Emperor Kangxi took Consort Qi's suggestion to heart and summoned his court officials to consider the matter carefully.
The first person summoned was naturally the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.
Shuntian Prefect Xiong Yixiao felt uneasy. He carefully reviewed the major cases that had recently occurred in Shuntian Prefecture and wondered if it was some prince from the imperial clan who had caused trouble outside. Oh, and the guards mentioned that the Emperor seemed to have left the palace before... Perhaps he had encountered some case?
The news from the palace had already reached the court officials.
It is common knowledge that the Emperor has been in a bad mood lately. How to avoid being ravaged by the Emperor's storm is a question I need to think about carefully later.
Xiong Yixiao frowned.
The position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was held by the Emperor's trusted confidant, and reaching this position, though not without its challenges, offered considerable potential. Xiong Yixiao naturally harbored his own ambitions and aspirations… but now, it seemed those ambitions were about to crumble halfway? He felt uneasy, yet his outward appearance remained strong and composed.
Calm down, calm down.
Xiong Yixiao's face was already stern, and this stiff expression made him look like a demon. Before even seeing the emperor, he startled the officials beside him. Several officials pressed their wildly beating hearts, secretly groaning in their hearts.
Judging from Xiong Yixiao's posture...
Could it be that they're planning to file a complaint against someone? Or have their own rascals caused trouble in the streets again? The officials were on tenterhooks. When they turned around and saw their sons loitering around doing nothing... they decided to give them a good beating first, regardless of the consequences.
The spoiled brats: ...? ? ?
These are matters for later; at least for now, Xiong Yixiao walked heavily into the hall, lightly flicked his sleeves, and knelt on one knee: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
"Please rise, Xiong Aiqing."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiong Yixiao stood up solemnly. He was still trying to discern the situation from the Emperor's voice and tone. The Emperor's voice was calm, and his tone was not very volatile... It seemed that he was not angry?
Xiong Yixiao breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Of course, as soon as the emperor's voice rang in his ears, he became apprehensive again.
Xiong Yixiao's expression was serious... his expression was strange... and his demeanor even carried a hint of confusion and helplessness. He looked up at the Emperor, blinked his small eyes, and after a long silence, Xiong Yixiao finally mustered his courage to ask again: "Your Majesty's meaning is—"
"Public disposal of excrement is prohibited."
"..." How on earth do you even ban this thing?! Xiong Yixiao was going crazy. He never imagined that as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he would have to deal with such matters. After a long silence, Xiong Yixiao could only awkwardly ask, "Your Majesty, what should we do?"
Xiong Yixiao froze after she finished speaking.
Where can we ask the Emperor how he did it? Isn't that like an old man hanging himself—tired of living? The Emperor is the one who issues the orders, but of course, they are the ones who do the actual work.
Xiong Yixiao felt a jolt in his heart.
Before Kangxi could speak, he immediately added, "Your Majesty, I speak presumptuously. I will immediately discuss and study several plans that will surely satisfy Your Majesty!"
Kangxi opened his mouth.
He had originally intended to reveal Consort Qi's idea, but he held back for the time being, nodding with a smile and intending to see what Xiong Yixiao was capable of.
Wait a minute? It might not just be Xiong Yixiao's.
After Xiong Yixiao left, Kangxi summoned several officials and ordered them to devise a solution to the problem of filth in the capital.
It is forbidden for ordinary people to throw excrement into the toilet!
The courtiers looked bewildered and stumbled as they walked out.
Who knows about this?
Countless court officials tossed and turned, suffering from splitting headaches, but Emperor Kangxi, perched high on his throne, was in a good mood.
Secondly, there's another good thing.
During the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, Wu Sangui's army was thrown into chaos, with many enemy soldiers either scattering and fleeing or surrendering. It was clear that morale was low and the army was in a state of utter despair.
We must be especially careful at times like these.
Emperor Kangxi issued several imperial edicts, ordering the frontline troops to be cautious and vigilant, and to strive to eliminate Wu Shifan and his associates in one fell swoop.
Emperor Kangxi was very busy.
At this moment, the concubines in the harem had no time to care about whether Consort Qi had fallen out of favor.
Everyone noticed.
The problem now isn't that Consort Qi has fallen out of favor, but that the Emperor doesn't even enter the harem anymore! Apart from his morning and evening visits to Cining Palace, even the Empress hasn't exchanged more than a few words with the Emperor. As for the news that Consort Dai had given birth to a healthy little princess, the Emperor didn't even show up.
What... what exactly is going on?
The concubines were restless, and Lady Daijia felt a deep bitterness in her heart, but after the bitterness, she also breathed a sigh of relief. Lady Daijia never mentioned to anyone that she had dreamed of giving birth to a prince with a crippled left leg, and that she had to endure decades of cold stares and ridicule before she could turn her life around.
When Dai Jiachang woke up, she was terrified and covered in a cold sweat.
Look at how coldly Consort Tong was treated after giving birth to the Seventh Prince, what about herself? She was overjoyed to see the healthy little princess. Consort Duan, who was originally a little disappointed, was also infected by her joy and happily began to raise the little princess.
Consort Duan and Consort Dai left the battlefield with little presence. As for Wan Anran... she had been wondering if the palace servants would put on airs after hearing that she had fallen out of favor...?
Unfortunately, she waited and waited but never saw him.
Wan Anran puffed up her cheeks in anger, slamming her hand on the table with a loud thud, exclaiming with disappointment, "How can these palace servants from the Imperial Household Department not even have this much courage?"
The monthly allowance arrived so promptly and in such a timely manner that Wan Anran even felt it was a bit too much. After counting her allowance, she paced around her bedchamber unhappily.
"Master, what's wrong?" Hai Tao asked, puzzled. After Wan Anran explained her thoughts, she was immediately amused by her master's words: "Master, you really don't think of anything good, just random things."
"...Hmph." Wan Anran ignored Hai Tao and turned around to use Ju Bai to inquire around.
You won't believe it until you check, and what you find will shock you.
Ju Bai was both amused and exasperated: "When the palace servants from the Imperial Household Department saw me go to ask, they were so frightened that they all knelt down and kowtowed, saying they were innocent."
Wan Anran was somewhat curious.
Ju Bai continued with a grin, "The people from the Imperial Household Department said that the allowances sent to Chuxiu Palace over the past two months were all personally overseen by Her Majesty the Empress." Let alone neglect, the Imperial Household Department wished for as much as possible, and as good as possible.
Moreover, there's Consort Qi's father there too.
Granny Zhao chuckled, "Not to mention Her Majesty the Empress, with the Fifth Prince and the Master around, who in the palace would dare to neglect you, Master?"
Wan Anran was still somewhat melancholy.
She rested her elbows on the table, propped her cheeks up, and hummed softly. What shocked Wan Anran even more was that the rumors had also alarmed the Empress Dowager. Before the Emperor could speak, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial edict, praising Consort Qi for her virtuous character, respectful nature, and filial piety, and granting her the rank and privileges of a consort.
Aside from Consort Duan, whose entire heart was set on the little princess, and Consort Xi, whose entire heart was set on Consort Wei, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi were all devastated.
Where is it that you've fallen out of favor?
It's clearly a sign of excessive pampering!
Consort Hui was so angry that her heart, liver, and lungs ached.
Consort Rong's expression was complicated as she let out a long, leisurely sigh.
As for Consort Yi, she was in a bad mood and summoned Consort Guo to give her a severe scolding: "...Since the Fourth Princess is being raised in Cining Palace, you should go there more often and bring some honor to Yikun Palace."
Consort Guo bowed her head in response.
A bitter smile touched her cheeks, and she wept uncontrollably upon returning to the inner palace. The young maidservant serving her was both distressed and frustrated: "The Empress Dowager summoned her several times when she returned from the West Garden, but Consort Yi claimed illness to grant her permission each time..."
"Dengcao, stop talking..."
Consort Guo stopped the little palace maid's nagging and, twisting her handkerchief, muttered, "At least... Consort Yi has agreed now, hasn't she?"
Guo Guiren's sisterly feelings had long since cooled.
Ever since her youngest daughter was taken to Cining Palace, Consort Yi had ignored her completely. After finally managing to build some rapport in the West Garden, she had almost no chance to speak with her after returning to the palace. She was utterly disappointed in Consort Yi.
If I weren't a benefactor...
Consort Guo felt that she might end up like Consort Zhang and Consort Qing in the back courtyard, without even having the chance to leave Yikun Palace.
Consort Guo had also seen the two of them. Consort Zhang and Consort Qing had become like two statues, spending their days in the Buddhist hall except for the morning and evening greetings. Who would remember that they were once favored concubines?
She didn't want to end up like Zhang Changzai and Qing Yingying.
Consort Guo didn't want her beloved daughter to have to fawn over Consort Yi in the future, calling her "Mother." She lowered her head and composed herself: "...After all, it was my sister who asked me to serve the Empress Dowager and be filial to her...isn't that right?"
This unexpected opportunity.
Consort Guo will never let go!
The chaotic affairs of the palace had no effect on Kangxi. With matters of state piling up one after another, Kangxi's ambition was fully ignited—simply put, he had no time to visit the harem.
After processing the battle reports from the front lines, Xiong Yixiao and the others also submitted their own memorials.
Without investigation, one wouldn't know, but once investigated, the industry of recycling garbage, kitchen waste, and excrement immediately came to everyone's attention. Don't underestimate this seemingly lowly work; quite a few people have amassed fortunes of millions by collecting and selling discarded items.
Xiong Yixiao carefully examined the ancient books and discovered that there was an institution in the Song Dynasty that was specifically responsible for this matter.
The name of this organization is: Street Office.
The workers earn a monthly salary of two thousand yuan and wear a blue shirt. They are responsible for repairing roads, draining waterlogged areas, sweeping streets, and maintaining the city's appearance. There are also dedicated night soil collectors who come to collect and take away the garbage to be further processed outside the city.
This profession was abandoned by the imperial court in the previous dynasty and managed by the common people, which remains the case to this day. The problem with this management by the common people is that the organization is loose. The eastern and western districts, where the wealthy and powerful gather, are cleaned up quickly and neatly, while the northern and southern districts, where there are more poor people, are mostly abandoned because the roads are narrow and transportation is difficult, and there are too many houses.
Look up further.
Xiong Yixiao was surprised to discover that people had been making a living from this since the Tang Dynasty. In fact, after nearly a thousand years, they had either progressed or regressed. After much deliberation, he proposed at the Grand Court Assembly that the city should learn from the street cleaning and management methods of the Song Dynasty and carry out a major reform of the city's road management.
Both the courtiers who knew about this matter and those who didn't were stunned. They had no idea that there was such profound knowledge involved in this thing.
Even Emperor Kangxi was somewhat surprised.
After consulting ancient books, especially the ones Xiong Yixiao had explained, he was surprised to find that it was indeed true. In fact, there were also personnel in the Ministry of Works responsible for these urban planning matters, but the Ministry of Works and Shuntian Prefecture were separate entities, and their different powers could not be matched.
After careful consideration, Emperor Kangxi allocated this department to the Ministry of Works, establishing the Street Management Office, specifically responsible for urban planning, construction, and renovation. Their first task was to collaborate with the Shuntian Prefecture to manage the cleanliness of the capital.
At this point, Emperor Kangxi recalled a phrase that Consort Qi used to often repeat: "It is important to clean up dirty and messy environments in a timely manner, and to handle filth and pay attention to hygiene. This is of great help in preventing and controlling epidemics."
Ever since that serious illness, Consort Qi has been very particular about hygiene and cleanliness since she moved from Xianfu Palace. It goes without saying that since then, whether it was Yinzhuo or Yinzhen, or Consort Xuan and Consort Qi themselves, or even the people of Xianfu Palace and Chuxiu Palace, they have all been healthy and rarely sick.
Emperor Kangxi felt that this was also related to the matter.
The court officials solemnly agreed, and seeing that the Emperor was concerned, the Ministry of Works was also busy, and together with the Shuntian Prefecture, they carried out a major cleanup of the capital.
Not to mention, during the registration process, more than a hundred dangerous buildings were discovered, or some people without road markings and whose identities were unknown were found, which was an unexpected bonus.
For a whole month, Kangxi was constantly busy. After he finished dealing with this, he took the Crown Prince to Jingling to pay homage to Empress Renxiao.
When she re-entered the harem, it was already July.
Kangxi's first stop was naturally the Kunning Palace, where he mainly discussed the upcoming tour to the border regions with the Empress. Only later, after being reminded by the Empress, did he recall the news that Consort Dai and Consort Wei had each given birth to a daughter and a son.
Emperor Kangxi beamed with delight: "Are they all healthy?"
The Queen nodded emphatically, beaming from ear to ear: "They're all healthy!"
The palace has lowered its requirements considerably.
Alive and healthy, regardless of gender, are all good. Not to mention how popular the fifth princess born to Consort Dai was, even Consort Wei, who dared to give birth to the eighth prince, became the focus of everyone's attention.
Speaking of this, the Empress also took the opportunity to remind him, "Shouldn't His Majesty be promoted a bit...?"
Kangxi thought for a moment and said, "Increase the reward by 30%, and we'll discuss the promotion later."
The Empress smiled and agreed.
Emperor Kangxi picked up his teacup and took a sip. Having a rare moment of leisure, he felt inclined to dine and chat in the Kunning Palace. He gave a few instructions, then noticed the Empress's hesitation. Kangxi asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Empress?"
“Your Majesty… Consort Qi sometimes speaks too bluntly,” the Empress said tentatively.
Kangxi: ...?
He thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does the Empress mean... that I should teach her a lesson?"
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