novelcrest Chapter 37 Congratulations, Your Majesty
Chapter 37 Congratulations, Your Majesty
Li Fude woke them up. Prime Minister Pei had sent over a list of candidates for Minister of Personnel, and guessing that he had some things to say to the Emperor, Li Yuanke had no choice but to get up.
Shen Shixi decided not to sleep either. How could she sleep alone on the dragon bed? If people found out, those officials would surely impeach her!
In Zhaoyang Palace, the Empress sent someone to explain the departure tomorrow, and they had already made preparations.
"This servant had the palace rules that Master was punished to copy taken back by someone from the Empress's palace, so that Master wouldn't forget to give them to the Empress every time!" Lan Ying said.
"Yes, well done! I always seem to forget those palace rules."
Shen Shixi talked about going to escape the summer heat and named the people who would go with her: "Bai Ping, Lan Tan, Chao Yu and the people from the small kitchen will come with me, and the rest will stay to watch the house."
Bai Kui and Chao En, you must take responsibility. First, the palace must be kept perfectly organized, with nothing too much or too little. Second, you must keep a close eye on the crops in the courtyard and know when to harvest them. Bai Kui is responsible for that.
"yes!"
Having received their orders, Shen Shixi said no more. After these days of adjustment, the people in her palace were now acting in an orderly manner.
The emperor would visit Qingyi Garden and not return until at least before the Mid-Autumn Festival, by which time her crops would have been mostly harvested.
That night, Li Yuanke rested in Qianyuan Palace. The next morning, the palace was in motion, preparing to move to Qingyi Garden.
Qingyi Garden is located in the western suburbs, surrounded by mountains on three sides. Water drawn from the Wulie River forms three lakes: Upper Lake, Lower Lake, Ruyi Lake, Mirror Lake, and Cheng Lake, which separate the palace complex.
The Imperial Garden is filled with mountains and rivers, lush vegetation, and beautiful scenery. The temperature is also several degrees lower, mainly because there are fewer rules and regulations.
Compared to the bare imperial city, it's naturally much more comfortable to live here.
The Empress Dowager didn't really like living inside the palace walls; she wanted to stay there for several months of the year.
Shen Shixi also felt that the previous residence was very good. At least, the daily morning greetings would be changed to greetings on the fifth and tenth of each month.
The luggage from each palace was transported there starting in the middle of the night, and some of the people to be taken from the palace also went there first. By the time Shen Shixi arrived, it was already evening, and everyone gathered in the Empress's Qifeng Palace to wait for assignments.
Consort Rong said, "Your Majesty, I would like to stay in the Jade Hibiscus Palace as before!"
The Empress said, "Consort De and Consort Qing, you will continue to live in your original places. Consort Song's residence will be changed."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Consort Song.
After her demotion, this was the first time anyone had seen her. She seemed unchanged, still aloof, with her shoulders ramrod straight, like a ruler.
"I will obey Her Majesty the Empress's arrangements!"
"You'll stay in Yixiang Pavilion! It's the best pavilion in Wenyuan. You used to live in Jinse Palace, but now you're not the head of the household. You understand the rules best and should be able to understand my predicament. Once your rank is promoted, Jinse Palace will still be yours!"
"Yes, I also like the bamboo grove behind Yixiang Pavilion. Thank you for the arrangement, Your Majesty!" She seemed to really like it.
"The new concubines will stay together in Yaoxian Palace, with Consort Shen and Consort Lin living there!" the Empress said.
Yaoxian Palace is very remote, located behind Peach Blossom Village.
Shen Shixi was puzzled by the Empress's arrangement. She and Lin Guiyou were at odds, so how could they live together?
"Your Majesty, I will stay at the Leshan Hall in Peach Blossom Village."
Consort Qing also said, "You, a mere concubine, are you qualified to live in the Hall of Benevolence? That was where the Emperor lived when he was a prince, and it has always been sealed off. You have quite the nerve."
The Empress knew that Shen Shixi wouldn't say such a thing without a reason, so she said, "If His Majesty has already granted permission, then I have no problem with it."
"Thank you for your permission, Your Majesty!" Shen Shixi expressed her gratitude.
Firstly, no damage could possibly make Lok Sin Tong so dilapidated; it must be constantly repaired. Secondly, the people inside must be elderly people who stayed behind, so they wouldn't be living in the dark elsewhere, not knowing who was who and being schemed against.
Although the Empress was uncomfortable, the Emperor had already agreed, so what could she say?
"In that case, you can stay at Peach Blossom Village. However, it's quite far from Qingyan Palace and Qifeng Palace. If you need anything, just have the palace servants make the trip."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!"
After saying that, she left first. It was late, and after a long day on the bus, she was too stuffy to wait.
As soon as she left, the concubines started gossiping, mainly because everyone was very envious.
This time, besides the Empress, there were Consort Rong, Consort Qing, Consort De, and Consort Song. Among the new consorts, besides Shen Shixi and Lin Guiyou, there were five others who had not yet served the Emperor.
Among the newcomers, only Lin Guiyou had the right to say something: "Shen Cairen is truly unruly, a vixen, shameless!"
Consort Qing laughed, "Speaking of which, among all you newcomers, Consort Shen is the most favored!"
Clearly provocation.
She smiled at Consort Rong and said, "I remember back then, when Consort Rong wanted to visit Peach Blossom Valley, the Emperor wouldn't allow it. Now, however, you've let Consort Shen move in so easily."
Consort Rong rolled her eyes at her. "Consort Qing, you've become quite articulate these days. I always thought you were a mute, but it turns out I was bad at judging people; I've misjudged you all these years!"
Consort De sneered, "Now, in this palace, only Consort Qing has an imperial heir, so she must be getting a little cocky. But don't be too cocky yet. The Emperor is still young, we may be old, but the new consorts aren't incapable of having children."
Consort Qing sneered.
The Empress said, "Alright, that's enough. Everyone's tired today, so let's go back and rest early!"
The new concubines were all settled in the pavilions of Wenyuan Garden, and even Lin Guiyou moved in there, instead of staying in Yaoxian Palace.
Wenyuan Garden is located in the southeast corner of Qingyi Garden, in the middle of Mirror Lake, and together with Moonlight and River Sounds, it stands in front of Peach Blossom Valley.
That night, the emperor didn't choose anyone's concubine and stayed in his own Qingyan Palace. The next evening, he came to Peach Blossom Valley.
It had probably been a long time since he'd been here. Entering the courtyard, he looked around, which stirred some memories. Li Yuanke pointed to a peach tree and said...
"I remember once, you climbed up and couldn't get down. You were afraid people would laugh at you, so you hid up there for a long time. They couldn't find you and were so worried."
He searched everywhere, and as he passed under the tree, she called to him softly, and he finally picked her up.
"Shut up! Don't talk about my embarrassing moments, and I remember everything about you too!"
Shen Shixi patted him on the shoulder. This is probably one of the downsides of marrying your best friend. You both know about the embarrassing things that happened when you were little, and you always bring them up to attack each other.
Li Yuanke laughed heartily, scooped her up, and carried her inside, ordering Li Fude, "Prepare the meal!"
He then asked Shen Shixi, "What did you do today? Where are we going to play tomorrow?"
"What can I do by just wandering around? Tomorrow? I don't know about tomorrow. Let's go fishing!"
"Alright, I'll be waiting to eat the fish you caught."
Before long, the meal was served. Eating with Li Yuanke meant the food was much better.
Compared to the rigid dishes in the palace, the dishes here are more down-to-earth. One of them, Kung Pao Eel, is particularly to Shen Shixi's liking.
While they were eating, a noise came from outside. Shen Shixi recognized the voice as that of Song Jieyu's head palace maid and asked, "Who is it? What's wrong? Can't we even eat in peace!"
Bai Ping understood and quickly came over, saying, "Your Majesty, it's someone from Consort Song's quarters. They say Consort Song is pregnant and request Your Majesty's presence!"
Shen Shixi acted as if she hadn't heard, and just kept eating silently.
Li Yuanke glanced at Shen Shixi. "Are you angry?"
"Don't overthink it, why would I be angry!" Shen Shixi casually took a sip of soup, glanced at him, and said calmly.
"Your Majesty, aren't you going to see her? After all, she's carrying Your Majesty's child. If you don't go, things might not go peacefully."
Li Yuanke sneered, "Stop talking nonsense. When are you going to give me one too?"
"No, I'm not having any. I'm still a child myself!"
Li Yuanke was amused and picked her up, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? How old are you, still acting like a child!"
[This is outrageous! What kind of world is this? He's not even fully developed yet, and they're already forcing him to have a baby! Li Yuanke must be desperate to be a father!]
Li Yuanke's face darkened, and he looked at her with a sinister gaze.
When Qianyun entered, she saw Consort Shen sitting on the Emperor's lap, dining. She cursed her inwardly as a vixen. "Your Majesty," she said, "the imperial physician just examined her pulse and found Consort Song is pregnant, three months along. She's feeling unwell. Please come and see her!"