Children of Loulan

Three days later, before dawn, all the concubines had already gotten up and started to dress up carefully. Just after a quarter of an hour after the Mao hour, all the concubines had finished dressing up and stood in line in the courtyard, quietly waiting for the eunuch to come and deliver the decree.

At 2:00 a.m., the sky was slightly bright, and a mixed sound of footsteps gradually came from outside the courtyard, as if there were many people. When everyone approached the courtyard, Bayer took advantage of the others' inattention and quietly raised his eyes to look around.

The eunuch walking in front was holding a whisk, followed closely by a group of young eunuchs and palace maids. After the eunuch stood firm, he gently waved the whisk in his hand and shouted loudly:

"The king has ordered, kneel!"

Upon hearing this order, all the concubines knelt down and saluted. The eunuch looked at the people kneeling in front of him and stretched his hand behind him. A young eunuch behind him saw this and hurriedly took out a scroll-like object and handed it to him. The eunuch slowly unfolded the scroll and then read aloud:

"I am in charge of the court etiquette and command the nine concubines to receive the good will of heaven. I assist the queen in showing the majesty of women, follow the virtues of the four stars to help the king govern the world. I respectfully follow the etiquette of my ancestors, bear the grace of the emperor, and keep the palace simple for a long time. I follow the etiquette in everything I do. I am prudent and prudent in etiquette and show my regularity. I have the virtue of tranquility and concentration and work together to overcome oneness.

For the prosperity of the country, I now receive the Queen Mother’s kindness...”

The eunuch above was still reading, and the ladies kneeling below all lowered their heads and listened respectfully to the eunuch's words, fearing that they would miss a place and not hear their names.

Hanguli had been having trouble eating and sleeping recently, so after kneeling for two quarters of an hour, her body began to shake a little. Fortunately, Dal was always paying attention to her and noticed something was wrong with her immediately. He reached out from behind and silently supported her.

To prevent her from falling down when she couldn't hold on any longer, just when she felt like she couldn't hold on any longer, she suddenly heard her name. She immediately gathered her last bit of energy and listened carefully:

"Hanguli Tukuluk, the daughter of Kutuluk of Baiya Village, is gentle and virtuous, and has both moral integrity and talent. She is specially named a good wife and is granted the residence in Yunhe Palace. Xilin Wumail, the daughter of Wumail, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is naturally beautiful and intelligent. She is named a beauty and lives in Taichang Palace. Zeyitong Aihaiti, the daughter of Aihaiti of Liaocheng County, is graceful and dignified. She is also named a good wife and lives in Taichang Palace. I decree this! Thank you!"

Everyone shouted in unison: "We thank you. Long live the king!" The sound echoed throughout the palace for a long time.

After three consecutive kowtows, everyone slowly stood up. Because this was a collective enthronement ceremony with so many people, the entire ceremony took a long time, lasting more than half an hour. During this period, these ladies had been kneeling on the ground to pay their respects, and their legs had long been numb. When they stood up, they all looked painful, and if it weren't for the help of the maids beside them, they would probably have difficulty standing.

When everyone stood up straight, the eunuch who announced the decree immediately put on a smile and congratulated everyone: "Congratulations to all the masters, congratulations to all the masters, I wish you all a bright future and continuous promotion!" While saying the auspicious words, he handed the imperial edict to the young eunuchs beside him and asked them to distribute it to the women who were being conferred titles.

One of the newly appointed concubines walked out of the queue slowly. Her beautiful eyes fell on the eunuch and she said softly, "Thank you for your words, eunuch. If I can really achieve something in the future, I will definitely not forget your kindness today."

Before she finished her words, she quickly stuffed a small and exquisite purse into the eunuch's hand and cleverly used her body to block the view of the people around her.

The eunuch took the purse and pinched it gently, knowing that there was a lot of money hidden inside. He nodded with satisfaction, and once again looked at the newly appointed concubine in front of him, with a smile in his eyes, and responded in a low voice: "Lan Cairen is too polite! As long as you serve the king wholeheartedly in the future, you will definitely have a bright future and unlimited potential! As for other matters, Cairen does not need to worry, just wait for the opportunity..."

After that, the eunuch suddenly raised his voice and announced to everyone: "The queen has arranged for the maids and eunuchs to serve the new masters. From now on, please move and let these servants behind us lead you to your new residences!"

After he finished speaking, he immediately turned to the group of palace maids and eunuchs behind him and said sternly: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry and lead the new masters to their residences!"

The palace maids answered in unison, "Yes." Then they entered the palace one by one in an orderly manner, each leading their new master to lead the way for them.

Hanguli watched all this quietly, her eyes following the palace servants as they led the newly-appointed beauties, husbands and concubines out of the hall one by one.

Soon, two palace maids and a eunuch came up to her and bowed to her:

"This servant greets Lady Li."

Before Hanguli could respond, Dar said, "Thank you, sisters. Please lead the way for us!"

The maid replied, "As you command, please follow me, Li Liang."

The eunuch who delivered the imperial eunuch did not leave. He waited until all the beauties had left. Then he turned his eyes with a smile on his face to the concubine who gave him the purse.

"Lan Cairen is so lucky! Cairen just needs to wait patiently. Then I will take my leave first."

Lan Cairen quickly replied: "Go slowly, sir!"

After the eunuch left, Lan Cairen followed the maid assigned by the queen. On the way, her personal maid, Mi Feiti, followed her side and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Why should a concubine be so polite to a eunuch? He is just a eunuch, and you are the master!"

Lan Cairen glanced at her maid and said lightly, "Humph, idiot, don't underestimate these eunuchs. Many times, you have to rely on them to say good things!"

Mifeiti asked in confusion: "What the Cai people mean is that they can see the king often, but even if they see the king, they can't influence the king's thoughts!"

Dalan looked at his maid angrily, and said angrily: "I said you are stupid, but you really have the word stupid engraved in your mind! Although they can't influence the king's thoughts, they can mention it when the king is hesitant, so that the king will know that there is such a person as me. What's more, most of the time I need them to pass on information to me, so that I can understand the king's preferences and whereabouts. Although favor can only be won by one's own ability, we can create opportunities to meet the king through them."

Mi Feiti thought for a while, and seemed to finally understand the mystery. She nodded thoughtfully, then smiled and said, "I see, you are really thoughtful. It seems that the interpersonal relationships in the palace are really complicated. If you are not careful, you may miss a good opportunity. In the future, I will pay more attention to these details and no longer be as ignorant as before. You are still a wise person, I admire you."

Dalan snorted and said with a half-smile: "Humph, there is a lot to learn here. You should just stay by my side and learn it well!"

Then they went together to the residence specially prepared for them by the queen, while the eunuch returned to his own residence.

This eunuch was the head of the Lisi Bureau, named Aji. The main duties of the Lisi Bureau included reading the imperial edict, granting rewards to the masters of each palace, and handling related matters such as canonization and title. Aji sat leisurely in the chair, sipped his tea, then looked out the window and asked casually:

"Has the new dress for Concubine Ru been completed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch hurried in, bowed, and replied respectfully: "My Lord, the new clothes have been made, and I am planning to send someone to deliver them to Concubine Ru."

Ah Ji waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "Don't bother me. I'll go there myself. You can just come with me."

The young eunuch hurriedly responded and said yes.

At this moment, in the Pepper Room, Concubine Ru was concentrating on trimming the branches of flowers. Her personal maid Yadi walked over quickly and reported softly, "Madam, Eunuch Aji from the Ministry of Rites has arrived."

Concubine Ru nodded slightly to show that she understood, and ordered: "Well, let him in!"

Artie took the order and replied, "Yes."

Concubine Ru handed the scissors in her hand to the palace maid, walked to the main seat and sat down, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

Eunuch Aji came in with a young eunuch. The young eunuch was holding a tray.

Ah Ji: "Your servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Concubine!"

Concubine Ru: "Well, get up, Eunuch Aji, how come you have time to come here today?"

Aji: "In reply to your Majesty, the cloth that the king gave me a few days ago has been made into clothes. I have come here specially to present it to you for your inspection."

Concubine Ru: "Oh? So fast, present it to me so I can see it."

As soon as the words fell, the young eunuch carefully handed the tray in his hand to a young maid standing next to Concubine Ru. The young maid respectfully took the tray, lowered her head and walked quickly to Concubine Ru, and gently placed the tray on the table. Concubine Ru carefully examined the clothes on the tray, and a very satisfied expression appeared on her face.

Concubine Ru praised: "Well, it's really well done. Eunuch Aji's craftsmanship is really unique! The dresses he made are obviously better than those made by others."

Ah Ji replied in fear: "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I will do my best and treat you with all my heart when serving you."

At this time, Concubine Ru winked at Ati who was standing beside her. Ati understood what she meant and turned to look at the little palace maid and said:

"Take this young eunuch to claim the reward."

The young palace maid obeyed the order and led the young eunuch out of the room.

After they left, Concubine Ru asked thoughtfully, "I wonder how the newcomers today performed?"

Aji: "The ones chosen by the masters are naturally all good. If we talk about those who are good at handling things, there really is one!"

Concubine Ru raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh, really? Tell me about it!"