Чистая вода и прекрасные горы

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"She is Qin Lanruo, the woman I set my sights on first."

I smiled and said, "Third Master, don't joke around. What Qin Lanruo? This is someone I picked out in the palace who is pleasing to the eye and capable, to be a concubine for our master."

Lu Li was taken aback and turned to look at me.

Third Brother's face twisted in a grimace. "You...you're trying to use underhanded tactics with me."

"What are you saying, Third Brother? How dare I choose a concubine from your head?"

"you……"

I feigned surprise and covered my mouth, "What if she really is Qin Lanruo? What should we do? We can't send her back now?"

I had just finished speaking when my third sister-in-law came in. She glanced at my third brother, who was afraid of his wife, and he quickly lowered his head.

"You shameless scoundrel! You're stealing a woman from your own brother! How would your sister-in-law know that you, as the older brother, are out having affairs? She finally found someone she liked, and you just want to take her away? What kind of person are you?!" Third Sister-in-law pointed at Third Brother and berated him.

The third brother, having been turned away, had no choice but to leave with his sister-in-law in a huff.

Finally, things quieted down, and just as Lu Li was about to say something, I quickly stood up. "Look at my memory, I still have to go to the palace. I'm going now."

Before they could say a word, I had already gotten up and left.

I've done all I can, and this is all I can do.

In Yonghe Palace,

I knelt before Consort Ding, just like my fourth sister-in-law, and begged her to let me be her concubine.

"My wife has been married into the Prince's mansion for half a year now, and there's still no news. Although there's still Yiling in the mansion, the family is still small. A few days ago, my wife met with Lady Qin from the Shangyi Palace. After getting to know each other a few times, she felt a strong connection with me and begged my mother to grant my request. She has now allowed me to bring this concubine back to the mansion."

Consort Ding's brows furrowed into a knot.

Consort Ding sighed: "Zhao'er, as the legitimate wife, you are naturally open-minded and magnanimous, which is beyond reproach. Get up first. You have not been married into the family for a full year. It is too early to arrange for him to take a concubine. It will also cause rumors of discord between you two and make things difficult for you. Besides, the Empress will never agree to it."

“My daughter-in-law doesn’t care about those gossips. That’s why I’ve come to ask for Mother’s favor.”

"You are my own wife, so I won't hide anything from you today. Lanruo has been in the palace for quite some time now. Years ago, after leaving the Imperial Study, she served me. As her mother, I turned a blind eye to her affair with the Seventh Prince. After Xiwen and the Seventh Prince had their fight, the Empress and the Emperor never mentioned Lanruo again and hastily bestowed a marriage upon her. I think you can probably guess why. Later, the palace only said that Lanruo asked the Empress to stay, and Lu Li stopped spending the night in the palace and stayed obediently in the mansion. In recent years, there haven't been any major troubles. I thought the fate of those two children was sealed. I usually don't care about anything, but I'm just too lazy to get involved. You're asking for a concubine for him, which is not a good omen."

The more I listened, the more dumbfounded I became. I thought that old story had long been buried in the hearts of the Empress and the Emperor, but I didn't expect that Consort Ding also knew about it and hadn't exposed it all these years.

I knelt down again: "Since Mother Consort knows everything, I beg Mother Consort to grant my request. Your Highness will be eternally grateful."

"You!" Consort Ding angrily poked my forehead hard with her finger.

Consort Ding couldn't dissuade me, so she had no choice but to tell the Emperor about it. The Emperor summoned me three days later.

As soon as the Emperor saw me, he said, "I heard about it from Consort Ding. It's rare to find two such virtuous wives. Consort Ding is truly blessed! Which family do they belong to?"

I gasped. "Qin Taifu's daughter." I didn't dare say those three words directly.

The Emperor's eyes flickered with emotion. He gently clenched his fist, then looked me up and down. "Is it that Qin Lanruo?"

"yes."

"You..." The Emperor hesitated, then sighed softly, "Since that's the case, I grant your permission!"

Consort Ding hurriedly served fragrant tea, glanced at me, and calmly shook her head.

I stood up and saw the Emperor looking at me thoughtfully.

When I looked up at him, he quickly looked away and asked Consort Ding, who was standing beside him, "Consort Ding, what title do you think you should give to Grand Tutor Qin's daughter?"

Consort Ding was taken aback for a moment, then quietly said, "A fourth-rank Lady of Tongjun."

I was taken aback. Wouldn't that mean I would be a rank lower than a concubine, and on equal footing with Yi Ling, who came from a humble background as a maid?

"Grand Tutor Qin only has one daughter. Years ago, he wanted her to be the sixth prince's wife. With her outstanding character and background, she was more than qualified to be a princess. It would be a real waste for her to be a fourth-rank lady-in-waiting in the palace."

Consort Ding smiled slightly, seemingly anticipating the Emperor's words, and softly asked, "Then what does Your Majesty mean?"

The emperor turned his gaze to me and said, "You arranged this marriage, so tell me what you think."

The rank of fourth grade is indeed a bit low. My position as the principal wife of the king is the second grade. If one were to be ranked above the rank of Lady of Tongjun, the only position would be that of a secondary wife of the king, which is the third grade.

“A concubine of the third rank,” I replied.

"It's settled then. Consort Ding will choose an auspicious day, and I also hope to organize a joyous occasion to bring good luck to the Empress." The Emperor nodded. "However, we will keep this matter from the Empress for now."

As we left Yonghe Palace, Liu Shang followed behind me, still sighing incessantly. I laughed, "What's troubling you like this?"

Liu Shang frowned: "Master, you're still happy to come out. I feel awkward for you. If I may be so bold, you shouldn't be so virtuous."

Upon hearing this, I thought, "Oh well, another one here to lecture me." I tilted my head and looked at her: "Being virtuous isn't a bad thing. Even if I marry a hundred or a thousand more, none of them can surpass my status. So there's nothing to worry about."

Liu Shang curled his lip and said, "That's true, but apart from you, who isn't trying their best to win the master's favor? Even though you are the principal wife, you don't care about your dignity in front of the concubines, and you don't keep the master's heart. You will have children in the future. If you don't think about yourself, don't you think about the future young master?"

"We'll talk about the future later. Let's think about what food they've left for us first." I grinned. "Come on, if we hurry, we might even get to eat some sweet rice cakes."

Chapter Thirty-One: The Royal Wedding Banquet - The Concubine's Introduction

March 28th was an auspicious day chosen by Consort Ding. On this very day, the Prince Ning's residence would be adding new members to its household.

Before 9:00 AM, I entered the palace to deliver the wedding gifts to Consort Ding.

Since things had come to this, Consort Ding couldn't say anything more, but she gave me a few instructions.

As I was leaving, Consort Ding suddenly called out to me, "Yesterday, I don't know which maid was too talkative and revealed the happy event of the Prince Ning's mansion to the Empress. I heard that the Empress didn't sleep all night and vomited blood a few times this morning."

My heart skipped a beat. How could I tell my aunt about this? How could I put her mind at ease?

"Aunt." I knelt before the Empress's sickbed.