"When the Great Korean Empress married His Majesty, they were still young princes and princesses. Little Queen Han hadn't even been born yet," Wan Qichun continued.

Empress Xiao Han was born around the same time as Han Ruyi, the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor's family. The two were just a few months apart, but according to seniority, Empress Xiao Han was actually Han Ruyi's aunt.

“The two young ladies grew up together, but their treatment in the mansion was worlds apart. Han Ruyi later became the top talented woman in the capital and was also known as the most beautiful woman in the capital.”

“Actually, Han Ruoyi's beauty was not as good as Xiao Han Empress. It’s just that Xiao Han Empress had no status in the household. At the banquets of noble ladies, the Taishifu naturally wouldn't let this concubine daughter go out and show her face.”

"That's why Han Ruyi can frolic outside so freely. In fact, if Empress Xiao Han frequently attended banquets and such, seeing Empress Xiao Han's appearance, no one would praise Han Ruyi as the first beauty anymore." Wan Qichun said.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ruqing nodded lightly, "As a daughter of the commoners, Taishifu would definitely suppress her and wouldn't allow her to overshadow the legitimate granddaughter."

Because in such a prestigious family, a legitimate daughter is always the face of the family.

The eldest daughter is also a pawn, used as a pawn for family marriage alliances, but she is an important one.

As for the daughters born outside wedlock, they were unimportant pawns. They were placed on those fringes and corners of society. In some declining noble families, in order to survive, these daughters were given away as concubines to wealthy merchants for pleasure, in exchange for the money that ensured their comfort. This was common practice.

“Since this Xiao Han Empress was repressed in the Taishi Mansion from a young age, how did she even enter the palace and become empress?”

Yang Ruqing asked in bewilderment, regardless of what era it was, a queen must always be born as a legitimate daughter.

Then Wan Qingchun continued, "Empress Xiao Han entered the palace mainly because of Empress Da Han."

The Great Korean Queen and the Emperor were a couple in their youth, but after the Emperor ascended to the throne, with three palaces and six courtyards, all the beautiful women in the world submitted to him.

"Well, men... heh heh, I'm a man too, you know. There's no resistance in this area..."

Wang Qingchun and Yang Ruoheng were both smiling foolishly.

Yang Ruqing rolled her eyes at him, "Just because you guys have no resistance doesn't mean everyone else does. At least my Feng Tang is very satisfactory in this aspect."

Wan Qingchun's eyes twinkled with amusement as he said, "Sister, that's because you're still young and beautiful now. When you get older and less attractive, it won't be me, your younger brother, who stirs up trouble between you and General Brother-in-law…"

Yang Ruqing curled her lips, "To serve people with beauty, beauty fades and love wanes, love runs its course and favors end. This truth is understood by all."

But the key is, me and your brother-in-law have never been together because of looks...

“So, what brought you two together?” Wan Qingchun quickly followed up, also grabbing a handful of melon seeds and mimicking Yang Ruqing’s actions.

Yang Ruqing raised an eyebrow: "I'm not going to tell you, this is our secret!"

"Hey, what kind of melon seeds are you munching on? Put them down and let's get back to what we were talking about, I was really enjoying it!"

Yang Ruqing urged, Wan Qichun smiled helplessly and put down the melon seeds in his hand to continue the previous topic.

The Emperor and Empress' love gradually faded. Moreover, the Great Korean Empress only had one daughter, Princess Qi Aoshan, while the eldest prince, Qi Xingming, though registered under the Empress' name, was not her biological son.

Day after day, year after year, when the aging Great Korean Queen saw those young and beautiful concubines, the Noble Consort Zhuang, and Lady Hui, who had all given birth to princes one after another, the Great Korean Queen’s state of mind began to waver.

At this time, the Empress Dowager of Great Han thought of her own niece, Han Ruyi. Han Ruyi was at the height of her fame then, known as the first talented woman and beauty in the capital.

"If Han Ruoyi were to be arranged to enter the palace, it wouldn't matter whether she relied on the power of the Han family, her clever arrangements as Empress, or even her beauty and talent, winning the king's favor would be imminent."

“If Han Ruyi could give birth to a prince, it would be even more secure.”

"When Han Ruyi told her brother-in-law and sister-in-law about this idea, the sister-in-law was the first to object."

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

She certainly didn't want her precious daughter to marry a man nearly fifty years old, and have to call him father!

>

"But in order to protect Empress Han's position within the palace and the Han family, this sister-in-law suddenly thought of her other half-sister, who would later become Empress Xiao Han."

>

"The sister-in-law arranged for the Queen of Great Han to meet this unknown younger half-sister. After all, they were sisters born of the same father but different mothers, and their brows and eyes shared seven out of ten similarities."

This reminded the Empress Dowager of her younger self, so the Empress Xiao Han was arranged to enter the palace. At that time, the Empress Dowager's health was gradually deteriorating, and Empress Xiao Han stayed in Fenghuangzhao Palace under the pretext of serving her elder sister.

Over time, the young niece grew closer to her brother-in-law, and with the elder sister's subtle encouragement, Xiao Han Empress soon gained the emperor's favor and was bestowed the title of Noble Consort.

Later, the Great Korean Empress passed away, and a severe drought struck Heilanzhou. The world began to fall into chaos,"

“The Emperor personally led the army, but then died due to a poisonous locust, leading to a rebellion in the capital with a fake emperor…”

"When the storm finally subsided, the Emperor suddenly issued an edict to appoint Xiao Han as the empress dowager, in charge of the Feng Seal. I remember that several officials at the time disagreed."

There are two reasons for this. First, the Han family, as the natal family of the empress dowager, was implicated in the turmoil caused by the usurper emperor during that time period, ,"

Secondly, Queen Xiao Han was a concubine's daughter and did not conform to the rites.

But the Emperor, despite all opposition, insisted on enthroning Empress Xiao Han. There were two reasons for this,

Firstly, Han Taishi (the Grand Master Han) was the emperor's teacher during his childhood. The saying goes, "A teacher for a day is like a father for life." Thus, Great Qi ruled the world with filial piety.

Secondly, Empress Xiao Han's merit in reporting the rebellion of the usurper emperor demonstrated her deep sense of righteousness. By putting national interests above personal gain, she displayed the grace and wisdom of a true empress dowager.

>In the past, in the imperial palace, the most favored were Concubine Zhuang and Noble Consort Hui. These two women both gave birth to princes for the emperor, gaining favor through their sons. "Therefore, now in this imperial palace, Empress Xiao is the most favored."

>

During the Reign of Usurper, both of the two princes died mysteriously. The Consort Zhuang was imprisoned in the Imperial Ancestral Temple by the usurper emperor and shortly after, she committed suicide.

“The members of Zhuang Fei’s family, including her father, the Duke of Yong'an, and her son, were beheaded. As for Hui Bin, after her son drowned, she went mad, rambling all day long. She was sent to the cold palace early on and is now a useless person.”

"Now in the palace, only Queen Xiao Han reigns supreme, enjoying the emperor's favor all to herself."

“The Emperor, since returning to the capital, has been unwell. He hasn't had the energy or stamina to favor any of the other concubines. Alright elder sister, I’ve dug up all the stories about the two empresses from the Han family for you. Have you found them entertaining?”

Wan Qingchun chuckled with a smile.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Genius in a second: m.