ebookland Chapter 18 Diecui Pavilion
Chapter 18 Diecui Pavilion
As soon as he finished speaking, another commotion broke out in the hall.
Chu Qingyin was the first among the selected women to have her nameplate kept, and she immediately offered the rank of a fifth-grade concubine, which was an extremely generous treatment.
Empress Wang and Empress Dowager Wang exchanged a glance, a hint of ambiguity flashing in their eyes.
The other concubines looked at Chu Qingyin with a mixture of envy and jealousy. She had only just been selected and had already become a fifth-rank concubine. Once she was favored by the emperor, wouldn't she rise to the top?
Chu Qingyin hadn't expected Pei Yuanling to grant her the rank of concubine so directly; it seemed her face was indeed quite effective. Composing herself, she bowed again towards the seat of honor: "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
Pei Yuanling waved his hand: "Step down."
After Chu Qingyin left, Pei Yuanling closed his eyes and suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
The eunuch beside him, who was announcing the names of the candidates, continued to call out to the list of candidates: "Next up, Zhou Wanrou, daughter of Zhou Mingwei, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Before the young lady Zhou could enter the hall, Pei Yuanling stood up and said, "I am tired."
Empress Wang was startled and quickly said, "Your Majesty, these are only the first batch of candidates; there are three more batches to come..."
Pei Yuanling glanced at her expressionlessly: "You and the Empress Dowager can handle the rest together."
After saying that, he walked away without looking back.
The Empress had no choice but to rise with the other concubines in the hall: "Your Majesty, we respectfully see you off."
Only after the tall, imposing figure in bright yellow had left did Empress Wang sit back on her phoenix chair, adjust her expression, and call out, "Lady Zhou, come forward."
The palace selection was still ongoing, and the news that Chu Qingyin had been named a fifth-rank concubine quickly spread throughout the palace.
Originally, the most sought-after candidate in this talent show was none other than Lu Mingzhu, the cousin of Grand Secretary Lu Zhiheng. However, unexpectedly, Qiao Qingyin, who was not well-known among the noble ladies of the capital, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
That afternoon, the news of Chu Qingyin's selection quickly spread to the Minister's residence.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Gongquan felt a mix of emotions, a sense of relief mixed with worry.
Two hours later, the news that the second young lady of the manor, Qiao Qingling, had also been selected shocked him even more.
"How come Qingling was selected too?"
Qiao Gongquan frowned and asked the servant who delivered the message, "Did you hear wrong?"
The servant shook his head: "The message came from a palace eunuch. How could it be wrong? Our eldest daughter was personally appointed a fifth-rank concubine by His Majesty, while our second daughter was chosen by the Empress and appointed a seventh-rank beauty. She also said that since they are sisters, they can enter the palace together and keep each other company."
Qiao Gongquan was instantly speechless.
The Empress's two daughters are now irreconcilably at odds because of Consort Jiang, yet she has chosen both sisters to be included in the palace at this critical moment.
A heavy worry instantly settled over Qiao Gongquan's heart. After pondering for a long time, he said, "Find a way to send a letter to the palace and tell the Second Miss to behave herself in the palace and not cause trouble for her sister, otherwise... Aunt Jiang can forget about returning to the mansion."
The servant immediately understood and hurried away.
Qiao Gongquan gazed at the vast horizon and sighed deeply after a long while.
I hope both daughters can live peacefully and quietly in the palace.
Meanwhile, in the quiet backyard of the Lu family's third branch in the capital.
When the news of Lu Mingzhu's promotion to the rank of Fifth-Rank Consort spread, the nannies and maids in the courtyard congratulated Madam Lu, saying, "Congratulations, Madam Lu! Our young lady is now His Majesty's concubine! This is truly a joyous occasion that brings glory to our ancestors!"
Madam Lu's smile was barely concealed; her fingers lightly twirled the sandalwood prayer beads in her hand, their ancient luster carrying a subtle weight beneath the leisurely movement. "But I've heard that Mingzhu isn't the only one being granted the title of Consort this time?"
In an instant, the old woman who brought the good news stiffened slightly. "Yes, this time, in addition to our young lady, Qiao Qingyin, the eldest daughter of the Minister's family, has also been granted the title of Consort."
Upon hearing this name, Madam Lu suddenly gripped her prayer beads tightly: "Qingyin? Her name is Qingyin?"
The old woman hadn't known there was anything wrong with the name until she went to the palace to inquire and found out what was going on. She nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, this Minister's daughter not only shares the same name as the late Imperial Concubine, but I've also heard that she looks remarkably like her. His Majesty was utterly distraught upon seeing her and almost spilled his tea!"
Madam Lu frowned: "Like the Imperial Concubine? How much like her?"
"I heard it's exactly the same!" the old woman said. "His Majesty stared at it for a long time. If it weren't for the Empress's reminder, he probably would have been completely captivated by it."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu's expression became even more solemn.
Everyone in the world knows that His Majesty deeply loves Consort Gui. Ever since Consort Gui came to the Emperor's side, the Emperor has stopped visiting the palaces of other concubines and has only favored Consort Gui.
The Imperial Concubine was also the only pregnant concubine among all the women in the harem.
Although the child was only in the Consort's womb for three months before being "accidentally" miscarried, His Majesty still erected a memorial tablet for the child, which shows how much His Majesty valued the Consort.
If the Imperial Concubine were still alive, Madam Lu would never have sent her daughter to the palace to live a life of widowhood.
This time, it was only after seeing the Imperial Concubine die that she and her husband discussed sending their daughter in to try her luck and earn some respect for the third branch of the family, so that they wouldn't always be overshadowed by the eldest branch.
Unexpectedly, after the real Consort died, a woman named Qiao Qingyin appeared who resembled her.
Madam Lu, holding her Buddhist prayer beads, paced back and forth in the room, seemingly deep in thought.
"Third Madam, what's wrong?" The old woman standing beside her asked with concern and confusion in her eyes.
Madam Lu stopped and turned to the old woman: "Send someone to investigate what this Qiao Qingyin is all about. I've never heard of her before, so why is she suddenly attracting so much attention?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman immediately lowered her head, respectfully replied "Yes," and then turned and hurriedly retreated.
Madam Lu's face was grim. She would not allow anyone to hinder her daughter's path to wealth and honor, she would not allow it.
--
Inside the palace, Chu Qingyin was unaware that the news of her being made a concubine had already attracted the attention of many eyes outside the palace. After packing her luggage at Baihua Pavilion, she followed the eunuch to her future residence.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the palace walls, the glazed tiles shimmered with golden light, and the flying eaves and brackets resembled auspicious birds about to take flight. The exquisite carved window lattices cast a soft halo of light in the interplay of light and shadow.
Looking at the familiar, magnificent palace and the winding, vermilion palace walls, Chu Qingyin felt a complex mix of emotions. In her previous life, she had spent countless days and nights in this palace, experiencing laughter and tears, happiness and anger. Now, reborn, she had returned here. How could one not feel a pang of sadness?
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
The eunuch leading the way bowed respectfully and slowly pushed open the vermilion gate with both hands. "This Diecui Pavilion will be your residence from now on."