Children of Loulan

Chapter 143 Choosing a Concubine

Dalan did not seem to agree with Concubine Ru's words. She chuckled sarcastically, her tone full of disdain: "Since Concubine Ru mentioned so many benefits, why doesn't Concubine Ru go herself?"

As soon as she said this, it was like a bombshell exploding in the crowd, shocking everyone present. Although Concubine Ru was known for her virtue, she was a concubine after all, and her status was extremely noble; and among these newcomers, the highest status was just a beauty, and they didn't even have a wife. At this moment, hearing Dalan's bold words, they were all scared and quickly lowered their heads, thinking in their hearts: Dalan is always honest and respectful on weekdays, why did she suddenly dare to challenge Concubine Ru today? It seems that she is afraid of being in trouble!

As expected, as soon as Dalan finished speaking, Concubine Ru was so angry that her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide open. She shouted angrily: "How dare you! Lady Lan, you are so bold!"

Facing the anger of Concubine Ru, Dalan showed an attitude of neither servility nor overbearance. She straightened her body and responded fearlessly: "I dare not!"

Concubine Ru snorted coldly and said sternly, "Humph! Don't dare? How dare you openly ridicule me in front of so many people, and you still say you don't dare? Someone come here!"

Wu Mei immediately stepped forward respectfully, bowed and said, "Your servant is here!"

Concubine Ru: "Lady Lan, you dared to speak disrespectfully to me and even openly contradict me. This is truly a heinous crime. Now, I will punish you by making you kneel here for two full hours until you bow your head and admit your fault. Also, quickly prepare some tea and snacks for me! I want to personally watch her bow her head and admit her fault!"

Wu Mei: "Your Majesty, please calm down. However, I think you can go to the pavilion next to you to rest, drink tea while watching Lady Lan being punished, so you can also get some rest."

Concubine Ru: "Well, your suggestion is very good. Since I am going there, let Lady Lan kneel down with me! At the same time, let her recite the "Girls' Code" and learn how to be a well-behaved concubine!"

After saying this, Concubine Ru walked towards the pavilion. Wu Mei turned to Dalan with an expressionless face and said coldly: "Lady Lan, please go! The Queen has punished you today. If you are not satisfied, you can find a chance to appeal to the King in the future."

Dalan remained silent, only glared at Wumei fiercely, then stood up, gritted his teeth, and dragged his heavy feet to follow Concubine Ru towards the pavilion. Although her body had surrendered, the aura of stubbornness still permeated her. Wumei witnessed all this, shook his head helplessly, and followed silently behind.

After they all left, the concubines who had already been trembling all over with fear from Concubine Ru, seeing them all leaving, also fled away in panic, stumbling like frightened birds!

Concubine Ru sat in the pavilion leisurely, Lady Lan knelt in front of her, and the other palace maids stood respectfully several meters away from the pavilion. Concubine Ru took a sip of tea and asked softly, "What happened that made you so anxious to find me?"

Lady Lan replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, I accidentally discovered something that may be related to the matter of selecting a concubine for the eldest prince!"

Concubine Ru said with great interest, "Oh? Really? Tell me about it!"

Lady Lan still bowed her head respectfully, not daring to be negligent, and then she told the whole story of what happened last night. It turned out that the Queen Mother loved her daughter very much, so she took the little princess to live in the Queen Mother's palace for a few days. Although there was a wet nurse who went with her to take care of her, after all, the little princess was only a little over one year old, and Lady Lan naturally missed her daughter very much.

Therefore, she spent a lot of money to bribe the wet nurse and several eunuchs who guarded the gate. Every day, she would stay in the Queen Mother's Palace until the little princess fell asleep before leaving. Last night was the same, and there was nothing unusual. However, unlike the past, when she led Yamanashi and Mifeiti out of the Queen Mother's Palace, she was bumped into by the nanny beside the Queen Mother. The nanny reprimanded her mercilessly, claiming that she was ignorant and did not follow the rules. What's more, the nanny also emphasized that the princess's status in the Queen Mother's Palace was extremely respected, and if she stayed in her own palace, she would be just a concubine's daughter. Although the nanny promised not to report the matter to the Queen Mother, she also warned her that she must be careful in her words and deeds in the future and know the etiquette.

Although she knew that this path was undoubtedly the best choice for her daughter, she still couldn't let it go and couldn't help feeling sad. In this way, she walked around the palace with two palace maids in a trance, wandering aimlessly. Before they knew it, they came to a palace that was rarely visited!

When she realized that she was in a strange place, she slowly raised her head and her eyes fell on the plaque hanging above the palace, on which were written three big characters "Jingsi Ju". For a moment, no memory of this place came to her mind, so she decided to turn around and leave. However, just as she was about to turn around, she vaguely saw a sneaky figure in the distance. Due to the distance, she could not see the other person's appearance clearly, but a sense of curiosity surged in her heart.

Dalan thought that if she left, she might miss something important. But Yamanashi beside her was the king's man, and her every word and action would be known to the king. After some thought, she decided to stay and observe the situation. In order to prevent the king from knowing, she quietly took off the jade pendant given to her by the king and carefully hid it in her arms. Then, she walked up to Yamanashi and told her anxiously: "My jade pendant seems to have fallen off. It may have been lost near the Queen Mother's Palace. You should go and look for it. Whether you can find it or not, just go back to the palace!"

Yamanashi obeyed the order and left. Watching her back gradually going away, Dalan quickly pulled Mifeti and hid in a hidden corner together. The two held their breath and stared at the figure. Gradually, they finally saw clearly that the sneaky person was actually the second prince - Aidier!

Aidil acted very cautiously. He first carefully observed whether there was anyone around, and then knocked on the door gently after confirming that it was safe. The door slowly opened, and Aidil quickly slipped into the Jingsi Residence. Witnessing all this, Dalan was suspicious. She firmly believed that there must be some unspeakable secrets hidden here. So, she made a prompt decision and asked Mifeti to stay and continue to monitor, while she returned to the palace. After all, Yamanashi would return to the palace soon, and Yamanashi was the king's man. She didn't want the king to know about this yet, so she had to go back to the palace to stabilize Yamanashi.

Just when Dalan was waiting anxiously, Mifiti finally returned, but Dalan did not sleep all night. On the one hand, she was eager to know what secrets were hidden in Jingsi Residence, and on the other hand, she was worried about Mifiti's safety. Fortunately, Mifiti returned safely and reported to Dalan that the second prince stayed in Jingsi Residence for two full hours before leaving, and he waited until the second prince left before returning to report.