Chapter 141 The Betting Game
That evening, Consort De sent someone to Lihe Palace.
Now the two of them work together to manage the six palaces, and they have to discuss everything before doing anything.
Consort De did a good job in this matter, almost always sending her personal maid Mo Hua to Lihe Palace to ask for Shui Xian's opinion.
Tonight, Mo Hua came to Lihe Palace. Mo Hua is not tall, looks very calm, and appears somewhat unremarkable.
After the ink painting entered the hall, the person bowed respectfully, and every movement was flawless.
"Consort De would like to ask Consort Jin, how should the venue for the morning and evening greetings be decided? Consort De's idea is that Lihe Palace is magnificent and an excellent venue, so why not set it there?"
Shui Xian sat in the honored seat, scrutinizing Mo Hua's expression and trying to guess what Consort De meant.
Is it to be held at the Lihe Palace?
It is understood that the location of a palace implies that the palace in question is the place of honor and respect for that person.
Was Consort De indifferent, or was she trying to use this to show that she had no ambition...?
Living in this treacherous harem, Narcissus couldn't help but think things through.
"Go back and tell your lady that I have received your kind offer. Yichang Palace was the residence of the favored concubines of all dynasties. Although it is not large in scale, it is beautiful and ancient."
"I propose that the morning and evening greetings be held at Lihe Palace and Yichang Palace on the same day, so that we can demonstrate our unity and cooperation."
Shuixian had heard rumors about the imperial harem, that whoever she went to would be treated as the most important person in the palace.
However, she didn't care at all.
If the logic were that simple, this deep harem wouldn't have consumed so many people.
She drew a blessing on her face with ink, saying, "This servant will report this to Consort De."
The following day, at the request of Consort De, the Lihe Palace welcomed the first day of morning audiences.
Since Shui Xian moved into Lihe Palace, only a few concubines who were on good terms with her, such as Consort Tuoba, have visited. The rest of them have never seen the completely renovated Lihe Palace.
Since Emperor Zhaoheng ascended the throne, no concubine of the highest rank has ever lived in Lihe Palace, which is usually sealed with a large lock.
Now, with the morning inspection held in Lihe Palace, the concubines can finally see the Lihe Palace that Emperor Zhaoheng renovated for Shuixian.
Above the vermilion gate hangs a plaque inscribed by Emperor Zhaoheng: "Lihe Palace".
As you enter through the gate, countless glass lanterns hang under the eaves of the corridor. Although no candles are lit during the day, the morning light shines through the glass lanterns, leaving dappled shadows on the stone steps of the corridor.
Passing through the main hall's gate, which is engraved with peony patterns, one sees a thick brocade curtain hanging above the entrance. The curtain is embroidered with intertwined branches using peacock feather threads. Every time someone lifts the curtain, the gold threads on it reflect a dazzling golden light, making it the epitome of luxury and a treasure of the world.
As you step through the brocade curtain, a warm feeling washes over you from the main hall.
The floor of the hall was covered with a whole black fox fur coat. In front of it was a three-tiered platform with two identical rosewood thrones inlaid with jade. Behind them was a twelve-panel mother-of-pearl inlaid screen.
The concubines' gazes swept over the various exquisite and precious decorations in the hall, and deep in their eyes, envy and jealousy inevitably welled up.
They're all imperial concubines, so why is there such a huge difference between them?
Shui Xian sat at the head of the table and observed the reactions of all the concubines.
Consort De arrived very early and was sitting on the throne next to Narcissus. She lowered her eyes, her gaze half-closed, and slowly twirled a string of prayer beads with her delicate hands.
The atmosphere between the two was relatively calm, and there was no apparent conflict at the moment.
The morning assembly at the Reiwa Palace, which was supposed to end smoothly on the first day, was still disrupted by someone with ulterior motives.
The two Noble Consorts sat on the thrones, while the Consorts were Consort Wan, Consort Jing, and Consort Qiao.
Consort Jing had a cool and aloof expression. Although she was sitting there, she was lost in thought, like a fairy untouched by the mortal world.
Qiao Fei was petite and frail from childhood. She was well-versed in health preservation and rarely spoke. When they met, she would only nod slightly.
As for Consort Wan... she dressed modestly today, but her words were full of jealousy towards Narcissus.
Consort Wan is now sitting to the left of Noble Consort De. Although they are both consorts, Consort Wan has a feeling of being the head of the consorts because of the time she entered the palace and her family background.
She smiled at Consort De, her words full of implications.
"The joy of Consort Jin's twins is truly a great blessing. However, since Consort Jin is now six months pregnant, she still has to work hard on the trivial matters of the six palaces... It seems that if there are any errands or tiring tasks, Consort De will have to take on more of them."
Consort Wan meant that although they would jointly manage the six palaces, Narcissus was pregnant and heavy-set, so Consort De would probably have to do all the hard and tiring work.
Consort De was calm and composed, and didn't respond to her comment.
She said calmly, "It is our duty to share the Emperor and Empress's burdens; how can there be any talk of taking on responsibility?"
Consort Wan could only smile and say, "Your Majesty, I have learned a lot."
Shui Xian observed coldly, noticing that Consort Wan wasn't the only one with such thoughts, and then heard Consort Yao standing behind her say:
"Now that Consort Jin is assisting in the management of the six palaces, the regulations must be different from before."
As she spoke, she looked around at the carved beams and painted rafters. She was still living in Consort De's Yichang Palace, not only as a dependent but also far less luxurious than Lihe Palace.
How could she not be jealous!
When she was a child, she envied the luxury of the eldest daughter of the Yi family. How has she now fallen so low that she is overshadowed by Yi Guichun's servants?
Consort Yao felt aggrieved and said sarcastically, "I think the expenses at Lihe Palace are even more refined than those at Kunning Palace."
She covered her lips with a handkerchief, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes. "Could it be that the servants of the Imperial Household Department were negligent and neglected the Kunning Palace?"
That's a difficult question to answer.
If it was an oversight by the servants of the Imperial Household Department, then the one who has been assisting in managing the six palaces recently is not the Empress. Could it be that Shui Xian instructed the Imperial Household Department to torment the Empress?
If it weren't for an oversight... the Lihe Palace in Narcissus was actually more luxurious than the Kunning Palace, which was a huge overstepping of authority.
As expected, after Consort Yao finished speaking, everyone around her looked surprised and couldn't help but look at Consort Jin with curiosity, wanting to see how she would respond.
Narcissus sat upright in the seat of honor, gently touching the tassels at her temples, her expression remaining largely unchanged.
"Her Majesty the Empress is recuperating peacefully, and all her expenses are being handled according to the old rules. Moreover, the Emperor himself is overseeing her needs. How can we servants be allowed to neglect her?"
She remained nonchalant, not in a hurry to explain, but instead appeared quite self-assured.
After saying that, Narcissus noticed her gaze turn dangerous and said coldly:
"Is Consort Yao questioning the Imperial Household Department or the Emperor's arrangements? As for the Lihe Palace, the Emperor, out of compassion for me and the unborn child, specially decreed that some allowances be added. Does Consort Yao also have objections to the Emperor's decree?"
With just a few casual words, she placed a far greater accusation on Consort Yao than Consort Yao herself had ever done.
Consort Yao's face turned pale, and she dared not speak further.
Seeing this, Consort Wan quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Your Highness Consort Jin, please calm down. Sister Yao is young and doesn't know how to speak properly. She was just feeling sorry for Her Majesty the Empress."
Shui Xian smiled slightly and looked down at Consort Wan. "Her Majesty the Empress is a model of virtue for the nation and is deeply respected by the Emperor, which is appreciated by all in the palace. Consort De and I are only temporarily serving in her place, and we will strictly follow the Empress's precedents and dare not make the slightest mistake."
Just as Consort Wan was about to say something more, Narcissus interrupted her, "If you all care so much about the Empress, I can send you to attend to her during her illness, what do you say?"
According to palace rules, if one were to attend to the Empress during her illness, it would mean that one could not serve the Emperor.
The concubines dared not agree. Last time, the Empress was ill for years. Who knew how long she would be ill this time?
Now that Narcissus is pregnant, it has ignited the hopes of countless concubines.
The emperor did not completely die out his lineage, so although their hopes were slim, they still had a chance. They secretly drank medicinal soups to nourish their bodies, hoping to have a son in one fell swoop.
Shui Xian sat upright in her high position, looking down at the concubines below who had been so arrogant just moments before but were now like quails, a cold smile playing on her lips.
Use the empress to suppress her?
She had already anticipated this before today.
Shui Xian offered a few more innocuous words of advice, and then, together with Consort De, explained the upcoming Flower Festival in the palace.
The Flower Festival on the twelfth day of the second lunar month, although not as grand as festivals such as New Year's Eve and Mid-Autumn Festival, was one of the few festivals in the palace mainly for women.
On this day, the emperor would take his concubines to the gardens of the nearby imperial palace to enjoy the flowers and stroll around.
Today's morning meeting was mainly for preparations before the festival.
After the morning meeting, no one stayed except for Tuoba.
Consort De nodded to Shui Xian and left with the ink painting. Shui Xian came to the window and saw Consort De go out. Then, the three or five concubines who had been waiting at the entrance of Lihe Palace rushed forward.
In stark contrast to their cold demeanor at Lihe Palace, Consort Wan and Consort Yun greeted Consort De with smiles and appeared extremely attentive.
Tuoba stood beside Shuixian, recalling the faint sound of the wind he had been hearing recently.
Rumors are circulating in the palace that Emperor Zhaoheng has appointed Consort Jin and Consort De to jointly manage the six palaces, which is a way of showing his dissatisfaction with Narcissus and putting her under control.
Everyone knows that daffodils were less popular than the emperor for a while.
Although the two sides made peace in the middle, now everyone guesses that the emperor may still have some lingering resentment.
The Empress was once again exempted from the morning and evening greetings, but her health clearly could not withstand it.
If anything happens to the Empress, the successor will most likely be one of the two Imperial Concubines.
Consort De was the Empress's cousin, of noble birth, far superior to Narcissus, who came from a humble background.
Besides, if there really is a day when a new emperor is to be established, the empress's opinion is also very important.
Why would she recommend a narcissus who has no relation to her, instead of her own cousin?
Thus, it became a game of betting.
Even the Yichang Palace, which is usually rarely visited, has now become a popular spot in the palace, all in order to cultivate a good relationship with Consort De before she becomes empress.
"elder sister......"
Tuoba wanted to offer comfort, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.
Narcissus gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I'm fine."
That night, Emperor Zhaoheng, who hadn't visited in a long time, arrived just as Shuixian was about to retire for the night...
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