Not long after Zhen Huan left Chuxiu Palace, she found an excuse to invite Shen Meizhuang to Suiyu Pavilion.
After closing the door, the two sisters whispered amongst themselves for a long time, wishing they could sew a tiny doll and prick it with silver needles to make it into a hedgehog.
Shen Meizhuang said, "No wonder there hasn't been any good news. It turns out it really is like that."
"No wonder Consort Hua only superficially cares about the Emperor's favor towards other concubines now."
"Maybe she orchestrated this whole thing!"
Zhen Huan was genuinely frightened; she had always thought Consort Hua was brainless, only knowing how to bully others based on her rank and family background.
I never imagined that when people without brains get angry, they can be far more formidable than those who think they're clever.
"Who else could it be but her? Who wouldn't feel resentful after something like that? If it were the two of us, we wouldn't be able to turn back either."
Shen Meizhuang sighed deeply, "I've come to realize it now. None of the concubines in the palace don't hate him!"
"I just don't know who will come out on top in the end."
Zhen Huan smiled gently and gracefully, like a drifting cloud in the sky.
“Sister Sun won’t let him die like this. She’ll at least wait until Hongzhou is a few years older, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with the court and the imperial family.”
“They would say that the emperor is young and the country is suspicious, that the empress is interfering in politics, and that they are trying to sow discord between mother and son.”
Shen Meizhuang didn't take it seriously. If she didn't want to retire to the inner palace and stay out of everything, she couldn't avoid these rumors.
"There are members of the Niohuru and Fuca clans in the imperial court, and there will be more in the future. As for the imperial clan, there are Prince Zhuang and Prince Chun keeping them in check."
"It's okay to be younger. Learning from a young age will make it easier to achieve great things when you grow up."
Zhen Huan longed for it, but the time wasn't right; any unforeseen circumstances would surely cause chaos. The Dzungar Khanate, with its powerful army, was watching them with predatory intent.
Another rebellion has broken out in Guizhou. Although it is destined to be insignificant and will be suppressed sooner or later, it is not going to amount to much.
But in the end, it was the Qing Dynasty's national strength that was being drained. Just when the people's lives were beginning to improve, the country could not withstand any more turmoil.
"The national treasury is empty and cannot withstand too much spending. Even those few million taels of silver have been allocated for specific purposes."
"Sister Mei, are you really that eager to hand over the power in the palace?"
Shen Meizhuang smiled and said, "I was too impatient. You're right, it won't happen in the next two years."
Having said that, he then became worried again.
"The weather is getting hot again, and in a few days, we should go to the Yuanmingyuan to escape the summer heat. However, the Empress Dowager's illness is getting worse and worse. She is lying in bed and can't even sit up without anyone to help her."
"I'm thinking of staying in the palace to take care of her, so I won't go there this year."
Zhen Huan asked, "Has the Emperor agreed?"
Shen Meizhuang nodded, her words full of sarcasm, "There are so many concubines in the palace, one more won't make a difference. What reason does he have to disagree?"
“He couldn’t be happier if someone could take care of him in front of the Empress Dowager.”
Zhen Huan wanted to try to persuade her again, but knowing Shen Meizhuang's feelings, she ultimately gave up the idea.
"Alright, it'll be peaceful for you to stay in the palace, but you must take good care of your health."
Shen Meizhuang smiled and reassured Zhen Huan, "With Caiyue and Caixing serving me, how could I possibly get tired?"
*
A few days after the start of summer, the chubby orange cat moved to the Yuanmingyuan Garden with the concubines.
Since Shen Meizhuang didn't come along, Da Pang Ju had Yun Changzai move into Xian Yue Ge.
Everything that Zhen Huan's Bi Tong Academy had, Xian Yue Pavilion also prepared.
Meanwhile, today we admired Consort Yun's pair of jade hairpins, and tomorrow we will admire Zhen Huan's pair of white jade hair ornaments.
Yun Chang had breakfast there, and then had lunch at Consort Hua's place.
In the afternoon, while reviewing memorials at Jiuzhou Qingyan, he summoned Sun Miaoqing to grind ink, and then went to Zhen Huan's place for dinner.
The next day, the order was reversed, and An Lingrong was occasionally asked to play the moon lute. She was truly experienced in time management.
This action left Sun Miaoqing speechless.
He probably still thought he had done everything perfectly, treating his new and old favorites equally. If there was disharmony in the harem, it was because these women were greedy and didn't know how to cherish what they had...
After working in shifts for half a month, Big Fat Orange was really exhausted, so he and the concubines took a few days off.
Sun Miaoqing and the others were finally able to put together a mahjong table again!
"They say that good things make people feel good, but my luck is terrible today. Yun has only been learning for a few days, and she can already win more than she loses. She really learns everything very quickly."
"You flatter me, Your Highness. I only learned the basics. It is all thanks to the kindness and consideration of the ladies that I am treated this way."
"Otherwise, with my meager mahjong skills, I would have lost everything long ago."
Having been in the palace alone for so long, Yun Chang felt that, thanks to her connection with Consort Hua, she had figured out the power struggles within the harem and also found an opportunity to join Sun Miaoqing's mahjong table.
After playing hundreds of rounds of mahjong, the effect was indeed quite good. Even Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were much more amiable towards her, and their relationship had improved considerably.
Zhen Huan said, "It's only natural that you're lucky when you first start learning this game. Fortune changes, and so does luck in cards."
Turning to Sun Miaoqing, he asked, "Did you bring the ivory mahjong set that the Emperor gave me before?"
"This jade and white jade set is also nice, but I always feel that the ivory set is more comfortable to fight with."
"Besides, maybe if we switch to a different deck of cards, our luck will turn around?"
Sun Miaoqing shook her head, "That thing is precious, and I was afraid it would get lost if I brought it around, so I locked it in the Chuxiu Palace storeroom."
“Ivory is easy to obtain; only one piece has been found left behind by the ancient giant elephant. I can’t bear to see it chipped or damaged.”
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Look at you, you're reluctant to part with it. With your considerable wealth, you're actually worried about it?"
"I know that Hengzhiju makes a fortune every day, and you also have a share in the wool business."
An Lingrong said, "Sister Huan, please stop talking about Hengzhi Residence. The more you mention it, the more uncomfortable Sister Sun will feel."
"A lot of money was taken to Yunnan to develop flower fields, and only a small portion can be sold. The rest is being hoarded and will be sold in winter."
"No matter how much money you have in your account, it's never enough."
Sun Miaoqing slumped her head and pouted, saying, "You bet I'm so worried."
"The Emperor even asked me to advance the profits, demanding five million taels with just a word. Does he think money is so easy to earn, that it can just grow on the ground with a single command!"
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