The whole family of villains criticized her wildly, but the princess treated her with medical treatm

Preparations for the Empress Standing Ceremony are in full swing.

Mu Tingxue spent 50 taels from her private treasury as a dowry for Mingyue for the ceremony.

In order to prevent officials from the Ministry of Rites from being corrupt, she also specially selected two old accountants from the branch office of the Ministry of Household who were proficient in accounting to supervise the matter. All accounts should be transparent and verified.

This made Li Jing and his younger brother very angry.

"What a ghost in the daytime! What are you doing, princess? You have appointed two old men like this, holding abacuses in their hands all the time, clattering there to settle accounts." The left minister of the Ministry of Rites complained incessantly.

Li Jing pretended: "Oh, I will have a clear name for the rest of my life, how can I be that scoundrel who eats dirty food?"

For example, a ceremony like the appointment of a queen, which is second only to the emperor's coronation, has extremely rich opportunities.

For example, the queen's phoenix robe has a lot of room for manipulation. It was made by three hundred embroiderers and twenty painters of the Weaving Bureau and Monk Clothing Bureau. The phoenix robe worn by the founding empress Xiaowen cost 10 taels of silver, while the fifth When Empress Zhuang Su was enthroned, she kept everything simple due to the locust plague, and the phoenix robe only cost 8000 taels.

For example, the pear wood tables used for grand ceremony banquets require the corners to be covered with gold. If the corners were secretly replaced with gold-plated brass, no one would lie down on the ground and study the corners of the table.

For example, in the Bell and Drum Yayue, thousands of musicians purchased thousands of sets of musical instruments and quietly exchanged old ones for new ones. Sheng, pipes, flutes, flutes, drums and zithers were wrapped with big red flowers and colorful silks on the outside, and no one would notice.

As long as you work hard, you can spend 50 taels of silver, at least 20.

Fortunately, the eldest princess actually sent two golden abacus, which were biting like crazy dogs. In the morning, the head of the etiquette department who was responsible for purchasing the ingredients for the ceremony couldn't reconcile the account because the mutton was [-] kilograms short. Now he is gone. Squatting in Zhao Prison.

"When the water is clear, there will be no fish."

The left minister of the Ministry of Rites kept shaking his head, "The eldest princess is just looking for bones in the eggs and deliberately looking for trouble. Not to mention the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, there are eighteen big yamen, dozens of small yamen, and tens of thousands of officials in Yundu. Which is not a story."

Li Jing suddenly became angry: "If she insists on fighting, the Ministry of Rites will not sit still and wait for death, and will not let her have an easy time!"

Two hours later.

The wife of the Minister of Rites, the third-grade Li Lu family, received the message from her husband from the housekeeper. She immediately prepared gifts and set off to visit the harem.

The Lu family is also a famous family in Yundu, one of the seven prominent families.

There was a concubine in the Lu family. There were no high-ranking officials in the court, only a fifth-rank Zhongshusheren.But her family was very wealthy. They were in the business of rouge, gouache, and hairpin beads. The most famous jewelry shop, Zhihongzhai, belonged to her mother's family. The popular Xiangxue across the country was also made by Lu.

Because the regent abolished the system of burying palace concubines, there are still twelve concubines from the previous dynasty in the harem.

Concubine Lu entered the palace at a young age and had a low status, but she was wealthy and popular.

The concubines had nothing to do and often went to Concubine Lu's yard to drink tea and chat.

"Sister Lu, have you heard? In a few days, a queen named Yan will come to the harem. Hey, life will probably be difficult then." Su Tai Fei shook a gold clay bone fan with a sad look on her face. Full face.

Concubine Lu took a sip of the hot tea and said, "Sister Su is a very upright person. I'm afraid she will do something. The Yan family can't keep this secret forever."

Concubine Li, who had finished her confinement, said with a string of relic beads wrapped around her hand: "From now on, we will still have to be taken care of by Queen Yan and Queen Mother Yan."

These words sounded ironic and mocking Laman.

"Eldest sister, my little sister is here to visit you——"

As soon as Mrs. Li Lu entered Concubine Lu's courtyard, she saw three people sitting beside the wooden window with carved patterns. She immediately showed a very warm smile and said, "What kind of auspicious day is today, so that I accidentally entered the house like this?" He hit Xiao Penglai and bumped into the Guanyin Queen and the Peony Fairy at the same time."

Empress Guanyin is the nickname of Concubine Li.

Concubine Su's real name was Su Shao. When she first entered the palace at the age of 17, the late Emperor came to her and praised her appearance as being like the Peony Fairy descending from the earth.

"Mrs. Zhijun's mouth is as sweet as honey." Concubine Su covered her lips with a fan and giggled. This flattery was very useful to her, "You are already old, how can you still act like a fairy? Will talk nonsense."

The wife of the county is the imperial edict of a woman of third rank.The first person Yan Ze asked for a title for Mu Tingxue was Mrs. Suchen County.

Li Lu's family, because her natal family Zhihongzhai's business was so good, she took "Zhi" as her title.

Li Lu had a naughty nature, and while exchanging cups and cups with the three concubines, he had already praised them from top to bottom, from inside to outside, from individuals to three generations of their ancestors.

Concubine Su and Concubine Lu were laughing so hard that even Concubine Li, who was extremely depressed after being deprived of her title, smiled for the first time in a long time.

Li Lu remembered Li Jing's explanation and asked her maid to bring over three mahogany brocade boxes: "This is Zhihongzhai's new jewelry, one hundred and eight natural coral beads with an jade necklace, and a six-petal lotus-shaped jade ring. , precious stones and golden hairpins, presented to the three empresses."

Concubine Su was extremely moved. Although her natal family had military power, they were far away in the southeast and could not see each other for several years.

She lived a somewhat poor life in the harem, and she never bought any more jewelry since the death of the late emperor.

Since Concubine Li was deprived of her title as County Lord, she no longer has a house to live in. She was also fined a salary by Empress Dowager Yan. How could she not be happy to see expensive jewelry now?

"My sister has a heart."

Concubine Lu was the first to accept the offer. She had originally saved this situation, and she and her younger sister cooperated internally and externally. "She was so considerate of us old people from the previous dynasty who were forgotten and unpopular in the palace."

Mrs. Li Lu deliberately showed surprise: "Eldest sister, why do you say this? Why are you so unpopular?"

"Princesses, we haven't purchased any jewelry for six years." Concubine Lu held up the old silver hairpin on her forehead and sighed, "All the ones we use now are extremely old. The appointment of a new queen , according to the rules, 20 taels of silver should be allocated to create new heads for the concubines in the harem, but this time, for some reason, there is no intention of giving us new jewelry."

As expected, the expressions of dissatisfaction appeared on the faces of Concubine Su and Concubine Li.

Li Lu hurriedly answered: "Speaking of this, I heard your husband mention it. It was said that Her Royal Highness the Princess is now in charge of the treasury purse. She specifically explained that she saved 20 taels of silver for the jewelry of the harem, saying What... increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

"Hey, she does know how to save money, but it's our fault."

Concubine Su continued to sneer, "Are the twelve concubines in the harem so incapable of being judged by her eldest princess?"

Li Lu continued to fan the flames: "Isn't that right? I heard that the eldest princess was very generous and generous to her cousin, Queen Yan, who was about to be crowned. Just weaving that phoenix robe cost 20 taels, with flat gold The golden embroidery method embroidered hundreds of birds facing the phoenix, hundreds of luan birds, which were double-faced and lifelike. Five-color coats and golden rosy hats, it was called a rosy cloud with thousands of rays of light and phoenixes sparkling in color. The most important thing is, that The phoenix has different colors when viewed in the sun, in the moonlight, in the room, or under the shade of a tree. It looks magical. Even an average-looking woman with only a five-point beauty can be instantly elevated to a ten-point beauty by wearing it. .”

No woman can resist the temptation of 20 taels of silver and beautiful clothes.

After Mrs. Li Lu's embellished lies, the three late emperor's concubines, who were lonely in the palace and had lost their youth, all wanted to put on that gorgeous phoenix robe themselves. They were jealous of the new empress Yan Mingyue, and they were dissatisfied with the eldest princess. The hatred of giving money has also reached its peak.

Li Lu took out nine more jewelry boxes: "Please bring them to the other nine empresses in the harem, just to show your filial piety."

A woman with a foreign destiny cannot stay too long when she enters the palace to see her concubines.

Having achieved her goal, she left the palace and returned home.

Who told the eldest princess, that bitch, not to allocate 20 yuan to give the concubines in the harem headgear?

If it were dialed, relying on her husband's relationship with the Minister of Etiquette, this big deal must belong to her Lu family!Zhihongzhai jewelry shop is the best in Yundu.

Jewelry is a hugely profitable industry, and the cost is less than one-tenth of the cost. From this large order of 20 yuan, the Lu family can earn at least 18 yuan.

"If you don't let the Lu family earn this 18 yuan, you will become a thorn in the side of the entire harem! Princess, this is your blessing."

*. *. *

"You actually spread rumors in the harem to slander me?"

Mu Tingxue looked at the message on the table from Eunuch Huang, the governor of the East Factory.

Eunuch Huang, Huang Wenruo, a murderous look flashed in his eyes: "This Li Lu family is clearly causing trouble for no reason. On the surface, she is instigating the twelve concubines to be hostile to you, but in fact, she is inciting twelve aristocratic families to enmity against you. "

Mu Tingxue sighed: "Why didn't this princess earn the 20 yuan for her Lu family? Blocking people's way of making money is like killing their parents."

Huang Wenruo said contemptuously: "This Li Lu family thought she was perfect, but she didn't know that the moment she stepped into the palace gate, she was already targeted by the Dongchang's servants. What kind of organization is Dongchang? She can only move. The third-grade foreigner woman who fangs the flames with her talk has no authority. Why do you think she can avoid the detection of Dongchang with just her little tricks?"

Mu Tingxue was convinced.

What kind of house fights, palace fights, and those petty tricks can avoid Dongchang's surveillance?

Whenever a prisoner is being interrogated in Tianlao, Dali Temple, or Zhaojia of the Ministry of Punishment, a Dongchang officer must be there to monitor and record what confessions were made, what punishments were used, and even how many times the criminal cried, "Father, Mom," or "Mother". A few drops of blood have clear records; Zhongshu Sheng, Menxia Sheng, Shangshu Sheng, Liu Bu, Jiu Qing's Office, these yamen, how many people go in every day, how long they stay there, and who they talk to are all There are records of the Dongchang clan; there are seven gates in Yundu, and suspicious people come and go, which family member went to the fireworks place to pick up which girl, which court official slept with which concubine at home, and even seven businesses The prices of a pound of rice and the price of a bunch of candied haws on the street are also compiled into books.

As for this information, all of it will appear on the table of Eunuch Huang, the governor of the East Factory, early the next morning.

In the past, this information was made in duplicate. Eunuch Huang submitted one copy to the Queen Mother Yan's imperial case in Qihuang Palace, and the other to Yan Yang in the Prince Regent's Palace.

Now, the information is in triplicate, and the third copy will be submitted to the eldest princess' mansion!

This is what real power feels like.

It is the most seductive thing in the world.

At this moment, Mu Tingxue finally understood that the empress mother had not paid attention to the concubines of the late emperor in the harem from the moment she listened behind the curtain. They were no longer on the same track. Those concubines had farted a lot. There are records, and Dongchang Banya can even draw a 100% reproduction of how they fart.

"Since Li Lu is spreading rumors everywhere, saying that I allocated money to weave a top-notch luxurious phoenix robe for the new queen, which cost 20 taels, why not put this rumor into practice."

Just make them mad.

Anyway, she has a lot of money in her private treasury, and it is not shabby to add a dowry to her cousin.

"By the way, the cosmetics store has been renovated and will open today. It sells whitening and moisturizing cream. I want to see if her Lu's greasy Xiangxue can still be sold!"