Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

Last time we talked about Yunxi regaining the emperor's favor. She often gave advice to the emperor on state affairs, so the emperor became more and more dependent on her and could not do without her.

On this day, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was gentle. Yunxi came to Xingqing Palace as usual. As soon as she stepped into the palace, she saw the emperor sitting in front of the desk, frowning and looking at the piles of memorials with a worried look on his face. She walked gently to the emperor and asked softly, "Your Majesty, are you worried about state affairs?" The emperor heard her voice and looked up at her, his eyes full of fatigue and helplessness: "I have been worried about the flood in Jiangnan recently, and I don't know what to do."

Yunxi smiled and consoled him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I have an idea, but I don't know if I should tell you." The emperor immediately perked up when he heard it, and hurriedly said, "My beloved concubine, please tell me quickly." Yunxi said softly, "Your Majesty can send an imperial envoy to Jiangnan to inspect the disaster situation and appease the people. At the same time, mobilize money and grain to provide relief to the victims and help them rebuild their homes. In addition, I heard that there is a flood control expert in Jiangnan named Li Yishan, who has controlled floods many times and has achieved great results. Your Majesty can invite him to discuss flood control strategies together."

After hearing this, the emperor's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands in approval: "My beloved concubine, this is a brilliant plan! I will immediately issue an order and order someone to do it." After that, he pulled Yunxi over and let her sit on his lap. He put his arm around her waist affectionately and smiled gently: "My beloved concubine is so smart, she is really my good wife!" Yunxi smiled coquettishly, lowered her head and leaned on the emperor's chest, and said coquettishly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I am very happy to be able to help Your Majesty."

In this way, Yunxi discussed with the emperor how to deal with the flood in Jiangnan. She put forward many constructive opinions and suggestions, which made the emperor look at her with new eyes. The emperor became more and more dependent on her and could not leave her. The relationship between the two seemed to become deeper and deeper.

Time flies, and several months have passed in the blink of an eye.

At Yunxi's suggestion, the imperial envoy sent by the emperor arrived in Jiangnan smoothly, and Li Yishan was also summoned to Beijing. They worked together and took effective measures to finally successfully alleviate the flood in Jiangnan.

The people were filled with gratitude for the emperor's kindness and praised his wise decision. Yunxi was also highly praised for this and became a role model in the harem.

One day, the weather was fine and the wind was gentle. In Changle Palace, the eunuch chief, Chen Gonggong, accompanied by a group of eunuchs and palace maids, came to read the imperial edict. The emperor, in accordance with the will of heaven, proclaimed: I rule the world with virtue and transform the people with courtesy. Xi Fei Yang, who is both virtuous and beautiful, gentle and virtuous, is truly a treasure of the country. Today, I specially confer Yang the title of Imperial Concubine and grant her a golden book and a golden seal to honor her virtue. Imperial Concubine Yang, who is gentle and kind, is able to follow the rules of the inner world, so that she can assist me and help the Queen. I hereby confer her the title of Xi Imperial Concubine, occupying the first rank and enjoying the salary of an Imperial Concubine. I hope that the Imperial Concubine will be more diligent in the future, uphold benevolence, and support the harem to show the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. I decree this!

Yunxi and a group of palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground in an orderly manner, shouting respectfully: "Long live the emperor!" The sound echoed throughout the palace.

Yunxi took the imperial edict with both hands and read every word carefully. She knew that this was not only an honor, but also a recognition of her past efforts.

Eunuch Chen smiled and congratulated Yunxi: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!" His eyes were full of admiration.

Yunxi responded gratefully: "Thank you, Eunuch Chen! You have worked hard too." She understood that this honor was inseparable from the support and help of the people around her.

Then, Yunxi nodded slightly to Xiaohong beside him. Xiaohong understood and immediately handed Yunxi a handful of golden melon seeds that she had prepared.

Yunxi took the golden melon seeds, walked gently to Eunuch Chen, and whispered, "This is a little gift from me, please accept it, Eunuch Chen." As she spoke, she stuffed the golden melon seeds into Eunuch Chen's hands.

Eunuch Chen pretended to refuse, but finally accepted it with a smile. He knew very well that this was not only Yunxi's gratitude to him, but also a kind of courtesy and respect.

However, Yunxi's success aroused the jealousy and resentment of other concubines, who secretly colluded and tried to frame Yunxi.

One day, Yunxi met a maid in the palace. The maid looked flustered, as if she had something to tell him. Yunxi was puzzled and went up to ask. The maid fell to her knees and said tremblingly, "My queen, someone wants to harm you..."

Yunxi was shocked and quickly helped the maid up and asked, "Tell me! Who wants to harm me?" The maid was too scared to look up and answered tremblingly, "It was Concubine Shu... They want to frame you for colluding with forces outside the palace..." Yunxi's face changed drastically after hearing this. She didn't know why Ye Ling'er always opposed her. But she knew that Ye Ling'er had always been meticulous and cunning.

Yunxi took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that now was not the time to panic and she had to deal with it calmly. So, she decided to go back to the palace first and then make a long-term plan.

After returning to the palace, Yunxi began to think about countermeasures. She knew that this crisis was very serious. If she didn't handle it properly, she would not only lose the emperor's favor, but she might even lose her life.

She began to think back to what had happened in the recent period, trying to find clues.

Yunxi thought that it must be because she had been too popular recently, which aroused the jealousy of some concubines such as Ye Ling'er.

It seems that I have to find a way to strike first. Just as I was thinking about it, a notice came from outside the door saying that the Queen Mother wanted to see me.

Yunxi calmed down and went to Yongshou Palace. When she saw the Queen Mother, she bowed and paid her respects.

The Queen Mother smiled and asked her to stand up, saying, "Does Concubine Xi know why I called you here today?"

Yunxi pretended not to know and replied, "I don't know. Please tell me, Queen Mother." The Queen Mother dismissed the attendants, took Yunxi's hand, and said earnestly, "Noble Concubine Xi, you have been favored a lot recently, so you must be careful. I'm afraid that Concubine Shu will not let it go."

Yunxi looked at the Queen Mother with gratitude, "Thank you for reminding me, Queen Mother. I know. But now they want to frame me for colluding with forces outside the palace. I really don't know how to prove my innocence."

The Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, Concubine Xi. In my opinion, it would be better to start with that palace maid. I think she knows a lot of inside information."

Yunxi nodded and said, "The Queen Mother is wise. But, the maid is probably under the control of Concubine Shu now. It will not be easy to get anything out of her."

The Queen Mother smiled slightly, a sly look flashed in her eyes, and she whispered, "How difficult is this? As long as we use a little trick..." Her voice was low, but full of confidence and decisiveness. Then, the Queen Mother leaned close to Yunxi's ear and whispered a plan. This plan was full of wisdom and strategy, which made people marvel.

After hearing the Queen Mother's plan, Yunxi's eyes lit up, a satisfied smile appeared on her face, and she nodded in agreement: "The Queen Mother's plan is very good. I will arrange it right away." She knew that this plan would not only allow them to get the desired results, but also protect her own safety. So, Yunxi turned around and left the palace, and began to prepare to implement this plan.

After Yunxi left, the Queen Mother sighed and said to herself, "I hope everything goes well..." Her eyes revealed a trace of worry and concern. After all, things in the palace are always complicated and changeable, and any small detail may affect the entire situation.

But the Queen Mother believes that as long as they plan carefully and act cautiously, they will eventually achieve their goal."