The queen's surname was Xie, and her maiden name was Huan. She was the same age as Ning Chen, only twenty years old, but she dressed too solemnly, looking dull and old-fashioned, which diminished her originally pretty face.
"What are you sisters talking about? I heard Sun Xiuyi laughing happily inside!" The Queen sat down on the phoenix chair with a warm look on her face.
"Your Majesty, please don't say that about me. It's true that Ye Wanrong is very lovely and I like her very much!" Sun Xiuyi covered her lips with a handkerchief, her phoenix eyes smiling.
The Queen only looked at Ye Jun at this moment and nodded slightly, "She is indeed a beauty. Suqin, give me the red agate bracelet and give it to Ye Wanrong."
"I thank the Queen for the reward." Ye Jun stood up and bowed generously.
After all, he was born into a noble family, so he naturally had a good sense of etiquette and was very calm and handsome.
After receiving the reward, I listened to some words of admonition from the Queen, which were about serving the Emperor well and having children for the Emperor. In short, they were all polite words.
Naturally, the Queen did not take Ye Jun seriously at the moment. She was just a woman forced upon her by the late Emperor.
If General Ye were still alive, he would be more cautious. But now General Ye has no military power and is only a fifth-rank military officer.
The most important ones are Concubine Shu, who gave birth to the eldest princess, and Concubine Wen, who is pregnant.
"I heard that the eldest princess cried several times last night. Is she not feeling well?" The queen looked concerned. "Although I have not given birth, as a legitimate mother, I still have to show some concern. Concubine Shu, please don't blame me for being nosy."
Being pressured by her stepmother, Concubine Shu dared not say anything. She gritted her teeth and replied with a sullen look.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Queen. It's been hot these days and the eldest princess has had some prickly heat and can't sleep well. I've asked the imperial physician to see her and he said it's unavoidable for children. He prescribed her some medicine and she's feeling much better now."
But she was unwilling to be suppressed, so she changed the subject and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is still young, and you will know these things after you give birth. Now that the Emperor has few children, it would be better if Your Majesty gave birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible."
"Of course, a legitimate son is different after all." The queen's face was indifferent. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. She was obviously not very happy.
She married Ning Chen at the age of sixteen, and had not been pregnant in four years of marriage. She also had only one child in the backyard, the eldest princess. This was enough for outsiders to criticize her as an unvirtuous woman.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been in a hurry to ask her mother's family to send Yang Cainu in.
After everyone chatted for a while, the queen took the concubines of rank five and above to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to the empress dowager.
Ye Jun, a Wanrong of the sixth rank, is not qualified, so she can leave on her own.
Not far from Fengqi Palace, next to a rockery, Ye Jun was stopped by Lady Li.
She was of the sixth rank and was not qualified to go to the Cining Palace.
"Today I have seen Ye Wanrong's clever words, but now that you have entered the palace, you should know what you can and cannot say. Today I will teach you, Yinhu, slap your mouth!"
Lady Li raised her chin and said to the senior palace maid beside her.
The palace maid responded and came forward. Nan Zhi panicked, but did not hesitate and stopped her.
"My Lady Li, you must not abuse private punishment in the palace, and you must not hurt the beauty of the concubines. Please be careful!"
"You little bitch, when will it be your turn to interrupt, Yinhu, Ye's insubordination, your words are disrespectful, beat me!"
With a crisp sound, the slap did not fall on Ye Jun's face, but actually hit the face of the palace maid named Yinhu.
"Even if I am wrong, it is not right for Lady Li to teach me. The Queen will take care of it, so you don't have to worry about it." Ye Jun calmly took out a handkerchief, wiped her hands, and handed it to Nan Zhi.
Lady Li was stunned at first, then her face turned red with anger. She pointed at Ye Jun and was so angry that she couldn't speak.
"It's hot outside. I can't stand the sun, so I'll take my leave now."
She was too lazy to get entangled with this person. After all, Lady Li was one level higher than her in rank. She was quick to act now and frightened the other person. If Lady Li reacted later and wanted to punish her with something else, she would not be able to escape.
The master and servant spoke in silence along the way and quickened their pace back to Yuxiu Pavilion.
Nan Zhi was terrified, but seeing that her master was calm, she didn't say anything. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived at the place.
"Silly girl, why are you worried?" Ye Jun laughed.
Huiyue came over confused, and then Nanzhi told her what happened during the greeting ceremony today. As expected, Huiyue was also frightened.
Lady Li is still in favor now, but she offended someone right at the beginning. What should she do
After all, the emperor obviously doesn't like his master very much. If he is persuaded by his own ear...
Looking at the two girls' changing expressions, Ye Jun took a sip of tea and quickly interrupted their wild thoughts.
"Alright, alright, what are you two afraid of? I was born into a military family, so I have a hot temper and am a bit bold. Isn't that normal?"
Nan Zhi and Hui Yue were still stunned. Ye Jun narrowed his eyes and continued.
"In the palace, Concubine Wen is well-educated and kind, Sun Xiuyi is lively and generous, Concubine Zhao is considerate and gentle, and Concubine Li is arrogant and domineering. They all have their own characteristics. As for me, a daughter of a general, I should be more fierce, so that the emperor will remember me, right?"
There must be a characteristic that is different from others in order to attract attention.
Besides, this was also done for the other concubines to see. Even though she didn't have a father, she was not without temper. This would prevent anyone from wanting to bully her in the future.
Moreover, before entering the palace, she had obtained some information that Lady Li's father, Lord Jin, was not capable himself, but one of his advisers was powerful.
This counselor seemed to be at odds with Lord Jin and had a grudge against him. Now he is not working hard. Recently, Gunzhou has encountered summer tides, and the handling of this time was not as good as last year.
I think this beautiful lady won't be able to maintain her family's favor for long, and it's too easy to use her as a sign.
The girls understood now, but were still worried.
After waiting for a whole day and still not hearing any news about Concubine Li going to Jiuchen Palace to complain, and the reward that the emperor should have given her after she had slept with him was also delivered, she finally felt relieved.
And tonight, the one who served him in bed was still not the two noble nieces, but Wu Wanrong.
The emperor clearly expressed his liking for Wu. On the second day, he bestowed the title of Yi on her and gave her a lot of rewards.
This was not surprising. Wu's family background was excellent. Her mother was the daughter of the head of Qingshan Academy, the number one academy in Nanqi. Most of the civil servants in the court came from Qingshan Academy. The Wu family was just the right thing for Ning Chen, who had just ascended the throne.
It was probably because the emperor's attitude was clear and it was a rare occasion for him to pay his respects, so Yi Wanrong was not embarrassed at all.
Ye Jun was also jealous. Isn't this just a case of comparing yourself to others and getting pissed off
Next it was Chen Baolin who went to bed first, followed by Yao Baolin. In the end the emperor still took the empress dowager's face into consideration.
After that, the emperor did not enter the harem for several days. It was not until June 15th that he went to Fengqi Palace according to the rules and visited Concubine Shu and Concubine Wen who was pregnant.
This also means that the days of newcomers coming on stage are coming to an end, and the emperor will not remember those newcomers who have low positions and no family background.