Harem for a living

Chapter 49

After seeing off the emperor in the morning, Chen Manrou went to pay his respects to the queen, and today happened to be the day to pay his respects to the empress dowagers of the two palaces, so it was almost time to return to Zhongcui Palace.Chen Manrou ran to the inner room in a panic: "Daiyue, where did I put that aqua blue dress? Come and help me find it."

After tossing around the closet for a while, he shouted again and again to comb his hair.Jinhuan helplessly followed Chen Manrou with a tray, "Ma'am, we are meeting the young master, you don't need to dress up..."

"Why don't you use it?" Chen Manrou didn't want to look at it, she took the rouge powder and studied it for a while, and picked some pink rouge to paint on her face: "I have to dress up so that my elder brother can see it and know that I am here. Life in the palace is very good."

Listening to Jin Huan and Dui Yue, they couldn't help feeling sour. If it wasn't for the fact that the young master had won Tanhua this time, it would have taken him several more years before his mother-in-law was eligible to see his male relatives.In contrast, they are much luckier, even if they cannot see their family members now, they will be released from the palace when they are old.She is hundreds of times luckier than her own mother who has been guarding the palace all her life.

After Chen Manrou dressed up, she turned her head and saw the red eye circles of the two maidservants. After thinking about it, she understood, smiled and got up and patted the two of them on the shoulders: "Okay, I'm not sad, why are you two sad? Are you free or not?" Hurry up and bring me some snacks, your mother is hungry."

"I'm going now, servant girl." Jinhuan immediately put down the tray, reached out to Yueyue and took the jade pendants and purses from the tray, and hung them up for Chen Manrou one by one.Chen Manrou turned around and made a face at the mirror, and looked back at Xiangyue happily: "Do I look okay like this?"

"Your Majesty, dressed like this, looks like she's a few years younger." Smiling at Yue Yue, he stretched out his hand to help Chen Manrou fix the collar, preventing the drooping hair from pressing the collar down.

Chen Manrou curled her lips: "Wait ten years from now, I will be very happy when you say this." She is only 17 years old this year, and if she is a few years younger, I am afraid that the emperor will not be able to say anything. Fall out of favor.

"Your Majesty will always be 17 years old." Xiangyue continued with a smile, while Chen Manrou casually joked with Duyue, while looking at the door from time to time.After waiting for about half an hour, Xiao Xizi rushed in: "Your Majesty, Tan Hua Lang will be here in a while."

"Really? Where are you now?" Chen Manrou rushed out of the room with her skirt in her hands, stopped in front of Xiao Xizi and asked, Xiao Xizi took a breath, stretched out her hand and pointed back: "Little one and Xiao Lezi Waiting at Qianqingmen, as soon as Tanhualang arrives, the younger one will come over immediately to report."

The imperial list came out yesterday, and today the top ten will go to the hall to thank the emperor. The emperor is in the hall of supreme harmony in the early court, and they will also go to the hall of supreme harmony. Qingmen and then to Zhongcui Palace.

"Did you ask others to avoid it along the way?" Chen Manrou was very happy, suddenly thought of this big question, and asked quickly, Xiao Xizi nodded: "The emperor sent Eunuch Liu Cheng to notify the palaces to avoid him."

"That's good." Chen Manrou breathed a sigh of relief, but those concubines seemed to pay more attention than her.The emperor was very thoughtful, and sent Liu Cheng himself, so that no one would gossip about her seeing a foreigner.

As for the concubine in the novel who casually meets a man in the harem, that's pure nonsense.Even if the emperor doesn't send people to make the palaces evade, the queen has to send people to tell.If neither of these two came out to speak, then Chen Manrou would have to send someone to speak up. Unless someone wanted to be seen, no one would come out at this time to have a chance encounter with Chen Huaijin.

"Ma'am, Tanhualang is here." When Xiao Lezi's voice sounded outside, Chen Manrou rushed to the gate of Zhongcui Palace with a whoosh. The eldest brother of the Chen family was taken aback. When he saw that it was Chen Manrou, he quickly flirted Clothes knelt down to pay respects: "I have seen the empress, please greet the empress."

Chen Manrou's eyes turned red, she suppressed the soreness in her heart, and quickly signaled Xiao Xizi and Xiao Lezi to help her: "Brother, you and I are brothers and sisters, you don't need to be so polite."

Chen Huaijin got up, shook her head and said: "Courtesy cannot be abandoned. Although the empress is considerate of the subject, the subject cannot be arrogant and arrogant because of his relationship with the empress."

Manager Ming came out with Chen Manrou, seeing that the two siblings were entangled in etiquette, he hurried out and said, "Madam, it's rare for Tanhualang to enter the palace, do you think you should go in first and then talk?"

Standing at the gate of the palace is too embarrassing, if someone comes and sees it, it will be too rude.

Chen Manrou nodded quickly, she also knew that she couldn't get too close to her elder brother now, so she turned around and walked in first, then turned her head and said to Chen Huaijin: "Brother, let's go in first, I just asked Jinhuan to get your favorite The mung bean cake you eat is different from the one at home."

"Thank you, ma'am." Chen Huaijin smiled and followed through the door, seeing that Juan Huan and Dui Yue were busy serving snacks and tea, then Dui Yue stayed in the room, and Jin Huan went to guard the door.Only then did Chen Huaijin dare to look at Chen Manrou who was sitting opposite her.

Chen Manrou met his gaze, got up and turned around, and said with a smile: "Brother, do you think I've grown taller again?"

"Why do I look thinner?" Chen Huaijin frowned, and Chen Manrou quickly gestured: "I haven't lost weight, I have really grown taller. Look, when I was at home, it only reached your chest, but now it's almost reaching your shoulders." gone."

Chen Huaijin looked at it for a long time, reluctantly admitted that her sister had grown taller, and then carefully asked her what she ate and drank every day in the palace, whether anyone bullied her, whether she had enough money to spend, and so on.

"Brother, I am living a good life. The emperor is very kind to me, and the empress is also very kind to me." Chen Manrou concluded, and Nuo Nuo went to Chen Huaijin's side. Although she could not screw on her elder brother as before, she was a little closer. It's also good.

"By the way, did you tell the emperor about donating clothes?" Chen Huaijin finished caring about her sister before she started talking about the business. Chen Manrou nodded: "I was afraid that someone would say that I gave and received privately, so I told the emperor in advance. But what's wrong? When I first entered the palace, I told the emperor to set up a school for learning the art of war."

Chen Manrou told Chen Huaijin about the emperor's problems at that time and her response in detail: "Brother, you said that the emperor really adopted this suggestion. Is it possible that grandfather will be selected to be the dean or something?"

"It's no wonder that last winter, the emperor suddenly asked someone to build a courtyard next to the Guozijian, and there was a martial arts training ground inside." Chen Huaijin rubbed his chin and said, "It is estimated that the emperor has adopted your opinion, so you don't need to worry about it." Never mind, my grandfather is now in good health, and he started his career with military exploits. Although he is not as good as the Marquis of Dingguo, he can be counted as a military general who is idle at home, and there will probably be a place for him."

"Some time ago, the emperor sent people to various state capitals to set up institutions for the management of donations, which are temporarily managed by the household department. The last time our father wrote, he said that he wanted to close the one in our house." Chen Huaijin talked about the topic To forward it back, in fact, Father Chen didn't write the letter, and he himself planned to send someone to say it.

The imperial court did not have special management for these donated items before, so they could do some good deeds at will, but now the emperor seems to want to be taken care of by the imperial court in a unified way. The households of these court officials are not suitable for them anymore. Mix it up.

"If you don't do it, don't do it. Anyway, that's just a pastime." Chen Manrou waved her hand and said, Chen Huaijin reached out and tapped her on the head: "Don't meddle in these things in the future, you don't know what's going on in the court, what if you say something?" Wrong, it's not just a matter of falling out of favor. Our family doesn't expect you to be favored too much, you just need to stay in this harem and live well."

Seeing Chen Huaijin talking, Chen Manrou's voice became a little hoarse, and she quickly stretched out her hand to rub her head and complained: "Brother is getting stronger now, my head hurts from beating me, brother will pay me!"

"Does it really hurt?" Chen Huaijin stretched out her hand to look at Chen Manrou's hair, halfway through, she suddenly thought of Chen Manrou's current identity, and withdrew her hand again. The previous actions were considered offensive, but now she can't There is no such action.

Chen Manrou saw that Chen Huaijin was a little embarrassed, and her mood became even more depressed. She laughed dryly, and her response seemed inappropriate, forget it, let's change the subject: "Brother, you have won Tanhua, did the emperor say that you should be an official? "

"According to the usual practice, go to the Hanlin Academy first." Chen Huaijin didn't want to let her sister worry, and said with a smile: "The number one scholar is a magistrate from the fourth rank, and he has been released. The second place is from the fifth rank. I am from the fifth rank." The Imperial Academy attendant lectured."

"This second place is very sacred." Chen Manrou compared the official position and responsibilities in her heart, touched her chin and said, "It's a pity, if we have a younger sister, this second place would be a good one."

"You can't get high even if you have a younger sister." Chen Huaijin glanced at her and said, Chen Manrou just remembered that she seemed to say yesterday that this second place Su Changqing is the eldest son of the Anguo Gong family, and their Chen family really can't get high.

"By the way, big brother, you are not young anymore. Did mother say when she will marry you?" When I was in Zhending Mansion, someone went to Chen's house to tell about Chen Huaijin's marriage, but at that time Chen Huaijin said that she wanted to marry her. In the imperial examination, it is not easy to start a family without a degree of fame, so it has been delayed. Until now, Chen Huaijin is 19 years old and still a bachelor.

"Mother will be back next month, so we'll talk about it then." Chen Huaijin said with some embarrassment, while Chen Manrou asked excitedly: "You said mother is coming back? Are father and younger brother coming back too? "

"Well, Dad has been guarding the Zhending Mansion for more than ten years, and it's time to come back." Chen Huaijin said, and then wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he felt that there was nothing wrong with the matter. Once something went wrong, my sister was so happy that she simply closed her mouth again.

Then the two brothers and sisters discussed enthusiastically for a while, what kind of gifts they would give when their parents came back, and almost half an hour passed. Manager Ming looked outside and signaled the time .

Although Jin Huan was in a difficult situation, he pushed the door open and came in: "Your Majesty, Young Master, it's getting late..."

Chen Manrou was excitedly saying that the emperor had just rewarded her with a very good inkstone some time ago, and he was going to give it to Chen Huaijue later, when she heard Jinhuan's words, her eyes suddenly turned red.Chen Huaijin was also uncomfortable, so she reached out and took out a stack of silver bills from her pocket and stuffed them to Chen Manrou: "Grandfather and grandmother asked me to give it to you, you usually eat and use whatever you want, just spend it, if you have no money, send a message, big brother Send it to you again."

After talking, I couldn't continue, Chen Manrou pushed back the silver ticket: "Brother, the silver taels I brought into the palace last time haven't been spent yet, the emperor and the queen have many rewards, I usually don't need anything, don't worry I have no money to spend."

"Then you keep it for rewarding people. There are many people in this palace who only have money in their eyes. Don't treat yourself badly." Chen Huaijin didn't want it, and handed it to Jinhuan: "Keep it for your mother. Li, be more attentive and take good care of your empress, when your empress is well, you can be better too, understand?"

"Your servant understands." Jin Huan and Yue Yue hurriedly saluted, Chen Huaijin stood up, and stopped Chen Manrou who also got up: "Okay, don't go out, it's even more uncomfortable to go out. Stay in the room well, big brother has a chance to come back again." Come to the palace to see you, next month, maybe my mother will also come to the palace to see you."

"Then elder brother, go slowly, and turn around to greet my grandfather and grandmother for me, and tell them that I am doing well in the palace, the emperor is very good to me, and the empress is also a good person." Chen Manrou sniffed, and did not dare to send the door out, for fear I couldn't control myself from crying.

Chen Huaijin didn't look back, just waved her hands behind her back, and followed Manager Ming out of Zhongcui Palace.

(End of this chapter)