The White-haired Queen

Concubine Pang said calmly, "I have eaten this whitebait soup before, and this taste is not from Chef Xu."

Imperial Concubine Zhang nodded and said, "Indeed, this silverfish soup was not made by Chef Xu. He was ill today, so his apprentice cooked it."

Some people commented: "How can people not get sick if they eat all kinds of grains?"

Someone said: "The whitebait soup made by his apprentice is also very delicious."

Some people say: "It's normal to get sick, you can't stop others from taking time off, right?"

Some people say: "With delicious food in front of us and a happy mood, a dinner party is a very happy thing, so why do we always have to make something unhappy?"

Hu Zhaoyi said: "I like the words of Concubine Zhang the most, 'Don't stay in this small pond, fight to the death', it's really meaningless."

After a pause, Hu Zhaoyi continued, "If anyone doesn't want to eat, they can just go back."

Upon seeing this, Concubine Pang turned her gaze to Wen Lanyue, wanting Wen Lanyue to speak up for her.

Wen Lanyue thought for a while and said, "Peace and development are the eternal themes of the harem." After saying this, Wen Lanyue looked at Concubine Zhang meaningfully.

Concubine Zhang said, "What Concubine Pang said makes some sense. We are all sisters, so let's just let this matter go."

Seeing that no one spoke, Consort Zhang continued, "Just now the Empress Dowager Dong also said that peace and development are the themes of the harem. If you have any ideas about peace and development, you can express your opinions. If not, just eat quietly."

The dinner party was just over.

After Wen Lanyue returned to her Shengde Palace, she asked Beichen about Concubine Zhang's situation during this period.

Beichen's description is basically consistent with Concubine Zhang's own speech.

The next day, Concubine Zhang came out of her bedroom and saw a wounded bird in the courtyard of Yongshou Palace. When the bird saw someone approaching, it fluttered on the ground continuously.

It seemed that its wings were injured, and no matter how it flapped, it couldn't fly. Concubine Zhang gently held the bird in her palm, went back to the hall, and asked Xier to bring some disinfectant to clean the bird's wound.

Today is the first day that Concubine Zhang holds the Phoenix Seal. Her cousin, Concubine Hu Zhaoyi, came early with gifts to congratulate her. Seeing her cousin lowering her head to concentrate on treating the bird's wound and not paying much attention to her, she said angrily, "Cousin, you already hold the Phoenix Seal, why do you still care about these birds?"

Concubine Zhang was afraid that the medicine would touch the bird's wound and hurt it, so she blew gently on the wound with her mouth and had no time to answer Hu Zhaoyi's words.

Usually, Hu Zhaoyi was quite afraid of her cousin, so even though she was not pleased, she still sat upright. Xier made a cup of tea for Hu Zhaoyi, and Hu Zhaoyi took two sips.

At this time, other concubines also came one after another with gifts to congratulate Concubine Zhang. Everyone thought that the new official would do something big after taking office.

But no one expected that Concubine Zhang would just quietly fiddle with the injured bird.

Everyone began to get restless. When Concubine Pang saw that Concubine Zhang had no intention of speaking, she stood up and said, "Since Concubine Zhang is doing 'one good deed a day', I will take my leave first."

As soon as the voice fell, the sisters who usually had a good relationship with Concubine Pang also stood up.

Concubine Zhang then slowly spoke, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Birds also have lives, so we should lend a helping hand as well."

Then Concubine Zhang turned to Xier and said, "Xier, come and take this injured bird away." Xier took the bird. Concubine Zhang said, "Be careful, don't hurt it."

Seeing this, Hu Zhaoyi couldn't help but mutter, "Cousin, that's just a bird, not a child."

"How outrageous." Imperial Concubine Zhang scolded harshly.

Hu Zhaoyi immediately changed her words and said, "My Lady Dowager, My Lady Dowager, I was wrong."

Grand Concubine Zhang said sternly, "You are disrespectful and committing treason. What crime should you be punished for?" Grand Concubine Zhang sighed and said, "Slap yourself three times. If you do it again, you will be severely punished."

"Pa, pa, pa." The sounds were crisp and loud, and it sounded like Hu Zhaoyi had beaten herself pretty hard.

Concubine Zhang said, "Mei'er, she is my cousin. Go get some ice to help Hu Zhaoyi reduce the swelling."

After hearing this, Concubine Pang smiled and said, "Concubine Zhang, what do you mean by this? You're giving me a sweet date after each beating. Are you doing this for us to see?"

Imperial Concubine Zhang smiled and said, "Sister, you think too much. I am just being clear about rewards and punishments. I will never be lenient when it comes to punishment, and I will never hesitate when it comes to rewarding."

Concubine Pang Taishu didn't want to stay in Yongshou Palace, so she changed the subject and said, "What do you want me to do today, sister?"

Concubine Zhang said, "Let's hold a morning meeting every week. At that time, everyone can talk about the situation of the week and see if there are any problems that need to be solved? Or if there are any situations that need to be reported?"

At this time, Wen Lanyue brought Bilian into Yongshou Palace, saying that they were delivering a gift to Concubine Zhang, congratulating her on getting her wish and taking charge of the Phoenix Seal.

After handing over the gifts, Wen Lanyue also sat down nearby and listened.

Concubine Zhang continued, "The purpose of having a morning meeting once a week is to give everyone more freedom so that they can do what they are interested in and cultivate or develop their hobbies. After a year or so, we can also have a talent or skill competition."

Concubine Zhang said: "We can organize a team building event every half a month or a month, such as a flower viewing party, tea party, poetry meeting, Cuju competition, etc."

"In addition, the flood disaster in Vietnam has given us a warning. With such a large country, natural and man-made disasters are always hard to prevent. Therefore, we must plan ahead, advocate thrift and diligence, and try our best to open up a way to make money for ourselves so that we can contribute when the country or the people need us."

When Wen Lanyue heard this, she was shocked. She didn't expect that Concubine Zhang had such a broad vision and could use the new vocabulary she "created" so well. Her learning ability was also first-class.

Wen Lanyue was there, so Grand Concubine Zhang changed "this palace" to "I". She continued, "Today is my first day in charge of the seal, and I can't start drastic reforms right away, but everyone's concepts need to change."

When the concubines, who usually just admired the flowers and sang songs, heard this, they felt more or less resentful.

Concubine Zhang continued, "Don't worry, I will set an example myself. I will treat people and things with kindness, and discipline myself with the heart of Buddha, and be less greedy."

Wen Lanyue knew that the "Buddha's heart" here was not the 21st century's lying down and letting things go, but rather compassion and abstinence.

Concubine Zhang said, "Does anyone have anything else to say? If not, take your gifts and go away. I appreciate your kindness."

The concubines all stood up and said goodbye.

Grand Concubine Zhang stopped Wen Lanyue and said, "I have a memorial here and would like to ask the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to make a decision."