Chapter 380: Ni Yuanlu's Worry
Concubine Shun came in to pay her respects to Concubine He, and also greeted Concubine Huang Shu. Although they were both concubines, Concubine He was naturally of higher rank than her, and Concubine Shu was of higher rank than Concubine Shun. So Concubine Zheng Shun had to pay her respects to both of them!
Concubine He quickly said with a smile: "Get up, sister! There are not so many rules here. We are all family, so why bother?"
"Sister is right, we are all family and should not have different opinions. We all have miserable lives, so please sit down quickly!" said Concubine Huang Shufei.
Concubine Shun thanked her and sat on the brocade stool brought by the palace maid. She said, "I came here just to see how the two sisters are doing! My father got some oils from overseas, and they're very cheap. I'll ask the imperial physician to come and see if they can be used on the two sisters!"
"Okay, okay! Thank you very much for your kindness, sister. Last month, my father sent me some bird's nests for beauty and skin care. When you leave later, please take some back to try!" said Concubine He.
Concubine Huang Shu was not to be outdone and said, "Grandfather sent me a pearl necklace. I am pregnant now and it is not appropriate for me to wear it. I will send someone to deliver it to your palace later."
The three women were testing each other's limits. Concubine Shun said, "Thank you so much, sisters. If my father gives me anything good in the future, I will definitely share it with you two sisters."
"This good thing should not only be shared, but if there is anything happening or any news in the palace, we will also share it with my sister." Concubine Huang Shufei said.
"Yes! Sister Shufei is right. We have to support each other. Otherwise, we are weak and alone in this deep palace. Don't let others get the chance to bully us." Concubine He said.
"Sister, you know! If my two sisters give birth to a prince, I think I will let my father support my sisters' children outside." Concubine Shun said.
"Good, good!" Concubine He said good twice in a row.
In Kunning Palace, Liu Rushi followed Princess Kunxing to meet Empress Dowager Lu Ling.
"I greet the Queen Mother!" Liu Rushi said with a salute.
"Get up quickly! I've heard that Miss Liu is both talented and beautiful, and it's true when I see her today. You and the admiral fell in love because of a poem, and the news has spread all over the world." Lu Ling said.
"Holding on to the green mountains without letting go, its roots are originally in the broken rocks. No matter how many times it is beaten, it remains strong, no matter which direction the wind blows!" Lu Ling suddenly recited the poem that Zhao Xiaokun wrote when he took Liu Rushi away on the flower boat.
"And there's another poem: Thousands and millions of petals, countless, fly into the Qinhuai River and disappear!" Lu Ling recited another poem. She had grown up among the common people and loved stories about talented men and beautiful women.
"Haha, these two brothers can only write some poems to make girls happy, that's how they tricked our Mr. Liu into getting his hands on them. Look at their terrible handwriting, how can they be said to be talented men?" Princess Kunxing couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh! I never thought that the burden of the Ming Dynasty's revival would finally fall on a few of us women. I wonder what Taizu would think when he knew it. I am a person with little knowledge. I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child and have not read many books. I learned reading and writing when I was with the late emperor. Master Liu is knowledgeable and knowledgeable. Before, he and Master Qian..., I shouldn't have said this. But without him, I guess Master Liu could only talk about the affairs of the court on paper!" Lu Ling said.
"It's okay, Queen Mother. I know my identity. Everyone in the world knows what happened in the past. There is nothing to hide." Liu Rushi said.
"You need to pay more attention to court affairs in the future. If you are not sure, you can ask me and Her Royal Highness the Princess." Lu Ling said.
"It's the Queen Mother." Liu Rushi said.
"That's all I have to say. You and the princess can go and get busy!" Lu Ling said.
Princess Kunxing took Liu Rushi to a side hall. Inside, a few memorials lay scattered on the imperial desk. Several palace maids and eunuchs were sorting them, and Liu Rushi approached and began to read.
Several palace maids and eunuchs were about to stop them, but when they saw Princess Kunxing's dissuading look, they immediately stepped back and let Liu Rushi watch.
Liu Rushi was indeed a good candidate for a secretary, and she immediately reclassified the memorials.
Military matters should be placed in the middle, civilian matters on the left, and official promotions and demotions on the right. Other unimportant matters should be divided into another pile, and each pile should be prioritized. Urgent matters should be placed at the top, and those that take longer to complete should be placed at the bottom.
Princess Kunxing was very pleased with the memorial. Liu Rushi read it for Kunxing, highlighting the key points and then waiting for Princess Kunxing's comments before making her comments. The two of them worked together quickly, their efficiency much higher than before.
Li Zichu also recruited some literate women from the public and sent them to the palace. These women were mostly daughters of officials, well-educated, well-mannered and elegant.
But now, either their husbands or their families have been killed in the war. Many of them harbor deep hatred for the Jianlu and the bandits, and were even captured by them as concubines. For them, even though peace is now a reality, they find it difficult to live well. No one will marry them after being humiliated, and those around them still point fingers at them.
Even if they wanted to work, they would not. Some women even asked to go to the Jiaofangsi to make a living.
Li Zichu searched through these women and found about 200 of them. He examined their health and eliminated 20 women who were in poor health or had illnesses. In the end, there were 180 women in the palace.
These 180 people still have to undergo a month of training by Liu Rushi, who has put a lot of thought into the training of these newcomers.
These women were all well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, so basic training was unnecessary. The main goal was to familiarize them with government affairs so they could handle them quickly. They needed to understand how to handle specific issues and how to respond to the cabinet.
He also circulated some revised memorials to them so that they could get into the role more quickly.
Cabinet ministers like Ni Yuanlu and Yang Tianhe also felt that the memorials submitted to the palace had been approved very quickly and efficiently, with some proposals even being as good as those of those who had served in the government for many years.
Especially in some engineering budget expenditures, it is more detailed.
Ni Yuanlu and Yang Tianhe sensed something was amiss. Ni Yuanlu asked, "Has anyone entered the palace recently?"
"I heard that Qian Muzhai's former concubine, now the concubine of the governor of Jiangnan, was sent to the palace. The Jinyiwei also found some women who had studied the Four Books and Five Classics in many places, and asked Liu Rushi to train them to help the Princess Regent and the Queen Mother review memorials." Yang Tianhe said.
"What? What are they going to do? They are going to cause cholera in Chao Gang. They are going to produce another Wu Zetian!" Ni Yuanlu said gritting his teeth.
"Brother Ruyu, don't be angry! The Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness the Princess just want to make government affairs smoother and faster!" Yang Tianhe persuaded.
"That won't do! This is a way to bring disaster! Now the sons are young and the mother is strong. If they continue to monopolize power, another Wu Zetian will immediately appear in my Ming Dynasty!" Ni Yuanlu said excitedly.
"Empress Dowager Lu is not capable of being Wu Zetian!" Yang Tianhe said. Based on his understanding of Empress Dowager Lu, she was not capable of that.
"I'm talking about Princess Kunxing!" said Ni Yuanlu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
