Passing through a large area of high walls and courtyards, Lu Jing followed Eunuch Wang towards Hu Guifei's residence.
The area Lu Jing was in was a very large complex of buildings, inhabited by concubines who were no longer favored.
This complex of buildings was collectively known as You Palace, which was also the so-called Cold Palace; the Emperor almost never came to this area.
The concubines living here were not ugly or out of shape.
Some were there because they had committed offenses or were implicated by their Family.
Some were simply thrown here to fend for themselves because the Emperor grew tired of them or they got old.
After all, no matter how beautiful a woman was, the Emperor would eventually get tired of facing her every day.
Not to mention, the Emperor had countless beautiful women by his side, with new ones constantly replacing the old; even being favored once was considered a great blessing.
The Emperor's freshness towards concubines was measured in months, or even days.
To stay by the Emperor's side for a long time, being beautiful was not enough.
The most important thing was to have connections outside the palace!
Those concubines whose fathers or brothers were high-ranking officials or great generals, even if the Emperor grew tired of them, could still retain the title of Guifei or concubine, have their own exclusive palaces, and would not be banished to this Cold Palace.
Furthermore, truthfully, being thrown into the Cold Palace after being tired of was still considered good.
After all, they had at least climbed onto the Dragon bed, truly becoming the Emperor's woman.
Some concubines whose backgrounds were not prominent enough, or whose dispositions were not lively enough.
No matter how beautiful they were, how good their figures were, or how outstanding their temperament was, when the Emperor flipped the brand , their names would not even be seen; they would remain virgins their entire lives, and once they reached a certain age, they would be thrown into the Cold Palace.
These women, in the outside world, could attract countless young talents to pursue and adore them, and marrying into powerful families or top merchants would be easy.
But once they entered the palace, they could only rot in this Cold Palace for a lifetime, unappreciated, uncherished, and then slowly grow old.
This also caused the concubines in this Cold Palace to harbor a lot of resentment.
On normal days, they could only vent their anger by scolding and beating palace maids and Eunuchs.
Along the way, Lu Jing could see the graceful, swaying figures of beautiful women in the palaces along the path.
The concubines in this Cold Palace were all exceptionally beautiful and had superb figures.
It was a pity that no one could appreciate their beautiful bodies and lonely hearts.
"Don't worry, I'll help the Emperor comfort you all from now on," Lu Jing thought to himself, looking at those beautiful figures, making a silent vow.
After a while, Lu Jing arrived at Hu Meier's sleeping quarters.
The sleeping quarters were named Taihe Palace, surrounded by a complex of auxiliary palaces.
In this Cold Palace, to possess one's own palace complex, Hu Meier's status was evident.
If the Empress was the ruler of the inner palace, then Hu Meier was the ruler of this Cold Palace.
Back then, the position of Empress had not yet been decided, and the popular candidates were this Hu Meier Guifei and the current Empress, Nangong Wan.
The two schemed against each other for several years for the position of Empress.
In the end, due to Nangong Wan's superior background, the Empress's position went to Nangong Wan.
After Hu Meier narrowly lost the position, she was demoted to this Cold Palace under Nangong Wan's machinations.
At this moment, eight Eunuchs were waiting outside the sleeping quarters.
Lu Jing was arranged by Eunuch Wang to stand with the other Eunuchs, awaiting Hu Meier's selection.
Upon closer observation, one could see that, except for Lu Jing, almost all the other Eunuchs were trembling greatly, as if they were on their way to an execution ground.
Only Lu Jing appeared calm and composed.
"Your Ladyship, everyone is here, please make your selection," Eunuch Wang respectfully called out to the inner room.
"Hmm," a lazy yet charming voice came from inside the room.
Then, supported by two palace maids, Hu Meier walked out from inside the room.
With just an inadvertent glance, Lu Jing was completely captivated by her beauty.
Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, her skin was as fair as snow, her exquisite collarbone resembled a butterfly, her lips were as red as flames, and her graceful nose complemented her charming oval face; her features were truly exquisite.
Her peach blossom eyes seemed to drip with charm, and every gesture, every smile, exuded endless allure, captivating the soul.
And beneath her robes was a tall, curvaceous, and absolutely stunning figure!
This was a person who seemed to have stepped out of a painting!
This woman seemed to possess an innate ability to arouse men's desires.
A born enchantress!
With just one look, Lu Jing felt a surge of wicked desires within him.
He had originally been somewhat arrogant, unlike the others who were so fearful and uneasy.
But at this moment, he, like the others, bowed almost 90 degrees, just afraid of being discovered for his abnormality.
If he had to use an idiom to describe the Hu Meier before him, Lu Jing could only think of one phrase—
Extremely pleasing to the eye!
"Damn it, is this Emperor impotent? Such a beautiful woman, yet he threw her into the inner palace! If it were me, I'd wish I could...!"
Lu Jing couldn't help but complain, thinking that the Emperor had so wantonly wasted such a beauty.
If Hu Meier were his woman, he probably wouldn't have enough kidneys to keep up.
"Him," Lu Jing was fantasizing in his mind when Hu Meier's alluring voice suddenly sounded.
Lu Jing looked up, only to find Hu Meier's jade hand pointing at himself.
Her foxy face carried a faint smile, and she looked utterly perfect.
She chose him?
Lu Jing was ecstatic.
Today, Hu Meier was choosing a personal Eunuch, specifically responsible for assisting Hu Meier's maids with her daily needs, such as clothing, food, housing, and other matters.
Some heavy or dirty tasks that the maids couldn't or didn't want to do would be handled by Lu Jing.
Therefore, sometimes he could have close contact with Hu Meier.
If he could truly become Hu Meier's personal Eunuch, it would be much easier to act against her in the future.
"Alright, Xiao Jingzi, you stay," Eunuch Wang glanced at Lu Jing, with an unreadable look in his eyes.
The other Eunuchs, seeing that they weren't chosen, all breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Lu Jing with some sympathy.
"Yes," Lu Jing was immersed in joy and didn't notice Eunuch Wang's and the others' expressions.
After everyone else left, Hu Meier returned to her sleeping quarters.
Hu Meier's personal maid led Lu Jing to a utility room near Taihe Palace.
This was where the other Eunuchs in Taihe Palace worked and lived; Lu Jing's future residence would also be here.
Inside the utility room, four Eunuchs were currently working.
"Another one?"
"Alas, I wonder how long he'll last."
"Tsk tsk, he's quite sturdy, no wonder Her Ladyship chose him; he should be able to last longer than the last one when he gets beaten."
"He's not bad-looking either, hehe."
Seeing Lu Jing, the few of them started discussing.
The maid told Lu Jing to put down his luggage, gave him until noon to familiarize himself with the sleeping quarters, and instructed him to report to the sleeping quarters in the afternoon to await orders, then left the utility room.
"You few, come here and give me a back massage," Lu Jing leisurely sat down on a nearby lounge chair and waved to the four Eunuchs.
He was Hu Meier's personal Eunuch, responsible for coordinating miscellaneous tasks in Taihe Palace with Hu Meier's maids, so he was considered half a superior to these people.
"Hmm?"
The Eunuchs exchanged glances.
What's wrong with this person?
Did he really think he was a Chief Eunuch?
"What, you don't understand human speech? Get over here!" Lu Jing's tone grew increasingly hostile.
These dog Lords, they don't know the Dao at all!
"Heh heh, good kid, what, do you really think you're a Chief Eunuch? You probably don't even know the situation you're facing, do you?"
"Give me some silver, and I'll tell you how to live a few more days."
The Eunuchs walked up to Lu Jing, surrounded him, and looked at him with mockery, completely disregarding Lu Jing.
"Oh?" Lu Jing looked up, frowning.
He seemed to understand that the job of a personal Eunuch was not a good one.
"What situation?"
"You kid don't know the situation in Taihe Palace?" The four Eunuchs looked at Lu Jing with strange smiles.
Bang!
Lu Jing kicked the Eunuch beside his foot several meters away, and the man lay on the ground howling in pain.
"If you don't want to die, speak quickly!"
He looked at the other three Eunuchs, a fierce expression on his face.
Seeing this, the other Eunuchs all showed expressions of fear, and then respectfully explained the situation one by one.