King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 779: The Holy Candlelight is just a delusion!
Unlike other women, Yingchun and Tanchun were not placed in the main house but in the back garden.

Other women can be called concubines, but the two of them don't even have a formal status now, so calling them mistresses is actually a stretch.

Yingchun didn't care about this. Firstly, she was not competitive. Secondly, she already loved Zhu Jinghong, so she had nothing to ask for as long as she could be with her beloved.

Tanchun is completely different from her. She was unwilling to be ordinary, so she fought for the opportunity and became a woman in the prince's harem. How could she be willing to be a person without name and status?

And after staying in the Prince's residence for so many days and playing all kinds of games with Zhu Jinghong, the latter never mentioned the matter of status, which made her feel a little anxious.

All the women will enter the palace this time, and their status will be comprehensively adjusted. Tanchun sees this as an opportunity, and perhaps a unique opportunity.

In order to have a legitimate status, she naturally had to try every possible means to find that chance for herself.

Xichun was serving Zhu Jinghong, so Tanchun wanted to ask her for help, so she sent someone to call her.

When Xichun arrived, Tanchun greeted her warmly, holding her sister's hand and asking about her well-being.

Originally, when they were at home, they spent the most time together, so their relationship was the best among all the sisters, but now the situation is different.

At least in Xichun's heart, she felt a little estranged from her third sister, and the latter also noticed this.

As people grow older, they have more things to consider, and it is normal for things to change.

"Fourth sister, this time... I have to ask for your help!"

There was no need for them to exchange polite words. After entering the house, Tanchun went straight to the point and stated her purpose.

"After moving into the palace this time, if your second sister and I still don't have a place to stay, our future will be... hard to describe!"

Xichun understood Yingchun and Tanchun's embarrassment, but she didn't think she could help.

Xichun said, "I am a nobody, how can I help? Third sister has found the wrong person!"

Tanchun smiled and said, "Now that you are in the palace, you serve the emperor, so how can you say you can't help?"

"Since you know that I serve the emperor, you know that I am just a servant. What can I do?"

"Sister has been in charge of household affairs before, so she should know the ins and outs of this. If I say something disrespectful, it would only hurt myself... but I'm afraid it would bring disaster to my two sisters!"

If Xichun had simply stated her difficulties, Tanchun would not have thought anything of it, but the attitude of keeping people at a distance in her words made Tanchun feel particularly chilled.

She felt that she had a very close relationship with the third sister when she was in the mansion, so even if she was unwilling to help, she should not be so indifferent.

Sighing, Tanchun said, "Fourth sister, if you have any difficulties, just speak up. Why do you have to keep me at a distance?"

"It's not that I'm unkind, it's just what my sister asked, it's really hard to ask!"

In fact, Xichun did not say it clearly. The reason why she was hostile to Tanchun was that she suspected that Tanchun was fanning the flames behind her being chosen to enter the Eastern Palace.

After all, how could a marginal figure in Ningguo Mansion like her be known by the prince? Someone must have whispered in his ear.

As the saying goes, if you don't agree, there's no need to talk too much. After a lot of empty talk, the two of them said goodbye to each other in a very awkward manner. Xichun didn't even want to eat lunch here.

Seeing that something was not right, Yingchun took the initiative to send Xichun out, while Tanchun stayed in the room sulking.

"We are a family after all, why do this... We still have to take care of each other in the future!"

"Second sister, you don't have to say more, I understand!"

After a pause, Xichun continued, "If Sister really wants to find a place to stay, she should ask Sister Lin for help!"

The reason why Baochai was not asked for help was because she was in too high a position and had to be fair in dealing with things. Asking her for help would easily backfire.

But Daiyu is different. She has a high status and her words carry weight. Most importantly, she has a good relationship with Zhu Jinghong, so the emperor listens to what she says.

Unexpectedly, Yingchun replied: "Ah...let it be!"

The Jia sisters are worried about their status, and Yang Jingting, who has the highest status among the people left behind, is also worried about her future.

The reason for worry lies in the word "left behind".

So far, there are only three people who have entered the palace with Zhu Jinghong, besides Baochai, there are Daiyu and Xiangyun.

She, a dignified concubine, theoretically one of the top three, had not seen her husband for more than twenty days.

Only at this time did Yang Jingting realize that Baochai's gift that night had cost her such a heavy price.

Under the pretext of wanting to be a housekeeper, Xiangyun, a mere concubine, was allowed to enter the palace beyond her rank.

Under such "unfavorable" circumstances, Yang Jingting had no idea what to do in the face of the upcoming battle for the account ban.

According to convention, the prince's concubine will be canonized as a noble concubine in order. Logically, Yang Jingting should not be worried. After all, in the absence of the title of Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort is the highest title below the Empress.

But the trick of the Ming Dynasty was that there were very few vacancies for senior concubines, and there were generally only two positions for noble concubines.

I won’t mention the story of the early Ming Dynasty. During the reign of the Supreme Emperor, there was only one imperial concubine, who was the daughter of the Zhen family who was later promoted to the title of Concubine Dowager.

Emperor Zhengtong did have two imperial concubines, but after the death of one of them, Imperial Concubine An, no one replaced her, so only Imperial Concubine Jia has survived until now.

As for the time of Emperor Taizu, the highest title below the Empress was Consort, and there was no such thing as a Noble Consort.

The deep love between the emperors of the Zhu family for more than a dozen generations was praised as a beautiful story by people all over the world, but no one knew how painful the large number of low-ranking concubines felt.

There are only two imperial concubines at most, and now Xiangyun has entered the palace first, bypassing Yang Jingting, which makes her very worried.

Thinking about the mistakes she had made in the past, Yang Jingting felt even more anxious and uneasy. She couldn't eat or sleep well these days.

If you ask yourself, after being released from house arrest, Yang Jingting has not had much trouble and even gave birth to a son for Zhu Jinghong. It is reasonable and moral that she should be made a royal concubine.

But is Zhu Jinghong a reasonable person?
If that was the case, she should have been a princess at first, and now she should be the queen.

Thinking of this, Yang Jingting felt even more tormented.

"Alas... my life is so miserable!" Yang Jingting sighed in her heart.

Looking at the meal in front of her, Yang Jingting really had no appetite. After ordering someone to clear it away, she went into the inner room.

She could go to Zhu Jinghong to appeal for the ban, but she had no plans to do so.

Everything can only be left to nature. If you act rashly and end up making things worse, the loss will be greater.

Even if she couldn't get the position of imperial concubine, she should at least be able to get one of the four positions of concubine, which was actually better than most people.

What's more, there is a long time to come. Not only can she be promoted to the position of concubine, but she can also be demoted for her mistakes or even sent to the cold palace.

In fact, there are some people in this palace who are not worried at all, such as Keqing and the other two in Jiangyunzhai.

Keqing is not worried because she is Baochai's die-hard supporter, so the title cannot be too bad. Besides, she is not competitive and does not take this too seriously.

As for Nuominqiqige, they cared even less about these things, because in their minds, all titles below that of Queen were the same.

So, when others were worried, Keqing was reading alone, and Nuominqiqige was playing with her children.

One day passed and it was August 21st.

The prince's procession began to move, and the team entered the imperial city from Dong'anmen in a mighty manner, and then entered the imperial palace from Dong'anmen.

There were a total of ten sedan chairs, carrying the current emperor's concubines, all the way into the inner palace. Because they had not yet been officially canonized, their accommodation could only be temporarily arranged, and would be arranged after the official canonization in the future, which would take about a month.

Yang Jingting, Nuomin, Qiqige, Li Huizhen, and Zhang Xiaoyue were arranged in Yaohua Palace on the east side of Kunning Palace, and the rest were arranged in Xingde Palace on the west side.

There is no clear idea in this arrangement because everyone is crowded together.

Even Baochai did not live directly in Kunning Palace, but lived in Changchun Palace to the east of Yaohua Palace.

After everyone entered the palace, their attention fell on Baochai, after all, she was the main decision maker about the title.

For example, if Zhu Jinghong had to review memorials, Baochai was actually very busy. She had to take time out to meet the ladies from both the inner and outer courts and the ladies from the vassal states and allies who came to visit her.

She had to make the final decision on all expenses in the palace and various external rewards. Although the size of the matters could not be compared with state affairs, the amount was no less.

Yang Jingting was the first to arrive at Changchun Palace, specifically to report to Baochai.

"Thanks to Her Majesty the Queen, the palace has been peaceful these days. Today... I can finally report to you!"

Standing at the door of the side hall, Yang Jingting bowed respectfully. Five steps away from her was Baochai, who was sitting on the couch reading documents.

This is the list submitted by the Shanggong Bureau, which is the name list of newly promoted ladies. After confirmation and printing, the book can be made.

There were twelve people in total. Baochai crossed out three names and wrote two more.

Zhu Jinghong has to compete with the six ministries and nine ministers. The Queen has departments such as the Shanggong, Shangyi, Shangfu, and Gongzheng. The female officials here are very slippery, and Baochai has to be careful not to be deceived by these people.

Looking at the female official waiting in front of her, Baochai said coldly: "Take it back and handle it accordingly!"

"Yes!" Hu Shanggong answered carefully.

After he said goodbye and left, Baochai looked at Yang Jingting and said with a smile: "Sister, your words are too polite. Come over here and sit down!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yang Jingting replied.

"I have been so busy these days that I haven't taken care of you. I just vacated the palaces a few days ago and ordered people to clean them up. Now I am inviting you into the palace... Please don't blame me!"

Yang Jingting had just sat down, but after hearing this, she had to stand up again and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am so sorry for what you said. Your Majesty is very busy, and you have never bothered me and others. This is very caring!"

"If I, your servant, have any conscience, I should be grateful, not resentful!"

Since returning to Prince Xiang's Mansion, Yang Jingting has been very low-key and even more respectful to Princess Baochai.

The words she said at this moment, both in terms of content and attitude, were extremely humble.

Baochai laughed and said, "Look at you, I said one sentence... and you replied so much, and you are still being polite to me!"

Although she said this, she still didn't believe Yang Jingting in her heart.

To be precise, she trusted no one in the harem except Daiyu, let alone someone like Yang Jingting who had a criminal record.

"We have just moved into the palace. If there is anything you are not used to, just send someone to inform the Shangyi Bureau. Also..."

There was something Baochai hadn't said yet, and a female official came in to report something, so she had to deal with it first.

But before this person left, another person came into the hall and talked about the relocation of the late emperor's coffin. This matter was serious and involved many aspects, so it was difficult to finish the story at once.

So Yang Jingting had to leave, but the image of Baochai busying herself was deeply engraved in her mind.

Don't get the wrong idea, the reason she remembers it is because she is jealous.

Ruling over the six palaces and being the mother of the country... this should have been her position.

Princess, Crown Princess, Queen... In Yang Jingting's view, this should have been her path of transformation, but all of them were taken away by Baochai.

The more respectful he appeared just now, the heavier his hatred is now.

"I should go and see Brother Thirteen, but I won't mention the position!"

After leaving Changchun Palace, Yang Jingting had an idea and thought for a while about what to say during the audience.

Ten minutes later, Yang Jingting arrived at Hongde Hall and was allowed to enter after reporting.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone has a different perspective, so Zhu Jinghong is different from Baochai. He has no prejudice against Yang Jingting.

After all, the impression the latter had given him in recent years was that she was very low-key and extremely respectful. Apart from taking care of the children, she would usually think of various ways to make him happy.

It is said that the emperor is very observant, but to be absolutely wise and enlightened is wishful thinking.

Even a conceited old Taoist priest could only sigh helplessly that he was not omniscient about the affairs of his family, his country and the world.

Zhu Jinghong had so many things to do every day, and there were indeed not many things in the Ming Dynasty that could allow him to focus much of his energy.

"Ting girl, I haven't seen you for a long time, get up!" Zhu Jinghong put down his pen.

What he was reading at the moment was a petition from the Ministry of Justice, which was about an old case in Nanjing. Although it was just beginning to reveal clues, it was foreseeable that a group of people would be implicated.

Compared to the initial days, Zhu Jinghong "optimized" the reporting procedures of the six ministries of the cabinet, so he is not too busy now.

He was tired of watching anyway, and Yang Jingting came to find him at this moment, which was a good opportunity for him to take a break.

After thanking him, she came close to Zhu Jinghong and said, "I heard from others that Your Majesty is very busy and works day and night... I thought that you must have lost a lot of weight due to your hard work!"

"I saw Your Majesty for the first time today when I entered the palace. You looked more haggard than ever before. This really worries me!"

The tenderness and fragrance of jade, and the sincerity of words, the man can withstand this test.

Holding Yang Jingting's delicate hand, Zhu Jinghong said, "It's not as serious as you say. Although I've been a little tired these days... I haven't lost weight!"

"Hey...why are you crying just talking about this?"

Tears are also a woman’s weapon, and Yang Jingting has a deep understanding of this.

She only sobbed and said, "Your Majesty has been on the edge of an abyss for these years, and Sister Bao and I have supported each other through hardships... Only then can we have the virtue of ruling the country today!"

"When I was young and ignorant, I was deceived and made mistakes, which almost brought disaster to Your Majesty... Every time I think of this, I feel deeply regretful and almost want to commit suicide to apologize!"

Yang Jingting would always admit her mistakes whenever she had the chance, and she has said it no less than ten times over the years.

Each time, her emotions are richer and she seems more moving.

Before Zhu Jinghong could speak, Yang Jingting continued, "Fortunately, Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune and is valued by the late emperor... If you ascend the throne, I will not die of shame!"

Whether it was because he was the one involved in the case, or because he was blinded by one thing, Zhu Jinghong didn't feel anything at all after Yang Jingting's "tea talk", and he even tried to comfort her with a few words.

Yang Jingting also knew when to stop, and then she tried her best to flatter him, showing that she and the people of the world admired him, which provided Zhu Jinghong with a high emotional value.

From this perspective, he is just enjoying this feeling, so how can we expect him to be able to see everything?

The two chatted for nearly half an hour before Yang Jingting tactfully said goodbye and left. After all, there was still a long time to come and she didn't need to be too anxious.

(End of this chapter)