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

Chapter 249

Lu Cainu clenched her fists under her sleeves, forcing herself to calm down.

She didn't understand why the Emperor was turning a blind eye to what was happening here.

From her angle, she could only catch a glimpse of some shadows out of the corner of her eye, and she couldn't see clearly that Xie Jiu was standing next to Zhao Xingjin.

"Cainü, what should we do?" Yinzhu looked at Lu Cainu kneeling on the ground, her face full of anxiety, and held an umbrella to shield her from the sun.

"Kneel down first," Lu Cainu gritted her teeth. "We can't go against Consort Zhuang's wishes."

It all depends on whether the Empress will come to rescue her, or whether the Emperor will notice the situation and come to her aid.

Yinzhu had no choice but to nod.

Unexpectedly, Lu Cai Nu said again, "Put your umbrella away. Since Consort Zhuang has ordered me to kneel, I should be punished properly."

Yinzhu frowned. "But there's no shade here. If there's no shelter, won't you get sunburned, Cai Nu? Your skin is very delicate and can't stand the sun!"

“It’s alright. Now that I’m in the palace, I can no longer be as pampered as before,” Lu Cainu insisted.

Seeing this, Yinzhu had no choice but to obediently put away the umbrella and stand aside, trying her best to use her shadow to cover Lu Cainu.

Unfortunately, half an hour later, while Lu Cainu was sunburnt in the Imperial Garden, Zhao Xingjin and Xie Jiu were already sitting in Jingming Palace washing freshly picked osmanthus flowers, preparing to experience the joy of brewing wine by hand.

As instructed by Consort Zhuang, Consort Lu was carried back to Ninghua Palace.

When Xu Cainu, who lived with her, saw her being carried back, she was startled and hurriedly inquired about her whereabouts.

Knowing that Consort Lu had been made difficult by Consort Zhuang, he felt both nervous and fearful.

He stood by and waited for Consort Lu to wake up. He then advised her to be careful and not to show herself too easily, lest someone seize the opportunity to deliberately make things difficult for her. He advised her to keep a low profile and wait until Consort Zhuang had forgotten about her before going out.

These words gave Lu Cainu a headache, but she was helpless. She couldn't very well break off relations and tell Xu Cainu that she just wanted to compete for favor and stand out.

That would completely ruin his previous public image.

So she could only hold her handkerchief and weep, and then asked Xu Cainu to join her in whispering a tale about Consort Zhuang.

Weiyang Palace.

The Empress knew of Lu Cai Nu's punishment of kneeling, but she did not go to rescue her. Instead, she waited to see if Lu Cai Nu could extricate herself. However, Lu Cai Nu knelt until she fainted and was carried back to Ninghua Palace without causing any trouble.

Disappointment is inevitable.

But after the disappointment, the effort to win them over still had to be done. So, half an hour later, Tingyun arrived at Ninghua Palace with ointment for bruises and some other things.

"It's all our fault. When Consort Zhuang was forced to kneel, Princess Lingyi was complaining of a headache and insisted that Her Majesty the Empress stay with her. Her Majesty was taking care of the princess, and we didn't dare to disturb her. As soon as Her Majesty learned that Consort Zhuang was making things difficult for Consort, she immediately ordered us to come and visit her. These are all things that Her Majesty specially asked us to bring. Please rub some on your knees so that you can feel a little better."

Looking at the various items that Tingyun brought, Lu Cainu was deeply moved.

“The princess is unwell, so Your Majesty should naturally put her first. I am fine, and I am grateful for Your Majesty’s concern and for having my aunt make this special trip. Please ask my aunt to convey my gratitude to Your Majesty when you return. Since Your Majesty has taken such good care of me, I will definitely serve Your Majesty well in the future and do my best to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

That was a pretty good way of putting it; in short, it was another expression of loyalty.

Tingyun was satisfied with her respectful attitude, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then left. After she left, Yinzhu came over to pack her things, applied medicine to Lu Cainu's swollen knee, and then quietly asked her about it.

“Cai Nu, do you think Her Majesty the Empress truly wanted to promote you? I always feel that it’s a bit too coincidental that the princess is having a headache.”

"Keep these words to yourself and don't let anyone hear them," Lu Cainu whispered, trying to stop her. "The Empress is naturally willing to promote me, but I have to show some respect for her. If I don't perform well today, next time... sigh, who knows when the next opportunity will come."

Thinking of this, Lu Cainu felt a pang of regret.

At the same time, the cool and soft touch of the ointment on her knee made her knee, which had been burning and uncomfortable, feel much better instantly. This made Lu Cainu's eyes fall on the bottle of ointment in Yinzhu's hand.

"What an exquisite porcelain bottle, much prettier than my rouge bottle, yet it's only used to hold ointments. When will I be able to give away such a fine thing so readily?"

The ointment that the Imperial Hospital had brought earlier was better than nothing, even after applying it.

Lu Cai Nu came from a poor family and was not wealthy, so she naturally treasured the things the Empress gave her and felt a deep envy, longing to have them herself.

Yinzhu smiled and said, "With such a beautiful appearance, Your Majesty will surely like you. As long as you can win His Majesty's favor, you will definitely be able to keep it. What good things won't you have in the future? This Anqing Hall is where Consort Jin used to live. You can see how much favor Consort Jin enjoys now. The Empress has asked you to live here, which shows how much she expects from you."

“This Anqing Hall is indeed blessed.” Lu Cainu looked up and around. “I hope I can share some of Consort Jin’s good fortune.”

Unfortunately, this kind of good fortune is not something that everyone can have just because they want it. In the end, Lady Lu was disappointed. Two days before the autumn hunt, the Chengming Palace finally summoned a new concubine again.

It was Hu Baolin.

It was both expected and somewhat unexpected.

Consort Hu and Consort Chen used to live together and were close. Consort Chen has now been demoted to a lower-ranking concubine and is under house arrest. Her son, the sixth prince, has been taken to Fukang Palace by the Empress Dowager. In theory, she has been neglected and abandoned by the Emperor. Consort Hu, being close to her, will naturally not gain any benefit.

But ironically, she was the one who received the emperor's favor first.

Is it based on rank or position?
Some people in the harem thought this way, but others still remembered that when the emperor was selecting concubines, he liked Hu Baolin for her lively and cheerful personality.

In short, Hu Baolin was favored by the emperor.

Moreover, the next day Zhao Xingjin issued an imperial decree, bestowing upon her the title of Xin.

The list of those going on the autumn hunt outside the palace was also finalized on this day: Xie Jiu, Consort Guo, and Consort Xin.

The Empress naturally went along, but the princes and princesses were all too young, so Zhao Xingjin didn't bring any of them.

And so, amidst the disappointed yet envious gazes of the concubines, the autumn hunting party departed the palace in a grand procession.

Xie Jiu sat in the spacious carriage, yawning repeatedly.

I got up early to travel, but I was so sleepy.

Chunrong lifted the curtain of the carriage window and glanced outside, then said, "Your Majesty, why don't you take a nap? We'll probably reach the hunting grounds around noon."

"Okay, I'll take a nap. You guys keep an eye on things and make sure nothing goes wrong." Xie Jiu was really sleepy and didn't refuse.

After quickly removing a few cumbersome hair accessories, I lay down.