Chapter 31 He Ji
With a "bang", the teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
He Ji pointed at a maid and angrily said, "Idiot! What kind of tea did you serve me?"
The maidservant knelt down and begged for mercy.
He Ji was still furious and wanted to have her dragged out and beaten with a stick, but Qing Jue came to dissuade her.
"She hasn't served her well, so I'm here to teach her a lesson," Qing Jue said. "Madam, given the current situation, it's best not to cause any trouble."
As she spoke, she winked in the direction of Wufengyuan.
He Ji was still furious, but she didn't say anything. Qing Jue motioned for the maid to leave, and the maid kowtowed and fled.
"They are all opportunists," He Ji said angrily. "Just because there is a princess in this mansion, they don't take me seriously. You are giving me such coarse tea?"
Qing Jue said helplessly, "Since the late king passed away, the palace has been in mourning, and all wine, meat, and extravagant foods are forbidden. I heard that not only the concubines in the backyard, but even the prince only uses ordinary tea. In the past, the late king loved you and gave you good tea. Now that the good tea is gone, you can only drink the same tea as outside. Just now, you wrongly blamed that maid. In the future, if you encounter problems, you should avoid getting angry. If someone reports it to the princess, wouldn't it be a handle?"
He Ji sneered.
"She? Even if she has the title of Consort, she's just an empty shell." She said, "Do you think she's really a proper princess?"
Qing Jue was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"
"The late king died on his way to marry her. The Queen Mother loved him so much, do you think she'll let her go?" He Ji asked. "Just wait and see. Who knows, maybe in a few days, the Queen Mother will find a reason to have her beaten to death. Also, although she's a concubine, how does the Crown Prince treat her? Wufeng Courtyard is just an ordinary courtyard. Who would want a legitimate princess to live there? It's obvious that the Crown Prince doesn't like her, so he's so neglectful."
Qing Ju thought about it and felt that it seemed reasonable.
"But she is a concubine after all," Qing Jue said. "She has just arrived, and we don't know what her temper will be like. For example, when we met that day, I said something I shouldn't have said, and Madam was too careless to speak in front of her."
He Ji looked disdainful.
"I see you're just as frightened as the other concubines," she said. "You weren't absent during the visit. Judging from her appearance and stature, she's just a seventeen-year-old country girl. Coming from a remote place like Cangwu, what worldly experience has she ever had? We've lived in the palace for so many years, and we've seen not only the dignitaries but even the empress dowager herself. How could we possibly be manipulated by her? When the crown prince inherits the throne, he'll naturally have a princess consort. The position of mistress of the palace will never be hers, so why should I be polite to her?"
"Having said that, Madam still..."
"Are you mine or hers? You're so timid." He Ji glared at her. "If you say anything more, I'll slap you in the face!"
Qing Ju had no choice but to remain silent.
"I haven't seen my brother for several days. Is he at home?" He Ji asked after a while.
"He came this morning," Qing Jue said hurriedly. "He sent a message to Madam, saying that he got drunk outside two days ago and didn't come home. He also said that Madam, don't bother with the loan you mentioned last time, because he has the money now."
He Ji showed impatience.
"He must have gone gambling with his cronies again!" she said. "Tell him what I said: I don't care about his affairs, but now is the critical moment. If he doesn't do his job well and gets me into trouble, I will no longer recognize him as my brother!"
Qing Jue agreed and comforted her, "Madam, there's no need to be angry. His position as head of the household was granted by the late king himself. Even the Crown Prince might not dare to touch the people left behind by the late king."
He Ji's expression improved.
"That's exactly what I said." She said proudly.
——
"That He Ji is indeed favored." A Ru said to Sun Wei in Wufeng Courtyard, "I went to inquire about it these past two days, and I heard that she has a brother named He Lang. He relied on her over the years and became the housekeeper of the palace."
The Prince's Palace Housekeeper was in charge of the palace's personnel, grain, treasury, and other internal affairs. With over a hundred people in the palace, their food, clothing, and expenses were all managed by him. It was obvious from the first sound that this was a very lucrative position.
"Oh?" Sun Wei, copying Buddhist scriptures under the lamp, said as he copied, "I have never seen this person before."
"He said he's had some family matters these past few days and has taken leave," A'ru said. "I heard that Cao Song, the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, was originally a veteran of the palace. When the previous king married the princess, the Chamberlain, the Inner Court Commander, and the Outer Court Commander all went with him, and all lost their lives in that disaster. The Crown Prince took over the palace, and with the complexities of affairs, he promoted Cao Song to Chamberlain. He Lang is very unhappy about this. He had always hoped to be promoted from Household Commander to Chamberlain, but now that his chance has been dashed, how can he accept that?"
Sun smiled but said nothing.
At this time, the eunuch came to report that He Ji had arrived.
Sun Wei invited someone in.
He Ji walked in and bowed to Sun Wei: "Greetings, Princess."
Sun Wei asked her to stand up and gave her a seat.
"I asked He Ji to come here to ask for advice," Sun Wei said. "Although the late king and I had a distant fate, we were still husband and wife. When I arrived in the capital, he had already been buried, and I was not able to see him off. I have been dreaming of him for the past few days, and I'm afraid there is something wrong. I am not familiar with Jiankang, and I wonder if there are any effective Buddhist temples here. I would like to go there to worship Buddha and pray for the late king to help alleviate this sadness."
He Ji showed a look of surprise, then smiled and said, "That's not difficult. I and the other concubines in the palace often go to Xianglu Temple to worship Buddha. It's in the city, not far from the palace."
Sun Wei nodded. "That's right. Tomorrow, I wonder if you're free. How about joining me? Firstly, I'm not familiar with Jiankang, and I'd feel more at ease if I had someone to accompany me. Secondly, you're the most favored of the late king in the harem. If he knew about it, he'd be happy too."
He Ji was obviously quite pleased to hear this and agreed: "How dare I refuse the invitation of the princess?"
——
On this day, Sima Jun went to the palace to visit the empress dowager, and then went to the East Palace to discuss matters with the prince. When he returned to the palace, it was already night.
"There's news from General Chu," Cao Song reported. "Tomorrow, he'll bring guests to Tang Garden to have a chat with the Crown Prince."
Sima Jun knew that the guest Chu Yue was talking about was Xie Xiao.
"I understand." He nodded and walked towards his own pond.
This "Chiju" is a courtyard on the east side, where Sima Jun's grandfather studied. Because it had a pond inside, it was named "Chiju." After Sima Jun was born, this courtyard was given to him and remained his residence.
On the way to Chiju, he passed by Wufengyuan and saw lanterns hanging in front of the courtyard.
Cao Song quickly said, "That's the princess's residence. After the prince gave it to her, the princess moved in."
Sima Jun naturally remembered this incident.
He said "hmm" and continued walking. After taking two steps, he suddenly saw a figure holding a lantern coming from the direction of the Buddhist temple.
It’s Lu.
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