Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 231

Chengming Hall.

As evening approached, Yang Zhian took the opportunity of inquiring about dinner to casually ask who would be serving him that night.

"Your Majesty, this morning, the newly arrived concubines have already paid their respects to the Empress and offered tea. They are ready to serve you in bed. What do you think of tonight?"

Zhao Xingjin was still reviewing memorials when he heard this, and his vermilion pen paused.

After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Then let's summon Consort Jiang over."

Ultimately, we need to give face to the Empress Dowager.

Yang Zhian had probably guessed this would happen. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager had a close relationship, so naturally he would give the Empress Dowager face.

Soon, Consort Jiang in the Lotus Garden received the news and immediately gave the eunuch who came to deliver the message a generous reward.

The eunuch who delivered the message was naturally pleased, and knowing Jiang Cairen's identity even more, he gave her a few extra words of advice, and also gave more instructions to the nanny who came to instruct the concubine on her first time serving the emperor.

The old nanny was a veteran in the palace and knew what she was doing, so she taught him very carefully.

Jiang Cairen could feel their thoughtfulness, which made her feel much more at ease.

The first time is always a time of fear of making mistakes.

Inside Fukang Palace, the Empress Dowager felt somewhat relieved upon hearing the news.

"Your Majesty need not worry. Even if the Emperor summons Consort Guo today, he will surely summon Consort Jiang tomorrow," Tan Hui comforted her.

The Empress Dowager shook her head. “That’s different. If Consort Guo is ranked ahead, it means the Emperor doesn’t value Ningyu that much. Since I brought this child into the palace, I naturally have to protect her. Otherwise, how can I explain to her father? As you know, although her father and I are cousins, we grew up together and are very close.”

Tan Hui was a maid who accompanied the bride, so she naturally knew about those past events and nodded with a smile.

"Now Your Majesty can rest assured. The Emperor respects you and values ​​our Consort Jiang."

"Yes," the Empress Dowager said with a smile. "I don't expect Ningyu to be favored much. As long as she holds a place in the Emperor's heart and fulfills her duty of admonishment, so that the Emperor's side is not full of sycophants, that will be enough."

Tan Hui smiled and helped the Empress Dowager to her feet. "Your Majesty is so considerate of the Emperor. He will understand your good intentions. Now, please have your meal."

The news reached Fukang Palace, and needless to say, the rest of the harem also knew which newcomer had won first place today.

The Empress showed no expression; it was all the obvious things she could think of—either Consort Guo or Consort Jiang.

The situation is similar for Xie Jiu.

Although she had been joking and guessing who would be the first to serve the emperor, she had already anticipated that, for the sake of the Empress Dowager's reputation, Zhao Xingjin would definitely summon Consort Jiang first.

But unexpectedly, she was involved on the very first day.

Just as he was having dinner with Princess Wenxi, someone suddenly arrived at Chengming Hall.

It's Qingdong.

"This servant greets Consort Jin and His Highness the Second Prince." Qingdong bowed to the two. "His Majesty noticed that the crab-stuffed orange dish tasted quite good tonight. Remembering that Your Highness loves crab, he ordered this servant to bring it over."

Xie Jiu was a little confused, wondering why he was suddenly being rewarded with food, since today was the day Consort Jiang was to serve the emperor.

Could it be that they're deliberately trying to stir up trouble for her again?

But it doesn't seem like it.

Such a small amount of force wouldn't be enough to make Consort Jiang feel uncomfortable, since it didn't cause her any real harm.

That is.
"Your Majesty, please don't overthink it. His Majesty just saw the crabs today and remembered the grievances Your Majesty suffered last year. He reminisced with us for a while and felt sorry for Your Majesty, so he sent this crab-stuffed orange dish."

Qingdong noticed Xie Jiu's confusion and offered an explanation.

Hearing this, Xie Jiu understood; it really was just a simple act of rewarding the emperor with food. So she smiled and said, "I never expected the emperor to remember me so fondly. You should go back and thank the emperor for his great favor on my behalf."

"Your servant obeys!" Qingdong replied with a smile.

This little incident still caused some ripples in the harem.

Many people secretly wondered if Consort Jin would compete with Consort Jiang for the Emperor's favor. After all, the Emperor had personally bestowed the dish upon her, which meant he cared about her, so there was a chance for them to win.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed; Xie Jiu wouldn't go looking for trouble for no reason.

The Empress Dowager already had a problem with her, and if she ruined the Empress Dowager's niece's plans, wouldn't she become even more disliked?

Jiang Cairen herself was slightly worried, but seeing that Xie Jiu did not do anything else, she didn't take it to heart.

"The Emperor truly dotes on Consort Jin; the rumors are true," whispered Dan Gui, a maid who accompanied the bride.

Upon hearing this, Consort Jiang sighed, "To enter the palace with such a background and still receive such favor from the Emperor shows that Consort Jin is quite capable. We should be careful in the future and avoid offending her, as we may not be able to afford to offend her."

"This servant will remember." Dan Gui nodded, then smiled and pushed Consort Jiang to bathe and dress. "After dinner, you will be serving the Emperor in an hour. Consort Jiang, hurry up and get ready. This servant will style your hair into a Guiyue bun and put on that pale yellow high-waisted ruqun. The Emperor will definitely like it when he sees you!"

"loquacious!"

Consort Jiang blushed and scolded him.

That night, the act of serving the emperor to the emperor went smoothly.

Zhao Xingjin allowed Consort Jiang to stay overnight in Chengming Hall.

According to the rules, apart from the Empress, the concubines who served in Chengming Hall were not allowed to stay overnight unless the Emperor gave special permission. However, most of them, like Consort Jiang, would go to the side hall to rest after serving, rather than in Zhao Xingjin's bedroom.

Xie Jiu had stayed overnight in Zhao Xingjin's bedchamber before, and at that time, Zhao Xingjin wanted to establish a persona of doting on her, so he made an exception for her.

Now, Zhao Xingjin prefers to spend the night at Jingming Palace.

I always felt that Xie Jiu's place was more cozy and comfortable, unlike Chengming Hall, which was arranged by servants and everything was done according to regulations, making it a bit too cold and impersonal.

When Zhao Xingjin was in the Prince's mansion, he didn't have this feeling. Now that he's in the palace, not only his Chengming Hall but also the Empress's Weiyang Palace feel the same way. They don't feel like places for people to live, but more like temples where dragon thrones and phoenix seats are enshrined.

However, while this was true for Zhao Xingjin, the concubines did not see it that way.

After being chosen to serve the emperor, Consort Jiang was kept in Chengming Hall overnight, even if it was just a side hall, which pleased her greatly.

She knew this at least meant that her imperial cousin did not dislike her; otherwise, if it were only to save face for the Empress Dowager, summoning her to his bedchamber would have been enough, and there would have been no need to keep her overnight. This was an extra favor.

Jiang Cairen knew this in her heart, and the concubines in the palace naturally knew it as well.

Therefore, during the morning greetings at Weiyang Palace, several envious or jealous glances, seemingly from nowhere, fell upon Consort Jiang.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress." Consort Jiang ignored the stares.

The Empress maintained a gentle smile, saying, "Now that you have served the Emperor, you are a true concubine. From now on, you must serve the Emperor diligently and conceive an heir as soon as possible to continue the royal line."

"Your Majesty's teachings will be followed. I will serve the Emperor and Empress with all my heart and fulfill my duties as a concubine!" Consort Jiang bowed.

Her calm demeanor, without any intention of flaunting the favor, made the Empress feel more at ease, so she didn't make things difficult for her and quickly bestowed gifts according to the rules.

Finally, he looked at the other newcomers.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty is very busy with state affairs. He will definitely come to see you when he has time."

They all naturally agreed.

However, after leaving Weiyang Palace, Consort Chen suddenly said to Consort Guo, "I thought that with your family background, you would be the first to serve me in bed, but I didn't expect that Consort Jiang would be the first."