Li Chengzhen waved her sleeves and said impatiently, "I know."
Li Chengzhen followed the palace maid and went back to study in a depressed mood.
Shen Wei frowned secretly. The queen had been trapped in Kunning Palace and could no longer force Li Chengzhen to study.
But why does this child still have dark circles under his eyes, unsteady steps, and a listless spirit?
Shen Wei gave Cai Ping a look: "Cai Ping."
Caiping understood and nodded quickly. When she returns, she will carefully investigate the Second Prince's recent whereabouts.
The sedan chair arrived soon, and Shen Wei left with her two sons.
"Mother, what is that?" Li Chengyou sat next to Shen Wei, looking curiously at the large wooden barrel in the shade of the palace wall.
Shen Wei said: "Mung bean soup."
The weather is hot, so a large wooden barrel is placed in the shade every few palace paths. It contains mung bean soup, which can relieve the heat and quench the thirst of the busy palace servants in the hot summer.
When managing the harem, one must be sympathetic to the hard work of the palace maids and provide them with appropriate favors. But Shen Wei would not drink the mung bean soup in the wooden barrel herself. As a manager, she must not mingle with the servants, otherwise she would lose the dignity of the master.
Being too kind will make your subordinates lax; being too strict will make them resentful.
The best way to manage the harem is to use both kindness and severity, give a slap in the face and then a sweet treat.
...
...
The Concubine Chen managed the six palaces, was respectful, solemn, and considerate to the servants, and she enjoyed a very high reputation in the harem.
The Tan Tai family is the most anxious!
The queen fell out of favor, and the new palace maid Tan Tai Yin Xue was not in a powerful position. One day, the emperor might depose the queen and make Concubine Chen the successor.
The Shen family is rising, while the Tan Tai family is declining. The head of the Tan Tai family was worried and racked his brains to think of how to break the impasse.
But Shen Wei was relaxed and at ease, the affairs of the harem were on track, and everything was in order. Chen Wei was bored, so she dragged Zhang Miaoyu to visit the queen to show her "virtue as a concubine".
After staying in Kunning Palace for an hour, the Queen's face had become extremely ugly and she seemed to be going crazy at any time. Chen Wei took Zhang Miaoyu away in time and went to Changxin Palace to visit Concubine Lu Xuan.
"Why should we go to Changsheng Palace? I don't want to go." Zhang Miaoyu pouted her lips. She didn't like Shufei at all.
Shen Wei said: "Shufei is pregnant. As sisters in the same palace, it is natural to visit her occasionally."
Zhang Miaoyu looked at Shen Wei suspiciously: "Are you so kind?"
Shen Wei smiled but said nothing.
The two walked into Changxin Palace.
In Changxin Palace, the crabapple blossoms on the trees have gradually withered, and the palace maids are cleaning the yard in an orderly manner. Lu Xuan was extremely strict with her subordinates, and the palace maids and eunuchs in Changxin Palace were all under her control.
Lu Xuan's belly was already showing, her face was round, she showed a gentle and beautiful smile, and said in a calm tone: "Concubine Chen, what happened today that you came to my palace."
Chen Wei smiled brightly, "Donglin Kingdom paid tribute to us with three boxes of Wumei Paste. The Queen Mother kept one box and gave me two boxes. I heard that Concubine Shu likes to eat sour food during pregnancy, so I brought you a box on purpose."
Lu Xuan smiled with a fake smile: "The Concubine Chen is thoughtful."
Both of them were foxes who had been practicing for thousands of years, and they were being polite and fawning on each other. There was a pavilion for cooling off by the pond in the courtyard, where Chen Wei, Zhang Miaoyu and Lu Xuan sat together.
Chen Wei smiled and said, "This black plum paste is simple to make. Take the largest and roundest black plum fruit on the branch, mash it in a stone mortar, add nourishing herbs and spices, and boil it over high heat until it becomes a paste. Put it in a small jar and seal it. Put it in a cool place. When you need to drink it, take two spoons and put it in a cup. Brew it with boiling water. It tastes great."
Lu Xuan pretended to listen to Shen Wei's long speech, but she was secretly confused in her heart. No one comes to the temple for no reason. The weasel pays New Year's greetings to the chicken. Why did Chen Wei come to Changxin Palace on her own initiative?
Could it be that he wanted to harm the fetus in her belly?
Is that black plum paste poisonous?
Chen Wei seemed to have guessed what Lu Xuan was thinking. She told Cai Lian beside her, "This special black plum soup has not yet been tasted by this palace and Concubine Yu. Cai Lian, go get the tea set and a pot of boiling water. This palace and Concubine Shu will try it together today."
Cai Lian gladly accepted the order.
Soon, brand new tea sets were served. Cai Lian skillfully scooped a few spoonfuls of black plum paste with a small spoon and brewed it with boiling water. The weather was hot and the black plum soup in the tea set was steaming.
Lu Xuan frowned and looked at Shen Wei who was sitting opposite the stone table, unable to guess why Shen Wei came.
Shen Wei's gaze shifted to look at Xiaoqin, the senior palace maid beside Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan had two palace maids as part of her dowry, one named Xiaoqin and the other named Xiaoqi, both of whom were her confidants.
Xiaoqin noticed Shen Wei's gaze, her heart tightened, and she pretended to be nervous and asked: "Empress Chen, why are you looking at me like this?"
Chen Wei smiled and said, "You have served Concubine Shu for many years and have made great contributions. This cup of black plum soup is given to you as a reward."
Xiaoqin was shocked.
In front of Shen Wei was a small white jade cup filled with boiling dark red soup, with white steam rising from it.
How can you drink black plum soup that has just been brewed with boiling water? If you take a sip, won’t your tongue and throat be burned and blisters appear?
"Your Majesty, you are joking. How can I drink such boiling water? Please show some leniency and let me go." Xiaoqin lowered her head in embarrassment.
Shen Wei raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she was smiling: "Little girl, you can't keep secrets when you open your mouth. You always like to spread rumors. Rumors are as fierce as tigers and more terrible than boiling water."
Xiaoqin's face turned pale.
Lu Xuan silently clutched the handkerchief in her hand, and she finally understood why Shen Wei came today. Visiting was just an excuse, but in reality, he was using Xiaoqin to criticize Lu Xuan.
Two months ago, Yang Xuanji fell ill, and Lu Xuan asked Xiaoqin to spread rumors in the palace that "the Eighth Prince made Yang Xuanji sick." Two months later, the rumors had long since been dispelled, and Lu Xuan thought that Shen Wei had given up the matter.
But who could have thought that Shen Wei would suddenly strike back.
Xiaoqin fell to her knees, trembling all over, and looked at Lu Xuan for help.
After all, she was a maid who had served her since she was a child, and Lu Xuan couldn't bear to see her suffer. Lu Xuan forced a smile and pleaded for Xiao Qin: "Empress Chen, there must be a misunderstanding in this matter. If this maid has offended you in any way, I will apologize to you on her behalf."
Zhang Miaoyu also nodded quickly, with a sympathetic look on her face: "Sister Chen Fei, the maid of the Concubine Shu can't control her mouth. But you don't need to let her drink boiling water, it will easily burn her tongue and throat."
Xiaoqin burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, Princess Yu, for your consideration."
Chen Wei held her chin up and asked Zhang Miaoyu: "The concubine Shu is very tired during her pregnancy and has no time to discipline the servants. Her maid is spreading rumors and causing trouble outside. Sister Miaoyu, how do you think this little maid should be punished?"
Zhang Miaoyu put down the cake in her hand and said seriously, "In my opinion, if we use the medicine to make the mute mute directly, it won't hurt the tongue."
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