"I haven't been sleeping well lately, always fearing that another Dong E-shi will appear."
Su Mala Gu comforted her from the side, "Your Majesty knows what kind of person His Majesty is. He grew up watching the mess in the harem and knows it very well. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry."
With a sigh, the Empress Dowager said, "I hope so. It's just that I think the Emperor has spoiled Consort Shu a bit too much. Putting aside other things, she even punished the girl from the Tong family. The Emperor must have some feelings for her too."
Su Mala Gu disagreed: "If you ask me, Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. Although His Majesty punished the Imperial Noble Consort, it was only according to the palace rules. There was no confinement. I think His Majesty didn't punish the Imperial Noble Consort because of Consort Shu. The Imperial Noble Consort, being in this position, has indeed gone too far in her actions. Before she was promoted, she knew some limits, but she started acting like this before her rank was even officially established. His Majesty probably intended to give her a warning."
Sumalagu's idea is good.
Then she added, "Furthermore, I noticed that His Majesty's attitude towards Consort Shu is rather strange. He dotes on her, but she is only a Noble Lady in rank, and he hasn't even given her a title. Although Jiangxue Pavilion has a nice name, it is a small place, and it is next to the Imperial Garden. It is not far from Qianqing Palace, but it is not close either. There are not enough servants to serve her. Consort Shu did not ask for it, and His Majesty did not give it to her on his own initiative. She doesn't seem like someone like Dong E Shi at all."
After careful consideration, the Empress Dowager realized that it was true: "As I get older, I think too much, and I'm becoming a bit obsessed."
"Master is still very young!"
"Your face has so many wrinkles you could hold a piece of paper in it, and it's not even that big!"
“This servant noticed that Master’s face is so smooth it’s almost reflective.”
The Empress Dowager chuckled, "Reflecting light? You're turning into an old monster."
"What old vixen? My master is a fairy."
"He's spouting nonsense again."
“What I’m saying is the absolute truth.”
Before long, Sumalagu had made the Empress Dowager smile from ear to ear, and she stopped thinking about those troublesome things.
November arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather turned cold. Youqing, who didn't like going out to begin with, became even more of a homebody.
The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the room. Sangzhu looked at the flames in the charcoal brazier and smiled from the bottom of her heart: "The charcoal sent by the Imperial Household Department is all top-quality silver charcoal. Not only is the quantity generous, but there is no smoke at all. The room is warm and cozy, and we don't have to freeze anymore."
It's no wonder Sangzhu sighed; before Youqing transmigrated, Sangzhu had already spent a winter with the original owner.
Last winter was exceptionally difficult for the master and servant, who had no power or influence and little money in Jingyang Palace. Not only was there a shortage of charcoal, but it was also of inferior quality. The fire room was barely used to light the stove, and no one knew how the Imperial Household Department managed to obtain it.
The fire inside was so pungent that it was impossible to stay inside. Sangzhu used all the charcoal fire to boil water outside. Then, with a little effort, she bought a few hot water bottles from the Imperial Household Department. The master and servant barely survived the winter with the hot water bottles and a few old cotton quilts.
Thinking of this, Youqing said, "Take some silver and have Li Zhi make a trip to the Imperial Household Department to buy some silver charcoal. The weather is getting colder and colder, so you mustn't catch a cold."
Emperor Kangxi bestowed silver upon her several times over, and since she was not short of money at the moment, she was quite generous.
Sangzhu goes without saying; we've been through thick and thin together, so we can't treat her unfairly. The others are also being served diligently. A little silver charcoal won't take much effort.
Sangzhu and Chengying, who were inside the house, quickly expressed their gratitude.
The lives of servants in the palace were not very valuable. Generally, silver and charcoal were given to their masters. Unless they received a favor, they really couldn't use them. If their masters were willing to give them some face, they were naturally very happy.
When Li Zhi found out, he ran happily to the Imperial Household Department in the freezing cold, feeling warm inside, thinking that he had followed the right master.
He was originally a servant in front of the emperor, but he didn't have much contact with the emperor. He wasn't exactly marginalized, but he wasn't outstanding either. Later, he was selected by Liang Jiugong to come to Jiangxuexuan.
At first, I was resistant, but as time went on, I got used to it. Jiangxue Pavilion was quite nice. The young master was kind to people, disliked trouble, didn't cause any problems, and was also favored. He was generous to the servants below him, which was better than living a life of constant anxiety in front of the emperor.
While serving the emperor may offer a promising future, one must also be alive to fight for it.
On his way to the Imperial Household Department, Li Zhi felt that he was lucky. He thought he would find a way to send a gift to Chief Steward Liang later, whether it was to express his gratitude or something else, he couldn't let this relationship be broken.
Li Zhi, who used to serve in the Emperor's court, had some influence within the Imperial Household Department. Upon seeing him, the staff quickly stepped forward: "It's been quite a while since we've seen Eunuch Li. We heard that you've gone to work at Jiangxue Pavilion, which is a very good place."
"It may have been a long time since we last met Eunuch Liu. How have you been lately?"
"Thank you, not bad. May I ask if Eunuch Li has any instructions from Consort Shu today?"
When faced with a favored concubine in the harem, the people of the Imperial Household Department went to extremes to flatter and fawn over her.
“The weather has been getting colder lately, so the young master sent me to buy some silver charcoal.”
“But the people below are not careful. The silver charcoal sent to Jiangxue Pavilion is less than expected. Your Excellency, tell me who it is, and I will definitely punish him.”
Li Zhi hurriedly said, "Eunuch Liu has misunderstood. Jiangxue Pavilion has enough silver charcoal, but the young mistress is afraid of the cold, so we bought some more to take back."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Liu breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't the Imperial Household Department that had been negligent.
"I wonder how much silver charcoal you need. I'll send someone to deliver it to you."
Li Zhi mentioned a number, which wasn't much. The Imperial Household Department had some savings, so it was easy to come up with it. Li Zhi gave a lot of silver, enough to buy all the silver charcoal. Eunuch Liu also benefited from it, so in the end, both sides were happy.
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