mtlumby2d Chapter 143: The Great Sealing of the Six Palaces
Chapter 143: The Great Sealing of the Six Palaces
On April 19th, the whole palace paid tribute.
The concubines lined up in order. Although Nian Shilan hated that she could not execute Zhen Huan, she was very satisfied that she could turn the situation around.
She was radiant and graceful, sitting upright in the upper seat. As her beautiful eyes moved, she noticed Chun Changzai standing beside her. A seemingly friendly smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she asked, "Chun Changzai, are you used to living in Xianfu Palace?"
After successfully leaving Suiyuxuan, Concubine Chun was very active. Upon hearing this, she bowed politely and replied, "To reply to Concubine Hua, Xianfu Palace is quiet and elegant, and Concubine Jing is very gentle. I like Xianfu Palace very much."
Wenpin covered her mouth and laughed, "That's right, living anywhere is better than living with Wanpin, oh, now I'm Wanchang..."
Concubine Hua curled her lips and nodded slightly, but her gaze slowly shifted to Shen Meizhuang.
Shen Meizhuang's face was pale, and her usual gentle and beautiful appearance was now shrouded in a gloom.
A few days ago, Zhen Huan set fire to the palace, and Shen Meiyu concealed the incident and was stripped of her title. This matter spread like wildfire in the palace, and everyone knew that she had lost the emperor's favor. Now seeing her like this, although everyone had their own thoughts in their hearts, they did not dare to show any of them on their faces.
After all, Shen Meizhuang's position remains the same, and who would dare to laugh at her with the Queen Mother around?
Concubine Hua gently raised her jade hand, stroked the gorgeous pearls and jadeite on her temples, and said sarcastically, "Lady Shen, you previously committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, and the emperor only stripped you of your title. You are truly blessed with a long and fortunate life. I cannot envy you enough."
Shen Meizhuang's heart was filled with hatred. She clenched the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, trembling slightly, but she didn't dare to show any anger.
She gritted her teeth, bowed deeply, and said humbly, "I know I was wrong." Her voice was calm, but revealed a hint of suppressed bitterness.
Her face was pale until she left Yongshou Palace.
Hurrying back to Xianfu Palace, Hanzhu bowed to the two of them without saying a word.
The distraught Shen Meizhuang did not notice Hanzhu, but Caiyue frowned.
After entering Cunju Hall, Caiyue hurriedly closed the door, "My lady! Did you notice Hanzhu just now?"
Shen Meizhuang looked at her weakly and said, "I pay attention to what she does."
"Every time we came back in the past, Hanzhu would greet the young lady and say a lot of good luck. But today? She didn't say a word, just bent her knees, as if she was afraid that we would notice her." Caiyue's face was full of displeasure.
Shen Meizhuang opened her mouth and said, "I, Concubine Jing, am not that kind of person..."
Caiyue couldn't say anything bad about Concubine Jing, so she secretly decided to say a few words about it in the letter Shen Meizhuang sent home.
"By the way, young lady, you haven't been to Shoukang Palace for half a month. Even if it's for the Empress Dowager, you have to go."
Shen Meizhuang held her forehead and said, "How can I have the face to go? Okay, stop talking. I'm tired. You can go out now."
Caiyue pulled her handkerchief and retreated unwillingly.
......
In early May, the Forbidden City was sunny and the sky was clear. The palace walls were shaded by green trees and blooming flowers. A gentle breeze blew by, bringing with it the fragrance of flowers and the fresh scent of grass, as well as the heat of summer.
On the palace road, the stone pavement shone brightly in the sunlight.
Jiang Ruyin sat on the sedan chair, leaning her head lazily.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and Jiang Ruyin was just about to take a nap when Xiao Xiazi brought her a message saying that the emperor was worried about something important.
Su Peisheng saw Jiang Ruyin and his group from afar and hurried to meet them.
"It's sunny in the afternoon, why is the queen here?"
"It's afternoon now, so I thought I'd go out for a walk and talk to the Emperor."
Jiang Ruyin pretended to be confused, "Why? The emperor is not seeing anyone at this time?"
"No, no, the emperor just doesn't want to see anyone. Your Majesty, since you are here, how could he not see you?" Su Peisheng said with an apologetic smile.
Under the guidance of Su Peisheng, Jiang Ruyin walked into the hall.
Xiao Xiazi stood guard in front of the hall, with his head bowed respectfully.
Jiang Ruyin approached slowly and bowed gently.
A familiar fragrant breeze blew by, and the emperor rubbed his brows, "Why is Yin'er here?"
"Hongxuan practiced calligraphy in the morning and then went to see Hongning. I'm free anyway, so I might as well come and accompany the emperor." As she spoke, Jiang Ruyin skillfully picked up a book and leaned back on the couch.
With the beauty right before his eyes, the emperor lost interest in reading memorials. He leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath.
Thinking about yesterday, the Queen Mother praised herself for not giving too much real power to the ministers who made contributions to suppressing the rebellion, and for not being particularly fond of the daughters of meritorious officials, but not being cold to them either.
The day before yesterday, Emin impeached Zhen Yuandao for secretly keeping Qian Mingshi's poetry collection. Before he issued an order to punish him, the empress dowager got the news and began to make suggestions.
Therefore, the emperor mentioned Longkodo and hoped that the empress dowager would not interfere too much in government affairs. The empress dowager reacted strongly, which made the emperor feel very uncomfortable.
Looking at Jiang Ruyin reading peacefully, the emperor was deeply moved.
"I remember you mentioned the matter of enfeoffment of the six palaces a few days ago."
Jiang Ruyin's heart was slightly shaken, and she replied with a smile, "Yes, the emperor has been on the throne for five years. Many of the sisters in the palace have been serving the emperor in the palace, so I thought of promoting you sisters to a higher position to show your kindness."
The emperor nodded and said, "Tell me what you think."
Jiang Ruyin thought for a while and reported a few names.
The emperor closed his eyes and thought, "I heard that Concubine Jing has recently taken a liking to making pastries."
Jiang Ruyin couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, Jingpin often sent cakes to the prince and princess. A few days ago, Wen Yi praised Jingpin's cooking skills and said that Wenpin was not good at cooking, so she called Jingpin's mother. Jingpin was very happy and went to the small kitchen to learn how to make cakes that day. Now, Wen Yi and Shuhe have coaxed her into making a lot of cakes every day."
The emperor smiled upon hearing this. "Jingpin has a kind and motherly heart. I'm thinking of handing Xinhe over to Jingpin and taking this opportunity to promote her to consort so that she can pay more attention to the princess and palace affairs."
Jiang Ruyin smiled broadly, "Not only Sister Jingfei, but the Emperor also has a kind fatherly heart."
Hearing Jiang Ruyin change her address, the emperor teased, "You are the one who goes with the flow the most."
"Sister Jingfei is calm and indifferent. I am convinced by her."
After Concubine Jing came Concubine Xin. The Emperor's expression was indifferent. After a long while, he said, "Shuhe is quiet and virtuous. She is quite active now. Let's give Concubine Xin the title of imperial concubine as well."
"I intend to record Gong Ding under the name of Gong Guiren and promote her to the rank of concubine."
Considering that the emperor did not value Mongolia, Jiang Ruyin did not mention Gong Guiren. This was a pleasant surprise, so Jiang Ruyin was unwilling to do so.
"The ages don't seem to match, but Concubine Gong came all the way from Mongolia, and Concubine Gong's princess went to Mongolia to promote friendship between the two ethnic groups. It's a beautiful story."
As Jiang Ruyin said this, she couldn't help but think of her mother.
My grandmother must have felt the same way when she saw my mother leave Mongolia as Tara felt when she saw Dolan return to Mongolia.