The next day, when Guan Zhiyue woke up in bed, she felt as if someone had been in her room, and she felt as if some things had been moved.
"Bilian, did you enter my room this morning before I woke up?" Guan Zhiyue asked.
Bilian shook her head and said, "Your Highness, no! How could I have entered the room before you woke up!"
Guan Zhiyue shook her head upon hearing this, probably because she had been too tired lately!
"By the way, how's the installation of the glazed windows for His Majesty going? Has anyone been sent to check on it?" Guan Zhiyue was thinking about how she was about to open a glazed window shop outside the palace, and whether the Golden Palace's reputation had been successfully established!
Bilian thought for a moment and said, "It was installed yesterday, but I've been busy with rice planting in the fields and forgot to report it to Your Majesty!"
"Alright! Then this evening, send someone to Chaoyang Palace to fetch Prince Xiaoyao. I have something to discuss with him!"
“Ah, Your Highness, why did you wait until night to visit Prince Xiaoyao during the day? This is not good for your reputation. The concubines will then seize on your faults and gossip.” Bilian said.
Guan Zhiyue shook her head and said, "The innocent are innocent!"
"You must remember to do this. I'm going to plant corn on the back hill today."
When Bilian heard about corn, she immediately thought of the food she had eaten at Guan's house last time. It was fragrant and sweet, especially when stewed in soup. It smelled so good that it made her mouth water.
"Your Majesty, do we have any corn seeds?" Bilian blinked her eyes like a little puppy wanting food.
“Yes, didn’t I tell you to go back to your residence first? I brought some back with me and put them in my bedroom. We’ll plant these today,” Guan Zhiyue said.
Upon hearing this, Bilian happily ran to her room to change into coarse linen clothes. Today, she was going to go to the fields with the Empress to plant corn, which was a delicious crop!
——
Ever since glazed windows were installed in the Golden Palace and the Empress's room in the Cold Palace, the concubines in the harem have become very active, especially after they heard that the windows had been installed in the Empress's Cold Palace. They were all as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Changchun Palace.
This is the palace of Consort Shen Na. The two side halls on the left and right of her housed Consorts Zhao Rong and Zhao Yi. In the palace, only the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager have their own large palaces. All other concubines live in one palace with three concubines in each.
Even the Fourth Consort did not have her own courtyard; the side halls on the left and right were all occupied by concubines of lower rank.
Li Qiji's harem actually had quite a few women, all sorts of different kinds, but Li Qiji never touched any of them. These women were all arranged for him by his ministers.
He seized power by murdering his father, so his foundation was already unstable. To consolidate his rule, he needed women. Therefore, apart from those women in the harem who occasionally appeared in front of him and knew a thing or two about him, he knew nothing about the others, and didn't even know who they were.
This person is probably too young and doesn't seem to understand love and romance at all, or perhaps to him, women are just a tool to control the court and he has no interest in the women in the harem.
The only thing that interests him now is his former wife, the fat empress. However, she has recently lost weight and is becoming increasingly captivating, so his attention has shifted to her.
Meanwhile, three women in Changchun Palace were chattering amongst themselves: "Your Highness, you're a Noble Consort! Only one rank lower than the Empress. Besides, the Empress is still in the Cold Palace! If Your Highness just puts in a little effort, perhaps you could..."
“Yes, yes! Sister is right.” Zheng Zhaorong, also known as Zheng Peipei, is sixteen years old. She is the daughter of a minor official under Shen Na’s father. She was sent to the palace to consolidate Shen Na’s position.
Hearing that even Zheng Peipei, the powerful figure behind the scenes, was starting to agree with her, Consort Lin continued, saying to Shen Na, "Your Majesty, don't you think our Changchun Palace should also have its windows replaced with glazed tiles to better suit your elegance?"
Shen Na held the teacup in one hand and gently supported the lid with the other, lightly shaking and fiddling with it, saying, "Hmm! I think so too, but Your Majesty..."
"Oh my, Your Highness, with your beautiful face and lovely appearance, as long as you dress up a little and then show yourself in front of the Emperor, wouldn't the glass window be within your grasp?" Consort Lin, also known as Lin Qiqi, is 17 years old. She is the daughter of a minor official under Shen Na's father. She was sent to the palace to consolidate Shen Na's position.
The two men kept trying to boost Chen Na's morale, then told her to go to the Emperor to ask for glass to replace the windows in their Changchun Palace.
Shen Na was so flattered by the two men that she was almost out of her mind. She happily had someone help her with her grooming and dressing up, and then swayed her shapely bottom as she left Changchun Palace.
Lin Zhaoyi and Zheng Zhaorong watched as she gracefully left the palace gates, like a peacock in flight. They exchanged a smile without speaking, and then each returned to their own room.
Guan Zhiyue knew nothing about these things. Right now, she was bent over on the back hill, digging holes to plant corn!
She soaked these corn kernels in the spiritual spring water in her space overnight, so they should be able to survive!
This is her favorite sweet corn; I hope it doesn't fail to grow!
Guan Zhiyue taught Liu Debao and the others how to dig holes and sow seeds. It took a full incense stick's time to teach them the essentials of planting corn. After that, she took a stick and checked their work from behind.
"Old Liu, let me tell you, this is our new crop. If you dare not serve me well, you'll be in big trouble!" Guan Zhiyue raised an eyebrow and looked at Liu Debao, who was sweating profusely.
Liu Debao quickly put down the hoe in his hand, respectfully clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will definitely cultivate this new crop well and make Your Majesty satisfied!"
Guan Zhiyue nodded, then led Bilian toward the terraced fields. The rice seedlings planted just yesterday were growing vigorously in the paddy fields, which pleased Guan Zhiyue greatly. She was just waiting for three or four days until the roots had taken hold in the soil before she would transport the fish fry to the palace.
"Bilian, it seems we'll have to leave the palace again in the next couple of days. Send a message to my second brother and tell him to go find Lan Shanqi. I have some good business to discuss with him!" Guan Zhiyue thought of her rice paddy fish. What would she do with so many fish then?
Bilian nodded, indicating that she remembered. Then the two of them went back to the backyard of the Cold Palace. Guan Zhiyue had thought of the other side of the land, but it was still empty. She decided to plant some fruit trees or something.
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