Jian Yang was stunned by what she saw.
These days, why would anyone be so eager to work for free?
She originally thought that it would take a lot of persuasion to arrange jobs for these pampered concubines.
Therefore, she spent a long time rehearsing her remarks.
To everyone's surprise, things went exceptionally smoothly!
Seeing the eager expressions on the faces of the concubines, Jian Yang nodded with a look of satisfaction.
Soon, based on her observations of the concubines over the past few days and according to their personalities and abilities, she assigned tasks such as setting up the venue, scheduling personnel, and drafting menus.
The concubines received their tasks, thanked her happily, and then left.
As soon as everyone left, Jian Yang quickly lay down.
He continued his life of leisurely eating oranges and reading ghost stories.
In the following days, apart from Jian Yang, all the concubines in the harem worked with all their might, working overtime without complaint and staying up all night with full energy.
The news quickly reached Zhou Jingzhi's ears.
"Yongfu, pick out two nice carpets from the Persian tribute yesterday and send them to the Empress." The Emperor lowered his head, folding a folded document.
Eunuch Zhang readily agreed.
It was unclear what the emperor was thinking, but he paused in his reading of the memorials, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is the Empress any different than before?"
Eunuch Zhang: "Your Majesty, this servant dares not speak ill of my master."
The emperor laughed in anger and picked up the memorial, then smacked him on the head.
"I've given you permission to speak, so speak boldly!"
Eunuch Zhang covered his head before daring to speak, "Although Her Majesty the Empress's appearance and figure have not changed at all, her words and actions are quite different, and her ability to handle affairs is probably unmatched in the harem."
The Emperor nodded slightly: "Indeed, the Empress has managed the six palaces without making a single mistake. Although she delegated the preparation of the welcoming banquet to others, she made reasonable arrangements based on the strengths of the concubines. Such overall management ability is probably unmatched by some of my ministers."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Eunuch Zhang nodded in agreement, "Not only that, Her Majesty the Empress's temperament has also changed a lot. Although she used to be domineering, no one believed her. Now, Her Majesty the Empress can even keep that one in the Jade Lotus Palace in check!"
The emperor looked at Eunuch Zhang and smiled, "How come I remember you used to dislike the empress so much, but now you're praising her so highly?"
Eunuch Zhang quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. How could I dare to dislike my master?"
Zhou Jingzhi smiled and continued reviewing the memorials.
But more and more questions swirled in his mind.
It is true that being hurt can cause a change in temperament, but he had never seen anyone change so drastically as the Queen.
He ate dinner at Weiyang Palace that day.
Jian Yang was miserable. She thought this unscrupulous capitalist had come to arrange a job for her again, but later she found out that he was just there to freeload, so she let him be.
The two ate their meal in silence.
Jian Yang, however, was thinking back to the ghost story she had read that day.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't react until the emperor called her name for the third time.
"Is the Empress feeling unwell?" Zhou Jingzhi asked with concern.
Jian Yang shook her head like a rattle drum.
The emperor placed a piece of roasted venison into her bowl with his chopsticks, and said in a gentle voice, "I remember that the empress used to love this dish the most. I specially asked the imperial chef to prepare it today. Please eat more, empress."
She quickly thanked him.
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly as he watched her eat the venison with a smile.
"Do you like the taste?"
The emperor placed another chopstick on her plate.
Jian Yang nodded without hesitation, "The meat is tender and the saltiness is just right, it's delicious."
Such good food, how come the people in the imperial kitchen never made it for her before!
I'm so annoyed.
The Emperor nodded: "If the Empress is pleased, then so be it."
After finishing his dinner, the emperor departed.
Jian Yang, feeling a bit feverish from eating too much venison, quickly asked Lian Xia to make her a cup of chrysanthemum tea.
“Your Majesty,” Lianxia looked at her with a complicated expression, “didn’t you used to hate eating venison? Why did you eat so much tonight?”
Jian Yang: "???"
For a moment, she felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, making her feel extremely cold all over.
We're doomed...
The dietary taboos of the imperial concubines were never a secret, and they would often specifically instruct the imperial kitchen to avoid violating these taboos.
Therefore, it was impossible for the emperor not to know that she did not eat venison.
His actions today were clearly a deliberate test of her!
The purpose is self-evident—
The treacherous emperor suspects her!
Jian Yang frowned deeply and began to try to recall what she had done in the past few days, and what exactly had aroused the emperor's suspicion.
But those involved are often blinded by their own perspective, and she couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
Lianxia witnessed the whole thing and, seeing her face turn extremely pale in an instant, couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Jian Yang shook her head.
"You may leave now. I wish to be alone for a while."
Lianxia had no choice but to retreat.
That night, Jian Yang sat motionless in her chair for at least an hour.
She simply couldn't figure out where things went wrong!
And just how far did the emperor's suspicion of her go?
This is the first time I've felt a survival crisis since I transmigrated to this world.
If the emperor simply suspected her, that would be one thing; at least he could make up a lie to fool her.
What if they find out her core has been replaced...
She dared not think any further.
Based on the understanding of people in this world, they would definitely think she is some kind of strange and supernatural monster.
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