Hearing the word "beauty", Madam Sun's smile slowly disappeared. She took the handkerchief brought by the maid and wiped her mouth, with understanding appearing in her eyes.
Li sat upright on the embroidery cushion, observing the emperor's words and expressions with all her heart. Although she was a little nervous, she continued, "... If the emperor doesn't have a close friend to serve him, it will inevitably be the fault of the textile factory. I know that you still have to make a decision on this matter, so after my brother gave me instructions, I didn't delay for a moment and came to see you."
That's quite honest.
But, was it the weaving bureau’s negligence
After Li's words fell, the old lady sneered slightly, her face darkened, and she said unhappily: "Whether the emperor needs people to serve him or not is not something we can interfere with? Brother Xu is so confused!"
"Mother," Li had anticipated Sun's reaction, smiled awkwardly, and whispered, "My brother has his own considerations... He said that it would be a hundred benefits for both the Cao family and the Li family, with no harm at all..."
"All benefits and no harm..." The old lady shook her head.
"What do you mean by 'no close person to serve'? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? Have you forgotten that the empresses in the harem are also accompanying the emperor on this tour?" Then she sighed, "When it comes to close people, who is better than Concubine Yi! If she caught the concubine's eye, it would be obvious whether the emperor would accept her or not."
Just a few days after Yunxiu was promoted, Cao Yin's family letter was delivered to Jiangning at full speed.
Long before, everyone in Cao's residence knew that Concubine Yi was the most favored concubine in the harem and the apple of the emperor's eye. They could only befriend her and must not offend her. When the ninth prince was having his third birthday and full moon, they entrusted the clansmen from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send generous gifts to the Yikun Palace. They were all exquisite little gadgets, which showed that the people who selected them had put a lot of thought into it.
Less than a year later, Concubine Yi was promoted to Imperial Concubine, which even surprised Sun, who had taken care of the emperor since he was a child.
My Imperial Concubine, to what extent are you favored
Yinger wrote to say that the most beautiful woman in the palace is Concubine Yi, and the Emperor loves her very much. During the Emperor's southern tour, Concubine Yi will also be present... The word "love" is enough to show her status in the Emperor's heart.
I heard that Imperial Concubine Yi is extremely beautiful, the most beautiful among all the ladies. With such a beautiful woman before her, how could the Emperor notice anyone else
Sun was not optimistic about her daughter-in-law's proposal, not because of the act of offering a beauty, but because she was worried that the emperor would not accept the beauty. After seeing the beautiful peony, how could other wild flowers catch the emperor's eye!
But according to Li's idea, everyone likes novelty, and the emperor is no exception.
"How can Concubine Yi be able to serve you well?" Seeing that the old lady was no longer angry, Li was relieved and persuaded her tactfully, "Mother, the climate and soil in the south of the Yangtze River are different from those in the capital. There is more elegance. Brother's vision will never be wrong. Wang is young and a Han woman. Who knows if she can compare with Concubine Gui?"
Li has always kept this thought in his heart.
No Manchu noble ladies could ever compare to the Han women that my brother had carefully found and nurtured. Those noble ladies only entered the palace and were given high positions because of their family background. They had been exposed to the wind and sun since childhood, so how could they be pretty
Even though she had lived a life of luxury in the palace for many years and her original appearance had improved to 70%, she was still not as good-looking as the delicate and frail beauty from the south of the Yangtze River.
Li thought to herself, everyone says Concubine Yi is beautiful, but I don't know how much of the flattery is just lies!
If the emperor saw the beauty his brother described, he might think that the imperial concubine was nothing special.
…
Li's elder brother, Li Xu, Cao Yin's brother-in-law, had been immersed in the Imperial Household Department for many years. At the beginning of the 23rd year, he had just been appointed as the general manager of Changchun Garden. Now he was in Suzhou, and was ordered by the emperor to select outstanding Suzhou embroidery for the Wanshou Festival.
Having seen all kinds of women, Li Xu's eyes naturally turned into picky. Just yesterday, when he passed by Jiangning, he sighed with his sister: "In the harem, only Concubine Yi and Concubine Liang can compare with Wang."
Although she had never met Wang, Li believed in her brother's judgment. At the same time, she felt that Li Xu was too modest.
He leaned over and whispered his guess to the old lady. She paused and smiled, "No matter how much you say, seeing is believing. How about this, your daughter-in-law will bring someone to see you. If you are satisfied, you can perfect the rules..."
It is true that it is easier to get things done if you have someone in the palace. If Wang is favored and is lucky enough to give birth to a prince, how much convenience will the Cao family and the Li family get
Just look at the increasingly powerful Guo Luoluo family today and you will understand!
There was also the former Defei and the former Uya clan… The Uya clan was also a bannerman family and had their time when they could call the wind and rain. Everyone knew what they relied on.
Perhaps because she was moved by what she heard, the old lady pondered for a while, her gloomy expression gradually relaxed, and finally she nodded.
******
After seeing off Concubine Wen, Yunxiu moved Yinzhen into the warm room. Feeling a little tired, after washing and bathing, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
She had a bizarre dream.
It's been a long time since I dreamed of anything, and this dream was really weird. The opening scene was the imperial study in the Qianqing Palace, Mingzhu bowed with a heavy face: "Your Majesty, Concubine Yi doesn't care about you at all, she just uses you, but you want the stars and not the moon... The king humiliates the minister, and I feel the same way, Your Majesty..."
Tong Guowei at the side echoed: "What kind of meaning does the Buddhist scriptures represent when presenting gifts for the Emperor's birthday? The funny thing is that the palace maid wrote it for him without anyone noticing, and then she took out the same casual dress she wore last year! Such a disrespectful act, but the Emperor still treats her like a jewel, how can I not stand it!"
She was actually being criticized by thousands of people, and then the scene changed to the Yikun Palace.
All those who had a grudge against her came together, all with questioning anger on their faces. Pingpin's face was the most ferocious, she kept repeating "how dare you", with deep hatred in her eyes, and she looked like she wanted to throw her to the ground.
Xipin screamed, "My Lady, don't think that you can rest easy just because the Emperor is protecting you. You are such a heartless and vicious woman for trampling on the Emperor's wishes like this! If the old ancestor were still alive, how could he allow such a vicious woman to stir up trouble? Instead, he would have banished you to the cold palace long ago!"
Even the noble lady Wu Ya, who had moved to Jingqi Pavilion and had not been seen for a long time, joined in the fun. She wiped her tears sadly and choked up, "The emperor was wise all his life, but he fell for my sister who is used to playing tricks on people. When my sister wakes up in the middle of the night, do you feel guilty and uneasy?"
Then, she dreamed of the emperor again—
The emperor was old, with deep wrinkles on his face, his chest rising and falling faintly, and his breathing as heavy as a bellows.
Still in Changchun Garden, still with the familiar bright yellow bed curtains, a series of princes were kneeling beside the couch, looking extremely sad.
The Prince of Yong who stood by his side was replaced by the grown-up Crown Prince, and the admonition that "Concubine Yi is arrogant and disrespectful" disappeared. Yun Xiu knelt at the front, with no expression of sadness or joy, and only the old man's low question echoed in the bedroom: "Xiu Xiu... After all these years, do you really care about me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked up in horror.
She remained silent. The emperor was silent for a long time, then burst into laughter. He closed his eyes and said three good words repeatedly: "This life, it was my wishful thinking."
He actually used the word "I", and the sadness contained in it is very moving.
"Pass on my decree, conferring the title of Imperial Concubine to Concubine Yi... She will accompany me for the rest of her life and be buried with me in the imperial mausoleum." He no longer looked at her, as if he had used up all his strength, panting and saying, "When the new emperor ascends the throne, you must not disobey!"
…
The night was deep and the dusk was deepening. Yun Xiu was awakened by the word "buried together".
She was half frightened and half amused. How could she have such a dream
After finally escaping a miserable end, what kind of ending is this
After waking up, she was not sleepy at all. She half-opened her eyes, turned over, and breathed lightly. Her heart was filled with complicated emotions.
It is said that what you think about during the day you will dream about at night. The imperial edict promoting Yunxiu to a noble concubine disturbed Yunxiu's originally calm heart, shattered the silver mirror-like surface of the water, and stirred up waves.
To say I wasn't touched would be a lie.
The Grand Empress Dowager summoned her and said, "The Emperor couldn't wait any longer, and now his wish has finally come true"... His wish has finally come true. Did the Emperor already have his mind on registering her as a royal concubine
Dreams and reality are two completely different people. At this moment, Yun Xiu will no longer confuse them, because now, the emperor is really good to her.
Even though favor has a time limit, as short-lived as the tide, coming and going quickly, this cannot deny the fact that the emperor cared about her; Yun Xiu thought, she must not deceive herself.
Compared to the emperor's actions, I used to be a little careless...
After thinking endlessly for a long time and still not falling asleep, Concubine Yi couldn't help but recall the strange dream again. She thought to herself that if this was a sign from heaven, she would have to take back the Buddhist scriptures that she had presented on the emperor's birthday last year.
The situation of being criticized by thousands of people was too absurd, and the decree from Changchun Garden was too shocking. Seeing that the prince was about to ascend the throne, the positions of noble concubine and even imperial noble concubine were gradually approaching and could be reached in the blink of an eye, but it was cut off by the word "buried with the prince". No one could bear it.
How could it be possible that years of planning would fail at the last moment
In order to avoid being discovered, should she... also respond more and show more that she cares for the emperor
Because he had something on his mind, Yunxiu fell into a deep sleep when a ray of light came through the window near dawn.
At noon, when Ruizhu came to serve with warm water, she found that her mistress was not in good spirits, leaning on the pillow and drowsy, looking quite listless. She immediately became worried: "Did the mistress catch a cold yesterday? Do you want me to call the imperial physician?"
"How can the imperial physician be of any use? He can't cure my heart disease." Yun Xiu rubbed his temples, jokingly said, and then tiredly ordered, "I won't see any guests today. Go make me a cup of strong tea."
Yun Xiu only said the word "heart disease" casually, but Nanny Dong and the others took it seriously. Their expressions suddenly changed, and they became more and more worried. After thinking about it, they winked at Zhang Youde, the chief steward of Yikun Palace, who was on standby. Zhang Youde understood and hurried away.
Qianqing Palace, Imperial Study.
"Heart disease?!" Kangxi frowned tightly, put down his red brush in an instant, and said in a deep voice, "Get up."
When the emperor came, Yunxiu was propping up her cheek with her eyes closed and resting.
She was shocked to hear the announcement from outside. Before she could even stand up to greet him, she heard Kangxi scolding the palace servants in anger: "How do you serve your queen? You didn't even ask the imperial physician for help when she was sick! Come here, give each of you five strokes of the cane..."
"Your Majesty!" Yun Xiu choked and hurriedly stopped him, "I am not sick."
She paused and said slowly, "I just miss you... and look forward to your coming."