The Virtuous Concubine

Concubine Tong's eyes were devoid of a smile. She only felt that the group of people in front of her were nothing but clowns, which was really ridiculous and lamentable. She did not want to talk more with these women with their own thoughts: "You are fighting, but you don't see where you are? You don't know how to restrain yourself. I don't care about these trivial matters today."

She turned around and looked at Liuying: "Are all the people here? If they are, please follow me to the Cining Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

The concubines were shocked when they heard this, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to raise any objection. They followed Concubine Tong silently, arranged in order according to their rank, and hurriedly walked towards the Cining Palace. Only a few of the main seats could sit in the sedan chair and enjoy the dignity and comfort; the noble ladies behind them could only step on the bottom of the flower pots and follow closely behind, with fine beads of sweat on their faces, but they did not dare to complain at all.

Arriving at the Cining Palace, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Normally, except for a few high-ranking and particularly favored concubines, no one else was qualified to enter the gate of the Cining Palace, so many concubines were very curious and didn't know what the Cining Palace looked like. They secretly speculated in their hearts, wondering how magnificent and solemn the Cining Palace was.

Passing through the palace gate, a light scent of sandalwood hits you, making you feel peaceful. The courtyard of the Cining Palace does not have complicated and exotic flowers and plants. The layout is spacious and grand. Every stone and every tree are placed just right, revealing the royal dignity and restraint.

Concubine Tong led the concubines into the hall. The Empress Dowager was sitting on the main seat, and Su Malagu stood beside her with her hands folded. The concubines saluted respectfully, and were in awe, not daring to act rashly. Concubine Tong spoke first: "The Empress Dowager is well. The sisters in the harem have gathered here today to pay their respects to you. May the Empress Dowager be healthy and live a long life."

As soon as she finished speaking, the concubines echoed her in soft and uniform voices, which gathered together with great momentum, just like small streams merging into a river.

The Grand Empress Dowager nodded slightly, accustomed to such scenes: "Get up." She slowly swept her eyes over each concubine: "It's been a long time since I last saw you. It seems that there are many unfamiliar faces."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Tong replied, "To the Grand Empress Dowager, this time we have the newly promoted Concubine De, Concubine Wei and others. They have just entered the palace and according to the rules they are here to pay their respects to you. However, it is not appropriate to disturb the Grand Empress Dowager's meditation rashly, so today we take this opportunity to bring them here for you to see."

Having said that, Malu, as the leader of this group of rising stars, naturally walked forward slowly with her big belly and was the first to perform a great salute: "I feel truly honored to see the Holy Face of the Grand Empress Dowager today. May the Grand Empress Dowager be in good health and live a long and blessed life." Although Malu was a little nervous, her manners were still impeccable.

The Empress Dowager's eyes fell on Malu, and her tone was quite gratified: "How can a pregnant woman perform such a grand ceremony? You should take good care of yourself and have children for the royal family. You did a great job on the woolen clothes last time."

Upon hearing this, Malu could only bow again according to the rules, gently and respectfully: "Thank you for the praise from the Empress Dowager. I am ashamed to accept it. It is my honor to be loyal to the Empress Dowager and the royal family."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, and her evaluation of Malu improved a little: this woman is not only smart and skilled, but also dignified, and does not look like the kind of person who will be spoiled. Thinking of this, she turned her eyes to the noble lady Wei behind her. Malu naturally observed the changes in the Empress Dowager, and knew that she had passed this test. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked aside, and gracefully retreated to the ranks of the concubines.

The noble lady behind her, Wei, was no longer as timid as she had been in Chengqian Palace before. She stepped forward with a light step and also performed an elegant salute: "I am the noble lady Wei, paying my respects to the Grand Empress Dowager. I wish the Grand Empress Dowager good health and a long life."

The Empress Dowager's gaze was like a sharp sword, pointing directly at Concubine Wei who was kneeling in the hall. She did not respond to Concubine Wei's greeting immediately as she did to Ma Lu. Without the Empress Dowager's words, Concubine Wei could only keep kneeling. Time passed by minute by minute, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually became solemn. Concubine Wei's forehead was sweaty, but she still maintained a dignified posture and did not dare to complain at all.

After an unknown amount of time, the Empress Dowager finally spoke, her voice full of interrogation: "Lady Wei, I heard that you have been favored by the Emperor recently. It is not easy to gain favor in the harem. It seems that you are quite capable."

Concubine Wei was startled, sensing the danger in the words of the Grand Empress Dowager, so she could only lie prone on the ground and answer respectfully: "Replying to the Grand Empress Dowager, although I am fortunate enough to be favored by the Emperor, I always remember the rules of the harem and dare not transgress in the slightest."

The Empress Dowager's eyes darkened slightly, and she continued, "When you are favored, you must be more vigilant. You must not take advantage of your favor and become arrogant, forgetting your own status and duties as a concubine."

Concubine Wei kowtowed three times again: "The Empress Dowager's good advice will be remembered in my heart. I will not forget my original intention, uphold my virtues, and be humble and abide by the rules of the harem, and live up to the Empress Dowager's teachings today."

The Empress Dowager was unmoved: "I know your intentions, but words are not enough. Since you are favored, you should cultivate your character and set an example. Now I order you to copy "Female Commandments" and "Female Rules" thirty times each to calm your mind and clarify your will. When you are done, give them to Concubine Tong and let her distribute them to everyone in the harem."

Noble Lady Wei almost fainted when she heard this. This was a humiliating punishment, but she, she couldn't read! What should she do? Although she was unwilling and helpless in her heart, in front of the majesty of the Empress Dowager, she could only bite the bullet and answer: "I obey your order. I will copy it carefully."

The Grand Empress Dowager did not look at Noble Lady Wei, and her tone was nonchalant: "The Instructions for Women is the code of conduct and morality for women. When copying it, you must concentrate on it. Do you understand?"

Although these words were said lightly, they seemed to weigh heavily on Concubine Wei's heart. That meant that Concubine Wei had taken off the green card herself during this period of time. But Concubine Wei had no choice but to answer more respectfully: "I understand, I will concentrate on my work and live up to the expectations of the Empress Dowager."

The Grand Empress Dowager then asked Concubine Wei to stand up: "Alright, why are you still kneeling? I hope that through copying, you can deeply understand the principles and become a role model in the harem."

The concubines beside them had all kinds of thoughts when they saw the Grand Empress Dowager targeting Concubine Wei. Some were secretly happy, secretly glad that Concubine Wei had fallen out of favor, and that they might have a chance to rise to the top; some were sympathetic, thinking that Concubine Wei had been innocently implicated, and why did the Grand Empress Dowager target a concubine of low rank; others were worried, worried that the Grand Empress Dowager would have another attack later, and whether it would affect them.

Lady Wei slowly stood up, feeling the cold and warm gazes from all around, her face turned red and white. She was not used to being the center of attention, and all kinds of emotions were intertwined in her heart, but she could only humbly lower her head to prevent others from seeing her expression at the moment. Her heart was beating like a drum, but she forced herself to remain calm and not let the panic in her eyes reveal a bit.

After entering the palace, Concubine Wei had been working in the Xinzheku. She was protected by her father and felt at ease. Her father doted on her, so Concubine Wei naturally did not need to worry too much about the dangers in the palace. Concubine Wei's father, Abunai, was a not-so-small manager of the Internal Affairs Department. She had always lived under her father's wings and did not need to bother to learn the complicated court etiquette and poetry and scriptures. As long as she was decent in front of others, she would be able to cope with daily life.

However, today's situation poured cold water on Concubine Wei. For the first time, she realized that the emperor's favor seemed unable to protect her. The order of the Empress Dowager was like a thunderbolt, shattering her fantasy of life in the harem and pushing her to the forefront.