Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

The brothel where Zhao Ji stayed was called "Xianghonglou". Yun Zhen heard that the brothel owner took great care of Zhao Ji, so before leaving, Yun Zhen took her to say goodbye to the brothel owner and gave her several boxes of jewelry to express her gratitude.

I used to think that the madams of brothels were all people who put on thick makeup and pretended to be sincere, but after meeting her, Ji Anni found that the madam of Xianghonglou was not tainted by the slightest bit of materialism. Although she was dressed in a very glamorous way, she was not disgusting, and her appearance and expression seemed mature, generous and loyal.

Seeing her, Ji Anni couldn't help but want to go over and pay her respects to her elder sister.

The female boss' name is "Yan Niang". I heard that she was a palace maid in the past and served the Queen Mother, who is now the Empress Dowager.

Yan Niang had been sending Ji Anni to the carriage. As a senior, Yan Niang must have a lot to say, but strangely, she didn't say a word along the way. Ji Anni was afraid of exposing her identity, so she didn't dare to say much, and the atmosphere seemed a little awkward.

It was not until Ji Anni got on the carriage that Yun Zhen asked Yan Niang, "Don't you have any advice for me, Yan Niang?"

Yanniang smiled, lifted the curtain of the carriage and said to Ji Anni inside: "Sister, when Sister Yan took you in, she saw that you were not an ordinary person. You will definitely be a phoenix in the future. Don't belittle yourself when you are frustrated, and remember to forgive others when you are successful. Good deeds will bring good results, and evil deeds will be punished. After all, the harem is a place of right and wrong, so take good care of yourself in the future."

I thought she would hint that I could do whatever it takes to survive, but unexpectedly she advised me to be kind in everything.

After hearing Yan Niang's words, Ji Anni liked her even more.

However, Ji Anni, a half-grown girl, had no deep understanding of what the harem was like. She was a little scared, but also a little excited. After all, she was going to be the emperor's wife, and she already had a child, which made the pressure even greater.

***

After bidding farewell to Yan Niang, the carriage slowly drove towards the palace.

The young eunuch who had asked outside the door, "Imperial Master, is Queen Zhaoji ready?" was driving the carriage.

The young eunuch was called "Xiao Shunzi", and he was responsible for taking care of Yun Zhen's daily life and doing miscellaneous chores. He should not be very old, and judging from his appearance, he was probably only eighteen at most. Yun Zhen said that Xiao Shunzi was kind-hearted and tight-lipped, and was a very good confidant. However, Yun Zhen looked like a pure-hearted person, and he would not get involved in any harem struggles. It was a blessing for Xiao Shunzi to serve him.

There were only Yun Zhen and Ji Anni in the carriage.

"Where's the little prince?" Ji Anni asked curiously. She really wanted to see her five-year-old "child" sooner rather than later.

Yun Zhen said: "She was brought into the palace by someone else. You will be able to meet each other after entering the palace."

Yun Zhen briefly introduced to Ji Anni some of the situations in the harem of the Tianyou Holy Dynasty.

Unlike the three palaces and six courtyards that Ji Anni had in mind, the harem of the Holy Tianyou Dynasty was divided into "four palaces and eight courtyards".

The four palaces are the east, west, south and north palaces;

The eight courtyards are upper, lower, left, right, upper, lower, left, and right.

The concubines below the empress were divided into three levels. Those who lived in the four palaces were called "noble concubines", there were four of them; those who lived in the eight courtyards were called "imperial concubines", there were eight of them; the others who lived in the east and west side halls were called "concubines", the number of which varied, sometimes up to a hundred, sometimes less than ten.

The beautiful ladies who stayed in the palace were all given the title of Concubine and lived in the east and west side halls, so the east and west side halls were also called "Concubine Halls".

The East and West Concubine Palaces each had fifty rooms, a total of one hundred. The rooms were adjacent to each other, like a large courtyard. The neighbors of the concubines were all sisters, and everyone knew each other every day, so compared with the four palaces and eight courtyards, the Concubine Palace was much more lively.

But with all the excitement comes a lot of trouble, and jealousy and conflicts of interest between sisters often escalate into terrible open and secret struggles.

Therefore, the Concubine Palace is the place with the most ghost stories in the entire imperial palace.

***

Yun Zhen spoke in detail, but Ji Anni had already started yawning.

For Ji Anni's simple brain, what Yun Zhen said about the concubines in the palace was too troublesome. She was so annoyed that she kept shouting that she couldn't remember it.

"Forget it." Yun Zhen did not force her, and only said, "It is useless to say more. You will know it naturally after entering the palace."

The carriage passed through the busy streets and drove towards the palace.

The closer you get to the palace, the wider the road becomes and the fewer people there are.

It was almost evening, and the orange sunset hung in the sky, dyeing the distant sky a warm red, which was very beautiful.

Ji Anni had never seen the imperial palace in her life, and she couldn't help but lift the curtain of the carriage to look outside.

Willow trees and peonies were planted along the roadside, the walls were painted yellow, and the eaves were dark red, looking solemn and dignified. Occasionally, the sound of horse hooves could be heard, either from eunuchs going out of the palace to purchase goods, or from the luxurious cars of high-ranking officials.

Suddenly, Ji Anni heard the sound of bells and the swaying of a bead curtain.

Following the sound, I looked forward and saw a beautiful sedan chair with a red canopy and gold threads in front of me. The curtains of the sedan chair were all made of silver beads, and the beads were coated with a layer of warm red by the faint red light of the setting sun, which looked both gorgeous and elegant. When Ji Anni's carriage passed by the sedan chair, through the bead curtain, Ji Anni vaguely saw the side face of the person in the sedan chair.

She was a beautiful woman who was about the same age as Ji Annie.

Although it was just a blurry shadow, it still caused Ji Anni to let out a slight exclamation.

It was just a glance, and the other person's face and facial features could not be seen clearly, but the noble temperament of the woman in the sedan chair could be clearly transmitted to Ji Anni's heart even through the sedan chair, shocking her.

Whose girl is this?

Appearance is secondary. Although it is not clear, it must be good. What attracts Ji Anni the most is her temperament. The elegant and noble posture of the woman sitting quietly in the sedan chair is really similar to the queen on TV.

Ji Anni thought that if she were a director and wanted to shoot a palace drama, she would definitely choose an actress like this when selecting the queen.

"Yunzhen, whose lady was that just now?" Ji Anni lowered the curtain of the sedan chair, sat back in her seat quietly and asked.

Yun Zhen said, "She is the daughter of Lord Shui, the Grand Commander of Qingzhou. She is Shui Furong, and was just selected into the palace as a concubine this year."

From the concubine?

Ji Anni recalled the four palaces and eight courtyards that Yun Zhen had introduced to her just now. The rank of Concubine seemed to be the lowest. Any girl who stayed in the palace could be named Concubine. She lived in the east and west side halls, without even her own courtyard. She was crowded together with other Concubines, just like a big courtyard.

Such a rich lady is actually just a concubine?

Ji Anni found it a little unbelievable.

At this time, Yun Zhen said, "Shui Furong has been famous in Qingzhou for many years, first because of her stunning appearance, and second because of her arrogant personality. Even in this year's talent show, she only signed up and did not show up on the day of the talent show. If she had shown up, she would have at least been made an imperial concubine with her talent, beauty and fame, but she chose not to show up. The empress dowager thought she was too arrogant and wanted to put an end to her prestige, so she was only made a concubine. Today is the last day for a concubine to enter the palace, and she has only arrived now. It seems that her arrogant personality has not changed at all. If she went to the concubine's palace, she would definitely be a little empress dowager in the palace."

Ji Anni nodded, indicating that she had heard what Yun Zhen had just said.

But I never expected that Shui Furong, this peerless beauty, would have such a bad personality. I don't know whether to say that she is too proud or too stupid. She left a bad impression on the Queen Mother before she even entered the palace. Even if she is both talented and virtuous, it would not be easy for her to rise to the top, right?