coobybook Chapter 474: The Imperial Concubine is Pure and Elegant (224)
Chapter 474: The Imperial Concubine is Pure and Elegant (224)
Chapter 474: The Imperial Concubine Is Pure and Elegant (Two Hundred and Twenty-Four)
Gu Chongyi looked around and saw that the other women were slowly dispersing. It was not that they had not looked for the empress dowager, but she claimed to be ill and did not see them, so they came to Caiwei Palace.
Now that they have come out of Caiwei Palace, they will not go to Cining Palace again today.
Gu Chongyi touched her sleeve, trying to smooth out the wrinkles. "If your mouth causes trouble, don't let me get involved. After all this time, you've figured out that she's not an easy person to get along with."
"What a coward."
Ma Chongyuan disliked Gu Chongyi for being too timid, but she still invited Gu Chongyi to take a walk in the Imperial Garden.
Gu Chongyi was also feeling confused, so she accepted Ma Chongyuan's invitation.
The Imperial Garden is filled with rockery and flowers, and there is also a small pavilion located by the lake.
The two of them sat in the pavilion and sent the palace maids away.
"Sister Gu, do you think His Majesty really wants to let us leave the palace?"
"The imperial edict has already been issued, how could it be false?"
Ma Chongyuan nodded and said, "That's right. How could an emperor treat an imperial edict as a joke? By the way, when you went to Chengqian Palace, did you really not see the Imperial Noble Consort? The previous empress has passed away, and everyone knows that the next empress will be the Imperial Noble Consort. I think His Majesty will confer the title of empress in a few months. It would be a good idea for us to find out more from the Imperial Noble Consort."
Gu Chongyi shook her head and said, "I really didn't see the Imperial Noble Consort, but when I went to Chengqian Palace today, it was Miss Cuiyun who came out to see me. She said that the Imperial Noble Consort has been ill recently and has no intention of interfering with Your Majesty's decisions. She hopes that we will take care of ourselves and think more about our future. Whether we leave the palace or stay, we must think it through and not regret it." "Cuiyun? She is the most senior maid in Chengqian Palace. What she said was most likely to convey the Imperial Noble Consort's intentions."
Ma Chongyuan thought about what happened in Caiwei Palace. The nanny had slandered the Imperial Noble Consort and Cuiyun, but the people in Chengqian Palace were unharmed. Instead, the Empress died suddenly. She didn't even dare to discuss the hidden story behind this.
Gu Chongyi looked at the fallen leaves floating on the water and sighed, "In fact, in the palace, I live in fear every day, afraid that others will plot against me and kill me without a burial place. It's not bad to be the wife of an ordinary official."
Ma Chongyuan shook her head and said, "Each has its drawbacks. Ordinary people don't necessarily have an easy life, and being an official's wife isn't easy either. It's strange to say, ordinary officials would love to have five or six concubines, and some even have a dozen concubines, maids, and mistresses, making the mansion a shambles. How come our Majesty isn't lustful? Even if he's not interested in women, that doesn't stop him from filling his harem, right? He thought there would be many new people coming in, but in the end, they might leave."
Gu Chongyi sneered, "Does it matter to us whether His Majesty fills up his harem or not? What? You don't want to leave?"
Ma Chongyuan hesitated and said, "Your father was the Imperial College's chief academic officer, and my grandfather was the Imperial Censor. Scholars are always a bit pedantic. I'm afraid we'll be treated coldly if we leave the palace and return home. Although His Majesty will order a generous reward for us, we must always consider the public's perspective."
"Even widows can remarry, let alone us concubines? His Majesty himself doesn't mind. Besides, you should understand that we are only His Majesty's women in name only."
Ma Chongyuan's eyes flickered. She was unpopular in the palace, so she naturally understood. "Marrying into a good family doesn't guarantee me a good marriage. My brother and sister-in-law can't support me forever if I stay at home. As for establishing a female household, I don't want to go into business, nor do I want to marry into a family."
Gu Chongyi looked Ma Chongyuan up and down carefully, making Ma Chongyuan feel embarrassed.
"You, what are you looking at me for?"
"So you've thought a lot about this. You want to get married, but you're just afraid you'll marry the wrong person?" Ma Chongyuan avoided Gu Chongyi's gaze and didn't answer. There are so many rules in the palace. Isn't it normal to want to leave?
Oh, I'm afraid that when she is excitedly preparing to leave the palace, His Majesty will change his mind again, and she will be ridiculed and targeted by these women, right?