Concubine Xiang was not very moved by her daughter-in-law's words. Instead, she turned to look at Princess Cheng. Princess Cheng's eyes were slightly swollen. Although not as swollen as Yong'an's, it looked like she had been crying bitterly.
Just looking at the expressions of the two sisters-in-law, Meng Qi thought that if the Queen and Prince Cheng really had an affair, they would probably be unaware of it. If it wasn't intentional, could it be that they were tricked by Concubine Xiang and Prince Duan?
The queen's illness is really too complicated, and I don't know if Song Chengze will have the chance to find out.
Princess Cheng stepped forward and said, "Everything is at the mercy of the Imperial Concubine. The Emperor just said that you are the one who makes the final decision."
When everyone heard Princess Cheng say this, they all said that there was no problem. The lower-ranking concubines who wanted to please the queen came forward to express their loyalty.
Xian Fei waved her hand and said to Xiang Gui Fei, "Why don't we arrange their shifts? There's no need for everyone to lean on each other here. What do you think, sister?"
Nodding to the imperial concubine, "We are old and can't stay up late, so we will be the ones guarding during the day, but we also need you to take over. From today on, every day will be divided into day shift and night shift, and the night shift will be divided into the first and second half of the night, both of which will be covered by two people. Hmm..."
Imperial Concubine Xiang glanced at everyone, thought for a moment, and said, "Let the fifth daughter-in-law and Yong'an take the day shift. The second and fourth daughters-in-law will watch over the first half of the night. The sixth daughter-in-law and Fanghua will guard the second half of the night. How about that?"
After these words were spoken, no one responded for a while. Meng Qi sneered in his heart. After all, she was his daughter-in-law. No matter how much he disliked her, he would still protect her at the critical moment.
The day shift naturally had to be handed over to the queen's own daughter-in-law and daughter. There were many people coming during the day, and it took a lot of energy to deal with them.
She placed her daughter-in-law in the first half of the night, so she had to come in the evening. This was often the time when the emperor would come, and he would naturally look up to whoever was serving him.
The second half of the night for her and Fanghua was the most difficult. This shows that in the eyes of Concubine Xiang, they were the two most annoying.
But Meng Qi was very happy. Concubine Xiang had helped him invisibly, which gave him the opportunity to talk to Fang Hua alone.
Seeing that no one spoke, Xiang Guifei continued, "Of course, this order will rotate every two days. When you are on duty, you can rest in this west room. If you have minor matters, please go to Sang Ma. If it is a major matter, please come to me. My palace gate is never closed."
The Crown Princess stepped forward at this time and whispered, "Why didn't you arrange a shift for your daughter-in-law? Filial piety is a big deal."
Imperial Concubine Xiang spoke gently to the Crown Princess, a rare gesture. "Firstly, the Crown Prince has been unwell recently, and Aihua has been coughing for several days. How could you possibly have the energy? Secondly, once the Empress recovers, they won't be able to enter the palace every day, so you'll still be needed for their subsequent care. This is the result of a discussion between me, Concubine Xian, and Concubine Lian."
When the Crown Princess heard what Noble Concubine Xiang said, she stopped talking. At this time, everyone also expressed that they would do their duty wholeheartedly.
Meng Qi originally thought Fanghua would object to this arrangement, but seeing her looking out the window, not knowing what she was thinking about, she had no objection at all.
Xian Fei stood up and said to the concubines, "Go back, the emperor will come over after he finishes his court session. Having so many people here will not be conducive to the queen's rest, and we must not upset the emperor."
The concubines who waited here eagerly from the beginning of the morning, especially those of lower rank who rarely saw the emperor throughout the year, all hoped to get a meeting with the emperor. Knowing they couldn't wear too flashy clothes today, they paid attention to every detail. But how could they accept being sent back by Concubine Xian with just one word?
Ever since Concubine Zhen was implicated in her brother's land enclosure incident, the Emperor has never summoned her, let alone met her alone. Even the Eighth Prince was implicated. She was eager to express her loyalty and repentance in front of the Emperor, so how could she miss this opportunity?
Upon hearing this, she stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, I didn't know that the Empress was not feeling well, and I made you sisters stay up all night worrying about her. According to my suggestion, why don't you go back first, and we, the younger ones, will keep an eye on her during the day."
Rong Zhaoyi nodded quickly upon hearing this, "That's right. Sister Zhenpin and I will just stay here. The princesses have rushed into the palace, so we have to arrange a place for them to rest first."
Concubine Xu also looked at Imperial Concubine Xiang with a pair of expectant eyes. Imperial Concubine Xiang said nothing and looked at Concubine Xiu, "Is this what Concubine Xiu meant?"
Xiu Zhaorong bowed and said, "Your servant will obey the instructions of the Imperial Concubine."
She smiled faintly at the Imperial Concubine, looking at those stupid eyes. "Okay, you guys can stay. The Emperor will come over soon and see how you behave." Also, Master Kaiyuan is coming this afternoon. It would be great if these short-sighted people could cause some trouble.
It has nothing to do with me anyway. I tried to persuade them, but they didn't listen. They made a fuss and disgusted the person pretending to be an idol in the room.
"Well then, if we don't ask you to stay here, it's as if we're not letting you show your filial piety." After saying that, Xiang Guifei stood up and said to the aunt in charge of Kunning Palace, "Go find a place for the princesses to live."
While walking out, she asked Concubine Xian if she wanted to go back to the palace. Concubine Xian also stood up and said to the concubines with blue light in their eyes, "Thank you for your help, sisters." Then she walked out.
Meng Qi watched as several high-ranking officials walked out of the Kunning Palace, and then looked at the rest of them with red faces from excitement. She understood in her heart that Concubine Xiang was planning something again.
But these had nothing to do with her, so she hoped to find a place to rest as soon as possible, and thought about how to talk to Fanghua in the second half of the night.
I don’t know if it was to make it easier for her to work with Fanghua on night duty, but the eunuchs of Kunning Palace led her directly to the west side hall of Kunning Palace, which was the courtyard where Fanghua lived.
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