Chapter 114: Blocking Concubine Liang’s Promotion

Jiang Xinyue shook her head: “Promotions in the harem are the Empress’s right. If I reject the Empress’s order, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to the Empress?”

Xi Que made a bitter face: “What should I do? I don’t want to be slapped often in the future!”

Jiang Xinyue also held her face: “I’m scared too.”

Nanny Li shook her head in anger: “Concubine Zhen, you should ask the Emperor to investigate who spilled the dirty stuff on Jiang Chuan.”

Instead of worrying that Concubine Liang would be slapped after becoming the head of the four concubines.

Jiang Xinyue held her chin with both hands, which made her big round eyes look even cuter. She blinked twice: "What is there to check? It must be Concubine Liang! It must have been spilled on Jiangchuan when she slapped him."

This conclusion was too frivolous.

Nanny Li sighed: "Your Majesty, please take a rest after lunch. I'm going to go out for a while."

Jiang Xinyue didn't ask what was wrong and let her go, which seemed very heartless.

Chengqian Palace -

The quiet atmosphere made the already heavy atmosphere even more depressing. Emperor Xuanwu rubbed his temples, and he had a headache when he thought that if Empress Dowager Wu knew that Concubine Li Gui had pushed Concubine Shu's child away, she would make a fuss again.

"Your Majesty, Nanny Li wants to see you."

"Let her in."

Nanny Li walked into Chengqian Palace with ease and reported the situation of Hexi Palace to the emperor.

"Someone brought something dirty in and spilled it on the serving palace maids?"

Nanny Li nodded: "Empress Zhen suspected that it was Empress Liang..."

"Concubine Liang?"

Emperor Xuanwu remembered that Concubine Zhen was very kind to Concubine Liang's eldest princess, and the eldest princess also liked Concubine Zhen very much. Why would Concubine Liang want to harm Concubine Zhen for no reason?

Nanny Li hesitated for a while, and decided to tell the emperor everything that happened in Concubine Zhen's palace today.

He thought more than Concubine Zhen, and felt that Concubine Liang didn't have the courage, and should have been instructed by Empress Zhu.

Concubine Liang has always been a staunch supporter of the Empress and has never betrayed the Empress. She always did things according to the Empress's wishes, and it should be the same this time.

But even if she was instructed by the Empress, Emperor Xuanwu felt that Concubine Liang was hateful enough to dare to harm his and Concubine Zhen's child.

Everyone in the palace knew how much he loved Concubine Zhen and how much he was looking forward to the birth of Concubine Zhen's child, but Concubine Liang dared to take the risk and attack Concubine Zhen.

How much did she not take him, the emperor, seriously?

Did Concubine Liang feel that Empress Zhu's majesty had far surpassed him?

To be honest, he also guessed that Empress Zhu would give the top of the four concubines to one of Concubine Liang or Concubine De. If Empress Zhu proposed it, he would not refuse.

Because Concubine Liang and Concubine De had been in the palace for a long time, it was reasonable for them to be promoted to a higher position. Concubine Zhen... Concubine Zhen's qualifications were really not enough. If she became the top of the four concubines, it would cause controversy.

The emperor himself thought that he could confer titles on whomever he wanted, but the ministers of the previous dynasty always complained and gave him a headache, and he didn't want them to regard Concubine Zhen as a demon concubine who brought disaster to the country and the people.

Concubine Liang's father was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, one of the highest-ranking ministers among the nine governors of the Great Yan Dynasty, in charge of the military and civil affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.

His official title was "Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and other places, supervising military affairs, grain and salaries, and patrolling and pacifying affairs", which was the second rank.

Behind her was the Zhu family of Empress Zhu, and her strength should not be underestimated. Behind

Concubine De was Duke Cheng. Although Duke Cheng had passed away for many years, Concubine De's father not only inherited the title of Duke Cheng, but also served as the head of the Six Departments of the Inspectorate in the court, and his reputation in the court was also very good.

If it weren't for the fact that Concubine De was a Buddhist who didn't fight or compete, she would have been the leader of the four concubines.

So, no matter who the empress proposed, he would agree.

Emperor Xuanwu took a deep breath and for the first time felt that having too many women in the harem was also a problem.

He waved his hand and said, "Take good care of Concubine Zhen. She is naive and defenseless. She has a long life ahead of her. When her house arrest is lifted at the end of the year, more people will probably want to harm her. You and Nanny Xiang are both experts in this field. Don't let me down."

"I will definitely live up to the emperor's trust."

Just as Nanny Li was about to leave, the emperor said, "When Concubine Zhen's child is full-term, I will grant your request to leave the palace."

Nanny Li's eyes sparkled, and she knelt on the ground and kowtowed loudly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Nanny Li was more than ten years older than Empress Dowager Wu. She had married and had children before entering the palace. Later, Empress Dowager Wu brought her into the palace. She could only see her husband and children once every three years, and then only for half a day.

The palace selects beauties every three years. On the day when the beauties enter the palace, the palace maids and eunuchs can also meet their families in Chuxiu Palace.

In those days, the Wu family fell into decline, the men were exiled, and the women were demoted to commoners. If she had not surrendered to the emperor long ago, her husband and son would have died on the way.

So for all these years, even though Empress Dowager Wu hated her for betraying her, she never regretted it.

It has been a year since she last saw her son and daughter. If Concubine Zhen gives birth to a child at full term, she can leave the palace and enjoy her old age, which is also the best ending for her.

In this palace, she has seen too many people who have not had a good end. She does not ask for great wealth and honor, but only wants to spend her old age with her family.

For her, this is the greatest happiness in the world.

Besides, Jiang Chuan knew that his own queen was going to end Concubine Liang's dream of promotion for her, and he was so moved that he cried.

It has been too long since anyone has taken the lives of these servants seriously. Suddenly, when they received the care from the queen above, they really couldn't control their emotional outburst.

When he cried, Xiao Xuanzi and Shuangjiang, who had received the favor of Jiang Xinyue, also cried. Xi Que was infected by their emotions, and the four of them hugged each other and cried.

Nanny Xiang had never seen the masters and servants of any palace get along like this.

Concubine Zhen is a person with a strong ability to empathize. Such a person must have a very kind and soft heart.

She cries when she sees the elderly without anyone to rely on, cries when she sees the young without anyone to raise, cries when she sees people tortured by illness, cries when she sees honest people being bullied, and cries when she sees someone in the wind and rain...

What is the saying?

Even though he has a hard life himself, he still can't bear to see other people suffering.

Nanny Xiang didn't think that a young lady from a wealthy family like Concubine Zhen had ever suffered any hardship, but she really sympathized with the hard work and pity of the people below her.

Even she, an old lady who had just arrived at Hexi Palace, would receive basins of ice from the maids Xi Que and Shuang Jiang every night when it was

too hot to sleep, so that she and Nanny Li could share one. Although the amount was not much, it was saved by several maids and eunuchs from their own few ice basins.

Wasn't it Concubine Zhen who saved the ice?

Although she knew what was going on, she never asked, and just silently put more ice cubes in their ice basins.

The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs didn't dare to shortchange Concubine Zhen of ice cubes, so they could only give her more.

They couldn't let the mistress go short of these expenses.