Yi Xin as a concubine

Xin Baoer heard someone talking outside the door, thought about it and walked out.

"Miss Xin, here, we can eat."

"After so many days of hard work, I can finally have a peaceful meal and a good night's sleep."

Before Xin Baoer could say anything, Zhao Xian continued talking to himself, while Wei Yu just quietly set the table.

Xin Baoer walked into the dining room following Zhao Xian's words, greeted the two of them shyly, and sat down in an empty seat nearby.

There were four dishes and one soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, which was a very rich combination. Zhao Xian and Wei Yu had been traveling for quite some time and had not eaten well on the road, so they ate very quickly. Their eating manners could not be said to be very good-looking, but they were definitely not ugly either.

Xin Baoer didn't have lunch and was really hungry now, so she didn't bother to pretend to be weak and started waving her chopsticks quickly.

The meal was eaten very quickly. The girls put down their chopsticks almost at the same time. Looking at the empty plates and bowls on the table, the three of them showed embarrassed expressions at the same time, which was a rare occurrence.

After the meal, the three of them didn't say much. After washing up, they went back to their rooms to sleep.

The three girls slept peacefully and sweetly, completely unaware of the exciting scenes in other courtyards.

Although the Palace of Rites and Law is also named as a palace, it is not located in the imperial palace compound, but is just a separate courtyard on the edge of the imperial city. In the past, there was no such process for participating in the selection of concubines, and they would directly enter the Chuxiu Palace.

However, after Emperor Ning came to power, the quality of the concubines selected became worse and worse. Because of the mixed quality, many jokes were made during the selection process. The officials of the Ministry of Rites were severely reprimanded, so they came up with this idea.

Before entering the palace, you will receive intensive etiquette training. The requirements are not high. Just don't make any mistakes when you meet the nobles in the palace.

When the emperor heard that it was a place for him to work, he waved his hand and approved the Ministry of Rites to build such a palace. The Ministry of Rites did not make any major changes. They just repaired the house, reduced the large courtyard, and built some small courtyards in the vacant land, ensuring that it could accommodate 200 people at the same time.

As there were so many courtyards, the officials in charge were too lazy to give them names, so they just gave each small house a number for easy counting.

From ancient times to the present, people have always had an inexplicable obsession with the concept of luck. And some numbers happen to have good meanings, while others have bad meanings.

The courtyard where Xin Baoer and her friends lived was numbered seventy-three. It was neither good nor bad, nothing special about it, and the few people there didn't care about it, so it was quiet.

They didn't care, but when there are more people, there will be more trouble, and there are always a few who care. Therefore, even late at night, there were still several courtyards noisy and arguing.

Outside the gate of No. 88 Courtyard, two groups of girls were arguing fiercely.

The girls assigned to No. 88 were of low status. Two of them were peasant girls, and only one was the daughter of a small county magistrate in a remote area.

Coincidentally, the house next door to them was No. 44, and the girls of several merchants in Shengjing City happened to be assigned to this courtyard.

Merchants are profit-oriented and are willing to believe in anything that can help increase profits. All merchants do things like praying to gods and Buddhas, burning incense and fulfilling vows.

Even in later generations, at the beginning of each new year, the first incense stick in major temples and nunneries would be frantically snatched up, and a large proportion of these people were businessmen.

Not for anything else, just for a good omen.

The girls from No. 44 didn't dare to do anything big at first, after all, this was not their home. But after spending some money and making inquiries, they found out that the other party had no money and no background, so they went straight to the door with a proud attitude.

The girls at No. 88 were not of high status, but they were all very strong. They had been working since childhood and were naturally strong. Two of them were injured during the pushing and shoving.

She was originally in the right, but ended up hurting someone, and was no longer in the right. She was scolded by the head maid in charge and had to change rooms before the matter was settled.

Noisy disturbances like this happened frequently in every courtyard, with people fighting over rooms, washing, using the toilet, and even meat and vegetables.

The palace maids in charge were kept busy, and finally several teaching maids were invited to come. All the troublemakers were given fifty lashes and a scolding without distinction, which finally made these energetic girls calm down.

By the time the entire Palace of Rites and Laws quieted down again, it was almost past the hour of Hai.

At the same time, in the Xin family mansion.

The large study in the front yard was brightly lit, and all the people in the family who had a say were there.

Everyone hung their heads, exuding an air of decadence, and this state had lasted for half an hour.

After Xin Baoer was taken away, the family entered the dining room. Looking at the coming-of-age banquet that had been carefully prepared for Xin Baoer, the family lost their appetite. The aunts and the children ate a few bites carefully and then quietly left.

The rest of the people sighed and reluctantly ate a few bites. The more they ate, the more upset they felt. So they simply put down their chopsticks and hurried out.

The Xin family, young and old, spent an entire afternoon managing their own relationships, trying to see if there was any way to get the person out.

By the time the family got together again, it was already past midnight.

Without even having dinner, they gathered in the study to integrate their respective information. As a result, they discovered sadly that there was not a single effective solution.

The prince was still on his way back. Xin Huang'er was a concubine and although she seemed to have a glamorous position on the surface, she actually had no power at all. If Xin Bao'er had already entered the palace, she could have someone arrange something for her so that Bao'er would suffer less, but there was nothing else she could do.

It's ironic that there are floods here and droughts there. The people are displaced, hungry and in danger of losing their lives, and no one cares or asks about them.

The costly and laborious beauty contest alarmed people inside and outside Shengjing. The women who might enter the palace for the emperor's enjoyment were strictly guarded against to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the opportunity.

"Okay, let's all go back and rest. Get some energy so that we can think of a solution tomorrow." Grandpa Xin slapped his thigh and stood up.

After Master Xin drove away his two younger brothers, his sister-in-law and the younger generations, he slumped dejectedly into the chair behind him. The tears that had been suppressed for so long finally poured out like a flood that had been opened.

"Jinzhi, I'm useless. I couldn't save him back then, and now I can't even protect his last bit of blood."

The first wife, Mrs. Cheng's real name is Cheng Jinzhi, and Master Xin may not call her by this name more than once or twice throughout the year, which shows how worried Master Xin is about Xin Baoer's current situation.

Mrs. Cheng was no less grief-stricken than Mr. Xin. After hearing what her husband said, she was overwhelmed with emotions and cried even harder.

In the end, the old couple could only support each other as they walked towards their residence.

In a dilapidated mansion.

The man sat behind the desk. His face, as gentle as jade, was a little distorted against the backdrop of the fire, but one could still feel that his expression was more tense than usual.

"What's going on? Tell me!"

"It wasn't the Crown Princess who did it. When we went to investigate today, the Crown Princess must have received the news. She was talking about this with the nanny beside her. Her tone was very gloating, and she even said that she would go and severely ridicule Miss Xin Er."

The man closed his eyes and suppressed the emotions surging in his eyes.

"What about grandpa?"

"What's wrong with me? If you want to know anything, just come and ask me in person. You're becoming less and less cute."

Before the guard could answer, a somewhat old but powerful voice came from the study door.

When the man at the desk saw the newcomer, a hint of disapproval flashed in his eyes, but he still stood up and saluted respectfully, calling out, "Grandfather, be well!"

"Alright, you're being reluctant. It's annoying to watch."

The person who came was the great scholar Mo Xuan, Chu Xingchen's maternal grandfather.

Old man Mo Xuan found a chair and sat down at random, looking at his grandson who was standing beside him with his head down with an unfriendly look.

"You look gentle as jade, but your temper is like that of a stubborn donkey. Tell me what you are dissatisfied with me for?"

"No?" Chu Xingchen replied.

"Really?" The old man obviously didn't believe it.

"Hui Yi, come in and talk to him. Seeing him like this makes me angry and I don't want to talk." The old man seemed to be annoyed by his grandson's lukewarmness and insincerity. He simply tilted his head, leaned on the back of the chair and took a nap without saying anything.

As soon as the gray-robed old servant came in, he saw his unhappy master, smiled silently, and spoke.

"Your Highness, it was not Master who did it. The news came back before Master had a chance to do anything. It must be that a palace eunuch who was out on business happened to see Miss Eighth and reported it to the emperor."

"Grandpa, it's time to rest. It's very late." Chu Xingchen felt a little apologetic for his presumptuous assumptions about his grandfather and abruptly changed the subject.

"Humph, someone has accomplished what I wanted to do. I'm so happy that I can't sleep. Do you have any objections?" the old man replied arrogantly.