Warm my heart

........................

The lights in the Yangxin Palace were still bright. The emperor sat quietly at his desk, but his thoughts drifted back to the scene in the daytime.

An Lingrong's bold glance and subsequent pretended anger inadvertently touched his heartstrings.

Thinking of this, the emperor couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a knowing smile.

At this moment, Su Peisheng came in with a hunched back and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience."

The emperor's expression remained calm, as if this was nothing important. He simply waved his hand and said, "Let her in."

Soon, the Queen walked into the hall with a respectful smile and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

The emperor glanced up and said calmly, "Queen, get up."

The Queen stood up, still smiling, and said cheerfully, "I have come specially to congratulate the Emperor on finding another beautiful woman."

The emperor's expression was serious, but a hint of smile appeared in his eyes unconsciously. "They are just ordinary people, but there are one or two of them with decent qualities."

Seeing this, the Queen smiled slightly and continued, "More than acceptable. I heard that Shen Zishan's daughter is quite like the Jingpin of the past, and An is even more like a fairy. As for Zhen, she looks exactly like..."

How could the emperor not see through the queen's little thoughts? He just added to her frustration: "It's just that their eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar."

Now that Zhen Huan is useful, it's worth your trip to the palace. She should be of some use.

The queen kept looking at the emperor as if she wanted to see something from his face.

The Queen continued to probe, "It's rare to see them somewhat similar. I'd like to ask, what rank does the Emperor intend to assign to An and Zhen?"

The emperor pondered for a moment and said slowly: "An is promoted to concubine, and Zhen is promoted to noble lady."

The Queen's smile froze instantly, and she couldn't help but think to herself, "Isn't the position of a concubine a bit too high? Fucha from the Manchu Banner is a noble lady, and Borjigit from the Mongolian Banner is also a noble lady. If the Manchu Banner gets another concubine, and the Han Banner has two noble ladies, this might be a bit..."

However, the emperor's simple words "An Bihuai is not bad" directly stopped the queen from speaking.

The queen could only sigh in her heart, resentful that there was no capable person in her clan.

She had heard of An Bihuai a long time ago. He was not only a capable person, but also an important member of the royalist party.

Now that their family has been promoted, although their foundation is still shallow, they are still second-rank officials after all, and the emperor is obviously quite confident in him.

The emperor pretended to be thoughtful and turned to ask, "Who is the other nobleman?"

The Queen quickly replied, "Noble Lady Shen is the daughter of Shen Zishan. Shen Zishan's official position is much higher than Zhen Yuandao's.

Intermarriage between the Mongols and the Manchus is an old custom, and the Han army flag... wouldn't this be too conspicuous?"

The Emperor thought for a moment and then decided, "Then we shall demote Lady Zhen to the rank of a sixth-rank official. A woman from the Han Banner shouldn't be given a high rank in the palace."

The Queen felt relieved, and finally revealed a satisfied smile on her face: "Your Majesty is wise."

The Queen couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased that she could take this opportunity to suppress concubines like Zhen.

After thinking for a moment, the emperor made a special decision: "Although Zhen is only a concubine, I want to give her a title."

He refused to admit that he wanted to give Rong'er a title, but he was afraid that giving only one would be too conspicuous.

The Queen frowned slightly upon hearing this, but then replied, "Then the Imperial Household Department will draft a title and submit it."

The emperor shook his head, as if he had already made up his mind: "No need, I have already thought about it. Zhen's title will be Wan."

As he spoke, the emperor deliberately took the queen's hand and wrote the word "菀" on her palm.

The Queen was slightly startled, then calmly said, "Wan? I remember the line from a Tang Dynasty poem: 'Willow willow branches hang low, and a mist of flowers hangs down.'"

The Emperor's sharp eyes detected the flash of displeasure in the Empress's eyes. He smiled inwardly and deliberately explained, "I saw that she smiled very beautifully."

Then, the emperor waved his hand impatiently and said, "Give An a title as well. Let's make her Zhao. Okay, leave now."

It may seem random, but this word "Zhao" has a special meaning.

The word "Zhao" in titles often represents brightness, virtue, wisdom, etc., and is used to describe a woman's virtue and wisdom.

This title seems simple, but it has profound meaning and implies nobility and purity.

The queen suppressed her inner displeasure, stood up with a sullen face, bowed respectfully to the emperor, and then stepped back.

After returning to Jingren Palace, the queen's headache suddenly flared up. She sat down, closed her eyes and remained silent.

Seeing this, Jianqiu hurried forward to massage the queen's head and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, do you need to call the imperial physician?"

The Queen closed her eyes and said in a calm voice, "No need. Go and get the list of the selected concubines."

Although she was not feeling well, the Queen still had to deal with the arrangements for the concubines, and she could not let her emotions affect the palace affairs.

At the same time, Concubine Hua of Yiku Palace learned that there were several outstanding beauties among the concubines entering the palace this time, and she was so angry that she smashed all the decorations in the house.

After her anger subsided a little, she calmed down, sat on a chair, and listened to Huang Guiquan report on the accommodation arrangements for the new ladies in the palace.

A hint of coldness flashed in Hua Fei's eyes.

Concubine Hua was already angry about the two people's residence today, and she became even angrier.

"You just said that Concubine Wan lives in Chengqian Palace and Concubine Zhao lives in Yongshou Palace?" Hua Fei's voice was cold, as if she was suppressing a volcano that was about to erupt.

Huang Guiquan was frightened and knew that if he said one more inappropriate word, he would probably be in trouble too.

He lowered his head and replied cautiously, "That's right. Concubine Wan is the eldest daughter of Zhen Yuandao, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple. The Emperor bestowed the title of Wan upon her. Concubine Zhao is the eldest daughter of An Bihuai, the Governor of Jiangsu."

Concubine Hua felt a surge of bitterness and jealousy in her heart. These women were all here to compete for favor and to snatch her emperor away.

She gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her resentment. "Is Wan Changzai the eloquent woman from the selection? Zhaopin is just the daughter of a governor, yet she was given the title of concubine. The emperor is really showing her respect."

The jealousy in her eyes almost burned away her sanity.

Huang Guiquan hurried forward and flattered, "Your Majesty, although Concubine Zhao is somewhat pretty, she can never compare to you. You are the one whom the Emperor truly loves. These newcomers are just small fry after all."

Hua Fei snorted coldly, as if she felt that Huang Guiquan's words made some sense, but she still felt upset.

She continued to ask, "I heard that Wan Changzai originally angered the emperor, but in the end she was able to obtain the position of Changzai, which shows that her appearance was very favored by the emperor. Could it be that these palace allocations were made by the emperor himself?"

Hua Fei paused and said, "Were these distributions made by the Emperor?"

Huang Guiquan hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, the Emperor only granted them positions and titles. The specific residences were assigned by the Empress."