coobybook Chapter 128: Mei Zhuang jumps into the pit, and the wife and concubine live in harmony
Chapter 128: Mei Zhuang jumps into the pit, and the wife and concubine live in harmony
This method is indeed a good one. It can reduce losses and avoid corruption in the procurement process.
However, by doing this, Concubine Shen would offend many people, and this is not a solution that a smart person would come up with.
The emperor had some doubts in his heart about letting Shen Meizhuang be the housekeeper. He even doubted whether she could really manage the harem and take away the power in Concubine Hua's hands.
An Lingrong frowned slightly when she heard this.
This idea sounds good, but if you think about it carefully, there are many problems with it.
Originally, the food ingredients for each palace were purchased and distributed on the same day. Although there were some cases of corruption, the prescribed amounts were there and no one dared to go too far.
Moreover, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and food ingredients are difficult to preserve and basically cannot be converted into silver, so even if someone deliberately withholds some things, at least every palace servant can get something to eat.
But if the reforms were carried out in the way Shen Meizhuang did, there would be even more money to be embezzled.
At the same time, the palace servants, who are at the lowest level and the largest in number, may very likely face the situation of having nothing to eat. If this goes on for a long time, there will be complaints in the palace.
In the end, Concubine Shen had no choice but to lose the support of everyone. If Shen Meizhuang could always remain in favor, she could keep her position, but once she fell out of favor, her life would probably be more miserable than others.
An Lingrong subconsciously glanced at Shen Meizhuang, who looked confident, with some worry, wondering whether she should say these words.
Now that she has a close friend like her sister, she has become more relaxed about friendship and will not force herself to come between Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang.
After all, not everyone can treat her equally like her sister does. Although Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang didn't say it, she could see that they were not that close to her.
If I rashly tell Shen Meizhuang these words, she might not listen to me, and she might even think that I am deliberately picking on her. Wouldn't that be a loss?
So An Lingrong did not speak directly, but turned her attention to Zhen Huan. She did not believe that Zhen Huan, who was so smart, could not understand the strangeness of the problem that she could see.
"Sister, you are very thoughtful. I am not as good at management as you are."
Zhen Huan did hear that something was amiss, but she, like Shen Meiyu, was a lady from a noble family. It was naturally difficult for her to consider the issue from the perspective of a lowly servant, and naturally she was not able to discover the most fatal problem like An Lingrong, who had experienced so much hardship.
So Zhen Huan smiled brightly and joked to the Emperor and the Empress.
An Lingrong keenly caught the flash of doubt in Zhen Huan's eyes, but quickly concealed it, without any trace of doubt on her face.
This made her original hesitation in talking to Shen Meizhuang disappear instantly.
Since Zhen Huan also saw the problem here, but she chose not to say it out loud, then there was naturally no need for her to worry about it.
Thinking of this, An Lingrong suppressed the emotions in her eyes and kept smiling, playing the role of a good supporting role.
"Well, I've had a headache these past few days, luckily Concubine Shen is here to help me."
When the Queen saw that Shen Meizhuang not only jumped into the pit but also added a handful of dirt to herself, she could hardly hide the smile on her lips.
As a bystander who had not said much, An Lingrong was the first to notice the strange smile that flashed across the queen's lips, which made her feel a little strange.
It seems that the queen is not as kind and merciful as she appears.
How many women who can survive in this palace are easy to mess with?
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. If it weren't for the Queen's constant guidance, I would never have been able to learn so much, let alone achieve what I have now."
As Shen Meizhuang listened to the Queen's praise, the smile on her face became even brighter.
The solution that they came up with after much thought during this period did not disappoint the Emperor and the Empress.
The emperor was playing with the bracelet in his hand and shook his head in his heart after listening to Shen Meizhuang's words.
"You are young, you should gain more experience."
Among those selected to enter the palace now, only Shen Meizhuang and Xier are the most suitable candidates. However, Xier's cold and aloof personality is really not suitable for doing these mundane things. What's more, she herself is really unwilling to do so, so the only one who can be used for the time being is Shen Meizhuang.
He really couldn't bear to see this suitable chess piece of the other party being wasted so easily. After all, if she suffered a big setback at the very beginning, then even if he was willing to give Shen Meizhuang a chance in the future, the other concubines in the palace would certainly not agree.
So he couldn't help but remind Shen Meizhuang, hoping that she would be smart enough to understand what he meant, avoid this matter, and honestly follow the Queen to learn more skills.
"But this kind of experience also depends on people. You are doing very well."
Of course, it doesn't matter if the other party doesn't understand his hints. At worst, he can just find someone else. Moreover, if this matter is done well, it is not completely without benefits. The money saved can also make up for some of the war expenses. He will not lose out anyway.
"Your Majesty, are you referring to me?"
Zhen Huan noticed that the atmosphere was a little off. Although she didn't know what was going on, she still took the initiative to speak jokingly despite the pressure.
"I have never been smart since I was a child, and I am not very good at housekeeping."
Zhen Huan looked at the emperor's face carefully, and only felt relieved when she saw that he was amused by her.
"Look at her little mouth. She's so eloquent and yet she says she's not smart."
The emperor smiled and looked at Zhen Huan and said.
"Then the emperor is not talking about sister Wan, but about me, the concubine?"
At a time like this, An Lingrong naturally would not just stand there and say nothing. She took over the conversation with a smile and glared at the emperor while speaking.
"Look, Queen, all of these concubines who entered the palace through the selection are very sharp-tongued."
The emperor was tempted by An Lingrong's glance and spoke with a smile.
"The sisters who entered the palace that day were carefully selected by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so I think they are all good."
The queen smiled gently, looking like a dignified and majestic queen.
"No wonder you little girls are getting more naughty now that you have the Queen to protect you."
The emperor smiled and looked at the queen and said.
He was very satisfied to see the harmonious scene among his wives and concubines in the harem, which gave him a sense of accomplishment.
Yikun Palace
"Greetings to your Majesty."
But as soon as Concubine Cao finished her words, Concubine Hua snatched the fan from Songzhi's hand and threw it at Concubine Cao.