The Empress Dowager always had to order her around, but Shen Mingzhuang didn't think anything of it. She even reprimanded a palace maid from Cining Palace who was gossiping that the Empress Dowager didn't treat Consort Ming like a human being, saying, "The Empress Dowager trusts me. If I catch you spreading rumors like this again, I'll cut out your tongue and make you apologize to the Empress Dowager!"
When the words reached Yin Rong's ears, she merely curled her lips in a mocking smile. She wanted to see when Shen Mingzhuang would reveal his true colors.
In the following days, she sent people to keep an eye on what Consort Ming was doing.
Fu Gui'er reported, "Consort Ming instructed the kitchen staff to prepare only light and oil-free dishes, saying that the pharmacopoeia states that no oily or greasy food is allowed when Your Majesty takes your medicine."
"Consort Ming ordered all the flowers and plants in Cixi Hall to be moved from the Imperial Garden, saying that the Empress Dowager is not in good health and that if you see those beautiful flowers, you will worry about your fading beauty. So no more flowers are allowed to be sent here."
"Consort Ming also said that the Empress Dowager is concerned about the country and its people, and has ordered the Imperial Household Department to reduce the amount of gold and silver ornaments sent to her by half..."
"Consort Ming, she..."
...
"Shut up!" Yin Rong finally couldn't hold back any longer and interrupted Fu Gui'er with a dark expression.
For the past two weeks, everything Shen Mingzhuang has done at Cixi Palace has successfully annoyed her.
The dishes sent from the small kitchen were bland and tasteless, and she lost weight from eating them. She ordered Shuangxi to go to the small kitchen and ask the imperial chef to cook her a big meal of fish and meat to satisfy her craving, but Shen Mingzhuang discovered this and ordered all the dishes to be thrown away. He also ordered the imperial chefs who cooked the dishes to be punished.
Just thinking about it made her heart clench with anger. She had clearly intended to make things difficult for this arrogant and ignorant concubine, but instead, she had her life in someone else's hands and suffered so much in less than a month, while she herself was becoming more and more radiant and energetic.
She's not just causing trouble for others, she's letting a wolf into the house, only to benefit that slut Shen Mingzhuang!
Shen Mingzhuang soon received news that the Empress Dowager had recovered from her illness and that she could return to Huan Palace without having to come and serve her every day.
Although she was being released from prison, Shen Mingzhuang still had to subtly express her reluctance to part with her. However, Empress Dowager Yin wished she could just sweep her away with a broom. Looking at her pretentious act, she felt her temples start to throb again.
These days, spending every day in Cixi Palace, Shen Mingzhuang felt that his mood had been ruined by that wretched old woman, so he decided to treat himself properly.
Back in the Hehuan Palace, Shen Mingzhuang washed her hands and then lay down on the soft, pink kang bed by the window. The soft, pink color was very relaxing. She asked Tan'er to massage her legs and took out the storybooks she had brought into the palace. She ate some noodles and read the storybooks at the same time.
"This is the life a person should live!" Shen Mingzhuang sighed contentedly, his eyes glued to the storybook without even blinking.
She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice when Tan'er left.
"The young master quickly carried Lady Xie onto the kang (heated brick bed)..."
The sound from beside her startled Shen Mingzhuang, who was engrossed in the story, almost making her jump. She frowned slightly as she looked at Jiang Wang, who had appeared out of nowhere, and angrily punched him in the chest with her embroidered fist, "You scared me to death!"
Jiang Wang laughed loudly, bent down and picked her up, whispering in her ear: "The eldest son of the Jiang family quickly carried the young lady of the Shen family onto the kang, and even stirred her heart with his hands."
Shen Mingzhuang never expected Jiang Wang to use what she had just learned, her ample hands circling and making her tremble all over...
The next day, a message came from Cixi Palace that the Empress Dowager would be staying home to worship Buddha for the next few days and would not see anyone, thus exempting all the palaces from sending greetings.
Shen Mingzhuang smiled and agreed, knowing full well what was going on.
The things she had done these past few days, using Cixi Palace as a front, must have really annoyed the Empress Dowager. Now that the Empress Dowager needed to rest and figure out how to deal with her, she naturally wouldn't be so tactless as to try and get closer to her.
Yesterday's intimate moments left her with a slight ache in her lower back. Shen Mingzhuang stood up, rubbed her back, and stretched her limbs. Tan'er entered and said, "Your Highness, the old lady of the Shen family has come to the palace to pay her respects. Would Your Highness like to see her?"
The imperial harem of Tianzhong Kingdom has a strict system. Consorts below the rank of concubine are limited to a certain number of visits per month, while those above the rank of concubine can visit according to palace rules.
Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He had already left the Shen family, but he still had to pretend to be friendly with them. It was really tiring!
The old matriarch has already entered the palace, and she is her nominal grandmother, so how could she not see her? Unless she thinks the Empress Dowager can't find any fault with her, and the officials in the Censorate are too idle.
She met Madam Shen in the main hall of the Hehuan Palace.
However, after only a few months, Madam Shen seemed to have aged more than several decades. Her hair was completely white and she wore no adornments. She was dressed in a plain indigo vest, which looked rather too simple. As Shen Mingzhuang looked at her, he began to ponder.
People don't visit the palace without a reason. The old lady is so old, yet he still insists on coming to the palace to see her. To outsiders, it looks like a deep bond between grandmother and granddaughter, but in reality, he doesn't do it without a reason.
What could possibly worry the old lady? Considering what has happened in the court recently, there's no doubt it must be related to the Lu family of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
"Is Your Majesty still in good health? I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
The old lady was about to give Shen Mingzhuang a grand salute with Tian Mama's help, but Shen Mingzhuang gave her a look, and Tan'er and Zhu'er immediately stepped forward to help the old lady up.
"Grandmother, please don't shorten your granddaughter's lifespan. There are no outsiders here, so let's keep things simple."
Madam Shen stood up and repeatedly said, "Etiquette must not be disregarded," before sitting down.
The old lady first asked her about trivial matters such as whether she was used to life in the palace, then paused and changed the subject, asking, "How does His Majesty treat you?"
Isn't this a rhetorical question? If Jiang Wang had treated her badly, why would he have directly bestowed upon her the title of Mingfei? Such blatant favoritism would be impossible for the Censorate to impeach.
Shen Mingzhuang lowered his head and smiled faintly, "His Majesty treats me very well."
She answered politely, and the way she smiled and lowered her eyes, in the old lady's eyes, was shy and timid, a common posture for a newlywed. The old lady immediately knew that the two of them must be a harmonious and inseparable couple.
She thought for a moment, then pondered, "Ninth Sister, I wonder if His Majesty has mentioned the Lu family to you?"
Shen Mingzhuang shook his head, looking bewildered, and asked, "What happened to the Lu family?"
Madam Shen stared at her intently, as if trying to determine whether she was pretending or genuinely unaware.
Shen Mingzhuang has been in the entertainment industry before. If she can't even fake this much, she would have starved to death long ago!
Old Madam Shen sighed softly and told the Lu family, somewhat sadly, what had happened: "Half a month ago, the second master of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, the second master you call your second cousin, Lu Shizhong, passed away, leaving behind only an orphan and a widow. The Rongguo Duke's Mansion is sparsely populated, so I thought it would be better to let your fifth cousin marry into the Rongguo Duke's Mansion."
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