Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Zhaoyi's Day
In the following days, the trend of horse riding continued unabated. Shen Qing didn't want to join in the fun, so he stayed in the tent and read the book he hadn't finished from beginning to end.
During this period, Concubine Xuan invited Shen Qing once or twice. Since they only talked about chess and tea, Shen Qing did not get any information about the concubines, so he was polite to Concubine Xuan.
Concubine Xuan was a smart person, so she naturally knew what Shen Qing needed most right now. However, Concubine Xuan did not even mention it, which showed that she still felt that Shen Qing was not worth mentioning in her heart.
Shen Qing also understood Concubine Xuan's attitude, and it was inevitable that they would gradually become estranged.
Perhaps she doesn't need to take the initiative. When she returns to the palace and is given the title of Zhaoyi, Concubine Xuan will probably not want to see her again.
After all, Concubine Xuan always called her "sister" with a confident look, so Shen Qing knew without thinking that Concubine Xuan believed that her position would not be higher than that of Concubine Xuan.
Shen Qing felt helpless. No matter what purpose Concubine Xuan had in trying to win her over, her hidden arrogance was well hidden. Did she really use her as a pawn?
Shen Qing secretly complained in her heart that the Queen used her as a pawn because of her high status. She was also the Queen's maid. But how could Concubine Xuan think that she could manipulate her with just a few words of kindness?
Just by winning over the heart? But winning over the heart is obviously her best method. As long as she wants, wouldn't the Queen and the Emperor be won over by her at some point?
The time in the hunting ground is short. In late August, the autumn hunting is coming to an end.
At the end of August, the team arrived in the capital. Defei and her entourage were standing at the palace gate, but Xianfei did not come. It was heard that the second prince was ill and needed personal care.
The Queen Mother took this opportunity to praise Concubine Xian.
Ji Chenyi nodded out of courtesy.
Afterwards, the emperor returned to the Qianqing Palace, and the empress dowager, the empress, and the concubines returned to their respective palaces.
After a rest, before the concubines in the harem could react, an imperial decree came down to confer the title of Zhaoyi.
This not only caught the concubines in the harem off guard, but also stunned Shen Qing.
Ji Chen said that he would confer the title upon his return to the palace, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.
After being stunned for a moment, she calmed down, suppressed her emotions, and knelt down to receive the order.
Listening to Qian Ji's penetrating voice reading out the imperial edict that she was already familiar with, she remained calm, and then followed a series of tedious procedures for receiving the edict.
She was arranged to live in Chengqian Palace, and no concubines lived in the side halls of Chengqian Palace.
Qian Ji said considerately, "The Emperor ordered the renovation of Chengqian Palace when he moved to the Mountain Resort. I think you like the layout there. Your Highness, please feel free to live there."
Shen Qing was helped up by Bai Tao, still feeling a little unreal: "Then I will go to Chengqian Palace now?"
"Your Highness Zhaoyi should call yourself this palace, but the Emperor said that you should receive his order and go see him before leaving."
Shen Qing nodded, thinking it was reasonable, and went to find Ji Chen as he knew the route.
Ji Chen was there just now, but he disappeared when the imperial edict was announced.
"Your Majesty?" Shen Qing stepped into the hall and called out to Ji Chen.
Before she got closer, she heard a sad voice belonging to Ji Chen.
"If Shen Qing shows any sign of excitement and can't wait to leave me behind and go to Chengqian Palace, I will never go to find her tonight."
Shen Qing smiled and said to Ji Chen that even if he didn't hide his words from others, he should at least speak in a low voice.
With it being so clear, she had to pretend a little.
"So the emperor is here." Shen Qing walked to the window. Her sweet smile slowly faded when she saw Ji Chen, and she looked reluctant.
Ji Chen reached out and stroked Shen Qing's furry head: "You have been conferred the title of Consort Zhaoyi, why don't you look happy?"
Shen Qing was shocked by Ji Chen's pretense, but he had to let Ji Chen complete the process that he expected.
She said sadly, "I can't bear to leave the emperor."
Ji Chen sighed, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or unhappy. He said helplessly: "But you can't always follow me without any status. Be good. Chengqian Palace is not far from Qianqing Palace."
【She can’t bear to leave me. 】
"?"
Shen Qing looked at Ji Chen in confusion, staring at his closed thin lips, and then his face suddenly brightened, as if he was comforted by Ji Chen's words.
But only Shen Qing knew that she heard Ji Chen's thoughts.
This guy who says one thing and thinks another!
Obviously he was the one who was reluctant to let go, but he tried to persuade her instead.
She didn't need to ask whether the mumbling voice she just heard was Ji Chen's inner voice.
Shen Qing took Ji Chen's hand, shook it, and asked with a smile: "Then will the emperor go to Chengqian Palace tonight?"
"On your first day in Chengqian Palace, I will go there."
After getting a satisfactory answer, Shen Qing bowed and said very seriously: "Then I will wait for the emperor in Chengqian Palace."
【Looks like a real person.】
Ji Chen hummed.
"Don't go yet, I have something for you."
Shen Qing, who was about to leave, stopped silently. Ji Chen went to find a locked iron box and handed it to her.
Shen Qing's hand sank: "What is this?"
Ji Chen handed her the lock as well. After she opened it, he said casually, "Some vulgar things."
Shen Qing had some guesses in her mind, but that didn't stop her from showing surprise when she opened the box and saw a whole box full of gold cakes.
A gold cake without any mark, which can be used at will.
Get rich!
Shen Qing looked at the golden cake with tears in his eyes, then looked at Ji Chen: "Why did the emperor think of giving me this?"
"A make-up birthday gift."
He had never forgotten what Shen Qing said before his birthday, that he liked vulgar things, but Shen Qing was by his side at the time. What was the difference between giving it to him then and transferring it from the left hand to the right hand?
Things are different now. Shen Qing has become a concubine and has her own storehouse. If she has no money to reward her servants, who can truly respect her?
Shen Qing was surprised and asked, "You still remember what I said casually?"
Ji Chen was helpless: "It's time to call myself a concubine. I have a good memory. I remember everything you said."
"I'm still not used to it. The emperor treats me so well." Shen Qing kissed Ji Chen's chin, "Bai Tao and Bai Ying are waiting for me. I'll go first."
Ji Chen acquiesced, and Shen Qing left, looking back every few steps.
After coming out, Shen Qing did not give the box containing the gold cakes to Bai Tao, but carried it all the way to Chengqian Palace.
The palace maids in Chengqian Palace were selected by the emperor, and Qian Ji was not involved in this matter, so it could only be Wang Jigui who selected them.
Wang Jigui would not cheat her, and he had a sharp eye. Shen Qing remained silent as she watched the palace maids bowing to her and calling her Empress Zhaoyi.
In fact, she was only a Zhaoyi with the imperial edict, and her title would be legitimate only after the canonization ceremony was performed on an auspicious day.
The palace maid didn't hear the order and kept her head lowered and her eyes submissive.
Shen Qing asked: "Who is the chief eunuch of Chengqian Palace?"
A fat white eunuch trotted out and said, "Your servant Wenxi greets the Empress Zhaoyi."
Shen Qing didn't quite recognize him, but when she saw two dimples on his cheeks when he smiled, she felt happy.
"Wenxi." Shen Qing called his name, "Then you will continue to serve as the chief eunuch of Chengqian Palace. If you have any questions, please find Bai Tao or Bai Ying. If there are special circumstances, please come to me."
Wenxi quickly agreed, with a smile on his chubby face all the time.
He hurriedly looked at Bai Tao and Bai Ying politely, and for a moment he could not tell the two apart. Even if he asked who was Bai Tao and who was Bai Ying now, he would probably get confused again after a while.
So he could only ask Shen Qing for help.
Shen Qing could recognize them. The one who was particularly calm was Bai Tao, while the one who was a little more alert was Bai Ying: "This is Bai Tao, and this is Bai Ying. After spending more time together, you will be able to tell them apart."
Wenxi blinked and said cleverly, "My servant greets the two sisters!"
Since I can’t tell the difference, just call you Sister Bai.
Shen Qing asked Wenxi to leave. Apart from that, he was not in a hurry to promote any palace servants. He first took Bai Tao and Bai Ying to visit Chengqian Palace.
Chengqian Palace was newly decorated and cleaned, but it was not ornate to the point of being dazzling. Instead, it exuded luxury in a low-key manner. All the utensils were exquisite and valuable, and yet when placed together, they made people feel comfortable.
Shen Qing really likes gold, but that doesn’t mean she wants to live in a golden place. Of course, a place to live should be comfortable.
She took out a gold cake from the box, handed it to Bai Ying, and said, "Break this gold into gold melon seeds. If there is any waste, just deduct it from the gold cake."
Bai Ying took it, with surprise in her eyes. She had thought Zhaoyi would be in financial difficulty for a while, but she didn't expect that she would give her a heavy gold cake...
"Yes." Baiying concealed her thoughts and agreed.
"Since the servants of Chengqian Palace have followed me, they should get some benefits to prevent them from being impatient. So I will give them three months' salary. Bai Tao, I will leave this matter to you."
Shen Qing wondered if her own small treasury was enough to cover this expenditure, and then she discovered that even the savings from her time as a palace maid were more than enough.
Moreover, Qian Ji had someone bring her big box from her residence in Kunning Palace to here.
In other words, she had all her money.
After handing over the full amount of money to Bai Tao, the palace servants who were standing silently in the hall couldn't help but become excited.
Their Zhaoyi is a generous person!
No wonder she could be Zhaoyi!
Shen Qing rose from the bottom, so he naturally knew how to win people's hearts. Because of the disparity in status, the palace people would remember a little bit of the master's favor, so why not do it?
Looking at the palace maids led by her, Shen Qing finally felt the reality of becoming a concubine.
But she would not be careless because of this. In the past, she could hear the thoughts of Concubine Du and the Queen because she was their palace maid. But now, she has become a concubine and can hear the thoughts of Ji Chen instead.
This shows that Ji Chen's status is higher than hers.
At this time, Shen Qing wanted to praise this golden finger. Even though their status were opposite, the lower person could hear the voice of the higher person, which made up for the gap in status between her and Ji Chen.
Knowing what Ji Chen was thinking, she knew that as long as she didn't seek death, she would not die.
In the past, she coaxed Ji Chen for a long time before he showed a good expression. After this, with the help of Xin Sheng, wouldn't she be able to control him?
Except that she had to pretend not to hear Ji Chen's thoughts and act stupid occasionally.
However, Shen Qing is very experienced in this regard. After all, she had Concubine Du and the Queen to practice with her. Concubine Du is not smart, but the Queen is a smart person with a sharp mind. Even so, Shen Qing did not reveal any flaws.
Bai Tao and Bai Ying went out to do some work, so Shen Qing took over the account books of Chengqian Palace and started looking through them.
The more she looked, the more surprised she was. All the jewelry she had used when she was with Ji Chen and the items awarded by the empress dowager were here, registered and stored in the warehouse. In addition, there were many other ornaments and rare antiques that she had seen Ji Chen play with.
Needless to say, Ji Chen must have taken some things from his private vault and stuffed them into her warehouse.
Shen Qing closed the account book and asked the palace maid beside her: "Is there anyone on duty in the small kitchen today?"
The maid nodded: "The small kitchen is always occupied every day."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing ordered a few dishes that both she and Ji Chen liked. In addition to preparing a surprise for Ji Chen, if the food cooked by the small kitchen did not taste good, she could also take this opportunity to ask Ji Chen to change a chef.
Shen Qing's eyes were clear and bright, and no one knew that this was what she was planning.
Even though a new queen came into Chengqian Palace today, everything was in order and calm. The palace servants were neither arrogant nor impatient, but from their spirits, it can be seen that they have hope.
But the other palaces were in an uproar.
The person was conferred the title of Zhaoyi by imperial decree just after noon, and the porcelain in all the palaces was broken in the afternoon.
Even in Kunning Palace, the queen accidentally dropped and damaged a jade ruyi.
Qing Gu picked up the jade ruyi, held it in his palm, and said worriedly, "My queen."
"She belongs to me, so I naturally hope for her well. But if she dares to betray me, then you will have to take action."
Qing Gu lowered her eyes. She had seen many people who had poisoned her subordinates, so she naturally knew what the Queen meant.
The Queen's attitude towards Shen Zhaoyi was probably complicated. She wanted her to live a good life, but she also didn't want her to live too well.
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