The prince only allowed me to have a baby, so the pressure is a bit high!

Chapter 103: Taking the opportunity to advertise

The emperor was in a good mood, and all the masters in the palace received rewards, so the entire Forbidden City celebrated an especially festive New Year.

On New Year's Eve, at the dawn hour, the Yuqing Palace was already abuzz with activity. Today was a major day of the year. This morning, the Emperor would receive congratulations from all officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Next, the Aisin-Gioro family, both young and old, would offer ancestral worship, followed by a grand banquet for all the officials.

Of course, it wasn't just Yinreng who got up; even Buerhe and Jinri got up too. She wasn't idle today either, having to go to Ciren Palace early to entertain the ministers' wives with the Empress Dowager. The concubines in the palace weren't high enough for this, not even the Four Consorts. At best, they were there to accompany her, playing a decorative role.

At noon, it was estimated that the Hall of Supreme Harmony was almost ready, and the female members of the family began to enter the Ciren Palace in order of their status. At this time, there was just some light in the sky, and it was estimated that the sun would not rise for a while.

In Ciren Palace, the geothermal heating was already warm, and Nanny Li and Nanny Naren were also busy. Even the senior palace maids who usually followed Buerhe were only left with one, Qier, and the rest were arranged to go out to help.

The Queen Mother was not sleepy at this time, and she had gotten used to it over the years, so even though she got up early today, she was still full of energy.

Soon, the palace maids led the female relatives into the venue. This was also very formal. According to their status, the first to come were the wives of the royal family. These were basically familiar faces to Buerhe, so Buerhe did not need to ask the nanny to remind him as before, and greeted them with ease.

Next came the families of important officials in the court. It is worth noting that some of these families also brought their daughters of marriageable age with them.

This happens every year, but this year there are quite a few young girls with them. There are several familiar ones among them, not to mention those that I am not familiar with.

Thinking that next year will be another election year, perhaps all this is for those concubine positions? You know, next year the Emperor will definitely choose concubines for the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Princes. These are now considered to be very popular princes. The Seventh Prince has the support of Mongolia, the Ninth Prince is a Beizi at a young age, and the Tenth Prince has the support of the Nianhulu family. If they are chosen as concubines, marrying any of them will be a good deal.

To Buerhe's surprise, she also saw Guo Luoluo Jiayan. Hadn't the Emperor already betrothed her to the Eighth Prince? What was the point of them all coming together today? Glancing at the helpless An Junwang's wife beside her, Buerhe wondered with amusement, could this have been orchestrated?

The women sat together, discussing the same few topics over and over again: clothes and jewelry, men, families, and children. Oh, and thanks to Buerhe's promotion, quite a few people at Ciren Palace were enjoying snacks, and some were discussing the snacks and pastries prepared for the day.

They came to the palace early in the morning. In order not to be disrespectful in front of the emperor, many people just swallowed two steamed buns dryly and came directly. Bu Erhe understood, but it was winter and they had to wear court robes and stay in the palace for a long time. Two steamed buns were not enough for many people. For this reason, Bu Erhe ordered the preparation of light snacks to prevent some people from having hypoglycemia.

Someone from the Ulanara family came today, but it was only Jueluo. The other daughters-in-law in the family were not of the right status and needed to work harder. The Ulanara family did not have any princesses of the right age. The oldest of the next generation, Busa, was only three years old this year.

When Buerhe saw Jueluo sitting in the middle seat, he just greeted her from a distance, told Qier to take care of her, and continued to talk with the other ladies around him.

Today, Burhe was sitting directly on the left side of the Empress Dowager, and the person closest to her was Prince Yu's wife, Xiluk.

Taking advantage of the moment when someone was chatting with the Queen Mother, Xiluk asked Buerhe in a low voice, "Will anyone be admitted to the Yuqing Palace in the new year's election?"

Bu Erhe didn't expect that this aunt would ask about this topic. Besides, the admission of people into the Yuqing Palace was decided by the Emperor. How could she, as the Crown Princess, know about it?

Seeing that Buerhe wasn't angry, but only looked at her in confusion, Prince Yu's wife said bluntly, "Our master's mother's family has come to Prince Yu's residence and wants to send a girl to live in Yuqing Palace. I wonder if the Crown Prince is willing?"

Buerhe pondered this for a moment. The Manchu clans intermarried, so if you looked at the details, every family was actually related. Prince Yu Fuquan's mother's family, the Dong'e clan, wasn't from the same family as the Third Lady, but they were from the same clan. Their closest relative was the Peng Chun clan. Could this be for the Peng Chun clan?

Thinking of this, Buerhe subconsciously thought of Dong E, the woman in the backyard of the fourth brother that Yinreng had mentioned some time ago. Could it be because of her?

If we follow this line of thought, then everything makes sense. Dong E, as Peng Chun's eldest daughter, eventually became the Fourth Prince's princess. Even though the Fourth Prince has now been promoted to the Fourth Beile, the eldest daughter is just a little princess, which is a very shameful thing for Peng Chun's family.

Fortunately, the emperor later chose the daughter of the clan leader to be the third brother's wife, which saved the Dong E family from humiliation. However, in this way, the focus of the Dong E family shifted to the third brother's wife's family, and no one paid attention to Peng Chun's branch.

Thinking about this, Buerhe had already realized what was going on. But didn't Prince Yu usually stay out of these matters? Why did he let Fu Jin come here today to inquire about his thoughts?

He asked as soon as he thought of it. Buerhe also asked quietly: "Is this what the emperor uncle meant?"

Prince Yu's wife shook her head slightly. "That's just a suggestion. The prince has already instructed us to just ask. It doesn't matter whether the Crown Princess gives an answer or not. It's just that Dong E has urged us several times, and the prince is thinking of my mother, and he can't bring himself to ask her.

Besides, the decision on who will enter the Yuqing Palace is made by the current emperor. Even if I give my word, I have no right to interfere, right?"

After saying this, Xiluk smiled at Buerhe and said, "I just said a greeting to get the job done, and also to gossip a little."

Buerhe smiled without saying anything. This aunt was really a wonderful person. No wonder the emperor's uncle only loved the legitimate wife for so many years, and all his children were born to the legitimate wife. It turned out that she was also a person who liked to have fun.

There was actually nothing to hide about this matter. Besides, even if he didn't tell anyone now, after a few months when the selection was over and no one entered the Yuqing Palace, everyone would know. Su Yibul and the wife of Prince Yu, who was close to him, whispered quietly, "Our master said there won't be any newcomers this year."

After saying this, he didn't pay attention to the sudden shining look in Prince Yu's wife's eyes when she heard the news, but picked up the tea bowl in front of him and took a few sips.

Prince Yu's wife had never expected to hear this information from Buerhe, and for a moment she was quite excited. Prince Yu's mansion was simple. Besides her, the legitimate wife, Prince Yu only had two ordinary concubines, given to him by the then Grand Empress Dowager before his wife entered the mansion. They had been childless for so many years, and had long since fallen into silence. Prince Yu's mansion could be said to be dominated by his wife, and since all of Prince Yu's children were born to his wife, there was no sibling rivalry.

The family is harmonious, the husband and wife are loving, and what Siruk likes to do most on weekdays is to pay attention to gossip and have fun.

Although the Crown Princess had hosted grand banquets in the past two years, she had never appeared with the Queen Mother to receive officials and their wives. So although she and the Crown Princess met several times every year, they were not familiar with each other.

The situation this year is different. In addition, over the past few years, the royal family has become familiar with the Crown Princess's style of doing things, so Siruk asked such a question so rashly.

This could be considered a test. If the Crown Princess expressed dissatisfaction or even disgust on the spot, then it would be clear that this Crown Princess was not worth associating with, because nowadays people valued being a good wife and mother, and it was the wife's duty to take a concubine for her husband, not to mention that she was the Crown Princess of a country?

She knew that her Prince Yu did not support any side, but only supported the emperor. However, the emperor would die one day, and then the prince would have the final say in the world. If nothing else, she had to consider her children, right?

There is a huge difference between the royal family members favored by the royal family and ordinary royal family members. When the current emperor is alive, their family is a royal palace, but once the current emperor passes away, it is hard to say what the Prince Yu's Palace will be like in the future.

That's why when Burhe calmly and lightly told the prince's promise, Siruk was so excited, which proved that she had not misjudged him.

The Crown Princess had been married into the royal family for nearly five years. Not only had she given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, thus securing the throne as the eldest grandson, she was now pregnant with another child. The Crown Princess was the only woman in the Yuqing Palace. If no one entered the palace this time, it would mean that the Crown Princess would remain the sole favorite for at least another three years. In this sense, the Crown Prince and his wife would be no different from an ordinary married couple.

After making up her mind to make friends with the prince's family, Xiluk started chatting about gossip with Burhe and no longer talked about Dong E.

Mrs. Xiluk: "That flower-scented soap has been all the rage in the capital lately. It's a small soap that leaves your face smooth, clean, and bright after washing. You could say the most popular fashion in the capital for the past six months has been Mantingxiang. Because of it, my rouge shop has suffered losses."

Bull and: "That thing is really good to use, but my skin is a little dry because I wash it too often."

Xi Luke: "Yes, yes. Speaking of which, I have to thank the Crown Princess for sending me the nectar and essential oils. Especially the essential oil. After applying it on my face, it not only moisturizes it, but also emits a refreshing fragrance from the inside out. At the banquet I hosted this winter, many people asked about it, and it made me a big star at the banquet."

Buerhe: "Well, I have to thank the Imperial Aunt for her kindness. This year, not much of this essential oil was produced, only a small portion. After the palace distributed some, the two aunts gave it away. No one else got any."

Prince Gong's wife, Nara, who was sitting next to Xiluke, also heard this and said, "The Crown Princess is so kind. She even thought of us aunts with such a good gift. This year, thanks to the essential oils the Crown Princess sent me, my face has never been dry and painful in winter again."

Many people have been trying to find out where this good thing came from, both openly and secretly. If it weren't for the Crown Princess's long-term residence in Yuqing Palace, your door would have been trampled down."

Siruke nodded repeatedly, praising the benefits of the essential oils. Their conversation caught the attention of the others present, and the Queen Mother curiously inquired, "What are you all whispering about in the underground? Tell me what I am talking about."

Xiruke was the most senior among them, so she was the first to reply: "Madam, I was praising the essential oil that the Crown Princess sent me some time ago. It's a small bottle, but it has kept me warm all winter. I was thinking of asking the Crown Princess where I could buy it, as I don't have much left."

Speaking of this, the Queen Mother became interested. She also received several bottles of essential oils sent by the Crown Princess. Not only that, she also had a lot of perfumes and canned foods that were all made by the Crown Princess. It can be said that the good things were in the Queen Mother's hands as soon as possible.

The Queen Mother said: "My second son's wife has good taste. That essential oil is a good thing. I have used it this winter and it is really good."

After saying that, he turned around and asked Buerhe, "What is the Crown Princess's plan?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the women of Ciren Palace all cast their gazes towards Burhe. They had long heard of this essential oil; some of the favored wives of ministers and the relatives of concubines had even used it. Even those who hadn't used it had seen it at the banquet hosted by Prince Yu's wife. The Siruke family had been showing off their essential oils quite a bit this winter, and now that the Empress Dowager had asked about it, everyone's attention shifted to Burhe.

Although Buerhe smiled faintly on his face, he actually thanked the Queen Mother several times in his heart. It would be a waste if he didn't advertise in such a good sales occasion.

Buerhe: "Replying to the Queen Mother, due to time constraints this year, the production of essential oils is not that high, so I haven't planned to sell them. However, in March next year, Zuihuayan, under my name, will gradually put these things on the market. When the time comes, any of you ladies can go directly to Zuihuayan to choose as many or as few as you want."

After saying this, Buerhe gestured to Qi'er to let the palace maids in. "Because there aren't that many this year, I haven't opened the sale yet. I'm sorry to disappoint you all. I've also prepared a small gift for you all. I hope you will forgive me."

Soon the palace maids brought gifts to the wives. Someone took one out and looked at it and couldn't help but exclaimed, "How beautiful!"

Everyone followed suit and noticed a delicate, transparent glass vial inside the gift box. The pale yellow liquid in the vial flowed slowly with the movement, a truly beautiful sight. For a moment, the entire Ciren Palace family admired the gift in their hands.