Chapter 24 His Majesty's Plan
The drizzle was like silk, densely weaving diagonally, and the palace walls soaked in the spring rain added a bit of tranquility and elegance.
Outside, the sound of raindrops pattered, yet inside, a warm and tranquil atmosphere reigned. Chan Zhen, gently embraced from behind by His Majesty, sat before a desk. On the desk lay the palace account books he had recently retrieved from the three concubines.
His Majesty grasped her pen-holding hand and patiently instructed her, "Those in power need not do everything themselves, but should be able to plan and assign the right people to the right positions. The palace maids I have assigned to you each have their strengths. Lu Zhu, who once served before the Emperor, is a master at accounting. I have personally vetted every maid in Fengqi Palace, so you can use them with confidence."
Chan Zhen stared at the complex ledger in his hand. The list of names of servants and their respective allocations from various parts of the palace was truly dazzling. The three concubines had been able to maintain a tight grip on power for so many years without causing any major chaos. They were indeed quite capable.
"But I heard that the virtuous sister and the others did it themselves and were very attentive to it."
If the power of the palace is handed over to her and something goes wrong, wouldn't that be a betrayal of His Majesty?
"You are different from them." Chen Dingyao frowned slightly and explained, "I originally divided the power of the palace equally among the three concubines so that they could check and balance each other. There has long been a rift between these three people. To prevent any of them from causing trouble, I can only do it myself to ensure my safety."
All three concubines had adult princes and were backed by powerful families. He had indeed considered choosing a crown prince from among the three previous princes, and he had carefully considered each of them. Unfortunately, Concubine Xian was too foolish, Concubine Shu was too selfish, and Concubine De, while having a decent disposition, was not Prince Zhuang's biological mother. All these considerations had led to a decision on the heir to this day.
But people's hearts are always biased. All the picky considerations are lost when you meet the one you truly love.
He looked down at the woman who was frowning silently in thought, a gentle smile on his face.
Zen Zhen didn't know what he was thinking, his eyes were all focused on the precious account book under his hand.
She knew that young ladies from aristocratic families had to learn how to manage the household and do the accounting from a young age, but she had never had such an opportunity, even though she came from a merchant family and should have been more familiar with the account books than any other girl in the boudoir.
His Majesty appointed her as a noble concubine and helped her regain her power in the palace, but she did not feel confident at all.
"Take your time, there's no need to rush." Chen Dingyao saw the worry in her heart and gently rubbed her hair to comfort her.
He knew that she was not very proficient in poetry, literature and arithmetic, but it was very rare that she still maintained such a simple and kind character when she had a father who only wanted to use her daughter to gain power and curry favor with him.
"It would be great if I could learn these things from a young age."
If only she hadn't been born into the Song family, even if she had been born into an ordinary family. She didn't like that family. Her father was obsessed with money and profit, her stepmother ignored her, her sisters ostracized her because she was a concubine's daughter, and her brother, like her father, only cared about what she could bring to the family. No one truly cared about her likes or desires. She also wanted to learn poetry, literature, and arithmetic, not just the singing, dancing, and music that revolved around men.
She put down the account book, turned around and slowly leaned her head into his arms. "It would be very happy to be your Majesty's princess. She can learn whatever she wants. You will definitely be a good father and teach her patiently and gently."
No one had ever taught her as patiently and meticulously as His Majesty. When she was a child, she couldn't bend her waist when practicing dancing, so her father would lock her in the room and punish her by not letting her eat. Only after she practiced over and over again and finally could bend her waist perfectly, would he let her out and give her a compliment.
But if I were your Majesty's child, I would definitely learn whatever I wanted to learn since childhood and receive your Majesty's most patient teaching.
Chen Dingyao paused, held her tightly in his arms, but his gaze was looking into the empty distance.
"I was not a good father in the past."
When he was young, his father had said he was too clear-cut in his likes and dislikes, wishing those he loved life and those he hated death. He dismissed certain princes after deeming them unfit for important positions, and never summoned a concubine he had once admired until he suddenly developed a dislike for her. He had believed himself to be cold and emotionless, but after meeting her in his previous life, he could no longer control himself and fell into complete madness, as if all his love was for this one person alone.
"Chanzhen, if I could change your maternal clan for you, would you be willing?" In his previous life, he had favored the Song family and granted them privileges, but this only fostered their greed, brought Chanzhen much infamy, and even caused him to pass away in anger and despair. In this life, because of their blood relationship, he would not pursue the Song family's faults, but he would never give them another chance.
Zen really didn't understand what he meant. Wasn't one's maternal clan determined at birth by blood relationship? How could it be changed?
"According to custom, the imperial concubine's maternal family can be granted the title of marquis. However, I have never mentioned this to you. Has Chan Zhen ever harbored any doubts?"
Chan Zhen shook her head. "I am already content to be favored by Your Majesty. I dare not have any more delusions. Besides, I know that the Song family is not worthy of the honor of being a marquis."
If she is granted the title of marquis, given her father's character, he will probably be even more eager to gain privileges in officialdom, which will inevitably bring harm to the people. Then she will become a sinner for all eternity.
"If your father has an upright character, even if he lacks ability, it doesn't matter. I can still give him the title of Marquis. However, I am worried that the Song family will use your name to act and bring you trouble, so I have not mentioned this matter yet."
His eyes darkened slightly as he continued, "But you still need a maternal family to rely on. The Song family can't handle this position. I can only find another way."
He was twenty years older than Chan Zhen, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would die before her. He could protect her while she was alive, and he also had to leave her with multiple safeguards after his departure. Besides the fact that the next king had to be born from Chan Zhen's womb, he also had to arrange for her to have a strong and reliable maternal family, ensuring that Chan Zhen would not be harmed even after his departure.
"I have been thinking for a long time and have found a good candidate. Chan Zhen, have you heard of Song Ge?"
Zenzhen was already somewhat shocked that His Majesty actually thought so far ahead for her.
Her wide-eyed, bewildered expression was truly adorable, and he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her gently. Before she could react, he added, "Song Ge is the descendant of a founding general. He's quite proficient in martial arts and strategy. However, the Song family hasn't had any success in the past two generations, and now it's somewhat declining. I'm sure Song Ge would be happy to board the Imperial Concubine's ship."
He had searched for a long time before finally finding this one, a member of the once-glorious but now declining Song clan. Song Ge had his own abilities, but it was no easy feat for him to single-handedly revitalize the entire clan. Military commanders required time and opportunity, so he didn't mind offering him a shortcut.
"But I come from a merchant family, so the Song family might not be interested in me." Chan Zhen knew that aristocratic families valued status the most, and since she came from a merchant family, she was not considered respectable in the eyes of the aristocratic families. "Besides, I have never had any contact with the Song family, so how can I consider them my mother's family?"
"You don't have to worry about this. I have my own arrangements." Since he had an idea, he would naturally arrange it properly so that the Song family would willingly become Chan Zhen's backing.
…
Ever since she was deprived of her palace power, Concubine Xian has been unable to swallow this humiliation.
It would have been fine if His Majesty favored the Imperial Concubine, as she had never been favored anyway, so it didn't matter to her which woman His Majesty favored. But His Majesty actually took away her power in the palace for that woman, without any regard for her years of hard work and contributions.
Of the three concubines, she was the least favored, and her son, the Prince of Jin, was not as highly regarded as Concubine Shu's. He was only the eldest son in name, and now even her power in the palace had been lost. What was left for her as a virtuous concubine? The only thing that made her feel better was that His Majesty not only took away her power in the palace, but also Concubine Shu and Concubine De.
"Your Majesty stayed in Fengqi Palace again last night?" she asked the palace maid serving beside her.
The virtuous concubine has been very angry these days and has smashed several things in the palace. In the morning, a maid used a little too much force when combing her hair, so she got angry and punished her by making her kneel for a long time. As a result, the others were also scared.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has summoned you to the Fengqi Palace to sleep with him today." The palace maid answered carefully.
Concubine Xian's eyes flashed with complex emotions: "It's been a month in a row, and His Majesty hasn't even summoned anyone else."
Even when Concubine Shu was the most favored in the palace, she was not like this.
Another palace maid in green clothes beside her rolled her eyes and responded, "Hmph, the Imperial Concubine is only able to deceive the Emperor with her beauty. How can she compare to Your Majesty, who has been by His Majesty's side since the palace? How long can such favor last? Your Majesty, you are too tolerant and generous. As one of the Four Concubines, you are no less than the Imperial Concubine."
The original palace maid frowned, thinking that the Empress was already angry and that these words might be fanning the flames. However, the Empress always listened to good things and not bad things, so she might not take her advice to heart.
The words really hit home for the virtuous concubine: "I had good intentions to help her get the position of a talented person. Now it seems that I really made a mistake. Such a seductive woman should not be allowed into the palace."
The maid in green rubbed her shoulders and continued, "Yes, Your Majesty, His Majesty dotes on her now. What if she takes advantage of her favor and gives birth to a little prince? Will it threaten the status of our Highness?"
There was worry in her eyes, as if she was very worried about her.
"Your Majesty had previously said he wanted to make the Imperial Concubine the Empress. I don't know if it was a joke or if he really meant it. The Empress gave birth to a legitimate son."
The virtuous concubine had originally only thought about the fact that her palace power had been taken away without giving it too much thought. After hearing what she said, she suddenly realized that compared to the palace power, the threat posed to her by the noble concubine was on another side.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Our prince is the eldest prince. Even if the imperial concubine gives birth to another little prince, he will lose his age advantage." Another palace maid hurriedly comforted her. She knew that her majesty's Achilles' heel was His Royal Highness Prince Yu. She regarded anyone who posed a threat to His Royal Highness Prince Yu as an enemy. But now that the imperial concubine was at the peak of her career, it was not appropriate to confront him head-on at this time.
"Your Majesty, you don't know. There is a saying among the people that 'the youngest son is the most pitiful'. Parents are always the most partial to their youngest son." The palace maid in green clothes continued.
"Danzhu, knowing that the Queen is in a bad mood today, why are you..."
Why are you still adding fuel to the fire? His Majesty just used Concubine Yang to establish his authority a few days ago, and then seized the palace power of the three concubines for the Imperial Concubine. There is really no benefit in inciting the Empress and the Imperial Concubine to confront each other.
"Enough." The virtuous concubine interrupted their argument, with an inexplicable emotion in her eyes.
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