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Chapter 42: A Wife Cannot Tolerate a Concubine
Chapter 42: A Wife Cannot Tolerate a Concubine
Within the Changchun Palace, Meng Qianqian met with the birth mother of the Emperor, the esteemed Li Guifei.
Clad in a goose-yellow palace dress and adorned with an eight-tailed red gold phoenix hairpin, Li Guifei's attire was only a step away from that of the Empress herself.
Meng Qianqian lowered her eyes, avoiding direct eye contact with the noble concubine, and together with Banxia, they performed the ritual kneeling bow.
Luluo couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "Your Royal Highness, you are so beautiful!"
This was not an attempt to flatter Li Guifei, but a genuine expression of awe at her beauty. Despite having given birth to a princess and a young emperor, time seemed to have barely left its mark on her.
Her beauty was indescribable; one glance could captivate a city, and a second could enthrall a nation. To call her ethereal would not be an exaggeration.
Upon hearing Luluo's words, Lin Wan'er instinctively glanced at Li Guifei.
"How bold!" a lady-in-waiting beside Li Guifei scolded sharply.
Lin Wan'er's expression shifted slightly, while Luluo, unsure of what offense she had committed, turned pale with fear.
Wang, the eunuch, sighed inwardly. This daughter of a border general was less well-versed in courtly manners than a merchant's daughter. How dare they disrespect the Guifei's beauty?
Lin Wan'er glanced at Meng Qianqian, who was kneeling on the ground with composure and calmness, and quickly knelt down to perform the ritual bow as well.
With Meng Qianqian setting the standard, she followed suit, but somehow, her actions always seemed less graceful and dignified.
Oddly enough, despite being a merchant's daughter, Meng Qianqian's every gesture and movement exuded the aura of a true noblewoman.
Li Guifei's gaze, filled with indiscernible meaning, swept over Meng Qianqian and settled on Lin Wan'er, whose etiquette clearly left much to be desired. With a gentle smile, she said, "Although I, your Highness, was born into a scholarly family, I hold the bravest warriors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, those who defend our borders and protect our people, in the highest regard. Even as a child, I never took a liking to these intricate courtly manners. Lin, my girl, you may rise, as may you, Mrs. Lu."
Remarkably, she had placed Lin Wan'er before Meng Qianqian, not to mention the deliberate favor she showed towards Lin Wan'er with her words.
No matter how proper one's conduct, in the imperial palace, it was not one's behavior that mattered, but the favor of the noble concubine.
Lin Wan'er suddenly felt a surge of confidence.
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness," Meng Qianqian said.
She clasped her hands in front of her forehead and performed another bow before rising with Banxia's support.
Lin Wan'er was also helped up by Luluo.
"Please, be seated," Li Guifei said with a smile.
Meng Qianqian took the seat of honor without hesitation.
Lin Wan'er walked over and sat beside her.
Luluo glanced at Banxia and stood where she was standing.
"I've called you here today regarding General Lu's matter," Li Guifei said with a smile. "You are both wise and capable wives of General Lu, and since he is the Emperor's confidant, I won't treat you as outsiders. General Lu has made great contributions at the border, and upon his return to the capital, the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of Zhenbei General, a third-rank official. However, not long ago, he was impeached by the Imperial Inspector. Not only was he demoted by one rank, but I've also heard that he was punished with three hundred strokes of the cane."
Li Guifei sighed, "When I heard this news, I felt deeply disturbed. General Lu fought valiantly on the battlefield to protect our people, and his achievements are unparalleled in our dynasty. Yet, someone chose to exploit the matters of his household and make a mountain out of a molehill. To prevent General Lu from being burdened by such issues in the future, I wish to hear your opinions on the matter."
Meng Qianqian remained silent.
Seeing her reticence, Lin Wan'er also lowered her eyes and kept quiet.
"Lin, my girl, comes from a family of loyal and heroic warriors," Li Guifei continued. "Her father and brother owe their lives to General Lu, and on their deathbeds, they entrusted her to his care. General Lu is a man of integrity and courage, and their story is a beautiful tale of the borderlands. Today, I shall take it upon myself to give Lin, my girl, a proper status. What are your thoughts on this, ladies?"
Lin Wan'er's eyes flickered, and she gestured in sign language.
"My lady says that she is at Your Highness's disposal!" Luluo quickly translated.
Li Guifei turned to Meng Qianqian with a smile. "Mrs. Lu, I'm sure you have no objections?"
Meng Qianqian asked, "May I inquire as to what status Her Royal Highness intends to bestow upon Lin, my lady? Will she be a noble concubine, a primary concubine, or a lowly one?"
Li Guifei's smile faded slightly. "Naturally, she will be a secondary wife."
Meng Qianqian said, "A secondary wife holds a position equal to that of a primary wife. Are you, Your Royal Highness, suggesting a marriage arrangement?"
Li Guifei said, "So what if I am?"
Meng Qianqian stood up and replied calmly, "Your Highness, if you wish to bestow me with a concubine, I would gladly accept any number of girls like Lin. However, it has always been the right of the Empress to arrange marriages. If Lin wishes to become my husband's concubine, she must either gain my consent and be married properly, or have the Empress personally issue an edict!"
Li Guifei slapped the table angrily. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! Who gave you the courage to address me like this?"
Meng Qianqian's words had undoubtedly struck a nerve, as Li Guifei despised any implication that she was inferior to the Empress.
Li Guifei coldly retorted, "The Empress has no son. The current Emperor is my son. Do you think I cannot request an edict from him to arrange this marriage?"
"Then please ask His Majesty to issue an edict," Meng Qianqian replied.
"You—" Li Guifei was furious. It was absurd! How could the Emperor possibly issue such an edict? Wouldn't that be inviting scorn from the entire nation?
Li Guifei glared at Meng Qianqian with a frosty gaze. "The plum blossoms in my palace are in bloom. They were planted by the previous Emperor himself when I was first bestowed the title of Guifei. Ying Yue."
"This servant is here."
"Take Lu Furen to admire the plum blossoms. Have her kneel as she admires them!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Meng Qianqian knelt on the cold, hard bluestone slab.
Banxia knelt down beside her.
Li Guifei, holding a warm hand warmer, leaned casually against the couch, admiring her henna-dyed fingernails. "Open the doors. I wish to smell the fragrance of the plum blossoms as well."
The well-ventilated palace doors were flung open, allowing the bitter winter wind of the twelfth month to rush into the courtyard.
Before long, the sky began to sprinkle goose feather-like snowflakes, landing on Meng Qianqian's hair, shoulders, and eyebrows. Soon, even her long eyelashes were frosted with snow.
Banxia's heart ached as she shed silent tears. The last time Meng Qianqian was punished, she had to endure the rain, and now she was forced to kneel in the heavy snowfall.
Meng Qianqian knelt proudly in the snow, her spine straight as a pine tree.
Li Guifei coldly huffed, "Let's see how long she can persist this time!"
At the brothel.
Dan'er received the calculated account books and was about to return to the Lu family. As she pushed open the door, she was greeted by the sight of the snow-filled sky, and she exclaimed in delight, "It's snowing! It's snowing so heavily!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she was about to dash out to play in the snow when a pale hand reached out and pulled her into the backyard.
"Sister Shi, what are you doing?" Dan'er asked, hands on her hips.
"Shh, keep your voice down!" Sister Shi pulled her behind a pillar and peeked out cautiously at a group of people passing by the main hall. "Go out through the back door so they don't see you!"
"Who are they?" Dan'er asked.
"People from Wan Hua Lou," Sister Shi replied.
Dan'er frowned. "That bunch of cowards? I want to beat them up!"
Sister Shi covered her mouth. "The people from Wan Hua Lou want to buy you. If they find out that Chun Mama has sold you to someone else, we'll be in big trouble. It wasn't easy for the sisters to leave this place and start anew. Please, do this for me. Leave through the back door!"
Dan'er had a soft heart and finally relented, removing Sister Shi's hand from her mouth. "Fine."
Upon returning to the Lu family residence, Dan'er learned from Li Mama that Meng Qianqian had gone to the palace. Without another word, she turned and left. "I'm going to find my sister!"
"Hey, Dan'er, come back—"
But Dan'er was already gone.
Li Mama sighed. "That girl..."
Wu Ge'er had been called away by Liu Guan Shi to help with some work, so Dan'er didn't have the carriage.
"Hey, do you know where the palace is?"
"Which way to the palace?"
"Have you been to the palace before?"
Braving the heavy snowfall, Dan'er asked for directions along the way, enduring countless cold stares and deceptions. Eventually, she finally arrived at the palace.
She bent over, holding her legs, and gasped for breath. "I'm exhausted! So tired!"
Regarding the title of "Li Guifei," I referred to some online sources for reference. During the period when the previous Emperor (Qinglong) was the retired emperor, his concubines continued to use their previous titles. In the third year of Emperor Jiaqing's reign, two palace maids were selected to serve the retired emperor, and they were bestowed the titles of "Shou Guiren" and "Jin Gui ren" respectively. Only after the death of Emperor Qianlong were his concubines promoted by Emperor Jiaqing to the ranks of "Tai Fei" and "Tai Guiren."
(End of Chapter)
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