An Lingrong's Rebirth: I will not offend others unless they offend me

Concubine Hua watched Zhen Huan and her group leave the gate of Qixiang Palace and took out a booklet.

"Your Majesty, I have a report. Concubine Ke of Yanxi Palace took items exceeding her allotment from the Imperial Household Department and the kitchen: Ten days ago at 3:30 PM, she took from the kitchen two pounds of flour slag, ten pounds of fresh vegetables, three pounds of white flour, and one pound of white sugar... Seven days ago at 1:01 PM, she took from the Imperial Household Department one pound each of Lu'an tea and Tianchi tea... Five days ago at 1:00 PM, she took three white wax candles and ten eggs..."

When the emperor heard the word ten eggs, his face turned very dark.

He sighed deeply and interrupted Hua Fei's words.

"My beloved concubine, Concubine Ke is pregnant. Please take good care of her."

The emperor, suppressing his anger, took the booklet from Concubine Hua's hand, flipped through it casually, and then stuffed it into the sachet around his waist.

Concubine Ke is really not a worry-free woman. Her behavior makes her unfit to be the mother of the royal heir.

Wait until she gives birth to the dragon fetus, and then we will settle the accounts.

Thinking that he hadn't been to Yiku Palace for some time, the emperor glanced at Cao Qinmo gently.

"I will be staying in Yikun Palace tonight. If you need anything, you can send someone to look for me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Cao Qinmo was well aware of her own capabilities, and Princess Wen Yi's safe birth was entirely thanks to Concubine Hua.

She didn't expect the emperor to stay overnight in Taiji Palace.

In the past, when the emperor followed Concubine Hua back to Yikun Palace, he always heard her chirping and excited voice.

Today, when Concubine Hua became quiet, the Emperor felt a little uncomfortable.

"My beloved, are you feeling unwell? Do you need a doctor to take a look?"

Hua Fei shook her head in confusion.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am not feeling unwell. It's just that I am thinking of the seriously ill Princess Wen Yi, so I can't help but feel a little down."

In fact, she didn't expect that the emperor would follow her back to Yikun Palace. She was feeling annoyed and didn't want to say anything funny.

Concubine Hua had no intention of chatting, but the emperor took the initiative to start a conversation.

"What has my beloved concubine been busy with in the palace these days?"

"Your Majesty, I am handling palace affairs."

"My beloved concubine has been assisting in the management of the six palaces for some years. Do you have any good suggestions?"

After saying this, the emperor smiled bitterly in his heart.

In the past, when Concubine Hua was assisting in the management of the six palaces, she was fighting openly and secretly with the Queen, so how could she have any good suggestions?

Unexpectedly, Concubine Hua gave a positive answer.

"Your Majesty, I do have some ideas. Please listen to me while you have tea."

Concubine Shu knew very well that handling the affairs of the six palaces was a tough job. Just this morning, she sent Songzhi to Suiyuxuan and Yanxi Palace to deliver some small gifts, and then she came up with a good idea.

The emperor raised his eyebrows and pulled Concubine Hua into the Yikun Palace.

"Okay, I'll wait for your thoughts."

As soon as he entered the Yiku Palace, the emperor clearly noticed something different.

The Yiku Palace, which was once full of blooming flowers, has unknowingly turned into green trees and bushes.

"My dear, where are those big trees in your palace that used to be covered with flowers?"

Those were purchased at a high price by the flower and plant house, how could they be wasted so easily?

Concubine Hua seemed not to notice the emperor's sudden change in expression and explained slowly and calmly.

"Your Majesty, the people in my palace are very good at tending to flowers and plants, and they take good care of those fruit trees."

"I was worried that it would be a waste to leave those flowers in Yikun Palace, so I ordered them to be transplanted to the Imperial Garden for all the sisters to enjoy together."

"In order to avoid the palace looking bare, they dug up green trees and bushes from the imperial garden and brought them back."

In fact, she now has a shadow on the flowers. When she sees those blooming flowers, she thinks of the Nian Mansion in the past and the poor children who never had the chance to see this world.

Hua Fei no longer expected the emperor's hypocrisy, so it was normal for her to change her attire in the palace.

The emperor did not expect Hua Fei to give this answer.

Surprisingly, he also praised me.

"As long as my beloved concubine likes it. If you want to see those flowers in the future, I will accompany you to the Imperial Garden."

"My concubine, thank you for your kindness."

You can accompany her to show your affection, but forget about appreciating the flowers together.

"My dear, why are you so polite?"

Hua Fei was the only one among the emperor's many women who was not afraid of him. He was attracted by this uniqueness back then, but later Nian Gengyao became more powerful, which made him wary of her.

“Quack, quack, quack…”

A large black-gray bird emerged from the bushes, its eyes as big as green beans rolled around, and it staggered towards them.

The emperor took a small step back, "Hua Fei, what is this?"

Hua Fei chuckled.

"Your Majesty, this is the fairy duck I raised. It may look unsightly, so I will have someone take it away right away."

It's no wonder that she found a lot of fun in the fairy duck she had been feeding for a few days.

The emperor had heard Su Peisheng mention this matter before, so he asked curiously.

"Why did you think of raising ducks, my dear?"

She certainly couldn't say that she listened to Concubine Shu's nonsense and rushed to the kitchen in a fit of rage, saving the only living duck from the eunuch who was about to slaughter it.

Hua Fei wiped her eyes vigorously with a handkerchief.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent. I have been with you for many years and have not given birth to any children. I saw that some of my sisters were raising little pets, and I was tempted."

"I happened to pass by the kitchen and saw the fairy duck crying with a knife at its neck. I couldn't bear it, so I took it back to the palace to raise it."

"To be honest, I'm not going to say anything disrespectful. Sometimes when I look at this fairy duck, which is so human-like, I feel like I'm raising a child."

Only she knows the bitterness and pain contained in these words.

The emperor rarely asked any further questions, and the two of them entered the main hall in silence.

The pungent fragrance lingered in the house, and Hua Fei shed tears unconsciously.

After two cups of tea, Concubine Hua, with a choked voice, took the initiative to bring up the topic at the gate of Yiku Palace.

"Your Majesty, since I took charge of palace affairs, I have discovered that when the palaces go to the kitchen to collect food according to their quota, there is a serious waste."

"Take me for example. My daily allowance includes nine catties of pork, four eggs, one catty and eight ounces of tofu, glutinous rice flour residue... ten catties of fresh vegetables, and sixteen catties of other fresh fruits and vegetables."

"When I was shopping, I bought more than everyone else's share, but I may not be able to use all of it."

The emperor is busy with all kinds of affairs, and the harem is managed by the diligent and frugal queen, so naturally no one tells him these things.

Following what Hua Fei had said, he went through the allotments for everyone in the harem. Even without the specific data, he knew that there was a lot of waste.

Even the emperor cannot say that he is not picky about food and it is normal for other people to have preferences.

"My dear, what good ideas do you have?"

"Your Majesty, I have thought that if the palaces could report the food they would eat to the purchasing office in advance, we would be able to save a lot of money."

"Also, it would be great if each palace had its own small kitchen so they could cook their own meals."

As long as the emperor agrees to allow each palace to open a small kitchen, let's see what the old queen can use to win over the palace servants in the kitchen.

The emperor pondered for a while, then smiled and praised.

"My beloved concubine is truly courageous and resourceful. I will issue an order on a chosen day for each palace to submit the food materials needed for the next day to the purchasing department in advance."

"As for the small kitchens in the palaces starting fires, we will do so in the gardens."

There are many twists and turns in the imperial kitchen, and most of the oil and water flow into Shoukang Palace.

If you act too harshly, it will easily cause dissatisfaction from the Queen Mother.