Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Chapter 654 The Mad Daily Life of a Deposed Concubine in the Cold Palace (Part 26)

"Knock Knock-"

A series of rhythmic knocks sounded at the door. The kitten peeked out and saw the familiar little eunuch guarding the door. He nimbly and quickly reported the situation to Nian Nian inside the house.

After receiving a piece of jerky as a reward, it meowed happily, then returned to its post, shook its body, and stared warily at the outside of the wall with eyes as if it were hunting.

Xia Youmi was patching up the wall behind the yard, immersed in the beauty of straight lines, when she heard Niannian calling her. She got up, wiped her hands clean, and headed out the door.

"Squeak—" The door opened a crack, and Xia Youmi poked her head out, letting the little eunuch, who was half-kneeling and half-fallen on the ground, stand up and speak.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

The little eunuch's expression was relatively calm; he probably ran too hard, which caused him to look like he had been frightened and collapsed.

"what's up?"

Xia Youmi had met this guy a few times. He was always straightforward and got straight to the point, trying to minimize any trace of loyalty from the other party. But this guy could repay a single meal's kindness many times over, let alone countless meals.

Upon hearing that someone in the Cold Palace was plotting to murder her that night, and wasn't afraid of being arrested and severely punished, they immediately informed the group.

He was lucky; he always managed to overhear information, whether actively or passively, without being discovered or targeted.

of course,

Most of them would be turned away by Xia Youmi and Niannian before anyone even came to their door. A few more patient people would also help out anonymously if they had any intention of targeting the eunuchs.

Thus, all was well until the beginning of spring, and now it is already early March.

The entire palace was bustling with activity. Not to mention the young ladies-in-waiting entering the palace, the first thing to be arranged was the renovation and relocation of various places. Many palace staff left their original posts, and with money and connections, they obediently reorganized themselves.

Because His Majesty had not mentioned or visited the Cold Palace for the past three months, the position of the little eunuch had gone from being sought-after to being unwanted, and he successfully remained in the cat guardian circle.

He witnessed all the rumors and commotions caused by relocations in various places every day, and he chatted endlessly with his cat master. Even though the cat master couldn't understand the peanuts and melon seeds, it didn't stop him from enjoying the offerings.

In this way, even in this remote place, there will always be something to laugh about.

Before the young women entered the palace, in addition to palace repairs and personnel allocation, there were many other tasks, both overt and covert.

Related to them is that many people left the Cold Palace in the spring.

First, the Empress's internal affairs were handed over smoothly, and the gardens outside the palace reserved for some of the concubines to live out their retirement were also repaired. Naturally, they had to prepare to set off and make room for the concubines. Feng Chengyuan granted them special favor and allowed the former emperor's concubines who were still conscious in the Cold Palace to go with him. Several old women were assigned to look after them, and as long as they did not cause trouble in the future, they could live out their retirement normally.

Those whose consciousness was clouded were also asked to leave the palace and moved to a villa in the suburbs of the capital. They were provided with basic necessities, and the rest they had to do themselves.

But being trapped in the cold palace is almost the same; at least the outside world is spacious.

Once the late emperor's people have all moved away, the Cold Palace will truly become desolate. Although Feng Chengyuan's harem is not exactly desolate, it is not wealthy either. Most of the women in the harem were sent to the mansion by important officials who now hold positions in the court. Even if they are not favored in the mansion, it does not prevent them from enjoying their current peaceful life.

Some of those who made short-term mistakes returned to the palace before the end of the year, and the number of those who could still live with her could be counted on one hand.

Two of them are genuinely problematic; their families betrayed Feng Chengyuan, and they are practically insane. Another one has lost her baby and attacks any child she sees, making it impossible for her to live a proper life outside the Cold Palace. The third and a half have committed serious crimes such as espionage or witchcraft, and are just waiting for the day His Majesty will give them a swift punishment.

therefore,

Even though the neighbors are all clearly identifiable and their numbers have decreased significantly, Xia Youmi's surroundings have become noisy and unsettling.

Every few days, palace servants would pass by; they weren't all eunuchs, but also guards, craftsmen, commoners, and stewards.

The reason for this was that the population of the Cold Palace was declining, but the land could not be wasted. Coincidentally, countless new talents were preparing to move into the palace. Empress Gongsun and the four princes discussed the matter and decided to make a thorough renovation.

As the fourth year approached, many of Feng Chengyuan's new policies and experiences had yielded certain benefits, prompting his capable subordinate to put a plan to reform the organization on the agenda.

It was also because the Gongsun family was about to usurp the court that he once again took the initiative to donate a lot of silver, in the name of the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, to tell everyone that their residences should welcome the new masters, meaning to remove the bad luck of the late emperor and make his daughters live comfortably and feel like they belonged to the new emperor.

With all that said, many people are planning to send their daughters to the palace this year. If the palace is dilapidated or if no one has contributed, will those remote courtyards be assigned to their own family members? What's the point of competing for favor then? His Majesty would definitely not want to go.

Whether intentional or not, a farce masquerading as a benevolent scheme but in reality a game of advance investment and speculation has unfolded.

With the national treasury, private treasury, and the storehouses reserved for the emperor's brother-in-law, not to mention repairing a few old courtyards, even the small place of the Cold Palace, a piece of abandoned land that was once neither a proper door nor a proper window, has undergone a major overhaul.

Originally, Consort Chan lived in the only palace in the area still inhabited by concubines.

However, the Empress clearly did not intend to waste a large area of ​​dilapidated bricks, tiles, mud, and rotten wood. She allocated the area for the construction of three new palaces, based on the original plans of the harems of several previous emperors.

Basically, only about 10% of the land was left for Xia Youmi and the other original inhabitants. This 10% included her current cramped little courtyard, the few people who were gathered together, and the small bungalows left for the nearby palace servants to live in.

With ample financial support, the project was launched quickly, and a fresh wooden frame was erected.

Although they won't be able to move in with this year's imperial concubines, they can still be used as backups.

Due to the noise and the mixed crowd, Chan Guiren moved away from this place.

Xia Youmi's courtyard naturally came into view. Even if she didn't go out, there were palace servants who delivered meals on time every day, including people who dragged away kitchen waste and other miscellaneous items through the back door. Not to mention, there was also a eunuch guarding the place, acting like a door god to be vigilant about every passerby. But when he wasn't being watched, he could be seen chatting with different cats, which made people quite curious.

There are always some daring busybodies who try to strike up a conversation, try to get information out of others, and even try to climb over the wall. They only stop when their faces are scratched raw. Some are quick to run away, but the wall doesn't let them go every year and scratches their faces whenever it gets the chance.

Once the ban is issued, the person in charge can simply check for claw marks to determine who has made a mistake.

This was a good way to control the situation; not a single official announcement was made.

However, there were still people who passed by and chatted with the eunuchs, pretending to deliver messages. The eunuchs couldn't tell the truth from the falsehood, so they could only report the things that were detrimental to the noble master to them one by one.

After it happened so many times, he became numb to it.

He heard all sorts of true and false tests from the Ninth Prince's subordinates, including accusations of treason, but they no longer aroused any shock.

therefore,

Even though the news wasn't good this time, the little eunuch was mostly panting from running and didn't seem to care much about the news itself.

He raised his eyes and said in a sincere low voice, "Someone asked me to pass on a message that Shao Bo has passed away in prison. Please be prepared, as the Ninth Prince will soon take you away from the capital."

"?" Xia Youmi was stunned for a moment. How could it be so sudden? She hadn't paid attention to the outside world of the palace for only a day or two, and such a bombshell message had come out. It was still difficult to tell whether it was true or not.

Even if Feng Chengnian didn't have this idea, once others spread it around and he realized it was feasible, the false could become true.

Besides,

The fact that someone deliberately delivered the letter signifies the start of a scheme, and something is bound to happen during this process.

I've heard about it every year and tried to verify all the footage, but unfortunately, at least the news of Shao Bo's passing is true.