Chapter 405 Palace Affairs
After the two left Chang Le Palace, Qi Yuxuan summoned Lan Xin and asked her to inquire about the fireworks that Wei Qingqing had mentioned.
She explained why she had been so restless yesterday, and sure enough, something bad happened.
Moreover, Qi Jun kept it a secret from her completely, not revealing a single word to her.
However, the emperor had personally ordered that no one was allowed to mention this matter. Three days had passed, and when Qi Yuxuan inquired about it, Lanxin had not found a single clue.
Qi Yuxuan's period started three days ago.
Whether it was due to lack of rest or the effects of the pastries she ate at Cining Palace, her menstrual cramps were severe this time. Several imperial physicians came to examine her and prescribe medicine, but none of them helped.
It was already the third day, and Qi Yuxuan was still lying listlessly on the couch, wrapped in a quilt and unwilling to move.
Now that she is the Empress, even the slightest ailment in her body will cause the entire palace to fall silent. Because of her menstrual period, the audience with relatives on the second day and the return visit on the third day were both postponed.
Qi Yuxuan curled up in the soft silk quilt, her soft and smooth hair cascading down her back, her haggard face almost translucent.
Qi Jun entered and saw this scene, and his heart ached: "Yu Xuan, how are you now?" He touched her exposed little hand, and then looked at Lan Xin and Bi Sui beside him: "Has the Empress taken her medicine?"
The two nodded hurriedly: "Your Majesty has taken all the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, but there is still no improvement. Today is the third day. Usually, it will be cleared up in about two days. Physician Pei said that this pain can only be treated slowly, and some nourishing soups can be used to treat the symptoms on a daily basis."
When the emperor asked them personally, the two women dared not hide anything and told everything they should and shouldn't have: "Physician Pei also said that perhaps the Empress had eaten too many contraceptives in the pastries before, which is why the reaction was so strong this time."
Qi Yuxuan tugged at his hand: "That's not true, don't listen to them. I know my own body, and my periods have always been like this..."
Bihui: "Where? Her Majesty used to only show affection on the first day, and then..."
"Shut up!" Qi Yuxuan glanced at her.
She sent the silver bell to Cining Palace and summoned the cook. For the Empress Dowager, an elder, this was a clear message to everyone that the Empress Dowager was not kind. The Empress had planted spies in Changle Palace on her first day in the palace, but her clumsy methods were exposed, causing her to lose face in the palace.
If he were to continue to be unreasonable and claim in front of Qi Jun that his menstrual cramps were caused by the contraceptive, it would be far too greedy and would raise suspicions of him trying to sow discord.
Qi Jun held her hand, his sword-like eyebrows twitching slightly, his long eyelashes drooping gently. "I know you've handled this very well, but you can't suffer in vain. What happens next is none of your business; I'll take care of it."
Qi Yuxuan: "No! Xiuyuan, the Empress Dowager is too old. I have already investigated this matter thoroughly. It was just the remnants of the late Emperor's concubine spreading alarmist rumors. It's better to avoid trouble now. Let it go."
The young emperor suppressed the ambition that flashed in his eyes. Seeing his beautiful, gentle, yet pale and haggard wife still trying to reconcile, he spoke in an extremely gentle tone: "I know, I know everything. She is my imperial grandmother. I know what I'm doing. Don't worry."
"Sleep a little longer, I'll stay with you."
He wrapped his arms around Qi Yuxuan's shoulders and knees, easily lifting her from the chaise lounge and carrying her step by step to the bedside.
Upon seeing this, the palace servants in the hall smiled and tacitly withdrew.
The emperor was always exceptionally patient with the empress. Even though the empress was menstruating these past few days, the emperor still slept in the same bed with her every night. He didn't even have the thought of sleeping in a side hall, let alone looking for other women.
Not to mention that the Empress was in great pain and had no energy to spare every day. Even though the Emperor was busy with court affairs, he would always come back to have lunch with the Empress and then take some time in the afternoon to visit her.
In the palace, almost everyone realized that the new emperor's words when he ascended the throne—that he would only have the empress for the rest of his life—were not a lie.
The Grand Princess did not get to see her daughter return home. Instead, she received a message from a palace servant that she was feeling unwell and had a persistent stomachache. She waited anxiously at her residence for two days, but she couldn't bear it any longer and went to the palace herself.
They've only been married a few days. How could Yu Xuan be in so much pain that she can't even attend her homecoming?
Her petition to enter the palace was handed to Qi Yuxuan. She was still enduring the pain and familiarizing herself with palace affairs.
The palace complex consists of dozens of palaces of varying sizes, and employs hundreds, if not thousands, of servants. The relationships among them are intricate and intertwined, and cannot be untangled overnight.
Actually, things are alright right now, since there are no other concubines in the harem; the late emperor's concubines have lost their ambitions and are easy to manage; the younger brothers and sisters, the fifth and sixth princes have already been granted the title of Prince of the County, and are preparing to leave the palace after their princely residences are completed in half a year; the seventh prince has few people around him, and the princesses have all married off, leaving only Minying in the palace, who is taken care of by the Empress Dowager's confidants, so Qi Yuxuan doesn't need to worry about her.
The only thing that gave her a headache was dealing with relatives and purchasing matters.
Over the course of several hundred years, the royal relatives and nobles of the Qi state, while not entirely absent from the court and the countryside, had accumulated to an astonishing number over the years.
For example, the late emperor's brothers had more than a dozen children. They did not engage in production or worry about making a living, and in just a few decades they had hundreds of children, who in turn had children... Their titles, monthly stipends, and rewards increased year by year, and the national treasury had to allocate a large sum of silver every year to support these idle relatives.
The same applies to procurement. Now the position of imperial merchant has fallen back to the Zhao family. They are honest and obedient, showing a respectful attitude that the royal family is giving them business, and they will definitely do everything personally. However, the procurement in the palace has always been handled entirely by the Department of Internal Affairs. The Department of Internal Affairs is also a mixed bag, with all kinds of people, and everyone wants to take the opportunity to make a fortune, or even make a fortune from both sides.
Zhao Yinchen and his sister Zhao Mei were still on their way back to the capital, but they were sending letters frequently. Qi Yuxuan only read them once or twice before she understood that the Imperial Household Department was a chaotic and troublesome place.
Upon hearing that her mother wanted to visit her in the palace, Qi Yuxuan's first reaction was to refuse.
If her mother saw her like this, she would not only fly into a rage, but would certainly take it out on the entire Chang Le Palace, and might even implicate the Empress Dowager... Perhaps because her mother's status had risen and there were no one to restrain her, she had become increasingly domineering. Sometimes she felt ashamed of the things her mother said that offended the emperor.
As soon as she uttered the words of refusal, Lanxin hesitated and stepped forward, saying, "Your Highness, you haven't returned home since your wedding, and now you've refused the Grand Princess. It's a bit suspicious that you're trying to hide something. Otherwise, we could help Your Highness with your hair and makeup, so that the Grand Princess can at least see you and calm her longing."
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