"Your Majesty, it has been done."
In the Hall of Longevity, Yang Mingrui lit the candles and waited quietly by the side, awaiting the emperor's orders.
Xie Yanci flipped through the memorial, wrote the last line of his comments in red, and then asked casually, "How is it?"
"I sneaked in from behind and saw that Hui Yunu was strangled to death! The white silk was wrapped around the pillar in several places, and in the end, it had to be cut from the side to be removed. It can be seen that the person who did it was really cruel and decisive..."
"Where is she?"
"According to the Emperor's wishes, after leaving the bedroom, I had Lady Min escorted to Lin'an Palace." Yang Mingrui added respectfully, "The side halls were all furnished to the specifications of a concubine's rank, so it didn't take long."
Xie Yanci nodded and rubbed his nose tiredly: "She didn't say anything else?"
"I was just about to report this to the Emperor! Little Lady Min is begging for respect for the deceased Hui Yunu. I hope the Emperor can bury her properly and not treat her as a criminal concubine and dispose of her arbitrarily!"
First, he brutally killed Meng Qingzhi, causing her to die in agony. Now he comes to seek grace after death. Is this just a woman's kindness or does he have other motives?
Seeing that the emperor didn't respond, Yang Mingrui hurriedly stepped forward and lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, Miss Min said that someone died suddenly and was hastily buried overnight, while someone else rose to a higher position and was promoted. It's easy for someone with ulterior motives to notice them. If they knew about this scandalous act of deceiving the emperor, then..."
"So, she's considering my reputation?"
"From what I can see, this is what Miss Min means."
She is quiet and gentle, and has a quick and intelligent nature.
This title was indeed not given to the wrong person!
Xie Yanci waved his hand, signaling him to leave. The moment the door closed, a shadow guard jumped down from the beam.
"What are your commands, Your Majesty?"
"Has my eighth brother, who has been traveling around and not paying attention to government affairs, contacted the palace recently?"
"I have been keeping an eye on that maid, and there is nothing unusual!"
So, this matter has nothing to do with Xie Yanqing's advice, it's entirely her own idea?
"It seems that my eighth brother has indeed chosen a good candidate!" Xie Yanci played with the gold medal that was returned to him on the imperial desk. "It's not easy to be able to make a decisive decision while also protecting the dignity of others."
Unable to fathom the emperor's thoughts, the shadow guard responded, "Your Majesty, do you need someone to keep an eye on Prince Lian's mansion? Since he carefully selected such a wonderful person to enter the palace, it must be for more than just pleasing Your Majesty!"
"I'll do one more thing and then go check out Eighth Brother's reaction."
——
The east side of Lin'an Palace is where Wei Shuyi will live in the future.
This is a plaque inscribed by the emperor, now hanging high above the main hall, quite impressive! The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent two maids and four young eunuchs, and also added some potted plants, so the house was complete.
"My lady, you haven't yet entered the Empress' bedchamber. According to your current rank, you are not allowed to see the Empress. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, you can kneel outside the Fengluan Palace and pay your respects."
The maid Jing'an was calm and composed, always reminding people of the palace rules at the right time. For example, at this moment, Wei Shuyi wanted to go out to meet the empresses, but was stopped and turned back.
Jing Ning, on the other side, was cheerful and active: "That's great! My lady, we can play in the courtyard, or... go to a more secluded part of the Imperial Garden? There are fewer ladies passing by there, so we can still have a good time!"
"Pah, pah, pah!" Jing An frowned slightly, "If the young lady can't enter Fengluan Palace for a long time, that would be the worst possible thing!"
"Yes, then I wish you the best of luck and hope you will be favored soon, rise to higher positions, and one day sit beside the Empress, hehe!"
Wei Shuyi listened to their discussion and had a clear understanding of the current situation.
From the eighth rank, there is still a long way to go to climb up.
If she is forgotten by the emperor and cannot sleep with him, her rank will end there. Then she will be bullied by the concubines and be flattered by the palace servants!
She did not pursue status excessively, but in order to prove the innocence of her relatives and to fulfill the agreement to let King Lian protect her younger siblings, she had to "crave fame and fortune" and desire power.
"In that case, will you accompany me to Shoukang Palace? The Empress Dowager has carefully nurtured me, and now that I'm in the harem, I must show my filial respect to her."
"yes!"
Since she left, Yin Zhu became the second most important person after Aunt Zijin, and became extremely popular for a while.
Today, Wei Shuyi came to visit and happened to meet her former sister——
"Liu Ying?! Oh, that's not right. This servant promised Min to pay her respects!"
"We are all family, please don't be strangers." She quickly supported Yin Zhu, "Has the Queen Mother woke up from her nap? I came to visit her."
"Knowing you were coming, even if I was asleep, I would suddenly wake up! The Queen Mother loves poetry and literature. What kind of backgrounds do the people in our palace have? Only Aunt Zijin was educated and can speak with others. So, she is really thinking about you coming!"
Yin Zhu was always smiling and joking along the way. Compared to the cautious and reserved manner when they first met, he was obviously much more cheerful.
Just as she introduced herself, the Queen Mother was sitting in the main seat. Seeing Wei Shuyi coming, she hurriedly stood up and said, "Good boy! How come you only have time to come today?"
"There are many items that need to be added to the palace, and the servants also need to be observed and disciplined. That's why I was unable to visit the Empress Dowager in time a few days ago." Wei Shuyi took out an exquisite sachet and handed it over. "I am not talented, I can only make some small things to make people happy. If the Empress Dowager has any spices she likes, you can add them yourself--"
"You saved me the trouble! You sent me an empty bag!"
"It's also troublesome, Queen Mother, please take a look!"
Wei Shuyi hung the sachet near the window frame. As the morning sun shone directly into it, the shadows on the ground unexpectedly appeared with verses wishing longevity! Furthermore, the auspicious words would change depending on the position of the shadow.
What is even more valuable is that the words and sentences of the poem are connected! No matter which side, they can be put together to form a complete poem!
The Queen Mother stood up in astonishment, removed the sachet, and a smile spread across her face. "No embroiderer in the entire palace can match your skillful hands! I only knew you could read and write, but I had no idea... you could master it to this degree! Who taught you?"
It was the former Duke who taught her poetry and songs, and it was the former Duchess's wife who taught her music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
But she couldn't say it!
Wei Shuyi suppressed the dull pain in her heart and made an excuse, saying, "Before I decided to perform, the prince stuffed a lot of books into my pockets and forced me to learn them. He was afraid that I would be embarrassed at the birthday banquet!"
"So it's that kid! Even though he doesn't talk in a serious manner, he's actually quite good at reading and writing!"
The Queen Mother did not question this statement, but continued to chat on her own. By the time the kitchen staff came over to tell her that dinner was almost ready, it was already sunset.
Wei Shuyi knelt down and walked out of Shoukang Palace with the palace servants, intending to go back.
"Wait a minute!" "Silver Candle? What's wrong?"
"This is the monthly allowance I saved before. I saved quite a bit after my promotion. As you know, I have no relatives or friends, so I have nowhere to spend it." Yin Zhu stuffed a bulging package into her hand. "You are a concubine now, but your rank is not high. There will always be times when you need to take care of others. If it's not enough, I have more here!"
Wei Shuyi pursed her red lips, wanting to say something, but was blocked by her: "Just think of it as me lending it to you! If you become rich in the future, don't forget to pay me back -"
"Okay, I'll pay you double!"
The two smiled at each other, but heard hurried footsteps coming from the corridor.
From a distance, Xiao Zhuozi shouted at her, "Miss Min! Hurry back to the palace!"
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