sbdcsierra Chapter 135 Eliminating the Hidden Dangers of the Cold Palace
Chapter 135 Eliminating the Hidden Dangers of the Cold Palace
Madam Xiao shook her head: "I have been serving in the palace, and I don't know much about what happened in the former residence. I just heard vaguely that Concubine Xue had a miscarriage in the former residence. I guess it might be related to this matter..."
Shen Zhinian nodded slightly and said nothing more.
Handan asked curiously, "Mammy just said that according to our ancestral law, concubines in the palace cannot be given the title of imperial concubine if they don't have children. But Concubine Liang doesn't have any children, so why is she not only a imperial concubine, but also one of the four imperial concubines?"
Madam Xiao sighed, "In the second year after Concubine Liang married into the Qiandi Palace, she gave birth to a boy, but he died unexpectedly midway... After His Majesty ascended the throne, he was recorded as the eldest prince in the imperial edict."
"Your Majesty also sympathized with Concubine Liang for losing her son. In addition, she was kind and gentle, and had served Your Majesty for a long time, so Your Majesty appointed her as one of the four concubines."
Handan couldn't help but mutter, "Why is it so difficult for your Majesty to have children? Either they can't be born, or they can't be raised after being born..."
Madam Xiao said quickly: "Don't say this outside, otherwise it will violate His Majesty's taboo and no one can save you!"
Handan nodded and said, "Mammy, I understand."
Shen Zhinian put down the teacup, a hint of contemplation flashed across his eyes.
She had memories of her previous life, so she naturally knew that most of the royal heirs who were not born or died young were the result of Queen Jiang's creation.
Otherwise, after the incident, the emperor would not have deposed the queen and dealt with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion with thunder and lightning!
However, in her previous life, Shen Zhinian was a woman from outside the imperial court after all, and she did not know many things about the harem in detail. She was not sure whether the eldest prince was killed by Queen Jiang.
Shen Zhinian did not continue the topic. He had Yuan Bao called in and ordered, "Tell the manager of the cold palace to sort out the patrolling guards, daily defense cloth, and the expenses of the deposed concubine, and report everything to me."
Yuan Bao was surprised and puzzled: "My lady, the cold palace is remote and unlucky, and no one pays attention to it on weekdays. Although the imperial concubine has given it to you to manage, you just need to pretend to do it. Why bother with it?"
Handan agreed: "That's right! My lady is so precious, why would she care about those abandoned concubines? It would be bad if she was tainted with bad luck."
Shen Zhinian said calmly, "You should be in a position to govern. I am not concerned about those deposed concubines, but this is the first thing I took over after His Majesty allowed me to learn about the affairs of the six palaces. If something goes wrong, everyone will say that I am incompetent. How can I help manage the six palaces?"
Madam Xiao's eyes flashed with admiration, "Not bad. My young lady is favored by the emperor, and there are countless eyes in the palace staring at our Tingyu Pavilion. Those who don't want my young lady to be in power will definitely take advantage of my young lady's lack of wings to sabotage her. It is precisely because the cold palace is remote and there are few guards that it is easy for them to act. My young lady should be more careful."
Shen Zhinian smiled and said, "What Mammy said is exactly what I wanted to say."
Everyone looked down on her because of her humble background, thinking that she was using her beauty to please men, and that sooner or later the day would come when her beauty would fade and her love would slacken. But she insisted on being the one who stood out the most!
Yuan Bao bowed his head and said, "My lord, you are very thoughtful and far-sighted. I will learn from your teachings and give you the orders right away!"
He was worthy of being a servant in front of the emperor in the past. He was extremely efficient and quickly had someone bring over all the information Shen Zhinian wanted.
Even though the Cold Palace is the least cared-for place in the palace, as long as she is there, nothing will go wrong there when she is in charge.
"Each palace has several large water tanks. In addition to maintaining daily water supply, they are also used to prevent fires and water shortages. In winter, the water tanks are often frozen by a thick layer of ice. In other places, special palace servants are responsible for breaking the ice every day. As I expected, the cold palace was neglected by them due to laziness. Order the steward to pay attention to this and check it every day."
"And here..."
Shen Zhinian looked at the information carefully and pointed out the problematic parts one by one.
After hearing everything, not to mention Yuanbao, even Nanny Xiao was a little stunned.
It is normal to have many shrewd people in the harem. After all, this is a place where only smart people can survive. But the young lady is only sixteen years old this year, and her mind is so meticulous!
"I obey your orders and will do everything you ask me to do!"
After Yuan Bao left, Shen Zhinian yawned and said, "Handan, take off my hairpins and makeup for me. I want to take a nap."
"Yes."
Handan helped her to the bronze mirror and gently took off the jewelry on her head and put them back into the dressing box: "My lady has been feeling sleepy these past two days. You need to rest more."
Fuqiu smiled and said, "It's cold in winter, and it's easy to fall asleep."
Shen Zhinian had a vague guess in his heart...but the time was still short and even the imperial physician would find it difficult to see anything. He would wait a few days and then call in Imperial Physician Tang to take his pulse.
The atmosphere in Tingyu Pavilion was cozy, but outside it was not peaceful.
The exquisite chess pieces presented as tribute from the Western Regions were already precious, and the fact that the Duke of Zhenguo asked for them but was refused made everyone's memory of them extremely deep!
Everyone thought that since His Majesty loved this treasure so much, he would definitely put it in his private collection. But who knew... he actually gave the exquisite chess piece to Concubine Rou!
The Duke of Zhenguo is not only the Duke of the State, but also the father of the Queen! What he wanted but couldn't get, Concubine Rou got it without doing anything.
Doesn't this mean that Concubine Rou holds a higher position in His Majesty's heart than the Duke of Zhenguo? !
However, no matter how angry the Duke of Zhenguo was, he could not attack Concubine Rou. After all, she was a concubine in the palace, and it was natural for His Majesty to favor his own woman. As a dignified Duke, could he possibly have to argue with a little girl?
The women in the harem feel differently...
Concubine Liu was quite happy. When she heard about this, she laughed for a long time in the bedroom: "Not only does the old woman, the queen, occupy the position of the main wife in the harem, but the Duke of Zhenguo also opposes my father in everything in the court!"
"It's a rare opportunity to see him being humiliated. I feel so happy! Concubine Rou is indeed my good ally. She not only struck a blow to the Queen, but also to the Duke of Zhenguo! Hahaha——"
"Pass on my order, and have the people in the harem discuss this matter more recently. It would be best if that old woman, the queen, gets pissed off to death!"
Cuizhu covered her mouth and laughed secretly: "I obey your command!"
However, the atmosphere in other places is not as good as that in Yongshou Palace.
Concubine Rou has only been in the palace for more than three months, and she has become a well-deserved favorite concubine. His Majesty holds her in his heart. As time goes by, will there still be a place for them in the harem? !
However, no matter how much hatred they felt in their hearts, these people did not dare to do anything to Shen Zhinian in public.
The place with the most solemn atmosphere is Kunning Palace.
Queen Jiang lay on the couch, her cheeks deeply sunken. "My father is the Duke of Zhenguo, and he has made great contributions to the Great Zhou. How can Your Majesty do this?!"