Chapter 94 To Be a Useful Yu Gouzi (Part 2): How could a woman whom the Shi family trusted to send to the palace to become the Crown Princess not know that this job was not...

How could a woman whom the Shi family trusted to send to the palace to become the Crown Princess not know that this was a job she should not touch or accept?

When she brought up the matter in front of the Crown Prince that morning, she implied that she didn't want to take it on, and the Crown Prince also felt that she shouldn't get involved.

But reason is reason, and emotion is emotion; the essence of humanity is that we cannot resist greed. And the highest level of greed and the greatest temptation is power; who hasn't dreamed of possessing supreme power?

So at this moment, Shi Qionghua wasn't really moved. She was just asking Shen Wanqing for affirmation, for recognition of her current choice, so that she could stand firm in her heart and suppress the unreasonable and unpersuasive desire in her heart.

"This year is alright. The New Year is just around the corner, and even if the Empress Dowager is anxious, she can't possibly ask me to take over the affairs of the inner palace at this time. But you know that these things must be planned in advance. You can't wait until the last minute to rush things. If you have a reason, it will become an excuse, and you won't be right either way."

Even in the dead of winter, the Crown Prince's palace still had melons, peaches, and grapes. As Shen Wanqing listened to Shi Qionghua speak, her eyes couldn't help but dart towards the plates of fruit.

It's not that Shen Wanqing is incompetent, but there's no such thing as a high-speed refrigerator or a "vegetable basket" project right now. Even in Beijing, the capital city, in winter, besides the goods stored in caves, there are only various vegetables, apples, pears, and frozen persimmons that are frozen solid.

When people don't have anything to eat, they don't think much of it. Shen Wanqing even ate a frozen persimmon this morning and thought it was delicious. But now, smelling the sweet aroma of peaches, the persimmon she ate this morning suddenly seems tasteless.

"Caiwei, go and cut the peaches." Shi Qionghua could easily tell that Shen Wanqing was craving them. Having known Shen Wanqing for so long, she knew that Shen Wanqing was a good eater. Shi Qionghua even thought that as long as Shen Wanqing didn't have to lift a finger, she could talk about food so eloquently that she was better than all the chefs in the Shi family's kitchen combined.

"Your Majesty, please don't laugh at my greed. I didn't mean to, but the smell of peaches made me crave them." Just like Shi Qionghua's current predicament, except that Shen Wanqing couldn't resist the craving for peaches, she couldn't resist the craving for power.

"There are still peaches. The Imperial Household Department sent two baskets the day before yesterday. When you go back later, I'll pick a basket for you to take back with you. You must think of a way to refuse my peaches. The Emperor intends to attack Galdan next year. I'm afraid that after the New Year, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will remember this matter again. How should I refuse?"

"Please let me think about it."

Shi Qionghua is now just a leader parachuted into the Forbidden City; she has the status but nothing else.

Even the Crown Prince couldn't openly allocate too many people to her, because she was the Crown Princess and would later become the Empress. Whether she was the Crown Princess or the Empress, she had to be a role model for all women and a mother to the nation. She had to establish her own authority in order to shoulder the burden that had always been Yinreng's weakness.

Caiwei took the peaches out to peel and cut them into pieces, and arranged them on a nice plate along with the grapes and melons before bringing them in. She then saw Shen Wanqing with her elbows resting on the kang table, her head down, occasionally poking at the table with her fingers as if she were thinking about something.

Her mistress sat quietly to the side without saying a word. Even when she brought in fruit, Shi Qionghua waved her hand, telling her to stand aside and not make a sound so as not to interrupt Shen Wanqing's train of thought.

There are essentially two paths for newly appointed mid-level leaders to establish themselves: either follow in the footsteps of the top leader.

Big leaders always have big projects to start. As long as you can play your role in them or flatter them to the extreme, making them feel that they can't do without you, the people below will naturally know that you are not to be trifled with.

It's clear that Shi Qionghua can't take this path now. Whether it's the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, or either of them, they really want to use Shi Qionghua, she can't get involved in the inner palace. So many ancient foxes, let whoever wants to touch them can touch them, but Shi Qionghua won't touch them.

Since going up is not an option, the only option is to go down, which is similar to how some middle-level managers in head offices are happy to go down to projects to take charge of specific tasks.

Only by thoroughly understanding the grassroots structure can one develop their own network and influence; with more people belonging to them, their position will naturally become more secure.

Never underestimate the palace maids and eunuchs. Only when they know that you are truly capable of managing people and not easily fooled will Shi Qionghua's prestige as her mistress spread far and wide.

"Your Majesty, who has been in charge of matters in Yuqing Palace in the past?"

"The front and outside affairs are handled by the Ministers of the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Guard, while the back affairs are handled by the eunuchs and head maids dispatched by the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Household Service Office. How could you not know this?"

"How could this servant know? Even Yulang never talks to me about things outside. Your Highness, please don't try to trick me into saying anything."

Yu Lang rarely discussed the specifics of the Yuqing Palace matter with Shen Wanqing. It wasn't that he didn't trust Shen Wanqing, but rather that he didn't want to let his guard down and risk spilling the beans to others, which could cause trouble.

But Yu Lang would tell Shen Wanqing about his own affairs, what he did in Yuqing Palace, what troublesome people he encountered, and what interesting things happened.

Even the reasons for and the amount of silver given to the eunuchs of Yuqing Palace had to be explained in detail. After hearing so much, one naturally gained a fairly indirect understanding of the situation inside Yuqing Palace.

Yuqing Palace is not just a single palace; the entire Yuqing Palace is like a small palace complex nestled within the Forbidden City, divided into front, back, inside, and outside sections.

The front hall of Dunben Hall and the study where Yinreng usually handled government affairs, read books, and met with foreign officials were all located in the front. Officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and ministers of the Imperial Household, along with the Imperial Guards, were each responsible for their respective duties.

The area behind the palace was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Household Bureau. The Imperial Household Bureau was responsible for recording in detail the Crown Prince's favored concubines. In short, apart from the Crown Prince himself, everyone else in the Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace nominally and in fact belonged to the Emperor.

Whether it's right or wrong is another matter, but a few years ago, Empress Yuan passed away and the Crown Prince had no Crown Princess, so it was indeed impossible to find someone who could rightfully manage the Crown Prince's household.

But now that we have Shi Qionghua as the mistress of Yuqing Palace, shouldn't the affairs of Yuqing Palace be handed over to the Crown Princess to manage from now on?

Emperor Kangxi was wary of the Crown Prince's growing power, and at the same time, he feared that the Crown Prince would be powerless and merely a yes-man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen a daughter from the Shi family to be his Crown Princess. Now that she had entered the palace, it was only natural for Shi Qionghua to take the initiative to ask Emperor Kangxi for control of Yuqing Palace.

"If I ask for it myself, won't the Emperor think it's the Crown Prince...?"

“Keeping one’s place is not a sign of weakness or incompetence. Besides, what kind of wife would expect her father to manage the household affairs for his son after he has already married her? It’s not right to say that.”

It's impossible for a crown prince to be without any ambition. He's been groomed to be the heir apparent since childhood. If he pretends to have no desire for imperial power, it would be too fake. If that were the case, why would he be a crown prince? He could just go to Mount Wutai and become a monk, then he wouldn't have to have any ambition for the rest of his life.

Therefore, it is not a bad thing to show some ambition in front of Emperor Kangxi. It is perfectly normal for a son and daughter-in-law who are already married to want to run their own small family. It is only Yuqing Palace, so it is also normal for the Crown Princess to want to manage things.

"If managing the inner palace is a big pie, then overseeing the internal affairs of Yuqing Palace is just half of a small pie. Your Majesty, you dare not and cannot touch the big pie, but perhaps you could try to eat half of this small pie first."

It's not that I don't want it, it's that I want it in a planned way. I'll just eat a small piece to taste it first. The Crown Princess doesn't necessarily have to control the entire harem to be considered to have real power. It's about seeing the big picture from small things. As long as I manage Yuqing Palace well and let outsiders see that I, the Crown Princess, have the ability, that's enough.

He should focus on his duties in his position. He can save the big pie in the harem for Yinreng to enjoy slowly after he ascends the throne. For now, he can practice his skills in Yuqing Palace.

“You’re right. I’m so young, how could I possibly help the Consort manage the inner palace? I might not even be able to handle things properly in Yuqing Palace. The Crown Prince and I are still young, and we need His Majesty’s support to make things more stable.”

Instead of outright refusal, asking for a little less reveals a reasonable desire and ambition, which Kangxi might perceive as another form of obedience and understanding.

When the father is wealthy and the son is obedient and well-behaved, he wants to ask his father for a little bit of autonomy so he can try something new. Based on Kangxi's attitude towards the crown prince, Shen Wanqing thought he would agree and even be very happy.

"How did you come up with that idea? I really didn't think about it before. I was just thinking about how to get it off the hook. If things had gone my way, I might have ended up giving the Emperor the impression that I'm incapable of taking responsibility."

Because I'm not the master, I can understand everything by putting myself in the position of a wage slave.

However, she couldn't say that. Shen Wanqing took the fruit platter that Caiwei brought and happily ate while listening to Shi Qionghua praise her with a smile.

If Shi Qionghua were smart enough, she would remember her current appearance. Wasn't she also trying to please her with a somewhat clever but unambitious demeanor? It was nothing special; this was how subordinates were born to treat superiors.

The two women went into the East Warm Pavilion in the back hall of Dunben Hall and didn't come out. At first, there was no sound, but then clear laughter came from the warm pavilion intermittently. The two men in the study room on the west side of the opposite door stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

"You..." The Crown Prince originally wanted to say, "Is this how your wife used to coax her Crown Princess?" But then he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to say that. He didn't care how she coaxed the Crown Princess; as long as she made her happy, that was enough. There were enough well-behaved people in Yuqing Palace; they wouldn't miss another one like Lady Shen.

Do you know why I summoned you?

"This servant guesses that His Majesty has brought up the matter of personally leading the expedition."

"After the New Year, we need to start preparing provisions and build grain depots along the way to store grain. We also need to clean up some abandoned and dilapidated post stations. In addition, we need to prepare warhorses, camels, cattle and sheep. In my opinion, the expedition will not be able to start until the year after next."

"What does the Crown Prince need from his servant?"

The decision to accompany the emperor on the expedition had been made long ago, and the two had also privately agreed not to interfere with how Akdun's firearms battalion performed, as long as they were in the firearms battalion. The fact that this matter was brought up again now must mean there were other tasks involved.

"Song'etu's illness will not be cured before the end of the year. Next year, the Ministry of Revenue will be in charge of collecting grain and fodder. The Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu and Shanxi merchants will collect grain along the way. Most of these people are from Mingzhu. I have no idea how well the grain collection will go."

This matter could have been ignored; if Mingzhu had made a mistake in procuring grain, he could have simply gone to Emperor Kangxi to accept his punishment.

But matters related to provisions cannot be resolved in one or two instances. There are still provisions needed during the battle, and no one knows how long the battle will last. When two armies are facing off, provisions must be continuously transported to each other. Whoever has a continuous supply of provisions will maintain the advantage.

And then there's the return journey after the battle. If it's summer or autumn, that's fine, but if it's winter, the food supplies on the way back can't be compromised.

Often, the problem in war isn't losing the battle, but rather the collapse of morale when supplies run out. Yinreng was afraid that Mingzhu would sabotage him in this situation. As the Crown Prince overseeing the country from the capital, being punished by his father would be a minor matter; damaging the prestige and reputation of the heir apparent would be a much bigger deal.

"I need you to find a way to keep a close eye on the supply of provisions along the way. Can you do that?"

...

………………

Yu Lang stared at Yinreng for a long time without speaking. Saying yes would be putting him in a difficult position. But saying no was also problematic; the Crown Prince had treated him exceptionally well in the past year or two, and he had benefited greatly from the Crown Prince's favor and bias. Now that his master wanted to use him, how could he say no?

"Master, please allow me to go back and think about it. I'm sure I'll have a solution when I return from this break."

"You're still thinking about your leave, aren't you? If He Yuzhu comes to see you today, you'll be a hundred times unwilling to come to the palace."

"How could that be? I'm overjoyed that my master is thinking of me. The roe I just caught this morning has already been given to Eunuch He, and we can add it to the Crown Prince's meal tonight."

"Alright, alright, it's not that I'm going back on my word. I said I'd give you twenty days off, and I'm sure I won't skimp on that."

"But you can't just disappear as soon as you leave the palace. You should learn from Eshan and the others; if they don't come to the palace for three days, they'll send me some little trinket as a greeting. You're the only one who's different."

"The Crown Prince has no shortage of servants; it's only the servants who are scrambling to get close to their masters. I've already squeezed to the front, so I have to leave some room for others, otherwise I'll be hated."

It's infuriating that so many people around Yinreng wouldn't use him for such a difficult and extremely important task, insisting instead on having He Yuzhu bring Yulang back from outside the palace for a thorough explanation. If others knew this, who knows how envious they would be.

Stop talking about whether it's difficult or not. If the task given by the master isn't difficult or not hard to do, then what use are you?

"What a thick skin! You've only been here a short while and you're already thinking about leaving room for others. You've got a generous nature."

Yinreng liked Yulang's personality. He knew when to fight and when to yield, and he was tactful and never fussed over trivial matters. Because of this, Yinreng couldn't help but think of Suo'etu, who was still "sick" at home. He wished Suo'etu was as generous as Yulang.

When the very clever Madam Shen and the very generous Lord Yu came out of Yuqing Palace, they ate and took away everything. They not only ate all the fruit that Caiwei had cut, but also took a small basket of all kinds of fresh fruit.

There was also a small basket of citron that Shi Qionghua sent to deliver after the two of them had left Yuqing Palace, saying it was specially for Shen Wanqing to use to scent the house.

Having traded a single deer for so many things, Shen Wanqing couldn't contain her joy upon returning to the carriage after leaving the palace. Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived, interrupted by what Yulang said.

Yu Lang said he needed to go back and think it over, but what he really meant was that he wanted to discuss it with Shen Wanqing. He knew that Shen Wanqing knew just as much about the outside world as he did, and perhaps the only advantage he had over her was that she was a man; otherwise, the Crown Prince would have used her more effectively than him.

"The most important thing about procuring grain is that it's timely. It's the same principle as supplying goods to our shop. You can't just have it; you have to be able to supply as much as the front line needs, and you have to deliver it on time and in the correct quantity. Otherwise, what's the use of just having grain?"

The Crown Prince's concerns were not unfounded. Mingzhu could easily manipulate the supply transport and efficiency. He wouldn't make any mistakes when procuring supplies, since the army wouldn't set off if the supply wasn't sufficient. If problems arose, they would occur en route, and then Yinreng, as the Crown Prince regent, would be unable to escape responsibility.

"There's also the issue of embezzlement. Once the grain is transported up, it's hard to say what the quality and quantity will be like."

Yu Lang was experienced. That year, when he returned from his scout post, he was so hungry that he could eat a whole cow. The cook told him to make him beef noodles, but when he ate them, all he could taste was beef with hardly any meat.

"You have no idea how awful that noodle was. It was sifted three times and there was still sand in it. It was so tough it hurt your teeth. If I hadn't been so hungry at the time, I would have argued with them. They really treat people like livestock."

Yu Lang still felt indignant when he thought about that incident. Such things were unavoidable, but he was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would use it against him. When no one cared, as long as the supplies were delivered, that was fine. But when someone did care, it was hard to say who would be affected.

"So the Crown Prince wants you to keep an eye on this matter, mainly to ensure the safety of the grain transport. Except for the unavoidable situation of encountering the enemy on the way to transport the grain, you must not let anyone tamper with it and implicate the Crown Prince."

Only by summarizing the key points can we come up with a solution. Shen Wanqing didn't say a word the whole way, just looked at the street scene outside the carriage. It wasn't until the carriage turned into the alley where Hesheli lived that she leisurely counted three sentences on her fingers and said three sentences to Yulang.

"First: You have to go to the Shen family to see my father during the New Year. When it comes to logistics, he's far better than the two of us combined. Not all of his former subordinates are in the Southeast; some might have been transferred to the western border region."

"Second: We have to set up a caravan next year, whether we want to or not. Find a way to buy the horses and hire the caravans. Once it's up and running, take the western route. These traveling merchants are better informed than those above. You can keep an eye on Mingzhu's faction or gather information for the Crown Prince. They'll be more useful to you."

"Third: Second Uncle, send more New Year's gifts to your post this year. I'll also take care of Tu Nan's marriage. He's the official in charge of grain transport. Although he's far from the western border, he deals with grain every day. We might need his help if something happens."

Shen Wanqing felt a little annoyed when she said this. How could she have forgotten about the campaign against Galdan? She shouldn't have sent He Yi to Fuzhou. If he had gone to the western frontier, things would have been much easier this time.

Shen Wanqing felt that she had just pulled out the clues, but Yu Lang had been listening in silence for quite a while. The carriage had been parked at the gate of the mansion for a short while when Shen Wanqing reached out and poked Yu Lang's shoulder, finally bringing him back to his senses.

"What are you thinking about? We're home."

"It's such a pity that such a talented woman as my great-grandmother is gone."

It's a pity she's a woman, confined to the inner quarters and unable to attend court; otherwise, with the brains of her own matriarch, she could definitely have entered the cabinet and become a prime minister.

"Stop flattering me. I know how capable I am, you don't need to tell me. Go, go, get off the carriage and go back. It's so cold, is it comfortable to stay in the carriage?"

Shen Wanqing was not modest; she admitted that she was quite capable and intelligent, and that his saying such a thing only showed that he had good judgment.

Although she said she didn't want Yu Lang to flatter her, she was actually quite pleased to hear it. Shen Wanqing was visibly in a good mood when she got off the carriage, but she only calmed down when she saw people coming and going at the gate and a few unfamiliar faces.

"Why is it so lively at the entrance? Did the old lady have some guests?"

"Grandma, your great-aunt is back, haven't you forgotten?"

Oh, I really forgot about that. That day, Urgun said that Zhenxuan should arrive in the capital in two or three days. The next day, Yulang said that he was going out of the city to go hunting. Shen Wanqing calculated that the time was just enough, so she didn't think about staying at home to wait for this aunt to return before going out of the city.

She had originally planned that even if Zhenxuan arrived in the capital the next day, she and Yulang would return to the capital from the estate the next day, and they could bring back some game from the estate, which wouldn't be too much of a neglect to this aunt.

To her surprise, she didn't return to the manor the next day, and no one from the manor came looking for her, so Shen Wanqing simply put the matter out of her mind.

"What time did you arrive? This is too much of a coincidence. Did you tell the old lady that my husband and I went to the palace?"

"I told you, I told you. Chang Shun told me everything as soon as he got back. My eldest aunt is a very understanding person. She even instructed the servants to stand guard at the door and tell you and the master that you should go back and rest as soon as you get back. My eldest aunt is family, so there's no need to rush to meet her. It's the same if we meet again tomorrow."

The Crown Princess summoned Shen Wanqing immediately after her marriage. You should know that the Shi family members hadn't even entered the palace yet, but their eldest mistress had already snatched her away. This shows how much favor she has and how much she can't live without her. This afternoon, Wuergun stood at the door and felt that his back was straighter than usual.

Yu Lang, however, looked helpless and led Shen Wanqing toward the main courtyard. He knew exactly who his aunt was; if they didn't go to the main courtyard now, she would definitely come over that evening.

She's the smartest and most capable person in the family, so I'd better go see her first to avoid her coming to the East Courtyard. She doesn't want to deal with these things late at night.

————————!!————————

Grandma: Come on, let's have a meeting first.

Yu Gouzi: Starry-eyed.jpg [Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose]

Red envelopes will be dropped in the comments section of this chapter.