Xingkui bowed and handed the account book in her hand to Chen Yuwei.
Chen Yuwei reached out and took it, then casually flipped through it on the small octagonal table in the tatami room.
About fifteen minutes later, Chen Yuwei spoke, precisely calling out several concubines who had fallen out of favor, and asked Xingkui to invite them to Yikun Palace in a few days.
"And all the other concubines living in the same palace, call them over as well."
"Yes, I understand."
Over the next few days, Xingkui perfectly carried out Chen Yuwei's orders, inviting all these people, along with the concubines living in the same palace, to Yikun Palace.
What is the purpose? No purpose.
On the surface, Chen Yuwei simply asked them to come and serve the Emperor well, so that he could have children.
Then give away some of the various jewels in the warehouse that you don't need.
It's designed to ensure people enter and leave with a joyful heart.
After doing this for about half a month, the atmosphere in the harem became lively.
Those with ulterior motives began to encounter the emperor vying for his favor, and they all wore accessories given to them by Chen Yuwei to varying degrees.
Although Chen Yuwei doesn't use these ornaments, they are all left in the warehouse to collect dust.
Actually, these things have a perfectly good history.
Not only were they gifts from the Emperor, but each one was also exquisitely designed and enhanced the beauty of the recipient.
The concubines who brought these items to Hongli's presence were more or less able to gain his favor, and some were even taken directly back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to serve him in bed.
With the weather warm, the concubines, having shed their heavy winter clothes, dressed lightly, each in a striking color.
Especially after being favored by the emperor, both her demeanor and expression improved significantly.
Some people gain the emperor's favor, while others are so tempted by the benefits that they want to join in.
Over time, the entire harem became a large garden in full bloom. Hongli was the master of the garden, picking whichever flower he liked and discarding it when he felt it was not fresh, enjoying himself immensely.
However, Hongli's behavior was exactly what Chen Yuwei wanted.
You could even say that Chen Yuwei wished Hongli would go a little crazy and pick all the flowers in the garden so he could enjoy them to the fullest.
The scent on those hairpins was faint, but anyone with a discerning eye could detect it.
Once or twice can be considered an accident, but three or four times is premeditated.
The matter of Consort Yu: back then, because Consort Yu passed away first, the emperor lacked the ability to continue his lineage.
These concubines, by a twist of fate, have inherited Consort Yu's methods and taken them to new heights.
Consort Yu lived in the palace for only eight years, and her death was not glorious, which made some timid concubines afraid to use her methods to compete for the emperor's favor.
This pause in time, while not enough to allow the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to recover, did prevent their bodies from collapsing further.
Now that the concubines in the harem have changed batch after batch, the emperor himself has completely forgotten about this matter. So don't blame Chen Yuwei for bringing it up again and applying it to Hongli.
These flower-like concubines in the harem are all bodies used to contain others.
Chen Yuwei was delighted to see the day when Hongli would collapse in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Once Hongli falls, the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace will no longer need to hold back.
The mother and son can keep each other company while walking together, so they won't feel lonely on the road, and she won't feel bad about it.
Sitting in Yikun Palace, Chen Yuwei listened to the good news coming from outside and was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She even ate several extra bowls of rice at each of her three meals.
Xingkui could vaguely sense something, but at this moment she maintained the sensitivity of a maid and absolutely did not ask what she should not ask.
He diligently performed his duties, reporting matters of the Imperial Household Department to his master daily, promptly handling the monthly bills sent by the Imperial Household Department, and ensuring the proper arrangement of personnel transfers in the harem. Otherwise, he steadfastly guarded his small territory of Yikun Palace, rarely venturing out.
During this period, Chen Yuwei's children would occasionally visit the palace to pay their respects to her.
Aside from her daughters-in-law, the youngest daughter, Wuyunzhu, was the one who visited the place most frequently.
Every time Wu Yunzhu entered the palace, she would bring good news to Chen Yuwei.
From the minutiae of their own business to the dramatic changes in the previous dynasty, they always spoke their minds, and the current situation was entirely in their favor.
Chen Yuwei: ...
Chen Yuwei felt that Wuyunzhu was too confident. Some things cannot be judged by appearances alone. Until the very last moment, no one knows whether they will win or lose.
Wu Yunzhu patted her chest, looking smug, "Mother, don't worry. My brother and I are outside the palace, and my two older sisters are in Jiangnan. Nothing will happen."
Besides, with so many people watching, if something really goes wrong, or if someone pulls off a feint, they might as well go wash their necks and wait to commit suicide.
What's the point of arguing? If you can't win, you can't win. Just admit defeat.
Chen Yuwei couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You guys are really good at controlling yourselves."
Before anything even happened, they had already figured out what would happen if they lost. Chen Yuwei didn't know whether to say that these kids had mental expectations or that they were overthinking things.
Wu Yunzhu grinned, not feeling at all that she had done anything wrong.
"Doing nothing is the safest option, but no one knows what will happen when the new emperor ascends the throne," so we can't afford to gamble.
If they lose the bet, their entire family of dozens of people will be buried alive.
Wuyunzhu, who had already discussed this with Yonghu and the others, believed that the Emperor should not have had so many children.
What's the use? I didn't see any brothers working together, but I did see plenty of backstabbing and infighting.
Take Consort Ling's son, Prince Yongyan, for example. At such a young age, he dared to bully others in the study and even used his seniority to pressure the younger generation. How despicable!
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
