80 Chapter 80

◎First update◎

The imperial carriage sent all the concubines out. Many young and childless concubines chose to take the money and leave, but the concubines with children had to follow to guard the mausoleum.

Li Cheng and Huiyin only provided them with basic expenses, no longer the expenses of concubines as before.

Some people couldn't stand it, especially Empress He. Since she became the empress, she had never worn coarse linen clothes or eaten ordinary meals. She was told that the porridge she drank was not rice porridge, and the food she ate was not quail meat. She thought the discarded pork was too fishy and the cabbage was too rotten, so she hanged herself at night.

When the news came back, Huiyin was busy counting the items in each palace in the palace. She had not allowed this group of people to take away the palace items at will, so now she had to pack them all up in different categories.

Fugui was now a senior maid, and she wore the clothes of a court lady, and had the paintings carried over in boxes. Huiyin personally counted them, picked out the damaged ones, and found someone to restore them later.

"Go and call Shang Gong over." She raised her eyes and said to Fu Gui.

In the past, in the palace, it was enough to have Nan Mama and a few maids to serve me, but now that I have to manage the entire palace, it is not so easy.

Most of the palace ladies-in-waiting were the confidants of Empress He when she was in power. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, Empress He has sent them to guard the mausoleum. It is said that the new empress is the younger sister of the former Concubine Zheng Liangdi. As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers. I wonder what kind of person she is?

The six palace ladies entered the Linde Hall nervously. Two female officials drew aside the curtain. They looked up and saw a very young woman sitting on the phoenix throne. She was wearing a homely skirt, a bun and a silver beaded hairpin. She was simply dressed but had a good appearance. She smiled slowly and looked very majestic.

"Your Majesty has been on the throne for more than a month. The reign title has been changed to Shengning. Sheng means the rising sun, and Ning means peace. I don't care who your former masters were, or who you were loyal to. From now on, I will treat everyone equally as long as they do their job well. But if someone eats my food and smashes my pot, I will never let him go."

Let’s let bygones be bygones and start afresh.

Huiyin then asked these people one by one about their origins, when they entered the palace, what they did before, how many people were in their families, etc., as if she was chatting about family matters.

"I am the tailor in the Shangyi Bureau. I am 46 years old this year. I am originally from Qinghe County. I have only one sister in my family. I entered the palace after becoming a widow at the age of 24." said Zhong Shanggong.

Huiyin nodded: "She became the highest-ranking Shang Gong in just 22 years. It seems that she is indeed very good. Where did Shang Gong Zhong serve in the beginning? Do you know?"

She was asking other palace ladies.

A short woman with a long face replied, "I remember that Zhong Shanggong used to be a female official in the office of Concubine Shu."

"Wang Shanggong is worthy of being the Shanggong of the Shanggong Bureau. She is very familiar with these things. Shupin is the biological mother of the late crown prince, right?" Huiyin asked.

Zhong Shanggong said quickly, "Yes, I had just entered the palace to serve. Within two years, Concubine Shu died, and then I went to the Empress' place."

It turns out that this person has something to do with the Crown Prince. Huiyin looked at her and said, "You may not know yet, but Empress He has passed away to accompany the late Emperor. Speaking of Empress He, she is really something. She was just an ordinary person before, but now she can't even eat rice from a farm. Now there are still many places that are exchanging their children for food and are suffering from famine. She really doesn't know what is good for her. Zhong Shanggong, don't you think so?"

It’s not that Huiyin wants people to abandon their old masters, but that the attitude should be right.

Zhong Shanggong broke out in a cold sweat and responded quickly.

It would be difficult to find out the details of these people in a short time, but one could always place one of their own people in the positions. Those who were originally skilled and loyal in the sewing room of the palace would be arranged to work in the clothing bureau.

As for the arrangements for the Shangshi Bureau and other bureaus, Huiyin did not lay off people first, but went to their residences to have people search for any poisons and any strange behaviors, and then they were not allowed to go out. After cleaning the palaces of the concubines who had been moved away, they were all locked up. When Li Cheng finished his official duties in Duanming Hall and went to Linde Hall, he found that the surroundings were much cleaner.

"It's better to have a virtuous wife." Li Chengzha came to Beijing to become emperor.

There are many people I don't trust, but I can't abandon everyone in Beijing. I can only investigate them slowly.

Huiyin stood up and said, "In fact, it is easy to keep the bad guys and get rid of the good guys by doing this. Good guys are not on guard, so they are more vulnerable. Those who have ulterior motives are clean from beginning to end."

The two of them smiled bitterly.

"This is the rice porridge I cooked in the small kitchen. I also prepared some dry rice and made a few dishes at random." Huiyin was afraid that the food prepared by those people was not appropriate, so she asked someone to take the badge and go out to buy it.

Although they were called side dishes, they were mostly Li Cheng's favorite dishes. First, there were four plates of dried fruits, including plum swirls, Hebei goose pears, and Heyang hawthorns. There were also two kinds of snacks, crispy honey food and honey-filled carved flowers. A small jar of warm plum wine was the real side dish, including stir-fried wild rice stems, sweet and sour eggplant, crispy bone fish, roasted quail and beef with fresh bamboo shoots, and braised short ribs.

It seemed to be the same as when he was in Xuzhou. Li Cheng was actually a very nostalgic person. He took a bite of Huiyin's dish and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's really good, this is the taste."

Huiyin wanted to stand and serve the dishes, but Li Cheng pulled her to sit down: "Why should we, as a couple, go through all that nonsense?"

"Try the sweet and sour eggplant. I put a lot of garlic on it." Huiyin picked up a piece with chopsticks and gave it to him.

Because Li Cheng lost his father and mother when he was young, he was always like a thorn in the side, but he was very soft-hearted. As he ate, he looked at Huiyin with a smile and said, "In a few days, I will inspect the land of Xizhou, and then lead people to attack Wei Duo and make Zhao Hong and others surrender. You have to be good in the palace, and those who you think are problematic, just drive them out."

He was very confident in handing over the harem and the capital to Huiyin. Even if something happened to him, his son Jing'er was the legitimate crown prince and could directly inherit the throne, and no one dared to object.

"We've only been reunited for a few days, and you're going out again. I really want you to stay with me for a few more days, so we can eat at the same table and sleep in the same bed." Huiyin somehow still missed the days in Xuzhou.

Li Cheng wanted to, but now the world is not settled, everything is waiting to be done, where is the time for him to rest. Seeing his wife depressed, he couldn't help but say: "Hey, you know? Your Zhang Laosan Ramen Restaurant has made great contributions. Some of the spies I sent out have nowhere to hide, so they can go there directly. Or when it is difficult to pass the message out, they will find your Zhang Laosan Ramen Restaurant."

Huiyin smiled and said, "It's good to be able to help you, but my ramen shop has been opening more and more, and the people there are good and bad. You can't trust them all."

"I know." Li Cheng was actually not very accustomed to the palace. He grew up in the south of the Yangtze River and was often at war, most of the time in the south. Now that he was in Beijing, he was not used to it. But as soon as Huiyin came back, he felt that it was his home again.

Huiyin did not disturb him from eating, but ate with him and asked someone to clear the table.

Naturally, he stayed in the Linde Hall today. The two of them went to the side hall to visit their two sons. Jing'er was followed by people hired by Huiyin, who were sent by Qiufeng to look after him. In addition, his wet nurses and maids from the palace were watching over him almost day and night.

Zhan'er was younger, and when he saw Li Cheng and Huiyin, he wanted to sleep with them.

"Let's do it tomorrow. Call your brother tomorrow and we can sleep together, okay?" Huiyin hugged her little son, feeling reluctant to let him go.

Li Cheng knew that Huiyin had always been fair to both sons. The eldest son was now the crown prince, and if they loved the second son too much, the eldest son would feel unbalanced. As parents, the most taboo thing was to treat the two sons unequally, which would lead to the brothers killing each other in the future.

So, he also said: "My father will come early tomorrow to take you and your brother over."

Tonight, the couple rested together, but there was no intimacy and they fell asleep in the blink of an eye.

However, the Zheng family was not at peace that night. Ever since the Zheng family followed Huiyin back to Beijing, Li Cheng gave the mansion that once belonged to the He family to the Zheng family as a reward, and conferred the title of Duke of Shun on Zheng Fang and the title of the Duke of Shun on Zheng Wuheng.

Originally, this was something worth celebrating, but Cui Yuehuan's father did not receive any reward.

She could not show her dissatisfaction with Ji and others, but she said to Zheng Wuheng: "Yu Wendang was conferred the title of Duke, Guo Zhao was conferred the title of Marquis, and these meritorious officials are all fine. The Xun family was also conferred the title of Marquis, but our family..."

The Xun family is Concubine Wu's maternal family. Concubine Wu's father and brothers are almost all dead. The one who has inherited the title now is her nephew. Now Concubine Wu is already the Grand Empress Dowager, but her father-in-law Cui Xun is the only one who has not been given a title.

"The Empress Dowager is right in front of us. The Emperor only gave a verbal order and has not yet officially conferred the title. We still have a war to fight. When he returns in the future, he will definitely confer great titles on your family. You see, except for the Empress who had a ceremony for conferring the title, the Crown Prince only issued an imperial decree and has not yet had a formal ceremony for conferring the title." Zheng Wuheng said

Before Li Cheng started the rebellion, the Cui family was like dead, and Cui Yuehuan's eldest brother was under Wei Duo's command.

Now, Wei Duo took advantage of his brother-in-law's visit to the capital and almost captured Yanzhou and massacred an entire city. His brother-in-law has long been impatient, so how could he possibly reward the Cui family at this time?

There is another possibility, maybe he was targeting the Cui family and he didn't even think about it.

But I can't say that in front of my wife.

Cui Yuehuan heard her husband say this and thought it made sense: "In fact, it's not a bad idea for the queen to mention it to our family."

As soon as these words came out, Zheng Wuheng's face changed: "You should also improve yourself. It's time for you to praise the meritorious officials. Because of the relationship with the queen, we were actually granted the title of Duke just like Yuwen Dang and Guo Zhao. The house given to our family is still the largest. Even the house of Prince Yuzhang is remote and small, far inferior to ours. The queen has repeatedly instructed us to follow the majesty and do our work well, and not just care about the small gains. If you say this, wouldn't it embarrass the queen?"

Cui Yuehuan was unhappy: "How can this be called a dilemma? The Queen is very kind to my second brother and my sister."

"Don't forget, you are now married into our Zheng family. How to deal with Cui family's affairs is up to the emperor to decide. Since ancient times, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs." Zheng Wuheng said, and left in a huff.

For the first time, he went to the study to rest and did not sleep with his wife.

Cui Yuehuan cried for a while, and Rong Ma advised her, "Second Madam, to be honest, the eldest master only gave him the title of General of the Cavalry, which is far inferior to our aunt. As for the Cui family's affairs, although I am a member of the Cui family, I still have to say that since ancient times, when you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; when you marry a dog, you follow the dog. You should not mention your natal family too much in front of others."

It was obvious that Nanny Rong was trying to give Cui Yuehuan some positive advice, hoping that she could hold back her anger for a while.

She even used Huiyin as an example: "What do you think of the emperor's attitude towards the Zheng family?"

"Okay." Cui Yuehuan knew that the emperor was quite good to the Zheng family.

Nanny Rong smiled and said, "The less partial the Empress is to her natal family, the better the Emperor treats her. Although you care about your natal family, you have already considered yourself a member of the Zheng family. That's why you told your aunt what was in your heart, causing her to think that you don't care about the Zheng family, but only the Cui family."

Cui Yuehuan suddenly realized something. Yes, she was really stupid. She used to think that the Empress changed her attitude quickly and everyone was happy about it, but she was only worried about His Majesty, which made His Majesty feel even closer to the Empress.

She doesn't even learn from the existing people, and yet she thinks she is right.

Nanny Rong heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Cui Yuehuan coming to her senses. Because her young lady was still a young girl, even though she looked like a lady from a wealthy family, elegant and beautiful, she still had some problems changing her ways. Fortunately, she was a person who listened to advice.

However, Nanny Rong asked, "Is the Prince of Yuzhang's palace very small?"

Cui Yuehuan nodded, "Yes, it's not very big, and it's still under renovation. Although Prince Yuzhang is a royal family member, I heard that when the emperor returned to Xuzhou after Prince Wei died, Prince Yuzhang's faction was rude to His Majesty. Later, several of them came to seek refuge in rags, and instigated Prince Wei's subordinates to cause chaos in Xuzhou. Even so, the emperor was kind enough to settle them for the sake of the deceased Prince Wei."

"Yes, it's better than going to the imperial mausoleum. It seems that our current emperor is a sentimental person." Nanny Rong said.

Cui Yuehuan smiled and said, "Of course not. If someone else succeeded to the throne, they would definitely root out the weeds, but the emperor only let those people guard the imperial mausoleum. Those without children can still come back. Didn't our eldest aunt come back? Although the Empress Dowager scolded me a few times last time, I still like the Empress Dowager more."

This surprised Rong Ma: "The eldest aunt is gentle and soft-spoken, and the pair of purses she gave you are also very much to your liking. Why do you like the Empress more?"

To be honest, when they were in Xuzhou, the Empress was still the Princess of a County, and although they could get along well, their auras were not harmonious, and the Empress did not really follow the crowd.

But as long as she is there, no one else can interfere.

Cui Yuehuan always complained quietly that she and the Queen could barely say a few words when they were together.

But after hearing Rong Ma's question, Cui Yuehuan said, "It's not because she's the empress that I like her more, but because she makes people feel at ease, and she often comes up with an idea in a moment. Isn't it said that the current emperor followed the empress's advice and sent all the children of Empress He and the prince in the palace to the imperial mausoleum, and didn't kill them all? But think about it, the expenses of the imperial mausoleum are about the same as those of ordinary people, those children are still so young, some are still breastfeeding, and the empress doesn't allow them to take things out of the palace, and the guards are strict. Children are the weakest, and those ladies who used to live a life of luxury will definitely not survive. The empress is clearly doing a good thing, not letting others cause trouble, and quietly cutting the weeds and eradicating the roots."

Hearing this, Aunt Rong was also startled.

【Author’s words】

There will be another update tomorrow morning