In the Qianqing Palace, the emperor got up with the help of palace maids. Feeling that he was not tired at all, he was even more pleased and bestowed the title of Noble Lady upon them one by one.
The four women quickly knelt down to express their gratitude. Given their humble origins, they never expected to have such good fortune. They vowed to follow the Empress's instructions and serve her wholeheartedly from now on.
"The Empress sent you few to serve her, which is a good thing. Jin Hui, go and give some gifts to Fengyi Palace as well."
Although the emperor was unaware of the happenings in the inner palace, the chief eunuch Jin Hui was fully aware of them. Over the years, he had been afraid of being replaced, but since the empress had not made any moves, he would not speak carelessly.
Although he, as a eunuch, knew nothing about the affairs of the previous dynasty, he understood that the situation in the inner palace had changed. Now, all the concubines listened to the Empress, and even the princes were united. How powerful was the Empress to be able to do this? He dared not offend her.
What will happen in the future is still unknown. After all, all six princes are protecting the Empress. Although His Majesty seems to be full of energy, he has always had a feeling that things are not as they appear. He even suspects that Master Qingfeng is working for the Empress. In the past, whenever there was an emergency, Master Qingfeng would say that it was a critical moment in his cultivation, and in the end, His Majesty would hand over the power to him.
Although His Majesty has now emerged from seclusion, it remains to be seen whether the harem and court officials will secretly keep it from him.
"Your Majesty, the palaces of those four noble ladies... are now full. The four noble ladies have either been arranged in the side halls of the main palaces or in a few more remote side halls."
Upon hearing this, the four women, who had just been granted the title of Noble Consort, immediately began to plead, "Your Majesty, we do not wish to be too far from you."
"Your Majesty, if I go to the palaces of my sisters, I won't be able to serve you properly when Your Majesty visits me in the future."
The emperor, recalling the blissful experience of yesterday, found it hard to give up. His concubines, all born into noble families, would not accompany him as they had the day before. If he were to send these four beauties there, they would be bound by constraints. And if they were far away, the pleasure would be hard to wait for.
So, relying on his status as emperor, he made an absurd decision: "Just say that I am used to their service, there is no need to grant me a palace, I can stay in the Qianqing Palace from now on."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
"I have long been inseparable from Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, let me feed you."
Seeing that His Majesty, who had just gotten up, was starting to act out again, Jin Hui hurriedly went out and had the eunuch close the palace gates.
So the ministers who had been waiting for court to begin were left waiting until the sun was high in the sky, only to be told that court affairs would be discussed again tomorrow.
Everyone looked at each other, some of whom wavered, and some gave up completely. In the past, His Majesty had ambition, but he was only suspicious. Now he only thought about enjoying himself and had even lost his ambition. He didn't know what he had cultivated in this seclusion.
This Taoist priest Qingfeng, it's unclear whether he's here to save their Xuan Kingdom or to destroy it.
However, even the most infatuated emperor eventually remembers power. Seeing that the memorials he was reviewing were all trivial matters, the emperor finally became suspicious.
"Has nothing major happened in the entire Xuan Kingdom during all these years of my seclusion?"
Upon hearing this, the court officials felt a jolt in their hearts. The Prime Minister stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, five years ago, the land of Cui suffered a drought. Following your instructions, the people of Cui successfully overcame the difficulties and are now completely submissive. Three years ago, there was a flood in Jiangnan, and the dikes have been rebuilt. Last year, when the Yan Kingdom invaded, it was also at your command that the Third Prince bravely stormed the border and wiped out the bandits. Now, the court and the country are at peace, all thanks to Your Majesty's effective leadership."
The emperor frowned as he listened: "How could I not know about these things? No wonder I haven't seen the third prince these past few days; has he gone to the border?" He looked around at his ministers, "And where are the eldest prince, the second prince, and the fourth prince?"
Jin Hui whispered from behind, "Your Majesty, you've forgotten. The ministers reported these matters to you. At that time, the cultivation was at a critical juncture, and you said to let the prime minister and the others discuss and make decisions. The imperial edict that followed was also personally stamped by you."
The emperor was somewhat angry upon hearing this, implying that these ministers could govern the entire Xuan Kingdom very well even without him.
Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the Fifth Prince Jiang Rui stepped forward and said, "Father, my eldest and second brothers have gone to Jiangnan to investigate the salt administration, and my fourth brother is currently in the south, where he has opened a new port."
"Oh? I didn't know that the relationship between you brothers had become so good? You are the fifth brother? And you are now involved in politics?"
"Your son is currently studying at the Ministry of Works."
Jin Hui whispered, "Your Majesty, according to regulations, the princes have all reached the age to participate in politics. The reason why the eldest prince and the second prince went to Jiangnan is because the salt tax figures for the past two years did not match. You personally issued the imperial edict two months ago."
The emperor still had some recollection of what happened two months ago, but he only remembered sending people to investigate whether the memorials submitted mentioned the eldest and second sons.
This feeling of being out of control made the emperor extremely irritable, as if state affairs had slipped out of his grasp.
He stared at the court officials, especially the prime minister, with a gloomy expression: "Starting tomorrow, all matters, big or small, and all memorials, need not be screened, but must be presented to me. The prime minister is getting on in years, and has worked hard and made great contributions in recent years, so he should rest at home for a few days."
The prime minister's face showed no change; he simply accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude: "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
After the court session, before the emperor had finished venting his anger, he found another excuse to say that the palace servants had not served well, which was due to the empress's failure to properly manage the harem, and deducted half a year's salary from the empress.
"He's just looking for trouble. Luckily, the harem is united now, and his reprimand of the Empress won't damage Her Majesty's dignity," Consort Zhen complained to Consort Shu, furious.
Consort Shu was also deeply worried. Once or twice was fine, but she feared that if things continued like this, people's hearts would start to waver again: "How about I invite the Empress Dowager back?"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble? It would disturb the Empress Dowager's peaceful recuperation."
"Although the Empress Dowager has never met the Empress, she has always praised the Empress in her letters over the years. She also told me that if the Empress encounters any trouble, I must inform her. The peace in the harem is also the Empress Dowager's wish for many years. If the Empress Dowager enters the palace, the harem will listen to her, and His Majesty will have no reason to reprimand the Empress, and people's hearts will not be in turmoil."
"I'm afraid that if the previous dynasty falls into chaos, the ministers will start taking sides again."
"At least the Empress and the First Prince have our strong support, so their chances of winning are the greatest. As for the others, we can only leave it to fate."
“I don’t believe Her Majesty the Empress was completely unprepared for His Majesty’s return from seclusion.” Consort Zhen put down her teacup, her eyes resolute. “I will always believe in Her Majesty the Empress.”
Consort Shu's heart skipped a beat. She trusted the Empress, but if things went wrong, it would only be possible if His Majesty continued his seclusion. However, judging from his current state, His Majesty didn't seem inclined to return to his hermitage. Unless His Majesty...
His Majesty is, after all, her cousin and the Empress Dowager's own son!
The Empress is always kind and compassionate; would she really be ruthless? But if she isn't ruthless, the entire people of Xuan Kingdom might suffer.
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