Hall of Mental Cultivation
Xia Yi knelt in the palace, reporting to Da Pang Ju on the latest happenings in and around the capital.
“Prince Dun has not made any apparent moves during this period, but he has indeed been spreading rumors and slandering the Emperor behind the scenes.”
"Because of the implementation of the land tax reform, those wealthy households harbored resentment, as if they had believed those lies."
"Instigated by those with ulterior motives, the conflict between the people who supported this policy intensified, and armed clashes broke out in many places, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many people."
Big Fat Orange held Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, his back to Xia Yi, and looked up at the plaque of Zhongzheng Renhe.
He knew this would happen when he made up his mind to implement this policy. But if he didn't, the Qing Dynasty would probably not last more than a few generations after him.
While he was still in his prime and his imperial power was secure, he did everything he could. Otherwise, with his incompetent sons, this great empire could fall apart in an instant.
The chubby orange cat pondered for a moment, then murmured, "Prince Dun..."
"Never mind, let's wait and see."
Xia Yi continued, "In addition, my men have discovered that Consort Hua seems to be extremely dissatisfied with the criminals in the Shouhuang Palace."
"The criminal contracted typhoid fever in the imperial mausoleum and suffered from persistent diarrhea for the past few days. Consort Hua was responsible for all of this."
The chubby orange cat turned around and asked suspiciously, "Are you sure? Why would Consort Hua do these things?"
Xia Yi lowered her head and said respectfully, "The Empress Dowager dislikes Consort Hua and often makes things difficult for her. Moreover, the previous prayer ceremony at Baohua Hall displeased Consort Hua."
"Consort Hua dared not resent the Empress Dowager, so she took her anger out on the criminals."
Big Fat Orange originally thought that after the new concubine entered the palace, Consort Hua's personality had become much more restrained.
Although she still liked to throw tantrums and get jealous easily, often giving other concubines the cold shoulder, she ultimately didn't plot against anyone or cause any harm.
With checks and balances in place, the imperial harem, while not entirely peaceful, was also relatively undisturbed.
It turns out that Consort Hua didn't change her personality; rather, she was venting her anger on the fourteenth prince.
Big Fatty Orange had mixed feelings. He secretly hoped the Fourteenth Prince would suffer, but he was still his own brother. However, he also liked Consort Hua very much; she was bright, charming, and captivating.
Forget it, it's not like I'm going to kill the fourteenth prince. As long as it's not too much of a problem, I'll just pretend I didn't see it.
The chubby orange-haired man said helplessly, "Consort Hua's temperament hasn't changed. I'm helpless too. Let the people in the Shouhuang Palace keep their eyes open and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again."
Xia Yi replied, "Yes, this servant obeys."
Big Fatty Orange suddenly asked, "By the way, regarding the matter of the Northwest military rations being hijacked, were there any errors or omissions in Shen Zishan's investigation?"
Xia Yi replied, "Your Majesty, Lord Shen handled the matter fairly and impartially, without any mistakes or omissions. However, his subordinates discovered that Consort Shen sent a letter back after the incident."
"This servant did not obtain that letter, but after Lord Shen read it, he secretly arranged for a trusted confidant to pose as a jailer and intimidate An Bihai, the magistrate of Songyang County involved in the case."
"They say his daughter offended someone in the palace, which is why she was targeted for revenge. Ambhi was terrified and is still hiding at home, too scared to go out."
Big Fat Orange asked, "You mean that Consort Shen sent a letter back immediately after learning that An Bihuai had been imprisoned?"
"Not only did she not receive preferential treatment from her father, Shen Zishan, but she was also tortured?"
Xia Yi said, "According to what I found out, that should be the case."
Big Fatty Orange was speechless. He felt that he was increasingly unable to understand these women.
Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong have always had a close relationship. Even if it's inconvenient for her to help with this kind of thing, she shouldn't kick An Lingrong when she's down, right?
Or is it that their relationship isn't as close as it seems? But it doesn't seem like it either; these guys are playing mahjong every day now and can't be bothered with him...
Forget it, let women handle their own affairs. There are some things he doesn't need to know too much about.
*
Chuxiu Palace
Sun Miaoqing, Zhen Huan, and the other two agreed to discuss politics over a mahjong game.
"Seven articles."
"Bang, a pancake."
"Big pancake, 20,000."
"Finally, it's my turn, Hu!"
......
While stacking mahjong tiles, An Lingrong said, "Sister Sun has a good hand today. You won six or seven out of ten rounds."
Sun Miaoqing raised her slap and said arrogantly, "This is called the wheel of fortune turning. After losing for so many days, if I can't change my luck, I'm too unlucky."
"By the way, the matter of the Northwest military rations has been settled, and Uncle An has been released without charge, so you can rest assured."
An Lingrong gave a bitter smile, "I must thank Sister Mei for her help. After this ordeal in prison, he knows that it was because I offended someone in the palace that he suffered this."
"Even though I was so frightened that I fell seriously ill and couldn't get out of bed, he still wrote me a letter to teach me a lesson. He told me to apologize properly to whoever I had offended, and that it was my business whether he beat or killed me, and not to involve him."
“His concubines, since he was imprisoned, have only met once despite spending a lot of money, and they know they need my help.”
"When she saw that I was powerless to help her, she thought there was probably no hope. So she dismissed the servants, took all the family's wealth, and eloped with her cousin, leaving him an empty house."
"Fortunately, Uncle Shen had someone send him some silver in my name and found someone to watch over him, so he didn't starve to death."
“I’m not saying this to make you pity me, but because I’ve seen things clearly and let them go all these years ago.”
"As long as I don't take these things seriously and don't say them to others, then no one can use them to get on my nerves."
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