I took another look at the clock, and suddenly I felt something was wrong - it would be the fifth watch in two quarters of an hour!
You all came too early!
She was amazed in her heart, but without saying much, she took the errand and went about her business.
The West Pavilion, which had been empty for several years, became lively again.
At noon, when the three provinces were on duty, a chamberlain came over with a smile to say hello: "Since your majesty has asked all the ladies to be on duty during the three provinces, I have prepared the meals on my own initiative. Do you plan to use some here or go back on your own?" Going to the palace?"
Xue Meiren couldn't hold it back and said happily: "It's a business meal!"
So fresh!
The other concubines also looked hopeful, unable to conceal their curiosity.
In the past, I only knew that my father and grandfather always had lunch in the government office before going back. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to imitate the officials from the three provinces who had lunch in the corridor!
So they all said, "It's okay to have a meal here."
The waiter brought the dishes over, and someone from the kitchen pushed the dining cart over, telling them the menu for the day, and they could choose what they wanted to eat.
The concubines found it very interesting and finished the meal slowly. Logically speaking, it was time to go back, but no one left.
"It's okay to go back left and right," Ding Jieyu glanced at the sisters around her and asked in a low voice: "Otherwise, will you continue to be on duty in the afternoon?"
Everyone said in unison: "Great!"
I had been holding it in for more than a month in the dormitory, and the grass was almost growing!
In the afternoon of the same day, a chamberlain from the Taiji Palace sent a compliment from the emperor: "I am very pleased that you are so loyal to the emperor and the country."
Accompanying him were tea snacks and sour plum soup given by the emperor.
Everyone was surprised and happy, and quickly thanked him.
The chamberlain smiled and said: "Your Majesty said that you ladies should be rewarded for their hard work. From now on, we will send someone to bring snacks and tea every afternoon."
Concubines (＾_＾): Your Majesty is such a good person!
That afternoon I worked hard for three hours, until the moon rose above the willow branches, I stopped moving, had my meal in the West Pavilion, and then went back to the palace to rest.
After a few days of this, the novelty gradually faded away, and the pain of filing documents began to take over.
I started going to work at five o'clock in the morning, my liver lasted all day, and it didn't stop until seven o'clock in the afternoon. It was a full 14 hours, and my iron-clad body couldn't hold on!
Early that morning, before dawn (3:30 in the morning), Feng Lanruo was woken up by a palace attendant.
"Mother, wake up quickly, it's time for you to go to work!"
Feng Lanruo: "????"
Feng Lanruo sat up dizzy with "zzzzz" all over his head. He felt his head was dizzy, his eyes were dark, and his eyelids were so sleepy that they were fighting.
After struggling for a few seconds, she pulled up the quilt to cover her head and fell directly onto the bed.
The palace attendant was helpless and anxious, so he had to say: "My queen, you have the highest status among the concubines, so you have to go. Otherwise, what will His Majesty think if he finds out?"
Feng Lanruo opened the quilt to reveal his head and face, and cried "Wow": "But I'm so tired! I'm so tired! I want to sleep so much! I know I shouldn't, but I really can't control myself!! !”
She brought that palace servant from the Feng family, and he had been with her since he was a child. He couldn't bear it when he saw it, and couldn't help but said: "How about you discuss it with the other ladies and not go there in the afternoon? Look, The officials from the three provinces were only on duty in the morning, had their meals at noon, and then went home."
Feng Lanruo asked with jealousy: "Is it okay?"
The palace man smiled and said, "Okay."
Feng Lanruo: "But His Majesty sends people to deliver cakes and tea every afternoon. What should we do? Leave directly after lunch and ignore them. Or should we make a special trip to speak to His Majesty and tell him not to send people to deliver things in the afternoon?" ?”
Palace man: "..."
Emmm.
Feng Lanruo sat up with an earth-colored face, asked someone to change her clothes with an earth-colored face, washed herself, had breakfast, and then cheered up to go to work.
After more than an hour, Mao Cairen came here to hand over the accounts he had just checked.
Feng Lanruo recorded it in the book and couldn't help but be surprised: "How come her hands and feet are so fast? There were no mistakes during the review. It's really amazing."
When the palace servant saw Mao Cairen leaving, he whispered: "Mao Cairen is very diligent. Yesterday, the empress left, and she stayed here and worked hard for more than half an hour before leaving to go back to the palace."
Feng Lanruo was shocked: "How long does she sleep a day? Doesn't she feel sleepy?"
The palace man said something that surprised her again: "Mao Cairen is the first one to come every day."
He nodded to her again in a low voice: "Other ladies can complain and complain, but you must not. You are the one with the highest position. If you say a word, it will mean taking the lead and let Your Majesty know what to think in your heart." ? Are you leading people to tear him down?"
Feng Lanruo: "..."
A tear was shed.
In your Majesty's palace, I eat not a grain of rice in vain.
Because someone mentioned this matter, Feng Lanruo paid more attention to it. When everyone was about to leave after dinner, she specifically glanced at Mao Cairen's desk.
Sure enough, Mao Cairen was working at his desk and had no intention of leaving.
She couldn't help but approached and asked, "Mao Cairen, it's so late, why don't you go back?"
When Mao Cairen saw that it was Concubine Shu coming, he was slightly startled. When he was about to stand up and salute, Feng Lanruo waved his hand to stop him.
She smiled and said softly: "I want to finish what I am doing and then go back."
Feng Lanruo looked at her suspiciously and asked sincerely, "Aren't you tired?"
"It's a lie to say I'm not tired, but I still want to do more for His Majesty."
Mao Cairen's eyes were filled with affection, and he said softly: "It's just an extra hour every day. What does this mean? As long as I can make His Majesty look good, I will die without regrets."
Feng Lanruo: (￣～￣;)
Chapter 17
Although Feng Lanruo didn't know what a scab was, he did feel a little unhappy about it.
Everyone is obviously very tired, and no one is lazy during the day.
Now that Mao Cairen can stay here for more than half an hour after his duty is over, it seems that the others have no contribution...
But to say that it is blocking, it seems that it is not to see other people's efforts and to prevent others from being loyal to the emperor.
In the end, Feng Lanruo said nothing and left with the people in his palace.
After waiting for the people in Cuiwei Palace to go away, looking through the window at the two rows of palace lanterns disappearing into the night, the palace man next to Mao Cairen whispered: "This slave is watching carefully, Concubine Shu seemed a little unhappy just now. .”
Mao Cairen didn't even raise his head, just stared at the account book in front of him: "Caiwei, help me brighten the lamp."
Caiwei sighed secretly, turned around and took a silver stick from the window, opened the lampshade and plucked the wick.
Of course Mao Cairen knew that what she did would be annoying, but there was only one way in front of her.
Compared with the others, she is not beautiful enough, and can even be said to be the most mediocre in appearance among the concubines.
She does not have a prominent family background like Concubine Shu and Ding Jieyu, nor is she the daughter of a famous scholar in the country like Wu Jieyu.
Unlike Miss Xue, she is naturally sensitive to numbers and can do abacus as smoothly as a clerk who has been working as an accountant for twenty years. She is also not like Miss Tao, who has a photographic memory.
She is as ordinary as a grass on the roadside, without any talents that can be used.
Among the eight people who entered the palace, she had the lowest status.
She can only be diligent.
Since she had no one to rely on, she could only be cautious after entering the palace. Because of her temperament, she was sensitive to the fact that His Majesty might really want to entrust some important matters to their hands.
This is actually a good thing for her.
Because the matter of pleasing the emperor and competing for his favor cannot be quantified and has no standards. With her innate conditions, it is really difficult to stand out.
However, like courtiers working for the emperor, work such as planning and compiling files can be completely quantified. As long as you are willing to work hard, your Majesty will be able to see it.
She is really not that greedy, and she does not dare to expect to be compared with Concubine Shu and Wu and Ding. She just hopes that His Majesty will know that there is such a person in the palace.
If I could give her a promotion, it would be nice to become a beauty.
Among the eight concubines who entered the palace, she was the only one who was talented...
If she becomes a beauty, according to the old rules of this dynasty, my mother-in-law can be promoted to the fifth rank of Yiren.
…
There is no airtight wall in the world, and what Mao Cairen did certainly cannot be hidden from others.
Liao Meiren complained to Wu Jieyu in private: "She is alone in showing her out!"
Wu Jieyu was experienced in human nature and had a clear mind. She could understand what Mao Cairen was thinking, so she only advised: "She has her own difficulties, so just be more considerate. Here are the ways to get ahead, and there are many things that can be done." Is it just her? I just know that if I were to be as diligent as her every day, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Beauty Liao sighed and stopped mentioning the matter.
…
The West Pavilion is only a few hundred meters away from the three provinces. Now that it is in use again, people in the three provinces are naturally aware of it.
The first day of opening of the West Pavilion Office.
When several prime ministers went to the political hall to discuss matters as usual, Li Chun, the servant, asked the man next to him who was responsible for taking notes: "I just went to Shangshu Province, and I seem to see many palace people waiting outside the West Pavilion?"
The other prime ministers also looked over curiously.
"Yes," Lang Guan responded and told them the whole story: "The Queen Mother in the palace reported illness, and your Majesty ordered the concubine to handle palace affairs in the West Pavilion and check the past accounts of the inner palace."
Li Chun said "Oh" and didn't think much about it.
When he got up to go to court the next morning, the sky was still dark. When he passed the West Pavilion a hundred meters away, he saw that the lights were brightly lit, and the palace servants and servants were all waiting outside. He couldn't help but be shocked.
"Are you ladies here so early?"
The chamberlain waiting by the palace road saluted the prime minister and said solemnly: "Ladies, we say that in ancient times, our ancestors heard chickens dancing. Men often used this as encouragement. Don't women have such ambitions?"
Li Chun was in awe.
After work that day, the prime ministers gathered together to have lunch. When they returned home from get off work, they discovered that the dining room had prepared meals for the West Pavilion. They were even more shocked to hear the news - the West Pavilion had an afternoon Go to work as usual.
Feng Mingda was shocked: "Didn't you arrive there at the fifth watch? Why don't you take a break in the afternoon?"
