Chapter 169: Rewards and Punishments
Chen Fu's sleeping with the emperor was a slap in the face to Concubine Shu in the open.
After all, Concubine Shu had just regained the favor of the Emperor from Chen Fu some time ago, and she has been monopolizing the Emperor's favor ever since.
His Majesty had only been visiting Concubine Shu for such a long time, and rumors began to spread among everyone, including from top to bottom, that Chen Fu had fallen out of favor.
I didn’t expect that Concubine Shen would do such a big thing without making any noise.
Not only did he successfully stay in Yuqing Palace, but he also made Concubine Shu lose face.
It's really gratifying!
"My lady, you don't know that what happened last night has been widely spread." After Chen Fu went to bed with him, the rumors that she had fallen out of favor were refuted.
Everyone in the Yong'an Palace had a smiling face.
"I heard that Concubine Shu was very angry and smashed a lot of things from last night until now."
Zi Su had just returned from the kitchen with some food. Along the way, all the servants greeted her with smiles and flattery.
Those people who had seen their young lady fall out of favor a few days ago, now all those faces have disappeared completely, and Zi Su can be said to be refreshed.
"Who among us is not laughing at Concubine Shu's joke?"
Concubine Shu has been domineering in the harem for many years and has long aroused dissatisfaction among everyone in the harem. She has been monopolizing the power of the Emperor, and some people have been dissatisfied with her for a long time.
"I heard that she really got sick from anger, and everyone in Fengming Palace is looking for a royal doctor!"
When Shen Fu heard this, she chuckled, but she didn't look very surprised.
After all, this was part of her plan.
"It is all Shufei's fault that she is in this situation today." If she had not gone to Yuqing Palace last night, she would not have suffered such humiliation.
You will not be treated as a joke or talked about by others.
But... with Concubine Shu's temper, how could she be willing to watch her serve the Emperor?
The current situation of Concubine Shu was entirely caused by her own actions, and she could not blame anyone but herself.
Zi Su's gloating expression disappeared completely after seeing Chen Fu's expression.
When she saw the young lady's expression, she always felt that she seemed to have known it in advance.
Thinking of last night, Zi Su stepped forward and asked tentatively: "My lady, did you know in advance that Concubine Shu would be like this?"
A trace of surprise flashed across Shen Fu's face, and then she shook her head: "I don't know how to foretell, so how can I know what will happen next?"
She just knew Concubine Shu's temper and chose that moment to take a gamble.
After all, whether Concubine Shu went last night or not, Chen Fu was the winner.
Concubine Shu acts recklessly because she is used to being pampered.
She lost her mind in the favor of His Majesty and dreamed of being the only one favored by Him year after year.
It’s a pity that men always like novelty. The more you allow him to do whatever he wants, the more likely he will lose interest in you.
Concubine Shu has been in the palace for so many years, but she still doesn't understand this truth.
Shen Fu chuckled and stood up with the help of her hand, but as soon as she stood up straight, she felt a pain in her knee.
Shen Fu couldn't help but sucked a breath of cold air in her throat.
"What's wrong?" Zi Su hurried forward and reached out to support Shen Fu.
He grabbed Shen Fu's hand and looked her up and down before asking, "My lady, do you have knee pain?"
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Shen Fu's face. She didn't fall asleep until dawn last night.
The knees and calves were all red, covered with dense fingerprints.
Thinking back now, Shen Fu still feels that it was too crazy at that time. His Majesty tortured her like he was risking his life, to the point that Shen Fu didn't even have the strength to lift her fingers in the end.
"Ahem..." Zi Su was beside him with a worried look on her face. Shen Fu coughed lightly and deliberately changed the subject: "Where's Xiao Songzi?"
Let’s ignore Concubine Shu for now. After all, she has been favored by the Emperor for many years.
No matter how capable Chen Fu is now, she can only make Concubine Shu suffer a temporary setback, but cannot make her fall from favor.
After what happened last night, it was inevitable that Concubine Shu would hold a grudge against her.
It's just that when the enemy comes, we will fight back with our generals and when the water comes, we will block it with earth. No matter what Shufei can do, Chen Fu will be able to counter it.
What Shen Fu should worry about now is not Concubine Shu, but Shen Qingru.
"I asked you to send someone to keep an eye on Shen Ronghua last night. Did you find anything wrong?"
Little Songzi knelt on the ground and nodded repeatedly: "I was just about to report to you, young master."
Shen Ronghua lived with Concubine Xiang Gui, one was pregnant and the other was the third prince.
In the entire Yuquan Mountain, except for His Majesty and Concubine Rong, the guards there should be the strictest.
Ordinary people would not dare to get too close even if there were spies there, for fear of attracting attention and alerting the enemy.
Only Xiao Songzi was smart enough to bring a few thin and young people with him.
I squatted in the grass in the pitch-black night where no one could see me.
"I specially sent people to block the front and back doors last night, and in the middle of the night I really saw something happening."
Little Songzi didn't try to take credit for it. He slapped the eunuch on the back while speaking and said, "What did you find? Tell the young master quickly."
The man kneeling on the ground is also a little eunuch, but one can tell at a glance that he grew up in Yuquan Mountain. He is very young, looking only thirteen or fourteen years old. He was dark and thin, just like the wild monkeys that were everywhere in the mountains.
Only after Xiao Songzi patted the young eunuch on the back twice did he raise his head.
The dark and bright eyes fell on Shen Fu's face, and a blush appeared clearly on her dark face.
“Slave…slave…” The young eunuch stammered, not daring to meet Chen Fu’s eyes at all.
He just lowered his head, but spoke very logically: "I was squatting by Xingren Gate last night."
This Xingren Gate is at the back door of Shen Ronghua's palace. Standing there, one can clearly see everyone coming and going at the back door.
"It was a dark and windy night, and it was raining. I was there guarding until the second half of the night when I saw the maidservant beside Shen Ronghua come out with a lamp, and then she personally brought a lady in."
"Madam?" Shen Fu lowered her head.
"Yes, Madam." The young eunuch nodded and confirmed: "I saw it clearly. Although it was far away and she was wearing a cloak, she looked to be about thirty years old."
Chen Fu didn't need to think, she knew who this person was almost instantly.
Apart from Aunt Cui, who else is worthy of Shen Qingru sending someone to go there secretly in the middle of the night?
"Then what?"
It seems that what His Majesty said was true. Since Aunt Cui and Shen Qingru are mother and daughter, they must have some private things to talk about.
But it was the dead of night, and he went there secretly without being noticed by anyone.
Isn't it a bit too weird?
Shen Fu placed her palms on the armrests, tapping them lightly with her fingertips. What on earth did this mother and daughter do to have to do this behind everyone's back?
"And then?" Shen Fu pondered for a while and asked, "Do you know what happened later?"
"I know."
The young eunuch nodded immediately and said, "I hid in the bushes and waited until dawn, and then the lady left."
"While no one was paying attention, I quietly followed her and saw with my own eyes that lady go to Qianfu Hall before she disappeared."
Qianfu Hall, a lady in her thirties...
Shen Fu tapped the armrest with her fingertips, a sneer on her face.
Now it is confirmed that this person must be Aunt Cui. But I don’t know what the mother and daughter were planning. They actually made an appointment to meet secretly in the middle of the night.
I'm afraid they are secretly discussing some big plan.
There was coldness in Shen Fu's eyes. Shen Qing was so much older than her, which meant that her father had Shen Qingru with Aunt Cui before he married her mother.
The most important thing is that Aunt Cui’s face is so similar.
When these two things are added together, are they unintentional or coincidental?
Shen Fu didn't believe in the word coincidence, so she had to find out.
"You did a great job." Shen Fu lowered her head and looked at the person kneeling below with admiration in her eyes.
"I want to know everything about Chen Ronghua. Please keep an eye on that place during this period of time. Be sure to report to me if there is any movement."
Chen Fu said this simply, but... the person kneeling below immediately understood.
When the master said this, it meant that he wanted to promote you. If you do this well, you will get a reward from your master.
That would be equivalent to showing off in front of the master!
"I obey your command!" The young eunuch kowtowed on the ground, his head making loud crackling sounds.
"I will obey your orders, my lady. If I find any disturbance, I will report it to you immediately!"
"Get up quickly." Chen Fu looked at the little eunuch who was knocking his head on the ground as if he was risking his life.
He quickly stretched out his hand to signal Zi Su to help him up: "Don't let your head get broken for no reason later."
"Why don't you thank me quickly, young lady." Xiao Songzi was afraid that he would hit his head and scare the young lady, so he quickly reached out and pulled him up.
The young eunuch covered his head with one hand and smiled with a silly look on his face. But the only thing that remains clear and bright is a pair of eyes.
"I will definitely live up to your trust." Before leaving, the young eunuch vowed.
"This little eunuch..." Zi Su stood aside and couldn't help laughing after watching.
"This little eunuch seems to be honest." Chen Fu just noticed that the little eunuch's face was dark red and his eyes were clear and shining.
Knowing this must not be a cunning one.
I couldn't help but remind him, "You stayed in the bushes all night last night, I'm afraid your body is full of mosquito bites."
"Find two bottles of cooling cream and send some mosquito repellent bags over later."
Zi Su was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but say: "The young master is so kind to this little eunuch."
The young lady is kind-hearted, but not that thoughtful. If it were in the past, I would definitely not have thought of this: "Did the young master believe this little eunuch?"
"Trust the people you employ, and don't employ them if you don't trust them." Chen Fu stood up with the help of the armrest, and tapped the table lightly with her fingertips a few times.
"Besides, rewards and punishments should be clearly defined for work." Since the young eunuch was working for her, it was natural that he deserved the reward.
"Since ancient times, those in power have always done this." Shen Fu said in a leisurely tone with a relaxed look on her face.
*********
But Shen Fu had just been feeling proud for a while when Lin An came in the evening.
"His Majesty ordered me to come and deliver something to the young lady." Lin An was followed by several young eunuchs, forming a mighty procession.
After he finished speaking, Lin An personally came forward holding the tray and said, "This is what the Emperor ordered me to give to you, young lady."
Chen Fu had just said at noon that rewards and punishments should be clearly defined, and this evening His Majesty followed suit with rewards.
It seems that His Majesty was in a good mood last night?
Chen Fu's face flushed slightly, and after coughing, she said, "Thank you, Eunuch Lin."
She looked at the tray covered with red cloth, and was unsure what was inside.
"Father-in-law, here..."
Four or five trays were placed on the table, each covered with a red cloth.
Chen Fu really couldn't figure out what was inside, so she couldn't help but speak.
Lin An obviously guessed that Shen Fu would ask this, with a slight smile on his face: "His Majesty said that the young lady should open it herself and not let the servant inform in advance."
Having said this, Lin An raised his head and glanced at Chen Fu, then said, "I will take my leave first."
After Lin An finished speaking, he took his people away. Chen Fu watched them leave before she looked back at the table.
"My lady, what's in this?" Zi Su had just returned from delivering the mosquito repellent bags when she saw this on the table.
She walked forward curiously: "Is it a gift from His Majesty?"
Chen Fu glared at her gently and said, "I don't know either." As she spoke, she pinched a corner of the red cloth with both hands and lifted it up.
"ah!"
As soon as the red cloth was lifted, Zi Su beside him couldn't help but exclaimed.
Shen Fu lowered her head and looked down, and couldn't help blushing.
The dance costumes for the event were placed on the red lacquer tray.
The bright red dance costume was as light as gauze and only a thin layer in the palm of her hand.
But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the entire dance costume was inlaid with rubies. Some are only the size of soybeans, while some are even bigger than the tip of a finger.
They were casually inlaid on the dance dress, and the tiny gems emitted a dazzling light.
Chen Fu couldn't help blushing when she saw the dance costume, but when she looked down, she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Under the skirt, there is a pair of light yellow bloomers embroidered with peonies.
The thin veil of green smoke seems as if you can see inside. But at the bottom of the trousers of these bell-bottom pants, there were countless golden bells.
Just a slight movement and the bells under the trouser legs will make sounds.
Chen Fu's hands, which were pinching Wu Yi, turned pale. Zi Su noticed that something was wrong with the young lady, and immediately waved her hand to send everyone else out of the room.
She waited until the room was quiet before she opened the remaining announcements.
Except for the first set of dance costume, the rest are headpieces, veils, and even a pair of exquisite boots.
This is obviously a dance costume, with everything included.
Zi Su stepped forward holding the veil: "My lady, what does His Majesty mean by this?"
“………”
What does he mean? !
Chen Fu thought about last night, and her knees were still aching to varying degrees.
"What do I care what he means?" Shen Fu replied coldly.
Zi Su held the veil in her hand and muttered to herself, wondering if this was a reward or a punishment.
She raised her eyes and quietly probed: "Your Majesty, don't you want you to wear it?"
Chen Fu's face was hot: "Don't even think about it!"
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