He had originally guessed that things would not be peaceful after returning to the palace. Sure enough, on the third day, when the emperor passed by the Imperial Garden, he met Zhang Cainu who was singing inside.
It was natural that I slept with him that night.
He is the first newcomer besides those with good family backgrounds.
After serving the emperor, he was promoted to Baolin.
When they paid their respects the next day, everyone saw the newcomer. How should I put it? In Ye Jun's words, she was a perfect little white flower.
It looks like you could scare people to tears if you spoke in a harsher tone.
I thought to myself, is this person taking the path of being 'weak and unable to take care of himself'
If you think about it carefully, there is really no such character in the harem nowadays.
If you talk about Yang, she is not weak but cowardly, restrained and petty; whereas Zhang handles the situation very well, making people feel that she is a dodder, but her behavior is generous and elegant.
"Since you have entered the palace, you must serve the emperor well, abide by the palace rules, follow etiquette, and give birth to children for the emperor as soon as possible."
The Queen gave a few words of instruction as usual, and then ordered Suqin to bring a gilded hairpin to Zhang as a reward.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly follow your instructions." Zhang Baolin knelt down and bowed deeply, showing great humility.
Her attitude naturally satisfied the Queen, but no one noticed the coldness in Zhang's eyes when she lowered her head.
"Stand up and take a seat." The queen waved her hand.
There aren't many people in the palace now, and the front hall of Fengqi Palace is spacious, so it's no problem for everyone to sit down. It wasn't so good during the time of the previous emperor, and concubines of lower ranks had to stand to pay their respects.
Whoever sleeps with the emperor is always the target, and Zhang was no exception. Yan Xiuyi was the first to speak.
"I heard that Zhang Baolin has a great voice and can sing songs beautifully. I love to listen to operas. Let's go to Hanlu Pavilion tomorrow and let him sing for me."
The Nine Concubines can call themselves "this palace", but Yan Xiuyi seldom calls herself that. It seems that she wants to make things difficult for her today.
Zhang raised her eyes and looked at her weakly, "Since Empress Xiuyi has given an order, I dare not disobey. However, I cannot sing this little song too much. If my voice is damaged, I will not be able to sing it for the emperor. If the emperor asks about it, I will not be able to explain it to him."
Tsk, she is not stupid after all, isn't this a perfect use of a small force to achieve a great result? Ye Jun quietly drank tea and watched the show, thinking that Zhang was not simple either.
"Oh, you dare to bring up the emperor. I underestimated you." Yan Xiuyi snorted coldly, "Since you can't sing more, then just sing a few words here for the sisters to hear."
The years of favor were certainly not in vain. It would be easy to target Baolin, who had no foundation.
Zhang's face turned pale and she bit her lip without responding.
"What? Could it be that the Queen can't stand listening to a single song you sing?" Li Wanrong snorted coldly.
This person is dependent on Yan Xiuyi, so naturally he joined in.
As for the queen, she was happy to see the concubines pinching each other, but she didn't care as long as they did not lose their sense of propriety.
Zhang was filled with hatred, but no one would help her, so she could only sing a short passage with a heart full of resentment.
"Yan Xiuyi and Yang Baolin are good at dancing, Yi Wanrong is good at poetry and calligraphy, Fang Cairen is good at playing the piano, and I also heard that Min Cairen is good at painting. Now Zhang Baolin is here who is good at music. With you in the harem, the emperor will not be lonely anymore." The queen said with a smile.
It sounds like a compliment, but if you think about it carefully, it is true that they serve the emperor, but they are not slaves trying to please the emperor. To say this makes them seem cheap.
But it's hard to refute the Queen's words. Could it be that you didn't enter the palace to make the Emperor happy
However, since we can't do anything about the queen, can't we find some other trouble
"I am only a little knowledgeable, and I don't deserve the praise from the Empress. Most of the women in the harem are from scholarly families, but it seems that only Lady Ye was born into a military family? Her whole demeanor is different from the others, so special. No wonder the Emperor is concerned about her and mentioned her to me yesterday."
Zhang Baolin replied with a smile, looking innocent and simple, and even pretended to be a little envious.
"I can't tell whether you are praising me or insulting me. What do you mean I am different from everyone else?" Ye Jun raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect this person to bump into him.
"I see how gentle and elegant the other sisters in the palace are, only Sister Ye is lively and enthusiastic." Zhang pursed her lips, a bit of shyness appeared on her face again, "When I was young, I was naughty and wanted to find a master to learn boxing and kicking. I failed at that time. Now that I see Sister Ye, I envy her very much."
"Ah, Madam Concubine Wen, look, you are mocking me again for being ignorant of literature and only knowing martial arts."
Ye Jun's beautiful eyes narrowed, her gaze was frighteningly cold, but there was a faint smile on her face.
Concubine Wen smiled, "Don't scare people with your temper. Zhang Baolin doesn't know about Lingxi Garden. Go ask Concubine Min later. When you speak in the palace, you should think about yourself first."
"I know I was wrong and did not mean to offend you. Please forgive me, Madam Ye!" Zhang stood up in fear and trepidation and bowed.
Ye Jun played with the teacup and ignored her.
The Queen narrowed her eyes and finally spoke, "Lady Ye has always been very straightforward. You should be more careful with your words and actions in the future. Everyone, please go away. The concubines and above will follow me to pay respects to the Queen Mother."
Everyone responded and left.
Outside Fengqi Palace, Zhang Baolin caught up with Ye Jun, bit his lips and bowed softly.
"I just offended you, my lady. It was an unintentional mistake. Please forgive me, my lady. Otherwise, I will be always worried and uneasy."
"Then you continue to be anxious." Ye Jun glanced at her.
The appearance of this little white flower is really disgusting.
Zhang was stunned. She never expected Ye Jun to be like this and felt embarrassed for a moment.
But after all, he had excellent acting skills and he returned to normal in an instant. His eyes suddenly turned red and a few tears fell.
"I know I am wrong, but my lady won't forgive me. I am really upset. What can I do to make my lady let me go?"
After he finished speaking, his legs went limp and he was about to kneel down.
Ye Jun's eyes darkened and he reached out to grab the person. Nan Zhi also reacted and quickly held the person.
This was still outside Fengqi Palace. If she was really asked to kneel down, that wouldn't work.
In the past, she was domineering, but that was because she was right and had a bad temper. She was not afraid of what others said. But today, she did not want to forgive Zhang, and Zhang's kneeling would make her seem unreasonable and really domineering.
"I never took you seriously in the first place, and what are you talking about letting you go? Who do you think you are that I should care about you?"
"There are so many people here today, but you chose to provoke me. Do you think I'm easy to bully because I don't have a father to support me?"
"If you want to step on me to climb up, you should first consider your own weight. Even if I don't have a father, I am from a marquis's family. Besides, after entering the palace, what family do I care about? If you want to step on me, go ask the emperor's opinion first!"
Ye Jun ruthlessly exposed Zhang's thoughts word by word, snorted coldly, and walked away.
Zhang Baolin was thrown to her maid, who was stunned.
Huatangxiugeshuo
The weather in spring is changeable, so everyone must pay attention to keeping warm. I caught a cold and had a fever today, and I’m really afraid of being arrested and quarantined (￣▽￣)