Su family. Sister, when will you let us see her beauty?" Zhao Zhao Yi smiled quickly.
Concubine Qian also smiled: "Don't worry, she will be here soon."
Sure enough, as soon as Concubine Qian finished speaking, a long and sharp voice shouted: "Su Mansion's five thousand gold to enter the palace -"
The girls looked in surprise, only to see a pale figure walking slowly into the hall. Her light green skirt wrapped her jade-like skin, and the radiance behind her made her whole body radiant, making her small, unopened little face shine. His face became more and more eye-catching.
"Su Liuyuan, the fifth daughter of the Su Mansion, greets Concubine Qian. May Concubine Qian be blessed with peace and prosperity! Good luck to all of you!" She clasped her hands on her right waist, lowered her head and bent her knees slightly. Su Liuyuan stared at a certain point on the ground, her face expressionless. shouted expressively.
The way of saluting in this time and space is similar to what she remembers. Except for big gifts, people usually do this kind of common etiquette.
"Why is Liuyuan so unfamiliar? Get up quickly!" Concubine Qian stood up, walked down the jade steps, and helped Su Liuyuan up.
Xiu Yi came up to her, looked at her curiously, and said, "Look at how beautiful this little girl is!"
Zhaoyi also glanced at Su Liuyuan with sharp eyes and said with a smile: "Well, although she is not very similar to Sister Qianfei, she has a unique style."
"She does look pretty," Zhang Meiren turned her eyes, covered her lips and said with a smile, "But she is not as pretty as the two ladies Mingyu and Mingzhu."
Concubine Qian raised her eyebrows and said, "Mr. Zhang, don't you realize that Liuyuan and Mingyu Mingzhu have their own merits?" After that, she pulled Su Liuyuan to her seat, regardless of Meiren Zhang's answer.
Su Liuyuan was led by Concubine Qian to sit down obediently, and Concubine Qian said gently: "I haven't seen Liuyuan for a long time. When we meet again after so many days, you seem to have grown up a lot!"
"Liuyuan is already growing taller. I think it's normal for the empress to see big changes."
Concubine Qian nodded: "That's right. Is everything in the Su Mansion okay?" Since the palace coup, she has been worried about the safety of the Su Mansion. After all, her father had also been secretly involved. If the Su Mansion fell, then she Don't even think about being stable in this position.
"Everything is fine in the house."
"Well, that's good." No matter how close the two are, there are some topics that are difficult to bring up when outsiders are present.
Zhaoyi had always been close to Concubine Qian, so he naturally saw what was on her mind, stood up, and said with a smile: "It's been so long after sitting in my sister's palace. I have some important matters, so I'll leave my sister first." .”
Concubine Qian smiled slightly and nodded.
"Sister Zhaoyi, wait a minute—" Xiuyuan called out quickly upon seeing this, turned around, said goodbye to Concubine Qian, and followed her out.
Zhang Mei and Guo Jieyu looked at each other and stood up to say goodbye and leave.
Su Liuyuan and Qian Fei were the only two people left in the palace.
Su Liuyuan has been silent since saying goodbye. Concubine Qian didn't speak, and she had no intention of speaking first. Looking at the fifth sister who had her head lowered in front of her, Concubine Qian glanced at the two maids beside her, and the two of them immediately stepped back knowingly.
"What is brother doing recently?"
Su Liuyuan was slightly stunned. She did not expect that Su Huanqing would be the first person asked by Concubine Qian. She frowned slightly and said, "Liuyuan rarely sees him recently, so she doesn't know what eldest brother is doing."
"Oh?" Concubine Qian's eyes suddenly narrowed, and a sharp flash flashed through her eyes, "What has Liuyuan been doing recently?"
"Read some books to pass the time." Su Liuyuan had prepared these words early in the morning. It’s impossible to say that you’ve been busy practicing swordplay recently, right
Concubine Qian seemed to be very curious about her: "What books do you read?"
"Just some idle books."
"You will be a hairdresser next year. Did daddy say that he would find another wife for you?"
Su Liuyuan shook her head: "No."
"How about that?"
"Liu Yuan thinks that a woman can only recognize a few big characters. What's more, Liu Yuan prefers swordsmanship."
Concubine Qian flashed a hint of contempt and quickly covered it up: "I see, there are rumors that your swordsmanship is very strange. Where did you learn it?"
"It's like this. Liuyuan was playful one day and met a Taoist nun by chance. She said that I was destined, so she taught me some sword skills. In fact, they were all just showy. If Mr. Xie hadn't arrived in time that day, Liuyuan would have died. I can’t see my second sister anymore.” Su Liuyuan said with lingering fear.
Concubine Qian stared at her for a long time, then laughed slowly and said: "As a woman, you don't have to be so powerful. Just leave the killing to men. I'd better learn more knowledge in the future. Fortunately, you are good at arithmetic." , when I take charge of household affairs from now on, I will save a lot of twists and turns."
"Second sister is right." Su Liuyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Concubine Qian didn't go into details further.