Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

Yang Binghuai came to the East Palace with ease, but happened to see Yunxi escorting the prince to Chongwen Pavilion. Xiaowan recognized Father Yang at a glance, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir Yang, Sister Yunxi just escorted the prince to Chongwen Pavilion. If you have anything to ask, just tell Xiaowan."

"Oh, that's great. Thank you, Miss Wan. When Yunxi comes back, please be sure to tell her to come back to visit her mother when she is free." Yang Binghuai said with a smile and a very polite tone.

Xiaowan nodded obediently and replied, "Okay, Lord Yang, don't worry, I will convey your message to Sister Yunxi." After that, Xiaowan raised her head, her eyes full of determination and seriousness, as if she was assuring Yang Binghuai that she would not forget his instructions.

"I'll go home first." Yang Binghuai said and walked out.

"Master Yang, please take care." Xiaowan saw Yang's father out.

Yang Binghuai's carriage drove out of the palace and headed straight for his own residence.

Yang Binghuai had a lot of thoughts along the way. The emperor's words today had hidden meanings. He already understood what the emperor meant, but he found it a little unbelievable, so he decided to discuss everything after Yunxi returned home.

It was almost noon when the prince returned from school at Chongwenguan.

Seeing Yunxi coming back, Xiaowan hurriedly went to meet her and told her what Yang Binghuai said: "Sister Yunxi, Lord Yang came this morning and asked you to come back to the mansion to see Madam Yang when you have time."

"Oh, okay, thank you Xiaowan." Yunxi said as he thought to himself, could it be that there is something important that his father came to ask him to go back home for?

So she waited for the prince to finish his lunch, and then she prepared some food for herself, and asked Xiaowan to wait for the prince to take a nap. Then she took the token given by the emperor and went straight to the palace gate.

The carriage left the palace gate, the wheels rolling, and sped along the street. Soon, the carriage stopped steadily at the gate of the magnificent Yang Mansion.

The two guards at Yang's residence saw that it was the young lady who had returned. One of them came forward to greet her, while the other went in to pass on the message. Yunxi walked straight into the inner hall with ease.

"Dad, Mom, are you all okay?" Yunxi saw Yang Binghuai and his wife sitting on chairs as soon as she entered.

When Yang Binghuai saw his daughter coming back, his eyes were full of love. He asked Yunxi to sit down and said slowly, "Xi'er, I called you back this time because I have something important to discuss with you."

Yunxi looked at her parents' serious expressions, and her heart tightened. She asked, "Dad, what happened?"

Yang Binghuai took a deep breath and told Yunxi the emperor's hint. Yunxi was surprised when he heard it.

She knew very well that this matter was of great importance and if she was not careful, the whole family would be implicated.

After a moment of silence, Yunxi said, "Dad, I understand the pros and cons of this. But why did the emperor hint to you like this? The power struggles in the palace are complicated, and I am afraid I can't handle it..."

Madam Yang held Yunxi's hand and comforted her, "Xi'er, don't worry. You have been smart since childhood and will be able to handle it with ease. What's more, this will be beneficial for you and the prince to have a place in the palace in the future, and our Yang family will be able to move to a higher level." Yunxi was conflicted. She knew that this was the family's expectation, but she was also worried that she would not be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

In the following time, Yunxi fell into deep thought...

Yunxi knew that accepting the emperor's suggestion would mean that she would be drawn into the vortex of court struggles. But she also knew that this was also an excellent opportunity and would be beneficial to the prince in the future.

After careful consideration, Yunxi decided to accept the challenge. She believed that with her wisdom and wit, she could survive and succeed in the palace.

After returning to the East Palace, Yunxi immediately devoted herself to the matters assigned by her father and kept an eye on the slightest movement in the palace. Through constant observation and inquiries, she gradually gained more inside information about the selection.

At the same time, Yang Binghuai outside the palace also began to prepare a series of matters in full swing. He spread the news that Yang Mengxi, the second daughter of the Yang Mansion, had been missing for many years and was finally found and returned to the mansion...

One day, the emperor's decree suddenly came down: Hearing that Yang Mengxi, the second daughter of the Yang family, had noble morals and dignified manners, she was exempted from the preliminary selection and would enter the palace directly to participate in the selection on a certain day.

After several days of waiting, the beauties from all over the country finally stood out after going through layers of preliminary selection. They gathered in the palace, and this huge and solemn palace instantly became lively. The many beautiful beauties were like blooming flowers, bringing vigorous vitality to the originally dull and depressing palace.

Outside the palace, a luxurious carriage was seen parked in front of the gate of Yang Mansion from afar. Yang Binghuai and his wife sent their daughter onto the carriage. They watched the carriage leave until they could no longer see its shadow before they reluctantly returned to the mansion.

Soon they returned to the palace, and a slightly older, graceful beauty stepped down from the carriage. The lively aura between her eyebrows attracted the attention of the surrounding beauties. Everyone was discussing which official family's daughter had such a special temperament.

At this time, a young girl walked out of the crowd and shouted excitedly: "Sister Yunxi, we meet again."

The woman was slightly startled, then she regained her composure. She smiled and said, "Excuse me, what is your name? I am Yang Mengxi, the second daughter of the Yang family. The Yunxi you are referring to is my twin sister. Do you know her?"

"Ah! Twin sister? Don't you know me? I'm Mei Yingluo!" Mei Yingluo looked suspicious.

After Yang Mengxi and all the concubines entered the palace, they were arranged to live in a gorgeous palace. Everything here was strange and mysterious, making them feel excited and nervous.

In the following days, Yang Mengxi met many other beautiful ladies. They were either smart or gentle, and each had her own unique charm. However, under this seemingly calm surface, there were countless undercurrents.

Yang Mengxi knew that the struggle in the harem was extremely cruel, and she had to be careful in every step. Therefore, she secretly observed everyone's words and deeds, trying to find out their purpose and intentions.

At the same time, the emperor was also secretly paying attention to these beautiful ladies. He was particularly interested in Yang Mengxi and often asked people to inquire about her situation. When Yang Mengxi learned about it, she felt a little touched... but there were also some other complicated feelings.

The concubines were all very curious about the things in the palace, except Yang Mengxi and Mei Yingluo, who seemed calm.

Mei Yingluo paid special attention to Yang Mengxi. She paid close attention to everything she said and did, as if she was looking for some answers from her.

But Yang Mengxi turned a deaf ear to this and focused on practicing the palace rules and etiquette taught by Nanny...