Chapter 80 Picking on the Soft Persimmon

The Emperor wants to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty... No, the Emperor wants to ban foot binding and abolish the shaving of heads!

The two imperial edicts, once issued, were like hot oil dripping into a pot of boiling water, splashing everywhere. Many old-fashioned relatives and courtiers who loved bound feet jumped up and down in anger.

The relatives were easy to deal with. Several princes took turns visiting the mansion for tea, and before they all had to go, the relatives readily yielded.

As for the courtiers who loved bound feet, it was even easier to deal with them. They had all seen such a "beautiful sight," so why shouldn't the others? Didn't they like it? Then they could look to their hearts' content!

As a result, rumors began to circulate that several princes and ministers, in order to curry favor with the emperor, had poisoned those who opposed him. It was probably some kind of laxative, because they all looked pale, their legs were weak, and they couldn't stop gagging. They were probably all exhausted from the diarrhea!

What a vicious tactic! No wonder everyone gave in so quickly! Then there's nothing wrong with him supporting the Emperor's wise decisions, right?

The ministers, quick to change their stance based on the prevailing winds, soon convinced themselves of this.

Thus, without causing much of a stir, the decree banning foot binding and abolishing the shaving of heads was successfully implemented.

That's right, you only find out who's been swimming naked when the tide goes out.

Now that everyone has stopped shaving their heads, it's immediately clear who is balding voluntarily and who is balding involuntarily.

A lifetime of illustrious reputation, yet he was ridiculed by his colleagues for his "exceptionally intelligent" nature, much to the chagrin of the ministers. They couldn't target the Emperor, they couldn't target the princes, they couldn't target their superiors—couldn't they target the very person who had instigated the Emperor's thoughts?

So everyone couldn't help but investigate how the Emperor came up with the idea to do this.

First, they found out about the palace maid who had climbed into the emperor's bedchamber. The maid had disappeared, but she was from the Xilin Gioro clan! Damn it, they were a powerful clan, and there was also the Ortai clan. It was difficult to target them directly.

Then let's continue investigating why this palace maid climbed into bed.

It was quickly discovered that it was Consort Xian's personal maid who had climbed into her bed, giving other maids the arousal to lust.

It's you, Consort Xian, from the impoverished Ulanara clan!

If the concubines are hard to target, then isn't it easy to manipulate the Ulanara clan?

In an instant, memorials impeaching the Ulanara clan filled the imperial court like snowflakes.

Ulanara was in a terrible predicament. Having no other option, she sent a message to the palace. Ruyi received the letter and leaned against a pillar, lost in thought for a while. "The Emperor wouldn't treat me like this... I suppose my aunt wouldn't abandon me..."

Then, I forgot about it.

Ulanara also sent a letter to the Yuanmingyuan. Upon receiving the letter, Yixiu laughed and said, "What does Ulanara's matter have to do with me, the Empress Dowager of the Aisin Gioro clan? Go find Ruyi, isn't she the favored concubine cultivated by An Rouze? Haha..."

Only at this moment did the Ulanara clan realize that not only were the men unreliable, but the women on whom they had placed their hopes were also unreliable. So be it, could things get any worse?

Ruyi proved to them with facts that she was capable.

Emperor Hongli issued an edict to abolish foot binding, so naturally no concubines or palace maids in the palace could have bound feet. As the Empress, Empress Fucha Langhua naturally had to deal with this matter and constantly remind the ladies of the household. In addition, there was the matter of girls' education, so she was almost spinning like a top.

Even though Hongli arranged for two imperial concubines to assist her, she still had almost no free time. It was the first time she realized how heavy the burden of being an empress was!

Therefore, the matter of paying respects was suspended for a long time.

Having finally passed the busiest period and the hundred-day mourning period, Empress Fucha Langhua took this opportunity to resume paying her respects to the Empress. After all, it wouldn't be proper for the concubines in the harem to consistently fail to pay their respects to the Empress.

Upon receiving the notice, all the concubines arrived at Changchun Palace early. Putting aside their status, their relationships had improved considerably during their time at the girls' school, and they had plenty to talk about—except for Ruyi, of course.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising that Ruyi was the only one missing from the greeting positions, oh, and also that Consort Shen, A'ruo, who used to serve her, was absent.

Seeing that everyone had arrived early, Fucha Langhua didn't put on airs and left early as well.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress."

"Sisters, get up."

Fucha Langhua glanced at Ruyi's empty seat but didn't say anything, after all, it wasn't time to pay her respects yet.

Jin Yuyan sized up the palace maid dressed as a matron who was following the Empress, and asked casually, "Which aunt is beside Your Majesty the Empress? I don't think I've seen her before?"

Fucha Langhua's face was gentle. "This is Huanbi, who serves Consort Wan. The Emperor borrowed her from Consort Wan because he saw that I was busy."

With a calm expression, Huanbi stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the assembled concubines: "Huanbi greets all Your Highnesses."

"So she was someone from Consort Wan's side. No wonder she is so intelligent and beautiful. It is because the Emperor cares about the Consort."

Previously, they didn't know much about Zhen Huan, only regarding her as the late emperor's favored concubine. But after spending time with her at the girls' school and witnessing her abilities, coupled with the emperor's obvious attention, they couldn't help but feel admiration—the kind of respect and envy that elective course teachers have for the abilities and treatment of main course teachers.

The kind words were naturally spoken by Jin Yuyan; she really wanted a promotion. However, her talents in dance and Northern musical instruments weren't included in the curriculum. She barely managed to get into the girls' school by relying on her unique culinary skills.

So whether it's the Empress or Consort Wan, she wants to latch onto such powerful figures!

No one thought there was anything wrong with the Emperor's decision, so they skipped that topic and started talking about the girls' school again.

"Consort Xian has arrived, and Consort Shen has arrived."

Upon hearing the message from outside, the hall fell silent, realizing that Ruyi hadn't arrived yet. However, during the usual greetings, she was either distracted or dozing off, hardly making a presence known, so it was no wonder everyone had forgotten about her.

Huanbi's eyes flashed. Is this the Consort Xian who has puzzled the Emperor?

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress."

Seeing that the hall was already full of people, A'Ruo was a little flustered, but Ruyi still calmly greeted her.

Jin Yuyan scoffed, "Consort Xian, you haven't learned the rules very well. You're no longer a concubine, so you can't refer to yourself as 'your humble servant' anymore."

Ruyi glanced coldly at Jin Yuyan, "When did it become the place for Consort Jia to disrespect her superiors when I and Her Majesty the Empress pay our respects?"

Jin Yuyan wrung out the handkerchief in her hand, looking aggrieved. "I was just trying to give you a friendly reminder. Why is Consort Xian so arrogant?"

"alright."

Fucha Langhua called a halt. What was the point of Consort Jia inviting Ruyi to do this? Not wanting to see Ruyi say anything more absurd, Fucha Langhua smoothed things over: "It's understandable that you might forget for a moment. Consort Jia, please don't hold it against her. And Consort Xian, we're all sisters. There's no need to make a big deal out of a few words."

"yes."

Jin Yuyan obediently sat back down, and Ruyi nodded in agreement, but her expression was indifferent, as if she disdained to associate with them, which made people furious.

When Ruyi discovered that her seat had been moved below Chunpin's, she couldn't help but purse her lips, feeling that Fucha Langhua was targeting her.

Just then, Tong Jia Zhilan, who was sitting upright, narrowed her eyes and examined Ruyi's attire, questioning, "Is that Yao Huang peony on Consort Xian's clothes?"