Jiang Mo came back from walking around and gathered the palace people together.
According to your arrangement, there are four eunuchs serving closely in his courtyard, as well as four maids responsible for doing rough work and cleaning, for a total of eight people.
"Each of you, please introduce your name, age, how long you have been in the palace, and the skills you are good at." Jiang Mo said slowly.
Several people agreed and answered in turn. Jiang Mo listened and silently calculated their abilities and uses in his heart.
These eunuchs were all recruited from various parts of the palace. They had served in different places before. They were between seventeen and twenty years old. After all, they had to serve the noble lord closely, so they were all literate and able to handle affairs. neat. The age of the palace maids is basically between thirteen and fifteen. Although they look relatively young, people in ancient times were sensible early and had a good life in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. They seem to know the rules and usually do some needlework. There is more than enough work to do in house and yard.
Jiang Mo's luggage that he had left at Chuxiu Palace had been delivered to the palace, so he ordered the palace people to pack the things and register them. In addition to luggage, there are also many items given by the palace, which must be registered and carefully put away. Otherwise, if they are lost or broken, you will be punished.
While they were packing up, he sat on the sofa nearby and watched, observing their actions. By the time they finished packing, Jiang Mo had almost figured it out.
He appointed Zuo Dong, the oldest and most prudent person here, as the eunuch in charge, responsible for overseeing all affairs in his palace. Among the eunuchs, there is a young eunuch named Meng Jiao. Although he is the youngest, he has been in the palace the longest among all the people. He is smart and knows many people. Jiang Mo knows a lot about the palace from him. If the situation there is different, ask him to always be by your side.
In the evening, the palace people went to the imperial kitchen to deliver the meals. The palace was very large, and the meals were already cold when they were delivered, so the kitchen in the palace came in handy. The meals were placed on the pot and heated up before eating. , does not affect the taste and appearance.
The rules in the palace are strict, and meals are distributed according to status. Jiang Mo's meal is much better than when he was in Chuxiu Palace. It has changed from three dishes and one soup to six dishes and one soup, and there is also a dessert after the meal. The food in this palace is too delicate and the portions are small. I always feel that it is quite boring to eat. It is not as enjoyable as eating the big fish and meat outside.
After eating and drinking, Jiang Mo wanted to go straight to bed, but Zuo Dong reminded him not to go to bed too early. Tonight was the first night for the concubines to enter the palace. Logically speaking, the emperor would definitely recruit a concubine. , if he is summoned, but he has already fallen asleep, it would be outrageous to get up from the bed in a hurry.
Jiang Mo curled his lips secretly in his mind. He knew very well the plot line and knew that the emperor would not be lucky to anyone tonight, and he did not want to sleep with him at all, otherwise he would have to consume the dream-building incense he had exchanged for his points. But the rules were the rules. No matter what he thought in his heart, he had to do enough on the surface, so he had to wait patiently.
Until Haishi, no one came to summon him, so Zuo Dong waited on Jiang Mo and fell asleep.
The next day, the concubines got up early and went to Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Queen Mother. Originally, he was supposed to pay his respects to the queen first, but the emperor has not yet established a queen, so he can only go to see the queen mother.
As soon as Jiang Mo took Zuo Dong and Meng Jiao out of the palace, they met Liang Yi and Mr. Li, and the three of them headed towards Cining Palace together.
"Have you heard? The emperor did not recruit any concubines last night." Liang Yi lowered his voice and said to Jiang Mo.
"Really?" A look of surprise appeared on Jiang Mo's face at the right time, and then he said, "Maybe there is something important and I can't spare the time."
"That's right." Both of them were measured. people, this topic ends here.
When they arrived at Cining Palace, many people had already arrived. They were all dressed up and had eyebrows and hair on their temples. But if you look carefully, you can see that many people have a bit of blue under their eyes, even though they use makeup. It was covered up, but he still showed some fatigue. I guess it was because he waited all night last night.
Especially those with higher status, he saw that Shi Jieyu was covering her mouth with a handkerchief, and she had quietly yawned two or three times. Zhang Qian still followed Shi Jieyu closely, saying flattering words from time to time, but her eyes were also a little blue.
Jiang Mo couldn't help but feel funny in his heart. Even if the emperor really wanted to recruit concubines, he would definitely start with beauties with high status or outstanding looks. There was no way he would favor an unspectacular seventh-grade concubine on the first night. I don't know what the point of her staying up all night was.
In fact, Jiang Mo really wrongly blamed Zhang Qian. Even if Zhang Qian is full of ambitions, she still has the most basic self-awareness. She stayed up all night not because she was waiting for the emperor's favor, but because she felt very uncomfortable.
Miss Shi Wu, as a third-rank imperial concubine, was able to live in the main hall of Yonghe Palace. Zhang Qian took advantage of her and also moved into Yonghe Palace. However, as a seventh-rank imperial concubine, Zhang Qian's status was very low, let alone In the side hall and the side hall, she was not even qualified to live in a room alone. She lived in a crowded room with two other royal ladies. Not only the house must be shared, the cabinets must be shared, but even the clean room must be shared.
Zhang Qian originally thought that she was on good terms with Shi Jieyu, and the two people in the same room should give her some respect, so her attitude was a bit arrogant. However, the two imperial ladies were not easy to get along with, and they couldn't stand her superiority. Attitude, obviously the three of them have the same status, but they are not willing to tolerate her bad habits. The three of them couldn't tell each other, and they spent the entire night struggling.
However, Zhang Qian's dress today was also very deliberate. Shi Jieyu was wearing a purple-red jacquard brocade dress today, with her hair covered with pearls, and she looked extremely beautiful. However, Zhang Qian was dressed very plainly, wearing a light green ruffled skirt and only two white jade hairpin rings on her head. Standing next to Shi Jieyu, she gave people a feeling of freshness and elegance.
When everyone was almost there, the maid next to the Queen Mother came to let them in.
The Queen Mother was a kind person. After they bowed, she gave them seats. However, there were dozens of them and there were not that many chairs. Therefore, only the concubines of the fifth rank and above were qualified to sit down, and the remaining concubines with lower rankings could sit down. I can only stand.
Then the Queen Mother chatted with them for a few words, and while she was talking,
Someone outside heard the announcement, "The Emperor has arrived."
Everyone stood up immediately, walked to the door and knelt down to greet the Emperor. Only the Queen Mother still sat in the main seat.
The emperor wearing a bright yellow dragon robe slowly walked in, and the eyes of all the concubines flashed with excitement and joy.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." All the concubines said in unison, looking up at the Emperor with nervousness and expectation.
Zhang Qian was even more excited. She had used game props to increase her charm, hoping to leave some impression on the emperor, so that he might be able to think of her after he favored his high-ranking concubines.
However, her plan was doomed to fail. After the emperor saw the beauty kneeling on the floor in the palace, he frowned and even stopped for a moment. Jiang Mo suspected that he had originally planned to turn around and leave. However, for the sake of the Queen Mother, he did not leave after all. He just strode past them and came directly to the Queen Mother. "I send my regards to the Queen Mother."
"Emperor, you are here." When he saw his son, he came to the throne. He came to say hello to himself, and the Queen Mother was naturally happy and pulled him to sit down on the main seat. Then she asked the concubines who were kneeling at the door to get up.
The Queen Mother wanted to invite them to come over and say a few words, but the Emperor said directly: "Queen Mother, I have something important to discuss with you."
As soon as these words came out, it was inappropriate for the concubines to stay any longer, so they had to Reluctantly resigned.
"You are still so incomprehensible. As an emperor, the most important thing is his children..." Seeing the disappointment of the concubines, the Queen Mother couldn't help but say a few words to the emperor.
The former prince had very few heirs, with only two sons and two daughters in total. The second prince, Zhao Hong, and the fourth princess, Zhao Fu, were born to the current empress dowager.
The eldest prince Zhao Xin was smart and cute, and was established as the prince very early. However, the second prince Zhao Hong was in poor health when he was a child due to premature birth. The queen mother had no choice but to send him to the palace to recuperate. Later, the fourth princess was born and named Zhao Fu. , wishing her good health and prosperity. Unexpectedly, by chance, Zhao Hong was accepted as a disciple by a master, and he began to practice martial arts. After his health gradually improved, he went to the mountain to formally study with his master, and he stayed there for thirteen years.
There is a saying that "it is not necessarily better when you are young", which means that a person cannot be sure that he will do something in the future just because he was smart when he was young. This is the case with Xin Zhao. Although he was smart and cute when he was a child, he became cunning when he grew up. He not only accepted bribes and formed gangs, but also indulged in beauty. In addition to the crown prince and two concubines, he also hired countless attendants. His concubines were in the same room, and all the pretty maids were pulled into bed by him.
Even though he doted on this son before, the late emperor was really worried about leaving the country and the country in his hands, so he thought of his other son again.
The late emperor knew that his health could not last long, so he had Zhao Hong urgently brought back. Seeing that his former sickly young son had now grown into a tall, strong and heroic man, he was very pleased. After observing him for a period of time, Later, it was discovered that he was cold on the outside and hot on the inside, steady and courageous, so he directly abolished Zhao Xin's position as prince, ordered him and his mother to guard the imperial mausoleum, and then passed the throne to Zhao Xin. Hong.
Zhao Hong came to power in a hurry and had many discomforts. However, the Queen Mother was worried that he would follow in the footsteps of the late emperor and hoped that he could spread his branches as soon as possible and continue his heirs, so this election was held. It's just that he is different from the various pretty beauties around him like Zhao Xin. He has been studying in the mountains and has never been exposed to women at all. No matter how beautiful the beauties are standing in front of him, they are like a big cabbage. Not only does it fail to make him excited, but it only makes him upset.
Seeing that the Queen Mother was about to start talking incessantly, the Emperor quickly interrupted her, "Mother, I really have something important to discuss with you."
"What is it?" the Queen Mother asked in surprise.
"The Huns sent envoys to pay homage to the new king, bringing a letter written by their Khan and wanting to marry Fu'er." When he said this, the emperor's face suddenly darkened.
"What?!" The Queen Mother suddenly changed her expression, "How can this be done? Fu'er is only thirteen years old! How can he marry into such a barbarian land?"
After sending her youngest son out of the palace, only Zhao was left with the Queen Mother. Fu, I poured all my maternal love into her. Raising her like jewels and jewels was not just for her to marry far away and go to a place like the Huns! What's more, she is only thirteen years old now!
"The Ai family doesn't agree!"
"I don't agree either." No matter how far away the Huns are, they should know that Zhao Fu is the Queen Mother's favorite, the emperor's biological sister, and the princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could they be so far away? Marry a Xiongnu to make peace? They simply wanted to use this to get out of trouble, so that they could take advantage of the unstable situation when the emperor had just ascended the throne to attack Zhou Dynasty and seek benefits.
"If he wants to fight, then he will fight! I am not afraid of anyone!" The emperor said with a stern look on his face, showing a bit of murderous ferocity.
"The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, and the Ai family does not understand the affairs of the previous dynasty. You should discuss with several ministers before making a decision. There is only one thing, Fu'er must not marry!" The Queen Mother gave the emperor a deep look.
"Mother, don't worry, I understand."
After the emperor left, the queen mother was no longer in the mood to take care of the concubines. She only sent people to summon Zhao Fu and saw with her own eyes the pink and jade-carved girl holding hands in front of her. After talking for a while, I felt a little calmer.
As for the concubines who left, I originally thought that the Queen Mother would persuade the emperor to favor the concubines earlier, so after returning, she naturally looked forward to it again.
Who would have thought that the emperor seemed to have completely forgotten about these beauties, and did not recruit any of them for several days in a row. Those who couldn't bear their temper wanted to take action from the Queen Mother, so they rushed to Cining Palace to pay their respects. But I don't know what's going on with the Queen Mother. She just said she was feeling unwell and asked them to go see her every half month from now on.
But then, the news of the war between Dazhou and the Xiongnu came out.
Jiang Mo had already seen the world line and knew that this battle was inevitable. The emperor was busy with government affairs and naturally had no time to favor his concubines. However, many of these concubines were from high families. The harem and the previous dynasty were integrated, and the emperor could not delay it for much longer. After the victory in the first battle of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the emperor should start to visit the emperor under the persuasion of the courtiers and the queen mother and the harem.
The first lucky person was naturally Shi Jieyu, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital. After being favored, she was granted the title of Chongyi and promoted to one of the Nine Concubines. The second lucky person is Lu Mingyue, the daughter of Zuo Du Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Because she was born with a decent temperament and a gentle temper, and she got pregnant just this time, she was awarded the title of Concubine Shu based on the wealth of her son. And after the child was born, she became a queen. She should have had a smooth journey, but unfortunately she met Zhang Qian, and was eventually killed miserably, without even being able to save her child.
Zhang Qian was also tolerant. She had been in the position of concubine for a year and had never been favored. However, she worked conscientiously to develop her power. She quietly got rid of a few people who were an eyesore, and then bribed a group of people in the palace through the palace fighting system. She tampered a little while turning over the cards, and then she was able to see the emperor.
She did have some means to serve the emperor comfortably, and her position rose again and again. Moreover, since going to court with the emperor, her charm began to increase by leaps and bounds, and even her appearance became more and more beautiful. No wonder he became so favored later.
But Jiang Mo found it strange that Zhao Hong was the son of luck in this small world anyway. Judging from his decisive actions, he didn't seem to be addicted to women. How could he be manipulated by such a woman? Where is the time? Maybe there are some unknown secrets in this palace fighting system... He still needs to be careful in the future.