The two of them didn't switch their terms of address as sisters, since they were both of the first rank, and it would be too deliberate to change their terms of address.
In Ruining Palace, after everyone paid their respects, the Empress Dowager waved her hand to tell them to rise.
She spotted Yan Nangui at first glance: "The Imperial Concubine is riding high these days, quite extraordinary indeed. The Emperor dotes on you, and you were promoted to Imperial Concubine after giving birth to only a princess. Meanwhile, many other concubines who gave birth to princes have not been promoted."
The Empress Dowager's words were not harsh at all; they sounded like a casual conversation.
So Yan Nangui smiled and said, "It's quite a coincidence. Her Majesty the Empress has no children and is the Empress, while I gave birth to a princess and am a Noble Consort. My sister Xiang hasn't given birth yet and is a Virtuous Consort. We can't compare to the other sisters."
The Empress Dowager was taken aback and snorted, "Knowing your own shortcomings, you should know how to deal with them."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly serve you more often and strive to have another child," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
The Empress Dowager was utterly speechless: "Is that something you should say? You're a Noble Consort now, you should know the rules!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. I will never utter a word about it again." Yan Nangui rose and curtsied, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, deciding she didn't want to pay any more attention to her.
He glanced at Consort He again: "Consort He, you are now a consort. You must take good care of the child left behind by Consort Duanyi Jing."
"Your Majesty, I understand. I am an incompetent person and cannot bear children. I dare not say that I will treat your children as my own, but I will definitely do my best."
She dared not say it because the children born to Consort Duanyi Jing were of higher status than her.
"I hope you all are well and have many children. In the harem, having many children is the best." The Empress Dowager glanced at Consort Chen again, but said nothing more.
After a while, he waved his hand and told everyone to disperse.
As soon as Yan Nangui came out, he said, "Let's go to Sister Xiang's place. I've been slacking off for too long."
Consort Xiangxian smiled and said, "Alright, let's go. I'll be waiting for you."
So the two of them went to Wanchun Palace together.
The Wanchun Palace is not used to receiving the emperor as often as it was in previous years, but it is still a place His Majesty visits quite frequently. Therefore, everything is new and in good condition.
The maids served tea, and the two sat down to talk.
The affairs of the palace can be roughly divided into several areas.
The first is the imperial kitchen. There are three kitchens in the inner palace: one for the Empress and concubines, one specifically for the Empress Dowager, and the other specifically for the imperial concubines.
The princes and His Majesty are not under the jurisdiction of the harem.
Then there were the sewing department, the miscellaneous goods department, the personnel department, and so on.
Of course, the Imperial Household Department is responsible for all of these matters, but they cannot directly address the various masters in the harem.
There are also matters such as the monthly allowances for each palace that cannot be neglected.
Although Yan Nangui had never been involved in palace affairs, this was not difficult for him.
The main question is, as a mistress, can you control people?
As long as you can control it, someone else will naturally do it well and do it exquisitely.
All you need to know is this.
Otherwise, if you do all these things yourself, you'll be worked to death.
As for pinning people down, needless to say, who would dare to court death?
“In my opinion, we should manage them together. When the officials in charge report back, we can be together. It’s not like we’ll be reporting back every day,” said Consort Xiangxian.
"This will inevitably lead to chaos sooner or later. Why not divide it in two? Sister, you choose a few places, and I'll take care of the rest," Yan Nangui said.
Consort Xiangxian nodded, and the two discussed it for a while. In the end, they decided that Consort Xiangxian would be in charge of personnel matters, Yan Nan would be in charge of the kitchen, but the Imperial Household Department would be sent to report on the Empress Dowager's kitchen.
After all, she was the Empress Dowager; they couldn't interfere.
In other words, it doesn't matter.
The remaining two people each take up half. It's not really fair or unfair; they're about the same. There's risk involved on both sides.
On the way back, Chanyi said, "Your Highness has taken over the kitchen, and although there are many troublesome personnel matters, the food you eat... I think it was specially given to you by her, right?"
"It's alright. If I don't interfere, fine. But if I do, they should know my temperament. Let them try to be tougher than me first. Otherwise, they shouldn't be courting death," Yan Nangui said.
“Yes. Now that the Empress Dowager is targeting you in every way, it’s right that you’re not going to interfere with her kitchen.” Chanyi added.
"Targeting me won't work. I don't rely on her for a living." Yan Nangui snorted coldly. "With the death of Consort Jing, the Ye family has been dragged down by her. Now that Duke Ye is old, it's hard to say whether he can live for another ten years. There are no outstanding people in the next generation of the Ye family. There are none in the grandchildren either. With Duke Ye dead, the Ye family's contribution in supporting him will be mostly forgotten."
Duke Ye was from the same generation as Duke Lan.
He's not young anymore. And with injuries to his body, he didn't look as good as last year during the Lunar New Year.
Not only Duke Ye, but Duke Ning is also getting old. However, the next generation of the Ning family are still important officials, which is one of the advantages of being a civil official. The more complex the relationships, the longer their influence lasts.
"Your Majesty is right."
“The calls outside for establishing a crown prince are growing louder and louder,” Yuanhua said.
"After all, His Majesty already has so many sons, it's obvious he won't have a legitimate heir. People outside have naturally noticed that." They knew this day would come after the Empress's incident last year.
Once it is confirmed that there will be no legitimate son outside, then naturally His Majesty will be urged to establish a son born of a concubine.
"Your Majesty, have you... have you thought about which prince will be the future prince?" Yuanhua asked.
“I haven’t thought about it, but it’s all the same. I don’t know what I would do until things get to that point,” Yan Nangui said.
“But if it’s someone like the First Prince or the Third Prince, I’m afraid they won’t be very respectful to you either,” Yuanhua said.
"The Crown Prince is half a ruler. What is half a ruler? It means he is just a step away from becoming a ruler." Yan Nangui smiled and said, "His Majesty back then was just a step away from becoming a ruler, and went through many hardships. All because he was the eldest son of the legitimate wife. So what about in the future? The Crown Prince can be established, and he can be deposed."
"Your Majesty!" Yuanhua was so startled that she stopped in her tracks.
"It's best for a person to think ten steps ahead for every step they take, so they can handle things with ease. But thinking ten steps ahead for every step they take is also too cautious. So, I don't know what will happen in the future. But no matter what happens in the future, I must have some leverage."
"You may not know, but back then I was so eager for revenge that I even considered becoming Rong Ning's sister-in-law."
Both Yuanhua and Chanyi were stunned.
"Think about it, if I had become a concubine of the late emperor back then, what would things be like today?" Yan Nangui asked.
They couldn't answer the questions about cicada wings and daphne flowers.
"Perhaps, the late emperor will still be defeated, and I will suffer the same fate as the other imperial concubines. Or perhaps, the late emperor will still be alive, but the crown prince will have disappeared. Is that so? A single thought can drastically change the outcome."
“This servant understands,” Yuanhua suddenly said.
"This servant understands. Your Highness, just do what you want to do. One day, you'll know which way to go," Chanyi said with a smile.
"Fame and position are certainly desirable, but sometimes, what you hold in your own hands is the most tangible thing." Yan Nangui looked at the sky and laughed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
