eurekapd Chapter 122 Winter
Chapter 122 Winter
Yan Wan's lips curled up slowly, a smile appearing on her face. She looked at the pomegranate ornament with interest and said, "You guys are thoughtful. The carving on it is intricate... I'm afraid it must be the work of the Imperial Household Department, right?"
She stared at the two of them intently, trying to discern something from their faces. Their Mongolian origins were truly remarkable, as they presented such a precious object.
"Empress Lingfei is indeed a discerning eye. This is Tengri Chaolu from my Balin tribe, also known as Balin Chicken Blood Stone. I brought it back from the Balin tribe. I promised you to pay for it and have the Imperial Household Department inlay it with gold and carve it into the shape of a pomegranate. Pomegranates have been associated with fertility and happiness since ancient times, so it's the perfect gift for you, Empress..."
Concubine Ying smiled and introduced the origin of the ornaments to Yanwan. When she mentioned the Balin tribe, her face became more lively.
After entering the palace, her innocence and liveliness were almost completely wiped out by the cruel rules of the harem. Now, only when she mentioned her hometown would she reveal a little bit of it.
Tengger Chaolu means stone given by heaven in Mongolian.
This stone, which carries the meaning of a gift from heaven, combined with the pomegranate, which symbolizes fertility and good fortune, has a very auspicious meaning and can be said to touch people's hearts.
"Thank you both for your kindness. I will accept this gift. You are indeed the sons and daughters of the grasslands. Not only are you valiant, but you also have a kind heart."
This thing is valuable, I'm afraid it's more than just a thank-you gift, right?
"We also want to thank Empress Lingfei for her concern, otherwise we sisters would still be copying the palace rules. This gift is specially given to thank you for your help. If you like it, then we sisters can rest assured." Ke agreed and said carefully, not forgetting to look at Yanwan's face while speaking.
As expected, just as Yan Wan had thought, Ke agreed and said thank you, but didn't mention anything else.
The implication is that this thing should be used to offset the favor of Yan Wan's help this time.
Yan Wan understood the deep meaning of her words. She stretched out her fingertips and gently stroked the lifelike and crystal clear pomegranate seeds on it, with a look of joy in her eyes.
After examining the item, she withdrew her hand, looked at the two of them, and said softly, "I like this item very much, and I can't let you go back empty-handed. So, I've just got a pair of jade bracelets. The emerald green color is just right for young ladies like you. I heard that both bracelets were taken from the same piece of material. You two hit it off right away in the palace and became like sisters. Sisterhood is the most precious thing in the harem. I hope that your sisterly love can be as evergreen as this jade..."
You are really stubborn. Just wait, wait for the day when you come to me in person to beg for help.
"Thank you, Empress Lingfei."
Seeing Concubine Ling accept it, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Especially Ke agreed. Before coming, she was very worried that Concubine Ling would use this as a pretext to force them to take sides, or try to win them over by using this favor.
Surprisingly, not only did she not mention it, but she accepted the thank you gift very frankly. This made Ke Da Ying, who was originally very nervous, relax and even breathe a little easier.
After exchanging gifts, the two of them were obviously much more relaxed. They chatted for a while in the hall. Yan Wan felt bored, so she sent them away under the pretext of taking a nap.
After sending the two away, Chunchan pointed at the ornament and asked Yanwan's opinion: "My lady, what should we do with this thing? Do you want me to put it in the palace? Although those two are not very tactful, they still have some good intentions in giving gifts. This color looks festive, and the emperor always likes to look over your cards. Maybe it will really be as you two ladies said, with many children and blessings, and you can get pregnant with a dragon heir as you wish..."
"Put it in the warehouse first. It will come in handy in the future." Yan Wan leaned on the soft pillow beside her, her voice a little lazy. She just glanced at the ornament and lowered her head to fiddle with the medical book.
Winter is here, and this is the best time to take medicinal food to nourish the body. She has been trying to find a way to please the emperor and maintain his favor.
After the person left, the joy in Yanwan's eyes when she looked at the item disappeared, and she just asked Chunchan to keep the item well.
Even after being reborn, Yan Wan was unwilling to believe in ghosts and gods. She believed in them, but she didn't rely on them for any reason. She felt that the only person one should believe in and rely on was oneself.
She had experienced this in her previous life: one cannot rely on fate to change one's destiny; one must rely on oneself to change it.
No matter how noble your destiny is, if you don't fight for it, you will end up living a mediocre life.
After the matter was settled, Yan Wan thought she would have to wait for some time before she heard their voices asking for help. However, she did not expect that just over a month later, she would see Ying'er, the personal maid of Concubine Ying, again.
Ever since Concubine Mei had finished punishing them, seeing that the Emperor still ignored the two of them, everyone in the palace had their own little thoughts.
The servants in the palace all acted according to their master's mood. Seeing that the two of them were out of favor, they naturally became lazy in many things.
Now that winter had arrived, charcoal fires, winter blankets, and other essential winter supplies had been delivered to each palace. The favored concubines were naturally the first to be sent, not only receiving the most complete and complete supplies, but also the best. If the subordinates wanted to profit from this, they would naturally withhold the gifts from the less favored concubines who had little say in the palace...
As soon as winter came, Ruyi was exempted from paying respects to the six palaces.
The Fifth Princess suffers from heart disease. Children are most susceptible to illness during the changing seasons. Moreover, this is the first cold winter she has experienced since she was born, so Ruyi is naturally extremely nervous.
Therefore, she has been focusing on her child these days. She stays in Yikun Palace all day and does not go out. She leaves the affairs of the six palaces to Concubine Chun and Hai Lan, and takes care of the child with peace of mind.
Although the two of them were working diligently, even the arrangements for these matters were handled by their servants, who then arranged them layer by layer.
There were people at every level who were secretly making money from it, and the reports they submitted to their masters were mixed with truth and falsehood. As the exploitation went on layer by layer, it was natural that these two masters were neglected inadvertently.
If they were just out of favor, it would be fine, but the two of them offended the three masters, the Emperor, Concubine Ling, and Concubine Mei. Everyone in the palace was eager to step on them, so no one dared to help, for fear that some petty-minded masters would cause trouble behind their backs.
Everything sent to Chuxiu Palace and Xianfu Palace during the winter turned out to be the worst. Not only did the stove charcoal emit black smoke and fill the room with a strange smell when lit, but there were also the daily cold and perfunctory meals, the thin window paper that easily broke, and the winter quilts that didn't keep warm even with three layers of cover...