Children of Loulan

Chapter 183 and Mrs.

After a moment's thought, the king chuckled and said, "I remember now. It is true. The jade ruyi was given by the Tang Emperor, so the Queen Mother was so angry. But, since you have already fulfilled the three-year mourning period for her mother, you should stay in the Summer Palace!"

Upon hearing this, Xilin was overjoyed. Her eyes were filled with joy and she kept saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty!" As she thanked him, there were tears in her eyes, as if she had finally found her home.

Upon seeing this, Concubine Xian immediately stepped forward, gently took Xilin's hand, and said softly, "Don't thank me, we are all family."

As she spoke, she led Xilin to sit beside the king, and then personally poured a glass of wine for each of them. She slowly returned to her seat, picked up the wine glass, and said with a smile: "Then we must celebrate today. I wish the king and cousin can meet again today!"

The king and Xilin looked at each other, and Xilin blushed immediately. Then, they all raised their glasses. At this time, Concubine Xian also raised her glass, and the three of them toasted together and drank it all. For a moment, the room was filled with laughter and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

The next morning, the sun shone in every corner of the harem, bringing a hint of brightness to the entire palace. However, at this quiet moment, an imperial edict suddenly descended upon the harem. This imperial edict was like a sudden storm, quickly causing countless waves in the harem.

The imperial edict announced that Xi Meiren was named "Lady He". This news was like a huge stone thrown into a lake, stirring up a thousand waves. When many people heard this name, they couldn't help but frown and asked in confusion: "Xi Meiren? Who is Xi Meiren? Why can't I remember such a person?" It was as if Xi Meiren had never appeared in their memory.

The same thing happened to Hanguli a few days ago, and the concubines had no impression of her. They all caused a stir in the harem, and before that, they seemed to have been drowned by time and gradually faded out of everyone's sight. However, it was these two forgotten people who were now being asked to leave the "cold palace" one after another by the imperial decree.

Hanguli experienced a second marriage and finally married the king's son; and Xilin became the first person in their group to obtain the honorific title of lady. This series of events was shocking.

When the queen learned about this, she did not get furious as usual. Instead, she remained calm. She sneered: "Hmph, he let his own son marry his own woman, and now he dotes on the woman who had an affair with his other son." She gently picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and then said: "Our king's taste is getting heavier and heavier." This sentence is full of irony, and it also reveals the queen's deep-seated dissatisfaction and helplessness.

After being named Lady, Xilin did not move out of her original palace like other concubines to enjoy a more noble treatment. Instead, she chose to stay in the Summer Palace as if this was her real home. She still maintained her well-behaved and obedient image, always putting Concubine Xian first and completely following Concubine Xian's arrangements. This humility and low-keyness, coupled with Concubine Xian's help, quickly won the king's favor. In just a few days, she became the most favored woman around the king.

At the same time, Concubine Ru was leisurely trimming branches in the palace, enjoying the quiet time. Suddenly, Wu Mei came over, sent away the accompanying maid, and quietly walked behind Concubine Ru, saying softly: "My queen, now Madam Nahe has become the most favored woman by the king's side, I am worried..."

However, Concubine Ru didn't seem to care about Wu Mei's worries. She stopped what she was doing, smiled and said, "Are you worried that she will become the next Concubine Xian? She has been favored for decades and still has great favor, and can dominate the harem?"

Wu Mei replied anxiously: "Yes, my lady. The king's favor towards her now exceeds that of the virtuous concubine. If we let her continue to develop, I'm afraid..."

Concubine Ru shook her head slightly and interrupted Wu Mei: "Wu Mei, you have to understand that there is no eternal favor in the harem. Even if she is favored now, it doesn't matter as long as we still have Lady Lan in our hands."

After saying that, Concubine Ru picked up the scissors again and focused on trimming the branches, as if everything was under her control.

Wu Mei looked at Concubine Ru who was so calm, and was full of doubts in his heart: "But the king has never shown that he likes Lady Lan very much in the past few years, nor has he favored her very much. He even only sleeps with her once a month!"

After trimming the branches, Concubine Ru handed the scissors to Wu Mei and said with a smile, "You are still too young to understand the things between men and women." After that, she walked forward lightly and continued as she walked, "Our king is much smarter than the previous king. He knows how to protect the woman he loves most!"

Wu Mei followed closely behind, listening carefully to Concubine Ru's words: "The king can deceive others, but he can't deceive me. The way he looked at Lady Lan has already betrayed him!"

Wu Mei frowned and asked in confusion: "I have also seen the way the king looks at Lady Lan, and I don't think there is any difference. It's the same look he gives to the queen!"

Concubine Ru stopped and turned to look at Wumei, with a faint smile on her lips: "Silly girl, that's because the king treats every concubine in the harem like this, so no one will notice it. But I am the only one who can see that the look in his eyes when he looks at Dalan is exactly the same as the look the late king gave to Concubine Jing." She sneered, "Humph, although the king tried his best to cover it up, he couldn't fool my eyes."

When she said this, Concubine Ru's eyes were filled with disdain and hatred. She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm, but the turmoil in her heart was hard to suppress. Once upon a time, she also had a beautiful dream, looking forward to spending the rest of her life with the king. She longed to be a light in his heart, and they would write a plain love story together.

She had imagined that she and the king could be in love, walk hand in hand in the palace garden, and share each other's joys and sorrows. She hoped to be the most gentle and quiet concubine beside him, not jealous, not scheming against others just to protect herself, and accompany him through every difficulty. He was the king who dominated everything, and she was the most considerate and thoughtful person beside him, soothing his tired heart with tenderness and consideration.

When he felt tired, she was willing to play a melodious piano piece for him, letting the melody take away his sorrow; when he decided to go to the battlefield, she would pray silently, hoping that he would win the first battle. She was willing to wait for his triumphant return, prepare a sumptuous feast for him, and celebrate his victory. These beautiful visions once filled her mind and made her intoxicated.

However, reality ruthlessly shattered her fantasy. The king treated her no differently from other concubines. He gave them the same look, words, favor and trust. She originally thought that she was different and could get more attention and love from the king, but it turned out that she was just one of the many concubines, nothing more.