The rear hall of Qing'e Palace.
There was a large open space in front of the hall.
Four ancient ginkgo trees, their canopies almost completely covering the backyard, don't feel gloomy because they're tall enough. The ginkgo trees also have beautiful shapes.
In front of the eaves of the rear hall, there are two small flower beds on the ground, one on each side.
A plot of land of three-tenths of an acre is not too small. Although there are ginkgo trees on top, the ground is well-ventilated and well-lit.
A plum tree is growing well now, with small fruits hanging on it.
When the plum blossoms bloom, the ginkgo leaves fall—that's the best time.
The peony patch in the flowerbed is growing well; it should be blooming soon.
Peonies prefer sunshine but can tolerate partial shade, and they cannot withstand the intense summer sun, so this place is quite good.
Huan Yue saw that things were a bit chaotic, but there was no rush.
Except for those who had other business, most of the servants were present.
Huan Yue could manage not only the sixty people serving in the Qing'e Palace, but also people outside. If one lacked experience, they could easily become flustered.
But she can handle it; you can only rely on yourself.
Cuizhu thought her master was quite powerful; one person was more effective than twelve, and she could intimidate people without spending any money.
Huan Yue glanced at the silver coins and said, "Everyone has worked hard these days. Those who work at Qing'e Palace will be rewarded with twenty taels each, and those who don't work at Qing'e Palace will be rewarded with ten taels each. Cui Zhu and Yu Yan, take the silver and continue working."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Thank you, Master!"
A wave of excitement swept through the room.
The character "谢" might be misheard as "国" (Guo). However, everyone understands.
Cuizhu was a little flustered, but she might be representing her master, so she had to hold on.
Yu Yan was much more composed and quickly calculated how much silver he would be awarded.
The sixty women of Qing'e Palace, since the Empress said she would reward them, the Pei family's dowry members who are still alive should have received their share. Why would she care about rewarding them with a few taels of silver?
There are about forty people helping out today, including those from outside.
Yu Yan felt that the Empress Dowager didn't value the Pei family's money, as she had suddenly given away 1,600 taels of silver.
Her generosity pleased everyone. But only a select few outside received the same gifts, leaving people wanting more.
The Empress wouldn't bestow rewards upon everyone in the Eastern Palace; at least she won't be needed this time. She can wait until the New Year.
The old eunuch was overjoyed with the silver in his pocket, thinking that the Empress was wonderful in every way.
After Yu Yan finished his work, Huan Yue approached him again and asked, "Can we exchange them for gold and silver ingots?"
"Yes!" Yu Yan watched as those who had received their rewards perked up their ears again.
Your Majesty is truly a wonderful person!
Several female officials watched quietly from the side.
Huan Yue and Yu Yan said, "We need eight coins each, sixty gold ingots and six hundred silver ingots."
Yu Yan calculated that this would cost another thousand taels of silver.
With the Empress spending so lavishly, this dowry probably won't be enough for her.
Therefore, outward appearances of prestige and spending money are very important; without money, nothing can be done.
It seems that only the Crown Prince doesn't spend much money, since his allowance is already quite high. Even if Empress Dong were to embezzle funds, the current emperor wouldn't.
Furthermore, the Di family has been managing the Crown Prince's affairs for many years, and they are probably quite wealthy now. The Crown Princess from the Pei family is no match for them.
The eunuch dragged the two beaten dowry maids back and delivered them to the east corner.
Everyone got to work quickly, occasionally glancing over there to listen to the strange noises coming from there.
The east corner is strange enough.
The dowry consisted of twelve people, including Qi Shi and Yu Zhu, and five more.
For a moment, screams of agony filled the eastern corner, accompanied by the stench of blood.
Knowing that this was because she had the key, Qi Shi lay on the bed, so angry that she vomited blood!
There was no one to serve Qi Shi right now. She usually had the right to order around the maids, and Pei Huan Yue's maids mostly listened to her.
No one sought medical help for her, and Qi could only lie on the bed and endure the pain.
Qi was so angry that her eyes were bloodshot, and she wished she could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! She was determined to make Pei Huanyue die a miserable death!
Several very pitiful people crawled over and asked Qi what to do.
Qi said with disgust: "They're all useless things!"
The maidservant was secretly furious. Was Qi Shi really that useful?
Qi was more capable than them: "We must get through these next few days no matter what."
A maidservant snorted, "Are we waiting for the matriarch to arrive?"
Qi pounded the bed: "Grandmother and Madam, come and see how arrogant this little wretch is!"
The Crown Princess did not return to her parents' home, but she needed special permission to go back to her maiden home.
Therefore, it was a great favor that the women of the Pei family were allowed to enter the palace.
Otherwise, it would be very difficult to enter the palace without an imperial title. The Pei family only had one matriarch who was the old Marquis's wife, and the current Marquis's wife is Pei Huanyue's grandmother.
Pei Huanyue's father, Pei Bo, was a sixth-rank official, while Qian's family did not hold any official title.
If the women of the Pei family could make a trip to the Eastern Palace, things would go much more smoothly for them in the future.
The matriarch was Pei Huanyue's great-grandmother, and she was always formidable; Madam Qian was his birth mother, but no one else knew that.
The maid didn't know, she just said, "When are we supposed to wait? I can't wait any longer."
Qi shouted angrily, "Then go die now!"
If he dies, it'll blow things out of proportion. I don't believe that bitch will dare to do it again!
The maid was filled with rage. Qi Shi was no good. She should pounce on her and strangle her!
Qi was startled, both angry and afraid: "How dare you!"
The maid went mad: "You die first!"
Qi tried to retaliate, but couldn't pull them apart, so she could only pinch the maid.
The others are all dying, where would they find the strength? At worst, there's still one option: surrender to the Empress.
Since the Empress still uses Cuizhu, she probably won't refuse. If I had known, I wouldn't have done this; Cuizhu wouldn't have had a chance then.
Qi won and kicked the maid away.
The maidservant collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Qi covered her neck with one hand and used the other to prop herself up on the bed, panting heavily.
She was furious! How dare a lowly servant girl kill her!
Qi ordered someone, "Go out and shout!"
The other daughter-in-law suddenly turned red-eyed and lunged at Qi Shi, trying to strangle her! Killing Qi Shi before surrendering would certainly be more effective.
The Empress doesn't care about ruthlessness; ruthlessness is indispensable in the harem. She's strong and was born for that kind of work.
Qi was being pinched so hard her eyes rolled back!
Yu Zhu stood there, leaning against the door frame, and suddenly grabbed an incense burner and smashed it over Diao Shi's head.
Because of her good health, the blows from the cane were heavy, but she could withstand them better than others.
Blood splattered on Qi's face. Diao was still alive. She turned around, knocked Yuzhu over, and choked her neck hard.
With her face covered in blood, Qi picked up a candlestick and smashed it at Diao.
With the combined efforts of several people, Diao finally collapsed, looking extremely miserable.
A maid was sitting on the ground, vomiting and crying uncontrollably, looking like she was about to die from vomiting blood.
Qi Shi also sat down on the ground, her hair disheveled and looking like a madwoman. All she wanted was to kill Pei Huanyue!
Yuzhu crawled to the side and sat down, vomiting violently and calling for help.
The bustling sounds outside seemed to belong to a completely different world from this place.
As the setting sun shone on this side, Diao's eyes suddenly darted around.
The little white flower screamed in fright!
After a while, Cuizhu and Jishi came over, and they were so frightened that they turned around and ran away again.
"What's wrong?" Pei Huanyue's voice came from outside.
"Someone has been killed!" Cui Zhu could barely speak.
"What a lack of manners," Pei Huanyue said coldly.
"This servant will go and take a look," a eunuch said.
"Let's finish this first, there's no rush over there." Pei Huanyue's voice was carried away by the wind.
Qi Shi and Yu Zhu were furious! They were also terrified!
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