The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Like his mother, Xie Yuzhen is also looking forward to the moment when he returns to "home" and reunites with his family.

Although she had summoned Xie's mother to the palace for reunion many times in the past, it was still different to go out of the palace to visit her parents.

The imperial carriage passed through the long street guarded by the Jinwu Guards and palace servants, and stopped at the gate of the Yongjia Marquis' Mansion.

The emperor walked down briskly first. He turned around and stretched out his hand to Xie Yuzhen. Xie Yuzhen was naturally happy to show his affection for him on such an occasion. With a slightly shy smile, she put her hand in the emperor's palm and slowly walked down from the sedan chair.

Behind them were Lu Weiyuan and Xie Yi, who were hugged and held by Xia Zhi and Chunfen respectively.

After getting off the ground and standing firmly, Xie Yuzhen saw that Xie's mother and others who had already paid their respects to the imperial carriage at the door were about to kneel down and pay their respects again. She quickly scratched the emperor's palm with her fingertips, then quickly stepped forward to catch Xie's mother: "Mother!"

At this time, the emperor also stepped forward tacitly and generously exempted everyone in Yongjia Marquis's mansion from kneeling and bowing: "Today is a good day for family reunion, mother-in-law, there is no need to be so polite."

Ever since the two of them had that unspoken understanding, Xie Yuzhen had gotten better at adapting to his occasional erratic behavior. Besides, there was no heir in the palace now, and Xie Yuzhen was the only concubine. The emperor's title of "mother-in-law" would no longer make Xie Yuzhen nervous as before.

Seeing the scene of Xie Yuzhen and her mother reuniting, Xu's mother, who was following behind Xie's mother, couldn't help but feel a little sour in her eyes, thinking that she had not seen her daughter for a long time. The next moment, she saw a familiar figure in her tearful eyes.

A phoenix carriage following closely behind the emperor's sedan chair quietly opened its curtains. Xu Yueyuan, who had been promoted to the rank of imperial concubine, got off the carriage silently behind the emperor's concubines. She walked over with brisk steps and, through the crowd, gave her mother a look full of longing.

Mother Xu suddenly raised her hand to cover her mouth, which was about to whimper. The next second she realized that this action was against the rules and hurriedly put it down.

Xie Yuzhen saw this, looked at the emperor, and said softly, "It has been a long time since I last saw Sister Yuan. I asked His Majesty for a favor and brought Yuan here with me. I originally wanted to give you a surprise, but now it has brought tears to your eyes."

"Your Majesty, I am... I am so happy that I am crying." As Xu's mother said this, she was about to bow to Xie Yuzhen. Xie Yuzhen gave her a look, and a palace maid came forward to support Xu's mother.

Her voice became softer and softer: "Although I and Yuan are not biological sisters, we are almost like biological sisters. How can I, as the elder sister, go home to visit my family without her?"

At the same time, Xu Yueyuan also walked out of the crowd and went forward to support her mother: "Mom."

Her voice was already choked with sobs, and her eyes were full of intimacy and gratitude as she looked at Xie Yuzhen.

After calming down Xu's mother, everyone stopped and, led by the emperor, slowly walked into the marquis' mansion.

Although the time of visiting relatives was delayed due to many events that happened in the palace, the building of this mansion still looked bright and new. A pair of newly carved stone lions stood on both sides of the gate, looking majestic. Above the door hung a lacquered gold plaque, engraved with four large and flamboyant characters "Yongjia Marquis Mansion" written by the emperor himself, demonstrating the importance and favor that the Great Sheng monarch attached to the Xie family.

After passing through the vermilion gate, there is a spacious bluestone avenue behind the gate. On both sides stand strange stones of various shapes. Skillful craftsmen have carved the stones into the shapes of palace maids touching lanterns, and in the intervals between each stone are planted neatly trimmed pine and cypress trees, which are quite elegant and ancient.

At the end of the bluestone avenue is a hall that exudes the dignity and majesty of the Marquis's mansion. The roof is covered with brand new glazed tiles, which emit a faint glow that is bright and not dazzling under the sunlight.

On both sides of the main hall are pavilions and towers in an orderly manner, connected by winding corridors. The rockery and flowing water in between are impeccable, and each part reveals the builders' ingenuity and cleverness. Xie Yuzhen also saw a golden ginkgo tree emerging behind the pavilion on the left. Judging from its height, it must be quite old. I don't know how the craftsmen transplanted it and kept it alive.

The emperor and his concubine walked hand in hand at the front of the crowd. The emperor pointed at the various buildings in the mansion with some satisfaction and introduced the names he had given them to Xie Yuzhen, asking her, "Are you satisfied with this mansion?"

Although Xie Yuzhen was well-known for her hot temper and uprightness, she was still happy to play the role of a loving concubine with the emperor most of the time. Upon hearing this, she said with a hint of anger: "Your Majesty has secretly come here without telling me, otherwise how come you know every place?"

The emperor laughed twice: "I promised to accompany you, how could I break my promise?"

He held Xie Yuzhen with one hand, and put the other hand behind his back in a very heroic manner, and said in a calm tone: "I just took a few glances at the drawings of the Marquis' Mansion."

Everyone walked into the main house in the front yard. The emperor sat directly on the main seat at the top, Xie Yuzhen sat on his left, Concubine Xu sat on the right, and the rest of the people sat down below.

According to the procedure, the family dinner for the visit officially began only after everyone in the Marquis' Mansion formally paid their respects to the Emperor and Empress under the guidance of the eunuchs and female officials.

The Yongjia Marquis' Mansion has a small population, with Xie Jingrong being the only official in the court. The rest, except for Xie's father who had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed and unable to speak, are all women. Xie Yi is too young and it is her first time back home, so she doesn't know much about the mansion. Therefore, the emperor could only find topics to talk about with Xie Jingrong, the only remaining intact man, after gently greeting Xie's mother and Xu's mother.

Although Xie Jingrong was described by his sister as a piece of wood with questionable emotional intelligence, his normal etiquette interactions were still on the right level.

After a few words.

After Xie's father showed up, he was carried back. The emperor stayed in the front yard to talk with Xie Jingrong and Xie Yi, while the women happily walked through the porch to the banquet in the backyard.

Xie Yuzhen glanced at her biological father who was carried away by the servants. Although he could not speak, his eyes were full of excitement and unwillingness. When handing his daughter to her mother, she quietly asked, "Is his illness reliable?"

No one in this world has ever asked another person whether their illness is reliable, but Xie's mother knew what her daughter meant, and she quickly replied in a low voice: "It's safe, it won't take long."

"That's good." Xie Yuzhen showed a genuine smile on his face.

Now that the Marquis's Mansion was completed, not only did he gain the power to manage the harem, he could also freely enter and leave the Lizheng Hall when the Emperor was meeting with his ministers. And his brother had an official position, so even if he needed to mourn for three years after his father's death, he wouldn't have to worry about his reinstatement in the future.

Finally, they no longer have to support the only burden in the mansion. The Yongjia Marquis Mansion, which was already sparsely populated, has lost the "old master" who was overjoyed and died with a smile on his face. Doesn't this require the emperor's sympathy and comfort even more, and will also make him feel more at ease and trustful, right?