Dreams of Qing surround Jade Pool 142 Entering the palace gate is like entering the sea (above) Confused and mixed up
The wedding of the king's concubine has its own rules, solemn and festive, but after all, it is a concubine, everything must be lower than the main wife, compared to the grandeur of Yunzhu's big wedding, naturally lost a lot of color. The Wulana family knew that the emperor did not intend to attend the wedding ceremony, disappointed, but did not know that if the wedding banquet was held in the palace, even the noble concubine Xilu would not appear.
Just a concubine.
Yunzhu, as the hostess, made a few appearances to entertain the female guests. She was elegant and refined, with a warm and gentle expression, her words slightly joyful. Those who came to mock her watched her from her entrance to her exit, from her attire to her behavior, but after careful observation, they couldn't find any stiffness or impatience about her. She seemed completely at ease, as if she were not attending the ceremony of her husband taking a concubine.
Compared to Yunzhu's calm and composed demeanor, Gaolüwei was like an ant on a hot pot, restless and anxious. She wanted to go out and scold the Ula Nara clan, venting her anger and frustration, but no matter how much face she had gained in front of Qianlong and Xiande, she was not allowed to appear at such a grand occasion with Hongli and Yunzhu.
The next morning, Yunzhu ordered Mingxin to go to Yulou Garden and tell Ulanara to perform the tea ceremony again tomorrow. Gaolüwei lived in Jinfeng Garden, not far from Yulou Garden, and Mingxin's message soon reached her ears, filling her with jealousy. Since learning that her body was too damaged to bear children, she had become particularly concerned about her status and face. Ulanara was a side concubine who had been formally married into the imperial family and came from a higher social class than her, which already made Gaolüwei extremely jealous. The fact that the concubine had given her such a respectful and considerate treatment made Gaolüwei resentful to the point of hatred, watching with envy as Hongli led Ulanara, dressed in the formal attire of an imperial son's side concubine, to pay respects to the emperor and Empress Xi.
Can't help but smash a few things to vent.
The old lady looked at the master sitting sideways on the couch, her small face pale with anger, and sighed silently. The situation was stronger than the person, ah, the master had obtained the position of Ce Fujun, but the price paid was too heavy, and it was possible that she would never have children of her own for a lifetime. "Master, why bother to be angry about this, haven't we already taken action? Let's tolerate her glory for now, and later they won't dare to disrespect the master."
It's the same with a hen that can't lay eggs, no matter how beautiful it is, it's useless. Gao Lüwei thought of those hidden tricks she had set up, and her heart finally didn't feel so uncomfortable, but there was still some resentment on her face: "I only regret that I spent so much effort and paid such a high price for the position of Cifu Jun, but she got it so easily."
"This is a matter of fate, and no one can choose it. However, the path in this world is walked by people themselves. To put it simply, just look at the current Empress Dowager and you will understand. The former Emperor's beloved Empress Xiaojing and the current Emperor's favored Imperial Noble Consort Dunshu, how did they end up? Everyone understands the principle, but how many can succeed? Alas."
"The old lady said that the emperor did not attend this wedding, and even Consort Xī only made an appearance once. This new imperial concubine was able to enter the palace because of Empress Dowager's face, but now that several years have passed, their relationship has faded. Qing'e brought over a newly-made golden hundred-butterfly cloud-patterned flag dress with a fragrance sachet, 'Master, try on this new flag dress and see if it fits.'"
This is the new dress prepared for Ulanara's entry tea ceremony. She can't lose to her in terms of momentum, after all, she is the first secondary wife of the master. Gao Lüwei heard what Song and Qing said and turned over her mood, stood up to try on the clothes, and smiled at herself in the mirror, "Not bad, thank you for your hard work."
Qing'e's skills in the women's quarters have improved significantly over the past two years. Gao Lüwei couldn't help but think of Cui Juan and Lai Yue, who were equally capable but had already passed away. Although she now had a trustworthy Dongmei, Dongmei was too honest and could only serve her in terms of food, clothing, and daily life, offering no assistance whatsoever in gathering information or providing strategic advice.
"Matched with the newly delivered palace decorations, it would look even better. The exquisite style is not inferior to those made domestically."
It's not that she can't afford it, but the inner court jewelry that Consort Shu gets every year is not much, and compared to others, it's just ordinary goods. The high-end ones are not available to her. Gao Lü Mi suddenly lost interest again. Qing Wei looked at her carefully, "Master?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired, you go down first." She also knew that her mindset was not good, but thinking about the possibility of not having children for ten years, or even a lifetime, made her anxious. The future is too far away, will she still be radiant in the future? Can she still occupy a stable position in this mansion? Or can she still have the same beautiful color and vibrant life as now in ten years?
No one can give her a guarantee.
She can now rely on the "life-saving grace" she has shown to her father and Fu Jun, as well as the fact that her mother is a trusted minister of the emperor. However, as for how much of this "life-saving grace" is real and how much is fake, she knows it, Wang Ye and Fu Jun also know it, and she can't just assume she's in the right because of this one thing and waste this emotional connection.
But she deeply resented Fucha Fulina and Su Bao Rou, who had forced her to this point. However, towards Fucha Yunzhu, the legitimate wife, she also held a grudge. Without her, her own life wouldn't be so hopeless. If only she didn't exist...
According to the original plan, she would join forces with Ulanara and make the legitimate Fu Jin lose favor or disappear, so that she could gain Grandfather's favor. She had thought about this more than once. However, even if Fu Jin were gone, Grandfather's treatment of her was not much better than his treatment of Fucha Rulin and Su Bao Rou, and now there was also the addition of Jin Shi. Moreover, even if the legitimate Fu Jin lost favor or passed away, she would not gain much benefit; she could neither have children nor become the next Fu Jin, so why bother to make an effort that would only allow Ulanara, another concubine, to gain the upper hand and suppress her?!
She's not stupid enough to make clothes for others to wear. She can't even bear the thought of Ula Nara being more favored than herself now, let alone letting her become the future Empress or Queen and having to kowtow to her. Humph, absolutely impossible.
You need to wait for the right moment, and this moment won't come until at least ten years later. Before that, you should eliminate any possibility of Ulanara's rise to power, and if there's a chance to make Fuheng lose favor, you can take action. Another thing is that you can adopt a child first, so even if you're old and can't have children, you'll still have someone to rely on. If you do have your own children, the adopted one can divert attention from them, become an assistant to your own children, and give you a loving impression in front of the emperor, making him think of the child you lost... Maybe because of this child, you can even take their birth mother as an assistant, just like how the current Empress and Consort Yu were during their time.
……
Gao Lüwei suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart once again at Jinfengyuan, planning for the future path ahead. The women in the other courtyards of Qianxi's estate were also contemplating which side to stand on from now on.
Ulanara has the foundation left by Empress Dowager, and also comes from a large Manchu clan. Although her father's and brother's relatives in the court are not as powerful as those of the legitimate Fu Jin, they still have the Cheng'en Gongfu... Moreover, the new concubine Fu Jin's beautiful appearance will inevitably take away some of the emperor's love and favor, even if she is currently inferior to Fu Jin, it is hard to guarantee that she will not rise in the future. Should I get along with her?
The best attitude is no attitude, just live your own life.
Fu Cha. Fu Ling Ah stroked her bulging belly, smiling faintly. As long as the mistress remained stable in that position, she didn't need to consider so much. With a legitimate son, there was room for others too. Such a mistress was a good thing for someone like her. The master was still young now, it was too early to worry about other things...
Su Bao Rou was thinking about the relationship between Xi Gui Fei and the late Empress Xiao Jing, with a son who might inherit the throne, would Xi Gui Fei be willing to submit to Empress Xiao Jing? And Empress Xiao Jing was probably also guarding against Xi Gui Fei, although she was the birth mother, after all not as good as the biological mother. The childless empress, the concubine with a son, the first person under the empress, too threatening, how could she not be on guard? Maybe, she even wanted to get rid of future troubles!
It seems that it's better to keep a distance from this new concubine for now. Anyway, I'm not a sociable person, so it's more important to focus on having a healthy pregnancy and giving birth to a son. Thinking about her frail and weak daughter, her brow furrowed in concern. Even the triplet sons born to Concubine Fu were lively and adorable, but this daughter's existence was like a sign that she wasn't good at raising children. Heaven knows how much care and attention she had given her, scolding the servants, consulting doctors, and feeding her medicine... she had taken care of her with the same devotion as serving her ancestors! Every time she heard her crying, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. But whenever she thought about Madam Gao's cold and mocking gaze fixed on her belly, she couldn't help but worry.
She is now extremely clear about the rules of the palace and her ancestors. As a princess, unless the king and queen allow it, she does not have the qualifications to raise children. If there is an imperial prince in her belly, the king will take precedence and think that he cannot raise children himself. With the face given by the king and queen, Gaoliang will speak out and ask to adopt the child, what can she do?! The king and queen may agree.
However, the assassination incident at the beginning was clear to Gao's family, her and Fuca's family. The three of them were not only unlikely to get along peacefully, but also had a life-and-death feud. At that time, it was for the sake of seizing the opportunity to survive, in order to eliminate their opponents, so she and Fuca's family coincidentally chose Gao, who was pregnant and inconvenient to move, to block the fatal blow... Only unexpectedly, in the end, they ended up helping her, rushing to be sealed as Ce Furen, at the cost of losing the fetus in her belly and possibly never being able to get pregnant again.
How could Gao's family not hate her? How could they truly want to raise their own child? Is she seeking revenge, revenge against herself and Fucha...
The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. Although Wan Guifen is a good person and has been loyal to me in her daily life, she hasn't reached the point where I can entrust my life to her. I don't dare let her do anything that involves my plans, because no one can guarantee what will happen after she leaves. Xiangyun is clever but not very steady, so I can only ask her to take care of my daughter and give her more experience... As for the new palace maids and eunuchs who have just arrived, I asked Wan Guifen and Xiangyun to investigate them, but all they found out was that their families were clean and there was nothing suspicious about them. This is obviously impossible - Fu Jin must have planted spies among them, and Gao Shi and Fu Cha Shi are not easy to deal with either. She even suspects that the few informants who were discovered by her earlier and chased away were intentionally placed there to cover up the real spies.
Everything has to be thought of by oneself, there is no reliable helper, and one must always guard against others' schemes... Living in this palace is too tiring for me!
But this life still has to go on, for myself, for the Su family.
Although the tea ceremony was postponed to the second day, Wu Lanara went to Qianqing Palace to pay respects to the Emperor, then to Chengqian Palace to visit Empress Xi and also met with Concubine Qi and Concubine Yu. Upon returning, she was exhausted, but her worn-out clothes couldn't stop others from visiting her.
She wanted to spend time with Hongli, after all it was their honeymoon and he had three days off for the wedding, but as soon as Hongli came back, he told her to rest well by herself in the outer study room, what could she say?
She was exhausted from preparing for the wedding, the nuptial chamber last night and walking around to pay respects today. After dealing with the neighbors, the Gao family, who came to ask after her well-being, two pregnant women, Fu Cha and Su, arrived. Unlike the Gao family, who were easy to get rid of, these two women were not so easily dismissed, their gentle words and affectionate attitudes making her impatient... The conversation even went on until dinner time.
"Alright, after hastily having some porridge, she can finally rest now? Coriander and Jincheng have arrived."
One looked gentle and kind, but was actually quiet and calculating, the other was elegant and beautiful, with a face that would only improve with age, yet had a lively and lovely personality... After seeing them off, Wu Lala Ni Mengyi lay down on the couch, unable to muster up any energy.
"It's not a fuel-efficient lamp, after all!" She muttered to herself, and unexpectedly chose the same method to torment herself. Was it because she gave them a sense of threat? Or was this due to the instructions from Fugui?
"It's just jealousy, Master. Don't mind it." Xian'er came over to help her massage her shoulders and legs.
She could naturally see that, but it would be terrible if they all had hostile intentions towards themselves. "Are the clothes and decorations for tomorrow's tea ceremony ready?"
"Ready."
"Hmm, I'll take a rest and wait for the king to arrive and call me." Ula Nara was soon asleep under Shanhai Yexing's gentle massage.
"Yes."
The author has something to say: The following is the main text:
The wedding of the king's concubine has its own rules, solemn and festive, but after all, it is a concubine, everything must be lower than the main wife, compared to the grandeur of Yunzhu's big wedding, naturally lost a lot of color. The Ula Nara family knew that the emperor did not intend to attend the wedding ceremony, disappointed, but did not know that if the wedding banquet was held in the palace, even Concubine Lianxi would not appear.
Just a concubine.
Yunzhu, as the hostess, made a few appearances to entertain the female guests. She was elegant and refined, with a warm and gentle demeanor. Her words were laced with joy, and those who came to mock her found themselves unable to detect even a hint of stiffness or impatience from her appearance to her departure, from her attire to her behavior. She seemed completely at ease, as if she were not attending the ceremony for her husband's concubine.
Compared to Yunzhu's calm and elegant demeanor, Gaolüwei was like an ant on a hot pot, restless and anxious. She wanted to go out and scold the Ula Nara clan, venting her anger and frustration, but no matter how much face she had gained in front of Qianlong and Xiande, she was not allowed to appear at such a grand occasion with Hongli and Yunzhu.
The next morning, Yunzhu ordered Mingxin to go to Yuluo Hall and tell Ulanara to perform the tea ceremony again tomorrow. Gaolüwei lived in Jinfeng Hall, which was not far from Yuluo Hall, and Mingxin's message soon reached her ears, filling her with jealousy. Since learning that her body was too damaged to bear children, she had become particularly concerned about her status and face. Ulanara was a side consort who had been welcomed into the palace after a grand wedding ceremony, and her higher birth made Gaolüwei even more jealous. The fact that the consort was showing her such favor and respect made Gaolüwei resentful to the point of hatred, watching with envy as Hongli led Ulanara, dressed in the attire of a imperial prince's side consort, to pay respects to the emperor and Empress Xiaosheng.
Can't help but smash a few things to vent.
The old lady looked at the master sitting sideways on the couch, her small face pale with anger, and sighed silently. The situation was stronger than the person, the master had obtained the position of Ce Fu Jun, but the price paid was too heavy, and it was possible that she would never have children of her own for a lifetime. "Master, why bother to be angry about this, haven't we already taken action? Let's tolerate her glory for now, later they won't dare to disrespect you."
It's the same with a hen that can't lay eggs, no matter how beautiful it is, it's useless. Gao Lüwei thought of those hidden tricks she had set up, and her heart finally didn't feel so uncomfortable, but there was still some resentment on her face: "I only regret that I spent so much effort and paid such a great price for the position of Cefu Jun, but she got it so easily."
"This is a matter of fate, and no one can choose it. However, the path in this world is walked by people themselves. To put it simply, just look at the current Empress Dowager and you will understand. The former Emperor's beloved Empress Xiaojing and the current Emperor's favored Imperial Noble Consort Dunshu, how did they end up? Everyone understands the principle, but how many can succeed? Alas."
"The old lady said that the emperor did not attend this wedding, and even Consort Xī only made an appearance once. This new imperial concubine was able to enter the palace because of Empress Dowager's face, but now that several years have passed, their relationship has faded. Qing'e brought over a newly-made cloud-patterned flag dress with golden threads and butterfly designs, 'Master, try on this new flag dress to see if it fits.'"
This was the new dress prepared for Ulanara to pay respects with tea, she couldn't lose to her in terms of momentum, after all, she was still the first secondary consort. Gao Lü Mi heard what Song mama and Qing'e said and also turned over a new leaf, stood up to try on the clothes, and smiled at herself in the mirror, "Not bad, thank you for your hard work."
Qing'e's skills in needlework have improved significantly over the past two years. Gao Lüwei couldn't help but think of Cui Juan and Lai Yue, who were equally capable but had already passed away. Although she now had a trustworthy Dongmei, Dongmei was too honest and could only serve her in terms of food, clothing, and daily life, offering no assistance whatsoever in gathering information or providing strategic advice.
"Matched with the newly delivered palace decorations, it would look even better. The exquisite style is not inferior to those made domestically."
It's not that she can't afford it, but the inner court jewelry that Consort Shu gets every year is not much, and compared to others, it's just ordinary goods. The high-end ones are not available to her. Gao Lü Mi suddenly lost interest again. Qing Wei looked at her carefully, "Master?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired, you go down first." She also knew that her mindset was not good, but thinking about the possibility of not being able to have children for ten years, or even a lifetime, made her anxious and uneasy. The future was too far away, would she still be radiant in the future? Could she still occupy a stable position in this household? Or could she still have the same beautiful complexion and vibrant life as now in ten years?
No one can give her a guarantee.
She can now rely on the "life-saving grace" she has shown to her father and Fu Jun, as well as the fact that her mother is a trusted minister of the emperor. However, how much of this so-called "life-saving grace" is real and how much is fake, she knows, and Wang Ye and Fu Jun also know, she can't just assume it's all true and waste this emotional connection.
But she deeply resented Fucha Fulina and Su Bao Rou, who had forced her to this point. However, against Fucha Yunzhu, the legitimate wife, she also had grievances. Without her, her own life wouldn't be so hopeless. As long as there was no Yunzhu...
According to the original plan, she would join forces with Ulanara and make the legitimate Fu Jin lose favor or disappear, so that she could gain the grandfather's love. She had thought about this more than once. However, even if there was no Fu Jin, the grandfather's treatment of her was not much better than his treatment of Fucha Fulina and Su Bao Rou, and now there was also a new addition, Jin Shi. Moreover, even if the legitimate Fu Jin lost favor or passed away, she would not gain much benefit, as she could neither have children nor become the next Fu Jin. Why bother to make an effort that would only allow Ulanara, who was also a side Fu Jin, to gain the victory and suppress her?!
She still wasn't that stupid to make clothes for others. She couldn't even bear the thought of Ula Nara being more pleased with herself than she was, let alone letting her become the future Empress or Queen and having to kowtow to her. Humph, absolutely impossible.
You need to wait for the right moment, and this moment will not come until at least ten years later. Before that, you must eliminate any possibility of Ulanara's rise to power, and if there is an opportunity to make Fuheng lose favor, you can take action. Another thing is that you can adopt a child first, so even if you are old and cannot have children, you will still have someone to rely on. If you have your own children, it can also divert the attention of others and become a helper for your own children. Finally, it can give Grandfather a loving impression, making him think of the children you lost... Maybe because of the child, he will take his mother as a helper, just like the current Gui Fei and Yu Fei in the palace.
……
Gao Lüwei suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart once again at Jinfengyuan, planning for the future path ahead. The women in the other courtyards of Qianxi's estate were also contemplating their stance on the current situation.
Ulanara has the foundation left by Empress Dowager, and also comes from a large Manchu clan. Although her father's and brother's family power in the court is not as good as that of the legitimate Fu Jin's natal family, there is still the Cheng'en Gongfu... Moreover, the new concubine Fu Jin has a beautiful appearance, it can't be said that she will take away some of the emperor's love and favor. Even if she is currently inferior to Fu Jin in every way, it's hard to guarantee that she won't rise up in the future. Should I get along with her?
The best attitude is no attitude, just live your own life.
Fu Cha. Fu Ling Ah stroked her bulging belly, smiling faintly. As long as the mistress remained stable in that position, she didn't need to consider so much. With a legitimate son, there was room for others too. Such a mistress was a good thing for someone like her. The master was still young now, it was too early to worry about other things...
Su Bao Rou was thinking about the relationship between Xi Gui Fei and the late Empress Xiao Jing, with a son who might inherit the throne, would Xi Gui Fei be willing to submit to Empress Xiao Jing? And Empress Xiao Jing was probably also guarding against Xi Gui Fei, although she was the birth mother, after all not as good as the biological mother. The childless empress, the concubine with a son, the first person under the empress, too threatening, how could she not be on guard? Maybe, she even wanted to eliminate future troubles!
It seems that it's better to keep a distance from this new stepmother for now. After all, I'm not a sociable person, and what's most important is to focus on having a healthy pregnancy and giving birth to a son. Thinking about her frail and weak daughter, her brow furrowed in concern. Even the triplet sons born to Concubine Feng were lively and adorable, but this daughter's existence was like a sign that she wasn't good at raising children. Heaven knows how much care and attention she had given her, scolding the servants, consulting doctors, and feeding her medicine... she had treated her with the same level of devotion as if she were serving her ancestors! Every time she heard her daughter cry, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. However, whenever she thought about Madam Gao's cold and mocking gaze fixed on her belly, she couldn't help but worry.
She is now extremely clear about the rules of the palace and her ancestors. As a princess, unless the king and queen allow it, she does not have the qualifications to raise children. If there is an imperial prince in her belly, the king will take precedence and think that he cannot raise children himself. Gaoli relies on the face given by the king and queen to speak out and want to adopt the child, what can she do?! The king and queen may agree.
However, the assassination incident at the beginning was clear to Gao's family, her, and Fuca's family. The three of them not only couldn't get along peacefully but also became sworn enemies. At that time, it was for the sake of seizing the opportunity to survive, and in order to eliminate their opponents, so she and Fuca's family coincidentally chose Gao, who was pregnant and inconvenient to move, to block the fatal blow... Only unexpectedly, in the end, they ended up helping her, rushing to be granted the title of Ce Furen, at the cost of losing the fetus in her womb and possibly never being able to bear children again.
How could Gao's family not hate her? How could they truly want to raise their own child? Is she seeking revenge, revenge against herself and Fucha...
The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. Although Wan Guifen is a good person and has been loyal to me in her daily life, she hasn't reached the point where I can entrust my life to her. I don't dare let her do anything that involves my plans, because no one can guarantee what will happen after she leaves. Xiangyun is clever but not very steady, so I can only ask her to take care of my daughter and give her more experience... As for the new palace maids and eunuchs who have just arrived, I asked Wan Guifen and Xiangyun to investigate them, but they only got answers that their families were clean and there was nothing suspicious about them. This is obviously impossible - Fu Jin must have planted spies among them, and Gao Shi and Fu Cha Shi are not easy to deal with either. She even suspects that the few informants who were discovered by her earlier and driven away were intentionally placed as decoys to cover up the real spies.
Everything has to be thought of by oneself, there is no reliable helper, and one must always guard against others' schemes... Living in this palace is too tiring for me!
But this life still has to go on, for myself, for the Su family.
Although the tea ceremony was postponed to the second day, Wu Lanara went to Qianqing Palace to pay respects to the Emperor, then to Chengqian Palace to visit Xi Guifei and Qi Fei, and Yu Fei, returning exhausted. However, her fatigue could not stop others from visiting her.
She wanted to spend time with Hongli, after all it was their honeymoon and he had three days off for the wedding. But as soon as Hongli came back, he told her to rest well by herself in the outer study room, what could she say?
She was exhausted from preparing for the wedding, to last night's nuptial chamber, to today's half-day of walking and paying respects. Her whole body ached as if it were about to fall apart. After dealing with the neighbors, the Gao family, who came to offer their congratulations, two pregnant women, Fu Cha and Su, arrived. Unlike the Gao family, who were easy to get rid of, these two women were not so easily dismissed. Their gentle words and affectionate attitudes made her feel annoyed... The conversation even went on until dinner time.
"Alright, she's had a quick bowl of porridge, can't she rest now? Coriander and Jinying have arrived."
One looked gentle and kind, but was actually quiet and calculating, the other was elegant and beautiful, with a face that would only improve with age, yet had a lively and lovely personality... After seeing them off, Wu Lala Nianzhu lay down on the couch, unable to muster up any energy.
"It's not a fuel-efficient lamp!" She muttered, unexpectedly choosing the same method to torment herself, did she give them a sense of threat?! Or is this from the instructions of Fugui?
"It's just jealousy, Master. Don't mind it." Xian'er came over to help her massage her shoulders and legs.
She could naturally see it, but if they all had hostile intentions towards themselves, it would be terrible. "Are the clothes and decorations for tomorrow's tea ceremony ready?"
"Ready."
"Hmm, I'll take a rest and wait for the king to arrive and call me." Ula Nara was soon asleep under Shanhai Yexing's gentle massage.
"Yes."
