The Empress Dowager waited and waited, until the epidemic in the capital continued to improve.
The imperial physicians were like Hua Tuo reborn, saving 80% of the sick people outside the palace.
Consort Cheng was beautiful and kind-hearted. She was the reincarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, who descended to earth specifically to save all sentient beings.
The concubines in the harem were all virtuous and kind, caring for the people and compassionate.
The Empress was a model of virtue and grace, kneeling before the Buddha every day to pray for the people and for the Qing Dynasty.
Consort Hua managed the six palaces well, keeping the epidemic out of the palace and ensuring that no one in the palace was infected.
......
Such words reached the Empress Dowager's ears every day, and all her efforts to be anxious and worried for so many days were in vain.
She was already sick and hadn't gotten better, but after all this self-inflicted pain, her illness suddenly became even more serious.
Zhu Xi carried the medicine and fed it to the Empress Dowager spoonful by spoonful.
The Empress Dowager lay weakly on the bed, utterly listless. No matter how bitter the medicine was, it couldn't compare to the bitterness in her heart.
Why are they all so unconventional and unpredictable?
After finally managing to compose herself, Shen Meizhuang discussed with Zhen Huan her desire to share some of the emperor's favor with Zhen Huan, only to hear the news that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill.
Previously, when delivering things to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the chubby orange was busy with the epidemic and had no time to think about having children.
Now that the epidemic was over, I went to the Imperial Observatory to ask for an auspicious time. Just as I was thinking of giving it my all, I was immediately discouraged.
Shen Meizhuang also went to Shou Kang Palace to stand guard every day, fearing that the Empress Dowager would not be able to find her if she needed anything.
The Empress Dowager lamented that the Emperor was blinded by greed, unable to distinguish between pearls and fish eyes.
He didn't fancy a virtuous and filial woman like Consort Hui; he only had eyes for seductive and alluring women.
They'll die at their hands sooner or later!
*
Chuxiu Palace
Sun Miaoqing's eyes reddened as she looked at the detailed expenditures in the ledger. Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver—the money was spent freely, and the reasons seemed perfectly legitimate.
But looking at it closely now, it still hurts just as much.
She slammed the ledger shut; she simply couldn't stand it anymore!
An Lingrong said with a smile, "Is Sister feeling sorry for me?"
"Didn't you say before that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda? These hundreds of thousands of taels of silver could potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives."
"It's a great thing that benefits the present and future generations. Even if it were ten times more, it would still be worth it."
Sun Miaoqing rolled her eyes at her, "Fine, you're making fun of me too!"
"You've spent real money, can't you even make me feel a little heartache?"
An Lingrong said, "Lingrong wouldn't dare to laugh at you, sister. If you really feel sorry for him, you can always find a way to make up for it when the Emperor is more financially well-off."
"It's just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other."
"Besides, those private assets are better left in your hands than in someone else's. You understand economics better than those managers."
Sun Miaoqing said, "No, I don't have that ability. If you buy a clove of garlic or a scallion, they'll all come asking me for money."
"The Emperor thinks he's found a sucker and is spending money recklessly. Today he's repairing the garden, tomorrow he's making ceremonial robes, and I don't know how much more money I'll have to spend."
It's no wonder Sun Miaoqing had a big opinion. Even though Da Pang Ju keeps saying he wants to be frugal, he's just asking others to be.
When money is spent on himself, the words "sin and pity" never seem to fit.
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau reported that the epidemic would end just before New Year's Eve, which would indicate favorable weather and a good start to the coming year.
Overjoyed, the chubby orange not only bestowed double the festival gifts upon the concubines in the harem, but also made sure to improve the meals of his beloved little darlings.
The dogs' diet used to be comparable to that of a concubine, and now that it has been improved, it's not much different from that of an imperial concubine.
Moreover, with the Lunar New Year approaching, the more than thirty dog kennels were repainted. Red lanterns, colorful ribbons, and couplets were all pasted up.
The dog crates, dog beds, and dog toys were all replaced again, all personally designed. He also ordered that each dog be given a special New Year's outfit.
Especially Baifu and Zaohua, the two most favored, were prepared with tiger and qilin costumes, and the fabric used was the same brocade used for embroidered dragon robes.
The entire garment was embroidered with gold and silver threads, interspersed with fine threads twisted from peacock feathers. The buttons on the garment were made of pearls the size of peanuts, surrounded by a ring of emeralds that looked like scattered diamonds.
Standing a distance away in the sunlight, it's not much different from the legendary mythical beast; even the Empress doesn't receive such treatment...
The first time I made it and sent it over, they complained that the size wasn't right, so they had it altered by two inches.
After the repairs were completed, the second time they sent it over, they said that one of the emeralds on the button had a crack, and asked them to make a new one.
These two dog outfits alone cost 20,000 taels of silver, more than the expenses of Yikun Palace for two months.
When Consort Hua found out, she was furious and wished she could go straight to the dog kennel and shave all the dogs clean, no matter what good fortune they had.
How could she have been so foolish as to think she was the emperor's beloved? Even a dog was treated better than her!
An Lingrong also thought of her two beloved pets, who appeared majestic and had deafening barks. In reality, they were the most charming and affectionate, even more capable of vying for favor than the concubines.
When she starts whining and acting cute, she's tall enough to be taller than a person when she stands up, and she always wants to be carried. Not only does she want to be carried, but she's also very competitive and never wants to lose to anyone.
Not to mention the emperor, she liked them too. When the concubines had nothing to do, they would sometimes go to the kennel and play with their favorite dogs.
Consort Jing really liked that tiger head and made a dog mat for it herself.
An Lingrong said, "Didn't my sister also like Xing'er very much? She even specially had a golden rice bowl made and sent over. It was inlaid with gemstones, each one of which is extremely rare in the world."
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