Guan Zhiyue, who had been waiting in the courtyard all day, was suddenly woken up by Bilian.
"Your Majesty, please wake up!"
Guan Zhiyue woke up groggily from the rocking chair, drooling. She wiped the drool from her mouth and asked, "Bilian, what's wrong? Have you found any workers?"
Bilian said somewhat anxiously, "No, no, Your Highness, our notice has gone missing."
Guan Zhiyue instantly snapped out of her daze, her eyes wide as she asked, "It's gone? What does that mean?"
"The notice we posted outside the palace gate is gone. I don't know if it was blown away by the wind or if someone tore it down."
Guan Zhiyue quickly stood up from the rocking chair and asked Bilian to take her to the door to see what was going on.
"There didn't seem to be any wind today, so how could it have been blown away?"
"Your Majesty, do you think it was taken away? But who else is in this Cold Palace besides the two of us?"
“Ah…Your Majesty, are you referring to…those concubines from our Cold Palace…” Bilian said, grabbing Guan Zhiyue in one swift motion.
Guan Zhiyue felt a chill run down her spine after hearing Bi Lian's words, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "What do you think? Don't try to fool me. Your Majesty, I've died... died once before. Do you think I'm afraid of these things?"
Suddenly a gust of cold wind blew in, startling Guan Zhiyue and Bilian, who huddled together and screamed.
"ah........"
Guan Zhiyue held Bilian in her arms, stomping her feet and yelling, which made Bilian feel so suffocated that she couldn't even breathe properly.
"Mother... Your Majesty... Please let go of me, or you'll strangle me to death."
Guan Zhiyue quickly released Bilian from her confinement. After being released by Guan Zhiyue, Bilian began to support herself on her knees with both hands, bent over and breathing heavily.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, are you really going to...you're going to strangle me to death?"
Guan Zhiyue looked at Bi Lian, who was breathing heavily, and awkwardly touched her nose, laughing as she said, "Hehehe...just kidding, just kidding, no, no, let's continue to take a look!"
The two guards in the tree were about to burst into laughter, but they had to hold back their laughter, their trembling shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Guan Zhiyue and Bilian reached the door and saw the treetops trembling. Guan Zhiyue noticed that there were no fallen notices around and saw the treetops trembling, so she felt something was off and quickly pulled Bilian to close the door and go inside.
"Your Majesty, what happened? Why are you walking so fast?"
Guan Zhiyue didn't say anything, but pulled Bilian into the room, closed the door, and then stood at the door with the latch in her hand, looking outside.
"Your Majesty?"
"Shh!"
Seeing her mistress so wary, Bilian lowered her voice and asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Guan Zhiyue pointed to the tree outside and said, "I feel like there's something up there, so let's get some rest early tonight!"
Bilian was so frightened that she grabbed Guan Zhiyue's sleeve tightly, making her unable to move.
"What?" Guan Zhiyue tugged at her sleeve.
Bilian, clinging tightly, said in a low voice, somewhat frightened, "This servant needs to relieve myself, but I'm scared. Your Highness, please accompany me, okay?"
Rosamund Kwan....
After a struggle, the two finally grabbed a wooden stick, opened the door, and headed towards the latrine.
The two guards in the tree saw that their Empress was acting strangely as soon as she returned from the gate. What had suddenly happened?
"Did you see anything else? Why are the Empress and the others so frightened?"
Another guard looked around and said, "I don't know, maybe I was scared by myself just now."
The guard who had just asked the question nodded in agreement.
After relieving themselves, Guan Zhiyue and Bilian returned to their room, and nothing more was said that night.
The next morning.
Guan Zhiyue got up early in the morning to go for a run, circling back and forth around the courtyard of the Cold Palace. As for that girl Bilian, she had run off somewhere again early in the morning.
Rosamund Kwan's current task is running, running every day, or doing gentle exercises like yoga.
She currently weighs around 300 pounds and dares not make any large movements, lest she kill herself.
Guan Zhiyue is quite good in this respect, and deserves praise for knowing how to cherish her life!
Guan Zhiyue was still doing her workout in the yard when Bilian rushed in and started shouting as soon as she reached the door.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
After straightening her body, Guan Zhiyue said calmly, "Your mother is perfectly fine. What's wrong with me?"
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, it's not that something's wrong with you, it's that something's wrong at the door."
Guan Zhiyue found it increasingly strange and looked at Bilian with a puzzled expression.
Just as Bilian was about to say something, a large group of people entered through the door. There were about forty people in total, both men and women, all standing in two rows, waiting for the people behind them to come in.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has arrived!"
Shen Na entered, supported by two nannies. Guan Zhiyue, seeing that this woman was here to cause her trouble again, quickly rolled up her sleeves, crossed her arms, and stood there waiting for Shen Na to come and get a beating.
This time, Shen Na learned her lesson and quickly stepped forward to bow to Guan Zhiyue.
"Your Majesty the Empress, may you be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!"
The lackeys behind him, including the more than forty men and women who had just entered, all knelt on the ground and shouted in unison.
"Your Majesty the Empress, may you live a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years."
Guan Zhiyue was startled by the deafening sound and looked at Shen Na, who was half-squatting in front of her, with disdain, saying, "Get up!"
Bilian quickly bowed to Consort Shen and said, "Your Highness, may you be blessed!"
Guan Zhiyue helped Bilian up and said to Shen Na, "Consort Shen, what brings you to my Cold Palace today?"
"Could it be that Consort Shen has forgotten what I said that day?"
Shen Na originally wanted to teach Guan Zhiyue's maid a lesson, but Guan Zhiyue simply pulled her up.
Not wanting to cause any more trouble, she could only lower her head and say meekly, "It was my fault a while ago. I was so busy that I forgot to provide some servants for your palace, but I remembered today and have come to send some servants to Your Majesty."
"Ha, how could Consort Shen be so kind as to send servants to me?"
"Could it be that you intend to harm me?"
Guan Zhiyue hung Shen Na up to roast, leaving Shen Na with no way to explain herself. What kind of mess is this?!
A few days ago, for some unknown reason, the Emperor summoned her and berated her, questioning why she hadn't assigned servants to attend to the Empress.
She did talk back at the time, but she almost got stripped of her rank. She quickly said that she would immediately send someone to the Empress, which saved her from punishment.
They sent it anyway, but they weren't allowed to tell the Empress that it was the Emperor's decree. This left her speechless and unable to express her grievances.
Shen Na didn't want to say anything to Guan Zhiyue, so she pointed at the servants and said, "Anyway, I've brought the person to you. Take it or leave it."
"Oh ho! Consort Shen, what a temper you have!"
"Hmph! Let's go!" Shen Na didn't want to say anything more to Guan Zhiyue, so she turned around and left with her lackeys.
After Consort Shen left, Guan Zhiyue walked up to the forty people still kneeling on the ground, looked at them, and said, "Get up, all of you!"
Forty men and women got up from the ground, all with their heads down. Guan Zhiyue stood in the middle and said to them, "Raise your heads!"
All forty people raised their heads at once. Guan Zhiyue looked them over and saw that they were all decent people, not the kind of lazy, cunning, and despicable individuals.
"You all used to be from the palace, why have you come to my cold palace?"
The forty men looked at each other, none of them speaking. Guan Zhiyue looked at the eunuch standing at the very head and said, "You start!"
A rather honest and simple-minded eunuch bowed respectfully to Guan Zhiyue and said, "Your Majesty, this servant Xiao Dezi used to be a kitchen helper in the Imperial Kitchen."
Consort Shen said there were too many servants in the Imperial Kitchen, so she assigned this servant to Your Highness's side.
"Hmm! What's next?"
"Your Majesty, this servant is Liu Debao. I used to work as a handyman in the Empress Dowager's palace. I was transferred here by Consort Shen."
"Your Majesty, this servant is Cuijuan. I used to work in the sewing room of the Prince of Shang's palace. After the Prince of Shang left the palace to travel, there was no need to make clothes in the palace, so I was sent here."
"Your Majesty, this servant is Shiliu. I used to be a rough maid in the Emperor's palace, and I was transferred here by Consort Shen."
After a while, all the people had been introduced, and Guan Zhiyue had a general understanding of them.
Looking at these people, she said, "I don't care where you worked before, but here I will treat you all the same, and I will even give you a separate salary."
However, this stipend is only given once. I prefer honest and straightforward people. If I find out that any of you are traitors, don't say I won't leave you any way out.
"Yes, Your Majesty! This servant is loyal to Your Majesty the Empress." The forty people knelt down on the ground in unison.
Guan Zhiyue nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Get up! I originally wanted to hire some workers to clear the wasteland in the Cold Palace, but for some reason I couldn't find anyone."
"Since you have come at this time, it can be considered fate. I originally planned to recruit workers for 800 coins a day."
"Since you've come, I will pay you each eight hundred coins per day as per my previous announcement."
Guan Zhiyue explained her requirements and rules, then looked down at everyone.
The forty palace servants lowered their heads and listened obediently to Guan Zhiyue's arrangements and instructions.
Seeing that she had established her authority, Guan Zhiyue looked at the group and said, "From now on, you will all listen to Bilian's arrangements!"
"Bilian, go and arrange accommodations for them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Bilian took everyone away, and Guan Zhiyue started jumping around in the courtyard again, laughing and giggling.
However, the guards on the tree changed to a different tree this time, because when Guan Zhiyue got up in the morning, she took a long piece of wood used for blocking the door and poked it on the tree.
"Go and report to Lord Jiwu!"
"Okay! Then you stay here and keep watch. Remember not to expose yourself this time. It's a pity about that tree; it gave us away."
"Um!"
So one of the guards quietly slipped down another tree and silently left the area of the Cold Palace.
The Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Li Qiji raised his head from the dragon throne, saw that the visitor was Ji Wu, and pinched his brow wearily, saying, "What's wrong with this good-for-nothing again?"
"Your Majesty, the servants sent by Consort Shen arrived today. Her Majesty the Empress accepted them all and assigned them to the inner palace."
"Um!"
"It seems the Empress is about to start demolishing the Cold Palace."
Upon hearing this, Li Qiji opened his eyes and looked at Ji Wu with some curiosity, saying, "Demolish the land?"
"Yes. The Empress is tearing down the land, saying it's for reclaiming wasteland for farming."
"Heh, what exactly is this woman trying to do? Keep an eye on her, and send someone to tell the servants that they should all obey Her Majesty the Empress's orders. If anyone dares to have any disloyal thoughts, have them dragged out and beheaded."
"Yes, Your Majesty! I obey!"
After Ji Wu left, the Emperor leaned wearily against the dragon throne and called out to Hua Quan in a tired voice.
"Hua Quan, come and massage my head. I'm feeling a bit tired."
"Your Majesty, you should take a rest. You've been reviewing memorials for several days in a row. Even the best body can't withstand this kind of strain!"
"I also want to take a good rest, but with so many memorials to attend to, how can I afford to be careless?"
"Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance!"
Li Qiji shook his head and said, "Hmm! You can give me a massage."
Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Hua Quan had no choice but to walk behind Li Qiji and gently massage Li Qiji's temples and the top of his head with his hands.
Li Qiji soon fell asleep during Hua Quan's massage. After seeing that his emperor was asleep, Hua Quan obediently stood aside and waited for Li Qiji to wake up.
Guan Zhiyue, who was in the Cold Palace, naturally had no idea that the news of her having just brought in some new servants had already spread throughout the entire palace.
The palace was abuzz with discussion. It seemed the Empress was about to be released from the Cold Palace; otherwise, why would the Emperor allow so many people to serve her there?
Cining Palace.
"Your Majesty, great news!"
An old nanny, with small, cheerful steps, ran into the Cining Palace. There, she saw the old lady, who had been dozing on the soft couch, open her tired eyes and softly ask, "What makes you so happy?"
Granny Fan said with a smile, "Your Majesty, good news! This old servant just came from the Imperial Kitchen and heard many people talking about it."
The Emperor has agreed to release many servants from the Cold Palace, so it seems our Empress will be released soon!
"Hmm! That's good! This way I won't have to risk the Emperor's displeasure. Alright, I'm tired, I'll rest for a while."
"yes."
Everyone left the room immediately, leaving Empress Dowager Xin alone, leaning against the soft couch in a light sleep.
Meanwhile, the cold palace was bustling with activity as people began to clear land...
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