They are all concubines, so of course they choose the future emperor.

Qiu Ling almost jumped up and pointed at Jiang Wanyue and shouted.

"Mother Liang, it's her!"

Mother Liang waved to the maids behind her and led everyone forward.

The pride and excitement in Qiu Ling's eyes almost overflowed.

But the next moment, her expression froze.

Mother Liang and a group of maids bowed respectfully to Jiang Wanyue.

"I pay my respects to Madam Jiang. The princess ordered me to invite Madam Jiang over."

Jiang Wanyue lifted her hair and smiled faintly.

"I came back late last night and got up late today. I haven't washed up yet. Please wait for a moment, Madam Liang."

Mother Liang took advantage of the situation and pushed out the two maids behind her.

"Liu'er, Xing'er, why don't you go and serve Aunt Jiang?"

Two maids came forward quickly, holding clothes and jewelry.

Jiang Wanyue did not refuse and took them into the next room.

The two maids were very skillful and helped her wash, comb her hair and change her clothes.

When Jiang Wanyue came out again, a strange look flashed in Liang's mother's eyes.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at him any further.

"I will lead the way for Aunt Jiang."

Jiang Wanyue nodded slightly, holding the maid's hand and walking towards the gate of the courtyard step by step.

The pearl tassel hairpin on her bun swayed slightly, but not in the least bit out of place. She walked with an upright posture and light steps, and each step was just right.

Mother Liang secretly praised in her heart: After all, she is a daughter of an official family, her etiquette is impeccable.

She followed with small steps.

Suddenly, Jiang Wanyue stopped.

Mother Liang hurried forward.

"Aunt, do you have any other instructions?"

Jiang Wanyue turned her head slightly, glanced at Qiu Ling, and opened her red lips.

"This maid offended the prince with her words last night. Madam Liang should punish her!"

Qiu Ling trembled all over and her face lost color.

"You... you are talking nonsense! When did I ever offend the prince with my words? Jiang Wanyue, you are seeking revenge for your personal gain!"

Mother Liang strode forward, raised her hand and slapped Qiu Ling in the face.

"How dare a servant girl disrespect my aunt? Someone, shut her mouth, take her away and give her twenty strokes of the board, and drive her back to the farm!"

As soon as she finished speaking, three maids rushed forward. One of them stuffed a handkerchief into Qiu Ling's mouth, and the other two clamped her hands and pushed her out.

Qiu Ling couldn't speak clearly and could only make "woohoo" sounds, with fear in her eyes.

Jiang Wanyue turned around, without even looking at her, and continued walking forward holding the maid's hand.

Now that the chickens have been killed, it's time for the monkeys watching from all sides to retract their claws.

Mother Liang obviously guessed what Jiang Wanyue meant, and had someone beat Qiu Ling in the most crowded place in the front yard.

The heaviest board is used.

There were so many servants in the palace that the news spread very quickly. Within a short while, the princess's main courtyard and the courtyards of other concubines all knew about it.

The princess was combing her hair. After listening to the servant's description, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"I was wondering why the prince wanted to take a maid from outside as a concubine! Jiang Wanyue is a powerful person. The prince has good taste."

The wet nurse beside her stamped her feet.

"My lady! How can you still laugh? It's obvious that Jiang is not a good person. She pestered the prince for seven days and now she beats him up. She is a real vixen! You should have advised the prince, how could you just agree to it?"

Princess Jing glanced at the wet nurse and spoke patiently.

"She's just a concubine, how can she make waves? What's wrong with a vixen? As long as the prince is happy, it's fine. It's better for him to think about Jiang than to think about someone outside, right?"

Prince Jing seldom came to the backyard, except for visiting the princess' courtyard on the first and fifteenth day of every month. He rarely visited other concubines, but went to those brothels more often.

Prince Jing had a bad reputation, partly because he killed too many people on the battlefield, and partly because he often frequented brothels.

In the eyes of the princess, although Jiang was the daughter of a criminal, she was at least innocent! She was much better than those dirty and smelly ones outside.

Nanny sighed.

"Miss, your life is too difficult."

The princess didn't think so.

She is now twenty-five, has a pair of lovely twins, and her son has been named the crown prince. Compared with the lives of her sisters in her natal family, her life is already the best.

As long as her status as mistress is not threatened, she doesn't care who Prince Jing favors.

Just as I was thinking about it, the voice of Liang's mother came from outside.

"Master, Aunt Jiang is here."

The princess did not stand up immediately. Instead, she looked at herself in the mirror, changed a pair of phoenix hairpins, tried a few pairs of bracelets, and then she stood up and walked out leisurely.

She doesn't care which one Prince Jing favors, but she still has to maintain the dignity of a princess.

Jiang Wanyue waited outside for more than a quarter of an hour before the princess came out.

She immediately knelt down and saluted.

"My concubine Jiang pays respect to the princess."

The princess walked to the top and sat down before she spoke.

"Get up!"

Jiang Wanyue stood up but still kept her head down.

The princess looked her over.

"You are a pretty girl. No wonder the prince likes you so much that he makes an exception and lets you be his concubine, and even allocates a separate courtyard for you."

Jiang Wanyue reacted quickly and knelt down again.

"Please have mercy on me, my lord. I am overwhelmed with fear and will do my best to serve you and your wife."

The princess waved her hand.

"You are now a concubine in the mansion, not a servant, so you don't have to be polite all the time. Someone, serve tea."

The maid brought tea and walked to Jiang Wanyue.

Jiang Wanyue took the tea, knelt forward, and respectfully handed the teacup to the princess.

The princess took the teacup, and Jiang Wanyue kowtowed three times before standing up.

The princess' polite words, on the surface, were meant to demonstrate her virtue and magnanimity, but in reality they were a test.

It would be wrong for Jiang Wanyue to stand up carelessly without showing courtesy.

She suffered a lot in her previous life.

Now, of course, we will not make the same mistake again.

The princess was quite satisfied with her performance. She rewarded her with a pair of bracelets and asked her to leave.

Jiang Wanyue walked out of the main courtyard and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This second level has been passed.

She followed Liang's mother out of the main courtyard, turned a corner and went to the back garden. She walked west along the cobblestone road for a long time before she saw a small courtyard.

This yard is close to the outer wall, a little off the beaten track, and there are many bamboos planted around it, but it looks a little withered because it is so cold today.

There are two bare trees in front of the yard. Mother Liang said they are sycamore trees. In summer, their lush branches and leaves provide shade, which is very pleasing to the eye.

This courtyard is called Wutong Courtyard.

While Jiang Wanyue was looking at the tree, the servants stood together and saluted her.

"This servant pays respects to my aunt."

Jiang Wanyue turned her head, looked around and smiled slightly.

"Everyone get up!"

She was considered a formal concubine and could have two older maids and two younger maids. The old women who did the rough work were not under her charge, but were managed by the housekeeper.

Concubines are also divided into several levels. The lowest one is a maidservant who only has one little maid to serve her, and the highest one is a concubine who has the same number of maids as the princess.

Of course, this is superficial.

In fact, the princess is in charge of the harem. All the managers, maids, and old women obey her orders. Dozens of people, big and small, are her subordinates.

Therefore, in this large and deep mansion, no concubine dared to plot against the mistress.

Jiang Wanyue has no such plan for the time being.

She needs to gain a firm foothold first and then make plans slowly.

As for the future... who can say for sure?