Although spring has begun, the ice and snow have not yet melted, and the plum blossoms in the corner have bloomed despite the frost, showing no signs of decay. The north wind outside the window was blowing loudly, and there was no sign of finishing.
The late spring cold in Beijing is not ordinary. The cold wind penetrates all the way and penetrates into people's bones. If she had nothing else to do, Concubine Hua wouldn't want to go out and suffer.
But no matter how lazy I am, I still have to deal with the official business that needs to be handled.
"After giving out the porridge these days, I have solved a headache. Shen Guiren's idea is quite feasible and has saved a lot of money."
"In the next few months, there will be no need to spend a lot of money. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
"When the money comes later, you won't have to live such a tight life."
After Concubine Hua finished speaking, she also thought about tasting the tea. There are many teas in the palace, and there are many good teas, but she only likes Longjing before the rain.
After drinking it for so many years, I have long been used to it.
(I once drank Yuqian Longjing at a relative’s house for 1,000 yuan and 1 tael. To be honest, to me, it is no different from barley tea at 50 yuan per catty.)
Songzhi said, "My wife has been working really hard these days, and I feel heartbroken just looking at you."
"My slave, these matters should be a headache for the Emperor himself."
"Anyway, the birthday banquet is his birthday banquet, the New Year's Eve palace banquet is also his palace banquet, and his face is also his face. What does it have to do with you, my empress?"
Concubine Hua put down the tea cup and changed into a comfortable position. Leaning on the kang, leaning against two square pillows, he picked up a jade roller made of sapphire and rolled it on his face.
"I don't want to take care of it, but I can't ignore it. After all, the queen has nothing to do now, and the harem is managed by me."
"If he really loses face, why not blame it all on me and say that I am incompetent."
"When the time comes, there will be more reason to divide the palace power and let Shen Gui and Jingbi share the worries of this palace."
"I will not give him this opportunity. Even if the palace power has to be divided up in the end, I will decide that part."
Songzhi nodded, "That's right, but it's a pity that I got the advantage of Concubine Jing and Guiren Shen."
"But have you thought about how to share the profits with the two of them?"
Concubine Hua said, "Of course, let the two of them manage the imperial garden."
"Shen Guiren has many ideas, so let her take care of the flowers and plants in the imperial garden, as well as the rare and exotic animals."
"As for concubine Jing, I couldn't hold back a word for a long time before and had no sense of existence. If my mother-in-law's family wasn't quite capable, I wouldn't know where she would be."
"Let her be in charge of Qin'an Hall, Tianyimen, Qianqiu Pavilion and Wanchun Pavilion and other buildings."
"Tell the two of them that they have just come into contact with palace affairs, so they should practice their skills in the imperial garden first. If anyone is really capable, I will naturally consider it as appropriate and arrange other things for them to take care of."
"This way, even if the emperor knows about it, he won't be able to find fault with me."
Songzhi complimented, "Your Majesty is wise, I never expected this much."
"The Imperial Garden sounds good, and it has a little bit of oil and water, but compared with places like the House of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Kitchen, it's just superficial."
"Give it to Gui Shen and Concubine Jing to practice with. Who wouldn't say that the empress is generous?"
"But I'm afraid I'll have to visit the garden less in the future. I'm worried that they are in charge of the imperial garden. If they have any bad intentions, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the queen."
"After all, if the empress is really uncomfortable, the power of the palace will really fall into their hands."
Concubine Hua said disdainfully, "The two of them are not so brave and dare to cause any accidents in the Imperial Garden and this palace."
"Speaking of which, if it were in the past, why would she want to be a noble or empress and want to help manage the Sixth Palace?"
"I think they want to assist Leng Gong!"
Concubine Hua's eyes flashed coldly, then she quickly calmed down and continued,
"By the way, have all the words spread?"
Songzhi said, "Don't worry, Madam, everyone in the palace must have known about it by now. You are very dissatisfied with An Zhengxing and Shen Guiren being favored."
Concubine Hua smiled, "That's good, then the emperor will think that I am still the same Concubine Hua as before, and our affairs will be much smoother."
"By the way, bring me the account book. I want to carefully calculate the accounts for the past few days."
"yes."
As soon as Songzhi put the account book into Concubine Hua's hands, Zhou Ninghai came in from outside.
"Slave, please see your Majesty. Your Majesty is safe."
Concubine Hua flipped through the accounts in her hands and asked without raising her head, "Get up, what's the matter?"
Zhou Ninghai said, "Reporting to your Majesty, Xiao Xiazi from the Yangxin Palace came over just now to deliver a message, saying that the emperor had ordered that Jin An promised to be Chang Zai and be given the title Jing."
"I heard from Xiao Xiazi that the emperor wrote several titles himself and let Jing Changzai choose them himself."
Concubine Hua raised her head and raised her brows. There was no difference between Chang Zai and Zheng Yao. They were both the lowest concubines.
There is no difference between Jin and Jin.
But it wasn't long before she was given the title. Big Fat Orange wrote it down and let her choose it herself.
Each of the newcomers selected this time is truly extraordinary.
"I really underestimate her. She is from a small family, but she has some tricks."
"Shen Guiren still doesn't have a serious title, he just uses his surname as his title. This Jing is always there, but he comes from behind."
Songzhi advised, "Don't be angry, Madam. She comes from a humble background and has no support from her mother's family. The Emperor..."
"Without children, Ding Po Tian is a noble man. Such a person is only worthy of carrying your shoes, my queen."
Concubine Hua glanced at Songzhi, put the account book aside, and said calmly, "How many times have I told you, I will never be angry about such a thing again."
"I don't care if Jing Changzai is favored again. What I care about is whether they will ruin my affairs!"
Zhou Ninghai said, "Is Jing always here?"
"She shouldn't be able to, right? She's just a rootless duckweed. How can she have the ability to harm your business?"
After all, Concubine Hua was still worried. She couldn't rest assured until the matter was settled.
"Perhaps I am overly concerned. She is indeed nothing."
"Let's take a look. After all, that thing has never been used before. I am worried that the emperor only ate it once, so that he can get rid of it once and for all."
Zhou Ninghai asked, "What do you mean?"
Concubine Hua said, "Go and prepare some more, and put them in the food and drink when the emperor comes. In this way, I can rest assured."
Zhou Ninghai said, "Your Majesty, if you do this kind of thing too often, the news will easily leak out. I am also wary of this, so I found a few strong men with children and quietly did something about it."
"You only have to look at them to see whether they are thorough or not. There is no need to take the risk of drugging the emperor."
Concubine Hua smiled with satisfaction, "Zhou Ninghai, you have learned a lot."
Zhou Ninghai suddenly laughed honestly and said, "I learned all these skills from being by your side."
Concubine Hua breathed a long sigh of relief, "That's good."
"By the way, let's go see how things are prepared. Prince Fujin of Tomorrow Village sends the fifth elder brother into the palace, so don't make any mistakes."
