Chapter 381

Chapter 381 As Noble Consort, Xie Run stood closest to the Empress's position and was the greatest rival to everyone else. There was no avoiding it. But neither could she take the initiative to strike. The longer she spent with the Emperor, the less Xie Run dared to harbor any thought of harming others. The Emperor kept a ledger in his heart, clearly remembering every deed each person had done. On the surface, all seemed calm, but favor and disfavor were merely a thought away in the Emperor's mind. Xie Run had struggled hard to reach this position; she did not want to gamble. After all, as long as she made no mistakes, even if the Emperor grew cold toward her and stopped favoring her, he would not move against her. For now, she could only hope that this White Moonlight would, as in the original script, merely wish to live out her days peacefully in the harem without harboring any improper ambitions. "Noble Consort Zhao, I notice you've been staring at the candidates below. Have you spotted someone you fancy?" Xie Run's hand, waving her fan, paused for a moment. "...This concubine was simply dazzled by the beauties below. So many lovely ladies standing together, like all the flowers in the imperial garden blooming at once in spring—so exceptionally beautiful that I found myself gazing longer than I intended." The Emperor was selecting consorts, yet he asked if she had taken a liking to anyone. What a question—as if he were choosing consorts for her. The Empress smiled faintly. "Ben Gong also finds these beauties quite pleasing to the eye. Why doesn't Your Majesty select a few more and bring them back to the harem to enjoy properly?" With that, the Empress turned a smiling face toward the Emperor. Having been ill for so long while still managing numerous affairs, her qi deficiency showed on her face. On such a solemn day, she had applied a thick layer of powder, so her complexion did not appear poor at first glance, but her voice was somewhat weak. The Emperor smiled, toying with the bone prayer beads on his wrist, and said nothing. Row after row of Selection Candidates stepped forward. Consort Jingshu covered her mouth and let out a light laugh. "The third candidate from the left has lovely skin. Standing under the blazing sun, she outshines all the others." Everyone followed her gaze and realized she was pointing at Bai Fu. The Emperor looked up, and just then the eunuch announced Bai Fu's name. Third daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness—Bai Fu. Consort Ling had passed away long ago, and the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness's household had long since declined, with few members holding official positions. When the eunuch's announcement came, no one truly paid Bai Fu any mind. Only the Emperor furrowed his brow slightly, as if pondering why the name sounded somewhat familiar. After a full row of candidates had been announced, the Emperor finally pointed. "Since you all praise her so highly, let her stay." Everyone looked and realized he was pointing at Bai Fu. No one present was the jealous type. Seeing the Emperor select a beauty, they merely weighed her family background in their minds, found it posed no threat, and set the matter aside without a second thought. Xie Run sat for a while longer before excusing herself on the grounds of feeling unwell and leaving early. No sooner had she returned to Zhaohua Palace than she saw a large table of dishes delivered from the imperial kitchen. The eunuch leading the group bowed respectfully. "This servant greets Noble Consort Zhao." "His Majesty worried that Your Ladyship might not have much appetite, so he specially bestowed these dishes upon you. He also instructed that you rest well and not overexert yourself." Xie Run was somewhat surprised and smiled. "I've troubled you to make this trip, Eunuch." "In this scorching heat..." Xie Run paused. "Xiaoshu, hurry and take the eunuch down for some tea." After sending them off, Xie Run looked at the dishes on the table with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Was the Emperor genuinely worried about her, or was he afraid she might be upset and jealous, so he specially bestowed a table of dishes to soothe her? Xie Run pondered it for only a moment before letting it go. She had never been one to overthink, nor one to seek out troubles for herself. If the Emperor bestowed a gift, she would simply accept it—it would never be to her loss. By the time Xie Run rose from her afternoon nap, the imperial beauty selection had already concluded. Xie Run asked curiously, "So soon? I recall there were quite a number of candidates. I thought the selection would continue into the afternoon." "The Emperor didn't wish to continue. He selected a dozen or so candidates to be betrothed to members of the imperial clan, then brought the proceedings to an end." "Seven candidates were chosen in total. Her Majesty the Empress has already arranged for them to be housed in Chuxiu Palace to learn the rules." Xie Run raised an eyebrow. "Only seven candidates were chosen?" That was considerably fewer than in the original script. Dantao hesitated. She actually thought seven was quite a lot. The selection wasn't a one-time affair—if seven entered each year, in ten years the harem would gain over seventy new women. When that time came, they'd all be vying for favor. How disadvantageous would that be for her mistress? Xie Run was unaware of the maid's thoughts and simply asked, "Who were they?" "Among this batch, the most outstanding was County Mistress Mingzhao, granddaughter of Grand Princess Changming. Her appearance is resplendent, her bearing refined and dignified—truly exceptional. His Majesty bestowed upon her the title 'Ming' and granted her the rank of Lady of Beauty." "Next was Kong Wanwan, daughter of the magistrate of Jiang'an County. Her features are delicate and lovely, and His Majesty granted her the rank of Cairen." "Then there was Bai Fu, third daughter of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness—fair of face, gentle and elegant. Fang Zijun, daughter of a Grand Secretariat Reader—learned and refined, cool and aloof. And Xue Shuang, daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief—vivacious and lively, charming and bright." "However, His Majesty only granted these three the rank of Baolin, without bestowing any titles." "There were two others whose family backgrounds and appearances were unremarkable—one was the daughter of a juren, surnamed Miao; the other was the granddaughter of a former deputy director of the Imperial Medical Institute, surnamed An." "Both were granted the rank of Lady-in-waiting." Xie Run took a sip of tea. "Seven people—one Lady of Beauty Ming, one Cairen Kong, three Baolins, and two Ladies-in-waiting." The Emperor truly was the same as in her past life—unwilling to grant high ranks. The highest was merely a sixth-rank Lady of Beauty. These women would have to climb slowly if they wished to rise, and she could only hope none of them would stir up trouble. Xiaoshu carried over a freshly cut fruit platter and stepped forward: "Your Ladyship, I've already instructed the people at Chuxiu Palace to keep an eye on them. If any of them step out of line, they won't be let off easily." Xie Run smiled. "This is the Emperor's first imperial beauty selection. I imagine they're all decent sorts." As for those who might cause trouble... Xie Run couldn't help but click her tongue. If she remembered correctly, the most eye-catching one in this selection—Lady of Beauty Ming—was a textbook target. In the original script, she had provoked Fang Yuan'er the moment she entered the palace, only to be crushed by Fang Yuan'er, which in turn intimidated the entire Six Palaces. In this life, with no Fang Yuan'er around, she wondered whether Lady of Beauty Ming would change her temperament. She doubted it. Xie Run asked another question: "That Noble Lady Bai—what is her temperament like?" "Reporting to Your Ladyship, she seems decent enough. But since they've only just entered the palace, everyone is still on their guard and acting quite cautiously. It's hard to tell for now." "That's true." Xie Run raised a hand to touch her barely visible belly. "We'll wait until they've served the Emperor first." Back when Xie Run had first discovered she was pregnant, the Emperor had seized the opportunity to transfer Xie Jing back to the capital, arranging for him to gain experience in the Ministry of Personnel. Xie Run had vaguely heard some rumors, but she had never asked the Emperor about it. In front of the Emperor, she never touched upon matters of state. Yet she could vaguely guess that the Emperor intended to elevate Xie Jing. As long as Xie Jing proved himself capable, he would surely rise step by step in the future, and she would have someone to rely on as well. The selection candidates studied etiquette at Chuxiu Palace for a full month before being assigned to their respective palaces. When Xie Run received the booklet listing the palace assignments, she nearly laughed out loud. Whether it was because the Emperor still remembered her words, or because the Empress shared a kindred spirit with her, seven candidates had been assigned as follows: four to Fanghua Palace, and the remaining three—one to Yongning Palace and two to Chonghua Palace. After Consort Li's death, Chonghua Palace had never had a new mistress. Lady-in-waiting Ye, who had originally lived there, had been sent to the Cold Palace, and Beauty Wu had moved to Fanghua Palace. At present, the most vacant palace in the entire harem was Chonghua Palace. ... PS: The synopsis has been changed. No more "substitute for the deceased" plot—it now goes straight into the White Moonlight rebirth storyline, with Bai Fu as the protagonist. This is the last female lead with a script. Once this is done, the story should be wrapping up soon.