mtl008 Chapter 134: After the re-election, Kangxi is waiting
Chapter 134: After the re-election, Kangxi is waiting
Jiaotai Hall.
"Yes, Qi Jiaru Yue left a sign."
Concubine Niu put down the list of selected concubines and looked at the pretty girl Qi Jia Ruyue at the bottom. She was the one chosen by Concubine Rong to be the third prince's concubine.
Upon hearing this, Qi Jia Ruyue bowed with joy to express her gratitude, then was led out by the eunuch.
Rong Fei was in a good mood when she saw this scene. She could have kept this person, but in order to prevent her future daughter-in-law from feeling uncomfortable, she asked Concubine Niu to come forward. Seeing that Concubine Niu looked a little tired, she hurriedly said:
"Sister Niu is really tired. The re-election is only one day long and we were rushed. Thank you for your hard work, Sister."
Hearing this, Concubine Niu raised her hand and waved it, revealing a faint smile: "It's just looking at the concubines, how can it be tiring? Besides, aren't the sisters watching too?"
Rong Fei agreed with a smile, then she remembered something and suddenly asked curiously:
"Speaking of which, Sister Niu, I heard that the Emperor sent Chief Steward Liang to the Yongshou Palace after the Wanshou Festival yesterday. What instructions did he have?"
Speaking of yesterday's Wanshou Festival, it was really exciting. Tong Jia Wanru, the Tong family's concubine who was about to be sent to the palace as a concubine, unexpectedly got into trouble and was eliminated before entering the palace. She didn't believe it was an accident, nor did she think it was done by Concubine Guo Luoluo, otherwise how could she have screwed herself.
The same goes for Princess Shi. How high-profile she was before is how embarrassed she is now. She has fallen directly from the clouds. Tsk tsk tsk tsk. She doesn't know how to deal with herself in the future.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Hui looked over. She had always disliked the Crown Prince who oppressed the eldest prince. Now the Crown Princess designated by the other party was going to be the Fourth Prince's, who was arguably the Crown Prince's closest brother. When she thought about the Crown Prince's current mood, she became even happier.
As for the little Tonggiya, when Empress Xiaoyi was alive, she always relied on her cousin status to bully the emperor. Now, it seems that this little cousin is also looked at differently by the emperor. She was not happy to begin with, and now that she cannot enter the palace, she has been smiling these past two days.
In comparison, although Defei also looked over, she was in a very bad mood. She was in a good mood because she had directly solved the problem of little Tong Jia and made her old rival fall hard. However, she didn't expect that the Fourth Prince would dig a big hole for her.
Why did she have to save Princess Shi when there were so many people to save? She didn't know that she was the designated Crown Princess. Now the Emperor and the Crown Prince must be very annoyed with her.
When Concubine Niu heard what Concubine Rong said, she immediately thought of what Liang Jiugong had said yesterday. She pondered in her heart, but said slowly:
"The emperor was worried that the re-election would be too late, so he sent Chief Steward Liang to give some instructions before the re-election."
"I see. Your Majesty always acts in a thorough manner."
Rong Fei continued, and as she spoke, she saw De Fei drinking tea in silence. Humph, she couldn't stand her pretentiousness, so she congratulated her kindly:
"Speaking of which, we should congratulate Sister Defei on having another wonderful daughter-in-law."
Concubine De paused while holding the teacup, then gently put it down, frowned slightly and said:
"Sister Rongfei, you are joking. Although there have been some disturbances in the selection of concubines over the years, this is the first time that a woman as bold as Socholuo Gege has appeared. I don't know how she was taught at home. She didn't know the rules after entering the palace. The emperor deserves to punish her."
Hearing this, Concubine Niu's smile faded a little. Was he implying that she was not good at managing the selection? She was unhappy, but pretended to be guilty.
"There were several mistakes in this selection, and it was my poor management. Fortunately, the emperor did not blame me. I am really ashamed."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Rong glanced at Concubine De and quickly said to Concubine Niu:
"What does it have to do with my sister? The emperor has always acted fairly. He has not blamed my sister, which shows that he trusts her."
As soon as she finished speaking, Concubine De immediately stood up and pretended to apologize.
"It was my sister who made a mistake in her words. Please don't blame me."
Concubine Niu waved her hand: "Okay, it's getting late, let's continue!"
At this time, Shi Nanxi outside the hall heard her name, and slowly walked up to the corridor with the other four people who were called, and saluted in unison.
"Your humble servant greets all the majesties, may the majesties be blessed with good fortune."
Inside the palace, upon hearing Shi Nanxi's name, Concubine Niu sat up straighter unconsciously and took a closer look at Shi Nanxi, who was the third person on her left, for the first time.
She had a small oval face, clear and watery almond eyes under her thin bangs. She looked thin and gaunt, probably because she was not in good health. Her skin was slightly paler than that of ordinary people. Apart from looking a little weak and pitiful, there was nothing special about her.
But why did the emperor specifically ask her to leave this name card?
Thinking about what Liang Jiugong said when he went to Yongshou Palace yesterday, could it be that the emperor has already decided on the princess from the Shi family, and when he saw that the eldest princess Shi could not be given to the prince, he was going to give this one?
There is no problem with this person's identity, but her temperament and upbringing are totally unfit for the role of the future Crown Princess, right?
What's more, although others didn't know the truth about what happened to Princess Shi, how could she not know it since she was at the scene? Given the emperor's love for the prince, how could he possibly grant him a marriage with a princess from the Shi family?
I'm afraid that he has taken his anger and disgust out on all the princesses in the Shi family, so back to the original question... Why did the emperor want to keep this second princess Shi?
The other three were a little surprised when they saw Concubine Niu's look. They seemed to be asking other concubines, but their attention was on Concubine Niu. After a while, the other four concubines asked nothing special, so they stopped without interest.
They also looked at Shi Nanxi. Everyone had seen this Second Princess Shi several times. Apart from the fact that she was the younger sister of the First Princess Shi and had appeared in the limelight several times, there was nothing special about her.
But now everyone knows that something happened to Shi Da Gege yesterday and she has lost the chance to become the future Crown Princess. Naturally, she will no longer value Shi Nanxi for her sake.
But what did Concubine Niu mean? Was there any special arrangement? Everyone immediately thought of what Concubine Rong had just said. Their brains worked rapidly, but their faces remained expressionless.
"Sister Niu, why don't you speak?" At this time, Rong Fei spoke casually.
Others followed suit and Concubine Niu came back to her senses after hearing this and said with a smile:
"Look, when I saw Shi Ergege, I thought of Yang Ma's comment about her, saying that Shi Ergege has learned etiquette and manners very well. Today I see that it is indeed true."
After a pause, he continued:
"That's a great thought. I suddenly remembered that the words on the Diamond Sutra copied by Princess Shi Er on the birthday celebration yesterday were praised by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. It's a pity that I haven't seen it with my own eyes. It's really a pity. Now there will be a chance. Princess Shi Er must satisfy my regret."
The last sentence was obviously directed to Shi Nanxi, who was immediately flattered and bowed to express her gratitude.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Niu, is so kind. I am ashamed to accept your praise."
Seeing this, Concubine Niu smiled and waved:
"Princess Shi Er is too modest. Take the pen, ink, paper and inkstone."
Upon seeing this, Shi Nanxi thanked him again, and then went to the desk beside him to grind ink and write.
Looking at the silhouette of Shi Nanxi writing, Rong Fei and the other two picked up their tea, but their eyes never left Shi Nanxi, with a bit of scrutiny in their eyes. Did the Emperor have any arrangements for this person?
Speculating constantly in her mind, Shi Nanxi soon wrote a page of words, which was the first paragraph of "Instructions for Women". She carefully handed it to the young eunuch, then returned to her original position and stood with her head lowered again.
When Concubine Niu took the paper handed to her by the young eunuch, she was amazed at the first sight. No wonder the Emperor and the Empress Dowager praised her so much yesterday. The handwriting was so beautiful and unique in the palace.
When the others saw Concubine Niu's expression, they took the opportunity to read it and were all amazed. However, Concubine Niu looked at Shi Nanxi with praise.
"As expected of someone praised by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Princess Shi Er's handwriting is truly stunning."
"Yes, I didn't expect that Da Gege Shi's paintings are so amazing, and Er Gege Shi's calligraphy is not much inferior."
Concubine De seemed to praise unintentionally, and then observed Concubine Niu's expression calmly. The calligraphy of this Princess Shi Er was indeed amazing, but Concubine Niu was not someone who liked to appreciate calligraphy, and she immediately confirmed her guess.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Niu smiled but did not comment. Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui glanced at Concubine Niu and also had their own guesses, but they remained calm and followed in praising her.
Finally, Concubine Niu followed suit and said:
"Since my sisters all think it's good, then let's keep the brand!"
"The Han army's white flag, the Guwalgiya clan left a sign in Nanxi!"
The eunuch sang loudly, and when the sound reached outside the door, the ladies waiting outside were all stunned.
"It's Princess Shi Er! Didn't they say that she would be removed from the list in the re-election? Why is she still on the list now?"
"That's right. Besides, that girl is always sick and unlucky. Why can she keep the brand?"
"Could it be that she is relying on the status of Shi Da Gege again? But didn't she get into trouble and couldn't become the future Crown Princess?"
At this time, the showgirl who said yesterday that the outcome of Shi Nanxi was doomed from the beginning felt her face burning, and she raised her voice and said:
"Of course, because the incident happened to Grand Princess Shi in the Immortal Tower, the Shi family left the Second Princess Shi signboard to compensate them. It's just for show. She will definitely fail in the palace selection tomorrow!"
"I see. Then let's wait for her to be eliminated in the palace selection tomorrow!"
"Everyone be quiet!"
At this time, Madam Yang shouted, and then everyone quieted down. However, Madam Yang looked in the direction of the Qianqing Palace thoughtfully.
Shi Nanxi didn't know about this. She came out from another door under the guidance of the young eunuch, and the first thing she saw was Liang Jiugong holding a whisk and looking at her with a smile.
"Girl Shi, good luck to you. Congratulations. The emperor is waiting for you."