bookpower Chapter 211
Chapter 211
"hurry up, we've reached chuxiu palace. let's get inside quickly, or we'll get soaked and catch a cold, which would be terrible."
in the misty rain, a group of beautiful young women moved gracefully, some lifting their skirts, some shielding themselves from the rain, some running...
when they reached the covered walkway, they saw the xuanwu emperor and jiang xinyue standing nearby. the women hurriedly knelt down, saying, "we greet your majesty and noble consort!"
their clear voices were pleasing to the ear.
among them were a few faces that looked familiar, but jiang xinyue didn't have a strong impression of them.
tang shiliang stepped forward: "your majesty, noble consort, these are the ladies who entered the palace during the same selection as the noble consort."
jiang xinyue was startled. she had been in the palace for two years, yet these candidates were still living in chuxiu palace, which meant that until now, the emperor had never favored them.
there were six candidates in total, their eyes shining brightly as they looked at the emperor, completely ignoring jiang xinyue's presence.
"this concubine is liu xiaoxiao, daughter of the jiangnan prefect. my sisters and i were feeding the koi in the nearby pond when we were caught in this downpour. we didn't expect your majesty and the noble consort to be stranded here as well. why don't we all go to chuxiu palace to rest? it would be more comfortable than standing here."
the young woman wore an apricot-colored dress embroidered with flowers, birds, fish, and insects. she looked as fresh as a magnolia blossom in may. the rain had loosened some of her hair around her ears, with wisps falling around her face, giving her a clean and refreshing appearance that caught the eye.
she was bold. while others dared not take the lead for fear of drawing jiang xinyue's attention, she dared to be the first to speak up.
either she was foolishly brash or had enough confidence in herself.
when the xuanwu emperor got a clear look at this candidate's face, his eyes also showed a hint of amazement.
he lowered his head to look at jiang xinyue: "yue'er, you're wet too. it will take some time for them to bring clothes. why don't we go inside and have them find a new outfit for you to change into?"
jiang xinyue nodded: "then i'll trouble lower concubine liu."
but it was different for the imperial concubines in the back palace. they spent their days waiting for the emperor's favor, unable to leave the palace and with little entertainment. most would find it dull and tedious.
today, these candidates were like a bit of amusement for the emperor, but he didn't take them seriously at all.
if they could make the noble consort smile, it would prove they had some real talent.
liu xiaoxiao was just a pawn pushed forward by others. it seemed that lower concubine cheng, who had truly caught the emperor's attention, was the real expert.
she hadn't even spoken directly to the emperor once, yet she had outshone the other five candidates.
the emperor was solely interested in her ability to attract butterflies with her zither playing.
but as jiang xinyue looked at the xuanwu emperor's expression, although he tried hard to conceal it, it was precisely because he smiled too much that it seemed unnatural. he didn't have such a cheerful personality.
with the third prince poisoned and unconscious, he must be very distressed inside. how could he have the mood to watch these candidates perform and compete for favor?
she shook her head: "i got a bit wet in the rain earlier and have a slight headache. let's go back! when the weather is better, if your majesty still wants to see, i can summon them to perform at hexi palace. how about that?"
"it was my oversight," the xuanwu emperor said, supporting her as he turned to leave without any lingering attachment. he didn't forget to tell xique to hurry back first: "have the kitchen prepare a pot of ginger soup."
from the corner of her eye, jiang xinyue saw that liu xiaoxiao seemed quite dissatisfied, being held back by the other candidates to prevent her from speaking out of turn.
but after the emperor's entourage had gone far, liu xiaoxiao still shook off her sisters' hands angrily: "we finally got to see the emperor and made an impression, yet we still couldn't keep him here. do you really want to become palace maids?"
cheng nianhe sighed: "we were just unlucky. if the noble consort hadn't been here today, with our beauty, we surely could have kept the emperor here."
"it's all the noble consort's fault. she's already favored, and she acts like she doesn't even know us, her former companions who learned etiquette with her in chuxiu palace. she doesn't even put in a good word for us with the emperor, and she wouldn't let sister cheng perform. it's clear she's afraid sister cheng will outshine her and steal the emperor's favor."
liu xiaoxiao snorted coldly: "she might be able to keep him for now, but can she keep him forever? i don't believe the emperor doesn't have times when he's alone."
she seemed to already have a plan, her eyes blazing with determination.