Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

If Zhang Miaoyu hadn't mentioned it, Zhaoyang would have almost forgotten about Yan Yunting.

Back then, she loved Yan Yunting so much that she even put aside her noble status as a princess and competed for the affections of a girl from a small family.

Over the past few years, Zhaoyang has become very mature and no longer obsessed with love. Looking back on the past, Zhaoyang realized how naive and ridiculous he was in the past.

"I will never marry him." Zhaoyang said calmly.

Zhang Miaoyu tilted her head: "Didn't the princess insist on marrying him back then?"

Princess Zhaoyang was already 23 years old and still unmarried, which was unbelievable. The emperor wanted to arrange a marriage for her several times and even selected a husband, but Zhaoyang refused every time.

It was rumored that Princess Zhaoyang was waiting for Yan Yunting to return, which was why she had not married yet.

Zhaoyang held his chin up, looking at the three little girls laughing in the garden, and said with a melancholy tone: "I think helping the people is more meaningful than getting married. Sometimes, I really want to stay single for the rest of my life."

Zhang Miaoyu was watching the show silently in her heart, thinking that the young master of the Yan family might have made a mistake in his wishful thinking.

...

...

At Donghua Mountain, the sky was just getting light, and white mist was rising in the mountains. At the royal villa in Donghua Mountain, magnificent and luxurious royal carriages were lined up at the gate of the courtyard, and the palace servants were busy loading boxes of luggage onto the carriages.

The golden morning sun seeped through the clouds, and Shen Wei got into the carriage.

The heavy carriage wheels moved, and the long team of horses slowly moved along the royal official road towards the direction of Yanjing City.

The royal official road was flat and the carriage was running smoothly. In the spacious carriage, Shen Wei and her two sons sat in one carriage. Le You was accompanied by the Queen Mother and sat in the front carriage.

Shen Wei yawned. She woke up too early in the morning and her eyelids were too sleepy to open. Li Chengyou was sleeping on the soft couch next to her, lying on his back like a little frog with its belly exposed.

Shen Wei covered Chengyou with a soft blanket and prepared to take a nap on the soft pillow. Before taking a nap, Shen Wei asked her eldest son who was sitting next to her: "You are tired from traveling so far. Don't read books yet. Would you like to rest with me?"

Li Chengtai held a scroll of the Three Character Classic in his hand and shook his head, saying, "Mother, I am not sleepy."

Shen Wei did not continue to persuade him. She knew her son was sensible, so she leaned back on the soft pillow and closed her eyes to rest. The carriage was shaking all the way, making people sleepy, and Shen Wei fell asleep quickly.

Li Chengtai put down the Three Character Classic in his hand and gently put a thin wool blanket on Shen Wei.

Li Chengtai's face was filled with worry as he was about to return to the palace. His mother and brother, who had no sense of crisis, were actually still able to sleep.

The Qing Palace is a den of dragons and tigers, where people are eaten without leaving any bones.

Li Chengtai stared at his sleeping brother - how can you sleep! At your age, at your stage, can you sleep? Have you any ambition?

Li Chengtai was worried and quickly memorized two more pages of the book. Anxiety was useless. He had to seize the time to study hard and make himself stronger so that he could protect his mother, sister and brother.

Shen Wei slept until noon, and woke up when the convoy stopped for a rest. At this speed, they would return to the imperial city at dusk. She might sleep on the same bed with Li Yuanjing tonight.

She now had to hurry up and get some sleep to rest so that she would have the energy to deal with the emperor at night.

"Master, lunch is here." Cai Lian put the prepared lunch into the carriage.

The space inside the carriage is very large, enough to accommodate a soft couch for resting as well as a small table for dining.

The mother and her two children had lunch together.

Shen Wei remembered one thing. When she returned to the palace this time, the emperor sent her a letter full of love. But he had not yet made her a concubine, and even the palace she lived in had not been arranged.

Shen Wei asked Cai Lian: "Did you find out what title the emperor gave me?"

She had one daughter and two sons, and her brother was a general. She didn't ask for the position of imperial concubine for the time being, but she should at least have the position of concubine.

To be conferred a title as a concubine, one of the four characters "hui, shu, xian, de" was chosen as the title, such as Lu Xuan was conferred "Shu Fei"; or the emperor could personally bestow a title, such as Liu Ruyan was conferred "Mei Fei".

Cai Lian shook her head: "The Emperor has not yet issued an edict to confer the title."

Shen Wei touched her chin. Based on her understanding of Li Yuanjing, he was not such an inconsiderate person.

Shen Wei murmured to herself: "I guess they haven't figured out why they're going to block my account yet..."

Li Chengtai, who was eating egg custard, suddenly felt that the egg custard in the bowl was not fragrant. His father was so heartless that his mother gave birth to three children for him, but his father did not even give them a title.

And his simple-minded mother naively thought that his father had not yet decided on the title for the concubine.

"Brother, if you don't want to eat the egg custard, give it to me." Seeing that his brother didn't move the spoon for a long time, Li Chengyou, who was next to him, came over enthusiastically and wanted to help his brother eat the egg custard.

Li Chengtai glared at him angrily and scolded him in a childish voice: "Eat, eat, eat. All you do every day is eat! You haven't even finished reciting the Three Character Classic, and you still have the stomach to eat! And you still have the stomach to sleep!"

Li Chengyou lowered his head silently. His brother was so fierce.

The child is afraid.

...

The royal carriage team traveled safely all the way. As dusk approached, they finally arrived at the bustling and lively Yanjing City.

The Emperor attached great importance to the Empress Dowager's return to the palace. The imperial guards and ceremonial teams were already waiting on the royal road at the East Gate. After the motorcade entered the city, the speed slowly slowed down.

Shen Wei lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw the towering Daqing Palace not far away, with its green tiles and flying eaves, majestic and solemn. Shen Wei also thought of the rolling Donghua Mountains, which were like eyebrows and had a thousand-mile breeze.

Donghua Mountain is ultimately a memory of the past.

"Wow, mother, the palace is even bigger than in the picture books!" Li Chengyou lifted the curtain of the car and opened his mouth in surprise.

Li Chengtai grabbed his brother's arm and said, "Remember the etiquette that Nanny taught you. Don't run around later."

The royal carriage stopped.

Shen Wei got off the car with her two children.

At the gate of the majestic Qing Palace, the front yard is extremely spacious, with armored imperial guards stationed everywhere.

When the Queen Mother returned to the palace, Emperor Qing Li Yuanjing, accompanied by civil and military officials and concubines, welcomed her at the square in front of the palace gate. Flying black and gold flags danced in the air, with the name of the country [Qing] engraved on them.

The scene is extremely grand.

Shen Wei looked at the towering palace gate and city walls, her eyes swept across the flags and city walls, and finally saw the familiar figure in front of the white jade arch bridge.

It was Li Yuanjing, the Li Yuanjing wearing the black and gold imperial crown. His face was more calm and stern, like a sharp sword, and he had more majesty than when he was in the Prince of Yan's Mansion.

The golden sunset shone on him, and the noble majesty of an emperor was overwhelming.

The breeze blew, and the black and gold flags fluttered. Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing's eyes met from a long distance away.

Shen Wei's eyes were filled with tears, and the corners of her pink lips were raised. The love in her eyes seemed to have never changed. Li Yuanjing's pupils shrank slightly, and his body swayed quietly.

There was a long distance between us, and three long years had passed.

Gazing at each other from afar, just like before.

"Mother, is that father? He's taller than in the picture." Li Chengyou held Shen Wei's left hand and looked around curiously.

Li Chengtai also held Shen Wei's right hand. It was the first time he saw his living father. He felt a little scared, a little curious, and more cautious.

My father has many beautiful concubines behind him, and my mother will definitely be bullied by them when she returns to the palace.

Thinking of this, Li Chengtai lowered his head silently, hiding the worry in his eyes.

Shen Wei held the child and followed the empress dowager towards the palace gate. She quickly glanced at the circle of civil and military officials on the left who were kowtowing. There were many new faces, probably new officials trained by the emperor after he ascended the throne.

After looking at the ministers, Shen Wei glanced at the dozen or so concubines on the right who were wearing auspicious costumes.

Standing in the front was the queen, with sharp eyes and brows, looking a bit older than when she was in the palace, and no amount of makeup could hide the wrinkles on her face.

Beside the queen were Consort Mei Liu Ruyan and Consort Shu Lu Xuan, both of whom were equally beautiful, one like a cold winter plum blossom, the other like a blooming spring peony.

Lu Xuan had delicate makeup, and was charming and attractive. Her eyebrows and eyes looked soft and gentle, and there was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes as she looked at Shen Wei.

Further back were the chubby Zhang Miaoyu, Concubine Lan Xie Fanglan, and other concubines.

"Your son respectfully welcomes your mother."

Li Yuanjing stepped forward and led all the civil and military officials and concubines to pay their respects.

The Queen Mother smiled and helped Li Yuanjing up: "Get up quickly."

Little Leyou beside the Queen Mother blinked his eyes and looked at the tall man in front of him excitedly. He saluted with a soft voice and clumsy hands and feet: "Father, Leyou greets you."

Leyou wanted to hug his father, but he remembered the rules taught by the etiquette nanny that he should not act like a spoiled child in serious occasions.

So she could only stare at her father, her little face full of admiration and curiosity.

Li Yuanjing's hands trembled slightly, and he felt his heart soften as he looked at the delicate little girl in front of him. He held her soft little hand, and said a thousand words in one sentence: "Leyou has grown up."

Leyou smiled sweetly.

With the imperial guards clearing the way and the palace maids holding lanterns as guides, Li Yuanjing and the empress dowager entered the majestic imperial palace together.

It was getting dark, and the empress dowager was exhausted from the journey, so the welcoming banquet was postponed to the next day. To show his filial piety, Li Yuanjing personally escorted the empress dowager to the Cining Palace.

...

After the welcoming ceremony, the concubines and ministers left one after another. The concubines had different thoughts and considerations.

In Kunning Palace, the queen was so angry that she drank two cups of tea before she calmed down her anger.

"This Shen really hasn't changed at all!" The queen thought that after giving birth to three children, Shen Wei's face would wither and fade like a petal, and she would become old and ugly.

The queen had also given birth to children. Giving birth will greatly damage a woman's vitality and she will age quickly.

But today, Shen Wei not only did not age, but her face became more radiant, her face was like a silver plate, her eyes were black, and she was soft and beautiful. Shen Wei had a kind of vitality that made people addicted, which was not found in the concubines living deep in the harem.

Flourishing and full of vitality.

The queen even had some doubts: "Could it be that Shen was a fox in disguise?"