Ever since he saw An Lingrong's brand, Big Fat Orange had been hanging around Concubine Hua, An Lingrong, and Shen Meizhuang almost all night.
Huang Guiquan was not very good at other things, but his ability to read the emperor's eyes was second to none.
He took a dozen eunuchs with him, brought various tools, furnishings, and silks, and came to An Lingrong.
"My lord, winter is long, and the sun is not as bright as spring and summer. The paper on your window is old, and the room will inevitably not be bright enough."
"My servant specially brought someone here to change the plain paper for you."
Huang Guiquan held his orchid finger, standing there like a water snake, pretending to be surprised and said,
"Your table and the gauze curtain are also old. I dare to make the decision for you and replace it together. Do you think it is okay, little master?"
An Lingrong said, "In this case, there is Manager Lao Huang."
Huang Guiquan said, "You're welcome, little master. This is all a slave's responsibility."
"My eyes are not open enough, and I didn't realize that the people below me were so careless in doing things, which made my mistress wronged. Please forgive me, my mistress."
It is common in the palace for people to worship those who are superior and those who are inferior to others. An Lingrong has been used to seeing the hot and cold world since she was a child. Now that she is more open-minded, she doesn't take it to heart. What's more, Huang Guiquan has given her enough face this time.
Besides, Huang Gui belongs to Concubine Hua. Even if she wants to care about her, how can she care about her after she has just gained some favor?
An Lingrong said, "Manager Huang, you don't have to be like this. There are always things you can't see. Besides, I haven't suffered any grievances."
Huang Guiquan said with a smile, "My master, please be generous. I thank you very much, my master."
"It takes a while to knock, but it will take two or three hours. I'm worried that it will affect my master's rest. Do you think you should go sit with another master for a while?"
An Lingrong nodded. Since the house was about to be moved, it was indeed inconvenient for her to be here.
"That's fine. Baojuan, you can stay here and help Manager Huang. Juqing and I will go to Xianfu Palace together, and invite Mr. Shen to sit with us at Suiyuxuan."
Baojuan said, "Don't worry, little master, I will definitely help Mr. Huang and handle everything properly."
*
When An Lingrong arrived at Xianfu Palace, Shen Meizhuang had just looked at the account books for an hour and was a little tired. He readily agreed as soon as he heard An Lingrong's intention.
The two of them walked to Broken Yuxuan. This place was already remote, but Chun Changzai moved out after Zhen Huan fell ill.
Coupled with Kang Luhai and others, seeing that there was no way out for staying here, they turned to Libi in a blink of an eye, and now it seemed even more deserted.
But the advantage of having fewer people is that the three of them are talking to each other, unlike Yanxi Palace and Xianfu Palace where there are so many people.
When we arrived at Suiyuxuan, the yard was empty except for Xiao Yunzi sweeping the snow with a big broom made of bamboo branches.
Seeing Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong coming over, he quickly put down his things and saluted them.
"I'll see Mr. Shen and see An and agree."
Shen Meizhuang said, "Little Yunzi, get up quickly. Where is your mistress? What are you doing now?"
Little Yunzi said, "Reporting to Mr. Shen, Chang Zai is reading a book in the room at the moment. You two came at the right time. Just now Chang Zai said he was bored and wanted to drink tea with the two young masters."
Shen Meizhuang took An Lingrong's hand and said with a smile, "Huan'er has never been out in Suiyuxuan. She must be bored. Let's go in together."
The two of them entered the door together, and Zhen Huan was sitting on the kang by the window reading a book. When he saw the important part, he immediately frowned.
Huanbi was the first to see the two people coming in, and the voice of greetings pulled Zhen Huan's thoughts back from the world in the book.
Seeing Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong standing on the side, he said in surprise,
"Sister Mei, Lingrong, you are here, come and sit down quickly."
Huanbi brought a stool over with soft cushions on it. After Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong sat down, they greeted each other with tea, which was very enthusiastic.
"Master Shen, please have some tea."
"Little Master Lingrong, these are your favorite scented tablets."
Shen Meizhuang said, "Huanbi has been following you for a long time. Not only is he getting smarter, but his facial features are also similar."
Zhen Huan said, "Isn't it? Huanbi and Liuzhu and I grew up together. Although we are masters and servants in terms of status, our relationship is like that of sisters."
Huanbi lowered her head happily after hearing what Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan said.
She and Zhen Huan are half-sisters, so it's natural that they look similar. Moreover, the eldest sister also said that she was not regarded as a slave, but as a sister.
But not long after she was happy, Huanbi felt a little sad. Only her father and daughter knew her identity. It is obviously the body of a young lady, but it is the life of a maid.
Her father told her that her identity should not be exposed, otherwise the Zhen family would be in big trouble.
Let her accompany her into the palace, just to hope that she can have a good future. Otherwise, if you stay in Zhen Mansion, you will only be a slave, or you will be released as a commoner, and you will never be able to make a difference in your life.
Huanbi felt uncomfortable and didn't want to stay in there any longer, lest she reveal anything and arouse suspicion.
"Slave, go and prepare some snacks."
After saying that, Huanbi ran down in a hurry, as if someone was chasing her.
An Lingrong looked at her in surprise and then looked away. She was Zhen Huan's slave after all, and she was not very talkative.
Shen Meizhuang has known Huanbi for many years and knows her temperament. He smiled and said,
"Look, just now she was saying that she had learned a lot from you, and now she's back to her original form."
Zhen Huan said, "Sister Mei, please don't laugh at her. Suiyuxuan is a remote place with no outsiders, so I didn't restrain them."
"The emperor has asked you to learn to manage palace affairs for some time. What do you think of Sister Mei? Are you comfortable with it?"
When it comes to palace affairs, Shen Meizhuang seems to be cast in a haze. The smile on his face could no longer be held on, and his complexion suddenly darkened.
"Just like that, it's not that easy to seize power from Concubine Hua."
"What's more, my status, favor, and family background are not as good as hers. Even if I have the help of the concubine, I can't get involved for a while."
Zhen Huan asked, "What's going on?"
"My sister and Concubine Jing are co-managers of the Sixth Palace. The emperor personally issued the decree. Is Concubine Hua so bold that she doesn't even take the emperor's words seriously?"
An Lingrong said, "Sister Huan, I don't know that Concubine Hua's usual battles are worthy of the title of a tiger girl in general."
"When she was still in the palace, she was in charge of many things in the palace, let alone after entering the palace."
"The queen is also frail and sick. Concubine Hua has to take a look at the accounts after taking care of many things."
"She pays equal attention to kindness and power. On the one hand, she is ruthless in her methods, and on the other hand, she spends her money like water."
"In addition, Huang Guiquan, the eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is a distant relative of hers. She does one thing in front of her and does another behind her back. Sister Mei and Concubine Jing have nothing to do for a while."
Shen Meizhuang sighed, "These days, Concubine Hua used the excuse that Concubine Jing and I have never been exposed to housekeeping matters and need to study hard."
"Leave the accounts of the previous years to us and let us learn by ourselves. When she feels that it is almost done and passes the teaching exam, she will arrange the rest for the two of us."
