Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 1234 Zhen Huan Enlarged to 158

The Ulanara clan is only showing some signs of resurgence at the moment. After all, the men of the younger generation have made contributions in the region on the battlefield of Junggar, and the women have the support of a prince's wife, so they have no plans to engage in nepotism for the time being.

It's not that they don't want to, but the Ulanara clan is already in decline, and while they are training men, they simply can't spare the energy and resources to train another female like Qingying.

But Bai Changzai was indeed someone who was deliberately cultivated by the Ulanara family, and it was they who found a way to send her to the Nan Mansion.

As for why she was not sent directly to the harem to be a maid, it was of course because Ulanara's access was blocked by Jiang Xinxin, and Qingying did not cooperate, so she could only be sent to the Nan Mansion.

After they sent Bai Changzai to the Nan Mansion, they cut off contact with her. It was not that they took the initiative to stop contacting her, but that they lost the middleman who could contact her. Fortunately, Ulanara gave Bai Changzai two hundred taels of silver first, otherwise Bai Changzai might not have survived.

Bai Changzai was a minor figure, so Ulanara's side was easier to investigate. As a result, after the Sticking Rod Department traced all the way, they found out that Ulanara had forgotten about Bai Changzai. Even though a Changzai with the surname Bai was appointed in the palace, Ulanara didn't remember this person!

Well, most of Ulanara's guilt was removed, and the Sticking Rod Office could only exert its strength in the harem. They dug out several ways of smuggling and cleared the harem again.

As a result, the two concubines in the harem were demoted to imperial concubines. When the queen paid her respects to the emperor, she deliberately poked at their sore spots and righteously warned the other concubines not to challenge the palace rules and ancestral rules.

The queen was very powerful, and although the concubines respected her for a while, they had the seeds of resistance planted in their hearts.

It's not that the Queen didn't understand this, but she thought that there would be a general election after the three-year mourning period. Of course, it was more important to use thundering means to suppress all the concubines who came from the palace first. By then, when new people entered the palace, the power in the harem would definitely be redistributed, and then she would have no so-called pressure.

Moreover, she understood very clearly the matter of Qianlong's appointment of Bai Changzai. Perhaps Bai Changzai had thought of many ways herself, but the fact that Qianlong easily fell in love with the clumsy Bai Changzai must have meant that he was tired of the concubines in the harem.

The general election is held every three years, but the minor election is held almost every year. The queen does not have to do much. She just needs to give those who are good-looking and motivated a chance to be presented to the queen. What they will do in the future depends entirely on themselves.

And just as the Queen guessed, Qianlong was a little tired of the old ladies in the harem, so Bai Changzai suddenly appeared and even seemed to be the most favored concubine in the harem for a while.

But after the Imperial Household Department selected new ladies, there were several more palace maids with outstanding looks in the Qianqing Palace.

After Lianxin reported back to the Queen, she was a little worried, but she didn't expect the Queen to finish writing without changing her expression, and even stopped writing. She was in a mood to joke: "Lianxin, Lianxin, your name sounds bitter at first. Since your name has a bitter taste, why do you make yourself look sad and full of hatred, for fear that this name will not come true?"

Lian Xin was speechless, but she forced a smile to explain: "Although the lotus heart is bitter, it has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying. It is best used in the hot summer."

It's not good for people around you to always be worried about something. The queen explained, "I also understand that it's not entirely a good thing to have all the power in the harem in my hands. The concubines in the harem respect me now, but it's only because of the emperor's thundering methods. Over time, people's hearts will definitely waver again."

Lianxin was worried about this. If the queen could not establish long-term prestige, the concubines in the harem might rise up and attack her. By then, the queen would be outnumbered and would pale in comparison. Any omission would bring about a catastrophic disaster.

The Queen continued, "But you all forgot that after the three-year mourning period, even if the Emperor doesn't want to hold a general election, I will still make suggestions."

Lianxin really forgot about the election.

It's not her fault. When the previous emperor was alive, there were only two general elections, and only one person entered the harem.

The empress pacified the people in Kunning Palace, and the harem was at peace. The peaceful days passed quickly, and soon the mourning period for the late emperor came to an end. The concubines rushed to prepare for pregnancy and childbirth.

The Queen invited Qianlong to Kunning Palace and discussed the election with him.

"Your Majesty, the mourning period for the late emperor has completely ended. Now it is time to start the general election and appease the former dynasty and the harem."

The queen did not seem very happy. After all, she viewed herself not only as a queen, but also as an ordinary wife.

How can an ordinary wife be happy to see her husband having another child?

Qianlong was relieved to see the Empress's "hidden" forced happiness. "What the Empress said is right. It's time to restart the election this year. Not to mention my harem, there are many young men of the royal family who are of the right age. I have received many requests from the royal family in the past few days."

The queen took a deep breath "secretly", forced a "forced" smile again, and said to Qianlong: "Your Majesty is right, the harem does need someone to come in."

It was rare for the empress to show some jealousy. Qianlong could not help but soften his heart as he saw the novelty. He took the empress's hand and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, empress. You and I are husband and wife, and we are one. Not everyone can be compared to the empress."

After hearing this, the queen was moved and released her "vulnerability". She leaned against Qianlong's chest and closed her eyes, seeming to enjoy this rare moment of mutual understanding between husband and wife. "Your Majesty, I believe..."

In fact, the queen couldn't help cursing in her heart.

She is the queen. Logically, no one should be able to compare with her!

The Qianqing Palace soon issued an order to hold a general election according to the usual practice, which naturally caused a lot of unrest in the harem.

Listening to Lianxin's report of the news from the palaces, the queen felt very relieved. "Lianxin, go and help everyone. Now that the mourning period for the late emperor is over, the ladies in the palaces should also put pregnancy on the agenda. Otherwise, when the new person comes, I'm afraid you will fall behind completely."

Lianxin agreed with a smile and quickly made arrangements. Sure enough, the smell of medicine soon wafted through the palaces. The Queen thought about it and followed the crowd, asking the Imperial Hospital to prescribe some nourishing decoctions.

The concubines' behavior frightened Qianlong, so he could not help but go to Kunning Palace to complain to the queen: "These people are simply -"

Qianlong couldn't bear to recall what expression he had when he was teased.

The Queen, however, spoke seriously for the concubines in the harem: "Your Majesty, it's not your fault that you acted this way. It's really because the newcomers are coming in force. The youngest concubine in the palace, Bai Changzai, was also appointed as a concubine almost two years ago. The Queen Mother reminded us long ago that it's best not to have any crying babies in the next three years—"

Qianlong would not blame himself. What's more, he believed that he had done nothing wrong. Instead, it was the concubines in the harem who behaved excessively and made him lose face in the previous dynasty.

The empress was too lazy to try to persuade Qianlong anymore. She pulled Qianlong aside and recounted in detail what she had done in the past few days. Although she had no intention of taking credit for herself, she was determined not to let Qianlong think that her job as the empress was easy.