"Your Majesty, these are the silks, ingots, and jades that have been presented as tribute from various regions this year."
The people from the Shanggong Bureau were carrying some plates. Song Xia could tell at a glance that the silk was old-fashioned and outdated, the ivory was only a few pieces, and the jade was even worse. The quality was not as good as the material that Consort Zhen wore a couple of days ago.
The lady-in-waiting frowned. Although she sometimes passed on messages, she wasn't actually on either side. Now that she was following Song Xia, she was somewhat biased, especially after the experiences of the past two days, which had greatly changed her opinion of Song Xia. So she asked coldly, "Isn't this procedure wrong? Her Majesty is the Empress, how can you be allowed to be negligent?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." The head maidservant quickly knelt down and stammered, "It was a message from Xingqing Palace that said the expenses of the concubines could not be adjusted at will, so..."
"So you've been cutting back on my expenses?" Song Xia glanced at her indifferently. "Since when did the rules of this dynasty allow the ranks of the concubines to surpass those of the Empress? The Palace Attendant has such great authority that she can even arbitrarily change the rules of the royal family."
The palace maid turned pale with fright: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I dare not contradict the intentions of Xingqing Palace."
"It seems that the Palace Attendant still doesn't understand the rules of the palace. As a Palace Attendant, she is in charge of the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the concubines in the harem. If she can't even distinguish the rules, I'm afraid she is not competent for this position." Song Xia coldly ordered under her increasingly uneasy gaze, "From this day forward, the Palace Attendant is stripped of her position and sent to the Laundry Bureau. The Director of the Imperial Household Department did not advise her and is also sent to the same place. She is never allowed to serve as a female official again."
"Your Majesty, I was personally appointed as the Shanggong by His Majesty. You cannot dismiss me so easily." Although she was afraid, she couldn't help but argue when she heard that Song Xia had demoted her to the lowest-ranking palace maid in the laundry department. Moreover, she had some confidence in her heart: Song Xia was still an unfavored empress. How could she be compared to Consort Zhuang, who had given birth to the second prince? Consort Zhuang would definitely not let anything happen to her!
The female official beside Song Xia rebuked, "In this dynasty, the inner palace has one Shanggong, and two Siji, Sizheng, Siyan, and Siji. They are in charge of guiding and assisting the Empress in matters such as bestowing rewards. Their appointment, dismissal, and scheduling are all decided by the Empress. If the Shanggong's words and actions violate the rules, how can the Empress not punish her?"
Song Xia glanced at the female official with surprise. It seemed that this person was not unteachable and was still usable.
"Guards, convey my imperial decree: strip the Shanggong of her official robes and ceremonial attire. The appointment of a new Shanggong will be decided after I report to His Majesty."
When she heard that she was going to report this matter to His Majesty, the Shanggong's confidence, which had been somewhat intact, instantly turned cold. After all, if she didn't have the confidence, why would she do it?
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, please forgive me. I was wrong. I should not have offended Your Majesty. Please give me a chance."
"Drag it out." Song Xia did not soften her heart. Someone was testing and manipulating her at this time. All the palaces were watching and waiting. If she really backed down, how could she proceed?
"Your Majesty... it was Consort Zhuang who made me do this, it wasn't my intention, Your Majesty..." The once imposing Shanggong was now only left with screams of pain.
The piercing screams were terrifying, but at the same time everyone witnessed Song Xia's determination. She didn't want to be a docile little empress, but an empress with real power!
"Your Majesty, do you have any further instructions regarding Consort Zhuang?"
“No need.” Song Xia narrowed her eyes slightly. “Just say that Consort Zhuang has been in the palace for a long time, and it is only natural for her to love fine clothes and treasures. I am sympathetic to her fear and will not pursue the matter this time.”
The lady-in-waiting tried her best to suppress a smile. The Empress's words were venomous. Wasn't she clearly implying that Consort Zhuang was old and needed clothing and makeup to make her look better? If these words reached Consort Zhuang's ears, she would probably be furious.
Moreover, among the high-ranking concubines in the harem, Consort Zhuang's appearance was the most plain. When she first entered the palace, because she had returned to the capital from the border, His Majesty specially granted her a martial arts training ground, and the Empress Dowager even said that she was vulgar. On weekdays, His Majesty spent the least amount of time in her Xingqing Palace. If it weren't for her father having 200,000 troops under his command, His Majesty probably wouldn't have taken her into the palace.
Over the years, everyone in the harem knew that Consort Zhuang was most averse to anyone mentioning the word "appearance" in front of her. She had often punished lower-ranking noblewomen who were beautiful. The Empress's words were like reopening Consort Zhuang's wounds. How vicious!
Sure enough, after the lady-in-waiting went to Xingqing Palace and said these words, she immediately heard the sound of Consort Zhuang smashing things.
"How dare she mock me for being young and fading in beauty?" Consort Zhuang trembled with rage. "She's just a young girl, she hasn't even received His Majesty's favor, what right does she have to mock me?"
"Your Majesty, the Empress's actions over the past two years have merely resulted in a loss of face. She's putting on a brave face but is actually weak, and she's just trying to save face. You don't need to upset yourself over this. Everyone in the palace knows how much His Majesty has favored Your Majesty."
"But she ruined the head maid I had personally promoted!"
"Your Majesty, even if the Empress affixes her phoenix seal, it will not be effective if His Majesty intervenes."
“You’re right.” Consort Zhuang gritted her teeth. “She made me suffer such a huge embarrassment. I must get my revenge! Go to Taiji Palace and tell Jin Hui that I have been suffering from heart palpitations and cannot sleep. Please ask His Majesty to come and take a look.”
"This servant will definitely go to Steward Jin and convey the message."
Consort Zhuang propped her head up, her unpleasant expression genuine. She thought maliciously, "The Empress has dismissed the Palace Attendant. If she were to speak to His Majesty and have the position reinstated, how would our new Empress face him? He'll probably never dare to interfere in the affairs of the inner palace again."
In Fengyi Palace, a female official said with great concern, "Your Highness, I heard that Consort Zhuang has already sent someone to invite His Majesty. What if His Majesty agrees to her unreasonable demands?"
Song Xia's expression was resolute: "His Majesty will not go there tonight."
The female official asked in surprise, "How did Your Highness know?"
Song Xia did not answer directly, but only said, "Just wait and see."
At this moment, in the Taiji Palace, the current emperor was looking suspiciously at the white-haired, white-browed sorcerer before him: "You say you are from the previous dynasty, how can you prove it?"
Xuan Kingdom has been established for over a hundred years. Although the person in front of him has white hair and eyebrows, his skin is firm and his complexion is rosy. He really doesn't look like someone who is over a hundred years old. If he really is, then the secret technique he possesses must be the immortality technique he has been seeking.
So even though Wuweizi and Xuanjizi both said that this person was full of lies, he still summoned him into Taiji Palace.
Compared to Wuweizi and Xuanjizi, the Qingfeng Daoist before him possessed a more ethereal and desireless demeanor, and his humble yet dignified attitude had already convinced the emperor to some extent.
“Your Majesty, you only need to check my household registration. When I was twenty years old, I left home with an old Taoist priest with a limp. All the neighbors can testify to this. Although more than a hundred years have passed, some of the neighbors from that time are still alive and should have heard of my story.”
The emperor believed him even more because he had actually verified that such a story had indeed been passed down in the suburbs of the capital. Moreover, because the old Taoist priest with the sloping leg saved a lost child, the child later became wealthy, and that family still worships him today.
At this point, the emperor was half convinced of Master Qingfeng's origins, but he needed to witness the man's true abilities before he could say for sure the remaining 50%.
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