The rear hall of Qing'e Palace.

Huan Yue was tidying up his own place.

Especially in the bedroom.

In the back changing room, the toilet is in a small cubicle in the corner, and the bathtub is moved to the side when not in use, so the space is much larger.

Place a cabinet against the west wall, on the side near the entrance, where you can store some items or display decorations.

This presents a significant problem: whatever the master wants to do, servants will come. For example, if the master wants to change clothes, a palace maid will hold the clothes in her hands and wait on the side. The space is not designed to accommodate clothes, but rather to accommodate a person.

One person isn't enough; you need several to stand. Like taking a shower, you need several.

So a small cabinet will suffice.

Huan Yue and Chao Yun discussed, "Let's make it look like a mountain. We can put some potted plants on the inner shelves, decorative items on the outer shelves, and store things in the middle cabinet. We can also put a chair near the door."

Chao Yun nodded: "This needs to be made fresh, it will take a few days."

Huan Yue said, "A few days is fine, there's plenty of time. Actually, the bathroom is warmer in winter when it's enclosed."

Chaoyun said, "If there's a brazier, that would be fine. We can make a separate one for Chengen Hall."

The rear hall is still a bit small.

Huan Yue said no more.

After all, it's not feasible for her to wash alone; if two servants are added, the area would need to be much larger.

Out, in the middle.

Huan Yue knew that someone had to sleep with her, and while she could refuse forcefully, she didn't want to for the time being.

There is a table in front of the carved canopy bed against the wall, with a lattice screen separating it from the outside.

Huan Yue pointed to the space between the table and the lattice window and said, "Let's put a small bed here."

There are many ways to describe a bed, such as a seated bed, or a similar-looking tatami mat.

Chao Yun understood, but she looked at the Empress with surprise.

She didn't want to sleep on the floor at night. This spot would be perfect for a small bed.

Huan Yue said, "The little bed is fine there. When we get up in the morning, we can fold the quilt over to that end and cover it with a cloth. It can also be used as a cushion. We can sit on this end. It's not good for Xiao Jiao Nu to sleep on the floor all the time, since she's so small."

The little slave girl protested: "I'm not little."

"Have you reached marriageable age?"

not yet.

Huan Yue was in charge, and even if she was heartless, she couldn't let such a young palace maid sleep on the ground every day.

It's definitely cold in winter, and cold in summer too, and damp during the rainy season.

It wouldn't be a problem to put a bed there; I even had someone stay with me when I was in the hospital.

Chaoyun agreed.

The bed for sleeping at night only needs to be two feet or two feet one inch wide and five feet four inches long, which is very convenient. It just depends on whether the master will grant this convenience.

Huan Yue then pointed to the west wall: "Place two chairs and a small square table about two feet in size in the middle."

It's much bigger than a few tables, making it easier to put things on. It's also different from a bedside table.

Even without a table in the center, it's still quite spacious, making it convenient for palace maids to serve.

Huan Yue did his hair and makeup in the outer room.

It was easy to move around outside, and the room was bright. As usual, palace maids would bring her makeup and then take it away or put it away after she finished.

The outer room is quite spacious.

Yu Yan returned to report.

Huan Yue sat in the main hall, where there was no throne.

The palace maid served her tea and then brought her a plate of snacks.

Yu Yan said, "The Pei family must be furious. Before I even returned to the East Palace, Pei Huanxu arrived first and is looking for His Highness."

Huan Yue sipped his tea with a smile: "Pei Erlang has quite the nerve."

Yu Yan wasn't afraid to speak ill of the Pei family: "When I went there, I didn't hear the end of the story. It was probably that Marquis Jianchang said he was impeached but didn't say why. So the Pei family members made guesses. Some guessed that the Empress hit me, and some guessed that the Empress contradicted the Empress. That Pei Huanying was really something. She said that the Empress should hit the Empress, and if one beating wasn't enough, she should be beaten twice."

The little slave girl jumped up and shouted, "How dare you!"

Chaoyun sat to one side drinking tea and said, "I'm used to fighting like this."

Huan Yue explained with a smile, "That beating was different; I didn't do it as much later."

It's like hitting someone on the palm.

But Chaoyun didn't think so.

It's wrong for a prostitute to slap someone's palm casually, but what about slapping them a lot?

Cat cautiously chimed in, "After the marriage was arranged, Her Majesty knelt in the ancestral hall at least five times, and the longest she knelt there was for five hours, right?"

Chao Yun said angrily, "Making the Crown Princess kneel in the Pei family's ancestral hall? The Pei family's ancestors have such a big face!"

Huan Yue nodded, "Isn't that right?"

This will ensure that the fake heiress will have the Pei family name etched deeply into her mind.

He was willing to give his life for the Pei family.

Although her surname is Huan, the fake heiress comes from the Chang family, but the Chang family ancestors received nothing.

Chang Ziyu doesn't respect the Chang family's ancestors at all. It's as if her presence in the Chang family is only possible because the Chang family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke.

Huan Yue then brought up something else.

Yu Yan listened attentively from the side.

Huan Yue was referring to a folding bed, not a folding chair.

A "Hu Chuang" isn't actually a bed; it's more like a folding stool. The line "Bright moonlight before my bed" is also said to refer to a folding stool. It's called a "Chuang" because beds used to be used for sitting.

Later, armrests and a backrest were added to the folding chair, turning it into a reclining chair. Anyway, it could all be folded up.

So folding isn't a new skill; Chu Jinran simply turned a folding stool into a bed.

Chaoyun understood.

It's convenient for night shifts, and it shouldn't be difficult to do.

Huan Yue said, "Make me two comfortable bamboo recliners so I can carry them to lie under the tree."

The young servant girl asked, "Your Highness, you're not staying in the back palace because you've taken a fancy to a few trees, are you?"

Huan Yue patted her head: "Now that we live in the front, we can't lie under the trees anymore?"

Chaoyun and Yuyan were both thinking about what would happen if the Empress lay under the tree in the future.

Lying under a tree isn't impossible, but you need to consider what to do and make the arrangement look nicer.

Lady Ji came over and had something to say to the Empress: "Cherry said she will listen to her mistress from now on."

Huan Yue asked, "Isn't she worried about her family anymore?"

Ji was stunned.

Cat was timid but understood: "She has a lot of family members, and they are all in the hands of the madam. I think it might just be a temporary measure to survive first. Next time, she'll be smarter, and maybe the madam will back her up."

Huan Yue asked, "Where are your family members?"

The cat said, "Born to be a servant, what do I care about family? Isn't loyalty to my master my duty?"

Huan Yue laughed and said, "I don't blame them for serving their own masters, but they should bear the consequences of what they do in front of me."

Lady Ji understood. She would give Yingtao a chance, and then see if she was truly clever or just pretending.

The cat whispered to its master, "Let Aunt Qi have a room to herself."

Huan Yue said, "You can arrange the housing yourselves."

Ji was somewhat pleased. The house would certainly be much more spacious with half the people living there.

Moreover, the Empress even rewarded me with silver; life is truly wonderful.

**

Ahead is Chongwen Hall.

Crown Prince Xie Zhou was very humble and eager to learn.

Grand Tutor Wen Zhongqing was very fond of the Crown Prince.

Wen Zhongqing was a great Confucian scholar of his time, but he was not limited to Confucianism. This is not to say that he was disloyal, but that he could use the knowledge from various schools of thought and was at a higher level.

He was already seventy years old and should have retired, but he stayed in the Eastern Palace because he liked the Crown Prince.

Wen Zhongqing's grandson, Wen Yuan, also studied at Chongwen Academy and was considered a tutor to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince's tutor was an official in the Eastern Palace, holding the rank of seventh grade. He was considered a confidant of the Crown Prince, and their relationship was quite special.

Di Chang's second son, Di Shan, was also here; he was considered a companion, or you could say they were practically inseparable since they were kids.

Pei Huanxu is always running around outside, but he can't get into this circle.