eurekapd Chapter 127 Dereliction of Duty
Chapter 127 Dereliction of Duty
The servants in the palace are good at putting down the weak and praising the strong, but this matter cannot be separated from Concubine Yu. Even if Concubine Yu did not do it intentionally, she cannot escape the blame for not assisting the harem well.
If Concubine Ying disappeared from the palace within less than half a year after entering it, how would the Balin tribe view the Qing royal family?
Seeing this, the Queen Mother sighed and said, "Get up first, silly child. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"
She turned her head to look at Concubine Ying, sizing her up.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ying's face turned pale, and she finally lowered her head in shame: "I was disliked by the Emperor when I first entered the palace. I really dare not cause any more trouble, and I am even more afraid of making the Emperor unhappy..."
How could the Queen Mother not understand this? She knew she was frightened and didn't dare to speak out.
Thinking of this, she immediately became dissatisfied with Ruyi again.
This matter was caused by her. She sent the concubines who were originally learning the rules in the Old Summer Palace to Mulan Paddock, causing them to be disliked by the emperor for nothing. But after returning, she became a hands-off boss and left everything to Concubine Yu.
Concubine Yu is a very scheming person. She knew that she had used the Fifth Prince to frame Concubine Chun and her son. She didn't expect that she was as careless as Ruyi in her work.
Ruyi was feeling better, but Concubine Ying suffered a lot. If she had sent someone to visit her in Chuxiu Palace during this period, Concubine Ling would not have waited until she was seriously ill to be discovered.
The Queen Mother rubbed her eyebrows and felt a little headache.
Originally, she was very dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law. If she, Jin, and Concubine Chun were not the only ones who came out of the Qiandi Palace, it would never have been her turn to be the queen.
Jin was from the Yu clan, so naturally she was not qualified to be the empress of the Qing Dynasty; Concubine Chun was Han Chinese, and her origin was lower than that of Ruyi, who was a Manchu, so it was fortunate that she, a childless concubine, became the empress.
She had reminded Ruyi to fulfill her duties since she became the Empress, but now several years have passed and she has become more and more confused.
Empress Fucha lost her two legitimate sons, but she still managed to shoulder the responsibilities of the empress and accompany the emperor on his eastern tour.
But what about her?
She occupies the position of queen but does not do what a queen should do. No wonder so many concubines are dissatisfied with her.
The Queen Mother pondered for a long time, and finally tried to comfort Concubine Ying: "Good child, you have suffered. I will handle this matter well. Fujia, I remember that the Emperor sent a batch of furs a few days ago, among which there are several good silver fox furs. Take them back for Concubine Ying to make some clothes. I am old and cannot wear this color. It is just right for you young girls..."
As she was speaking, a palace attendant waiting outside suddenly came in to announce, "Your Majesty, the Emperor and Concubine Ling are here."
Before he finished speaking, the emperor and Yan Wan walked in from outside and bowed to the empress dowager when they saw her.
"My son, please pay your respects to the emperor's mother."
"I pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
Seeing the emperor coming, the concubines in the palace hurriedly stood up and saluted: "Your servants pay their respects to the emperor."
This was the first time Concubine Ying saw the emperor since returning from Mulan Paddock. She was very nervous and her palms, which were holding the handkerchief, were sweating.
She moved very carefully, fearing that she would accidentally dislike the emperor again.
The Queen Mother hadn't expected the Emperor to come at this time. She glanced at Yan Wan discreetly and said with a smile, "Everyone, get up. How did the Emperor find time to come here today?"
"I heard from Concubine Ling that the Empress Dowager has been talking about me a lot lately. Since I happened to be free today, I stopped by to see if she's doing well now that winter has arrived. If there's anything I need, just let the Imperial Household Department know."
He has been very busy recently and has not paid his respects to the Queen Mother for a long time.
It just so happened that he met Concubine Ling after visiting the Fifth Princess in Yiku Palace today. Hearing that she was going to pay her respects in Cining Palace, he decided to come with her.
As he spoke, he glanced at Concubine Ying opposite him, and his eyes lit up. He frowned, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out who she was.
Concubine Ying was dressed very strikingly today, in a peach-pink Manchu dress with a pattern of falling plum blossoms on the snow. The snow-white fur on the collar made her look delicate and charming.
When the Queen Mother saw him like this, she knew what he was thinking.
She smiled and agreed, introducing Concubine Ying to him: "Your Majesty is thoughtful. I am a very kind person. This is Concubine Ying. She has been learning the rules since returning from Mulan Paddock that day. Now she seems to be a good person. I think she has realized her mistakes. Your Majesty, please forgive her this time for my sake."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ying quickly knelt down and apologized: "It's all my fault. I offended Concubine Ling and the Emperor. I have been learning the rules from the nanny recently. I will not make such mistakes again in the future..."
When the emperor saw her move, he subconsciously reached out to help her up, his eyes glued to her, full of amazement.
When I first saw Mulan in the hunting grounds that day, the candlelight was dim and I couldn't see clearly. Now I see her changed into a Manchu dress and took off her Mongolian attire. The vulgarity on her body has been washed away, leaving only some of the girl's natural liveliness and charm.
The emperor felt warm in his heart. It had been a long time since he had seen such a young and beautiful lady in the harem.
Seeing her expression like a frightened bird, her eyes full of fear, and thinking of the punishment she had given him at that time, the emperor felt a little bit of pity in his heart.
Seeing this, Yan Wan knew that the matter was settled, and she also advised: "Your Majesty, it has been so long since what happened that day, why not let it be in the past? I think Concubine Ying is really pitiful. She has not yet been favored..."
Seeing Yan Wan also handed over the door, the emperor was extremely satisfied and continued, "Since the Empress Dowager and Concubine Ling have spoken for you, I can't be too harsh. How about this? I will have the Jingshifang hang up your nameplates again and restore the noble status that Ke promised. You must remember this lesson in the future and never cause trouble again."
He glanced sideways at Yan Wan.
As expected, Concubine Ling understood his thoughts best.
"I thank the emperor for his grace."
Concubine Ying and Concubine Ke hurriedly knelt down to express their gratitude. They looked at each other with excitement in their eyes.
I didn't expect that she would be restored to her position so soon. They really made the right decision to follow Concubine Ling.
"Get up! It seems that the title I gave you was correct. You really are innocent and intelligent..."
Seeing that the emperor's mind was glued to Concubine Ying, the empress dowager glanced at Yan Wan with interest.
From Concubine Mei to Noble Lady Ying, and then to the Emperor, how could she not see that all this was her doing? She probably wanted to take advantage of Noble Lady Ying's favor to suppress the Queen's party.
Since the conversation has come to this point, the Queen Mother doesn't mind helping her again.
She said happily, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, the Empress handed over the six palaces to Concubine Yu to take care of. However, the Fifth Prince and the Fifth Princess are both weak. They are each taking care of their own children. I'm afraid they are too busy to take care of the six palaces..."