"What did you say, Duan Wang succeeded the throne?!" Liang shi stood in front of a blue-tiled farmhouse, her face pale as she looked at her nephew. For her, this news was the greatest nightmare. She muttered in disbelief, "How could it be Duan Wang, then what about Rui Wang? Rui Wang? "
Liang Hong looked at his aunt's state and sighed: "Because Rui Wang made a ruckus in front of xiandi's memorial, everyone was displeased. Luckily, the Emperor was benevolent and didn't punish him heavily. He was only punished to kneel in front of the memorial hall and repent."
"Wasn't Rui Wang the most favoured by xiandi? Why is it like this?" Liang shi stumbled. A beat later, she started to cry, "Then what about Su'er, what should she do?" Now that Rui Wang couldn't become the Emperor, Su'er was still a qie. What good days would she have in the future?
Liang Hong saw that his aunt was crying so hard, he didn't know how to comfort her. In the beginning, he hadn't approved of biao mei becoming a qie. Now that Rui Wang Fu had lost power, biao mei as a qie, would the rest of her life be comfortable?
He looked at the blue-tiled farmhouse behind his aunt and couldn't help but think of the three biao mei of Chang De Gong Fu. Da biao mei had married Duan Wang. Now that Duan Wang had succeeded the throne, da biao mei was definitely the Empress. But it had to wait until the mourning period was over before she could be truly titled. Er biao mei might have been a shu daughter, but after the Qu Family fell, a wealthy xiucai married her. In the end, it was the third biao mei that had been raised by his aunt that became a qie that people looked down on.
Was this karma for jiufu disregarding everything to marry his aunt? Liang Hong took out a small bag of silver from his bundle: "Aunt, our entire family is preparing to move back to our old home in Xi Jun. Take this silver." He saw Liang shi standing woodenly and shoved the silver into her hands, "Now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne, he will pardon some people. I've already sent people to investigate. Uncle will be released from the Heavenly Prison soon. At that time, you should live well. I will bid farewell to you here."
He had lived in the Qu Fu for a long time. Now that his entire family was leaving, he could only leave behind this small bag of silver.
"Biao ge is leaving?" Qu Wang Zhi walked out of the room. He was wearing a dusty coarse cloth robe, his hair a mess, looking extremely disheveled.
Liang Hong looked at his cousin and cupped his hands, "Goodbye, take care."
Qu Wang Zhi watched as biao ge left, the terror in his heart growing. Even biao ge's family had moved away. Da jie, who had been harshly treated by their mother, was going to become the empress. Could their family still live? He suddenly felt some resentment towards his mother. If his mother had treated his elder sister better, they wouldn't have ended up like this.
Liang shi unwillingly looked in the direction of the Imperial Palace and turned her head to look at her wretched son. Unable to breathe, she fainted. Before she sank into darkness, she saw her son's panicked and helpless eyes.
In the future, the Imperial Palace was a busy mess. All of xiandi's houfei had to move out of their original residences. It was fine for those who had been favoured and had children, but they had to move to a place in the hougong specially made for the taifei to live. Those who didn't have children and didn't have the rank of a fei could only move to a temporary palace in the Jing suburbs to spend the rest of their lives.
Qu Qing Ju looked at the list of xiandi's taifei and carefully counted them. There were more than twenty who had status. Other than those who had children and had high status, the remaining twelve were going to move to the temporary palace. As to those who had been favoured by xiandi but didn't have status, according to the old method, they would all be sent to a Taoist temple in the Jing suburbs to become Taoist nuns, with no hope of ever coming out.
Qu Qing Ju sighed and closed the list in her hand: "According to the rules of the ancestors, these favoured women must be sent to a Taoist temple?"
Qian Chang Xin looked at the list that niangniang had closed. He bowed and replied: "Niangniang, this is the usual practice. It isn't necessary to send these girls who have been favoured into the Taoist temple as nuns."
"If that's the case, then arrange for these people to go to the temporary palace in the Jing suburbs. The temporary palace might not be as comfortable as the palace, but it's better than the poor Taoist temple," Qu Qing Ju furrowed her brow, "If more people go in, even though it will cost more every year, but there's only so many people, how much can be spent?" A Taoist temple full of nuns wouldn't have any incense. Going to a place like that, it was no different from suffering. As a woman, she didn't have the hobby of making things difficult for other women.
Qing De Emperor had been Emperor for decades and had favoured all these women. Under this kind of dynasty background, he really couldn't be considered lustful.
"Niangniang is benevolent, nucai will send the orders," Qian Chang Xin took the list and then took out a map from his bosom, "Empress Dowager has already moved from Kui Yuan Palace to Chang Ning Palace. This is the map for the renovation of Kui Yuan Palace. Does niangniang need any changes?" This Muhou Empress Dowager had moved away, the new owner was this one in front of him.
Qu Qing Ju took the map and glanced at it. She felt dizzy looking at the horizontal and vertical lines. She said: "I'll take a look at the map first. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Qian Chang Xin didn't say more. After stating that the Emperor was coming over for the evening meal, he retreated.
Qu Qing Ju stood at the window in the back hall of Tian Qi Palace. She could see Kui Yuan Palace on the same axis as Tian Qi Palace. These two were the only palaces built in the center and the distance between the two palaces was the closest. But the previous owners of these two palaces were like strangers, respectful of each other like ice. Even in death, they didn't have any feelings.
She had heard Jin Zhan narrate what had happened when xiandi had died. Jin Zhan was very eloquent. When she spoke of the scene, it was as though she had been there. Because of this, Qu Qing Ju felt that it wasn't easy to be a member of the hougong.
The Empress' calm rationality, Shu guifei's loss of composure, Jing guifei's heartbreak, and even Wen guipin and An guipin who hadn't even entered the gates of Tian Qi Palace.
Qing De Emperor had died holding Jing guifei's hand. Some people said he had left with a smile on his face. Qu Qing Ju didn't understand. Wasn't Qing De Emperor's true love Shu guifei? Why, in the end, was he thinking of Jing guifei's kindness?
And who was that "Chan'er" or "Chan'er" that xiandi kept saying? Was it Jing guifei or another woman?
On the day of the Emperor's burial, Qu Qing Ju and He Heng wore mourning clothes as they escorted Qing De Emperor's body to the Imperial Tomb. Then they knelt to the east and knelt to the west. When He Heng recited the eulogy, Qu Qing Ju knelt down and cried like everyone else. When the funeral ended, she felt as though her legs weren't legs anymore, her eyes almost turned into slits. The numb mourning clothes on her body could be wrung out of them.
By the time they returned to the palace, it was late at night. Qu Qing Ju soaked in the bathtub before she felt alive. Just as she finished dressing, she saw He Heng come in wearing a plain robe.
When He Heng entered the room, he saw that Qu Qing Ju had a tired expression, but she hadn't been burned by the scorching sun. His heart relaxed. He took the cotton cloth from Mu Jin's hands and helped Qu Qing Ju dry her wet hair: "It's been hard on you these past few days." He sighed, "After a few more days, the people from the fu will be brought in. How will their positions be decided, do you have any ideas?"
According to the rules, other than the di wife, the other women of the new Emperor had to wait at least twenty-seven days after xiandi's death before they could enter the palace. The formal title would have to wait at least three months. But no matter what, what had to be arranged had to be arranged. Even if they couldn't be promoted immediately, they had to decide who would be given what rank, and where they would live.
Qu Qing Ju snatched the cotton cloth from He Heng's hands and slowly wiped her hair herself, "They are Emperor's feipin, I can't decide."
Looking at the other's distant brows, He Heng's heart was slightly bitter. He sighed and pressed down on Qu Qing Ju's hand that was drying her hair, "They are just feipin of the hougong. You are my Empress, the woman that will accompany me for the rest of my life. Of course, these things can be decided by you."
Qu Qing Ju suddenly smiled. She threw the cotton cloth to one side and looked at He Heng, asking: "Emperor, do you mean what you say?"
Even though Qu Qing Ju used a joking tone to say these words, but He Heng strangely felt that the other's question was especially serious.
His heart shook. He looked at her and solemnly nodded his head. He bent down and kissed her forehead, "What I said is all true."
Qu Qing Ju silently lowered her face. Then her eyes changed and she smiled, declaring: "Since Emperor says so, then in the future, I will decide the positions of the beauties in the palace." In any case, she had already decided to live one happy day at a time. It wouldn't change now.
How long He Heng could tolerate her, how long she would be arrogant. When the day came that He Heng couldn't tolerate her, at worst, she would just die.
Who didn't die in life? It was just a happy death or a sullen death.
Detecting the other's inexplicable liveliness, He Heng didn't understand why she had changed so quickly. But the depression in his heart disappeared without a trace. He once again smiled as he picked up the cotton cloth to dry Qu Qing Ju's hair.
"Jiang shi's birth might not be as good as Feng shi, but she is very steady and knows when to advance or retreat. Why don't you promote her to fei and let her live in Yu Ping Palace. Luo shi is silent and honest. She is suitable to be a third-grade guipin. Han shi was the first to serve you, but her birth is too low. Why don't you make her a fifth-grade liangdi? As to Feng shi, her birth might be good but she was demoted from ce fei to shiqie. I don't have any good feelings towards her. Her rank, Emperor, can decide for yourself. " Qu Qing Ju very frankly expressed her likes and dislikes. As to what He Heng thought, she was too lazy to care.
He Heng really hadn't thought that Qu Qing Ju would directly say to him that she didn't like a certain shiqie. Seeing that she didn't care what he thought, he was in a good mood as he said: "We'll do as you say for the others. As to Feng shi, since you don't like her and I don't like her, then we'll make her a seventh-grade cairen. She's an old member of the wang fu, it's not appropriate for her to be lower than seventh-grade. "
Towards He Heng's last sentence that was like an explanation, Qu Qing Ju glanced at him: "That's what you, Emperor, decided, it has nothing to do with me."
"It's not that I don't like her, what does it have to do with you," He Heng rubbed her hair. Finding that it was almost dry, he reluctantly stood, "It's late. You've been out in the sun all day, go to sleep early."
Because of the mourning period, they couldn't even stay for long in private, much less tong fang. Qu Qing Ju smiled as she watched him leave through the door of the rear hall. She reached out to brush her hair, the smile at the corner of her mouth becoming more evident.
In the thirty-fourth year of Qing De, Qing De Emperor of the Da Long Dynasty passed away. The second imperial son succeeded. Because xiandi had just passed away, the new Emperor was greatly grieved and expressed that he would continue to use Qing De as his yuanzheng and would observe mourning for three years. The officials were moved by the Emperor's filial piety, but the Emperor was so busy and noble. Observing mourning for three years was harmful to the body of the dragon and not beneficial to the country. So after the entire court begged countless times, the new Emperor reluctantly agreed to replace the years with months and observe mourning for three months.
Because of this, the new Emperor went to xiandi's memorial tablet many times to ask for forgiveness and offered incense every day. This action was praised by the scholars of the world and many wrote books about it to show the filial piety of the new Emperor.
No matter what happened at court, a month after xiandi passed away, Qu Qing Ju finally ordered for the shiqie of Duan Wang Fu to be welcomed into the palace.
Of course, other than He Heng and a few of the personal attendants, no one knew that the rank and palace of these shiqie wasn't decided by the Emperor, but by the Empress.
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