Chapter 264 Who is the new king's most trusted minister? ...
"Should I go and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager?"
Qi Chengming walked along the main road, feeling completely relieved after dealing with the retired emperor. Looking at the sky, he happily decided to go to the inner palace to pay his respects to his grandmother. He still needed to consult with the old woman about the retired emperor's fate.
In the palace of the Empress Dowager.
The old man sat in front of a low table, his legs being gently massaged by a palace servant. He was somewhat surprised: "Emperor...why are you here to pay your respects at this hour? Please come in quickly."
It seems they have something to say.
Everyone else in the harem has been busy packing and preparing for the relocation. Only the Empress Dowager, of noble status, remains in her palace and need not move. The Empress Dowager had long wanted to discuss with the new emperor where the retired emperor's concubines would be relocated and how they would be settled, but she hadn't had the time at the moment.
"Greetings, Grandmother." Qi Chengming gave a quick bow, then sat down and told her about the Emperor Emeritus's desire to practice alchemy and cultivate Taoism.
"What?" The Empress Dowager leaned forward slightly, waved for the maid massaging her legs to leave, and absentmindedly observed the new emperor's expression. After a long pause, she asked, "My son... why did he suddenly think this way?"
"Alas, those old ministers all came to plead with him, but Father Emperor couldn't bear to face them, nor could he bear to hurt our father-son relationship, so he had no choice but to hide." Qi Chengming spoke calmly, without the slightest pretense, and his meaning was quite clear.
The Empress Dowager remained silent.
She wasn't entirely ignorant of politics; she was filled with awe and reverence for the extraordinary phenomena she witnessed throughout the palace that day. How could her son possibly possibly win against such a person? It was better for him to hide after his defeat. Even a mortal emperor couldn't withstand a celestial being descended to earth.
"Taoists are those who live outside the secular world. The Emperor Emeritus hasn't come to pay his respects to me in a long time... I miss him very much. I'll send someone to inquire after him." The Empress Dowager spoke calmly, but in reality, she was probing with questions.
Qi Chengming readily agreed: "Grandmother's love for her son is so deep that even a hermit cannot sever it. Cultivating the Tao is austere, but with Grandmother's concern, Father Emperor will have no regrets. However—it is best not to get too involved with worldly desires."
The Empress Dowager pondered this witty remark in her heart, her brows furrowing in deep thought, yet she still couldn't quite grasp its meaning.
Well, I'll only understand once I go see my son.
"Oh, and this is the list of those to be moved to the new palace. Please consider it carefully, Grandmother." Qi Chengming took out a list from his pocket.
Aunt Zhenhua took a look.
"I understand, Your Majesty is kind-hearted." The Empress Dowager was taken aback upon seeing this and sincerely praised him.
Unlike previous palace relocations after the succession of the throne, where filial piety between father and son was always upheld, the old emperor's concubines would be moved to more remote and crowded palaces after the new emperor ascended the throne. Even the most noble concubines would inevitably have to live with others, and those of lower rank and no reputation might not even be able to get a palace.
This was to free up almost all of the palaces in the harem for the new emperor's concubines.
One side might be overcrowded, while the other side is too empty to be fully occupied—such an imbalance. But this has been how the imperial harem has been allocated since the transfer of the throne. Is this reasonable? No. But this is the nature of imperial power.
As a result, the new emperor's arrangements are now...
He divided the harem in two.
The western half of the palace, comprising the Six Palaces and Six Halls, served as the residences of the retired emperor and his consorts. The eastern Six Palaces and Six Halls, east of the Zichen Hall, were the residences of the new emperor's consorts. However, despite this, the princes' residences, the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress's palace, the abandoned Crown Prince's Eastern Palace, the ancestral worship hall, and the Yuji Hall where the retired emperor now resided, all originally belonged to the Eastern Palace! While the eastern Six Palaces and Six Halls sound impressive, in reality, they consistently served various important royal duties; only a handful of halls were truly habitable…
The west side was where the concubines usually lived.
With the emperor's arrangement, the retired emperor's concubines no longer needed to squeeze into a remote hall next to the Imperial Palace; they could still reside in the Western Harem. Moreover, they were evenly distributed among the palaces according to their rank, and the palaces they received were actually larger than the residences the retired emperor had during his reign! The six palaces and six halls were more than enough for these women, who had endured half their lives of hardship in the palace, to live comfortably with their respective maids.
this……
The Empress Dowager was in a daze for a long time.
If everyone in the palace were as benevolent as the new emperor, why would she and those women have fought so fiercely back then? The imperial concubines and consorts have never seen such a life before!
"Emperor, you..." The Empress Dowager came to her senses, hesitated for a long time before speaking.
Are you trying to kill your life?
The late emperor's concubines have already been assigned, but what about yours?
Qi Chengming smiled, offering no explanation, and gracefully rose to his feet: "Then I won't disturb the Empress Dowager any longer; I have other matters to attend to."
Once the imperial concubines have moved to their new palaces, everyone will understand his intentions. When the courtiers try to persuade him to hold a selection of concubines, they'll be dumbfounded—"Hmph, he's cut off his escape route first, so there's no room in the palace for so many people!" Then his empress can choose the most comfortable palace in the East Palace, and he'll choose one too, and that's it!
Zichen Palace will still be Qi Chengming's office. But he doesn't want to live alone in the side hall of Zichen Palace for long! He's not a lone wolf!
Qi Chengming had planned everything perfectly and walked away with light steps.
The Empress Dowager, still completely bewildered, pondered the list for a while before finally putting it down.
Aside from Consort Shu, who was to leave the palace to retire with her grandson, the remaining concubines should have been headed by Consort Zhen, who was currently the only one still holding a title. However, Consort Zhen's family was willing to take her back. In the Emperor's list, the best palace in the Western Palace was allocated to Consort Xue, who was to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Xue. Next was Consort Liu, followed by Consort Ye, who was to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Ye. A relatively unknown Lady Zhao was also considered by the Emperor to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Zhao.
Those low-ranking concubines who had given birth to or had children with the retired emperor, or who were senior members of the imperial family, were granted the title of Grand Concubine.
Thus, with one Imperial Noble Consort as the leader, three Consorts, and eight Imperial Concubines filled the main positions in the six palaces of the Western Palace, while the remaining lower-ranking concubines moved into the palaces with them.
"Only a few concubines were able to return home," the Empress Dowager sighed. Apart from Consort Zhen, there were actually a few other lower-ranking concubines whose families genuinely loved their daughters and whose fathers and brothers were still alive. Taking them back home was a good outcome for them.
"Zhenhua, issue my imperial decree as it is. Afterwards, you will personally go to the Imperial Palace." The Empress Dowager greatly admired the new emperor's thoughtfulness and issued the decree without changing a single word.
Then……
The Empress Dowager's admiration for the new emperor melted away like snowflakes.
"What?!" She repeated in disbelief, looking at Aunt Needle Flower, unable to understand what it meant to 'cultivate the Tao and not be close to women,' so the palace maids sent to serve in the Imperial Palace were all sent back.
That's because Aunt Zhenhua just found out that the Emperor had seized the Retired Emperor's private treasury, which is why the furnishings in the Imperial Palace are all just ordinary palace rations, lacking the grandeur expected of an emperor. The Emperor hasn't said when the concubines will be summoned to the Imperial Palace either. Besides the guards, the Retired Emperor is only served by a few eunuchs in the vast hall; there aren't even any palace maids!
The Empress Dowager could no longer bear such a simple dwelling. Fearing that the Emperor Emeritus was living in poverty, she sent Aunt Zhenhua with some palace maids to serve the Emperor Emeritus and provide for his sexual needs. Was this all stopped by the Emperor?
"What about those precious items I sent?" the Empress Dowager asked with a troubled expression.
"The guards didn't stop them." Aunt Needle Flower breathed a sigh of relief and speculated, "Perhaps it's because these are from Your Highness's private collection."
The Empress Dowager composed herself, pondering for a long while before finally understanding what the Emperor had said earlier: 'Cultivating the Tao is auspicious and arduous; with your grandmother's concern, Father Emperor will likely have no regrets. However, it's best to avoid further worldly desires…'
She could use her own private treasury to subsidize the Imperial Palace for food, clothing, and daily necessities, but the emperor did not want her to take too much for other things. It is estimated that the imperial concubines would not be able to enter the Imperial Palace in the future.
That makes sense, but the old lady was stunned for a long time and still couldn't understand the emperor's meaning: even if the emperor wanted to isolate the retired emperor in the Imperial Palace, what was wrong with having a few palace maids accompany him there? She heard that the retired emperor had made a big fuss in there that afternoon—the emperor must know that. It was just a little trick to get the retired emperor to cooperate, which would be more conducive to consolidating the country!
The Empress Dowager was so exhausted from all the commotion that she was tossing and turning in bed most of the night: "..."
"Needle Flower, why is that?"
...
Upon hearing Cui Anshi's report, Qi Chengming chuckled mischievously, "Alright, let's keep it this way. Let the Emperor Emeritus suffer a bit, and our whole family will benefit."
Song Gu felt much more comforted upon hearing this. The light in the hall had dimmed, and he personally went over to light a candle for the new emperor: "In this way, with the Empress Dowager working together with Your Majesty to conceal the situation from the retired emperor, it will be much easier for me to do what I need to do."
Song Gu was very surprised.
He hadn't expected the changes between these two lives to be so different. The new emperor had investigated the past thoroughly and quickly began to settle scores with the retired emperor, clearly identifying him as the culprit. Unlike his previous life, where he had been indifferent to most matters and allowed the retired emperor to run rampant outside of politics…
A vibrant energy point is great!
The new emperor is just trying to vent his anger by messing with the retired emperor! If his subjects don't even have the ability to clean up the mess, why should they follow the new emperor?
Song Gu was very pleased, and the more he examined the changes, the more his eyes welled up with tears.
"No one else understands why I didn't allow the palace maids to serve me. It was clearly a small matter that could have temporarily appeased the Emperor Emeritus," Qi Chengming said softly, his smile fading slightly as he looked gently at Song Gu. "Lord Song, do you understand?"
Since he traveled through time...
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi were the first people to stay by his side, supporting him and giving him the courage to face the chaos in the deep palace. But the one who understood him best, the one who understood him on a spiritual level—Qi Chengming still vaguely felt that "this person" was none other than Song Gu.
Therefore, Qi Chengming did not explain to others, but he really wanted to ask Song Gu about it.
As Song Gu recalled the events of his previous life, a sense of enlightenment gradually filled his eyes. He uttered a conjecture that others found utterly rebellious, even absurd:
"—Your Majesty feels sorry for those palace maids, right?"
"Hmph." Qi Chengming gave a sarcastic snort, tacitly agreeing, "The Emperor Emeritus is not worthy."
The palace maids selected for the palace were all from respectable families and were innocent young girls. Could they be used as objects to satisfy the Emperor Emeritus's lust?
Old Deng just casually ruined the lives of several girls. He's dreaming!
Qi Chengming would never allow anything he disapproved of to happen in the palace.
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The author says: How much one can integrate into a feudal dynasty while maintaining one's individuality is a long and arduous journey of self-cultivation.
In his past life, Qi Chengming seemed to have abandoned his own identity and integrated into the system, becoming a highly efficient and benevolent ruler. But in reality, he was completely detached, his mind solely focused on 'going home, going home, going home'—
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