Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1071 - 1073: Never Taking a Consort in the Six Palaces (6)

Chapter 1071: Chapter 1073: Never Taking a Consort in the Six Palaces (6)

"Miss, Yao Ji has come to deliver the furniture, would you like to inspect it yourself?"

"Good, I’ll go there as soon as I finish combing my hair!"

Tomorrow would be Cai Wei’s enthronement ceremony, and her bridal gifts were almost completely prepared. In fact, traditionally, an empress marrying an emperor wouldn’t need to prepare a dowry. She remembered reading in a book in her past life that when a woman married an emperor and became the empress, there would indeed be bridal gifts prepared, but the cost was fully covered by the emperor’s family.

For instance, during the Qing Dynasty, when Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty married Arute, the daughter of a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, her dowry was prepared by the palace. At that time, Empress Dowagers Ci’an and Cixi were in charge, arranging the Internal Affairs Department and Ministry of Rites’ ministers to discuss and draft the details; when Emperor Guangxu married Jingfen, a niece of Empress Dowager Cixi, Jingfen’s dowry was also financed by the palace, amounting to six to seven hundred bearers, and it took six to seven days just to transport the dowry into the palace.

However, Cai Wei did not want the royal family to prepare her dowry. Many of her treasures were perfect to be brought out at this time with dignity. Firstly, they were convenient for her own use, and secondly, it was to show those in the palace with less foresight to prevent them from bullying her for her low birth!

"Miss, your hair is done, what do you think?"

Chun Liu held a mirror in one hand, moving it left and right behind her so she could clearly see the entire effect of her coiffure.

Cai Wei surveyed herself with the help of the mirror in her hand and nodded, "Very good!"

Chun Liu then asked, "Miss, what jewelry will you wear today?"

As she spoke, she opened the first layer of the jewelry box, and the overflowing colors of the jewelry caught the eye. Cai Wei picked up an Eternal Blessing Hairpin and handed it to Chun Liu, "This one then!"

After Chun Liu finished putting the hairpin in place, Cai Wei stood up and followed them to the front yard to see the furniture delivered by Yao Ji.

By this time, all the furniture had been placed in the second entry of the yard. According to custom, two days before the wedding, the bride’s family elders would escort the furniture to the wedding room to set up the bed. On the day before the grand wedding, they would bring bedding, sheets, and the dragon and phoenix quilts to make the bed.

However, Cai Wei was marrying into the royal family and would become the empress of the Great Jin Nation, so these common customs naturally didn’t apply. The palace had its own rules, and it wasn’t the place for her family to intervene.

The furniture was uniquely and stylishly crafted, made either of the precious Purple Sandalwood or Golden Silk Nan Wood. The workmanship was impeccable with smooth, powerful lines, finely carved and meticulously crafted. The designs combined the ancient with the modern, East and West, looking both beautiful and practical!

Lady Du clasped a handkerchief, exclaiming in shock, "It’s said that the imperial family is wealthy, and it’s truly so; otherwise, who could prepare such a dignified set of furnishings!"

Mother thought the wood was provided by Nangong Yi, and Cai Wei did not bother to explain. An explanation wouldn’t be clear anyhow, so she let the mistake stand.

Female Doctor Dou also clicked her tongue in wonder, "The style of this furniture is also quite novel. This old servant has been in the palace for many years and has visited the sleeping chambers of many empresses and princesses but has never seen such furniture. It’s really extraordinary!"

Auntie Liu also came over, examining the sofa for a long time, and said, "Why is the backrest of this babu bed slanted? Truly strange indeed."

Everyone was chatting animatedly when Auntie Zhang’s son suddenly rushed in to report, "Madam, Miss, people from the palace have arrived!"

The visitor was a female officer sent by Empress Mo, who, according to tradition, had come to inspect the future empress’s body. The inspection was to ensure that the future empress was a virgin, did not have fox’s odor or diseases like hemorrhoids, and to check for any physical defects...

In fact, the female officer’s arrival a day before the enthronement ceremony was simply a formality, as Empress Mo was well aware that no matter what Cai Wei was like, Nangong Yi had settled on marrying her. Her sending people over was for the sake of palace records and was a mere formality.

The female officer from the palace had come to conduct a routine body check on Cai Wei, which was standard procedure and not objectionable, but Cai Wei was very resistant. Being a modern woman with strong self-awareness, the thought of stripping naked and laying herself out to be prodded and examined by a group of old women was an insult to her personality, which she couldn’t accept. Resisting from the depths of her heart, she flatly refused.

The female officer was bearing an imperial decree to crown the empress, and was unexpectedly shut out by the future empress. Not daring to offend, she left meekly after being rejected by the future empress.

Lady Du was a bit concerned and said, "Wei’er, actually, letting them check, to prove our innocence, would have been acceptable."

Cai Wei, unconcerned, replied, "There’s no need. Your daughter has her own plan."

Lady Du had seen Cai Wei quite explosive in the previous days, finally calming down today; she dared not upset her too much. Seeing her daughter insist on refusing, she let it be.