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

Shen Wei chuckled and said softly, "You kid, you have been daydreaming all day long."

Li Chengtai had a stern face. His mother was poisoned by other concubines, but he was still having fun here. He wanted his mother to be safe and sound, have a smooth life, and not suffer anymore.

He shifted his gaze and his eyes met with his father's.

Like a little wolf in a den, examining the king of the pack.

Li Yuanjing narrowed his eyes and saw the dissatisfaction in his son's eyes.

This stubborn child.

Li Yuanjing thought to himself, which of the other princes would not be respectful when they saw him? Only Li Chengtai looked most like him, and his stubborn temper of not admitting defeat was also most like him.

Li Yuanjing patted his son's shoulder and said in a low voice: "There is a flood in the south. I am going to Chang'an Palace to summon my ministers to discuss relief for the disaster-stricken areas. Since you are free, come with me."

Li Chengtai's eyes widened and he stammered, "I...I?"

Li Yuanjing nodded.

Let the child experience the emperor's daily state affairs, so that he won't think that the emperor is idle every day.

Li Yuanjing stretched out his arm and dragged his son to accompany him to handle state affairs. Shen Wei hurriedly caught up and said worriedly: "Your Majesty, Chengtai is still young, don't tire the child out."

Shen Wei was very happy.

It is a good sign that the emperor is taking his children to participate in government affairs! It lays the first step for Li Chengtai to inherit the great cause in the future.

Li Yuanjing said, "I know my limits."

After saying that, he left with his eldest son.

In the room, a child named Li Chengyou raised the empty bowl in his hand, looked at Shen Wei eagerly, and called in a baby voice: "Mother, I want to eat the third bowl."

Shen Wei smiled and pinched his fat face: "No, you are too fat to ride a horse."

Lee Seung Woo: ...

After sending the three children away, Yongning Palace instantly became quiet. Shen Wei stretched and asked Cailian, "Did you get a reply to the letter to Shopkeeper Ye of Weiyan Pavilion?"

Cai Lian nodded: "Shopkeeper Ye replied, saying that he would not let you down and would definitely seize the opportunity."

Shen Wei smiled happily.

The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is a good opportunity for Ye Qiu Shuang to show her face in front of the Empress Dowager, and to take the opportunity to open up new markets for Shen Wei's shop in Yanjing and join the ranks of imperial merchants.

...

...

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the birthday of the current empress dowager. Recently, some areas in the south have been hit by floods, and the empress dowager sympathizes with the suffering of the people. This birthday banquet was held in a low-key manner without any extravagance.

Only court ladies, women of noble families and concubines from the harem were invited to the banquet.

The birthday banquet was held in Qinghua Hall.

As dusk approached, the noble ladies of Yanjing City entered the palace one after another for the banquet. A luxurious carriage also drove into the palace gate, the curtain was opened, and Lu Yun, the youngest daughter of Duke Lu, got off the carriage.

Lu Yun was dressed elegantly tonight, and did not stand out among the group of flashy ladies. The maid asked in confusion, "Miss, why are you dressed like this today?"

Lu Yun's red lips curled slightly: "The Queen Mother is concerned about the floods in the south, and the birthday banquet is simple and not extravagant, so I naturally have to dress simply and elegantly."

This is a scene I had in my dream.

In that nightmare that foreshadowed the future, Lu Yun also dreamed of attending the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. Because of her extravagant dress, she was angrily reprimanded by the Queen Mother, and her sister, who was also a concubine, was also affected.

Every failure makes you wiser. This time Lu Yun dressed simply and elegantly and will never make the same mistake again.

She followed the palace maid into the palace. The palace road was long and Lu Yun glanced inadvertently and saw a woman in a light golden silk dress behind her. She was beautiful, calm and steady, and her eyes were alert.

Lu Yun frowned secretly. When did a new face appear in the circle of noble ladies in Yanjing?

"Whose daughter is that?" Lu Yun asked the palace maid who led the way.

The maid replied, "Miss Lu, this is the owner of Weiyanji Store in Yanjing, her name is Ye Qiushuang."

Lu Yun was stunned.

A lowly merchant girl was actually invited to a banquet by the Queen Mother?

Lu Yun racked her brains to recall her dream. In the dream, there seemed to be no merchant girl entering the palace.

Could it be that dreams and reality diverge?

Lu Yun felt worried and secretly looked at the merchant girl named "Ye Qiu Shuang" - she looked good, but her age was evident from her face and her fingers were not delicate.

Lu Yun felt a little relieved.

The emperor has seen many beauties and would definitely not be attracted by such a rough face.

Lu Yun stroked her beautiful face, feeling excited. Tonight was the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, and the Emperor, who valued filial piety, would be there in person.

She had to work hard to be noticed by the emperor and allowed to enter the palace as a concubine.

...

The moon was above the willow trees, and the Tsinghua Hall was bustling with activity.

Lu Yun sat in the noble ladies' seat, looking eagerly at the main seat in the center of the hall. Behind a pearl curtain, the thrones of the empress dowager and the emperor were empty.

At an auspicious time, the eunuch's voice was heard: "The Emperor has arrived, and the Empress Dowager has arrived."

The women stood up and saluted.

After the ceremony, the banquet began.

Lu Yun had no intention of tasting the food, she covered her face with a round fan and secretly looked at the emperor on the throne. Even though there was a faint pearl curtain between them, the emperor's tall and majestic figure still aroused people's desire.

The queen is ill and is recuperating in Kunning Palace, so she cannot attend the birthday banquet tonight. Below the main seat are the most honorable concubines in the harem, Chen Fei and Shu Fei.

Lu Yun secretly glanced at her sister. Concubine Shu was dressed simply today, with light makeup on her face. She looked like she was worried about something.

Lu Yun shook her head secretly.

My sister has indeed grown old. After having a child, she is not as charming as before.

Lu Yun's eyes turned and she glanced at the Concubine Shen Wei beside her. Lu Yun frowned slightly. The Concubine was radiant tonight, with a pair of black and bright eyes, skin as white as snow, and her eyebrows and eyes were full of spirit.

Among a bunch of gorgeous concubines, Concubine Chen was the most eye-catching.

Lu Yun was puzzled and murmured to herself: "Why did she become more beautiful..."

The last time I saw Concubine Chen, she looked tired, like a pearl covered with dust; this time when I saw her again, she was radiant and shining.

Just when Lu Yun was puzzled, the emperor on the throne stood up and the hall suddenly became quiet.

It’s time for the tribute.

Li Yuanjing gave the empress dowager a jade ruyi, which symbolizes long-lasting blessings.

Next was the Concubine Chen, who gave the Empress Dowager a glass lamp, which she placed at the head of the bed. The light was soft and not harmful to the eyes, and it was very practical.

Concubine Lu Xuan presented the Empress Dowager with a 500-year-old ginseng; Concubine Zhang Miaoyu presented the Empress Dowager with a top-quality fresh longevity peach sent as tribute from Jiangnan; and Concubine Mei presented a painting of "Ink Plum Blossoms" that she had painted herself.

When the Queen Mother saw the painting of "Ink Plum Blossoms", her eyelids twitched.

Concubine Mei Liu Ruyan has always been a cold person and never gets involved in palace fights. The Liu family is loyal to the emperor. Although the empress dowager is dissatisfied with Liu Ruyan, she did not get angry on the spot.

When it was Concubine Lan Xie Fanglan's turn, she stood up with a smile and bowed respectfully to the Queen Mother: "It's your birthday, Queen Mother. I have specially prepared a great gift for you!"

After saying that, Concubine Lan clapped her hands.

Two eunuchs came in pushing a cart, and the items on the cart were covered with a large red cloth.

When the big red cloth was lifted, a piece of Taihu stone with a unique shape appeared in front of everyone.

It has an ancient aura and is extremely magnificent, with the beauty of wrinkles, leaks, thinness and transparency.

Lanpin said proudly: "Empress Dowager, I know that you love Taihu stones, so I specially gave you a hundred Taihu stones, which symbolize longevity. This is just one of them. Tomorrow I will ask the palace servants to move all the Taihu stones to your courtyard, and put the extra ones in the imperial garden."

Concubine Lan is from the Xie family and the Empress Dowager's niece.

At the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, Concubine Lan racked her brains to please the Queen Mother. She wrote a letter home to ask her family and learned that the Queen Mother liked the "Taihu Stone" in Jiangnan very much.

Concubine Lan catered to the Empress Dowager's wishes and asked the Xie family to purchase one hundred pieces of Taihu stones from Jiangnan and send them all the way to Yanjing along the canal to please the Empress Dowager.

"Empress Dowager, I wish you a long life like the Taihu stone." Concubine Lan bowed with a smile.

The gifts given by other concubines were not valuable, but her gifts were the most expensive and rare.

The Queen Mother sat behind a pearl curtain with a gloomy expression.