The Virtuous Concubine

Half a month actually passed very quickly. During this time, the palace servants in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were extremely busy. The process of the empress's canonization ceremony was extremely complicated, and every detail needed to be carefully planned. The items required were numerous and delicate, and in many places, they had to avoid crossing the Empress Yuan to show respect.

With so many things to do, the people in the Imperial Household Department are so busy this month that they feel like they are walking on coal and dare not rest for a moment.

If the Imperial Household Department was the busiest, then Concubine Tong was the saddest. With the careful treatment of the imperial physician and the constant comfort of Emperor Kangxi, her health gradually improved. However, the trauma in her heart was not so easy to heal. But the closer it got to the ceremony of conferring the title of Empress Niuhulu, the more depressed she became.

Your Majesty, it's time for you to take the medicine." The palace maid reminded softly, interrupting Concubine Tong's contemplation.

Concubine Tong nodded slightly, took the medicine bowl, and drank it all. The bitterness of the medicine spread on the tip of her tongue, but it could not overcome the deep powerlessness in her heart. She gently put down the medicine bowl, sighed, and looked out the window again, as if she wanted to see through the fallen leaves, and see through the vanity and loneliness of the harem.

Seeing this, Liuying was so worried that she couldn't express it in words. She couldn't just wake Concubine Tong up. The emperor's favor was like the clouds outside, which would be blown away by the wind.

Liuying stepped forward and gently comforted him, "My queen, you must take care of yourself. Worrying too much will only make your body weaker. It would be better for you to take good care of yourself and give birth to a little prince for the Tong family. How wonderful it would be to have a child to enjoy the happiness of your family."

Concubine Tong turned her head and looked at Liuying: "Some things cannot be let go just because I don't want to. From now on, I have to pay my respects to Niuhulu every time I see her. She can stand beside my cousin and be buried with him. How can I let go of this? Besides, my body is so weak that even if I pour tonic medicine into it every day, it can't fill it up. How can I have a baby?"

After hearing this, Liuying knew that persuasion alone was useless, and Concubine Tong would not listen at all. She still had to inspire Concubine Tong's fighting spirit. Since she couldn't directly face the fact that the emperor was cold-hearted, she needed other sustenance to live a good life.

Moreover, Concubine Tong should have grown up. She could no longer be like a child, immersed in the childhood friendship of the past.

It would be fine if she just told the emperor about the friendship between childhood sweethearts, but why did she take it seriously? The emperor didn't take it seriously and chose someone else. He didn't consider Concubine Tong twice! But this was also partly because Concubine Tong was not up to the task.

"Your Highness, you should know that there is no eternal favor or status in the harem." Liuying's voice was deep and powerful, and her words went straight to Concubine Tong's heart. Concubine Tong's eyelids trembled slightly, as if she was touched by Liuying's words.

Seeing this, Liuying decided to seize the opportunity to pursue the victory. She dismissed everyone in the room and asked them to go outside. Then she whispered to Concubine Tong: "The queen can be established or deposed. If a person eats grains, he will suffer from all kinds of disasters and diseases. If you cannot have a child, there are others who can give birth for you."

"But..." Concubine Tong wanted to say that it was not love, but she was choked by Liuying's stern expression and couldn't say it. She also thought that her cousin had come less often recently. He only said that he was busy with state affairs, but she knew that he was busy preparing for the canonization of the queen. There seemed to be a voice in her heart saying that this was not love either.

Liuying continued, "Your Majesty, you don't need to complain about yourself, but to find a way to consolidate your position. The fact that Niuhulu was named empress this time may be due to the emperor's considerations from the previous dynasty, but are you going to remain silent like this?"

A gust of autumn wind blew, and it seemed to wake up Concubine Tong.

As the new queen, Niuhulu was preparing for the ceremony. With the help of her maid, she tried on the dress prepared for the ceremony.

This set of crown and clothes consists of court crown, court robe, court jacket, court skirt and court beads. Each piece is exquisitely crafted with exquisite details.

The crown is the most conspicuous part of the empress's crown and clothing. Due to seasonal reasons, it is made of precious mink, which is warm and luxurious. The upper part of the crown is particularly intricately decorated. The top layer is divided into three layers, each layer is decorated with golden phoenixes, and each golden phoenix is ​​strung with a dazzling oriental pearl, symbolizing the empress's holiness and nobility. The hat weft is also decorated with golden phoenixes and precious pearls, which are shining.

The back of the crown is decorated with an exquisite golden pheasant. From its tail hangs five rows of pearls, totaling three hundred and twenty. Each row of pearls is cleverly inlaid with lapis lazuli, oriental pearls and other gems, and the end is decorated with brightly colored corals, which sway gently with the steps and sparkle brightly.

This is just the crown, there are also a plate of oriental pearls and two plates of coral beads hanging on the chest. The oriental pearls are placed on the chest, symbolizing the central position of the queen. The other two plates of coral beads are usually crossed on the chest, hanging diagonally from the left and right shoulders, which not only adds a sense of layering to the clothing, but also reflects the queen's luxury and authority.

The layers of silk, such as the court robe, court jacket, and court skirt, were embroidered with golden dragons, colorful phoenixes, and other auspicious patterns. The entire set of crowns and clothes embodied the hard work of countless embroiderers and craftsmen. When Concubine Niuhulu wore this set of crowns and clothes, her majesty and elegance were unmatched. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled slightly, showing great satisfaction.

"Mammy, what do you think of this dress?" Concubine Niuhulu asked softly.

Nanny Chen next to her looked at it carefully and exclaimed: "Your Majesty, this dress is tailor-made for you. You will surely stun everyone when you wear it." Then she knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Queen!"

Everyone in the room also knelt on the ground, their voices in unison and loud, echoing Nanny Chen's singing.

Concubine Nianhulu turned around and faced the crowd kneeling on the ground, she was truly stunning and charming.

She slowly raised her hand and motioned for everyone to stand up: "Everyone, please stand up."

Everyone stood up, and their eyes were full of respect and admiration as they looked at Concubine Nianhulu.

Concubine Nianhulu's temperament impressed everyone. They knew that the woman in front of them would be a great queen. In the entire harem, there would be no one more suitable to be the mother of the country than her.

After trying on all the items, Concubine Nianhulu took off her heavy headdress and complicated dress with the help of everyone. When everything was ready, she asked everyone to leave. The palace maids bowed respectfully, then quietly left the room and closed the door, leaving only Nanny Chen.

"My queen, you've worked hard." Nanny Chen's voice was filled with a subtle hint of heartache. Nanny Chen did not leave immediately. She walked forward quickly and took out a delicate little box from her sleeve, which contained several pills sealed with wax.

"Your Majesty, why don't you call a royal physician to take a look?" Nanny Chen's tone was full of concern.

Concubine Niuhulu took the pill, bit open the wax seal, and swallowed it before shaking her head: "What about these people in the harem and the world? How will they view me?"