Chapter 55: Beautiful Daughter vs. Heirless Emperor 55
Several large pots of chrysanthemums were moved to Shuhua Palace.
Tao Hong hesitated and said, "My Lady, we must be on guard against others. Is there anything wrong with this chrysanthemum?"
Ji Yunhuan had just touched them all, and the Ping An Fu sign on the palm of his hand did not flash, which meant that there was nothing wrong with the chrysanthemums.
She believed that the queen was one thing, but her own safety and that of her children was the most important!
"Don't worry, the Queen will not be stupid enough to tamper with the chrysanthemums. There is nothing wrong with these chrysanthemums. You can place a pot of them in different places and take good care of them. If they grow bad, I will fine you your monthly allowance."
Taohong naturally believed the young lady and immediately ordered the palace maids to clean up.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Chunfen is really stupid. The Empress is such a good person, but she has ruined her. We have to clean up the Shuhua Palace. We should send away the disobedient ones and let the Ministry of Internal Affairs select the best ones to come in."
Ji Yunhuan sat under the porch, watching the phoenix flower in full bloom flapping its wings. The breeze blew past, and the delicate yellow petals danced as if they were about to fly away.
"If the Queen didn't protect her, the matter would have been over and the Queen wouldn't have had to leave the palace. Liu Yan is vicious and would have pushed her personal maid out to take the blame when things got bad, but the Queen is different. She values friendship, is kind and generous, and has a bottom line when doing things. This is why the Queen Mother chose her."
"Taohong, I can actually understand her. If you make a big mistake someday, I will protect you."
"Puh, puh, puh!" Taohong stomped her feet fiercely a few times, "What are you talking about, Madam? Taohong is not that stupid. I will not do anything to hurt you under the banner of doing good for you."
Ji Yunhuan stretched out his hand and pinched Taohong's round face, and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, our Taohong is the smartest!"
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In the blink of an eye, it is the end of the year. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of sacrificial affairs. It is a major national event, whether it is sacrifice or military affairs, and there is no room for error.
At the grand court meeting, the Minister of Rites stood up and said, "Your Majesty, at the end of every year, the Emperor and Empress go to the Tiantai to pray for good weather and peace for the country and the people in the coming year. Now that the Empress is recuperating outside the palace, how should we organize the sacrificial ceremony? Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."
Prince Duan also stood up, perfunctorily bowed to the emperor, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the Empress is the mother of a country. Even if she is out of the palace to recuperate, she should return to the palace to participate in the sacrificial ceremony at the end of the year."
"I second the motion."
"I second this motion."
Many officials echoed, but Prime Minister Liu kept his head down and said nothing, as if he was staying out of the matter.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, his mind as clear as a mirror. The Ministry of Rites was full of Prime Minister Liu's people from top to bottom. The ceremony of conferring the title of Concubine Chun had been delayed again and again. He was worried that he had no place to start, and now was a good opportunity!
"If you can't even handle such a small matter, I think you don't need to be the Minister of Rites anymore! The Queen is not in good health, how can she withstand the fatigue of the festival? If the Queen's phoenix body is damaged, you won't have enough heads to chop off even if you have ten!"
"You asked for my instructions, so I will teach you. First, hold the ceremony of conferring the title of Imperial Concubine, and then Imperial Concubine Chun will perform the ceremony of becoming the Empress. If you dare to delay again and delay the ceremony, I will kill you immediately!"
The former dynasty and the harem were in an uproar over this matter. For the first time, the emerging force of the Xu family faced off against the Liu family and refused to give in.
After arguing for more than half a month, the emperor found an excuse to remove several officials from the Ministry of Rites, and the Minister of Rites was also reported. Prime Minister Liu had no choice but to give up and do as the emperor wished.
The imperial concubine's dress had been prepared long ago, but Ji Yunhuan's belly had grown a little bigger, so some modifications would need to be made after trying it on.
Taohong's face flushed with excitement. "Your Majesty is so kind to the Queen. After the canonization ceremony, the Queen is now the legitimate Consort Chun. This must be announced to the world!"
"But I don't understand why they are making such a fuss. The Queen is not from the Liu family. This is a thankless task."
Ji Yunhuan had already measured the size again, and after the female officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs had left, she explained it to Taohong.
"In the former dynasty and the harem, there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends. There are only eternal interests. They want to win over the Zhou family, so they do a favor for the Zhou family in advance."
Taohong patted her head and said in distress: "Why is my brain so stupid? It's the Majesty who is smart. Taohong listens to the Majesty anyway. Whatever the Majesty says, Taohong will do it. This way it will never go wrong."
The imperial concubine's enthronement ceremony and the sacrificial ceremony were conducted together. Even though many procedures had been simplified, Ji Yunhuan was still exhausted.
The baby in her belly was very considerate. It didn't bother her the whole day and was incredibly quiet and well-behaved.
She held the phoenix seal and the imperial concubine seal, managed the six palaces, and performed the rites of a queen. Except for the difference in title, she was actually no different from a queen.
After finishing the sacrificial hall, the New Year’s Eve banquet will be held soon.
The previous dynasty had already adjourned, and the emperor finally had some free time. Throughout the year, he only had these few days of free time, and he wished he could stick to Ji Yunhuan every day.
But Ji Yunhuan became even busier. He had to distribute rewards for the New Year and other festivals, and also organize a palace banquet on New Year's Eve.
She had a premonition that this year's New Year's Eve banquet would not be peaceful, so she was particularly concerned.
At night, the emperor entered Hualan Pavilion with a sullen face.
Hualan Pavilion was originally an inconspicuous small attic in Shuhua Palace, usually used for enjoying flowers and birds. Now it is used by Ji Yunhuan to handle palace affairs.
This place is the busiest with people coming and going. The female officials in the palace all come here to ask for instructions from Concubine Chun, and the concubines in various palaces also come here to pay their respects.
When the emperor came in, everyone knelt down. The emperor took Ji Yunhuan's hand and sat down. He exuded coldness and was obviously in a bad mood.
Huipin knelt quietly without looking around. She was closest to Concubine Chun, but she had no intention of talking to the emperor.
She was born a palace maid and rose to the position of the head of a palace, which already surpassed most people in the harem.
She was able to remain prosperous in the harem, survive the vicious Concubine Liu, and then switch to the Queen's side. In the end, she was even valued by Concubine Chun and went through "three dynasties" all because of her intelligence and knowledge of the times.
The Empress needed someone to secure her favor, so she studied hard, endured as much as possible, and prayed that the Emperor would come more often.
Now that Imperial Concubine Chun is still in great favor and needs someone to take care of the palace affairs, she also studies hard to make Imperial Concubine Chun less worried and laborious. If she holds on to Imperial Concubine Chun's thigh, she will never have to worry in her life. Why should she serve the Emperor again?
"Why is Your Majesty here? You didn't even send anyone to inform us. I've finished my work here and was just about to send someone to look for Your Majesty." Ji Yunhuan held the emperor's hand and smiled ingratiatingly.
The emperor snorted coldly. He even sent someone to look for him? If he hadn't come, this woman would have almost forgotten him!
All day long he was either in the Imperial Household Department, in this palace or that hall. He even decorated the Jingren Palace himself, but he never remembered to visit his Qianqing Palace.
Concubine Zhao, who was kneeling on the right, was so excited that her face turned red. She did not hesitate to please Concubine Hui, the lowly maid, and finally caught the eye of Concubine Chun and was able to enter Hualan Pavilion occasionally.
She felt that Concubine Chun was nothing special. In terms of family background, she was not as good as Concubine Liu, and in terms of virtue, she was not as good as the Empress. But she had always monopolized the Emperor's power and did not give other concubines any chance at all. It was really abominable!
God has mercy on her and finally allowed her to meet the emperor!
"Your Majesty, are you feeling depressed? I have learned a few new songs recently, and Concubine Chun also praised me for my good singing. Why don't I sing a song for you? If I can make your Majesty and Concubine Sister smile, it will be my good fortune."
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