Chapter 133 134: The emperor has made great progress
Feng Yunjin thought about it seriously, looked up at the two of them and said: "The wind in the harem is blowing, and the concubines who gave up the money will have to fight for it. As long as there are more people fighting, the people behind the scenes will be able to fish in troubled waters. But if others know that not everyone can get on the merit monument, and the amount of money donated and the number of places are limited, this is tantamount to setting up two hurdles. You have to see if you have the qualifications before you can even think about it."
You are not qualified to fight, so why bother?
"Feng Xiaoyuan makes sense." Lu Zhixue praised.
Feng Yunjin looked at her, did she say this? She was the one who helped Jieyu explain to her that even flattering is wrong and worrying.
Song Yunzhao didn't care what Lu Zhixue said. Although this person is a little smarter, his brain is still lacking. If he touches the wall a few more times, he will grow a little bit more. She should not stop him.
This is the nature of some people. They don’t look back until they bump into the south wall.
"But if the news is released, how can we catch the person behind the scenes?" Han Jinyi asked, he can't just let it go, if he can't catch it this time, he will definitely have to make trouble next time.
"That depends on the ability of Concubine Shu." Song Yunzhao didn't intend to steal Concubine Shu's limelight. Now that Concubine Shu is more beautiful, the better she is, and when the Empress Dowager returns to the palace, she can still stand in front of him.
She is giving Concubine Shu a credit now, and when the Empress Dowager makes things difficult for her, maybe Concubine Shu can take care of herself a little bit.
Facing the queen mother, you can’t count on the emperor. The emperor is not Cao Cao. He will come when it comes to it. What if she is waiting here to save the emperor and the emperor can’t come?
Feng Yunjin knew that Song Jieyu was determined to give Concubine Shu an honor, and she sighed in her heart, not everyone can have such courage.
The three of them continued to play cards after drinking tea. Lu Zhixue would be a little absent-minded. After a few rounds, all the notes stuck to her face. She was so angry that the notes flew up. That scene was really beautiful.
After the emperor finished his work in the previous court, the news reached the harem, and the concubines in the harem had already dressed up and waited. If there is a queen mother, the emperor will bring his concubines to pay New Year's greetings to the queen mother first, but the queen mother is not in the palace, so this procedure is avoided.
If there is an empress, the concubines will go to Changle Palace, and wait for the emperor to pay New Year's greetings to the empress.
However, there is no queen in the harem.
There is no one to worship these two great gifts, so naturally it will save a lot of trouble.
As for the palace banquet, the emperor was very tired today and didn't want to hold another palace banquet, but he couldn't help it, so he ordered Concubine Shu to take the lead, and Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan co-organized the banquet at Concubine Shu's Cuiwei Palace.
With a decree, Concubine Shu soared into the sky, but Song Yunzhao cautiously smelled the emperor's conspiracy. It is possible that the two have been together for a long time. Both of them have the skills of understanding each other, and they all aim at Concubine Shu alone.
Song Yunzhao was a little cautious.
So when she went to the Cuiwei Palace for the banquet, she deliberately kept a low profile and didn't take the initiative to cause trouble. Even when the emperor came to the Cuiwei Palace, she didn't look up at the emperor, so as not to be mistaken for being winking at the emperor.
Song Yunzhao is so knowledgeable, Concubine Shu is very happy, she is afraid that Song Yunzhao will make trouble in her Cuiwei Palace, if there is a trouble, this Song Yunzhao is like the hob meat on the chopping board, she has nowhere to start, and there is nothing serious about it.
The emperor finally valued her, and if he was dissatisfied with her because of this matter, who would she turn to for reasoning?
Song Yunzhao's sense of humor made Concubine Shu feel happy, but Feng Yi's mood was very subtle. She always felt that Yunzhao seemed unhappy, so she didn't even look at him.
Not to mention the faces of Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan, those who forced their smiles are all praises for them. The three concubines have been fighting for so many years. A few days ago, Concubine Shu finally got her title revoked, but she finally got it back.
Now the emperor asked Concubine Shu to hold a banquet in Cuiwei Palace on the first day of the Lunar New Year. What does this mean?
This shows that among the three concubines, the emperor values Concubine Shu the most.
Originally thinking that Song Yunzhao, the beloved concubine, would have to make trouble, but the whole banquet was so honest, are you depressed?
Feng Yi was just going through the motions in Cuiwei Palace, stayed for less than a quarter of an hour before leaving, and before leaving, he even cast a vague glance at Song Yunzhao.
As a result, Song Yunzhao lowered his head and saw nothing.
As soon as the emperor left, the banquet in Cuiwei Palace lost its fun. Although there were singers singing and dancers dancing, and the orchestral music continued, the atmosphere was very strange.
Qin Xiyue was also a little restless while sitting at the banquet. She was surprised that the emperor would host the first palace banquet in Cuiwei Palace for Concubine Shu to preside over it. This was the first time for the third concubine after entering the palace.
It seems that the right minister's previous performance made the emperor not only satisfied, but very satisfied, so he gave Concubine Shu face and elevated Concubine Shu in the palace.
However, her father also contributed, so what happened?
Qin Xiyue was very disappointed, it shouldn't be like this.
Song Yunzhao felt much more relaxed once the emperor left, and turned around to talk to Han Jinyi beside him.
Feng Yunjin's side Lu Zhixue used to join in the fun with her. Lu Zhixue's temperament is really not popular in the palace, and no one dares to approach her.
She is the kind of person who doesn't come to me and I'll make do with it, so she has no one else to talk to except Han Jinyi and Feng Yunjin. If Han Jinyi and Yun Zhao are right, she can only dominate Feng Yunjin, otherwise it would be quite uncomfortable to be alone.
Feng Yunjin was very popular, even though there was Lu Zhixue sitting next to her, many people greeted and talked with her in the past, Lu Zhixue got annoyed every time she came and went, so she simply got up and went to Yun Zhao's side.
Song Yunzhao:…
Han Jinyi smiled and pulled Lu Zhixue to sit down, and said to her, "I wanted to talk to you later, but you came here first."
Lu Zhixue's expression improved when she heard this, "There are too many people at Feng Xiaoyuan's side, so I'll come here to be quiet."
Song Yunzhao glanced at her and felt that he was connoted.
Lu Zhixue didn't notice it, moved her body, coughed lightly, looked around cautiously, and then said in a low voice: "I just heard about the monument of merit, but I didn't expect it to be more troublesome than we thought."
Han Jinyi said: "Concubine Shu has no time to deal with this matter now, and the news we will release will have to wait until after the banquet. People naturally have great expectations for this matter now."
Song Yunzhao listened to the two talking slowly, she held the teacup in her hand but didn't enter the mouth, her eyes swept over Qin Xiyue's position slightly, and there were many people talking around her at this time, some of them were familiar, and some were unfamiliar, the few people who were unfamiliar to her were the concubines who failed after entering the palace like Concubine Shu, and they didn't usually come out.
I don't know how much Qin Xiyue has worked in secret. She is worthy of being the heroine. Everyone is working so hard, and she, the supporting actress, can't be lazy.
After the banquet ended, it was completely dark outside.
Anshun waited with someone carrying a palace lantern and a warm sedan chair, and when he saw Yun Zhao coming out, he immediately greeted him, "Master, hurry up and get on the sedan chair."
Song Yunzhao nodded, and stepped into the warm sedan chair. There was a carbon cage in the sedan chair, which was burning very warmly, and he felt warm after sitting in it.
She lifted the car curtain to bid farewell to Han Jinyi and the others before leaving.
As soon as Song Yunzhao left, the rest of the people also left one after another according to their status. Concubine Shu in Cuiwei Palace was happy today, so she inevitably drank a few more cups, and felt a little sober after washing up.
Leaning on the soft pillow and slowly drinking sober tea, she looked at Nanny Wen and asked, "Is there anything wrong?"
"The empress is at ease, everything is going well." Nanny Wen is really happy. Today, the empress is quite elated. Before the title was revoked, Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan had a lot of words to run on, and today she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Concubine Shu said with a smile: "Song Jieyu is very knowledgeable today."
Nurse Wen also said: "That's right, the servant was worried all night, but luckily it passed smoothly."
It wasn't because he was afraid of offending Song Jieyu, but because the empress was hosting the banquet, and she was about to cause some unpleasantness, so it was the empress who would be ashamed.
It is best to be happy with everyone.
Concubine Shu was also very satisfied, and was about to go to rest, when she heard Nanny Wen say again: "There is one more thing, I wanted to tell the empress tomorrow morning, but I'm afraid I might miss it."
Concubine Shu looked sideways at Nanny Wen, "What is it?"
"It's for the monument of merit." Nanny Wen said.
"The matter of the stele of merit and virtue is not something that anyone can decide at once. Those rumors in the palace are obviously disturbing the water. I think it is Concubine Zhuang who has bad intentions and is not good for others." Concubine Shu said angrily.
"It's not because of this, but because there are other rumors that the number of merit monuments is limited, and not everyone's name can be engraved on it." Nanny Wen said hurriedly.
"Limited places?" Concubine Shu trembled all over, "Tell me carefully what's going on?"
This is related to her glory, and she can't make mistakes at all. If anyone dares to block her future, she will tear off a piece of flesh from her!
"The meritorious deeds are originally the actions of the common people, but how big the stele can be, there is a certain number of names engraved on it. This time, the donation of silver and goods is not limited to the harem. There are also many courtiers and private merchants outside. It is said that there are not many people who can be allocated to the harem."
Concubine Shu breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, "No one will miss me even if it's like this. I did this thing back then."
Wei Wei has a guilty conscience and suggested Song Yunzhao, but she will definitely not treat her badly, her share is indispensable.
Besides, she didn't dare to be less, Song Yunzhao really dared to make trouble.
"Your Majesty said that the slaves also heard that the quota is determined by the amount of donated silver."
"Then what is there to argue about?" Concubine Shu felt relieved at once. She donated the most when the harem was full, and she was happy thinking about it. She looked at Nanny Wen and said, "Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan are going to regret it. At that time, I advised them to do more good deeds, and these two people insisted on singing against me. Now it's good, I have fooled myself."
Concubine Shu is in a great mood, and the more she thinks about it, the more she feels complacent. This year's first game went smoothly, and everything will go well this year.
Shu Fei smiled, "By the way, have you found out where this rumor came from?"
"This matter is almost clear. There are so many people in the harem, anyone can pass it in." Madam Wen sighed, the palace gate is not strict so that the concubine can contact her family, but correspondingly, it is difficult to find out the root cause of such things.
Concubine Shu sneered, "It's nothing if you can't find any evidence. If you think about it carefully, you can guess who did it. If it's not Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan, then it must be Qin Wanyi."
"What does your lady mean?"
"In this disaster relief, Song Yunzhao's father and Qin Taifu only got false names, and only my father got real benefits. Speaking of which, Qin Taifu was the first to act first, and the Qin family will definitely not let it go. Once the matter of the monument of merit comes out, what can Qin Wanyi do?"
After finishing speaking, Concubine Shu said with a bit of pride, "I have fought with Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Wan for so many years, and these few times I have always won the upper hand. Naturally, they can't sit still. It is also expected that they will disturb the water with regard to the monument of merit."
"Ma'am, are things just left to them?" Wen Nanny said with a frown.
"Of course not." Concubine Shu couldn't hold back her breath, "I'm in a daze today, I can come up with a good idea, I'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Your Majesty has been tired all day, and this servant will help you to rest."
Concubine Shu supported Nanny Wen's hand into the bedroom, and after lying down, she slowly said, "Song Yunzhao is not a person who suffers. You are watching Wangyou Palace for any movement in this matter."
If Song Yunzhao made a move, she would be happy to watch the excitement, so let her work harder.
Nurse Wen responded, and blew on the lamp in the bedroom, leaving only a small lamp in the corner, and the hall fell silent instantly.
Concubine Shu closed her eyes and soon fell asleep. In her dream, she still thought about going on like this, maybe the position of imperial concubine is not far away from her.
In the Palace of Wangyou, Song Yunzhao received a message from the emperor, and there was an urgent note sent to the palace, so he would not come at night.
Song Yunzhao was stunned for a long time, the emperor would not come if he didn't come to Wangyou Palace, so did you say hello to her?
Hey, this is a big improvement.
Even if the empress didn't dare to ask about the emperor's whereabouts, Song Yunzhao didn't dare to probe easily, but the emperor himself delivered the letter to her, so don't blame her.
Song Yunzhao is in a good mood. This is not a matter of oral communication. This shows that his weight and status in the emperor's heart are different from before.
In the past, the emperor only regarded her as a favorite concubine, as a harem garbage sweeper, but now she is a little bit like his own.
Her hard work in the past few months was not in vain. Song Yunzhao slept very sweetly this night.
In the Taiji Palace, Feng Yi was raised alone on the dragon bed. For the first time, he felt that the dragon bed was too empty, and he couldn't sleep.
The urgent note was sent from the palace, saying that the queen mother was ill.
Feng Yi sneered, he had his own eyeliner in the palace, if the Queen Mother was really ill, he would have already heard the news.
The queen mother couldn't bear it anymore, so she passed a message to herself.
Feng Yi couldn't fall asleep, thinking of the queen mother, he couldn't help thinking of the days before he became emperor, of the queen mother's dissatisfaction with him, and of the queen mother's willingness to use him as a stepping stone in order to regain favor.
He remembered the sneering smiles and disdainful eyes of the late emperor's empress and concubine when they looked at him. At that time, he wished he could sneak in, but at that time he was a soft-spoken person and was not loved by his father. Even if the empress and concubine humiliated him, he could only stand there and listen.
However, thanks to his father's dislike for his son, he was allowed to avoid the battle for the throne. Who would have thought that he would be the one who would sit on the throne of God in the end.
He thought it was funny when the queen mother said that he could sit on the throne of God thanks to her.
Before the coffin of the first emperor was buried, he was asked to promote the An family, and he felt that he couldn't eat a title of Marquis of Gu En. If it wasn't for the rules, the new emperor ascended the throne and wanted to reward the descendants, and he didn't even want to look at the An family.
The queen mother is not in the capital, and Gu Enhou is not on the banquet list every year, and he doesn't want to be said to be mean, so he sends people from Gu Enhou's mansion to the palace to accompany the queen mother for the festival every time.
The queen mother is anxious to come back this time, and I am afraid that the An family will also contribute a lot.
Feng Yi thought about it, and decided not to take the Queen Mother back to Beijing in advance. Since she is sick, it is not suitable for bumpy roads, so she should send an imperial doctor to treat the Queen Mother.
Early the next morning, Feng Yi sent the imperial physician to the palace, so news of the queen mother's illness spread.
Zuo Xiangfu.
Zuo Xiang and his son Ji Yunting are playing chess. The father and son have been playing a game of chess for an hour.
"How was your stay in the Imperial Academy?" Zuo Xiang looked at his son and asked.
Different from Song Xunran who was released to the outside world, Ji Yunting accepted the test of Shu Jishi to stay in Beijing.
"Everything is fine, father don't need to worry." Ji Yunting said with a son.
The left minister followed suit and said, "Don't be arrogant in the Imperial Academy, but be more humble. It's not easy to get out of here. But once you get out of the way, it's much easier to ascend to the court to worship the minister than to be an outsider."
"My son knows." Ji Yunting nodded in response.
Prime Minister Zuo raised his head, "You also have to plan your marriage. Your mother said that she will see you after the new year. Don't shirk this time. Your marriage with Ming'an County Lord is like a farce, and it will damage your reputation. This time, you must find a woman who is famous and talented to be engaged, so as to save you."
Ji Yunting tightened his hands on the chess piece, hesitating for a moment if he wanted to refuse the marriage, but finally he couldn't say it out, "Marriage is a big deal, but it's up to the parents."
It’s not that Prime Minister Zuo didn’t see his son’s hesitation, but since he agreed, it means that he has figured it out, and he doesn’t need to say anything else, just said: “Nowadays, the situation in the court is changing, and the emperor is getting stronger and stronger. You have to grow up quickly, and you can’t be like before.”
Ji Yunting raised his head when he heard the words, "Father, because of this, it is actually the best policy for me to let it go."
He doesn't want to take the exam for a good scholar, he also wants to be released. The qualifications in the Imperial Academy are getting higher and higher, and it is not easy to get ahead.
Because of the resignation with He Lanyun, it was boring for him to stay in the capital, and he really wanted to go out to relax.
Prime Minister Zuo looked at his son, "Why do you suddenly have the idea of letting go? Did someone tell you something?"
Ji Yunting shook his head, "My son just thinks that the Imperial Academy is a good place, but if the son wants to get ahead and become a minister like his father, he might not be able to do so within twenty years. Rather than gain seniority in the Imperial Academy, it is better to let him go. At least the son must know what to do as an official and how the people live. If the emperor asks about politics in the future, the son can't ask three questions."
"It's a joke, don't you understand it if you don't let it out?" Zuo Xiang frowned and stared at his son.
Ji Yunting didn't take back his gaze, and met his father's sharp eyes, he said slowly: "My son doesn't want to stay in the capital, and it's also related to the county lord's resignation. Now because of this matter, my son's reputation has been damaged. It's better to go out. After a few years, no one will mention it again."
Sure enough, it was because of this.
Prime Minister Zuo remained silent with a sullen face. It was his intention to get engaged to the Prince of Zhenbei at the beginning, but it was such a coincidence that the daughter of the Qin family also wrote a letter to her son, and the Prince of Zhenbei knew about it by accident.
Thinking of Qin Wanyi, Prime Minister Zuo's expression became ugly, "I told you that the daughter of the Qin family is already the emperor's Wanyi, and you can no longer have the slightest contact with her. If it weren't for her, how could there be any accidents in the marriage with the Zhenbei Palace? If you still miss someone you shouldn't, I don't think you need to be an official. If something happens, the whole family will follow you and lose their lives!"
"My son said that since she entered the palace, he has never had any contact with her. It is not wrong that she wrote the letter, but it was not what my son intended." Ji Yunting's face was pale, and he couldn't get out of this quagmire. "Even before Qin Wanyi entered the palace, her son had nothing to do with her."
He really didn't know why there were rumors that he liked Qin Wanyi.
Prime Minister Zuo said lightly: "Since it wasn't your intention, why didn't you make it clear to the county magistrate?"
Ji Yunting was silent, "The son really has no love for the county magistrate."
Prime Minister Zuo was silent for a while, and then slowly said: "Think about it for yourself, what have you gained and what have you lost in this matter, obviously you are not at fault, but in the end all the faults are borne by you. Like you, even if you enter the officialdom, you will be skinned and eaten by others. Instead of waiting until that day, you might as well stay at home to keep you safe."
Ji Yunting remained silent, he could not refute this statement.
Thinking about it carefully, he is actually not sure what he thinks about Qin Xiyue, does he like it? There seems to be no such impulse.
However, every time Qin Xiyue and He Lanyun meet him, it seems that there will always be a miraculous repetition of a scene, and he is deeply trapped in this scene and cannot escape.
He knew that he was wrong, but he didn't expect that things would develop to the point where he was.
Qin Xiyue entered the palace, he didn't feel sad, and he didn't feel happy when he got engaged to He Lanyun.
But he knew, even if he said it, no one would believe it.
Because, every time He Lanyun and Qin Xiyue quarreled because of him, he was the one who favored Qin Xiyue.
Even he himself feels very puzzled when he thinks about it now, but he did the thing, and he can't tell the difference, so he can only keep silent.
"Father, my son wants to be released outside."
Zuo Xiang frowned.
Ji Yunting sighed softly, "Staying in Beijing, every time I see others, I will feel that I am a joke. Why don't you let me out, my son will be an official and I won't embarrass you."
Prime Minister Zuo looked at his favorite eldest son, and finally sighed, "You can go if you want, but this time, I will not intervene in how you let go, where you go, and you make your own decisions to bear. If you are really sent to a bitter cold place, I will not intercede for you."
If you want to venture out, you have to bear the consequences yourself.
The character homepages of Song Yunzhao and Feng Yi are online, everyone is welcome to visit Xiaoxiang Academy~ The 6,000-word update is complete, okay?
(end of this chapter)