Chapter 124 Phoenix Seal
In the depths of winter, a busy time at the end of the year, the Empress fell ill at this crucial moment.
On this day, the Empress summoned Shui Xian to Kun Ning Palace.
When Shui Xian arrived, she found Emperor Zhaoheng there as well.
When Emperor Zhaoheng saw Shuixian arrive despite the snow, he stood up and took her slightly cool hand in his. He then looked at Tinglu, who was serving behind Shuixian.
"The snow is heavy and the wind is strong today, why don't you try to persuade your mistress?"
Shui Xian gently tugged at Emperor Zhaoheng's hand and said softly, "What does it have to do with her? This morning, Granny Sun went to Lihe Palace and said that Her Majesty the Empress wanted to speak with me."
"Cough cough... It was me... cough cough... I didn't consider that the roads were slippery because of the snow..."
The Empress's voice came from the inner palace, very weak, "Please invite my sister in quickly, it's cold outside."
Shui Xian glanced at Emperor Zhaoheng, and seeing him nod, she quickly walked into the inner hall.
The Empress sat on the phoenix throne with difficulty, her face pale and her lips dull, looking weak and frail.
Shui Xian stepped forward, curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Please, no need for formalities..."
The Empress weakly raised her hand, coughed again, and after her breathing calmed down a bit, she said:
"It's really kind of you, sister, to make this trip in this heavy snow... My health is failing me, and my old ailment has flared up again."
Emperor Zhaoheng also came in and stood beside Shuixian. He looked at the Empress and said, "In that case, you should rest and recuperate properly and put aside trivial matters for now."
The Empress forced a bitter smile, looked at Emperor Zhaoheng, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is right."
She sighed softly, "But with the end of the year approaching, the affairs of the six palaces are complicated... In my current state, I am truly powerless and afraid that I may delay important matters."
At this point, the Empress paused, then suddenly leaned forward and took Narcissus's hand, as if entrusting her with something.
"Since Consort Jin began serving His Majesty, her virtuous and gentle nature has been a model for the entire palace. She has already become quite adept at assisting with palace affairs. Now..."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you grant me permission to temporarily entrust my Phoenix Seal to Consort Jin, so that she may have full authority over all matters related to the New Year and other festivals. Only then can I focus on recuperating in peace."
After saying that, she nodded to Granny Sun.
Granny Sun carried over a sandalwood tray, on which lay the Empress's phoenix seal and a thick stack of account books.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice into the hall, shining directly on the jade phoenix seal, making the white jade appear even more lustrous.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Shui Xian's reaction with a deep gaze.
However, in front of the phoenix seal, which symbolized the power of the Empress, Shui Xian appeared somewhat apprehensive.
Narcissus pulled her hand away from the Empress's, refusing her hand:
"Your Majesty's favor is too great for me, I am filled with trepidation. I fear I am unworthy of such a great responsibility..."
"You're too modest, little sister."
The Empress interrupted her, glanced at Emperor Zhaoheng, and smiled at Shuixian, saying, "Your abilities are evident to both the Empress and the Emperor."
"These are extraordinary times, and extraordinary measures are needed. Could it be that my sister is unwilling to share my burdens and relieve His Majesty's distress?"
Emperor Zhaoheng pondered for a moment, clearly feeling that it was not a good idea to let the ailing empress do all the work, and he was also relieved by Shui Xian's performance in managing the six palaces for the past half month.
He said in a low voice, "In that case, Xian'er, you will have to work harder for now and share the burden with the Empress. Do what you can, and if you encounter any difficulties, you can ask me or report to the Empress at any time."
Emperor Zhaoheng clearly trusted Shui Xian.
Shui Xian, however, discerned something from Emperor Zhaoheng's attitude: he trusted not only her, but also the Empress.
Perhaps influenced by Ruan Huan's dying words, Shui Xian felt uneasy.
The Empress was too weak to bear the responsibility of catching a cold in the winter, but for some reason, she always felt that there was something strange about the Empress's illness.
Since Emperor Zhaoheng had spoken, Shui Xian could no longer refuse and could only respectfully agree.
"Your Majesty, I obey your decree... Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to the trust placed in you by the Emperor and the Empress."
She stepped forward and accepted the phoenix seal, which represented the power of the Empress. The seal was not large, but it seemed to weigh heavily on Shui Xian's heart.
The Empress, as if relieved of a great burden, weakly said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister..."
Emperor Zhaoheng comforted the Empress for a few more minutes, then left Kunning Palace with Shuixian.
After having lunch at the Qianqing Palace, Shui Xian returned to the Lihe Palace alone and immediately summoned the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and the relevant eunuchs.
When the eunuchs first saw that it was only Consort Jin, they couldn't help but look down on her.
It was common knowledge in the palace that Consort Jin came from a humble background. As a former servant, she naturally did not know how to manage a household, let alone the vast harem.
Their contempt makes them inevitably arrogant in their actions.
When reporting to Narcissus, I often used a teaching tone.
Shui Xian listened quietly. A eunuch surnamed Qian stepped forward, and his words always mentioned the Empress and the usual routines.
However, the ledger in Narcissus's hand showed some omissions and errors.
Even if Shuixian had never studied housekeeping, she would find something wrong with these account books.
She waited until Eunuch Qian finished speaking before calmly saying, "Eunuch Qian, why is the unit price of these purchases three times higher than the year before, for the same materials at the same time last year? Furthermore, the usage records this year are vague, only recording the total amount without details..."
"The accounts of the Imperial Household Department are kept far too carelessly!"
She spoke slowly, her gaze calm as she looked at Eunuch Qian. Eunuch Qian listened to her clear and logical reasoning and realized that although this Consort Jin came from a humble background, she was not someone who could be easily fooled.
Grandpa Qian stammered and tried to explain, but Shui Xian didn't give him a chance.
She flipped through the ledgers and asked questions about several points that raised doubts.
There was nothing more for Eunuch Qian to say, and in the end he could only mumble and shut his mouth.
Narcissus slammed the ledger shut, her gaze as cold as a deep pool, and said:
"From now on, all expenditures must be accompanied by a detailed list and signed by the person in charge. If there is any ambiguity, the report must be returned for resubmission. If this delays the work, I will hold you responsible."
Originally intending to brush it off, Eunuch Qian saw that the fire had actually spread to him, and he knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat: "This servant is foolish! This servant will go and re-examine it immediately!"
Narcissus knew that if the responsibility wasn't pinned on an individual, it would be passed around endlessly without any end in sight.
Now that the blame for the unclear accounts has been placed entirely on Eunuch Qian, the person most anxious in the palace is no longer her, but Eunuch Qian...
Even if he didn't want to, he still had to do things for her.
These are all principles of personnel management that Shui Xian learned from Zhou Yan in her previous life. She never expected that they would be useful here.
After this incident, everyone in the Imperial Household Department knew that Consort Jin was extremely shrewd and intolerant of any wrongdoing, and no one dared to be negligent or perfunctory with her anymore.
Taking advantage of the situation, Shui Xian sorted out the backlog of tasks, assigned them to specific individuals, and immediately established her authority within the Imperial Household Department.
After dealing with the urgent matter, Shui Xian did not settle down to rest in the Lihe Palace.
She knew all too well that it was common for the powerful to bully the weak in the palace, and now, during the New Year holidays, those who had lost power and were helpless were the most likely to be mistreated.
She ordered someone to fetch a thick cloak, and taking Tinglu with her, she went personally to the Empress Dowager's residence.
Although the Dowager Consort's Residence is right next to the Cining Palace, it is not as prestigious as the Cining Palace. The Dowager Consort's Residence is just an ordinary, even somewhat shabby, palace.
Upon entering the courtyard, one is immediately struck by a chilling atmosphere, a stark contrast to the splendor and grandeur of the imperial harem, as if they were from a completely different world.
Although the house was neat and tidy, the snow in the yard had not been cleared in time.
When Shuixian entered the courtyard, she saw several women who looked to be in their forties or fifties sitting in the main hall, not doing anything, just staring blankly at the falling snow outside the window.
After all, she was once a concubine of the late emperor, and although she had no children, her treatment was not bad.
However, although they were dressed in fine clothes and had no shortage of jewelry, their expressions were extremely empty. Even when they saw Narcissus enter the hall, they did not make any move, only glancing in this direction.
Shui Xian didn't want to disturb them, so she summoned the palace servants who served the Dowager Consort and gave them some pointers. Then she had the Imperial Household Department send some charcoal and cotton clothes over.
Throughout the entire process, the imperial concubines sat as if in deep meditation in the main hall or other side halls.
Narcissus looked at them and saw that, regardless of their age, they were like withered grass stalks clinging to the palace wall, passing the days one by one.
After leaving the Empress Dowager's residence, Shui Xian went to the Cold Palace to visit Empress Dowager Liu.
She vaguely understood what Consort Liu meant when she said that the Cold Palace might be more comfortable than other places in the palace.
Consort Liu's courtyard remained tidy, with even some freshly pickled vegetables piled up in the corner.
After having the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department put down the winter supplies, Shui Xian dismissed all other people.
Suddenly, only she and Consort Liu remained in the room.
Although Consort Liu was in the Cold Palace, she actually knew some of the things that were happening outside the Cold Palace.
"I heard that Liu Simin handed the Phoenix Seal to you?"
Liu Simin?
Upon hearing the name, Shui Xian took a while to realize that Consort Liu was referring to the Empress.
Since meeting Consort Liu in the Cold Palace, Shui Xian sent Ting Lu to inquire about her after she left.
The woman before me, Consort Liu, is nominally the current Empress's aunt, but in reality, she is only five years older than the current Empress and is the youngest sister of Grand Tutor Liu.
When the Liu family sent her to the palace, she was only fifteen years old, while the late emperor was nearly fifty.
It is said that she made a mistake not long after entering the palace, and the late emperor was so angry that he banished her to the Cold Palace. Consort Liu has been in the Cold Palace for almost twenty years.
Now, despite having experienced so much, she is not even forty.
When the current empress was mentioned, a hint of coldness flashed in Consort Liu's eyes.
Before Narcissus could answer, she sneered:
"Liu Simin's move of retreating to advance is very clever."
"Although you are now in power, you are still just a Noble Consort and cannot bypass the Empress."
"You may seem successful, but you actually face difficulties at every turn."
Consort Liu explained the crux of the matter in just a few words.
"The better you handle palace affairs, the more it will make her seem incompetent in the past. How can a concubine disgrace the Empress? If you don't handle them well, it means you are unworthy of your position."
"Whether you do it or not, it's a losing proposition."
Although Shui Xian was puzzled as to why the usually taciturn Consort Liu suddenly shared all her knowledge with her.
But she cherished the opportunity and humbly said, "Please enlighten me, Madam."
No rush.
Consort Liu looked at her with a probing gaze.
"I have something to ask of you. If you do it for me, I'll naturally tell you things you need to know..."
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