in2ebook Chapter 185 All eligible women in the clan have married.
Chapter 185 All eligible women in the clan have married.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to Your Majesty the Empress." As this clear and orderly call rang out, the many concubines in the hall, dressed in gorgeous attire, all curtsied in unison, their movements elegant and dignified, displaying the grandeur of royalty.
"Rise, everyone." The Empress, seated at the head of the table, smiled slightly and gently raised her hand to signal everyone to rise. Her voice was gentle and melodious, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." The concubines bowed again, then turned and walked to their seats, slowly sitting down. A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the entire hall.
After everyone was seated, the Empress looked at them and said, "I have summoned you all here today because I have something to announce. As you all know, His Majesty has far too few children. To date, there are only five princes and one princess in the palace. Therefore, after careful consideration and discussion with His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, we have decided to hold a selection of consorts to enrich the harem."
When the Empress uttered the words "selection of concubines," the previously quiet concubines below reacted in various ways. Su Nuannuan's face clearly showed joy, her beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement; while Consort Qin nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, clearly also delighted. After all, for both of them, being free from the need to serve the Emperor and simply raising their children in peace was enough.
However, Consort Li's feelings at this moment were quite complicated. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her gaze lingered on the Empress for a moment before quickly shifting away, as if she were undergoing a fierce internal struggle. As for the other concubines, some wore expressions of resentment, seemingly filled with jealousy for the upcoming newcomer and anxiety about their own future; others sighed softly, appearing somewhat helpless and disappointed.
The Empress sat quietly in the main seat, taking in the expressions of all the concubines, but she only smiled and remained silent.
"Your Majesty, is this selection a grand selection or a smaller selection?" Su Nuannuan raised her head slightly, looked at the Empress sitting above her, and asked softly.
The Empress smiled and said slowly, "His Majesty has decided that this will be a small election, since a large election would be too much of a burden on the people and a waste of resources."
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, she continued, "Therefore, I plan to organize a spring banquet and summon all the ladies of the court to the palace. At that time, they can recommend suitable women to be selected as imperial concubines. Of course, if you have someone in mind, you can also recommend them to me. However, whether they can catch the Emperor's eye depends entirely on their own fate and luck."
After the Empress had arranged everything, she gently waved her hand, signaling the concubines to leave.
Su Nuannuan slowly rose, bowed to the Empress, and then left the palace with light steps, returning directly to her residence, Cuiwei Palace.
As soon as she stepped into the palace gate, Su Nuannuan immediately summoned Jinse and instructed her: "Jinse, go back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion after leaving the palace and tell my mother the truth about the Empress's preparations for the spring banquet and the Emperor's upcoming selection of concubines, so that she can have a clear understanding of the situation."
Furthermore, please inquire with Mother whether there are any eligible girls in the clan who wish to enter the palace. This matter is of utmost importance and must not be overlooked.
Jinse accepted the order and left, departing the palace shortly afterward.
Jinse returned shortly after Su Nuannuan finished teaching the three children.
"Your Majesty, this servant has returned." Jinse strode into the hall, bowed, and reported.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan couldn't wait to ask, "What did Mother say?"
"Your Majesty, the Lady asked me to convey that you can rest assured that all the women of marriageable age in the clan have already married. Even the Lady of Ding'an Marquis's family is in the same situation; there are simply no suitable unmarried women of marriageable age to be found." Jinse replied respectfully to Su Nuannuan with a smile on her face.
"What? All the eligible women in both households have gotten married? How is that possible?" Su Nuannuan's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief, and her voice unconsciously rose eight octaves, clearly shocked by the news.
Seeing her mistress's surprise, Jinse quickly explained, "Your Highness, that's exactly how it is. All the girls in the Su family who have reached marriageable age have found their ideal husbands and happily started their own families. As for the Lady of Ding'an's family, all the unmarried women of marriageable age are already engaged and are just waiting for the auspicious day to don their wedding gowns and become wives. So, there really isn't a suitable woman to be found right now."
In truth, Su Nuannuan didn't want these girls from her relatives' families to enter the palace at all. After all, they were all related by blood, and if they accidentally offended her one day, she would be in a dilemma and wouldn't be able to deal with them harshly.
Moreover, the Su family has always had an ancestral rule that women of the Su family must not enter the palace as concubines. But look at her now, she was still forcibly summoned into the palace by the current emperor to accompany him. Besides, there was another Consort Su in the palace before. Although she had separated from their branch of the family, she was still family after all.
The Su and Gu families had long anticipated that the Emperor would eventually hold a selection of concubines, so the two families got together and decided that once their daughters reached marriageable age, they would immediately arrange their marriages. Whether they were legitimate daughters or illegitimate daughters, those who could marry early would marry early, and those who couldn't marry early would have an engagement letter, so they weren't afraid of the selection process.
In short, don't go into the palace and cause trouble for the empress; being a member of the imperial family isn't so easy.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the girl from the Su family who got married last month?" Jinse asked Su Nuannuan softly with a smile.
Su Nuannuan nodded slightly and replied with a smile, "How could I not remember? Every time a daughter of the Su family marries out, I will specially bestow an item upon her, just to give her more confidence in her husband's family."
Jinse continued, "This time, the Su family's last unmarried daughter is getting married. In the future, if any more daughters of the Su family are to get married, it will probably be five years from now."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's eyes widened, revealing an incredulous expression. She exclaimed, "Isn't this marriage happening way too fast?"
Jinse quickly explained, "According to Madam, Second Grandfather was afraid that someone in the clan might have some wicked thoughts that would bring about the destruction of the clan. Therefore, while the aftermath of the execution of Consort Su's lineage was still lingering, he hurriedly arranged marriages for the eligible girls in the clan. However, although these sons-in-law are not from extremely wealthy families, they are all well-off and have accumulated good fortune. Their character has also been carefully examined."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan patted her chest with relief and said after a long sigh, "That's good. I was really worried that they would ruin their happiness by rushing into marriage."
After a brief pause, she turned to Jinse and instructed, "Tomorrow, go to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and send a letter inviting my mother and Second Mistress to come to the palace for a visit."
Since the Su family is so considerate of me, I naturally cannot remain silent! However, Second Madam has not yet been granted the title of Imperial Noble Lady, so even if I issue an edict summoning her to the palace, there would likely be many inconveniences.”
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Tomorrow morning, I will personally go to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence to deliver the invitation, requesting that Madam bring Second Mistress to the palace for a chat." Jinse bowed respectfully and replied softly.