This palace comes back in this life, only to be Nian Shilan

Chapter 108: Sacrifice the Self for the Greater Good

"Why are you here so late in the afternoon? What do you want from me?"

"Your Majesty, I followed the Empress this morning to learn how to manage the household. The Empress said that wealth comes from frugality. Now that there is an extra bowl of mung bean soup in the summer, it will be a large sum over the years. The Empress wants me to find a way to cut it down."

"But I think this expense has existed since the time of the previous emperor. If we cut it hastily now, it will probably discourage the people below us. If we convert the mung bean soup into silver and distribute it layer by layer, the lowest palace servants will probably not get much."

"But since I became pregnant, the Empress has ordered the Imperial Kitchen to send me more delicacies from land and sea, such as sea cucumbers and bird's nests, than I can finish. Even breakfast has sea cucumbers and other things. I think it would be better to save my money and use it to make up for the lack of green bean soup."

"I have calculated that the food I use every day will still have some left over even if I make up for the mung bean soup. This summer is even hotter than in previous years. It would be better to give the remaining money to the imperial kitchen and ask them to give the people below a portion of cool sour plum soup to cool them down."

"This way, we can save money on mung bean soup, and the palace servants below can have more food to cool off. Even if the stewards above cut back, the mung bean soup and sour plum juice won't be cut much either. This can be considered as accumulating blessings for the child in my belly. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

This means sacrificing one of my concubines for the happiness of all the people in the palace.

"What? Do we have to eat sea cucumbers for breakfast now? But is there something wrong with the baby in my belly?" Yongzheng was suspicious. Although the conditions in the palace were better than those of ordinary wealthy families, this was the first time he heard of eating sea cucumbers in the morning to protect the fetus.

"Your Majesty, rest assured that the child is safe and sound. However, since I was confined to the palace, the Empress has ordered the imperial kitchen to not treat me badly in food. I have been looking at those delicacies all day long, and I can't sleep or eat well. Why not replace them with mung bean soup and let everyone in the palace eat it together? It will also be a favor."

When the emperor heard the word "confinement", his face turned red. "Some time ago, the Empress Dowager said that you are virtuous and kind. The Empress Dowager was right. In this case, let's do as you say."

"Su Peisheng, go to Taohuawu and convey my order. Concubine Shen is virtuous and considerate of the harem. She took the initiative to exchange her own food allowance for a portion of summer drink for the servants in the palace. Concubine Shen's virtue is worthy of the word Hui. I specially grant Concubine Shen the title of 'Hui' and immediately convey the order to inform the six palaces."

Su Peisheng: “Yeah.”

Lady Shen: "I thank the emperor for bestowing the title. This is what I should do."

Zhen Huan: "Congratulations, sister. The baby in your belly will surely be a blessed one in the future."

Zhen Huan looked at Shen Meizhuang with a smile, and Shen Meizhuang also responded with a faint smile.

Zhen Huan listened to Concubine Shen expressing her thoughts word by word and thought that this method was really good. It not only rejected those foods that would enlarge the fetus, but also benefited the servants in the six palaces. The most important thing was that Sister Mei was finally willing to cheer up and live a good life. This was the best thing.

"Your Majesty, I have finished what I wanted to say. I will take my leave now."

The emperor wanted to ask Shen Meizhuang to stay for a while longer, but Shen Meizhuang returned to her usual indifferent attitude. There was still a lot of time and there was no rush, so he asked Xiao Xiazi to carefully escort Shen Guiren back to Xianyue Pavilion.

When Su Peisheng's order reached Taohuawu, the queen was shocked at first, and then became suspicious. Could it be that Concubine Shen had discovered that her baby was big? But Liu Bin had reported to Xianyue Pavilion a few days ago that everything was normal. That meant that Shen Meizhuang had thought about it for a long time and really came up with such a bad idea of ​​"sacrificing the self for the greater good".

If she used the food allowance of a pregnant concubine to fill the gap in summer drinks for the palace servants, and if outsiders heard about it, how would she, the queen, save her face?

It was thanks to Shen Meizhuang's stupid brain that she could come up with this idea. Even so, she was able to get the title bestowed by the emperor himself.

If she really gave birth to a child, wouldn't she be immediately promoted to concubine or imperial consort?

In addition, this move won the loyalty of all the servants in the palace. If she really gave birth to a prince, there would be no point in her being the queen.

"The noble lady Hui is virtuous and kind, and this palace and the emperor are equally touched. However, we cannot let the child in the noble lady's belly suffer. How about this? The noble lady Hui's food allowance will be paid from my allowance. Before the child is born, the noble lady Hui's food allowance will remain the same."

The queen put on a proper smile and pinched the base of her left hand with her right hand to avoid losing her dignity.

Yixiu regretted it very much. Why did she make such a fuss about having a big baby and a difficult birth? It wouldn't have cost so much money to just use musk.

"The Empress is compassionate to the palace concubines, and the concubines in the harem should follow her example and be compassionate to the servants. I will definitely convey this to the Emperor." Su Peisheng, an old man who has been with the Emperor for decades, really didn't want to play around in the minds of the women in the harem. He dealt with the Empress with just one sentence and turned back to the Qinzheng Hall.

It was just a bowl of mung bean soup, but the queen could make so many changes to it, and in the end she had to pay for the cost of the mung bean soup out of her own pocket. Su Peisheng didn't understand what she was trying to do.

When the servants in each palace got off duty, they found that they not only had mung bean soup to drink, but also sour plum juice to choose from. They were so happy. After asking around, they found out that it was Concubine Hui who was reluctant to let them suffer.

It was a hot summer day, but the palace servants felt cool in their hearts. Whenever they finished their work and took a break, they would express their gratitude to Concubine Hui and the little prince in her belly.

It was too late for the Queen to stop the servants from various palaces from gossiping, because her headache had really come back!

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It is said that Concubine Hua returned to Qingliang Palace and saw that Linglong had not arrived yet. According to the usual time, Linglong should have come by now. Concubine Hua was worried, so she sent Zhou Ninghai to look for her.

If Linglong didn't come to Qingliang Palace, Xin Changzai would definitely send someone to inform her.

Before Zhou Ninghai walked out of the palace, he saw a tall and slender boy leading a little kid into the Yikun Palace.

"Empress Hua, Linglong has brought her fourth brother to play with you."

When Linglong came in and saw Zhou Ninghai, she knew that she must have played outside for too long and made Concubine Hua worried.

Linglong was already familiar with the Qingliang Palace where Concubine Hua lived. After entering the Qingliang Palace, Linglong let go of the Fourth Prince's hand and ran towards the main hall.

Just now, my fourth brother and I picked flowers in the garden and made a wreath, which we need to put on Empress Hua quickly.

Hua Fei put down the notebook and saw Linglong running towards her, followed by a steady young man. Her eyes fell back on Linglong.

"You are sweating profusely from running. Songzhi, take the princess downstairs to wash up before we have dinner."

Then, Concubine Hua's eyes fell on the young man not far away.