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

Liu Qiaoer worked hard for many years, and the pair of children she gave birth to in Prince Yan's Mansion have grown up.

After his daughter Li Yan came of age, she moved out of the palace and set up her own home. Last year, the emperor married Li Yan to an official from a poor family. After the marriage, Li Yan rarely returned to the palace.

Liu Qiaoer doesn't value her daughter, and once a princess is married off, she is no match for him. Moreover, Li Yan is not a favored princess, and can't bring much benefit to Liu Qiaoer.

Liu Qiaoer's mind was on her son Li Chengxun. Among the princes alive in the harem, Li Chengxun was the oldest.

Unfortunately, Liu Qiaoer has been enduring for many years, and Li Chengxun has become cowardly in character. He is neither good at literature nor martial arts, and in the past two years he has been obsessed with carpentry.

Seeing Shen Wei's two sons growing up day by day, Liu Qiaoer became anxious.

"Why is it so...The emperor is not tired of Shen yet?" Liu Qiaoer was puzzled.

She always thought that Shen Wei would gradually fall out of favor and a newcomer would replace Shen Wei's position.

Liu Qiaoer lurked in the dark, waiting patiently for Shen Wei to fall into the quagmire.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Waited year after year.

Liu Qiaoer waited until she was old and her beauty faded. No amount of makeup could cover the fine lines around her eyes, and she was no longer as beautiful as she used to be. But Shen Wei was still as beautiful as ever, with no signs of aging on her face. Her eyes were shiny and she was always energetic.

The emperor, who had always been heartless, unexpectedly became affectionate after meeting Shen Wei.

The emperor and empress treated each other with respect and got along harmoniously.

There were no new people entering the harem, and the other concubines knew that they could not compete with Shen Wei, so they simply gave up and often gathered together to play mahjong, embroider and weave, and play with Leyou and the other children.

Shen Wei was kind and never took the initiative to harm others, so the concubines stopped taking the initiative to cause trouble.

The concubines had lived in the palace for a long time, and most of them had no children. Leyou was lively and cute, and the concubines without children gradually treated Leyou as their own daughter. Two years ago, Leyou caught a cold in the winter, and almost all the concubines in the harem ran to take care of her, and each of them was more anxious than Shen Wei, her biological mother.

The harem was filled with joy and the disturbance had subsided. I'm afraid that in the history of Daqing, there has never been such a harmonious harem.

"Master, there's a letter from home." The palace maid walked into the bedroom and handed a letter from home to Liu Qiaoer.

Liu Qiaoer tore open the letter and read it in the dim candlelight.

In the envelope, Liu Qiaoer's father told her that the Liu family was joining forces with court officials to find a way to divide the brotherhood between Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou.

Faced with the huge temptation of the throne, even the closest brothers would turn against each other. The two most outstanding princes became alienated, and Liu Qiaoer's son had an opportunity to take advantage of the conflict between the two.

Liu Qiaoer burned her father's letter and smiled faintly: "Very good. Shen Weiruo has lost her two sons. Let's see how she fights me."

She kept a low profile for many years, avoiding the tragic ending of being killed by Lu Xuan in her previous life, and successfully saved her children and family.

Her goal is to help her son ascend the throne! Liu Qiaoer fell asleep with a beautiful vision of the future.

...

...

A few days later, Liu Qiaoer was mending clothes under the eaves. Liu Qiaoer was very suspicious and always suspected that Shen Wei wanted to harm her.

After all, Liu Qiaoer's son is the oldest and most likely to threaten Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou's status.

Liu Qiaoer would carefully check every piece of cloth and clothes sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and sew the clothes herself, for fear that there might be a chronic poison hidden in the cloth that would murder her and her son.

"Master." The personal maid came back from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and whispered to Liu Qiao'er, "Master, I just heard that the Ninth Prince is ill and the Emperor sent him to Jiangnan to recuperate."

Liu Qiaoer paused in sewing.

In a moment of carelessness, the sharp silver needle pierced into the finger, and round beads of blood oozed out.

Liu Qiaoer wiped the blood from her fingers, puzzled: "The Ninth Prince is ill? How is that possible?"

Among the princes in the harem, the ninth prince, Li Chengyou, was the strongest. This child had hardly ever been sick since he was a child, and even dared to jump into the cold water in the imperial garden to catch turtles in the middle of winter.

It can be seen that the so-called "recuperation" is just an excuse.

Liu Qiaoer rubbed her brows. At this critical moment, the Ninth Prince went to Jiangnan, and the plan to divide the two brothers was difficult to carry out.

The only one left in the court was the eighth prince, Li Chengtai.

Liu Qiaoer was sewing the clothes in her hands and began to think about how to deal with the Eighth Prince. There were footsteps outside the palace gate, and Liu Qiaoer's son Li Chengxun came back.

Among all the princes, Li Chengxun is the oldest, but he is not good at either literature or martial arts. Because Liu Qiaoer instilled in him the idea of ​​"low-key and forbearing" since he was a child, he is particularly timid and does not like to go out. He likes to stay in the house and do carpentry.

"Mother, are you still making clothes?" Li Chengxun came over and frowned. "The clothes sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are very suitable. You don't have to work too hard."

Liu Qiaoer said: "You must be on guard against others."

Li Chengxun sat next to Liu Qiaoer. He tilted his head and saw a few white hairs mixed in Liu Qiaoer's temples.

Li Chengxun was silent for a moment, then mustered up the courage to say, "Mother, I know you and Grandpa are communicating, and I also know you want to help me ascend the throne. But, but I don't want to be the emperor."

Li Chengxun was not too stupid. He had already noticed that his mother and the Liu family were secretly communicating and wanted to stir up trouble in the court and the country.

In recent years, the Liu family's career has been smooth, with promotions and titles, so much so that the Liu family has developed inappropriate delusions.

Liu Qiaoer put down her needlework and said angrily, "You are a prince, you are qualified to sit on the throne! Mother has been patient for many years, isn't she looking forward to your ascension to the throne?"

Li Chengxun pursed his lips: "But I am not the material to be an emperor! My eighth brother is calm and wise, and my ninth brother is strong and healthy. They are very good children, and my father also values ​​them! I just want to be an idle prince, leave the palace and set up a mansion in the future, take you to be the queen mother, and live an ordinary life."

Snapped--

A slap landed hard on Li Chengxun's face.

A bright red slap mark instantly appeared on his face.

Liu Qiaoer slapped him, very angry: "Idle Prince? I think you are dreaming! Believe it or not, after Li Chengtai ascends the throne, the first person he will deal with is you!"

Li Chengxun was beaten, but he still said stubbornly: "Eighth brother is not such a person. The queen is kind and benevolent. She can treat the son of the late concubine well, so she will not harm me. The late queen and concubine are both examples. Is mother going to follow their old path? Will she not stop until she sends the Liu family to the guillotine?"

Liu Qiaoer angrily scolded: "We are in the royal family, how can there be any brotherhood! You grind wood every day and wear out your brain. Mother has endured for many years and suffered a lot, but she raised a waste like you!"

Li Chengxun remained silent.

After being scolded, he returned to his house silently. Li Chengxun lived in an independent courtyard, and his house was full of various wood and tools.

Li Chengxun was not good at studying or martial arts, but he had excellent carpentry skills. The cabinets and benches he made were sturdy, beautiful and durable. He also designed palace courtyards and renovated fountains.

His craftsmanship is no worse than that of the carpenters in the palace.

Li Chengxun was a dull person, and he could only feel at peace when he was doing carpentry. He was addicted to it and didn't want to get involved in the outside world's struggle for the crown prince.

But my mother is stubborn and refuses to change!

How dare you dream of the throne!

Li Chengxun was restless and worried. His father was strict and the queen was smart. His mother's secret collusion with the Liu family might have been known by his father and the queen.

The person involved is confused, but the bystander is clear. The more Li Chengxun thought about it, the more frightened he became, and cold sweats appeared all over his body. He really didn't dare to think about it anymore, and paced back and forth in the room. Finally, Li Chengxun mustered up the courage and went to Chang'an Palace to pay a visit to his father.

...

In the afternoon, Chang'an Palace was quiet.

Li Yuanjing took some time off and wanted to test Li Chengtai's ability, so he threw the job of handling memorials to Li Chengtai and hid in the side hall of Yongning Palace to play chess with Shen Wei.

Over the years, under Li Yuanjing's careful teaching, Shen Wei's writing, painting, and poetry skills have improved rapidly. But in chess, no matter how Li Yuanjing taught her, Shen Wei's chess skills were terrible.

Li Yuanjing was unwilling to give up, so he often caught Shen Wei, set up a chessboard and taught her how to play chess.

"Wait, I regret my move!" Shen Wei was holding the black chess piece. Seeing that a black chess piece on the board was surrounded by white chess pieces, she hurriedly held Li Yuanjing's hand and stuffed a white chess piece back.

Li Yuanjing was amused by her action: "In one game of chess, I regretted my move five times."

Shen Wei was confident and put down a black chess piece: "I want to regret my move. If the emperor doesn't like it, ask Concubine Lan and the others to accompany you."

The room was filled with a faint fragrance. Li Yuanjing studied Shen Wei's pretty face and reluctantly gave in: "Forget it, I'll let you go first."

The two continued playing chess.

After half an hour, the number of black pieces on the chessboard decreased, and Shen Wei was about to lose. She held the black pieces and suddenly changed the subject: "Your Majesty, Chengyou is on his way to Liangzhou. Before he left, he told me that someone in the court was trying to divide him and Chengtai. Has your Majesty found out who they are?"

Li Yuanjing paused in his chess playing.

Li Yuanjing knew that someone in the court was trying to sow discord. He sent people to investigate and found that it was the Liu family in the south.

When Li Yuanjing was still Prince of Yan, Concubine Qian, in order to support Li Yuanli's ascension to the throne, colluded with court officials in an attempt to divide Li Yuanjing and the prince.

Times have changed, and Li Yuanjing must not let the past happen again.

There was a hint of murderous intent in his eyes: "I will handle this matter."

Shen Wei took the opportunity to take a white chess piece, but Li Yuanjing turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.

There were footsteps outside the room, and Eunuch Deshun reported respectfully from behind the curtain: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Third Prince wants to see you."

Li Yuanjing put down the white chess piece: "Let him in."

After a while, Li Chengxun's thin figure appeared. He lowered his head and said, "I pay my respects to my father and the queen."

The voice was quiet, but full of fear.

Li Chengxun has been afraid of his father since he was a child.

In his impression, his father was always serious and majestic. Whenever Li Chengxun performed poorly in horseback archery in the training ground, he would be reprimanded by his father.

Li Chengxun also wanted to perform well and not disappoint his father. But he really didn't like riding horses, archery, or reading... Having lived in a repressive and cramped environment since childhood, he preferred to be alone and do things silently.

"Stand up and sit down quickly." Shen Wei was always very gentle. She asked Deshun to bring over a rosewood chair and stole a chess piece from the chessboard.

Li Chengxun sat down obediently.

Li Yuanjing looked at him and asked, "What's the matter?"

The voice was deep and magnetic, and to Li Chengxun's ears it sounded like the terrifying roar of a dragon or a tiger.

Li Chengxun only felt his throat tighten and his knees weaken. He suddenly regretted coming to see his father so hastily.

But thinking of what his mother had done, Li Chengxun mustered up the greatest courage of his life and knelt on the ground: "Father, please forgive my mother! She, she was confused for a moment and had thoughts that she shouldn't have. You punish me, don't take your anger out on my mother."

The room was quiet.

Shen Wei and Li Yuanjing looked at each other. Shen Wei said, "I will return to the palace first."

When it comes to state affairs, Shen Wei has to pretend not to get involved, lest Li Yuanjing suspect her of "interfering in government affairs from the harem."

Li Yuanjing held down Shen Wei who was about to run away, and raised his eyebrows: "The game is not over yet, don't try to take the opportunity to escape."

Shen Wei rolled her eyes in her heart, sat beside him and pretended to study the chess game, and stole a white chess piece from the board.

"You are the oldest among all the princes in the palace. Your mother has always been low-key and doesn't like to go out, but you actually had some inappropriate thoughts." Li Yuanjing scolded coldly.

Li Chengxun lowered his head, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Heart beating wildly!

Li Chengxun thought in horror, Father has found out! As expected, the situation in the court cannot be hidden from Father's eyes! Mother is too naive to think that she can hide it from Father.

Li Chengxun stammered, "I know that I am not as talented as my eighth and ninth brothers, so I have never thought of seizing the throne. But despite my repeated dissuasion, mother is still confused. I have no choice but to ask for forgiveness from father."

Li Yuanjing snorted coldly.

Li Chengxun's body trembled.

Li Yuanjing said: "I will deal with Concubine Qiao and the Liu family. As for you, you know you are not as good as your two brothers, and you don't work hard to improve yourself. You hide in the room all day playing with wood, you don't act like a prince at all!"

Li Chengxun shrank his neck and whispered: "My child really likes woodworking..."

Li Yuanjing angrily rebuked: "How dare you say that! The princes of Daqing are all talented in both civil and military affairs. They will all be in the court and assist the emperor in the future. You play with wood all day long, what future do you have!"

Li Chengxun didn't dare to say a word.

Seeing this, Shen Wei poured a cup of tea and handed it to Li Yuanjing, saying patiently: "The Third Prince has a kind character. He doesn't like women or money, and he has never been harsh on palace maids. I think the Third Prince is a good child. This year, on Leyou's birthday, the Third Prince made a red sandalwood dressing table for Leyou. It is so ingenious that Leyou likes it very much."

Over the years, Shen Wei has been secretly observing the princes in the harem.

Li Chengxun was a kind-hearted child. He was not interested in imperial power and wealth, nor did he have the extravagance and decadence of a rich young man. He was just obsessed with carpentry.

Shen Wei has seen the woodworking crafts made by Li Chengxun, which are very exquisite.

"Throughout history, has there ever been a prince doing carpentry work every day?" Li Yuanjing frowned, but his brows gradually softened.

Li Chengxun was sweating profusely and subconsciously looked at Shen Wei for help.

He knew that as long as the Queen Mother spoke, his father would definitely consider it seriously.

Shen Wei received Li Chengxun's gaze and whispered to Li Yuanjing, "Last year, a palace in the East Garden collapsed and it was difficult to renovate it. It was the Third Prince who came up with a renovation plan and even drew the woodworking plan himself."

"Building bridges, embankments and dams requires the participation of top-notch craftsmen. In the future, the Third Prince can go to the Ministry of Works, where he will have a place to display his expertise."

There are no useless people in the world, they just haven't found a reasonable place to be placed.