odessanovel Chapter 302 Arrangement of the Imperial Palace
Chapter 302 Arrangement of the Imperial Palace
Chapter 302 Settlement of the Imperial Palace
Originally, Changchun Garden was just one royal forbidden garden, Shanglin Garden. Through continuous expansion and improvement over two dynasties, it has become the grand summer palace it is today. There are also two royal hunting grounds nearby, where spring and autumn hunts were held in previous years.
At the beginning of the Si hour, the imperial carriage arrived at the temporary palace.
As soon as Hua Yan stepped off the palanquin, waiting palace attendants led her to Yingzhou Hall. Yingzhou Hall was the palace where the emperor lived and conducted state affairs. Built around the water, it was a rare and cool paradise.
Not far from Yichun Palace, where Empress Dowager Zhou resided, the concubines, including Hua Yan, gathered outside the gate of Yingzhou Hall to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Zhou, along with the Emperor and Empress. Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Jiang, exhausted from her journey, had already settled in Huaqing Palace.
Along the way, pavilions and towers are scattered in a well-organized manner, with green tiles and red eaves reflecting the sunlight, showing the grandeur of the imperial palace.
But what truly captivated Consort Chun and Hua Yan was the garden scenery within the imperial palace. Unlike the delicate beauty of Jiangnan, the palace was filled with ancient trees reaching for the sky, with the Lantai and Guidian pavilions hidden among the pines and bamboos, creating a spacious and open atmosphere—a perfect place to escape the summer heat.
Just over three months after parting with Empress Dowager Zhou, the Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhou once again displayed a heartwarming scene of maternal love and filial piety.
Afterwards, Empress Dowager Zhou's gaze swept over the five concubines who came to pay their respects, and finally landed on Qu Qingge.
This newly appointed concubine was the only one she had never met.
"Come closer, let me see you," Empress Dowager Zhou said with a smile.
Qu Qingge stepped forward and bowed according to the rules, her movements elegant and proper.
"Not bad, a very considerate person," Empress Dowager Zhou praised, then gestured to Rongxiu behind her and bestowed upon her a white jade openwork twisted bracelet.
Qu Qingge was slightly surprised when she saw the reward. She quickly curtsied and thanked the Empress Dowager for the gift.
The Empress and Consort Mei frowned slightly. It was customary for the Empress Dowager to bestow gifts upon newly promoted concubines, but this gift was far too extravagant. When Consort Mei first entered the palace, the Empress Dowager's gift to her was merely ordinary.
"Your Majesty must be tired from your journey. Please return to Yingzhou Hall to rest now," Empress Dowager Zhou said gently.
The Emperor did not linger. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Empress Dowager, he prepared to leave with everyone.
Consort Chun felt a little empty inside when she saw that Empress Dowager Zhou had only glanced at her and hadn't said a word. Hua Yan noticed this and gently tugged at her sleeve.
Just then, Empress Dowager Zhou's voice came from behind: "Has the little cook from Consort Chun's palace come along? The milk tea that chubby girl makes is excellent; I was just about to ask for a few cups."
Rongxiu couldn't help but chuckle. The Empress Dowager must have noticed that Consort Chun was jealous, which is why she couldn't help but speak up.
Consort Chun's face lit up with joy, and she immediately turned around and curtsied, saying happily, "Your Majesty, I will bring it to you shortly."
The Emperor was almost across the threshold when he suddenly heard Consort Chun's cheerful voice and was taken aback. He suddenly realized that he had not seen Consort Chun show such a temperament in a long time.
He tried to recall when the person beside him had quietly changed, but couldn't remember for a moment.
If Hua Yan could sense the Emperor's emotions, she would surely advise Consort Chun that even if she was unhappy, she should not let anything slip!
Both the Empress and Consort Mei knew that Empress Dowager Zhou had always been quite kind to Consort Chun, but this was Qu Qingge's first time meeting Empress Dowager Zhou. She was still immersed in the joy of receiving the Empress Dowager's reward when she looked up and saw Empress Dowager Zhou's loving gaze towards Consort Chun. Suddenly, she realized that such a precious reward was nothing...
After leaving Yichun Palace, the concubines respectfully saw the Emperor off, and then went to their respective palaces to settle in.
The palaces where they lived in the imperial palace were arranged by the Empress herself. As a result, Hua Yan and Consort Chun were assigned to two different places, which were quite far apart.
Consort Chun resided in Xiefang Garden, while Huayan was moved to Bilang Pavilion.
Although Bilangxuan is only a single courtyard and not very large, it is advantageous because it is closest to Yingzhou Hall.
Inside the courtyard is a bamboo pavilion called Langgan Pavilion, which contains an ice chest to cool off in the summer. The bamboo grove is serene and quiet, making it a famous gathering place for elegant gatherings within the palace.
Hua Yan originally intended to accompany Consort Chun to Xie Fang Garden to settle down first, but Consort Chun stopped her, saying, "There's no rush. Shu'er, go and settle down first. Later, when Dong Gua makes some refreshing drinks, I'll bring them over to talk to you."
How could Hua Yan possibly be at ease? Since they were ten years old, the two had never been apart. Whether in Yunyi Courtyard or Huining Palace, they could meet in less than a quarter of an hour. Now, it would take an incense stick's time to walk from Bilang Pavilion to Xiefang Garden, where Consort Chun resided.
Aunt Mei noticed Hua Yan's worry and advised, "Your Highness, it will put your mind at ease to let the beauty go and see. Later, I will take Rui Zhu to accompany the beauty back to Bilang Pavilion. Otherwise, I will not feel at ease if it is just Lv Liu and Xia'er."
Hua Yan linked arms with Consort Chun and said with a smile, "It's still early. I've heard that the Xiefang Garden is full of exotic flowers and rare herbs, and I'd like to go and take a look."
Consort Mei scoffed and said to the Empress, "It seems that Consort Chun and Consort Meng have some complaints about Your Majesty's arrangements. Your Majesty is truly clueless about romance. Knowing that Consort Chun and Consort Meng are like sisters all day long, you still insist on being the villain and breaking up this pair of 'lovers'."
Hearing the voices from afar, Qu Qingge slowed her pace further. Ruixue, standing beside her, blinked her round eyes and quickly pricked up her ears.
Consort Chun coldly said, "Consort Mei is a loner and may never have experienced sisterly affection."
"What do you mean by that?" Consort Mei asked angrily, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness.
Hua Yan shook her head and said calmly, "Your Majesty is mistaken. It is widely known in the capital that the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qing's mansion sought out famous doctors in her early years to take good care of Consort Mei. Consort Mei must be able to empathize with her."
Upon hearing this, Consort Mei's expression froze.
When Granny Yu suddenly heard Hua Yan mention the eldest young lady, her eyes dimmed. She was about to comfort her mistress when she noticed that the young lady's body stiffened slightly as her fingers touched Consort Mei's arm.
(As mentioned earlier: Granny Yu served the eldest young lady Qing Zhitong from childhood, later entered the Prince's Mansion, and finally followed Qing Zhifei into the palace.)
Hua Yan noticed the unusual behavior of Consort Mei and her servant, and a hint of suspicion appeared on her face.
As if waiting for Consort Mei to expose her, the Empress said, "Consort Mei, you may not know this, but Bilang Pavilion was a gathering place for literary officials in the previous dynasty, which is most suitable for Consort Meng. Moreover, since the Emperor favors Consort Meng, it is natural to arrange her in a place closest to the Emperor."
Hua Yan smiled slightly and commented with great interest: "The Empress's arrangement is certainly not inappropriate. Being close to the Emperor is secondary. Just the fact that Qingwu Pavilion was assigned to Consort Mei is enough to show that the Empress understands the Emperor's wishes well."
The Qingwu Pavilion is planted with a grove of phoenix trees. Previously, the Emperor ordered the Ministry of Works to transplant two phoenix trees from the Qingwu Pavilion to the Duke of Qing's mansion as a sign of imperial favor.
The Empress's expression darkened slightly. Regardless of whether she and Consort Mei had ever joined forces, she could not tolerate this old matter alone. Upon hearing Hua Yan's words, Consort Mei recalled the grand occasion of her return to the capital, and a gentle smile crossed her face.
Hua Yan saw Consort Mei's dreamy expression: "..."
Qu Qingge pondered carefully, thinking to herself that Consort Meng's words were quite clever. But Consort Mei... could her favor with the Emperor be solely due to her past acquaintance with him?
The Empress stared at Consort Mei for a moment, then said calmly, "Disperse, everyone. Go and make your own arrangements."