Song Wanning was now looking at the account book in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Who would have thought that her good sister-in-law Lu Zijun would come to her again.
Lu Zijun sat beside Song Wanning, watching her checking the account books one after another, and chuckled softly. "You're pregnant now, and yet you're still checking the accounts like this. Unlike me, I'm not very good at housekeeping to begin with, and I made a mess of it when I tried a while ago. Because of this, I simply gave up. I'll leave this kind of accounting work to someone who can do it at home. I don't have to do any work, and I'm happy and free."
The General's Mansion had only one female steward, Lu Zijun, and the housekeeping duties should have fallen on her shoulders. However, Lu Zijun was a carefree person and had no intention of managing the household. Fortunately, Song Lan and Song Jing had no intention of handing the general's mansion's housekeeping duties to her, and instead handed it over to the old steward who had been with Song Jing for over a decade.
In this way, Lu Zijun was happy to have some free time. When she had nothing to do, she could come and chat with Song Wanning, and go back to her parents' home every now and then.
"I'm free anyway, so I might as well take a look at the accounts." Song Wanning smiled lightly and placed the account book on the table beside her.
"I'll tell you a palace secret." Lu Zijun said this, leaning towards Song Wanning, and then carefully looked around. Seeing that there was no one around, she spoke with confidence, "Have you heard about the poppy that the emperor got in the palace? I heard a while ago that this poppy was a charming beauty, extremely favored by the emperor, and for a time even the virtuous concubine could not compare to her. I originally thought it was fake..."
Lu Zijun continued, "My aunt is currently serving as a court lady in the palace, so I've heard more about this. You don't know, but this Concubine Yu has been promoted two levels and is now Concubine Yu. I heard she even argued with Concubine Xian in Dehua Palace, but who knew that in the end the emperor told Concubine Xian to behave herself and didn't scold Concubine Yu at all. Furthermore, an envoy from the Imperial Observatory in the court said that Concubine Yu was a demon concubine who brought disaster to the country, and she was directly imprisoned. It's very rare for the emperor to favor a concubine like this. Back then, Concubine Xian didn't receive such favor even after she gave birth to a prince or princess. If Concubine Yu gives birth to a son or a daughter in the future, how will her status be?"
Song Wanning was also quite surprised after hearing such palace secrets. She said, "I've heard that this Concubine Yu is stunningly beautiful, but I didn't know how beautiful she was that the emperor could favor her so much."
"I did meet her once by chance. I don't think she's as pretty as you, but she has that delicate and charming temperament that most people don't have." Lu Zijun just shook her head and said, "I guess the palace is just short of such a beauty, so Concubine Yu is in the right place."
Song Wanning was a little puzzled when she heard this. "What's Concubine Yu's family background? If a concubine in the imperial city wants to enjoy long-term prosperity, she must have a family background. Otherwise, how could she be so favored and promoted so quickly?"
"That's what's strange." Lu Zijun frowned at this point, expressing her confusion. "This Yu Meiren wasn't some housekeeper's daughter. She was originally a zither player, invited to the palace to perform. Who would have thought that she would catch the emperor's eye? I heard that she and another zither player, Tang Heng, were from the same school and were brothers. Who would have thought that Tang Heng is still playing the zither in the capital, while his sister has already made the leap to become a noble concubine?"
Song Wanning was also surprised to hear such a secret. The two of them chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Zijun said goodbye to Song Wanning and returned to the general's mansion.
Song Wanning met Yin Yichen's men at night and immediately told him the secret.
"I heard that the emperor is very fond of Concubine Yu now, and Concubine Xian is no longer as powerful as before. I'm afraid that the power of Prince An and Princess Xiangyu will also be affected." Song Wanning looked at Yin Yichen and spoke slowly, "I'm afraid the situation in the court will also change. Now that Prince An is no longer as powerful as before, the Crown Prince will probably take the opportunity to win over the ministers."
"Madam, you're right." Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning and said slowly, "Concubine Yu is very favored in the harem now, to a degree that no one else can match. But... I think there's something a little strange about Concubine Yu..."
"What do you find strange, my husband?" Song Wanning was a little surprised when she heard Yin Yichen say this.
"It's just a hunch." Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning and said calmly, "It's really rare that such a concubine with no status can be favored to this extent. Since the founding of the country, such a thing has never happened. Moreover, there are many beautiful women in the harem, but the emperor has never favored one like this."
"I heard that Yu Fei and Tang Heng both had the same master, but I don't know who taught them." Song Wanning still found it a little hard to believe when she mentioned this. "For a master to have two such talented apprentices, he must be quite remarkable."
Yin Yichen was beside Song Wanning, whispering to her, "I heard that Tang Heng and Concubine Yu were both taught by the same zither master. This zither master doesn't have much of a reputation in the martial arts world, but he does have a strong connection to the imperial palace."
Song Wanning raised her head, "What's the connection?"
"Rumor has it that she was once a concubine of the late emperor." Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning and said calmly, "The Prime Minister's Office's information network has always been one of the best in the capital, but this is all I can find now. I can't find any other information. I wonder if Concubine Yu's entry into the palace is related to her master."
Song Wanning expressed her own thoughts upon hearing this, "But the more we can't find out, the more suspicious it seems. If we don't get to the bottom of this matter, I'm afraid there will be more trouble."
Song Wanning said, looking up at Yin Yichen and said, "I can invite Master Tang to come over to exchange qin skills, and ask around to see if I can find any clues."
"That's fine." Yin Yichen said this, looking at Song Wanning and said, "But now, you have to run around for such official business, and I feel really bad about it."
"You and I are husband and wife, why are we talking about this?" Song Wanning smiled faintly and looked at Yin Yichen and said, "Whatever you want to know now, I will naturally find out for my husband, not to mention that this is something I can do."
Song Wanning quickly sent a message to Tang Heng.
What Song Wanning didn't expect was that Tang Heng replied very quickly and said that he would visit her soon.
Musician Tang Heng is now very famous in the capital, and even the nobles in the palace may not go if invited. In this way, Song Wanning benefited from her previous performance with the musician.
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