Children of Loulan

At this time, the Summer Palace was filled with cheerful laughter. Xianfei sat on the main seat, with a smile on her face. She cast her eyes on Madam Zhao who was sitting below, and said softly: "Since the second prince left the palace to build his own residence, I really want to thank you for coming to accompany me every day and telling me those funny jokes, which made me so happy. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid my life would become very boring!"

Madam Zhao smiled and responded, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Everyone in the harem knows that the most favored person is none other than Your Majesty. On weekdays, when the king enters the harem, he comes to Your Majesty four out of ten times. In our entire harem, even the queen is not as favored as you."

At first, Concubine Xian did not pay much attention to Madam Zhao's praise. However, when she heard that she was even more favored than the queen, she couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Thinking carefully, she realized that it was indeed the case, and she suddenly felt happy.

But as her thoughts turned, the image of the old, haggard, and yellow-faced woman occupying the position of empress emerged in her mind, and Concubine Xian felt a little unwilling. At the same time, she silently told herself:

"One day, sooner or later, everything that belongs to me will come! By then, I will replace that hateful old woman and sit firmly on the supreme position!" Although her mind was filled with thousands of thoughts, she remained calm on the surface. With a smile on her lips, she glanced lightly at Madam Zhao.

"In the past, I was indeed favored, but who can predict the future? Today, there are forty young and beautiful sisters. They may become new favorites and charm the king. Oh, by the way, I heard that your palace has also welcomed many new people, right? Why don't you go meet them?"

Madam Zhao's face was gloomy, and she said in a tense manner: "What is there to see? There is still a long time to come, and we will see them eventually. I really don't like to associate with them. Besides, the king only steps into my concubine's palace once a month. Now that they are here, I am afraid that even this only opportunity will be missed."

The virtuous concubine smiled and consoled her: "Sister, don't be so stingy. You should learn from our magnanimous queen. If a newcomer is lucky enough to be favored in the future, the queen will definitely treat him differently and pay more attention to him."

Madam Zhao snorted and said sarcastically, "Even if the queen is unwilling, what can she do? After all, as the queen, she should select concubines for the king and consider the king's reproduction. Now that she is old and ugly, she can only tolerate other women to carry on the king's family line. Even if she is jealous, she can only endure it secretly."

Changing the subject, Madam Zhao gazed at Concubine Xian with a smile on her face, and softly comforted her: "However, Madam, I think you don't have to worry about the newcomers being favored. Even if the newcomers who have just left the palace are temporarily favored by the king, it is just a passing cloud. Looking at this huge harem, who dares to be compared with you? Your position in the king's mind is unique, even the queen can hardly reach it, let alone those little birds who have just entered the palace."

I have to admit that this Lady Zhao is really good at observing people's expressions and understanding people's hearts. In the past, many concubines flattered Concubine Xian, but Concubine Xian never took these compliments to heart, because she knew that they were not sincere. However, what Lady Zhao said this time was very pleasing to Concubine Xian. Every word she said put her above the queen, which made Concubine Xian very happy.

In her heart, Concubine Xian always believed that she was far superior to the queen in terms of appearance, talent, and wisdom. Therefore, in her opinion, the position of queen should have belonged to her, and the queen who was inferior to her in every way should have given up the position long ago, but the queen shamelessly occupied that position.

This was the knot in Concubine Xian's heart that she had been unable to let go of for a long time. At this moment, hearing Madam Zhao's flattering words, Concubine Xian couldn't help but feel elated, as if she had flown to the sky. Just as she was immersed in her self-intoxication, a maid's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the beauty from the west wants to see you, and I have come to greet you."

Xian Fei smiled slightly and said casually, "Well, let her come in." After the maid left, Xian Fei turned to look at Madam Zhao and said with a smile, "You are here today, so I would like to introduce someone to you."

When Madam Zhao heard this, she immediately became curious and asked quickly, "Oh? Who is this person?" After all, there had never been a so-called "Western beauty" in the palace before.

The virtuous concubine nodded slightly to show her agreement and replied, "This person is my cousin from my mother's family."

Madam Zhao's face changed slightly when she heard this, and she was obviously a little surprised, but she soon recovered and responded with a smile: "So she is your cousin, that's great. From now on, your majesty will have a relative to accompany you in the palace."

Concubine Xian raised her eyes slightly, glanced at Madam Zhao's expression, and smiled faintly: "You can rest assured, your position is irreplaceable here. The people that I value are naturally extraordinary. This cousin was carefully selected by me, and she will definitely be able to help me... Besides..."

As for the meaning of the unfinished words, Concubine Xian did not make it clear, but the deep meaning probably needs to be understood by Madam Zhao. Whether she can understand it depends on her personal intelligence.

Not long after, the young palace maid who had left earlier led a young woman into the palace. The young girl had a graceful figure and light steps. She came forward and bowed:

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you live a thousand years!"

Upon seeing this, Concubine Xian's smile grew even brighter. She immediately stood up, walked quickly forward, and personally helped the girl who was bowing up.

"Oh, cousin, please stand up quickly. Such a grand gift is really embarrassing for me. We are a family, why should we be so bound by these etiquettes? In the future, if there is no one else present, you can just call me cousin."

Here, Concubine Xian deliberately used the more intimate term "I" to refer to herself instead of the usual "this palace", obviously intending to narrow the distance between herself and this cousin whom she was not yet familiar with.

And her words really had the desired effect. Xilin slowly stood up, a smile on her face, and looked at her cousin who had helped her up.

"Thank you very much, cousin! I am new to the palace, and I will need your care in the future."

Xianfei patted her hand gently and said in a gentle tone: "We are a family, why should we be so polite? Come, cousin, let me introduce you to someone." Before she finished speaking, she took Xilin's hand and walked towards Madam Zhao. Seeing this, Madam Zhao also stood up quickly.

Concubine Xian smiled and introduced Xilin: "Xilin, this is Madam Zhao. On weekdays, I am grateful for her company. If it weren't for her company, I would have been bored a long time ago."

Madam Zhao humbly replied, "Your Highness is too kind. If it weren't for your support and protection, I would have been devoured by others, without even a bone or a dregs left."

Xilin listened to the conversation between the two, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth:

"My concubine, Lady Xi, greets Madam Zhao. Thank you for taking good care of my cousin. In the future, I hope Madam Zhao will be generous in giving me advice and suggestions as a newcomer."

Madam Zhao: "Oh, our beautiful sister is so sweet-mouthed. She doesn't talk about taking care of us or not. We are sisters and we have to support each other in the future!" After she said this, everyone present smiled slightly.

Xilin nodded slightly, indicating her agreement with Madam Zhao, and said, "Sister, you are too kind. I have just arrived, and I will need your advice and care in the future."

Hearing Xilin's humble, polite and sensible answer, Concubine Xian nodded secretly and was very satisfied with her performance. She thought that she had made the right choice this time. This woman was not only outstanding in appearance, but also smart and well-mannered.

Xian Fei smiled and said, "Don't stand, sit down!" As soon as she finished speaking, everyone sat down. Xilin walked gracefully to the empty seat below Madam Zhao and sat down, while Xian Fei returned to the main seat. After she sat down, she looked around the room and noticed that Madam Zhao's seat was closer to her, and Xilin happened to be sitting below Madam Zhao. She was very satisfied with this arrangement.

However, despite her inner joy, Concubine Xian remained calm on the surface and said softly to Xilin, "Cousin, why are you sitting so far away? Madam Zhao can sit in the first seat on the left, you may as well move to the right."

Xilin heard the voice and quickly stood up and replied: "Thank you for your concern, but I think that although this is your palace, the rules should not be abandoned. My cousin is a concubine, so she should sit in the main seat; Madam Zhao is a lady, so she should sit on the left.

The elder sister not only has a much higher status than the younger sister, but also has much more knowledge and experience than the younger sister, so it is natural that she should sit in front of the younger sister. After all, the younger sister is just a beauty, how can she sit side by side with the noble elder sister?

If other people saw this scene, those who knew the inside story might praise the elder sister for caring for her younger sister, but those who didn't know might mistakenly think that the younger sister relied on her cousin's power to oppress the elder sister! "This statement not only showed the position but also showed respect for those present, which was flawless.

Her words were like a spring breeze blowing on the face, making Concubine Xian happy. At first, when her father told her about this clever cousin, she was a little skeptical. But after seeing it with her own eyes, she was sure of it - the person in front of her was indeed very smart, and would definitely be able to help her ascend the throne of queen in the future.

Madam Zhao stared at Consort Xian with a face as bright as peach blossoms and a smile as beautiful as flowers, and her voice was clear, pleasant, and tender: "My queen, look at this beautiful lady from the west of our family. She is really beautiful and clever, and her words are also very pleasant to hear!"

Xian Fei nodded slightly, indicating her agreement: "Well, it is true, but it is also the truth. After all, you are far superior to her in terms of position and qualifications. And you have been in the palace for a long time, so you naturally have more experience. If I am too busy to take care of her in the future, I will trouble you to give her more guidance. If Xilin often comes to your palace to bother you, you must not be annoyed."

Madam Zhao smiled knowingly: "Your Highness, what are you talking about? Sister Xilin is so smart, I like her so much, how could I dislike her? If you have time, Miss Xilin can come to Yunhe Palace and come with me to pay respects to the Concubine Xian."