bookrebus Chapter 81 Newcomer
Chapter 81 Newcomer
Qin Liuse ignored these seemingly joking but actually teasing words. According to her own wishes, she hoped that all sisters could get some rain and dew.
As the saying goes, no flower stays in bloom forever, and everyone will fall out of favor one day.
Instead of fighting to the death, it is better to live in peace.
Hello everyone, this is really good.
But after she said this, no one would believe that she really meant it, so she just gave up.
Qin Liuse did not respond, and no one responded to the firecracker thrown by Concubine Xie, so the topic was quickly passed.
Defei and Li Chongyuan arrived late, not to put on airs, but because they had just returned to the harem after meeting Emperor Yongjia.
Having many children is the foundation of a country. Except for a few beauties selected from various places, most of the beauties participating in the beauty pageant were noble ladies from the families of powerful officials. Therefore, the beauty pageant was a state affair, so naturally the opinion of Emperor Yongjia had to be consulted.
Defei and Li Chongyuan assisted in managing the six palaces and went to discuss this matter with Emperor Yongjia.
According to the rules, the usual selection of concubines was managed by the Queen, with the Queen Mother assisting.
However, the former empress of Emperor Yongjia was ill. The last selection was managed by Concubine Dong Xian and Concubine Ning Shu. The Empress Dowager Cixi did not care about it, but the Empress Dowager Dong was happy to get involved and went there when the emperor was meeting her.
Now that Concubine Ning Shu is pregnant, she feels tired and cannot be busy, so she puts this matter aside and doesn't want to bother with it.
Emperor Yongjia intended to let Concubine Xiao De take charge this year, but Li Chongyuan's position was not high enough.
Concubine Xiao De smiled and said, "The emperor wants Concubine Qin to go and take a look, so that we can discuss it together."
Qin Liuse's eyes almost widened. She never expected that Emperor Yongjia would want her to get involved in this mess. No wonder Emperor Yongjia always had something else in his words when he was serving her yesterday. It turned out that he had assigned her a job here.
Not only Qin Liuse was shocked, but the other concubines present were also surprised. Qin Huaijin was pouting without any concealment, but the others who were of lower status than Qin Liuse were more restrained.
Xie Jieyu, who was a concubine like Qin Liuse, was somewhat reluctant. She didn't understand why Qin Liuse, who was also a concubine, could take care of this matter while she was just an idle person.
Could it be because Qin Liuse is an elder in the palace, and she was selected to enter the palace after Emperor Yongjia ascended the throne?
But if we talk about this, Concubine Xie was one of the first to enter the palace through the selection process, and she has become a concubine in less than a year, while Qin Liuse is an old lady and has only become a concubine after so many years.
In this regard, it is obvious that she was promoted faster, so why is it that she never gets any good things?
Although Xie Jieyu was unwilling, she had to grit her teeth and accept it. She only hoped to select a few more beauties to come in and step on Qin Liuse!
Qin Liuse could not help but hear the displeasure in Concubine Xie's words, but this matter was decided by Emperor Yongjia. If Concubine Xie had the ability, she could go and settle the score with Emperor Yongjia, or go to his bed and persuade him herself.
Qin Liuse pretended not to understand, and smiled as she took a candied fruit from the fruit plate and put it into her mouth.
"Sister, have a sip of water. This candied fruit was sent by Suhang. It's so sweet."
The person who was talking to Qin Liuse was Zhong Cairen.
Cairen Zhong and Qin Liuse participated in the selection together the year before last, and were both assigned to the Ninth Prince, and entered the palace together.
In Qin Liuse's previous life, during the few years he spent in the palace, the person he was best friends with was Cairen Zhong. The same is true in this life, and the relationship between the two is pretty good.
Qin Liuse joked, "I was raised in Suzhou and Hangzhou, so I am used to this sweet taste."
But she still accepted the tea, and the two of them started laughing as they talked.
As they stood up to leave after drinking tea, Zhong Cairen whispered in Qin Liuse's ear, "Sister, don't take it to heart. Concubine Xie is in the same palace with me, and she has always been so jealous of others. The emperor hasn't summoned her for a long time, so she must be getting impatient."
Qin Liuse nodded. At the moment, he was having a headache about the talent show and didn't say much.
Qin Liuse didn't know that she had offended many people unintentionally. She received the imperial edict in a daze, came out of Changxin Palace, and followed Concubine Xiao De and Li Chongyuan to Cining Palace.
Emperor Yongjia could not give orders to the Empress Dowager, so this time, this group of young people had to ask the Empress Dowager Dong in person whether she wanted to participate in the selection.
As expected, the Queen Mother Dong still likes to hold power.
She said with a smile, "I will not get involved in the beginning. I will just go through the motions when we meet the emperor in the end."
After that, he gave the three of them another lesson, earnestly teaching them how to choose women for Emperor Yongjia, "For women in the royal family, appearance is secondary, and family background is not important either. The most important thing is good moral character. Morality, appearance, speech and skills are the most important."
Qin Liuse nodded in agreement, but laughed in her heart. This sounded nice, and she clearly liked to be in charge of things, but she made it sound as if she were an idler.
To put it bluntly, talent shows are not much different from doing business in the private sector.
At the beginning, Qin Boyuan was afraid that his precious daughter would be chosen as a concubine of the old emperor, so he sent Qin Liuse in. By accident, she entered the Ninth Prince's Palace and became the new emperor's woman.
Qin Huaijin was extremely envious for a while, and when the new emperor held a beauty contest, he immediately sent his own daughter to him.
In the end, it's all about profit.
If Wei Lan hadn't had the support of the Empress Dowager Dong and wanted to take a shortcut, she would probably have been sent to the selection.
But to be selected for the imperial examination, one must start from the lowest level, being concubines and imperial court ladies. How could one climb up the ladder as quickly as following the path of the Empress Dowager Dong? Therefore, she completely despised this path.
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In the next few days, Qin Liuse followed Concubine Xiao Defei and Li Chongyuan, getting up early and going to the Shanggong Bureau to personally inquire and keep an eye on the concubines who were sent in.
To be able to meet the concubines of Emperor Yongjia and the Empress Dowager later on was already a great achievement.
Before this, there were many hurdles in front of them.
First the height, then the limbs and facial features, all are very particular. And the face also has its own rules.
She cannot be too tall or too short, and cannot have any strange smell on her body. Her mouth, nose, ears, and armpits must all be examined personally by the old aunt in the palace.
In addition, one must also pay attention to the face, and what is needed is a face that is suitable for both a husband and children.
But Qin Liuse didn't understand this aspect, it was all handled by the old aunt in the palace.
In addition to these, a physical examination was also required. The customs of this dynasty were relatively open-minded, and the emperors of the previous dynasty also took married widows into the palace as concubines or queens.
But those were all chosen by the emperor himself. If one wanted to become a concubine, one had to be a virgin.
So when the old aunt examined them, the little girls went in and came out with red faces, looking extremely embarrassed.
The old aunt was knowledgeable and explained the palace rules to them calmly, "Although all of you girls are nobles with family backgrounds, once you come to this palace and become the emperor's women, you will be treated equally, with the emperor as the most respected and your position as the most respected."
Qin Liuse watched from the side and thought that although it was said, it was not entirely true.
For example, Qin Huaijin, who was just a talented woman, dared to speak loudly in front of beautiful concubines like Xie Jieyu, just because she had a good father who was a popular figure in the court.
The same was true of Concubine Wen. Her father-in-law was the teacher of the prince of the previous dynasty, and Emperor Yongjia also respected him. So when Concubine Wen entered the palace, she dared to be jealous and go against Concubine Ning Shu, who was already a concubine at that time.
Another example is Concubine Zhang. She was already a Concubine, but because she was a maid born in the house of Concubine Meng and had worked as a servant before, even though she was pregnant with a dragon child, she always spoke a little softer than others.
All these factors, including identity, background, and the emperor's favor, are the basis for one to hold his head high in the harem.
Although the ladies who participated in the beauty pageant were young, they were not ignorant.
One person who wanted to bribe his father-in-law and aunt with silver was caught on the spot.
Qin Liuse thought that this man was stupid. Who would not choose a day to bribe others like this?
This is also the reason why Emperor Yongjia asked them to come and watch over her. After all, Concubine De is aloof, Li Chongyuan is materialistic, and Qin Liuse is not familiar with either of them.
They check and balance each other, and it is not easy to buy off all three of them.
Maybe someone had successfully entered the palace through bribery in the past, and this person had learned this skill, but it was obvious that this person was not well-informed and did not know that the current emperor had already replaced all the old people in the selection with his own people.
Not to mention that it's a piece of iron barrel, but it's not easy to buy it off.
The Empress Dowager Dong did not participate in the process before the audience with the emperor, but she could not let it go and sent Wei Lanxin to act as a spy.
When Wei Lanxin returns, she will probably report to the Empress Dowager Dong everything that happened that day.
There are so many beauties in the show and the things to do are numerous and complicated. Qin Liuse has never been so tired since she entered the palace.
When the four of them had free time, they would sit down in the pavilion with the best view in the courtyard.
Snacks and tea had already been placed on the stone table in the pavilion, and soft cushions were placed on the stone benches to prevent the concubines from catching cold.
Seriously speaking, it was really not in accordance with the rules for Wei Lanxin to appear here.
Firstly, she was just a guest in the palace, not a concubine; secondly, she was still a virgin. If she was the wife of a minister or a noble, they could still have a few words.
It’s nothing. If Qin Liuse were to say, sitting here would only add to the embarrassment.
But Wei Lanxin proved that statement very well. As long as she didn't feel ashamed, only people like Qin Liuse would feel ashamed for her.
Wei Lanxin didn't care at all, she seemed as comfortable as if she was already Emperor Yongjia's woman.
When Qin Liuse, Defei and Li Chongyuan were discussing the details of selecting palace maids, Wei Lanxin occasionally interjected a few words.
Wei Lanxin commented openly, "There are so many candidates in the selection, but why are there so many ugly ones? There are only a few who are really pleasing to the eye. The beauty of the several noble ladies who were selected is not even as good as those sent by the people."
Concubine Xiao De looked calm, "Appearance is secondary. Although appearance is one of the criteria, as long as it is not too bad, moral character is more important."
Concubine Xiao De was really just talking official language. Wei Lanxin covered her mouth and laughed, "Girls from ordinary families rely on their looks to win favor."
It is said that among the three people present, Concubine Xiao De was the only girl from an ordinary family, but she herself did not care about these things, so she did not look displeased when she heard it.
Li Chongyuan and Qin Liuse both came from powerful families. Li Chongyuan smiled and said, "Beauty is a rare commodity. Otherwise, why would you pick the flowers that are ready to be picked? Ordinary women are not to be mentioned. For women who want to enter the harem, they have to be considered comprehensively and in all aspects."
The conversation seemed to be nothing special, and just like Concubine Xiao Defei, she did not want to offend either side. However, it actually concealed Li Chongyuan's views on how noble ladies and common women were treated.
Although she seemed to be saying that beauty was as precious as pearls, she was actually emphasizing the comprehensive qualities of a noble lady, which ordinary women could never catch up with.
Qin Liuse curled her lips in her heart. She didn't really want to take sides, but she felt that Wei Lanxin was an eyesore. She looked like the previous queen. Did she really think she was the queen?
Qin Liuse couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Miss Wei is as beautiful as a flower, and is about the same age as these exquisite girls, but she knows more than them."
These words made Wei Lanxin want to get up and slap Qin Liuse in the face. There was a hint of anger in her eyes. Was he mocking her for knowing too much and not being as clean as the concubines?
But who told her that she was just a guest in the harem? In terms of status and family background, she could not compare with Qin Liuse. Even with the support of the Queen Mother Dong, she had to keep a low profile, especially now that a new person was coming.
Wei Lanxin endured it and said with a smile, "That's not right, Concubine. I just want to choose some good stuff for my brother the emperor. I think the most important thing is not the color, but the sincerity!"
What the hell, a guy who just wants to be a substitute for someone else is talking to her sincerely?
If Qin Liuse were to say, apart from the word "heart" in Wei Lanxin's name, there is no other heart in her.
Qin Liuse said with a smile, "Miss Wei not only looks like the late queen, but also has the same opinion."
Everyone knows that the late empress chose Emperor Yongjia as her husband when he was powerless. There is no one else like her who is so sincere.
Qin Liuse lifted the lid of the tea and said, "With someone like this who cares so much about the emperor, the late queen will rest in peace. Isn't it strange? I see that Miss Wei and the late queen are becoming more and more alike. Is this really destined by God?"
As he spoke, he raised his eyes to look at Wei Lanxin again, "Or did the late queen appear herself?"
Wei Lan felt frightened when she heard this, as if a shadow was covering her back in broad daylight.
Seeing Wei Lanxin's frightened look, Qin Liuse curled up the corners of her mouth and smiled.