The Virtuous Concubine

The disappearance of Imperial Physician Lin did not cause any stir in the palace, and the matter of Malu's twins did not cause any follow-up events because Yonghe Palace announced that it would close the palace to take care of the pregnancy. Although everyone was curious, they did not dare to directly disobey Kangxi's order and visit Depin.

However, everyone knew that in this grand ceremony of conferring titles on the six palaces, Depin would definitely not be able to escape the position of a concubine. In the harem, a world where offspring and family background were respected, Malu's twins were undoubtedly her most powerful bargaining chip.

Malu's life did not change much. Everyone in Yonghe Palace took care of her. She only had to worry about the gifts on the birthday. Half a month passed in a flash, and soon it was the birthday.

The Qing dynasty followed the tradition of the Tang and Song dynasties and designated the emperor's birthday as a national holiday. This ritual was endowed with great honor and celebratory significance. The Wanshou Festival, as a celebration of the emperor's birthday, was second only to New Year's Day and the Winter Solstice in terms of grandeur, and was listed as one of the "three major festivals" of the Qing court.

The rituals of the Wanshou Festival are solemn and complicated. During the festival, the palace is forbidden to slaughter livestock, and the government offices are not allowed to hear criminal cases, in order to show respect for the emperor's birthday. Civil and military officials must wear gorgeous dragon robes and patched clothes according to the etiquette system. This period is called the "Flower Clothes Period".

On this day, the Forbidden City and its surroundings were filled with a festive atmosphere from early morning. Kangxi would first go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to accept congratulations and birthday gifts from the kings, Beile, Beizi, civil and military officials, and foreign envoys. These birthday gifts included Ruyi, longevity Buddhas, calligraphy and paintings, pearl chambers, and gold and silver products. Each of them was carefully selected to imply auspiciousness. Generally, nine pieces were grouped together, called "one nine", and the highest number could be "nine nine" (81 pieces), symbolizing the emperor's longevity and the country's prosperity.

Afterwards, Kangxi would move to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to accept gifts from the princes, grandchildren, and other members of the inner court, such as the empress and concubines. After the birthday celebrations, the emperor would host a banquet for all officials in the palace.

As one of the three major festivals, the banquet has a wide variety of dishes, including 20 hot dishes, 20 cold dishes, 4 soups, 4 side dishes, 4 fresh fruits, 28 melon and fruit preserves, and 29 various snacks and noodles, totaling 109 dishes. These dishes are carefully selected meats such as pork, deer, lamb, chicken, duck, and fish, supplemented with mushrooms, bird's nests, fungus, and other mountain and sea delicacies.

During the whole process, Malu only needed to wear the imperial concubine's auspicious clothes, go to the Qianqing Palace with other concubines to present gifts, and then attend the banquet. Kangxi originally didn't want her to attend the banquet, after all, she was pregnant and couldn't work. After the last incident with Jingpin, whenever something involved Depin, he would think carefully before making special arrangements, which could be regarded as a blessing in disguise for Malu.

However, Malu had known from the video that Kangxi was going to announce the results of the six harems at the banquet, to double the happiness. So she insisted on attending - she didn't want to miss the scene of her being announced as a concubine. If she was not there, who knows what accidents or changes would happen? It would be safer to be there in person.

Of course, the reason she told Kangxi was that she didn't want to miss such an important moment as the emperor's birthday, which moved Kangxi a little.

On the day of the Emperor's birthday, the Palace of Heavenly Purity was decorated with extraordinary solemnity and magnificence. The magnificent palace shone brightly in the sun, and everyone was in high spirits. On both sides of the palace gate, the guards dressed in festive costumes, holding long halberds, standing tall and with solemn faces, added a solemnity and majesty to the ceremony.

After the concubines and other ministers finished their birthday congratulations and presented gifts, they entered the Qianqing Palace one by one. Above the golden dragon throne in the center of the hall hung a huge "Shou" character, surrounded by exquisite decorations and curtains embroidered with patterns of happiness and longevity. Inside the hall, there were various rare treasures left behind.

These are rare treasures that Kangxi loved after seeing them, so they can stay here. As the ceremony began, Concubine Tong led the way in presenting gifts. She was dressed in a gorgeous dress woven with gold thread, and wore a six-tailed phoenix crown with kingfisher feathers on her head. She walked forward gracefully, holding an exquisite jade ruyi in her hand, symbolizing good luck, happiness and longevity. The jade ruyi was warm and moist, and was carved from a piece of cold chalcedony without any impurities. When she held it in her hand, she could even faintly see Concubine Tong's hand!

Kangxi seemed quite satisfied. After all, it was a gift from his cousin, and he had to give face to the Tong family. He praised it a few times and casually placed it on the side of his seat. The intimacy and trust revealed in this casual manner could be said to be a great courtesy to Concubine Tong.

Then, Huipin, Rongpin, Depin, Yipin and other concubines came forward to present gifts one by one. Huipin's gift was not so valuable, but it was thoughtful. She presented an ox horn bow made by the eldest son Yinzhen himself. This bow was not only exquisitely crafted, but also contained his admiration for the emperor, which was very much to Kangxi's liking.

Kangxi even tried it on himself and praised Huipin for her good parenting. Malu, who was standing next to him, wanted to laugh when she heard this. You say this now, but I wonder what the child will think when he grows up! Huipin's eyes were naturally filled with tears, and she confessed her and Yinzhen's true feelings for Kangxi.

Rongpin was not to be outdone, and then stepped forward to present a box of precious spices. The spices were placed in a tight box, but people could already smell the faint fragrance, which made people feel relaxed and happy. Rongpin introduced: "This is a rare spice that the Majia clan searched for all over the fairy mountains. It has the magical effect of refreshing the spirit and prolonging life. After searching for four or five years, I only got this box. I only wish my emperor long live-" She bowed deeply.

After hearing this, Kangxi also became very interested in Rongpin's gift. Although he never believed in the so-called miraculous effects of elixirs, at this moment, just by smelling the fragrance of the spices, he felt that it was different and incomparable to ordinary fragrances. The fragrance of the spices spread throughout the hall, making the entire Qianqing Palace immersed in a peaceful and sacred atmosphere. It was really magical!

Kangxi quickly had the box closed, fearing that the precious incense would evaporate. After putting away the box of incense, he looked at Depin again and said, "Depin, the twins are very heavy, so you can go back and rest after presenting the gift."

The thoughtfulness in the words made all the concubines present jealous - this Concubine De is really favored.

Malu was wearing the royal dress of a concubine. Her belly was bulging, but she still walked gracefully with a smile on her face. She nodded and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I can still hold on. Today is the long life of the emperor, how can I miss it? Today I can only offer a small gift, wishing our emperor a long life and a long-lasting Qing dynasty."

As she spoke, she clapped her hands, and Liang Jiugong led people in, pushing something the size of a floor-standing screen, covered with a red silk cloth, making it difficult to see what was inside. Seeing that everything was in place and the light was suitable, Ma Lu stopped keeping the secret and directly pulled off the red cloth, causing everyone in the room to exclaim.

What appeared before everyone was a huge double-sided embroidered screen, on which was embroidered a magnificent painting of "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains". This embroidery was not only exquisitely crafted, but also colorful, with mountains, rivers, clouds, and flying birds all vividly portrayed, as if the vast mountains and rivers of the Qing Dynasty were condensed in this small space.

Concubine Tong, who was the highest ranking official, stood on the left and exclaimed: "What a beautiful picture of the sunrise over the mountains and rivers!"

Huipin on the right was puzzled: "It's obviously a painting of a sunset?"

Malu stood in the middle and silently thanked the two for their help. He quickly took the opportunity to invite Kangxi to step down from the throne and led everyone to appreciate the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" from left to right.