Kunning Palace Main Hall
"Your Majesty, someone from Cining Palace has arrived."
Tan Yun quickly walked to Hesheli Fangyi's side and hurriedly told her mistress the news.
"Who's here? What brings you here?"
Hesheli Fangyi stood up, put her hand on Tanyun's arm, and asked as she walked.
"It's Aunt Su Ma from the Empress Dowager's side. She said the Empress Dowager is unwell, so she came to deliver the palace accounts to Her Majesty."
Tan Yun's tone was clearly excited, and her eyes were sparkling.
"Palace accounts," does this mean they intend to temporarily relinquish control and hand over power to her?
Hesheli Fangyi paused, then unconsciously quickened her pace. "Hurry up, we can't let the people of Cining Palace wait too long and feel that this is a sign of neglect."
Arriving at the main hall a little earlier than usual, Hesheli Fangyi saw Sumalagu standing upright inside, followed by two little palace maids with their heads slightly bowed, each carrying a thick stack of accounts.
Hesheli Fangyi's eyes flashed, and the smile on her lips deepened. "Aunt Su Ma?"
"This humble servant greets Her Majesty the Empress with boundless blessings."
Su Ma La Gu bowed respectfully, her expression flawless.
Seeing this, Hesheli Fangyi didn't say anything, but she was extremely satisfied.
A servant should act like a servant, even if she is a servant serving the Empress Dowager.
"Is it because the Empress Dowager has something to tell me, Aunt Su Ma?"
Hesheli Fangyi pretended to be confused with a straight face, and while speaking, she did not forget to invite Sumalagu to sit down. Tanyun even served her a cup of cool tea.
The greatest ability of Su Mala Gu to stay by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's side for so long is that she clearly understands her own status and would never rely on Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang to do anything inappropriate. She also has the words "prudence and discretion" engraved in her bones.
After thanking the Empress for her hospitality, Sumalagu accepted the teacup but did not drink it. Instead, she gently relayed what Empress Xiaozhuang had told her to Hesheli Fangyi.
"...Your Majesty, this is the account of the entire Eastern and Western Six Palaces. A servant from the Imperial Household Department will come to report to you on the monthly expenses in the account later."
If Your Majesty has any questions, you may come to Cining Palace for guidance.
He beckoned behind him, and two young palace maids quickly stepped forward and placed the account books they were carrying on the octagonal table.
Hesheli Fangyi was pleased to see Sumalagu's decisive and efficient way of doing things.
Look, this is an unexpected surprise. The palace power we've been talking about has come to pass. Where can Consort Shu go now?
After exchanging a few more polite words with Sumalagu, Hesheli Fangyi had Tanyun see Sumalagu off, while she herself happily flipped through the accounts.
It's a sad story. Empress Hesheli Fangyi has been in the palace for three years now, but she has never been able to gain any real power. This has made her more cautious and restrained in her actions in the harem, and she has even had to give up several good opportunities to make a move.
Seeing these accounts now, Hesheli Fangyi couldn't quite describe her feelings. Was she happy? A little, but mostly she felt melancholy.
"Your Highness," Tan Yun said as she entered, tentatively reaching out to support Hesheli Fangyi, "This servant will help you to the inner room."
Taking the opportunity, Hesheli Fangyi turned around and said as she walked, "Tanyun, why do you think the Empress Dowager is handing over the reins of the palace to me?"
Because of the miscarriage of Consort Borjigit, did he want to use her to teach Consort Shu a lesson? Although this was what she had always hoped for, when the day actually came, Consort Hesheli Fangyi still found it hard to believe.
I can't quite describe the feeling, even though the palace accounts displayed on the Eight Immortals table were very eye-catching.
Tan Yun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Aunt Su Ma said that the Empress Dowager has been unwell recently, and may want to ask you to temporarily take over the affairs of the inner palace."
There weren't many other thoughts. Besides, the Empress Dowager was already old and had experienced the miscarriage of the Borjigit concubine, so it was understandable that she felt sad.
Hesheli Fangyi was taken aback for a moment, looking somewhat bewildered, "Really?"
Tan Yun nodded, "That's right, Your Highness. You haven't been able to rest well these past two nights. Why don't I help you to bed for a short rest?"
Upon hearing this, Hesheli Fangyi raised her hand to rub her temples and hummed in agreement.
She hasn't been getting enough rest lately, spending all her time monitoring the happenings in the harem, which is very draining.
...
Qixiang Palace
Wearing her nightgown, Xiu Ning was resting on the couch, but the room was still too hot. Having no other choice, Chun Yu spent money to buy bamboo mats from the Imperial Household Department, not only covering the entire area but also using the properties of the bamboo to create a simple cooling device.
"Hmm, no need to bother. You all sit down and rest. On a day like this, even the Emperor probably wouldn't want to stay overnight in the inner palace."
Xiu Ning squinted at the sky outside the window, gave a very elegant yawn, waved her hand, and then took the cool tea that Xuan Cao handed her and drank it to quench her thirst.
“My lady, the weather this year is really abnormal. Yesterday, I went to the Imperial Garden, thinking of picking some flowers for you to soak in, but the flowers were all wilted by the sun, and even the water in the small pond has been reduced by half.”
Xuanting sat on the ground, fanning herself with a round fan while keeping her master entertained.
After spending more than a month together, Xuancao and Xuanting became familiar with Xiuning and her servants. In addition, Xiuning was approachable when no one else was around, so Xuancao and Xuanting became more relaxed in their speech, actions, and other aspects.
Right now, Xiu Ning is lying on the couch, Xuan Cao and Xuan Ting are sitting on the floor covered with bamboo mats, and Chun Yu is sitting on a round stool to the side.
Four people, three different poses, and surprisingly, no one found it strange.
Xuan Ting's words were echoed by Chun Yu and Xuan Cao. As maids who often had to run around outside, they saw far more scenes than their mistress. Given the current situation in the harem, it was truly difficult to get along anywhere.
"It's alright now. In previous years, there were servants who couldn't survive the heatstroke, but this year we haven't heard a word about it."
"It's not that there's no news; the Empress has been temporarily managing the affairs of the inner palace, so the news has been suppressed."
"Where did you hear that?"
"Alas, Sister Chunyu, those who lost their lives were all lowly servants in remote palaces. Unless you deliberately inquire, you won't hear them."
"..."
The three of them chatted away, and Xiuning listened to their gossip with her eyes closed. Surprisingly, she almost drifted off to sleep.
"Your Highness, Xiao Zhuozi has delivered a message saying that Her Majesty the Empress requests your immediate visit to Kunning Palace."
Chunyu's words timely awakened Xiuning's senses and made her realize, "The Empress?"
What business could there be with her at Kunning Palace at this time?
"Help me to wash and dress. Remember to keep it simple so that Her Majesty the Empress doesn't have to wait too long."
Xiuning rolled off the couch and went to the inner room.
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