SFS Chapter 129 The fate is finalized
Chapter 129 The fate is finalized
Chapter 129 The status is finally determined
I have been living in the palace for a month. Tomorrow is the palace selection. Everyone in the Tiyuan Palace is a little excited that night, so much so that it is already the end of the Xu hour, and the rooms are still brightly lit.
Zhenhuan didn't have the mind to think so much at the moment. For some reason, the dress she had prepared for the palace selection tomorrow was suddenly cut.
Ruhui and Tuduo were no longer excited but worried. "Sister Zhenhuan, do you have any spare clothes? This set definitely won't work. It's a pity that Sister Tuduo and I aren't as tall as you, otherwise we could lend you an outfit to make do."
Tuduo picked up the exquisite Manchu dress that Zhenhuan had placed next to her. It looked intact and still as exquisite as ever, but once she put it on, she would find that all the sewing threads had been picked apart. She might not notice anything for a while, but given the time, it would definitely break during the palace selection.
If something like that happened, it would be embarrassing at the least, but losing etiquette in front of the emperor would be a serious matter.
Zhen Huan sighed and tried to comfort Ru Hui and Tu Duo: "It's okay, luckily we found out early today. Otherwise, if she really wore this tomorrow, I would... forget it, I'll just wear my old clothes tomorrow. They may not be as new, but they're intact and it won't be considered a breach of etiquette in front of the emperor."
She didn't expect that someone would target her so cruelly. She was about to be selected for the imperial palace, yet they were still targeting her like this. Thinking of what Jia Yan Gege said to her today, Zhen Huan had an idea in her mind.
If she hadn't had a flash of inspiration that night and remembered the palace fighting drama she had seen before, and took out all her clothes and jewelry for tomorrow's dress and checked them, especially the Manchu dress she tried to touch, she would not have discovered this.
But at this moment Zhenhuan was also angry in her heart. Don't give her a chance. Then she can solve the new and old grudges together.
Tuduo: "Sister, this time I will not tolerate it no matter what. I tolerated it last time, but this time I will destroy that person's minions no matter what."
Ruhui nodded in agreement. She was kind, but she also had a bottom line. If this was discovered tomorrow, it would not only harm Zhenhuan, but even the reputation of the girls of the same tribe would be ruined.
Life is already difficult for women in this world. It would be such a pity if they suffered unexpected disasters because of this.
Zhenhuan didn't think of letting the other party go. Just like Tuduo said, it didn't matter that she couldn't find evidence that Jiayan harmed her this time, but she would not let the palace maids who often served them go this time.
But just when Zhenhuan was about to go find Madam Rong to explain the situation, three people suddenly came in from outside. It was Madam Rong and two older maids.
Madam Rong: "Greetings to the three young ladies. I'm sorry to bother you so late at night, but the maid Xiao Ya, who was supposed to be serving you, hasn't shown up yet. I've sent people to look for her but haven't seen her yet. Do you have any information about Xiao Ya's whereabouts?"
After Mammy's reminder, the three of them realized that they hadn't seen the maid who served them since this morning. It was probably because the maid's presence was very low, and they were used to being on guard and doing their own things, so they didn't notice that the maid hadn't come for most of the day.
After hearing the three people's reply that they had not seen Xiao Ya since morning, Rong Mama had a bad feeling in her heart. At this critical juncture, the loss of a palace maid in the Tiyuan Palace was a very serious matter, and it might affect tomorrow's palace selection.
At this moment, Zhen Huan brought her Manchu dress to Madam Rong and said, "Madam, please check it. The Manchu dress I prepared for tomorrow's palace selection has been damaged. We just happened to suspect Xiao Ya."
Rong Mama was an old hand in the palace. She knew there was something wrong with the Manchu dress as soon as she touched it. This was also a common practice in the palace. She didn't expect that such a thing would happen at this time.
But there wasn't enough time at night, and she had no good solution. Besides, if she wanted to know the truth, she had to find Xiao Ya first.
Zhenhuan also understood this. The reason why she told the story was actually to clear her own name first, so that she would not be implicated in the disappearance of this little girl.
Originally, she didn't have this idea, but everything that happened during her time in the Body Yuan Palace forced her to spend more time preparing for future risks.
After comforting the three people for a few words, Madam Rong quickly left with her people. However, before she walked out of the room, Zhenhuan mentioned to Madam Rong: "Madam, please pay more attention to the palace selection tomorrow. I am not the only one who is responsible for the Manchu dress issue." Madam Rong paused and then left in a hurry.
Soon, an angry scream was heard from the small courtyard: "Ah, my clothes." Zhenhuan and Ruhui in the house looked at each other. It seemed that Zhenhuan was not the only one who suffered this time. Thinking of this, Ruhui and Tuduo also began to check their packages again.
The concubines no longer knew how the matter was finally handled. Anyway, they heard that several palace maids were sent to the Ministry of Punishment that night. It seemed that even if the result came out, they would not have the chance to know.
The second day was a good day and the weather was also good. This time the palace selection was held directly in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace. When the beauties arrived, the sun was in the sky and it was the warmest time. In this way, the beauties would not catch a cold even if they were waiting in the open space in front of the main hall.
This time, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor and the four concubines were all present at the palace selection. The beauties took turns entering the palace in teams of six. There was no embroidery or piano playing as in novels, nor dancing or singing as in TV dramas. After paying their respects, they only needed to make a brief self-introduction. Those who were given sachets were asked to leave their names, and the rest could go back to pack their luggage and leave the palace.
Of course, there is another possibility, which is to be given flowers on the spot, which means being recorded in the list, that is, staying directly in the Forbidden City and becoming the emperor's woman.
Zhenhuan froze in her tracks as she stared at the vibrant red rose the palace maid had placed before her. Wasn't she the Fourth Prince's daughter, the future Consort Xi, the final Empress Dowager? Why had she been gifted this flower? What was going on?
The palace maid standing in front of Zhenhuan saw the little girl standing there stupidly, as if she hadn't reacted at all. A trace of pity flashed in her eyes, so without waiting for Zhenhuan to take the initiative, she quickly stuffed the flower into Zhenhuan's hands.
The feeling of a foreign object in her hand made Zhenhuan's rationality come to the fore. This was a palace selection. A misbehavior in front of the emperor could be a big deal or a small one. If the emperor was unhappy, the whole family might be implicated. Thinking of Peng at home, Zhenhuan immediately reacted and squatted down with the flowers in her hands to salute: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
Zhenhuan's distraction was not long, and the maid who handed the flowers was very quick, so Kangxi above did not really notice Zhenhuan's distraction. Seeing her happy acceptance, his impression of her improved a little.
As everyone exited the side hall, the maid who had handed the flowers soon approached Zhenhuan and led her back to the Tiyuan Hall. The palace selection hadn't concluded yet, and the positions of the young ladies who had been named hadn't been announced. No one knew where their placement would be, but they were all sent back to the Tiyuan Hall. Each young lady was accompanied by a maid, and the one next to Zhenhuan happened to be the one who had handed her the flowers.
At this point, Zhenhuan was unwilling but had to accept the fact that she had become Kangxi's woman. In this feudal era, the emperor was the heaven, and she had no room for resistance.
Once she had convinced herself, Zhen Huan quickly thought of the maid who had just helped her. She opened the door and called the maid outside in, "What's your name? What did you do before?"
The palace maid saw that the young lady in front of her had adjusted her mood, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes. There was no shortage of beauties in the palace. If one didn't have brains, he wouldn't last long even if the emperor took a fancy to him. She had spent a lot of money to find out that she could come to the young lady and reserve a position in advance. If the master in front of her didn't meet her expectations, she would leave before the young lady's position was decided.
After several years of ups and downs in the palace, she has developed her own ability to judge people. She has also summarized a few points about who can stay in the palace longer.
The maid replied honestly, "My name is Yunxiang. I used to serve in the Dowager Concubine's Palace. After the Dowager Concubine passed away, I was assigned to the Imperial Household Department. Now I mainly serve the young lady in the Tiyuan Palace."
Zhenhuan was a bit bewildered. She hadn't expected that this random maid assigned to her place had actually served the imperial concubine before. Could this be a deliberate arrangement? But then, thinking back to the kind gesture of the other party reminding her in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Zhenhuan unconsciously dispelled a little of her suspicion. If the other party had been targeting her, she wouldn't have gone to the trouble of saving her just now. In that situation, simply doing nothing would have led to her being disrespectful before the emperor.
It's no wonder Zhenhuan is suspicious of everything she sees. Her current situation is so different from what she had imagined. Shouldn't she, and couldn't, be a member of Kangxi's harem? Could it be that she had traveled through time and space not to historical evidence but to a parallel world or a film or television drama?
It's not often that kind of plot appears in novels. The heroine travels directly to a novel world and has a sweet love affair with the middle-aged Kangxi. She wins Kangxi's exclusive favor, breaks the rumor that Kangxi is unlucky in marrying his wife, and finally ascends the throne, gives birth to the next emperor, and follows Kangxi after his death, becoming a famous fairy couple in history.
If Princess Busa knew what Zhenhuan was thinking at this moment a year ago, she would definitely agree with it. She also thought that she had the role of the heroine. If her aunt, the Crown Princess, had not woken her up in advance, she would probably still be dreaming and living in a daze.
When Zhenhuan thought that she might get a different script, she became motivated again. She began to actively ask Yunxiang about the affairs of the harem.
Three more days passed before the fate of all the concubines was decided. This time, Kangxi kept four of them. Zhenhuan, the highest-ranking concubine, was directly canonized as a noble lady and given the title of Fu. From then on, she would be called a wealthy lady and given residence in the rear hall of Chuxiu Palace. The rest were all made maids-in-waiting and were assigned to Zhongcui Palace and Yanxi Palace.
The candidates for the prince's wives were also announced on the next day. The seventh wife was Li Yazhi, the daughter of Li Bayan, a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han army and the first-class Earl of Zhaoxin.
The Eighth Concubine was still Guo Luoluo Jiayan, the daughter of Heshuo Efu Mingshang and the granddaughter of Prince An Yuele. However, after granting the marriage to the Eighth Prince, the Emperor also gave him two daughters-in-law, namely Mao and Zhang.
The candidate for the Ninth Concubine was also changed this time. She became Zhang Jiaruhui, the daughter of Zhang Jiashanghui, the third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of War, who was favored by both Concubine Yi and Buerhe.
The tenth wife did not change, and was chosen to be Abagai Borjigit Baoyin, the daughter of Prince Wuerjin Galapu.
As for Ma Jianomin's legitimate daughter, whom Kangxi had promised to compensate before, this time Kangxi directly issued an edict to confer her the title of Heng Beile's concubine.
Khorchin Borjigit Ulan Tuya married Prince Yu Fuquan's legitimate son Baotai as his principal wife.