In Shengjing, Tao Mingran was in charge of the harem as the queen. Concubine Zhao was the most favored and pregnant. Concubine Xi and Concubine Su had extraordinary family backgrounds, and the harem structure was initially formed.
The only thing that gave the new emperor a headache was her mother-in-law, Concubine Lu. According to the agreement, Concubine Lu was not allowed to go further during her lifetime.
The other concubines of the former emperor were at least given the title of dowager. As the biological mother of the new emperor, she was supposed to be the empress dowager, but in the end she could only be a noble concubine.
Tao Mingran bit the bullet and asked the emperor with some embarrassment, "According to the rules, on the first and fifteenth day of every month, you have to lead the concubines to greet the Queen Mother."
Queen Mother Xie has already gone to the palace, so don't worry about it. The trouble is with Concubine Lu.
According to her rank, she is not the Queen Mother and does not need to go, but she is the biological mother of the emperor and has the Lu family behind her.
Tao Mingran was not sure what the emperor was thinking, and he was afraid that he would be dissatisfied if he was too slighted, so he asked boldly.
Lu Jia also had a headache when he mentioned Lu Guifei, because without the title of Queen Mother, Lu Guifei had already cried, made trouble, and hung herself to him.
The love and patience between mother and child were worn away. The emperor said, "There is no need to go and greet her unless there is something special."
The emperor expressed his stance, and Tao Mingran knew what to do.
Unfortunately, Concubine Lu was restless, and soon there was news that she was bedridden.
Tao Mingran personally brought a lot of gifts to visit him and asked the imperial doctor to inquire carefully.
The queen said gently, "Concubine, please take good care of your health. If you have anything you want to eat, just tell me."
The Queen had good intentions, but this sound hurt Concubine Lu's heart when she heard it, and her already pale face became even weaker.
Concubine Lu leaned on the bed and coughed, "I'm very bored when I'm sick. Please send someone to stay with me."
This means that she is asked to send someone to attend to the illness, which is what she should do if she is the Queen Mother.
The problem is that she is not, and things get tricky.
The Queen forced a smile and said, "I'll go ask Your Majesty what you mean."
Concubine Lu was immediately dissatisfied, "Why am I not worthy? I have to go out of my way to ask the emperor what he wants."
Of course, the Queen did not dare to say directly that you were not worthy according to your position, so she had to step down first, "Concubine, have a good rest, I will step down first."
As soon as the queen walked out, she heard the sound of the bowl falling to the ground, and she left without looking back.
He went directly to see the emperor and asked him the question. The emperor asked, "Who does the queen think is more appropriate to send?"
The queen smiled softly, "I think it's okay, I think."
Saying it means not saying it.
The emperor thought for a moment and thought that Zhou Yao was definitely not allowed to go now that she was pregnant. After all, Concubine Xi was not suitable for a princess of the same country. A low-ranking concubine would definitely get angry again with Concubine Lu's current temper.
The most suitable person is Su Jingyi. Her status is neither high nor low, and her family background is not bad.
"Let Concubine Su go." The emperor finally said.
The queen was not surprised at all and immediately sent someone to deliver the message.
Su Jingyi was confused when she received the message, "Should everyone go, or just me?"
The person who conveyed the message was the eunuch beside the queen. He said respectfully, "There is only the empress at the moment."
Su Jingyi immediately became unhappy, "Why?"
In the past, when Mrs. Hou was ill in the Su family, she had seen how concubines and concubines looked after the illness. It was hard and tiring, and they were easily tormented.
Concubine Lu has never been an easy person to get along with, and I don't know how she will be tortured if she serves as a doctor.
Good things and favors don't come to her, so why should this kind of thing attract her alone?
The eunuch was also smart and immediately whispered, "This is your Majesty's personal order."
This is to prevent Su Jingyi from having a grudge against the Empress and at the same time tell her to go if she doesn’t want to go.
As expected, Su Jingyi had nothing to say. When the eunuch left, she slapped the table hard, "Why are you treating me like this? I can't bear to do it..."
The eldest maid next to her advised, "Your Majesty has a long way to go, and what's more, Concubine Lu is your Majesty's biological mother anyway. If your Majesty speaks, you'd better go."
This is to persuade her to endure.
After Su Jingyi suffered so much, she still made progress. She listened to other people's words and no longer acted arbitrarily.
She said with a decadent look, "Yes, I can't make His Majesty unhappy anymore."
It would be difficult to move forward without the emperor's favor in the harem.
In the end, Su Jingyi went. The once proud daughter of the Hou family became a lowly person in front of Concubine Lu.
Lu Gui had been depressed recently, and his mood was even worse due to his illness. He was picky about Su Jingyi, and Su Jingyi lost a lot of weight in the past few days, and her hand was burned.
The emperor rewarded her with a bunch of gifts to show her hard work.
Su Jingyi looked at the table full of gifts and smiled bitterly, how did she get to this point?
She suddenly felt sad. Will she really have a future? Will everything really get better in the future?
"Your Majesty, it's time for us to go and attend to the illness." The palace maid reminded her.
Su Jingyi looked haggard and went to the Chaohua Palace where Concubine Lu lived. As soon as she entered, Concubine Lu took one look at her and started to criticize her, "You have such a droopy face. It makes people unhappy."
Su Jingyi lowered her head and said nothing.
She has gained experience in the past few days. If she dares to answer the question, Concubine Lu will only get worse.
Sure enough, Concubine Lu saw that she was acting like a normal person with her lowered eyebrows, so she felt bored for a moment and stopped talking.
Sometimes she wants water, and sometimes she wants food. Anyway, she does whatever she wants with Su Jingyi.
Maybe it was because she was unhappy, so seeing others in pain made her feel better.
Su Jingyi complied with all the instructions. Concubine Lu found it boring to pick and choose, so she took the tea from her and said, "If I remember correctly, you ruined your reputation and wanted to marry in. Do you regret it now?"
Su Jingyi was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but said, "What about the empress?"
After fighting for a lifetime, it ended up like this.
Concubine Lu suddenly laughed wildly, "At least I have been the doting harem for more than 20 years, and I have received the best."
Su Jingyi looked at Concubine Lu who was looking crazy and didn't dare to say more to irritate her.
It was getting dark soon, and Su Jingyi was already very tired. The palace maid came in carrying the night medicine.
First, she put the medicine on the table to dry, and when it was warm, Su Jingyi picked it up and walked to the bed, "Concubine, it's time to take the medicine."
Concubine Lu frowned. The dark medicine was extremely bitter and made her feel uncomfortable every time she drank it.
After this period of time, Su Jingyi has mastered the skill of feeding medicine. She asked the spoon to pick up a small spoonful and fed it to Concubine Lu's mouth.
Concubine Lu had a grimace on her face and swallowed it in mouthfuls. When she finished drinking, she immediately put a candy in her mouth.
Su Jingyi retreated to the side and waited quietly. She would also wait for the imperial concubine to have a meal later.
Concubine Lu looked up and saw her standing there with a numb face, and suddenly felt bored.
But she is a poor person who was buried in the palace, so what's the use of torturing her.
Concubine Lu said calmly, "You don't need to come starting tomorrow."
"Ahem..."
Concubine Lu coughed up a mouthful of blood, and blood continued to flow from her nose and mouth. The scene was horrifying and frightening.
"The royal concubine!"
Su Jingyi screamed and was so frightened that she lost her mind.
