Chapter 95 It felt good to be a superior

Yun Fenghuang did not know the ulterior motive of the title given by Emperor Chunjia, but she guessed that he would not have good intentions. However, it did not matter!

Anyway, other people did not know that. It was enough for her to enjoy the convenience of this title.

Empress Ji finalized Yun Fenghuang’s promotion, and after a few words, led this group of people to Mian Fu Palace.

“Jie Yu Yun, you look slimmer.” Apparently, Queen Mother Ji had received Empress Ji’s report. Seeing that Yun Fenghuang was among those concubines, she was not surprised, and said with concern, “Although you look energetic, it’s better for you to ask an imperial doctor to prescribe some prescriptions for strengthening your body.”

Empress Ji smiled and reminded, “Mother, His Majesty just sent someone to inform that he gave Jie Yu Yun a title of “Mao”. Now she is Jie Yu Mao.”

“Really?” Queen Mother Ji frowned. Apparently, she didn’t support the Emperor’s unconventional behavior. Her lips moved a few times, but at last she said nothing. She said lightly, “Then Jie Yu Mao should take good care of His Majesty.”

Queen Mother Ji changed the topic, “Well, do Concubine Messengers arrive in Dijing City?”

“Mother, they have arrived two days before.” Empress Ji lowered her head. “However, there are a few Cai Nv who are sick due to trudge. I am afraid that they cannot join the Imperial Harem recently.”

Cai Nv, the lowest grade of a concubine in the Imperial Harem of this dynasty, was a chosen girl. This was the highest starting point for girls from good and non-aristocratic families after joining the Imperial Harem.

It was true. Cai Nv was the lowest grade, but it was the highest starting point for girls from good and non-aristocratic families. Although girls brought by Concubine Messengers to Dijing City at this time were generally referred to as Cai Nv, they had not actually stepped into the Imperial Palace and had never been approved by the Emperor and the Empress. Actually, they were not Cai Nv in the real sense.

Then they needed to be selected and reviewed by the royal family. After passing the above procedures and getting the promotion of Cai Nv, they took their first steps of being the concubines of the Emperor.

Those who were not selected had to be maids.

What?

You said you didn’t want to be a maid even if you couldn’t be a concubine?

This was not impossible. After all, how noble the Emperor, the Empress, Queen Mother and Empress Dowager were! They had no time to bother about these issues. As long as you could persuade those Administrators, you could leave because people in this vast palace would not care about a maid.

However, you and those Administrators were not relatives… It was impossible for them to help you for no reason, right?

Then, there was another contradiction. Girls selected as Cai Nv were all from good and non-aristocratic families. These families in a general sense included ordinary landlords and rich households but not aristocratic families. However, those families, except for those that did not love their daughters or wanted to curry favor with those in power, had already privately bribed local administrators before Concubine Messengers went to their hometowns into removing the names of their outstanding girls from the list.

Or, they would buy beautiful but poor girls from the countryside and adopt them, so as to replace their own daughters to be Cai Nv.

Therefore, girls who were brought to Dijing City basically had no ability to get rid of the destiny of being a concubine or a maid.

Yun Fenghuang was in the list of cordial invitation as a member of Yun tribe under the arrangement of Duke Yi’s Mansion, which brought her a miserable future. But in fact, according to the background of Xie’s Family, there was no doubt that Yun Fenghuang would be selected as a Cai Nv…

Of course, Yun Fenghuang would never be grateful for Duke Yi’s Mansion because of this.

“Just several girls?” Queen Mother Ji didn’t care much about the low-grade concubines and even those who were the daughters of inferior officers or distant relatives of prosperous families. She would even care less about those girls from non-aristocratic families. After hearing what the Empress said, she replied, “It can be seen that they are unlucky. In that case, just ignore them and let them take a rest to regain their health outside. If they become healthy, just ask them to be maids.”

The implication was that if they died, it would not be a big event.

Empress Ji had no objection to this because she didn’t think that those sick girls were important to the selection. She said, “Yes, Mother. Since grandmother launched the imperial decree to select Cai Nv. Should I tell her about it?”

“…” Queen Mother Ji frowned. If Empress Dowager were healthy, it would be okay to tell her directly or show her the list after finishing the selection as they operated when cordially inviting Yun Fenghuang and the other concubines before.

However, Empress Dowager was still sick in bed…

Queen Mother Ji thought about it and finally said, “Empress Dowager is not feeling well. This time, those girls are selected from the whole country, and the number is large. It is impossible to have the result in a short time. Therefore, you do it first. When we have a result, if Empress Dowager feels good, I will go with you to report it.”

“Yes.” Empress Ji had the same idea. Then she asked Queen Mother Ji that would she take part in the selection process.

“I will leave it to you.” Queen Mother Ji waved her hands and said, “I will not take part in it. They are just girls from good and non-aristocratic families.”

Queen Mother Ji did not think that those girls would be able to make trouble.

Then Queen Mother Ji asked a few words about the pregnancy of Noble Consort Gui and Yuan Lianniang. After showing that “Ji’s Family attached great importance to royal heirs”, Queen Mother Ji let the Empress and other concubines leave.

After going out, the Empress asked other concubines to go back to their palaces, except for Yun Fenghuang and Wei Hengyan who went to Yan Fu Palace with the Empress.

The Empress just told them that they would have the Consort-Conferring Ceremony together.

Wei Hengyan had been waiting for this ceremony for a long time. When she heard these words, she was speechless.

It was an important chance for her to show off. Why should she have to share with Yun Fenghuang?

Moreover, Yun Fenghuang had the title given by the Emperor. Today, when paying respects to the Empress and Queen Mother Ji, Yun Fenghuang sat in front of her and at the Consort-Conferring Ceremony, Yun Fenghuang would also stand in front of her!!!

Wei Hengyan felt that she would freak out…

However, in front of the Empress, she must pretend that she and Yun Fenghuang were intimate like sisters. She said, “I always think that younger sister Fenghuang is congenial to me. I do not expect that we will have the Consort-Conferring Ceremony together. It’s great!”

She forced a smile.

As a result, Empress Ji looked at her approvingly and said, “I know that you two have a good relationship, but there are laws in the land. Since Jie Yu Mao has a special title from His Majesty, Jie Yu Wei should not call her younger sister from now on.”

Yes, the rank of concubines in the Imperial Harem was not based on seniority and age, but purely on status.

Since Jie Yu Mao ranked before all Jie Yu, Jie Yu Jia, Jie Yu Lu, Jie Yu Wei were all junior to her.

Wei Hengyan, “…”

Could she put up with such treatment?

If it were not because the Empress asked Yun Fenghuang something after she said that, Wei Hengyan would be discourteous on the spot!

“Jie Yu Wei said to me before that there is no one in Xuan Qing Palace and Han Su Palace next to Yi Jia Palace.” Yun Fenghuang joined the Imperial Harem for a short period of time, and did not specifically inquire about the layout of the Imperial Harem before. Now the Empress told her that palace hostesses were vacant and the main palaces were empty. Since Yun Fenghuang was Jie Yu, of course, she could not stay in the side hall of Hu Zhu Palace and should find a palace where no hostess lived in.

Yun Fenghuang didn’t have any targets. She remembered Wei Hengyan’s recommendation and replied. “I do not know other palaces.”

Empress Ji pondered for a while and said, “These two palaces… It’s fine. Now there are only a few consorts. The girls from good and non-aristocratic families, who are about to join the Imperial Harem, will start from Cai Nv according to the rules. They need a long time to climb the ladder of success. Your future is much brighter than theirs.”

After hearing Empress Ji’s words, Yun Fenghuang suddenly realized that neither Xuan Qing Palace nor Han Su Palace seemed to be the palace that a Jie Yu could live in and host.

Were they the exclusive palaces for consorts of high grades?

She quickly said, “Your Highness, may I ask you to pick another one for me? I am not from a powerful family and I do not know this well. I am afraid that I will break the rules in the Imperial Harem.”

She had no choice. Actually, she did not mind living in a superior palace, but at present she still needed the support of the Empress. The Empress came from a powerful family. She did not like undisciplined people and things.

Fortunately, although the Empress took the rules and manners seriously, she was not overly stubborn. At the moment, after hearing Yun Fenghuang’s words, she shook her head and said, “Although two consorts of the previous dynasty whose grades were higher than Fu Ren lived in these two palaces, there is no rule that Jie Yu cannot live in the main halls of these two palaces. Even if you are Jie Yu now, do you want to be Jie Yu forever? Now it is not suitable for you to live in these two palaces, but it will become suitable when you get a promotion in the future.”

Even Wei Hengyan was in a good mood when she heard that. She thought that although Yun Fenghuang was superior to her now, there would be ample time ahead, and whether Yun Fenghuang would continue to be superior was uncertain.

Then Empress Ji asked Yun Fenghuang to go to Xuan Qing Palace and Han Su Palace later and tell her which palace she chose. When she chose her targeted palace, people of Empress’s Palace would arrange servants to pick it up.

“Since you are now or will be the hostess of a palace, then you should care more about the newcomers.” Empress Ji dealt with the affair of Yun Fenghuang’s new palace. Then she mentioned the arrangement of Cai Nv. She picked up the tea bowl, had some tea and said, “Among those hostesses in the Imperial Harem, Noble Consort Gui and Jie Yu Yue are pregnant. I think that we should not bother them.”

“Therefore, the rest are Noble Consort Shu, Consort Xin, Fu Ren Yaoning and four Jie Yu including you.”

“A number of concubines have lived in Tong Xia Palace of Noble Consort Shu, and after the summer banquet, she does not feel very well. She said two days ago that at most one or two newcomers could live in Tong Xia Palace this time, and she could not make arrangements for other people.”

“Consort Xin likes peace and quiet. Although she does not say anything, I cannot send more people to her palace.”

“Fu Ren Yaoning and Jie Yu Jia are both quick-tempered. The newcomers are of low social status, and they may not get along well with these newcomers.”

“Jie Yu Lu is quite easy-going, but I cannot send all these newcomers to Bao Hui Palace, right?”

In a word, the Empress hoped that Wei Hengyan and Yun Fenghuang could assume the responsibilities and obligations of a hostess and show the ambition and tolerance that a Jie Yu should have. They should accept as many newcomers as possible.

Although more people would inevitably cause more troubles, neither Wei Hengyan nor Yun Fenghuang had any objection. They did not expect to enjoy such a huge palace alone. Take Wei Hengyan as an example. She lived in Yi Jia Palace. Before she was given the promotion of Jie Yu, there were some concubines living in Yi Jia Palace. If the Empress send some newcomers to Yi Jia Palace, there would be nothing changed.

Anyway, neither of them felt that they could not control those people in their palaces.

… After all, a newcomer like Yun Fenghuang was a special case.

The Empress was very satisfied with their cooperation, so she gave them a benefit that when rechecking Cai Nv, she allowed them to go with her to watch. Then they could select the ones who would live with them. Moreover, they could understand the personality of these newcomers in advance.

It was settled. When they noticed that the Empress had no other orders, they excused themselves and left.

After leaving Yan Fu Palace, Wei Hengyan hesitated for a while, and finally took the initiative to send an invitation to Yun Fenghuang, “Excuse me, elder… elder sister, may I ask when you will go to see Xuan Qing Palace and Han Su Palace? Will you go now? Or should I go with you? After all, although the two palaces are neat, no one has lived in them for many years. The two palaces are deserted. At this time, snakes and rats are also rampant.”

Yun Fenghuang readily accepted Wei Hengyan’s euphemistic surrender, “Thanks for your kindness, younger sister.”

Well, it was awesome to call someone “younger sister”.

It felt good to be a superior!