Liang Shuren made great contributions in Yangzhou and was promoted by the emperor to be the Governor of Yangzhou.
No one in the previous dynasty and the harem cared about Liang Zhaoyi’s father being promoted to the Governor of Yangzhou. To the officials in the capital, a Governor of Yangzhou was nothing significant, and to the concubines in the harem, it was just a minor position.
The concubines with high rank in the harem had fathers and brothers with very high official positions and real power. A governor of Yangzhou was nothing compared to their fathers and brothers.
Moreover, Liang Zhaoyi’s father being promoted to the Governor of Yangzhou posed no threat to the concubines in the harem, and naturally, no one cared about it.
However, the people in Kunde Hall felt happy about this matter.
"It’s a good thing that Mr. Liang has been promoted to governor. As long as Mr. Liang performs well in this position, he could get promoted in the future, and then he could be transferred to the capital." Yu Meiren genuinely felt happy for Liang Zhaoyi, "When Governor Liang comes to the capital, sister, you’ll be able to see him."
Liang Zhaoyi knew in her heart that her father would never be transferred to the capital. She smiled and said, "I hope to see my father soon, but transferring to work in the capital will be very difficult for him. Moreover, even if he does eventually get transferred to the capital, I may not be able to see him."
Yu Meiren thought about her own situation, and her expression inadvertently turned gloomy.
She’s from the capital, and her father works there, but over the years, she hasn’t seen him even once.
One reason is her low rank, which doesn’t qualify her to summon her parents to the palace. Another is her father’s low official position, and her mother has no noble title, preventing them from seeing her in the palace.
Only concubines with a rank above consort in the harem have the privilege of summoning their parents to meet them in the palace. Only those concubines have fathers with high official positions and mothers with noble titles.
For those like Yu Meiren, who have low rank and fathers with low official positions, meeting is impossible.
Yu Meiren sighed deeply and said, "It seems we might never be able to see our parents in this lifetime."
Lady Pan, her eyes red, held back tears and said, "I think about my parents every day, even in my dreams. If I can’t see them, I fear I will forget what they look like." Lady Pan entered the palace later than Liang Zhaoyi, but she has been in the palace for six years now.
Yu Meiren also looked distraught, her tone heavy as she said, "Me too."
Liang Zhaoyi said nothing, but inside, she felt the same longing for her parents as Yu Meiren and the others did.
When the Fifth Princess saw Yu Meiren and the others upset, she did not know how to comfort them. She could only hold Yu Meiren’s hand and say, "Mother Consort, you still have me and Yao Yao."
Yu Meiren reached out to touch the Fifth Princess’s face, smiling with relief, "Luckily, we have you and Yao Yao, otherwise, I don’t know how we’d endure our days in this palace."
Seeing Lady Pan lose her composure and silently cry, Liang Zhaoyi hurried to change the subject, "In a few days, it will be the spring hunt, then we can go out and get some fresh air."
Talking about the spring hunt immediately brightened Yu Meiren and Lady Pan’s expressions, filling them with anticipation.
"Yes, we can go out for a few days to experience the outside world. Without the spring and autumn hunts, we probably wouldn’t leave the palace in this lifetime, forever trapped in this lavish ’prison’—we’d either die from illness or suffocate."
Though Lady Pan was usually shy and afraid to meet people, she eagerly looked forward to the spring hunt.
"Thankfully, the former empress proposed that we concubines could accompany the spring and autumn hunts."
"The former empress really did a lot for us," Yu Meiren felt deep gratitude when mentioning the former empress.
"The former empress knew our lives as concubines were not easy, so she always considered us." An empress like her, who wasn’t jealous of the concubines but instead protected and defended them, was truly rare in the world.
Yu Meiren lowered her voice and said, "If it were the Empress, she definitely wouldn’t allow concubines of low rank like us to participate in the spring and autumn hunts..."
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Zhaoyi interrupted her.
Liang Zhaoyi warned her, "Do you have a death wish, daring to speak about the Empress like that."
Only then did Yu Meiren realize she had said something she shouldn’t have. Her eyes flashed with panic, and she quickly said, "I was just... I won’t dare anymore."
Seeing Yu Meiren frightened, Liang Zhaoyi gently lowered her tone, "In these few days, the Empress has been in a bad mood, and we must be careful." A few days ago, the Empress had a big argument with Duke Zhen, reportedly breaking many things in her fury. To this day, her anger hadn’t subsided, and not only were the eunuchs and palace maids of Zhao Yang Palace punished, but many others in different palaces were also punished. "Besides, beware the walls have ears." Although Kunde Hall is in a remote location and not often visited by people seeking information, the things they said might get out.