eurekapd Chapter 351: I was so angry at myself for being so cowardly that I couldn’t eat.
Chapter 351: I was so angry at myself for being so cowardly that I couldn’t eat.
351
Before Concubine Hua could react to the meaning of these words, she saw the concubines in the room suddenly stand up and kneel on the ground.
"Your Highness and I congratulate Her Majesty Hua Fei."
"Sisters, you are so polite today. It's just a coincidence. It's too early to congratulate you now." Concubine Hua asked all the concubines to get up quickly. She felt her scalp tingling.
This luck of rising in status is truly unstoppable.
Yesterday, Concubine Hua still thought that since the Emperor had rewarded the Nian family in this life, he would not flatter her anymore.
Now it seems that I was overthinking.
Maybe it was because the emperor sprained his waist last night, so he didn’t have time to say it.
"The emperor has spoken so clearly that he told me about it. How can it be untrue?" The queen looked at Hua Fei, "Yes, Hua Fei accidentally injured the emperor last night. I guess that's why the emperor didn't tell you."
Concubine Hua sometimes felt that the Queen was becoming less and less stable, and would pick on the slightest thing to put pressure on her.
Concubine Hua was a little speechless.
This woman's desire for revenge is terrifyingly strong.
That's right. I have always been bullying the Queen for being old and ugly, and now the Queen has finally found something to talk about me.
However, Concubine Hua didn't want to give in either.
This is what the harem is like, a hellish place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. If you are a little soft,
In the afternoon, I didn't know the seriousness of the matter and not only gained weight, but also accidentally injured the emperor's waist. Rumors like this spread throughout the harem.
Tomorrow morning, the censors will use this as an excuse to say that the Shannian family has become arrogant because of their favor.
What's more, the Queen actually dared to ridicule herself for being fat, which was absolutely intolerable.
"The Queen has always been so blessed. I didn't expect that today, I would also be blessed." Feeling lucky, Concubine Hua forced a smile on her face and said to the Queen.
"Empress Hua, what do you mean by this?" Chun Changzai, who was standing nearby, suddenly couldn't understand what Empress Hua meant, so she just asked.
Hua Fei secretly laughed in her heart. In her previous life, it was the straightforward Concubine Qi who gave her a way out. In this life, it was Concubine Chun. In short, these two people together made it impossible to turn around.
"When Her Majesty was promoted from a concubine to a wife, the concubines always congratulated her like this."
"Sister, you are so smart to think of others from your own perspective." The Queen thought that she should send more people to Chun Changzai.
"No matter how smart I am, how can I compare to your wisdom and blessings, Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty is the most capable of understanding the Emperor's intentions. I wonder what rank the Emperor wants to give me when he says he wants to promote me?"
Concubine Hua felt that the Queen had the same character in both of her lives and deserved to be criticized.
"Above the rank of Concubine is Noble Concubine, and above Noble Concubine is Imperial Noble Concubine. This is roughly what the Emperor wishes."
The Queen felt like the words "Imperial Noble Consort" were like a thorn in her throat.
"Your Majesty is wrong. Above the Imperial Noble Consort is the Queen." Concubine Hua took a sip of tea and replied indifferently.
"Oh? Sister, do you mean to say that you like my throne as the Queen?" The Queen felt a surge of anger rising from the soles of her feet to her forehead. This Concubine Hua was becoming more and more out of control!
"Your Majesty really values your position as Queen, but you are overthinking. I just heard that the position of Imperial Noble Consort is higher than that of Vice Queen, and is very honorable. When Emperor Shunzhi's Imperial Noble Consort Dong'e was in power, Queen Borjigit didn't even have a place to stand."
Concubine Hua had no intention of giving in to the Queen at all.
Hiding one's weaknesses and enduring, what the hell! Enduring a ghost!
If there is a grudge, it must be avenged immediately.
If I could only go back to Yikun Palace, I would be so angry at myself that I would not be able to eat.
"Sister, you are well-versed in history and current affairs. However, no matter how noble a Royal Noble Consort is, she is only equal to the Vice Queen. The Queen is still the Queen after all..." The Queen was just about to give a speech on "The Queen's Theory", but unexpectedly, Concubine Hua spoke suddenly.
"The Queen is the Queen. I just said a few words, but the Queen is so alarmed. She is too cautious."
"It is the Queen's duty to teach the concubines and regulate the palace."
"Empress, you are too serious. That's why the Emperor would rather hurt his back in Yikun Palace than come to Jingren Palace to accompany you." Concubine Hua pressed the corner of her lips with a handkerchief. "Empress, I was wrong for a moment. After so many years, our companionship seems to be lacking a little bit of fun."
"Of course I know you are joking with me, but if the sisters who don't know the truth hear it, it will always cause misunderstanding. There are too many people and too many things to say. It's better for Concubine Hua to say less of these jokes in the future."
"Well, you have been paying your respects for some time, so you may all go away now." The queen's face turned cold.
All the concubines stood up politely, bowed their heads, and bowed. Concubine Hua mingled among the concubines. She was helped up by Songzhi, rolled her eyes at the Queen, and left.
Being spoiled and arrogant, Hua Fei knew that the honor was bound to fall on her head, so she might as well do something to make it a reality.
Otherwise it would be a big loss.
***
Sure enough, in the afternoon, the news that Concubine Hua had become arrogant due to her favor and had damaged the emperor's body spread to everyone like a gust of wind.
The speed at which the subsequent news evolved was even more astonishing.
Even Fu Cha, who was under house arrest, could hear the little palace maid bringing her food. Because Concubine Hua had gained weight, the Queen ordered that the food portions for each palace be reduced by half. The little palace maid explained as she took the plate from the food box.
"Fu Cha agreed to forgive me. The Empress has ordered that the food in each palace must be reduced by half today. You should make do with what you have for now." said the little palace maid.
The palace maid who came to deliver the meals was Si'er, who was a maid who ran errands in the imperial kitchen. Because everyone felt that it was unlucky to have the job of delivering meals to Fu Cha, this job fell on Si'er.
Although Fu Cha Ying is still pregnant, the child has not been born yet, so who can tell? What's more, Fu Cha Ying has already been disliked by the emperor, and the one she has offended is the emperor's favorite concubine, Concubine Wan. If the servants and palace maids get together, they will know which side this fence-sitter will lean towards.
The palace maid Si'er was a small-time girl who worked in the imperial kitchen. Even if she wanted to get in the way, she couldn't get any soup.
She originally felt it was unlucky to be assigned the job of delivering meals to the confined palace, but after coming here twice, she felt that it was better for this job to be unknown to others.
She could be said to have picked up the gold ingots while walking with her eyes closed.
First, Fu Cha promised to give her two boxes of rouge and cream, which were obviously expensive goods from Zui Chunfeng. Although she was a palace maid who did not need to put on rouge and powder on weekdays, which girl did not love powder and flowers? Even if she did not put on rouge, she could put it in her arms when she was on duty, and take it out to touch it when she had nothing to do.
Having received benefits from Fu Cha Ying, the palace maid Si'er also wanted to give something in return. She would also compete with the steward in the imperial kitchen and try her best to get some hot and fresh meals for Fu Cha Ying.
Later, the emperor only asked Fu Cha to agree to be confined to his house, but the superior never knew that an order to demote someone and place him under house arrest could be enough to torture him to death.
Later, a strange eunuch who came from nowhere secretly gave Si'er some silver and asked her to find a way to get some fresh and nutritious food from the imperial kitchen for Fu Cha.
Si'er was not a sincere person, but he was not a black-hearted person either. He kept some of the money for himself and used the rest to bribe the steward of the imperial kitchen. Therefore, Fu Cha promised that the food would not be bad during these days, and at least every meal would have a big meat to supplement the nutrition.
Now, the Queen's decree has come down, and the fourth child has little influence. Even if he wants to promise Fu Cha to prepare some delicious food and drinks, he has no way to do so.
Who dares to make trouble at the height of the situation? Isn't that going against the Queen?
"It's okay." Fu Cha agreed and took the meal handed to him by Si'er with his hands on his stomach. There was tofu with scallions, cold cucumber salad, and vegetarian golden needles. As expected, the portion was halved, and there was no need to even light the fire. I guess the firewood portion for the imperial kitchen was also halved.
But Fu Cha agreed and was not angry. In her current situation, staying alive was the most important thing.
"You just said that Concubine Hua has gained weight. How could that cause the Empress to reduce her portion by half?" Fu Cha agreed and asked while eating.
Si'er pieced together the fragments he had heard and told it in general terms. Fu Cha agreed to think about it again and realized that it was the Queen who was using Concubine Hua as an excuse to cause trouble.
As for the fact that Concubine Hua caused the Emperor to be injured, the details were not something that Si'er, a little palace maid, could understand clearly, but Fu Cha could tell with just a little effort. It was probably because the Emperor himself did not have an accurate understanding of himself that caused the accident.
That's just how men are.
"Once Lady Fucha has finished her meal, I will leave." Fucha agreed without complaining about the simple meal. She ate up three small plates of cold dishes with a warm steamed bun.
At this time, anyone with a stutter is fine, she is not picky.
After all, she knew that the dish in front of her was her current situation.
As for the improvement in food, Fu Cha knew in his heart that it was either An Lingrong or Concubine Hua who was secretly supporting him.
For now, she could only save herself. Two days ago, she asked Si'er to go outside and find out that Yingtao was serving in the Ministry of Punishment. Although she suffered, at least she saved her life. She took out the jewelry from her dressing table and asked An Lingrong to go to the Ministry of Punishment to take care of it. Now Yingtao's life will be better.
As long as I wait for the baby in my belly to be born, my current situation might turn around.
***
An Lingrong received the rouge dividend from Sun Miaoqing outside the palace. According to her previous plan, she was going to give half of the dividend to Fu Cha, but she didn't expect this kind of thing to happen again.
Previously, Fu Cha agreed to be under house arrest and under strict security, so An Lingrong took the initiative to give some of the soup to the guards and asked them to raise their hands before she was allowed to visit Fu Cha with the ginseng chicken soup.
Fu Cha agreed to listen to An Lingrong's words that he would give her dividends, so he simply pushed the money back to An Lingrong and asked her to save Yingtao.
Cherry was the maid who grew up with her. She was framed before because she did not trust her and alienated her. Later, it was Cherry who saved her. Now, even if she could not rescue her from the Ministry of Punishment, and the slander against her for the child in Zhen Huan's belly could not be cleared up, it was good enough that she could save her life.
An Lingrong herself did not dare to step forward. After all, there were too many people around and it was not appropriate for her to get too close to Fu Cha Daixin in public. So she gave the silver to an unfamiliar eunuch and went to the Ministry of Punishment to pass on a message to the nanny in charge.
The harem either recognizes money or power. The maids in the Ministry of Punishment are all old and smart people who live in the deep palace and have earned some power after living in the lower class for a long time. Even if they can't tell which master is guaranteeing the person, it's always right to recognize the "silver" master.
Besides, it is easier to use such an unfamiliar servant. By accepting some money and sending a word, I can just relax and be less critical, so that the other person can save his life.
There is such a series of links, who can find any mistakes?
"Baoque, your method is good. We can help others and hide ourselves at the same time." An Lingrong whispered to Baoque as they walked down the long street.
"My young master is the master, so naturally he doesn't know the ins and outs of doing things among the subordinates. I have also heard that there is a method of taking money from people and helping them get rid of disasters. I didn't expect to actually see it today."
There are 72 courtyards in the harem, with countless palace maids and eunuchs, and gradually this kind of business has evolved. No one takes sides, but just uses their unfamiliar faces to pass messages, deliver things, and do things for others, usually serving those masters who are reluctant to show up.
You spend money and hire people once, and next time there is something to do, it depends on the situation whether the old employees can still receive old customers. Generally speaking, the two cannot maintain a long-term relationship, and you have to replace people every time you do something.
As An Lingrong listened to Baoque talking about the rules of this business, she couldn't help but wonder who in the palace could have created such a rigorous organization that could do things without taking sides or dragging their feet in the harem, and could get a deal done at a fairly high price.
This is much easier than developing rouge or powder. One still needs to use his brain more.
"My lady, let's go faster. The Emperor is waiting for you to go to the Yangxin Palace."
Baoque's reminder brought An Lingrong back to reality. Xiao Xiazi had said that he would send the sedan chair from the Yangxin Palace to pick up Young Master An, but An Lingrong refused to agree, saying that she had not walked for a long time and wanted to walk all the way to the Yangxin Palace.
"I understand." An Lingrong felt a little annoyed. Why was there no wind on the long street today? She wanted to get some fresh air, but now when she arrived at the Yangxin Palace and coughed twice, the Emperor probably wouldn't let her sing.
But there is no wind!
Previously, the Empress Dowager arranged for Sister Mei to take care of her when she was ill. However, even though she sang beautiful songs, they did not catch the Empress Dowager's eye, so naturally she went back to the Yanx Palace to rest.
Who would have thought that the emperor found Sister Mei boring. She had a stern face all day long and could not make a joke. She served the medicine and left. The emperor wanted to take the opportunity to recite poems and repair his relationship with Sister Mei, but Sister Mei ignored him.
Therefore, the emperor still thought of the gentle and lovely An Lingrong. Although she was not well-versed in poetry and literature, she had a gentle temperament and served him attentively. After sitting at the desk for a long time, An Lingrong would rub his waist, press his shoulders, and relax his muscles and bones, so that his injured waist would heal faster.
An Lingrong was also speechless, so one should not be too tolerant when setting the character in the beginning. Too much tolerance has led to the current passive situation.
An Lingrong and Baoque were walking forward and happened to meet Huanbi who was pouting.