Nanny Qiao seemed very interested in the topic and continued the conversation.
"His Majesty favors the Imperial Concubine alone. Don't the other concubines in the harem have any objections?" Nanny Qiao asked curiously.
Wei Hong's ear stood up.
One of the palace maids casually replied, "What objections could there be? His Majesty is backing up our Empress!"
“Exactly! Before, Consort Guo tried to get ahead of others by relying on Wei Fengao, but what happened in the end? She was punished anyway!” another palace maid chimed in.
Nanny Qiao clicked her tongue twice: "That Consort Guo, I heard she's been with His Majesty for many years, yet His Majesty doesn't even give her any face?"
Wei Hong couldn't resist any longer and pushed the door open to enter.
"Face is something a person earns themselves, not something given to them by others. Guo Meiren did something wrong, so it's only right that she be punished."
As soon as she entered, several palace maids hurriedly stood up and called out, "Aunt Wei Hong."
Even the two springs dared not eat, and eagerly came forward.
Wei Hong had a stern face, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, her voice icy.
"You dare to gossip about your master behind his back? Have you forgotten the rules of the palace?"
Several palace maids stiffened, and slapped their mouths in annoyance.
"Auntie, we didn't mean it. We just relaxed a little for a moment. We will never do it again."
Wei Hong snorted.
Nanny Qiao quickly stepped forward, her face full of apology.
“Miss Wei Hong, it’s all my fault. I spoke first. The ladies didn’t mean it. Please forgive them.”
She squatted down and performed a curtsy.
"Punish me if you must!"
Wei Hong frowned. The two young masters still needed this wet nurse's care. If she punished her for such a small matter, wouldn't that cause trouble for the Empress?
The warning was given and that was it; I doubt she'd dare do it again.
So Wei Hong waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I'll let it go for now since it's your first offense. But if there's a next time, don't blame me for being ruthless."
After saying that, Wei Hong turned around and went out again.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the two palace maids behind them hurriedly came forward to help Nanny Qiao.
"Nanny Qiao, get up quickly."
"Thank you, Granny Qiao, for pleading on our behalf."
Nanny Qiao still wore an apologetic expression: "What are you saying? It's all my fault, I started it all. I was just expressing my envy of His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine, and I just said it casually, but who would have thought... Oh dear, the rules in the palace are so strict!"
"It wasn't like this before; it's only in the last few months that the regulations have become stricter."
"Yes, yes! On New Year's Eve, a few old eunuchs and women had a few drinks and they were all punished!"
"Aunt Wei Hong is actually alright. She looks fierce, but she doesn't really care about us. Aunt Fu Liu has a terrible temper! She's always yelling at people."
The two whispered to each other.
Suddenly, Pan Chun, who was in front, turned around.
"Don't you ever learn? You were just scolded by Aunt Wei Hong, and you're already starting again? If you really can't control your mouths, I'll sew your lips shut with a needle when we get back!"
Pan Chun was a fiery woman. As soon as she spoke, the two palace maids instinctively covered their mouths and scattered like birds, not daring to utter another sound.
On the other side, after Wei Hong left the room, she coughed heavily before walking towards Song Xibai and Yuan Shen.
Hearing the voice, Song Xibai turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
Wei Hong pursed her lips: "It's nothing. The little girl has forgotten the rules since leaving the palace, so I said a few words to her."
Song Xibai chuckled: "You! You always have such a stern face, the palace maids are all afraid of you. It's the New Year, smile a little!"
Wei Hong became Song Xibai's head female official at a young age. Fearing she wouldn't be able to control her subordinates, she always wore a serious expression.
This is completely different from Fuliu, who usually laughs when she's happy and curses when she's unhappy, and is very carefree.
Wei Hong smiled, pursing her lips.
"Your Majesty, please stop teasing me."
At this moment, Yuan Shen suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
"Commander Yue inquired about your situation privately before, worried that you might be bullied by unruly servants in the palace. Let him see you when he has time, and he'll probably be at ease."
Wei Hong smiled much more happily when she heard the name Commander Yue.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I ask where Commander Yue is living now? He used to live on the estate, so I couldn't take care of him properly. It would be much more convenient if he moved to the city."
Song Xibai suddenly turned to look at Yuan Shen.
"Commander Yue is so old, why is he still alone?"
When Song Xibai first met Commander Yue, she saw his full head of white hair and thought he was in his seventies or eighties. Later she learned that he just looked old and was actually under sixty.
However, in ordinary families, people of this age would have a house full of children and grandchildren, but Commander Yue was still all alone.
Having lost her family, Wei Hong always regarded Commander Yue as an elder, especially after living on the estate for several months and becoming quite close to him. After entering the palace, she couldn't leave freely and couldn't help but worry about him.
"Commander Yue was married before and had a son, but his wife and son died of plague more than 20 years ago."
Song Xibai hissed.
"Why has no one ever mentioned this?"
"It happened so many years ago, who would remember? Commander Yue was originally a secret guard for the Zhou family, and later followed the Empress Dowager. He was an orphan without parents, so he is now all alone and has no relatives."
Yuan Shen shook his head and sighed.
“Who said Commander Yue has no family? We are all his family!” Wei Hong suddenly said. “Actually, I wanted to recognize him as my godfather.”
Song Xibai was somewhat surprised, but still spoke.
"If that's really your plan, then talk to Commander Yue. It wouldn't hurt him to adopt a goddaughter."
Wei Hong laughed even more heartily.
"Then I'll go and deliver the message to Commander Yue right away!"
After saying that, she ran off excitedly.
As Song Xibai watched her departing figure, a very important question suddenly occurred to him.
"Your Majesty has made the secret guards public? Won't that make some things more inconvenient to do?"
Yuan Shen stroked his chin.
"I'm planning to merge the Secret Guard and the Inner Guard to form a new department. It was your father's memorial that gave me the inspiration. The Imperial Guard is a mixed bag, with all sorts of people. Chen Si was able to be persuaded by us, but who knows if others will be won over in the future? Therefore, the strength of the Imperial Guard must be gradually reduced in the future, and the safety of the palace must be protected by another force."
Upon hearing this, Song Xibai's mouth opened slightly, and the words "Jinyiwei" inexplicably popped into her mind.
She carefully observed Yuan Shen's expression, and seeing that he remained calm, she felt secretly relieved.
"These things need to be done gradually."
Yuan Shen's brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled.
"Indeed, many things cannot be rushed and must be done slowly. Right now, the most important thing is the matter of the second day of the second lunar month."
February 2nd?
Song Xibai was somewhat confused.
"What's wrong with the second day of the second lunar month? Does His Majesty want to get a haircut?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
