Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

Li Chengzhen waved his sleeves and said impatiently, "I know."

Li Chengzhen followed the palace maid and went back to study in a depressed mood.

Shen Wei frowned secretly. The Queen had been trapped in Kunning Palace and could no longer force Li Chengzhen to study.

But why does this child still have dark circles under his eyes, unsteady steps, and a listless spirit?

Shen Wei gave Cai Ping a look: "Cai Ping."

Cai Ping understood and nodded quickly. When she got back, she would carefully investigate the Second Prince's recent whereabouts.

The sedan chair arrived soon, and Shen Wei left with her two sons.

"Mother, what is that?" Li Chengyou sat next to Shen Wei, looking curiously at the large wooden barrel in the shade of the palace wall.

Shen Wei said: "Mung bean soup."

The weather was hot, and every few palace roads, a large wooden barrel would be placed in the shade. In the barrel was mung bean soup, which could relieve the heat and quench the thirst of the busy palace servants in the hot summer.

To manage the harem, one must be considerate of the hard work of the palace servants and provide them with small favors as appropriate. But Shen Wei would not drink the mung bean soup in the wooden barrel herself. As a manager, she must not mingle with the servants, otherwise she would lose her dignity as the master.

Being too kind will make your subordinates lax; being too strict will make them resentful.

The best way to manage the harem is to use both kindness and severity, give a slap in the face and then a sweet treat.

...

...

The Concubine Chen managed the six palaces, was respectful, solemn, and considerate to the servants, and enjoyed a very high reputation in the harem.

The Tan Tai family is the most anxious!

The Queen has fallen out of favor, and the newcomer Tan Tai Yin Xue is powerless. One day, the Emperor may depose the Queen and make Consort Chen his successor.

The Shen family is rising, while the Tan Tai family is declining. The head of the Tan Tai family is worried and racking his brains to think of a way out.

Shen Wei, on the other hand, was relaxed and at ease, and the affairs of the harem were on track and everything was in order. Shen Wei was bored, so she dragged Zhang Miaoyu to visit the queen to show her "virtue as a concubine".

After staying in Kunning Palace for an hour, the queen's face was already extremely ugly, and she was about to go crazy at any time. Shen Wei took Zhang Miaoyu away in time and turned to visit Concubine Lu Xuan in Changxin Palace.

"Why should we go to Changsheng Palace? I don't want to go." Zhang Miaoyu pouted her lips. She didn't like Shufei at all.

Shen Wei said: "Shufei is pregnant. As sisters in the same palace, it is natural for us to visit her occasionally."

Zhang Miaoyu looked at Shen Wei suspiciously: "Are you so kind?"

Shen Wei smiled but said nothing.

The two walked into Changxin Palace.

In Changxin Palace, the crabapple blossoms on the trees had gradually withered, and the palace maids were cleaning the courtyard in an orderly manner. Lu Xuan was very strict with her subordinates, and the palace maids and eunuchs in Changxin Palace were completely obedient to her.

Lu Xuan's belly was already showing, her face was round, she showed a gentle and beautiful smile, and said in a calm tone: "Concubine Chen, what happened today that you came to my palace."

Shen Wei smiled widely: "Donglin Kingdom paid tribute to us with three boxes of Wumei ointment. The Queen Mother kept one box and gave me two boxes. I heard that Concubine Shu likes to eat sour food during her pregnancy, so I brought you a box on purpose."

Lu Xuan smiled with a fake smile: "The Concubine Chen is thoughtful."

Both of them were foxes who had practiced for thousands of years, and they were polite to each other. There was a pavilion for cooling off by the pond in the courtyard, and Shen Wei, Zhang Miaoyu and Lu Xuan sat down together.

Shen Wei smiled and said, "This black plum paste is simple to make. Take the largest and roundest black plums on the branches, mash them in a stone mortar, add nourishing herbs and spices, and boil them over high heat until they become a paste. Put them in a small jar and seal it. Store it in a cool place. When you need to drink it, take two spoons and put them in a cup. Use boiling water to brew it. It tastes great."

Lu Xuan pretended to listen to Shen Wei's long speech, but she was secretly confused. No one would come to the palace for no reason, and the weasel would pay New Year's greetings to the chicken. Why would Shen Wei take the initiative to come to Changxin Palace?

Could it be that he wanted to harm the fetus in her belly?

Is that black plum paste poisonous?

Shen Wei seemed to have guessed what Lu Xuan was thinking. She told Cai Lian beside her, "This special black plum soup has never been tasted by me and Concubine Yu. Cai Lian, go get the tea set and a pot of boiling water. Today, I and Concubine Shu will taste it together."

Cai Lian gladly accepted the order.

Soon, the brand new tea set was served. Cailian skillfully scooped a few spoonfuls of black plum paste with a small spoon and brewed it with boiling water. The weather was hot, and the black plum soup in the tea set was steaming.

Lu Xuan frowned and looked at Shen Wei who was sitting opposite the stone table, unable to guess why Shen Wei came.

Shen Wei's eyes shifted to look at Xiaoqin, the senior maid beside Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan had two maids who came with her as a dowry, one named Xiaoqin and the other named Xiaoqi, both of whom were her confidants.

Xiaoqin noticed Shen Wei's gaze, and her heart tightened. She pretended to be nervous and asked, "Empress Chen, why are you looking at me like this?"

Shen Wei smiled and said, "You have served Concubine Shu for many years and have made great contributions. This cup of black plum soup is given to you as a reward."

Xiaoqin was shocked.

In front of Shen Wei was a small white jade cup filled with boiling dark red soup, with white steam rising from it.

How can you drink the black plum soup that has just been brewed with boiling water? If you take a sip, won’t your tongue and throat be scalded and blistered?

"Your Majesty, you are joking. How can I drink such boiling water? Please show some leniency and let me go." Xiaoqin lowered her head in embarrassment.

Shen Wei raised her eyebrows slightly, as if smiling: "Little girl, you can't keep secrets, you always like to spread rumors. Rumors are as fierce as tigers and more terrible than boiling water."

Xiaoqin's face turned pale.

Lu Xuan silently clutched the handkerchief in her hand. She finally understood why Shen Wei came today. The visit was just an excuse. In fact, she was using Xiaoqin to criticize her.

Two months ago, Yang Xuanji fell ill, and Lu Xuan asked Xiaoqin to spread rumors in the palace that "the eighth prince was angry with Yang Xuanji". Two months later, the rumors had long been broken, and Lu Xuan thought Shen Wei had given up the matter.

But who could have thought that Shen Wei would suddenly strike back.

Xiaoqin fell to her knees, trembling all over, and looked at Lu Xuan for help.

After all, she was a maid who had served her since she was a child, and Lu Xuan couldn't bear to see her suffer. Lu Xuan forced a smile and pleaded for Xiao Qin: "Empress Chen, there must be a misunderstanding in this matter. If this maid has offended you in any way, I will apologize to you on her behalf."

Zhang Miaoyu also nodded quickly, with a sympathetic look on her face: "Sister Chen Fei, the maid of the Concubine Shu can't control her mouth. But you don't need to let her drink boiling water, it will easily burn her tongue and throat."

Xiaoqin burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, Princess Yu, for your consideration."

Shen Wei held her chin up and asked Zhang Miaoyu, "The concubine Shu is very busy during her pregnancy and has no time to discipline the servants. Her maidservant is making rumors and causing trouble. Sister Miaoyu, how do you think this little maidservant should be punished?"

Zhang Miaoyu put down the cake in her hand and said seriously, "In my opinion, if we use the medicine to make the mute mute directly, it won't hurt the tongue."