Chapter 258: In Power
The emperor and his concubine finished their dinner happily.
After eating, Pei Tingyue and Xie Chen rested in the warm room.
Pei Tingyue first narrated what had happened in the past few days one by one. At the end, she looked at Xie Chen with bright eyes.
This is the look of waiting for praise.
Xie Chen smiled slightly, his eyes full of tenderness, "Tingyue is really amazing."
Pei Tingyue narrowed her eyes and smiled, saying, "It's also thanks to the Emperor!"
Xie Chen knew what she was talking about, and then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then will Tingyue thank me properly tonight?"
Pei Tingyue stopped talking now, glared at him secretly, and went to do his business.
She went to the small study to find the latest documents submitted and found out what the Financial Secretary had reported.
Pei Tingyue looked intently at the amount of silver deposited in the Ministry of Internal Affairs written on the document and curled the corners of his lips.
In just a few days, nearly one million taels of silver had appeared on the account books. This was all the money that the people in the palace had reaped over the years, and now it was all returned.
With such a huge sum of money suddenly added, Pei Tingyue immediately ordered that the monthly salary of the entire palace would be doubled this month.
The people were inevitably uneasy after several high-ranking eunuchs were successively executed.
This month's allowance is to comfort them and show them mercy.
Nowadays, Pei Tingyue has become very skilled in using a combination of kindness and force, as well as comfort and gratitude.
In addition, Pei Tingyue also took out 12,000 taels of silver and had someone buy two more large ice cellars.
I will still spend this summer in the palace. Although there is plenty of ice stored this year, the more of this thing, the better.
Pei Tingyue specifically instructed that since the princes were older and attending school in Wenhua Palace, there would be no restrictions on ice usage in these areas. Concubines of lower rank would have their ice allowance doubled, and if there were special circumstances, they could request more. The remaining ice was to be distributed evenly among the palace maids and eunuchs. Every residence or work area should always have two large ice cubes to keep cool and prevent heatstroke and fainting.
In addition to the ice cellar, Pei Tingyue also allocated extra money to ask the imperial kitchen to cook more mung bean soup in the summer and distribute it.
Even so, it only cost about 30,000 silver coins.
It is conceivable how much one million taels of silver can do, and how hateful these parasites are.
Giving them a quick death is a blessing.
After giving his instructions, Pei Tingyue handed the document to Xie Chen and discussed with him, "The Ministry of Internal Affairs has enough money in its account, but it's useless if it's just sitting there. Does the emperor have any plans?"
Xie Chen took it, looked at it for a few seconds, then put it down and asked, "Tingyue, do you have any ideas?"
Pei Tingyue certainly had ideas, and more than one idea.
With so much money, there are so many things that can be done. Her mind is full of good things, and her business ideas are far ahead of this dynasty.
And she is confident that she can do it well. After all, her success in the past was no joke.
Within two or three years, this money can be doubled.
Very tempting and exciting benefits.
But Pei Tingyue was unwilling to do it. After following Xie Chen to read the national history classics for such a long time and learning so many things, her horizons were broadened a lot.
Apart from the necessary salt and iron, officials are not allowed to compete with the people for profit, let alone the royal family.
The existence of the monarch and the royal family is to ensure peace and order in the world. If they squeeze the living space of the people for the sake of palace interests, then this monarch and the royal family are too unqualified.
Xie Chen is a wise ruler, so she will naturally become a virtuous concubine. In the future, she will even take that position...
So no matter how many new ideas she has or how much money she gets, Pei Tingyue will not do them. All she wants to do is to do things that benefit the people's livelihood.
For example...
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the group of boys we met at the wonton and rib stall on Suzaku Street that year?"
Xie Chen would never forget the time he spent with her, and immediately recalled the scene at that time.
Xie Chen immediately understood what she wanted to do, "Ci'an Bureau?"
"Yes." Pei Tingyue nodded slightly, "I would like to allocate some money first to renovate and expand the Ci'an Bureau in the capital. If the effect in the capital is good, I will gradually allocate money to let other places follow suit."
Xie Chen looked at her and said in a deep voice, "This is not something that can be accomplished overnight."
Pei Tingyue smiled softly, "I know. This is just my initial idea. Even in the capital, it will take more than half a year to implement it step by step, let alone other places."
Hearing this, Xie Chen lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Pei Tingyue noticed his abnormality and asked carefully, "What's wrong? Is my idea inappropriate?"
She had thought he would approve.
Xie Chen shook his head and whispered, "It will be very tiring and difficult to accomplish this. I feel sorry for you."
This is really a dilemma for him.
He wanted to stand behind her, to give her the utmost support, to let her do it without any scruples. But he didn't want her to be so tired. He wanted her to be comfortable every day, to drink tea when she wanted, to arrange flowers when she wanted. But if she did that, she wouldn't be herself anymore.
This is really a contradiction.
Pei Tingyue didn't expect this to happen. She pursed her lips and whispered after a while, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I know what I'm doing and will do it step by step. I won't rush for anything. I will first take good care of the baby and live my life well. Then I will take care of the palace and only do this when I have extra energy. Don't worry."
Xie Chen looked at her and whispered, "You must put yourself first. Promise me, okay?"
Pei Tingyue looked at him like this, not knowing what was wrong, and felt sad. "Of course I will. The most important thing in my heart is to be with the emperor for the rest of my life. I will definitely not hurt myself for other things."
Many years later, Pei Tingyue thought of what she said today again, and realized that from that day on, every word she said to him was no longer acting, no longer false, but what she really wanted to say. She really wanted to walk hand in hand with him.
It turned out that from that moment on, what she thought was "sincerity" had long since become love.
But at that time, she had not realized it, or she did not dare to admit that she had fallen into it.
Hearing this, Xie Chen sighed and held her in his arms, "Then do it."
Pei Tingyue hugged him even tighter.
*
The whole situation in the palace changed within a few days.
All the palace people thought that the imperial concubine's strict investigation this time was just a little more severe than usual.
No one expected that so many people would be involved. Those once awe-inspiring stewards were sentenced to death by the imperial concubine.
Their perspectives have changed.
In their eyes, the imperial concubine in the past was more like a main lady who enjoyed the emperor's favor.
But after this incident, they realized that the imperial concubine had the power of life and death and could end their lives at any time.
Pei Tingyue's prestige in the palace was established immediately. Especially since the palace people knew that after the monthly allowance was doubled, the respect and gratitude were added to it, and his prestige reached its peak.
In the next few days, Pei Tingyue was busy finishing up.
The seven departments and three academies of the Imperial Household Department came together to report a few days later and handed in the new inventory accounts.
After reading it, Pei Tingyue gave him another lecture and a warning.
From then on, she was in power and became the real master of the harem.
It also opened up a new world that belonged to her alone.
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