The most beautiful lady in the harem

Chapter 188 9 Kings

Emperor Yongjia's procession arrived one day late.

The scale of Qiu Garden was not large. If concubines came, it would be the residence of Emperor Yongjia and the concubines, and other ministers would set up camp outside.

But this year the concubines did not come, so many houses were left empty for the ministers to live in.

It was already afternoon when Emperor Yongjia arrived. After a banquet with his ministers, it was already dark.

Torches were lit all around, and the hunting ground was only so lively when the emperor came.

Since there were no female relatives accompanying him, the banquet was a little rough and bold. If there were concubines accompanying him, it would be more elegant.

A group of passionate men came for autumn hunting, and their daily life was like that of a march.

The banquet was held in an open field with low tables set up and a fire built in the middle, where the prey that the hunters had hunted in advance was roasted.

Roast meat with strong liquor.

Tomorrow these nobles will hunt for their own prey, remove the skins and furs to keep for the winter, and roast the meat to satisfy their hunger.

When the banquet was over, Emperor Yongjia raised his hand and told everyone to disperse, because the next day, everyone had to get up early and go deep into the mountains to ensure that they could get out before sunset.

Before dawn the next morning, Emperor Yongjia had already gotten up.

Qin Liuse in the imperial city could sleep until noon on the rare days when she didn't have to wait on him.

After breakfast, they went to Yongshou Palace as usual.

It had been a long time since the Empress Dowager Cixi had been able to talk to Qin Liuse for so long. After she went there yesterday, she invited her to come over today as well, and Qin Liuse naturally wanted more than anything else.

However, before Qin Liuse, Yongshou Palace welcomed another guest early in the morning.

A guest more familiar than Qin Liuse.

Concubine Xiao De always got up early, and knowing that the Empress Dowager Cixi did not sleep late, she came early to accompany her over breakfast and chat.

After they finished their breakfast, the Empress Dowager Cixi took her to have tea and talk.

Old people always have endless things to say and endless things to worry about.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was having a private conversation with Concubine Xiao De. Aunt Fanghua watched the maid bring in some snacks, then she took Zhucui and Bizhu out again.

Among these three people around her, Aunt Fanghua had been following the Empress Dowager Cixi and suffering hardships since she entered the palace, while Zhucui and Bizhu only followed her when they were fifteen years old.

Between these two generations, there is Concubine Xiao De, who also started serving the Empress Dowager Cixi when she was just over ten years old. Now, Concubine Xiao De is almost thirty years old and is of the same age as the four concubines.

"The Emperor has suffered with me for so long, and he finally left the palace and set up his own home, but it was difficult for him to start a family because of me." The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed.

Old people always like to express their feelings about their children.

"It's also his own good fortune. The rich and powerful look down on him and don't want their daughters to suffer with him. But fortunately, he is capable, so he has someone like the late queen who wants to be his woman without telling her family."

Concubine Xiao De smiled and said, "The emperor is brave and resourceful, and has a plan in mind. He is also as handsome as the queen, so naturally there are many girls who are willing to be with him."

It may be said that what Concubine Xiao De said was not a compliment.

When the Empress Dowager Cixi was young, she worked as a maid in the harem. She was a top-notch beauty with both beauty and appearance.

Otherwise, how could he gain the favor of someone like the late emperor?

It was just a fact that the late emperor was fond of women and was also unfaithful, so although the Empress Dowager Cixi was favored, she was often ostracized and bullied because of her humble status.

At first, it was fine because the late emperor loved me, but later, he fell in love with someone else, and life became difficult.

And because of her low status, she couldn't raise the Ninth Prince after he was born.

The Empress Dowager Cixi had suffered a lot, having suffered from poverty since childhood, so she was a little weak and her hands and feet were not as delicate as those of the noble ladies. The late emperor was greedy for novelty and her face, and soon fell in love with someone else.

After falling out of favor, life was indeed hard.

But my son worked hard and managed to get through it, so he can finally enjoy his old age.

The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and said, "Although he is not close to me, he is a bit cold and treats everyone like this. I know that he has me, his mother, in his heart."

"He has no roots or foundation. I don't have a mother's family, so I can't help him. It hasn't been easy for him to ascend the throne in the past two years."

The Empress Dowager Cixi lamented that Emperor Yongjia had few children, "Fortunately, starting this year, there will be many more children in the harem. I am happy for him when I see this."

Of course, for an emperor, the more offspring he has, the better, so that there will be someone to carry on his throne.

"I heard that now the Concubine Shu is pregnant again, and that Concubine Zhou is also pregnant." The Empress Dowager smiled kindly, "And Concubine Zhang is a lucky person. She got a prince at first sight and gave birth to the Emperor's second son."

Concubine Xiao De was cracking walnuts in her hand, lost in thought. She replied, "Your Majesty is in good health. The issue of having children depends not only on the man's rain and dew, but the imperial physician said that the woman's foundation is also important. Only fertile soil can grow seedlings."

"It depends on the man and woman, whether they are compatible." Concubine Xiao De said calmly.

The way the Empress Dowager Cixi and Concubine Xiao De spoke was different from any other concubine in the harem.

When dealing with the concubines outside, she mostly acted like the emperor's mother, kind but distant.

As for Qin Liuse, he liked her lively and quiet personality, and doted on her like his own junior.

As for Concubine Xiao De, the situation was more complicated. She had some love for her junior, but also encouraged her like a daughter. She also felt a little distressed because she knew that Concubine Xiao De had suffered a lot following her after entering the palace.

Therefore, when speaking to Concubine Xiao De, he would be more persuasive and instructive.

Concubine Xiao De was so stable that the Empress Dowager Cixi was not anxious, but she had to give her a push, "In this palace, it is better to have someone to rely on. Look at Concubine Zhang, even though she is not favored now, she lives so comfortably."

"The emperor treats you well for my sake." The Empress Dowager sighed, "But the road in the palace is long, and you are still so young. Now that you are favored, it is not too late to have a child."

Concubine Xiao De stared blankly at the walnut in her hand. After breaking it open, she put it in a small bowl at hand and brought it to the Empress Dowager Cixi for her to eat.

"Your Majesty has been very good to me now. I dare not ask for too much more." Concubine Xiao De said with a smile.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was somewhat reluctant to see her being so stubborn, but she had watched the child grow up and had always had this character since she was young, as tough as bamboo, not talkative, but with her own ideas on everything, and she was really not susceptible to being struck by lightning.

"You are not bad looking, there are plenty of opportunities. If you want, I can help you talk to the emperor. He is not unwilling. You are not worse than those concubines, otherwise the late emperor would have..."

The Empress Dowager Cixi stopped talking halfway and didn't want to continue, and Concubine Xiao De also paused.

The late emperor was lustful and had indeed taken a liking to the beautiful young maid beside her.

But Concubine Xiao De was unwilling, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was also unwilling to push such a young girl to an old man like the late emperor.

If she had served the late emperor, such a young girl would have wasted her whole life in the deep palace.

So at that time, with no other options, the Empress Dowager Cixi asked her son to find a solution.

The Ninth Prince was only in his early twenties at the time, and he had already married a wife. There were also many women serving him in the mansion, so one more was not too many.

Finally, he asked the late emperor for this person.

The Ninth Prince acted quickly, so the late Emperor naturally didn't want to snatch the woman from his own son, so he gritted his teeth and gave the woman to him.

Concubine Xiao De said gratefully, "The Ninth Prince was willing to help me back then, and I have already given him back. How can I deceive his feelings again?"

The Ninth Prince was not favored to begin with, and because of this incident, the late Emperor was even less favorable to him.

The Empress Dowager sighed and shook her head. "If you ask me, you two are quite similar in some ways. You are both stubborn. Once you make up your mind, you make up your mind."

Concubine Xiao De saw this as a lifeline to escape the clutches of the late emperor, and Emperor Yongjia rescued her as a favor to his biological mother.

Neither of them had any feelings for each other. Even though they had been with Emperor Yongjia for so long, they had never slept in the same bed.

Others didn't know, but the Empress Dowager Cixi knew it clearly because Concubine Xiao De never hid anything from her.

"What a stubborn donkey." said the Empress Dowager Cixi.