The chairs in the room were removed. Shi Liu ordered the eunuchs to bring in a pile of moldy and yellowed books, and said arrogantly:
"The Imperial Concubine is magnanimous and will forgive you for your unintentional mistake. I will not hold you responsible."
"Don't say that the Empress didn't teach you diligently. These are the registers from the past years in the warehouse. They have been stored for a long time and many of them have been damaged. They need to be rewritten. I will leave this matter to Concubine Shu."
Ji Yunhuan picked up a booklet, an antique that was who knows how many years old it was, with pages falling out.
The warehouse is inventoried and updated every year, and these booklets have long been useless. They are said to be copied, but in fact they are just to torment her.
Tao Hong took the booklet from Ji Yun Huan's hand and stretched out her arm, "Don't touch it, Madam. It's very dirty."
"You can just find a literate palace maid to copy these things. Why bother our queen?"
Shi Liu raised her chin arrogantly and sneered, "Is it your turn to interfere with the Imperial Concubine's order?"
"The Empress is ill and has retired. Before she went to sleep, she specifically instructed me that these books are important and must not be taken out of Changchun Palace. Concubine Shu should copy them as soon as possible."
"Don't say that Her Majesty doesn't understand you. Until the transcription is completed, Concubine Shu will live in Changchun Palace to avoid traveling back and forth."
Taohong was so angry that her face turned red. She wouldn't let anyone take the things out or leave. It was obvious that she wanted to torture the young lady.
Ji Yunhuan was very calm. "Since the Imperial Concubine has given the order, let's get started as soon as possible. Taohong, grind the ink for me."
Shi Liu was very satisfied with Concubine Shu's ability to understand the current situation. A concubine who had fallen out of favor was still at the mercy of the Imperial Concubine.
"Then I will withdraw now. Concubine Shu must copy it carefully. Her Majesty will check it later. If Concubine Shu can't even do such a simple thing, how can she handle palace affairs?"
The door creaked shut, and only Ji Yunhuan and Tao Hong were left in the room.
Taohong turned the yellowed pages of the book, and Ji Yunhuan spread out the rice paper. He wrote in elegant and dignified small regular script, with a mature structure and profound strength, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
Taohong exclaimed, "Young lady's handwriting is so beautiful, it surpasses those scholars."
"The Imperial Concubine is too much of a bully. She didn't even give Miss a stool. Miss, do you really want to keep writing?"
Ji Yunhuan rubbed her wrists and saw that the palace maids who were staring at her outside the window had dispersed and gone to have fun.
She couldn't run away anyway, and no one would keep staring at her.
Ji Yunhuan threw the brush away and stretched lazily, "How is that possible? Am I, your lady, such a fool?"
Soon it was time for dinner.
Taohong opened the door and pleaded with the palace maid at the door, "Sister, could you please bring some food? The Queen is tired and hungry, and can't hold on any longer."
The palace maid waved her hand impatiently, "Go away, this is Changchun Palace, not your Shuhua Palace. We don't have any extra food for you!"
Taohong stuffed a silver nude into the maid's hand and said with a flattering smile, "Sister, please make way. I'll go to the imperial kitchen to get dinner. I'll be back soon and won't delay your business."
The palace maid weighed the silver coins in her hand and felt that they were a little too little, but she was reluctant to give up the benefits she had obtained.
"Don't say I won't help you. Come, give her a cup of tea. The Imperial Concubine has ordered that you cannot leave this place until the transcription is completed. I have done my best."
Taohong entered the room carrying tea and angrily said, "Bah! What kind of person is this? You took my money and didn't do anything! You just gave me a cup of tea and didn't even bother to serve the Empress some cakes!"
Ji Yunhuan had already eaten a lot before coming here, so she didn't feel hungry at the moment. She drank her tea slowly and said with a smile:
"Don't be angry, it was just a pretense. If she really lets you out, the rest of the play will be difficult to perform."
Tao Hong curled her lips, feeling a little pained. "That was five taels of silver, and they only exchanged it for a cup of tea. The people in Changchun Palace are too greedy!"
"In the entire harem, Changchun Palace is the richest." Ji Yunhuan's eyes flashed with disgust. "Looking around the world, the Liu family is rich enough to rival a country. I'm afraid they are even richer than the emperor!"
The palace maid came in to get the teacup, and when she saw Ji Yunhuan copying seriously, she left with peace of mind.
Not long after, Ji Yunhuan suddenly covered his stomach and leaned against the table in a cold sweat. The ink was spilled and soaked a stack of rice paper, and the beautiful handwriting on it could still be vaguely seen.
Ji Yunhuan wrote a few lines on each piece of paper. Looking around, it seemed as if the dense handwriting was all stained by ink.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Are you okay? Please don't scare me! Someone, come! Your Majesty has fainted!"
Taohong screamed at the top of her lungs, and soon the entire Changchun Palace was alarmed.
Ji Yunhuan not only brought Taohong on this trip, but also brought many palace maids and eunuchs, but these people were all sent aside by Concubine Liu with excuses.
Now that they heard that Concubine Shu had fainted, the people in Shuhua Palace no longer cared about the rules and rushed over.
Taohong helped Ji Yunhuan onto the sedan chair. The people in Shuhua Palace changed from their previous cowardice and suddenly became tough. They surrounded the sedan chair and left Changchun Palace with a lot of noise, as if they were afraid that others would not know.
The lights were on all the way back to Shuhua Palace, and someone had already invited Doctor Li.
The emperor also received the news and immediately left the ministers who were discussing the matter and rushed over in a hurry.
The Queen has arrived and is asking Concubine Liu what happened.
When Concubine Liu saw the emperor, she rushed over and knelt on the ground crying, "Your Majesty, I am innocent, innocent!"
"I only summoned her to handle palace affairs. I didn't beat or scold her, nor did I make her kneel. I just wrote a few words. How could she faint?"
"She must be pretending to be unconscious. Concubine Shu has evil intentions. She is slandering me. Your Majesty, you must believe me."
The queen was extremely excited. After waiting for so many years, she finally had the opportunity to suppress Concubine Liu.
This Concubine Shu is really capable. In the past, Concubine Liu had punished many concubines openly or secretly, but His Majesty had never shown up. Now she has put aside her government affairs and rushed here, which shows how important Concubine Shu is in His Majesty's heart.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Shu was carried out of Changchun Palace because she fainted. Many people saw her along the way. This cannot be a lie."
"I have already made inquiries. First, Concubine Shu fanned Concubine Liu, and after she was exhausted, Concubine Liu arranged for her to copy the old year's storehouse register. Concubine Shu, without eating or drinking, stood up and wrote a thick stack of paper. It was not as simple as writing a few words."
Concubine Liu was panicking and tried her best to distance herself from the matter. "I just wanted to teach Concubine Shu a lesson. It was the people below who were ignorant and misunderstood my intentions, so..."
With a "bang", the emperor kicked Concubine Liu to the ground.
He looked at the stack of papers stained with ink, which was clearly Huan'er's handwriting.
"The evidence is there, and you still dare to quibble! If anything happens to Huan'er, I will bury you with me today!"
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