Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 150 Liu, you don't want your child to be bullied in the Shaofu either, do you?

Imperial Palace, Yeting

"掖" means to tuck one's arm in.

The Yeting was located next to the Yeting Gate, hence the name Yeting. All the imperial concubines and palace maids below the rank of Jieyu lived in the Yeting.

The ranking system of imperial concubines in the Later Han Dynasty was streamlined during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. Below the Empress were Noble Lady, Beauty, Palace Attendant, and Lady-in-Waiting.

The Empress wore a jade seal with a golden dragon and tiger knob, the inscription of which was the same as that of the Emperor.

The Nobleman, with ten positions, wears a gold seal and purple ribbon, holding a rank equivalent to the Prime Minister and a title comparable to a prince, with a stipend of several tens of bushels; the Beauty, Palace Lady, and Concubine are of three ranks, with no limit on the number of positions, no official rank, and are only given as annual rewards.

However, during the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan, the ranks of Zhaoyi and Jieyu were restored. Therefore, the new ranks of imperial concubines were Empress, Noble Lady, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, Beauty, Palace Lady and Cainü.

However, even though beauties, palace maids, and concubines all resided in the inner palace, their living arrangements were naturally different from those of ordinary palace maids, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were subject to regulations.

When news broke that Empress He would be personally visiting the Yeting Palace, the entire palace was instantly thrown into panic.

Who made Empress He's name stained with blood in the harem?

Who knows what Empress He came to the inner palace for? Could it be that some vixen has seduced the emperor again? Is Empress He here to kill that vixen?

Or perhaps Empress He recalled a past grudge with a concubine in the inner palace and decided to kill a few people for fun.
Even when the emperor was in power, and Empress He was the empress and the head of the harem, there were still people who dared to compete with her for favor.

What's wrong with the empress? It's not like the current emperor hasn't killed an empress before. Didn't you, Lady He, also kill the previous empress to take the throne for the emperor?
However, after the Crown Prince, who was born to Empress He, took power, no one in the harem dared to challenge Empress He's authority.

After all, the emperor can change his empress, but can the crown prince change his mother?

Even after Liu Hong was imprisoned in the Northern Palace, the emperor often wanted to favor his concubines, but they were afraid that Empress He's jealousy would burn them to ashes. Some of them would rather disfigure themselves than serve the emperor, just to avoid Empress He's hatred.

However, when the Empress's four-horse carriage with a blue feather canopy slightly turned its direction and headed towards that narrow alley, the beauties and palace maids living in the Yeting Palace couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

The Yeting area was vast, and it not only housed the residences of beauties, palace maids, concubines, and ordinary palace women, but also had a special prison called Yongxiang, which was used to imprison concubines who were being punished in the palace and to detain official maids.

Yongxiang, as the name suggests, is a narrow alley within the palace. It contains workshops for tasks such as rice pounding and cloth weaving, among which the most laborious and harshest workshops are called the "Baoshi" (暴室).

The place where the dyed cloth was dried was named "Baoshi" because the dyed cloth had to be placed under the scorching sun.

Because working in the exposure chamber required prolonged exposure to the scorching sun along with the cloth, it was the most unpopular of the labor-related workplaces.

For the palace maids, it was barely tolerable, but for the concubines who had committed crimes, they were absolutely unwilling to work in such places.

Once your skin is tanned dark and dry, how can you ever have a chance to regain the emperor's favor?
Empress He, dressed in a vermilion phoenix robe, stepped down from her carriage surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids. Looking at the dark green moss creeping up the steps, the rouge faded to brownish-red along the roadside, and the lead powder mixed in the cracks of the brick walls over the years, she couldn't help but feel a slight sense of emotion.

Looking back on the time she challenged Empress Song, she was prepared to be banished to the Yongxiang Palace after her defeat. If she had lost to Empress Song back then, she might be one of the many palace maids in the Yongxiang Palace now.

However, the strange smell emanating from Yongxiang made Empress He hesitate. She followed the Yongxiang official to the Yongxiang government office to rest temporarily, and asked the Yongxiang official to summon the pretty maids in Yongxiang, specifying that they had to be maids aged eighteen to twenty-five who had been married before.

The Yongxiang Ling was Zhang Rang's adopted son, Zhang Xun. Although young, he was a meticulous person.

After hearing the several requests made by Empress He, how could one not understand what Empress He was asking for?

Hey, the prince is old enough to eat meat.

However, the proper conduct of sexual relations also requires instruction and guidance to ensure the succession of the crown prince's lineage; a simple erotic painting alone is of little use.

Zhang Xun immediately stopped all the servants' labor and ordered people to bring cosmetics and powder, and sent servants older than twenty-five to groom the servants aged eighteen to twenty-five.

It wasn't that Zhang Xun was particularly kind, but rather that Empress He was determined to select someone from the Yongxiang Palace to teach the Crown Prince the proper etiquette for sexual relations.

The Crown Prince's first woman, no matter how lowly her birth, holds extraordinary significance for him. Who knows, she might even rise to the rank of Consort or even higher in the future?
Since that's the case, why not do them a favor? They might remember it in the future, and even if they don't, it's better than harboring resentment. Before long, forty maids carefully selected by Zhang Xun, each with their own unique makeup, slowly entered the Yongxiang government office.

Among these palace maids, some were heavily made up, exuding charm and with spring-like eyes; others were elegant and simple, with a unique charm and dignified demeanor.

After all, these official maids were all female relatives of disgraced officials, and they had all been married. How could anyone who could become the wives and concubines of disgraced officials be ugly?
They were all charming, gentle, or alluring, each with their own unique qualities, and all were quite beautiful. They all wanted to seize the opportunity to leave the Yongxiang Palace, this place of toil.

Empress He slowly rose and walked gracefully to the beautiful maids.

The palace maids behind her carefully lifted the crimson skirt with gold trim at Empress He's feet. Perhaps because she hadn't seen so many beautiful women at the same time in a long time, Empress He unconsciously felt a bit competitive, or perhaps she wanted to show off, even though it was completely meaningless.

Empress He slightly raised her chin, took light steps, and passed in front of the two rows of maids. Sometimes she frowned slightly and made a "tsk" sound of disdain, and sometimes she nodded slightly. The pearls and jade in her hair swayed gently with her movements, making a clear and melodious sound.

When Empress He reached the last row of ten maids, she suddenly stopped. She raised her phoenix eyes slightly, and her sharp gaze fell on a maid with disheveled hair, a hint of anger rising in her eyes.

Empress He's stern gaze fell upon Zhang Xun, the magistrate of Yongxiang Palace, and she angrily questioned, "What's going on here?"

Zhang Xun's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Looking at the maid, he cursed her inwardly.

What else could this be!

He clearly made sure all the maids had put on exquisite makeup before leading them into the Yongxiang government office. What could possibly happen if a maid with disheveled hair and a face covered in grayish-brown dust suddenly appeared?

"This servant truly does not know the reason, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Xun offered no explanation, but simply prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling as he begged the Empress for forgiveness.

Empress He recognized him; she knew he was Zhang Rang's favored adopted son and that he was always prudent in his actions.

Empress He already had some guesses about this matter.

Empress He took a step forward, gently lifting the maid's hair with her left hand. The movement seemed gentle, but it carried an irresistible force. With her right hand, she took the damp handkerchief handed to her by a palace maid and gently wiped the maid's face, removing all the dust.

Beneath the filthy dust, even without makeup, a delicate and pitiful face was clearly visible.

Empress He was slightly taken aback, a look of amazement flashing in her eyes, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "She is indeed a beautiful woman."

To be fair, if Empress He had seen a woman of such beauty a year ago, she wouldn't have minded helping this maidservant out of her predicament and praying for her to be reborn into a better life.

But eliminating rivals and finding a beautiful woman to teach your son about the proper conduct of lovers are two different things.

As long as her beloved son remained filial, she wished she could find all the beauties in the world for Liu Bian, and even wished she could fill the entire Southern Palace with beauties.

While Empress He was sighing, Zhang Xun, who was standing nearby, was not idle either. He learned the woman's identity from the other maids and servants. After a slight hesitation, he bowed slightly to the Empress and whispered, "Your Majesty, this woman is Liu, the second wife of Yuan Shao, the Imperial Censor who was killed by Dian Zhongdun."

“He had a son named Yuan Shang, who was six years old. He was currently pounding rice in the Imperial Household Department, which was quite hard work, and he was often beaten by the minor officials.”

Zhang Xun, despite his young age, was valued by Zhang Rang and became his adopted son, which naturally indicates that he possessed special talents.

Being adept at reading people, he naturally understood that Empress He was preparing to choose this Lady Liu.

Empress He might not have been pleased with someone who wore heavy makeup, but this disheveled woman covered in dust made her less wary, and she didn't need to worry that the woman was too flattering and would disturb the Crown Prince's mind.

Empress He understood, pursed her lips, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her face. She leaned close to Liu's ear, and the warm breath she exhaled from her nose made Liu feel ticklish, yet she dared not move.

Empress He's next words caused Liu's delicate body to tremble slightly, making her even more afraid to make the slightest movement.

Empress He spoke softly and smiled as she said to Lady Liu, "Lady Liu, you wouldn't want your child to be bullied in the Imperial Household Department, would you?"

(2860 words)
(End of this chapter)