During the selection, the four concubines finally finished copying the scriptures. Before they had time to be happy, they found that Chu Xiang had eliminated the people they had arranged to enter the palace. Many of their spies in the palace had also been released for various reasons.
For a moment, it was as if they were blind and deaf. They had no source of information in the palace.
Chu Xiang made such a big move that the four concubines discussed and went to Taihe Palace together to ask for the punishment. Imperial Concubine Xi's father was the Minister of Revenue and had more power than Chu Xiang's father in the imperial court. She had never been afraid of her. As soon as she saw Chu Xiang, she showed her arrogant and despotic nature.
"Imperial Noble Consort, if you don't know how to deal with palace affairs, why don't you give up the phoenix seal? Don't make careless arrangements and make the harem restless."
Ever since Chu Xiang became a "favored concubine", she did not abide by the rules. She did whatever was comfortable. At this moment, she was wearing soft and loose clothes, leaning against the soft chair, holding a cup of hot milk and slowly drinking it. She was clearly dressed in a weak and harmless manner, but she was not at all intimidated by the four concubines in exquisite palace attire. Instead, she was calm and composed, as if everything was under her control.
Chu Xiang didn't even lift her eyelids as she spoke in an indifferent tone, "Imperial Concubine Xi has been in the palace for a year, right? He still hadn't learned the rules well. Hong Rui, tell Mother Qin to bring two people to Imperial Concubine Xi's palace to teach them the rules. If they can't learn, then don't come out. Otherwise, they will lose the imperial family's face and also the Qi family's face. "
This was Imperial Concubine Xi's lack of upbringing. Imperial Concubine Xi's eyes widened in disbelief as she said, "Imperial Gui Fei, you sure are awe-inspiring. Are you sizing up the imperial harem and bullying us because we are of a lower rank than you?"
The other three imperial concubines looked at each other, and Imperial Concubine Li was the first to lose her cool, as she said with a sour tone: "Imperial Noble Concubine is now favored by His Majesty and no longer has any regard for us younger sisters. I fear that us coming here today has been an eyesore to Imperial Noble Concubine."
Chu Xiang's stay in the harem was only temporary. She was not interested in scheming against them, but she also did not want to make so many enemies for the Chu family. Since Imperial Concubine Xi's family had sided with the Prince Regent, it was inevitable that they would oppose each other. As for the other three imperial concubines, she didn't plan to pay any attention to them. At this time, seeing Imperial Concubine Li like this, she smiled and said: "This One likes people that are tactful. Based on their status, they do what they want. If they do it correctly, how could they be an eyesore? Imperial Concubine Li is so beautiful. Just by looking at you, you'll be pleasing to the eye. Just stay and accompany this One for a meal.
Hui Fei meimei and Jin Fei meimei liked peace and quiet. It was better for them to go back earlier and find some fun to play with. Since His Majesty has handed over the matters of the palace to this consort, then this consort is the one in charge. If any of you have any objections, you can go to His Majesty. As long as His Majesty gives the order, this consort will definitely not dare to disobey. "
Chu Xiang waved her hand, and Hong Rui and Qing Zhu stepped forward to ask them to leave. Both Consort Hui and Consort Jin were arrogant people. Seeing this, they did not continue to pester them. They flung their sleeves and left with ugly expressions, preparing to go to Xiao Yuanzhao to think of a solution. Since the Imperial Noble Consort was using her status to suppress others, then they could only fight back after obtaining the Emperor's favor. Otherwise, they would only be punished like Imperial Consort Xi.
Of course, Imperial Consort Xi did not want to listen, but Chu Xiang only said "Granny Qin is His Majesty's person." Imperial Consort Xi could not continue to resist. At the same time, she was very shocked. She had only been copying sutras for a few days, yet Chu Xiang was already able to order around His Majesty's people? Did His Majesty really care about Chu Xiang?
She had only gone to cause trouble for Chu Xiang to test her depth. Now that she saw that Chu Xiang was being so stubborn, she decided to give up. She planned to talk things over with the Prince Regent. Unfortunately, Chu Xiang had released the people she had sent to deliver the message, so she was unable to send any news out for the time being.
She began to suspect that His Majesty had discovered that she was in contact with the Prince Regent. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that he would release the people she had sent to deliver the message?
But after she sent people to inquire about the situation in the palace and analyzed it carefully, she felt that this was not the case. Chu Xiang had released a lot of people. Some of them were related to the four imperial concubines, some of them were related to the favored concubines in the past, some of them were not outstanding in their positions, and some of them did not have any special status at all. It seemed that she had chosen a large number of people at random to make room for the new palace maids.
Therefore, she was more inclined to believe that Chu Xiang had taken advantage of the fact that there were not many concubines in the harem and there was no Empress to place a large number of her own people into the palace. This way, no matter how many concubines there were in the palace in the future, Chu Xiang would have the most people she could use.
Anyone who held the power in the palace would want to do this, but no one would do it because it was impossible to succeed. But things were so coincidental. The four of them were copying sutras and could not manage the selection. Chu Xiang just happened to enter His Majesty's eyes, so she could do whatever she wanted in the harem.
She had to admit that Chu Xiang had grasped the timing very well. She was at her wit's end. Unfortunately, Xiao Yuanzhao was busy with government affairs and was unwilling to see them. She wanted to go to Xiao Yuanzhao and say something about Chu Xiang, but she couldn't. There was no way to complain.
Chu Xiang used the Heaven and Earth Mirror to see Imperial Concubine Xi's expression changing as she imagined it. Then, she held her anger and learned the rules from Nurse Qin. She felt very happy. She had been a normal person for a long time, so her temper was much better than when she was a devil cultivator. At that time, if someone dared to question and ridicule her in front of her, she was afraid that they would turn into ashes in the blink of an eye. Now, she could still treat it as a joke. She felt that she had become kinder.
But of course, she also knew that this was just her self-proclaimed kindness. Imperial Concubine Xi would definitely not think so. But she wanted to be like this. She was too lazy to quarrel and scheme with them every day. No matter what schemes they had, she only cared about using her strength to defeat them. Anyway, the Emperor needed her now. If she didn't use her power to bully others, she would be unworthy of the Emperor's favor.
This time, Chu Xiang replaced many palace servants. She also sent Hongrui and Qingzhu out of the palace. She replaced them with Ziyu and Ziyue, who were sent by the Chu family. They were all outstanding servants of the Chu family. They had only been in the palace for three days, but they had already figured out the situation in the palace. They did things with ease, so Chu Xiang didn't need to worry at all.
Chu Xiang's actions made the Regent very unhappy. The assassination he had arranged for a long time before was ruined by Chu Xiang. It would be even more difficult to arrange it again. In addition, the Emperor was very strict when investigating the mastermind behind the scenes. He had no choice but to push out a few of his own people to take the blame, which had already damaged his power. Now, the chess pieces he had placed in the palace were also removed by Chu Xiang. If he hadn't found out that Chu Xiang just replaced his people by a large number of palace servants, he would have thought that Chu Xiang was deliberately targeting him.
In the beginning, he supported the Emperor to the throne and didn't take the throne himself because he wanted a good reputation. He controlled the harem, hoping that the Emperor would die, be disabled, or be muddle-headed in another name. Then, he would be able to take the throne legitimately.
As a result, the arrangement of the harem was completely ruined. For the next few days, the Regent's face was black in the court. His people also targeted Minister Chu.
However, Minister Chu received Chu Xiang's words and knew that the Emperor wanted to promote him. Naturally, he had to perform well. He arranged people to accuse the Minister of Revenue's family of crimes, including money laundering, selling official positions, forcing good people to die, and so on.
Xiao Yuanzhao sat on the dragon throne. When he heard someone report these things, he glanced at Minister Chu without a trace. Chu Xiang only asked Minister Chu to target the Qi family a few times, and Minister Chu got so much evidence. It seemed that he was more capable than what he had shown. Or he had been collecting useful evidence before, and was just waiting for the right time to release it.
No matter which one it was, so much evidence was enough for Minister Qi to suffer. He couldn't escape the blame for not managing his family strictly.
Minister Qi didn't expect that Minister Chu would point the sword at him and suddenly be so bold. He changed from being wise to protect himself to being aggressive. He wasn't prepared. Facing Xiao Yuanzhao's inquiry, he naturally couldn't explain clearly.
Xiao Yuanzhao glanced at the Regent's ugly face and said with a heavy face, "Minister Qi didn't manage his family strictly. He allowed his family's children to bully the people, sell official positions, and endanger the court. From now on, he will reflect in the manor … "
Before Xiao Yuanzhao finished, the Regent interrupted him, "Your Majesty, you are wrong. The people who committed the crime are Minister Qi's family. They deceived Minister Qi. Minister Qi is busy with court affairs every day. How could he know what they did in private? I'm afraid that Your Majesty's punishment will chill the hearts of the court officials. "
Minister Chu took a step forward and cupped his hands, "Regent, you worry too much. We are loyal to Your Majesty because of Your Majesty's order. We dare not have the slightest selfishness. We will not be disappointed because Your Majesty is thinking for the people. Otherwise, how can we be officials in the court?"
The Imperial Uncle, Imperial Censor Chen, made an excuse, "That's right. The court officials are the role models of the people. If they can't even manage their own family well, how can they work for the court? Work for the people? If Minister Qi neglects the family rules because he is busy with work, then I think that Minister Qi can't bear the heavy responsibility and can't take on the responsibility of the Minister of Revenue. It's better to change to a lighter job. In this way, you can have both government affairs and family affairs. Isn't it perfect? "
These two people were the people that Xiao Yuanzhao could trust wholeheartedly now. With them echoing the Regent, Xiao Yuanzhao was in a good mood. He asked with a slight smile, "My two beloved officials are right. The important officials in the court have always been the capable ones. I'm afraid that Minister Qi can't take on the position of the Minister of Revenue. What do you think, Regent? "
The Regent's face turned green. They had finished what he wanted to say, and the evidence was there. If he refuted, wouldn't he be pestering endlessly? They had tied him up in public. He didn't expect that the Chu family really dared to stand on his side. They had eyes but couldn't see and went against him.
He glanced at Minister Chu with deep meaning and said coldly, "Since the Emperor has decided, I have no objection."
Everyone could hear his displeasure, but Xiao Yuanzhao didn't appease him like before. Instead, he looked at Minister Chu with satisfaction, "My beloved official, you have both talent and virtue. The children you have raised are both intelligent and brave. It's a waste of your talent to take care of these chores now. My beloved official will take over the position of the Minister of Revenue and sort out the accounts for the past three years. You will also be given three months to take back the money borrowed from the national treasury. There can't be any mistakes. "
"Yes, I will follow your orders." Minister Chu still looked indifferent. He was neither surprised nor happy, but it made many people pay attention to him. This person used to be quiet, but they didn't expect him to amaze the world with a brilliant feat. First, his daughter saved the Emperor and became the Emperor's favorite concubine. Then, his son also became a close official. Even he himself squeezed out Minister Qi and grabbed the money bag of the imperial court.
The new official made three clean fires when he took office. The Emperor ordered him to sort out the accounts. In the future, the examination and approval of the money needed for the operation of each department would be strict. They had to find something to do. Which department dared to give Minister Chu a hard time? They would have to respect him. Compared to the situation where he was almost a mere figurehead in the Ministry of Rites, it was really good.
For a moment, some people felt it was a pity. Why didn't they have a daughter like Chu Xiang? Once favored, the whole family would gain power!
Xiao Yuanzhao was very happy to get rid of Minister Qi. During this time, he had been secretly eliminating the Regent's power, paving the way for getting rid of Minister Qi. However, the Chu family's actions still helped him. They cooperated with him in the open and in the dark.
He was going to celebrate with his beloved concubine. At this time, he was even happier to see his beloved concubine's hypocrisy.
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