20demayo Chapter 383 Concubine Nian’s Dissatisfaction
Chapter 383 Concubine Nian’s Dissatisfaction
When the late emperor was still alive, every prince had a pair of haha beads to accompany him.
These Haha beads are mainly selected from meritorious officials and royal family members to accompany the prince in his growth and learning. The loyal Haha beads will be the prince's greatest support in the future.
The emperor's brothers fought for the throne and suffered heavy losses. The haha beads behind them played an immeasurable role.
An Lingrong had heard of this, but she was not particularly clear about the details.
When she entered the palace, the Third Prince had already moved to the Prince's Residence, and there were no other children of the right age in the palace.
Hongzhan's birthday is less than half a year away, so the matter of the haha beads really needs careful consideration.
An Lingrong nodded with a smile and humbly asked for advice from the Suo family's nanny.
"Madam, I don't know much about the Haha beads. Could you please explain in detail?"
"Your Majesty, the Haha beads that the late emperor selected for the prince were not limited to bannermen, but also included Han bannermen and eunuchs."
Nanny Suo saw Baoge guarding outside the door and said in a low voice.
"Each prince has ten haha beads, which are carefully selected by the emperor, the chief eunuch, and the prince's mother."
She paused and continued to add.
"I overheard Su Peisheng mention that Li Shuren caused quite a scene in front of the Emperor in order to select the right Haha beads for the Third Prince, and was consequently confined by the Emperor."
After hearing her say this, An Lingrong understood the emperor's attitude towards Hahazhuzi.
"Thank you for your advice, Madam. The kitchen has recently made some new soft pastries. I'll have Baoge send some to you."
"Thank you for your grace, Madam. I am old now and I like to use soft things."
Nanny Suo smiled and praised Princess Zhaohua's performance in the past few days.
After being reminded by her, An Lingrong began to think seriously about having Hongzhan study with her.
She had been in the palace for a short time, and her knowledge of the ministers of the previous dynasty was limited to hearsay.
According to what Nanny Suo said, the final decision on Hongzhan's Haha beads will still be made by the emperor.
Secondly, the role played by this old man Su Peisheng is far greater than his own.
Although An Lingrong cannot interfere too much in the selection of Hahazhuzi, if she can find out which young man has problems, she can still make arrangements in advance.
If we were to ask who in the palace knows the most about the ministers and major families of the previous dynasty, it would undoubtedly be Concubine Hua.
Before that, she had to write a letter home to her mother, saying that the three-year mourning period had passed and Cheng Le should go back to school.
She wanted to know how her brother was doing so that she could make appropriate adjustments.
The emperor has few children, so he must have investigated the young men from various families before choosing the Haha beads.
An Lingrong's family is in decline, so maybe the emperor is willing to give her this opportunity.
Chengle was the only male left in the An family. After she was made a concubine, her mother wrote to her saying that a nearby family had invited An Chengle to join their clan school.
Out of caution, An Lingrong did not ask Lin to agree, but asked Concubine Hua to secretly find a scholar with a good reputation to send over to start her education.
The royal princes are taught by knowledgeable Hanlin scholars and great Confucian scholars. If Cheng Le could study with them, it would be a great fortune.
The most important point is that An Chengle is Hongzhan's uncle and his natural follower.
The uncle and nephew are one year apart in age, which is the right age for them to get along well.
After making up her mind, An Lingrong went to the study to write a letter.
The next day, after paying her respects, before An Lingrong mentioned the matter of the Haha beads, Concubine Hua mysteriously stuffed a booklet into her hand.
"Lingrong, this was sent in by my nephew. You should be able to use it."
"Thank you, Sister Nian."
An Lingrong opened it curiously, and an illustration that made her eyes widen appeared before her.
"Sister Nian, you...you..."
Concubine Hua stretched her head to take a look, snatched it away and exclaimed.
"Ouch, I got the wrong one. It's not this one."
"This was accidentally left here by the Emperor."
An Lingrong nodded without saying anything.
Concubine Hua was so nervous that she even called herself "this palace". It would be better for her not to expose her.
Although the palace rules are strict, no one cares if the concubines read books such as storybooks in private.
But the book that Concubine Hua was reading was really eye-catching.
Concubine Hua was much more cautious before handing the booklet to An Lingrong again. She only let go after making sure that she had taken the right one.
"The Emperor is enjoying a carefree life in the garden, riding horses and feasting without missing a single one. There are some things you need to consider for Hongzhan in advance."
An Lingrong heard a hint of dissatisfaction in her words and asked curiously.
"Sister Nian, what happened in the garden?"
Concubine Hua did not hide anything and spoke directly.
"Prince Guo's concubine, Ye Lanyi, was a horse trainer at the Hundred Beasts Garden. The Emperor met her by chance and became obsessed with her. The next night, he saw a drunk Prince Guo rudely insulting Ye Lanyi, so he had no choice but to give her to Prince Guo as his concubine."
The number of concubines for princes and dukes is fixed. The emperor directly let Ye Lanyi take the position of concubine, which inevitably had the intention of venting his anger.
"The Emperor was filled with rage, and before Prince Guo could sober up, he forced him to bring his concubine to Anqi Temple to pay his respects to Concubine Shu."
"When I first saw Ye Lanyi, I felt she looked familiar. It wasn't until yesterday that the news came back from the garden that Songzhi said that Ye Lanyi's youthful energy was exactly the same as mine when I first entered the palace."
Concubine Hua slammed the table angrily.
"Lingrong, you said the Emperor was looking for the shadow of Empress Chunyuan in Zhen Huan, but I'm alive and well now. Isn't this action of his very unlucky?"
"Sister Nian, the emperor's actions are indeed inappropriate. I heard that copying Buddhist scriptures can ensure safety. Why don't you try it?"
An Lingrong suggested gently.
"Since I entered the palace, my mother has been copying Buddhist scriptures and praying for me almost every day. Do you think I've been lucky all this time?"
"Lingrong, are you sure copying Buddhist scriptures will work? Are you kidding me?"
An Lingrong nodded sincerely.
Concubine Hua still had doubts about this.
"Then the Queen Mother also likes to copy Buddhist scriptures. I don't think she..."
An Lingrong saw that she was interested and continued to fool her.
It is not enough to just enshrine the memorial tablet in Ganlu Temple. We also need to place a few Buddhist scriptures copied by Concubine Hua herself.
"Sister Nian, the late emperor had so many concubines, but only the empress dowager's son became emperor. Do you think copying Buddhist scriptures will be effective?"
"Lingrong, you are right. I want to pray for Anle and the Nian family. I will go and copy the Buddhist scriptures now."
After Concubine Hua finished speaking, she rushed into the study.
Songzhi smiled apologetically at An Lingrong.
"Thank you, Madam Shu Guifei, for your advice. My master was so angry that he couldn't sleep all night."
"Sister Nian has helped me a lot, you don't have to be polite. She suffered a lot earlier, so she is angry."
It is not so easy to untie Concubine Nian’s knot in her heart. Her trip to Ganlu Temple will only make her hate the emperor more.
She didn't feel the pain unless the knife stabbed her. An Lingrong didn't know how to persuade her and could only temporarily divert her attention.