Currently, there are four pregnant women in the harem, each holding a principal position in the palace. Such a number and frequency inevitably arouse suspicion and apprehension.
Chen Yuwei sighed that the Emperor was in such good health; if even half of these four people had survived, the harem would have been much more lively.
The Emperor has worked so hard to sow the seeds; in the end, he should not reap nothing.
"Later, go and send a message to the servants in the Imperial Household Department, and tell them to serve you as attentively as possible."
There hasn't been such a joyous occasion in the harem for two years; we can't afford to displease the Emperor.
With a wave of her hand, Chen Yuwei told Xia He to hurry up and make a trip to the Imperial Household Department to prepare in advance.
Xia He didn't hesitate and made a quick trip, during which she also bumped into several pregnant women involved in the case.
"Master, thank goodness I came back quickly this time, otherwise I would have been dragged over to be judged."
Xia He patted her chest as she walked slowly to her master's side and stood still.
Chen Yuwei hummed and said, "Of these four, only Consort Qing and Consort Ling can cause trouble."
"Whether it's Zhongcui Palace or Yongshou Palace, the people in the Imperial Household Department are the most capable at handling this matter; how could they not manage it?"
Xia He poured Chen Yuwei a cup of tea. "It's Yongshou Palace."
The Imperial Household Department can handle it, but Consort Ning of Jingyang Palace is ahead of her in the queue; they value first come, first served.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuwei couldn't help but sneer, "She must have received quite a bit of money from Consort Ning in private."
When dealing with people from the Imperial Household Department, you can only talk about interests; forget about feelings.
The reason why Yikun Palace and the Imperial Household Department have been able to get along well for so long is that Yikun Palace is generous with money and will not easily make enemies with the Imperial Household Department.
As long as you feed the servants of the Imperial Household Department enough, they will agree to anything you do.
Chen Yuwei's absolute dominance in the harem was partly due to the contributions of the Imperial Household Department.
However, as the Imperial Household Department's appetite grew heavier year by year, Chen Yuwei would occasionally complain to Xia He.
Greedy, too greedy.
These people in the Imperial Household Department need to be dealt with when the opportunity arises. Although this won't change their greed, it will at least make them more apprehensive. Otherwise, their unbridled accumulation of wealth will ultimately result in a situation where neither master nor servant is truly in control.
The Emperor has always known about the Imperial Household Department's greed, so why hasn't he taken action yet?
Chen Yuwei reached out and touched her chin, feeling that she should find something for the Imperial Household Department to do.
For no other reason than to clean up a group of corrupt and greedy rats for the royal family.
It also replenishes the national treasury—what a great opportunity! It saves the emperor from having to constantly preach frugality and thus deprive himself of his rights.
“Find out all the accounts from this period and record and copy them separately.”
After much deliberation, I still feel I should inform the Emperor.
As for how Hongli wants to handle it, or whether he wants to postpone it for the time being, that is none of Chen Yuwei's business.
Xia He nodded, turned around and closed the accounts, then picked out the most obvious ones and recorded them.
After much effort, Xia He finished the work and presented the new accounts to her master.
Chen Yuwei went through it herself first, and then circled some of the more obscure points.
"Take it separately and show it to those people in the Imperial Household Department. It's not that I don't want to help, it's just too obvious."
I must give the Emperor an explanation; the rest is up to them.
If it can be made up and the accounts can be balanced, I will naturally not go to any trouble.
If that fails, the accounts will still have loopholes, and I must give His Majesty an explanation.
Chen Yuwei sighed and clearly explained her meaning to Xia He.
Xia He knew that her master intended to give the Imperial Household Department a chance, and was worried that handling too much at once would cause unrest.
After all, the interpersonal relationships within the Imperial Household Department were complex and intertwined. Although the emperor was in charge of palace affairs, he did not actually handle them directly himself.
If the people in the Imperial Household Department hold a grudge against their master, wouldn't their master become the next Consort Hui?
Xia He shook her head inwardly, certain that she couldn't do such a thing. It was easy to offend someone but difficult to please them. As the saying goes, troublesome little devils are hard to deal with, so she still had to be careful.
With her account book in hand, Xia He made a very discreet trip to the Imperial Household Department.
Xia He secretly found several officials from the Imperial Household Department, gave them some instructions, and then threatened them again to prevent them from repeating what they had done to Consort Hui years ago and running to the Emperor to complain.
Consort Hui suffered a loss, which made her a prime example for everyone in the harem.
It gets brought up almost every time something happens, and the frequency is quite high.
With Chen Yuwei as her backer, Xia He is exceptionally confident when handling matters.
When the palace servants from the Imperial Household Department saw Xia He speak like that, they knew there was no room for negotiation.
If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? Let's settle these accounts as soon as possible.
For greedy palace servants, spitting out money was worse than losing their own lives.
But this matter couldn't be left undone, and the end result was that Chen Yuwei's troubles were resolved smoothly, but Consort Ning and Consort Ling suffered a bit more, having to pay far more real money than expected.
Consort Ning and Consort Ling: ...
Not to mention that Consort Ling was heartbroken and kept complaining to Ping'er about the Imperial Household Department's insatiable greed, even a wealthy Consort Ning couldn't bear to continue using her dowry to fill the hole created by the Imperial Household Department itself.
There's nothing I can do. The initial payments have already been made, and if they don't make any more, it means all the money I've already invested will be lost.
That won't do. At least we have to see this through to the end. Even if the cooperation doesn't work out, we should still be on good terms and grit our teeth and pay up.
And so, with the two of them taking the money and the other taking it, Chen Yuwei turned around and handed the settled accounts to Hongli. Then she clapped her hands and returned to Yikun Palace without a trace.
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