Pei Yuanhui didn't even turn his head: "Whose palace maid was punished?"
The young eunuch trembled and said, "It seems to be... a palace maid serving Consort Huo in Yanxi Palace."
"Little Huo?" Pei Yuanhui finally reacted, the first thing that popped into his mind was that snow-white chin he had seen at Xianfu Palace that day.
Empress Xue coughed softly: "Why did Consort Zhou punish Consort Huo's maid for no reason? Why didn't Consort Huo send anyone to report it?"
The young eunuch naturally couldn't answer: "I heard from the Censorate that the palace maid spoke disrespectfully to Lady Zhou and offended Consort Zhou."
Empress Xue pressed further, "What offense did you commit?"
The young eunuch honestly replied, "They say... they say Lady Zhou's face is now so ugly it's unsightly... and that everyone in the palace knows it now..."
Empress Xue then looked at Pei Yuanhui.
As the instigator, Pei Yuanhui showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, he looked back at Empress Xue and asked, "Is Consort Zhou's face still not fully healed?"
He stared into Xue Yinjia's eyes, listening intently to her innermost thoughts.
Doesn't the Emperor know how much river seafood Zhou Hengping has eaten? He takes advantage of the Empress Dowager's absence to vent his anger and humiliate Consort Zhou.
Zhou Hengping has come to complain countless times, and now she's venting her frustrations on a palace maid. If I intervene, the Empress Dowager will scold me again when she returns, and Consort Chi is pretending not to know anything...
[Let His Majesty make the decision and deal with this for now; it'll give me some peace and quiet. Little Huo is the same; he can't even manage the people around him. He offended Zhou Hengping, and at noon, Big Huo even sent people to cause trouble…]
Well, now Pei Yuanhui understands.
It turns out that Xue Yinjia already knew about this at noon, and was waiting for him to arrive before sending someone to report it.
Pei Yuanhui adjusted the jade pendant at his waist, his face hardening. "The Empress is in poor health and should not think too much..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Yinjia coughed again.
"This matter is to be decided by Consort Chi. Consort Zhou has overstepped her bounds and acted rudely; she shall be dealt with according to palace regulations."
He wasn't happy at the moment. What kind of nonsense was it for him to make decisions about the affairs of the harem?
He turned to Xue Yinjia with an equally unfriendly expression: "The Empress is also tired. I will return to Funing Palace to rest."
Xue Yinjia quickly bowed and saw him off. The emperor had an eccentric temper, so she wasn't too surprised by what he did.
She walked a few steps behind him, then placed her hand on her confidante's forearm: "Go and convey His Majesty's decree. Instruct Consort Chi to conduct a thorough investigation overnight."
Chunbai, a trusted eunuch, instructed a young eunuch to go ahead and whispered, "Your Majesty's medicine has been prepared. You should drink it first. It's bad for your health to be exposed to the wind at night. This Consort Zhou is really causing trouble."
Xue Yinjia walked back: "No wonder. She was forced into the palace by the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor is not one to be swayed by either soft or hard tactics. Knowing she can't eat river delicacies, he fed her oysters fried or boiled every day. She was willing to coax the Emperor into eating them all. Now that she's disfigured, she's irritable with everyone she meets..."
"Furthermore, Consort Yi is a veteran of the Prince's residence, and it took her many years to reach the rank of Consort. Consort Zhou has only been in the palace for less than a year, yet she has already reached the rank of Fourth-Rank Consort. It's not just Consort Yi, but also Consort Cao and the others. Who can stand by and tolerate this?"
Xue Yinjia looked at the harem and saw that the old and new palaces were in complete chaos.
If she ever loses her appetite, listening to the drama in the harem will satisfy her hunger.
Chunbai couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, Your Majesty has worked hard. And what about Consort Huo..."
Xue Yinjia snorted, and upon entering the main hall and smelling the medicine, her heart felt heavy.
“She’s not exactly well-behaved either. If it weren’t for her instigation and indulgence, which palace maid would dare to offend Zhou Hengping? Since she’s short of maids to serve her, let’s pick a strict nanny from the Imperial Household Department to prevent any future trouble.”
"What about Consort Yi?" Chunbai asked again.
Xue Yinjia sat down: "You're doing your job better and better. What does this have to do with her? If she wanted to stand up for Xiao Huo, she would have done it during the day. They all have a hundred schemes in their hearts, let them make a fuss."
Chunbai then worried about something else: "Now that His Majesty has returned to Funing Palace, there will surely be more gossip among the people in the harem."
Xue Yinjia tapped on the table, and Chunbai gestured for her to stop talking before going out to fetch the medicine.
When they returned, Xue Yinjia had already given up on speaking.
Despite the countless rumors circulating in her harem, her position as Empress remained unshakeable.
...
Consort Chi inherited a mess and couldn't sleep well that night. She cursed Empress Xue and Consort Zhou thoroughly, and naturally didn't let Huo Qinghe off the hook either.
The next morning, Consort Chi sent someone to Yanxi Palace to deliver a message, the gist of which was that Consort Zhou had overstepped her bounds in dealing with palace maids and disregarded palace rules, and was punished with three months' salary and half a month of confinement.
The reason for the half-month confinement was that the Empress Dowager would return to the palace to worship Buddha on the Dragon Boat Festival in May.
Consort Zhou was confined to her quarters, and the only place she could vent her anger was in her main hall, which gave Huo Qinghe even more peace and quiet.
The peace and quiet didn't last long. Around noon, the old nanny whom the Empress had chosen arrived.
The explanation was that Huo Qinghe was short of servants, so they were replaced by people from the Imperial Household Department.
The old nanny's surname was Wang. Although she was called an old nanny, she was actually not as old as Huo Qinghe's stepmother. As soon as the old nanny appeared, the palace maids became much more obedient.
After the people from the Imperial Household Department left, Huo Qinghe asked Lü Huai to call in the two eunuchs outside.
"I don't need to mention the golden cup incident from yesterday. Now that you've come to serve me, if you remain loyal and dutiful, you won't end up like that. We are all new master and new servants. If I have a bright future, you will naturally benefit as well. Do you all understand?"
After getting rid of Jinzhan, it's time to put a warning on those around her. With the Empress having chosen someone from the Imperial Household Department, it will be difficult for her elder sister to place someone else in her place.
Next, it's her turn to perform one more act.
The four palace maids and two eunuchs below all responded with understanding, and Granny Wang beside them also respectfully agreed.
Huo Qinghe stood up: "It's been a while since I visited my elder sister. Would you like to come with me, Granny Wang?"
Granny Wang readily agreed and promptly helped Huo Qinghe walk outside.
The two were now truly new servants and new masters. On the way to Xianfu Palace, Huo Qinghe didn't say a word, and Wang Mama watched silently.
Before even reaching Xianfu Palace, Huo Qinghe's eyes were already red from clenching her fists, and when the maid summoned her, tears welled up in her eyes even more.
When she saw Huo Yiyun, she almost burst into tears, and her voice was filled with sobs as she spoke.
"Big sister, I don't know what to do... Jinzhan, Jinzhan..." She sobbed and took Wang Mama's hand as she went inside, tears streaming down her face.
Seeing her crying with tears streaming down her face, Huo Yiyun turned her head and noticed the unfamiliar old woman supporting her half-sister.
She asked casually, "Why are you crying over such a small thing? Without Jinzhan, won't you be missing someone to serve you?"
Huo Qinghe lowered her head and wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "Yes, when Her Majesty the Empress learned of this, she specially selected a nanny from the Imperial Household Department this morning to serve her."
Before she could think of anything else, Wang hurriedly bowed and said, "May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings. Your servant is Wang."
Empress Xue? Huo Yiyun frowned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com