Not long after Yu Shu entered Zhong Cui Palace, the news reached Empress Rui's ears.
Today, the Empress also had a guest. At the Mid-Autumn Banquet on the fifteenth of the eighth month, Wei Guo Furen had claimed illness and hadn't appeared. Yesterday, she had invited herself into the palace. With this person's status, Rui Empress couldn't ignore her so she summoned her in the morning.
Wei Guo Furen had come to the palace for official business, not to chat with the Empress out of boredom.
Next month was Wei Guo Furen's birthday and it was a birthday. As the old mother of Dongjing Wang, this birthday banquet had to be organized. But she had other ideas about how to do it.
"Thanks to the Holy One and niangniang's favor, this subject's wife was able to return to Jing to recuperate. At this age, I should have children and grandchildren around me and enjoy my later years. But my disappointing son's fortune is too strong and I haven't been able to fulfill my wishes. Sigh, this subject's health has been deteriorating in recent years. If I delay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to see the day he has both a son and a daughter. "
Rui Empress looked at Wei Guo Furen, who was only a few years older than her, flaunting her age in front of her. She didn't feel comfortable but she still responded,
"It's your standards that are too high. Ben gong came to make this connection and you refused. I really don't know what kind of daughter-in-law you are looking for."
Empress Rui grumbled inside. Emperor Zhao Qing had given her this "good" job to matchmake the Prince of Dongjing, Jiang Huai Ying. But it wasn't so easy to choose someone that satisfied the Emperor and the other liked.
"Niangniang must be joking. This subject's wife came to the palace today to ask for a favor. Next month, I will be giving birth. Since it's only us mother and son going to Jing, it would be too lonely. So for the liveliness, I want to invite more young children to the wang fu to play. Niangniang, do you think it is possible?"
Rui Empress could see that Wei Guo Furen wanted to use the excuse of the birthday banquet to invite all the girls of suitable age to the fu and personally look at the talents. But she was afraid the commotion would be slandered so she specially came to the palace to report to her.
It had to be said that she had come at the right time. Because of Xue Guifei's pregnancy scare, Emperor Zhao Qing had flared up and she was worried that she wouldn't have a chance to resolve it. If she could resolve the marriage of Dongjing Wang, wouldn't it make up for her mistake?
Therefore, when Madam Wei mentioned it, Empress Rui gave her the green light:
"Why not? You just have to send out the invitation. How about this? After all, you haven't been back in the capital for long, so it would be inappropriate for you to invite some people. This consort will have Zhangshu give you some ideas."
Princess Chang Shu was the first daughter of Emperor Zhao Qing and Empress Rui. A few years ago, she had married the eldest son of Duke Qiu of the Tao Wen Guan. With her appearance, no matter what Dongjing Wang Fu did, no one would make wild guesses.
Wei Guo Furen smiled and stood to thank Rui Empress for the decree.
After coaxing Furen of the State of Wei away, Rui Empress heard that the female imperial official had entered the palace again. She knew that Yu Shu had gone to see Noble Consort Xue. Her face was expressionless as she turned to order the palace maid next to her:
"Ask Zheng Shanggong to come over."
Noble Consort Xue was pregnant and couldn't serve the Emperor at night. Next month's Book of the Great Earth hadn't been drafted yet. At this moment, she summoned the female imperial officials of the Kun Ling Bureau into the palace. This would definitely cause the consorts in the hougong to jump up and down.
It was a pity that Sun Guiren had already fallen out of favor. She couldn't distract His Majesty any longer. She didn't know who Zhong Cui Palace would sell to this time. She had to rearrange it.
.....
Yu Shu stayed at Zhong Cui Palace for lunch before leaving. The rules in the palace were strict. No matter how much she faced a beauty like Noble Consort Xue, she couldn't fill her stomach. She still had to smile and thank her.
Noble Consort Xue had summoned her this time. One reason was to tell her her birth date and the other was for next month's Book of the Great Earth.
For the latter, Noble Consort Xue didn't waste words with her. She straightforwardly told her that starting from next month, the arrangements on the Book of the Great Earth were for her to do as she saw fit.
What did it mean to do as she saw fit?
When Yu Shu first heard this, she didn't understand. It was the smiling Tao Momo beside Noble Consort Xue who reminded her, 'Official Yu, our Empress is pregnant. Starting from next month, she won't be able to serve His Majesty at night. You have to rearrange the extra days.'
It turned out that this was the 'iron discipline' that Empress Ningzhen had set for the women in the harem. In order to prevent pregnant concubines from being spoiled and arrogant, once a palace maid was pregnant, she wouldn't be included in the Book of the Great Earth from the month after she was diagnosed.
Speaking of which, Emperor Zhao Qing couldn't spend the night in Zhong Cui Palace until Noble Consort Xue safely gave birth to the dragon child and came out of confinement. Of course, no one could control whether he came or not during the day.
Then the extra days would be distributed to the other concubines. As for who to give it to or not, it would depend on Noble Consort Xue's mood.
But Noble Consort Xue asked her to do as she saw fit. What kind of instruction was this?
Yu Shu couldn't figure it out in the palace. After leaving the palace, she planned to ask Xue Rui for advice.
It was the middle of the afternoon when she arrived at the gate of the Supreme Court in a sedan chair. The sun outside was a bit scorching. She asked Xu Qing to go to the yamen first to see if Xue Rui was inside.
Not long after, Xue Rui came out. He had changed into casual clothes and was leading a horse.
Yu Shu stuck half her head out of the small window of the sedan chair and looked at him. "Are you free in the afternoon?"
"Yes. If you are free, let's go to the Tower of Forgetfulness."
"Alright, let's go."
Yu Shu was half the head of the Kunling Bureau after all. It wasn't a problem for her to occasionally miss work for half a day. The Supreme Court wasn't far from Bi Ma Street. On the way, one on horseback and the other in a sedan chair, they arrived after chatting for a while.
Sitting in the elegant room, they smoked a pot of good incense and changed into comfortable clothes, shoes, and socks. Yu Shu sat on the soft chair with her feet up. She held a piece of meat roll in her hand and ate happily.
"Big Brother, what do you think Her Ladyship means? How should I arrange for next month's Book of Earth?"
Xue Rui knew that she hadn't eaten her fill at noon in the palace and had someone go to the kitchen to bring some cooked food for her. Seeing that she was eating happily and her stomach was a bit noisy, he used chopsticks to pick up chicken shreds and rolled them into the egg pancake. He dipped the pancake in chili sauce and ate a few bites with her.
"Didn't Her Ladyship tell you to do as you see fit? Then you can make your own decisions."
Yu Shu poured a mouthful of wine and frowned. "It's easy for you to say. There are so many women in the Inner Palace. Just the ones that are attached to Guifei number at least ten. If Her Ladyship doesn't say, how would I know which one is honest and which one is restless? What if I promote a person with evil intentions and cause trouble for Guifei?"
In her understanding, Guifei Xue was in a palace drama of women scheming against each other. One careless move and the whole game would be lost.
Xue Rui looked at her groundless worry and couldn't help but laugh. He picked up the clean end of his chopsticks and lightly tapped her forehead. He said in a sweet voice,
"You're smart, but you're thinking too much. Let me tell you this, Her Ladyship is giving you a chance to fish for benefits."
Guifei Xue's pregnancy couldn't be listed in the Book of Earth. The entire Inner Palace was watching. Today, Yu Shu was called into the palace. It was equivalent to giving everyone a signal — —
If you want to show your face in front of the Emperor, come and find the Imperial Lady.
It was much easier for Xue Rui to translate Guifei Xue's meaning.
"You don't have to worry. Just wait. Whoever is sincere will naturally send them to you. You just have to do as you see fit. If anything happens, Her Ladyship in the palace will take care of it for you."
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