The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

"I didn't look carefully just now, and the appearance of this lotus lantern seems to be different from the ones I usually see?" Xie Yuzhen took the lotus lantern in his hand.

Seeing this, Concubine Liu smiled and said, "This was the most popular style in Shuicheng two years before I left home. It was..."

Her smile paused and she glanced at the Sixth Prince beside her.

Seeing this, Xie Yuzhen waved to the Sixth Prince with his other free hand, and the Sixth Prince walked over obediently: "Mother."

"Bao'er, your mother thinks that the bottom of this lamp is broken. You can take it out to find Aunt Xiazhi and ask her to take you to find some materials to repair the gift you give to your mother, okay?" Xie Yuzhen asked gently.

The Sixth Prince hesitated for a moment, then nodded obediently: "Okay."

Of course he could see that the elders were trying to get him out of the way, and he was afraid that the following topic was not suitable for him to know... But the Sixth Prince was fourteen years old this year, which was the time when a person's self-awareness grew most rapidly. The adults still treated him like a child, which made him a little rebellious. He went out with the lotus lantern unhappily.

The child was sent away.

Xie Yuzhen looked at Liu Bin: "Is there anything wrong with this lamp?"

"Not really, it's just that it's hard to tell the child." Concubine Liu shook her head and said, "This lantern... came from the brothel in my hometown... from the hands of the brothel ladies."

"Oh?"

"My parents used to do the delivery business for a while, running errands for people on the river, helping to deliver cloth and cosmetics to various places. They also came into contact with several flower ladies. This lantern was originally used by flower ladies to pray. The base is different from ordinary lotus lanterns. It can drift with the water for a long time, and it is difficult to sink even if it encounters some waves. It is said that it was designed by a person who is very good at woodworking tools to commemorate a flower lady who died young."

Concubine Liu recalled, "My home is near the water city, and it was rare to see prostitutes in the city in the past. I only vaguely heard from my elders that the top prostitute of a particularly prosperous brothel in the city disappeared inexplicably, and the brothel closed down soon after. Many prostitutes in the brothel either redeemed themselves, were bought by others, or simply went to other brothels... Although this lamp is ingenious in design, it is not difficult to make, and it gradually became popular."

"A few years later, when I was only about ten years old, I met a woman selling these lotus lanterns on a boat. She brought a girl who was about my age with her. Her accent didn't sound like that of a local. The mother and daughter rented a yard in that area and would occasionally go out to sell small items to supplement their family income."

Liu Bin gradually opened up her mouth. Seeing that the two "sisters" present were listening quietly, the tension in her heart slowly subsided, and even the wound on her bandaged arm didn't hurt so much anymore.

"The small river in front of my house is where she passes by every time she goes out. After a while, that lady got to know my mother. Whenever she sees me when she passes by my house, she will take out candy or a small flower hairband from her pocket and give it to me."

Concubine Liu was nearly thirty years old and had already given birth to a child. According to many people's standards, she had reached the age when she should be dignified and prudent. However, at this moment, her face was full of the joy and excitement of a young person - she was not an only child, she had an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother.

Life at home was not tight, but not well-off either. The eldest brother was held in high regard by his parents, who hoped that he could lead the family to a new state of affairs, so he was sent to school at an early age. All the good things in the family were reserved for him. Unfortunately, after studying for many years and passing the examination to become a scholar, he could make no further progress and ended up working as an accountant for a wealthy family in the city.

The eldest sister is only one year younger than the eldest brother. She has been smart and capable since she was young. Not only did she take on the housework early on, but she also helped her parents with advice and tried every possible way to find ways to make more money for the family. She is an efficient person, but her temperament seems a little serious and harsh.

As the second daughter in the family, Liu Huier has been silent since childhood, has little sense of existence, and is timid. At home, she is subject to triple discipline from her parents and eldest sister, and is occasionally bullied by her youngest brother.

But she was the most beautiful one in the family. She was gentle, obedient, and good at making flowers and embroidering. Therefore, many neighbors who had sons liked her very much and wanted her to be their daughter-in-law.

If Concubine Liu had not happened to meet the emperor's selection at the right age and was not chosen by the flower and bird envoy who came to select girls from common families with clean backgrounds, Concubine Liu's life would probably have passed by in such an ordinary way, just like her mother and her sister. Although their personalities and ways of dealing with things were different, their future, which would drift on the rivers of the water town, could be seen at a glance.

"That lady has very skillful hands. She can make lotus lanterns by herself. The styles she makes are more beautiful than those made by others. They are also sturdy. She is also gentle to people, but she never mentions her origins and past."

Concubine Liu, who was lost in her memories, was delighted by the good memories of the past. At the same time, she naturally told Xie Yuzhen and Chen Huifei about the doubts in her memory that had never been explained: "When chatting with my mother and others, she also said that her husband was a merchant who traveled abroad all year round, and they could only reunite a few times a year..."

As she spoke, Concubine Liu showed some hesitation on her face: "At that time...some people said that she was a concubine of the merchant, so her husband rarely showed up, and her daughter rarely went out, and she still took her mother's surname, because they were afraid of being caught by the merchant's wife."

"Then one day, after I finished my housework, I met that lady at the door again. Before I could say a few words, my sister took me back. My sister told me not to have any contact with her family anymore, because... because that lady was the prostitute of the brothel where someone died, and was bought by the businessman as a concubine..."

Liupin's story became difficult: "I didn't believe it at the time. I wanted to ask about it behind the elders' backs, because she was a very good person and shouldn't be slandered like this. But I saw several men coming in and out of her door, one of whom was her 'husband'. She...sometimes she sang, sometimes she played the flute, and sometimes...she cried."

Everyone said that the businessman lost money in business, so he asked his concubine to return to his old business, and even wanted to sell their daughter.

"The last time I saw that lady was a few months before I followed the Flower and Bird Envoy to the capital. She moved away with the merchant and her daughter. It was said that the merchant was appreciated by a noble and was about to become rich, so he took her and her daughter to live a good life together. I don't know why, but when I think about it now, I always feel that something is wrong and I feel uneasy."

Concubine Liu forced a smile and tried to talk about something lighthearted: "By the way, the reason why I can remember her for so long is not only because she is beautiful and gentle, but also because she has a very special surname, which is the name of the Lady Zhen in Luoshenfu. Everyone calls her Lady Mi, and her daughter's name is both nice and festive, it's called Baobao, Mi Baobao!"