Chapter 314 The Road to Beloved Queen 50
Ma Concubine's actions were not concealed and were soon noticed by other concubines in the palace.
Soon after, news came from the Central Palace that concubines could also take the examination for female officials, which caused an uproar in the harem for a while.
Chuxiu Palace.
The thirteen-year-old concubine Hesheli, who was still waiting for her marriage and had never served the emperor in bed, suddenly sat up from the bed.
"really?!"
She looked at her personal maid Qian Ling. As she was still in the middle of her marriage, she was almost ignored by everyone in the harem. Therefore, although a lot of things happened in the harem in the past few months, it could be said that none of them affected her.
Before, she was a little resentful of being ignored by the palace, but after seeing so many concubines get into trouble, she felt a little fortunate. Fortunately, she was a little transparent in the harem, so transparent that no one would plot against her at all.
"Absolutely true." Qian Ling nodded.
Concubine Hesheli could not hide her excitement. She knew that it would be difficult for her to make a name for herself in her life. She used to think that she would be favored by the emperor after she reached the age of 15. However, the empress had been pregnant for several months and the emperor had not made any move on other women, let alone her. The road to the emperor's favor was not easy and difficult to walk.
But what if there is another way?
She couldn't help but say: "If Mapin can participate, I can definitely participate too. Go and ask when the female official examination will start?"
Qian Ling responded quickly, but thought of something and hesitated: "But Master, no concubine has ever taken the test before. Why don't we wait and see, wait for the test results from Ma Concubine, and then see what the Queen arranges. It won't be too late for you to take the test then."
Hearing this, Concubine Hesheli hesitated a little. She pinched her palms and finally made up her mind: "The Queen will never go back on her word. What's more, if I participate, I will be the first among the concubines, and the benefits are usually the first."
"But master, the first bird to stick its head out gets shot." Qian Ling wanted to persuade him again.
"Qianling, this is my decision, you can't interfere." Concubine Hesheli looked at her coldly.
Qian Ling was looked at by her and didn't dare to speak anymore.
Concubine Hesheli was satisfied, with a gleam in her eyes: "I've had enough of the dark days in Chuxiu Palace. How can I stand out if I don't fight for it?"
She clenched her fists and said, "Since it's impossible to get it from His Majesty, I'll ask the Empress for help."
Concubine Hesheli didn't know that at this moment, her fate was heading in another direction.
-
Half a month later, the list of candidates who had registered for the harem examination was delivered to Sheng Huan.
The majority of those who signed up were palace maids, while among the concubines, only two signed up, namely Concubine Ma and Concubine Hesheli.
The other concubines in the harem did not move. They might be watching and being cautious, but Sheng Huan was not surprised.
Seeing Sheng Huan looking at the list in a trance, Feng Qi explained: "Master, Concubine Hesheli entered the palace on October 15th of the 19th year. She was only ten years old when she entered the palace, and she is still waiting for her age."
"I understand." Sheng Huan flipped through the booklet, picked up the queen's seal, and stamped it on the booklet. The past life was like smoke, and she hoped that Concubine Hesheli could live a different life in this life.
She said: "No matter who you are, you will be treated equally in the exam."
"Yes." Feng Qi bowed.
-
While the palace maids and concubines were reviewing, Sheng Huan teamed up with Imperial Concubine Niohuru and several female officials to prepare the examination papers.
They were so busy that they forgot to eat and sleep. In the evening of that day, when Kangxi arrived at Jingren Palace, he found Sheng Huan looking at the examination papers again.
"Why have you been so busy these days, Panshu, please don't overwork yourself?" Kangxi hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder.
Sheng Huan felt the warmth of the man and leaned his head back into the man's broad embrace. He said lazily, "Don't worry, Third Brother. I'm almost done. Besides, Doctor Zhang is watching over me all the time."
She looked up, raised her arms and put them around the man's neck, and smiled: "Once we're done with this, we'll be able to relax a little bit in the future."
The female official system had only been tested once, and there weren't many talented people yet, so she naturally had to be involved in the examination papers. But when there were more people in the future, she would let the female officials set the questions, and she would have the final say on whether to hire them or not. In the first few times, it did seem like there was a lot to do, but she thought it was okay.
"You." Kangxi lowered his head and kissed her eyes, feeling a little distressed: "Don't get too tired. If there is anything, let the palace servants do it."
Her Pan Shu had many ideas and managed the harem very well. He saw her intentions, and because he saw them, he felt even more distressed.
"Yeah." She nodded, looking a little obedient.
"Tomorrow, I will ask the teacher from the upper study room to come and help you."
Sheng Huan shook his head: "Third brother, I know you are worried about me. The teachers in the study room are very good. They are very knowledgeable, but they don't understand the harem. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. Besides, the questions have been set."
Kangxi nodded and rubbed her head, while one hand touched her bulging belly, and he couldn't stop worrying.
Doctor Zhang said that Pan Shu seemed to have three children in her belly.
Three, this is the first child, and Pan Shu has been so busy these days. Although the imperial physician said that there was nothing wrong, he still felt some inexplicable fear, terror, and anxiety in his heart.
As if she sensed his emotions, she reached out and stroked his brow: "Third brother, there is not only me in the harem, but also the Empress Dowager and the others."
"Look." She picked up the booklet and flipped it open. "The questions have already been given. As long as we confirm the final questions, we can bind and seal the book tomorrow."
"Yes." Kangxi hugged her, but his eyes fell on the test questions. He responded softly: "Panshu, I'll read it to you, and you confirm it, okay?"
Hearing this, she held the man's face and kissed his lips, her eyes full of smiles: "Third brother, you are so nice."
When a couple works together, the work is done really quickly and it also prevents the questions from being leaked.
-
Two months later, Concubine Ma, Concubine Hesheli and a palace maid successfully got ashore.
When Sheng Huan announced the rankings, he directly assigned palace duties.
On the spot, many concubines changed their expressions, became envious and jealous, and blamed themselves for being a step late.
It was the first time that Concubine Hesheli was so happy. After all, this rank was earned by her own hard work, and she felt a surge of pride in her heart.
The glory of this day left a deep impression on many people in the palace. From then on, the spirit of learning began to spread.
-
Before dawn on July 23, the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the Shenghuan Rebellion began.
"Liang Jiugong, Doctor Xuan, and midwife!"
Kangxi quickly sat up from the bed and shouted outside the door.
"Don't be afraid, Panshu, the doctor will be here soon! Don't be afraid!"
Kangxi looked at the woman's pale face and his face turned pale too. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Xuelu Fengqi came in quickly and brought hot water. As soon as she came in, she found that the Emperor's hands were shaking.
They had never seen such a side of the Emperor, who was always in charge of the overall situation, but they did not dare to think too much or look at him and just continued to work.
The news of the Queen's launch soon reached the Cining Palace.
The Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager didn't care about anything else and rushed over. They also knew that the Queen was pregnant with three children. Even though they had some dissatisfaction with the Queen, they were praying for the safety of the mother and children.
What's more, the Empress Dowager couldn't wait any longer when she thought about the dream she had when she was awakened tonight.
When the Empress Dowager and her entourage arrived, all the palace concubines were already there.
"How long has the Queen been in action?" the Empress Dowager asked the palace maid.