Huo Qinghe pressed her eyebrows, finding the sound of rain hitting the windowpane comforting. She leaned back against the large cushion, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
“Take good care of those two pots of Yang Guifei peonies. Those flowers are delicate, so don’t touch them. Let He Yunzhong take care of them.”
Green Cloud agreed and closed the lattice window tightly.
"Green Locust and Long Life have gone to fetch dinner, so Madam didn't eat much for lunch. And because of taking care of you while you're ill, I've noticed you've lost weight these past two days..."
She spoke with concern, then poured warm tea and handed it to Huo Qinghe.
Huo Qinghe took a sip to moisten her throat; it probably contained peach gum, and tasted sweet. "These next few days will be leisurely. The autumn imperial examination will last for three days, and the Emperor will be almost fully recovered, but I doubt he'll have time to manage the harem. I'll just sleep comfortably for a couple of days, and you can all enjoy yourselves."
Having met the Emperor for three consecutive days, it was natural for Huo Qinghe to try to ingratiate herself with him again, but she felt that was enough.
Too much of a good thing is bad.
The wind outside grew stronger by the time it was time for dinner. Huo Qinghe kept the maids on duty that night and sent them back to rest with the remaining wine.
She herself was not a girl who was waited on hand and foot from childhood; even when she ate, she did not need maids to serve her food.
The maids and servants all felt from the bottom of their hearts that their mistress was the kindest and easiest to serve.
After a rain shower, the feeling of autumn seemed to intensify.
The rain fell all night, and the next day the Emperor decreed that the women of the inner palace no longer needed to go to the Funing Palace to attend to the sick.
Meanwhile, in Bianjing and even in many other places that cannot be measured by sight, people were already dressed and packed their bags before dawn, waiting at the entrance of the examination hall.
The autumn imperial examinations have begun.
On the first day of the autumn imperial examination, it rained incessantly.
The examination hall in Bianjing was well-maintained, unlike some other places where the examination halls were neglected for a long time, with leaky eaves that made the scholars inside miserable.
But the autumn examinations wouldn't be affected by such trivial matters. If they were really disrupted by the rain, then they could only accept their bad luck.
...
In the Funing Hall, the autumn imperial examinations were not like the spring ones; today's morning court session was the same as usual.
During the morning court session today, Pei Yuanhui even praised Grand Tutor Zhou for his dedication to the country, noting that despite his advanced age, he still tirelessly presided over the imperial examinations.
The chief examiner in Bianjing this time was none other than Grand Tutor Zhou Yuzhong.
After the morning court session, Pei Yuanhui was in a good mood, and even ate an extra half bowl of lotus seed soup for breakfast.
Although Pei Yuanhui was ill with a cold, he still attended court in the mornings, but he simply didn't have the energy to finish reviewing all the memorials.
Jin Yang and Miao Xi took turns grinding ink for most of the day. Apart from lunch, the Emperor was always at his desk dealing with state affairs.
By evening, the pile of folded paper was finally no longer blocking people's view.
The sky outside was overcast. Inside the Funing Palace, glass lamps had been lit early in the morning. The shadow of the Emperor, who was bent over his desk, fell on the glass lamps. Jin Yang quietly moved the glass lamps a little.
Having served Jin Yang for many years, he did not offer much consolation upon seeing the situation, for the Emperor was always decisive in handling state affairs.
As night deepened and the rain still hadn't stopped, a rather large sedan chair was parked outside.
The cry of "Get out of the sedan chair!" was muffled by the rain, but the palace maids under the eaves still heard it.
Miao Xi, who was guarding outside the hall, also heard it and ran off to inform his master.
"Master, the Empress Dowager has arrived." His expression was somewhat puzzled, clearly not understanding why the Empress Dowager would come so late.
When Jin Yang entered the inner palace to announce his arrival, Pei Yuanhui had already placed the warm vermilion brush on the brush holder and was looking down, pressing his wrist.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has arrived."
Pei Yuanhui leaned back lazily in his chair: "Please come in."
He remained seated without moving until the Empress Dowager entered, at which point he slowly rose and waited for her to speak.
"Your Majesty, please refrain from such formalities. Your cold is not fully recovered; please sit down. Is Your Majesty still preoccupied with state affairs at this hour?"
Empress Dowager Zhou sat down on the soft couch to the side, and Miao Xi had already brought in chrysanthemum tea.
"With such heavy rain outside, I hope the Empress Dowager didn't get wet or catch a cold on her way here? It's just that my son was sick a few days ago, which is why these memorials have piled up..."
The Empress Dowager lowered her head and sipped her chrysanthemum tea: "Although state affairs are important, Your Majesty, you must also take care of your health. The Empress is also not well. I have heard that Consort Zhou has been serving you very diligently these past few days... She is a good girl."
As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, Pei Yuanhui knew the purpose of her visit.
Pei Yuanhui, unusually, did not deny the Empress Dowager's statement: "I understand what the Empress Dowager means. I have seen Consort Zhou's dedication in caring for me during my illness, and she should indeed be rewarded. Once this busy period is over, I will go to see her. What does the Empress Dowager think?"
Empress Dowager Zhou's expression showed obvious surprise when she heard Pei Yuanhui's words. She clearly did not expect the emperor to be so easy to talk to tonight.
Even the emperor's last sarcastic question didn't sound so harsh anymore. Empress Dowager Zhou had heard all sorts of unpleasant things in her life, and the surprise on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a hint of satisfaction.
"Your Majesty, please don't think I'm being long-winded. You don't have many children, and you have quite a few servants in the harem, but not many who are truly pleasing to your heart."
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words "a pleasing person," Pei Yuanhui sat upright in his chair, his hand resting on the armrest, but the first person he thought of was not Consort Zhou.
"The Empress Dowager is right."
The emperor today is acting so strangely that even the Empress Dowager finds him odd. She has refrained from giving the many admonitions she had prepared before his arrival.
The Empress Dowager had little to say, and she left Funing Palace before even finishing her last cup of chrysanthemum tea.
As soon as the Empress Dowager left, Pei Yuanhui leaned back in his chair and burst into laughter, which startled Jin Yang, who was standing next to him.
"His Majesty……"
Pei Yuanhui laughed, then picked up his teacup: "Has Consort Zhou stopped taking her medicine?"
Jin Yang nodded slightly: "Yes, the imperial physician said that the medicine was very harmful to the body, and it was stopped after the spring. Does Your Majesty think this is inappropriate?"
Pei Yuanhui narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them: "Have all those river delicacies been processed?"
What was mixed into the river delicacies that caused Consort Zhou's face to break out in rashes before the spring? Apart from the imperial physicians, only the Emperor and Jin Yang knew about this.
With the rash on Consort Zhou's face as a cover, the Empress Dowager and Consort Zhou were so focused on Consort Zhou's face that they couldn't notice anything else.
"The Empress Dowager ordered the Imperial Kitchen to remove river delicacies a few days ago, and the Imperial Kitchen has not prepared any for this period of time."
Pei Yuanhui put down his teacup: "Then tell the imperial kitchen not to supply it anymore."
The Zhou family sent Consort Zhou into the palace simply to have her bear an heir. This way, the Zhou family would have a royal descendant with Zhou blood, and thus have someone to rely on for support.
Pei Yuanhui was no fool, and naturally he wouldn't let the Zhou family have their way.
“Go to the storeroom and pick out some good materials to send to Yanxi Palace. Also, find some good materials and send them separately to Yanliang Pavilion.”
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