bookrandom Chapter 99 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wif
Chapter 99 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wif
After spending two days in Chuxiu Palace, aside from adapting to her current identity and learning the etiquette and rules of the harem from memory, Leyan did nothing else.
She stayed quietly in her little house, neither going out nor being visited by anyone.
This kind of treatment, like being an invisible nobody, is exactly what she likes best.
Unfortunately, peaceful days never last long, and the day of the final election soon arrived.
Inside the selection hall, a woman dressed in a crimson palace gown was resting with her eyes closed.
"Your Majesty, the Qianqing Palace says that His Majesty has gone out hunting, and the selection of concubines will be entirely in your hands."
The woman immediately opened her eyes at the eunuch's words.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with a complex mix of emotions that were hard to decipher.
"I understand, you can go down."
With a slight lift of her slender hand and a gentle tilt of her chin, the woman asked the palace maid beside her, "Let the young ladies-in-waiting enter the hall."
She straightened her posture, her slender hands brushing against her palace dress, looking down at the crowd with a hint of boredom.
Before long, dozens of young women entered the hall with graceful steps.
Le Yan blended in among them, completely inconspicuous.
"Your Highness, everyone has arrived."
The Imperial Concubine Song Xue'an looked at the group of beautiful and charming young women below, a barely perceptible trace of pity flashing in her eyes. She gently beckoned, and a palace maid presented her with a roster.
She looked at the names that had already been circled and marked them one by one.
"Daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue..."
"The daughter of the Duke of England..."
"The daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review..."
“ ...... ”
“Qian Leyan, daughter of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.”
With her head bowed, listening to the Imperial Concubine call out the names of the young ladies entering and leaving the palace one by one, Le Yan was initially quite calm. However, when the Imperial Concubine called out her name, she couldn't help but feel a sudden tightness in her chest, as if her heartbeat had stopped for a second.
She closed her eyes briefly before respectfully stepping forward, kneeling down, and accepting a crabapple blossom from the Imperial Concubine's servant.
Having accepted the flowers and left her name tag, she knew she would have to stay in the palace from now on.
With a sigh, Le Yan resigned herself to her fate.
She was about to step aside and wait, but was stopped by the Imperial Concubine at the head of the table.
"Raise your head and let me see you."
Song Xue'an had only glanced at her casually, not paying much attention to the daughter of a minor official, but that one glance was enough to make her freeze in place.
Why does this girl seem so pleasing to the eye to her?
Unable to resist, Song Xuean called out to the person.
Leyan obediently raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes wide and round, looking at the Imperial Concubine at the head of the table with a hint of curiosity.
She had never dared to raise her head before, but now the Imperial Concubine was telling her to, so she could finally see what the Imperial Concubine looked like.
She saw a beautiful woman in palace attire looking at her with kind eyes. Her cherry lips, naturally red without makeup, curved slightly into a smile as she nodded to her, as if greeting her.
Le Yan nodded subconsciously, but quickly lowered her head after realizing what she had done, feeling a pang of regret.
This is ancient times, the imperial palace, and the person sitting up there is a concubine!
Unlike in modern times, she can't be as unrestrained here anymore; she needs to learn her lesson.
Le Yan, filled with remorse, didn't notice the undisguised smile on Song Xue'an's face. She looked at the little girl who seemed to have been frightened by her, her eyes softening.
She gave a look to the head palace maid, Mu Jin, who immediately understood. Mu Jin quickly came to Le Yan, bowed slightly, and whispered, "Please come with me, Your Highness."
Filled with doubts, Leyan followed closely behind Mujin and arrived at a magnificent palace.
Outside the palace, she stood for a moment, tilted her head slightly to look at the plaque, and murmured aloud, "Changhua Palace?"
Hearing this, Mu Jin stopped and smiled as she introduced to Le Yan, "Your Highness, Changhua Palace is the residence of the Imperial Concubine. Seeing that you are close to her, the Imperial Concubine has arranged for you to live in a side hall. From now on, you can stay here with peace of mind."
Le Yan's eyes widened in surprise. Could this really be possible?
Not only did she not get to see the emperor during the imperial concubine selection, but before the selection was even over, she was brought to the imperial concubine's palace.
emmm ... ...
Le Yan fell into deep thought, then suddenly realized that her magical constitution might have come to this world with her again.
Thinking about her attractive physique and the current situation, Le Yan couldn't help but clench her hands.
She swallowed hard, feeling uneasy.
If the emperor was a tyrant, the imperial concubine shouldn't have been so audacious, right?
Filled with doubt and uncertainty, Le Yan stayed peacefully in a side hall of Changhua Palace.
Before Mu Jin was about to leave, she quickly called out to her, "Aunt Mu Jin, I have a maid named Hong Dou. I wonder if I could have her come and keep me company?"
Mu Jin smiled and nodded: "Of course, don't worry, Your Highness, someone will bring her over later."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Jin respectfully curtsied and withdrew, leaving Le Yan alone in the side hall.
Standing in the hall, she looked around, taking in the magnificent palace.
Even a small side hall was incredibly luxurious, with carved beams and painted rafters, adorned with pearls, and a subtle fragrance wafting from it.
Standing still, Le Yan searched her memory, trying to see if there was anything about the current imperial concubine.
But after a long search, nothing was found.
The original owner was confined at home for many years and had little contact with people, so how could he know anything about the outside world?
Le Yan had no choice but to give up.
It wasn't until Hongdou was brought over that Leyan learned some things about the Imperial Concubine through Hongdou's introduction.
“Miss, the Imperial Concubine’s given name is Song Xue’an. She is the only daughter of Marquis Weiwu. She entered the palace last year and is the only one of the noble ladies who entered the palace last year who is still alive.”
As she spoke, Hongdou's voice grew softer and softer.
Her eyes were slightly red, and disregarding the rules the headmistress had mentioned, she grabbed Leyan's hand with a nervous expression, "Miss, will we end up like those other noble ladies, killed by the Emperor...?"
Le Yan grasped her hand in return and comforted her, "No, no, don't be afraid."
In truth, she couldn't be sure either. After all, he was a tyrant who killed without hesitation, and if she wasn't careful, she might lose her life.
While inwardly grumbling, Le Yan noticed that Hong Dou's hands were icy cold, so she quickly changed the subject, "Hong Dou, from now on we'll be living in Consort Gui's Changhua Palace. We must be careful and not offend Consort Gui, understand?"
Hongdou's attention was instantly diverted, and she nodded vigorously, "Yes! Don't worry, Miss, Hongdou knows!"
Ever since the wet nurse left, she's been the only one by the young lady's side. She dares not make any mistakes, because if even she leaves the young lady, there will be no one to keep her company.
Hongdou looked determined, which made Leyan chuckle. She reached out and wiped away the tears on Hongdou's cheeks, teasing her with a smile, "Why don't you go wipe your face? You've cried like a little kitten."
"Oh my lady!"
Still immersed in protecting her mistress, Hongdou heard her mistress teasing her. She blushed, stomped her feet, and quickly ran out to wash her face.
Le Yan smiled as she watched her run out. Just as she was about to follow, she saw Mu Jin leading the way, followed by several palace maids and eunuchs, each carrying something in their hands, as they walked step by step toward the side hall.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has issued a decree."
Mu Jin gave a prompt, and Le Yan immediately knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
As the imperial concubine who was in charge of the six palaces, Song Xue'an, at the instruction of Emperor Kangning, issued an imperial edict to each of the selected ladies who had their names on the list.
"Qian Leyan, daughter of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, is hereby granted the title of a sixth-rank official and is granted residence in a side hall of the Changhua Palace. This is hereby decreed."
"Qian Changzai, accept the imperial decree."
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The harem system of the Da Ning Dynasty:
Empress (Superior Rank), Imperial Noble Consort (First Rank), Noble Consort (Second Rank), Virtuous and Virtuous Consort (Second Rank), Consort (Second Rank), Noble Consort (Third Rank), Consort (Third Rank), Noble Lady (Fourth Rank), Talented Lady (Fifth Rank), Attendant (Sixth Rank), Lady-in-Waiting (Seventh Rank), Lady-in-Waiting (Eighth Rank), Palace Attendant (Ninth Rank)