The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of Ling Rong

Ever since Concubine Hua lost her power as the assistant to the six palaces, she has been in a bad mood. Once, she was so angry that she hit Concubine Cao, who knew Concubine Hua's temper.

She spoke cautiously, "The Emperor has always been a man of long-lasting affection, and he cherishes the memory of the past. Your Majesty has only temporarily lost her power, and the Emperor is afraid that the message will affect her. After some time, everything will be fine."

"The Emperor hasn't seen me for several days. I sent someone to invite him, but he was busy and didn't see me."

Is there any other solution? Tell me!

Cao Qinmo knew very well that the emperor took away Hua Fei's power to assist in managing the six palaces, on the one hand because of pressure, and on the other hand as a warning to Hua Fei.

The emperor understood many of the things she did in private, but he just didn't want to dwell on them. If it weren't for the fact that she had hurt Concubine Wan, he would have let it go.

On the other hand, it was also to help Mei Zhuang ascend to the throne and thus check and balance Hua Fei.

"Your Majesty, I am dull and speechless. But the Emperor loves his children deeply, and Wen Yi is quite beloved by him."

"It doesn't matter. You don't need to be able to speak. As long as Wen Yi can laugh and make noises, it's all right. The emperor hasn't seen Wen Yi for a long time. You can take Wen Yi to pay his respects!"

"There is a gilded hairpin on the dressing table. I will give it to you as a reward."

It's such a hot summer day, the sun is scorching outside.

Concubine Hua actually wants me to take Wen Yi to pay respects to the Emperor at this time. She has never raised a child, so how can she understand a mother's feelings?

The Emperor was in the Queen's Palace, discussing going to the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat.

"Since Concubine Duan is weak, she will naturally go. And Concubine Wan, Concubine Shen, Concubine An... they will all go."

This time, Concubine Hua was the only one not mentioned. Perhaps he was deliberately ignoring her for a while.

As they were talking, Concubine Cao brought Wen Yi over.

"Why do you bring the princess out in such hot weather? What if she gets heatstroke?" said the queen.

Concubine Cao paid her respects and said that the weather was hot and Wen Yi had no appetite. It might be because she missed the emperor and hadn't seen him for a long time.

The emperor immediately hugged Wen Yi and held her in his arms.

"It feels a little better. It seems we should leave for Yuanmingyuan earlier so that Wen Yi can suffer less."

Concubine Cao casually took off the gilded hairpin from her bun and fiddled with it in front of Wen Yi.

"This hairpin? It looks familiar."

"Your Majesty, every time Concubine Hua wears this hairpin, Wen Yi smiles when she sees it, so Concubine Hua gave it to Wen Yi as a reward."

The emperor laughed happily and immediately said, "Concubine Hua is going too!"

Two days later, we set off for the Summer Palace. The palace had already been cleaned up, so we each lived in our assigned palace.

The emperor went hunting with Prince Guo.

That day, everyone was gathered together. The Emperor and the Empress were calculating the accounts and discussing the silver spent on the mung bean soup consumed daily in summer. Mei Jie was also looking at the accounts.

"Although a bowl of mung bean soup is small, it will be a considerable expense in the long run." Sister Mei blurted out.

"What? Do you have any ideas?" the emperor asked with interest.

"I think this is a considerable expense!" Sister Mei blurted out.

The emperor turned around and looked at her with interest: "Why? Do you have any ideas?"

There was a hint of expectation in his tone, as if he hoped to get some advice or ideas from Sister Mei.

Sister Mei pondered for a moment, then said softly, "I think we can consider cutting some unnecessary expenses, or replacing some things with other things."

"The mung bean soup can be dispensed with and converted into cash and distributed. This way, the burden on the court can be reduced while everyone can participate and promote frugality."

After hearing what Sister Mei said, the emperor couldn't help but nodded, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

He smiled and said, "Lady Shen, your idea is good. This is a good idea and worth a try. However, how to implement it requires careful planning and arrangement."

"I'll leave this matter to you. I believe you can do it well."

Mei Jie was delighted and quickly bowed to express her gratitude: "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will do my best to live up to your trust."

She knew that this was an opportunity given to her by the emperor and also a test of her ability.

She secretly made up her mind to do this job well and let the emperor see her ability.

Sister Mei didn't know that this idea had affected the interests of too many people.

The servants, eunuchs, and maids in the palace relied on meager salaries to survive, often beaten and scolded by their masters when they were angry. Life was already difficult enough, and now, on a hot summer day, having a bowl of mung bean soup to cool down was a blessing.

Now it's suddenly gone, and even if it's converted into cash, it's not certain they'll get it. With so much deduction from those above, how can the people below survive?

The Queen was naturally happy to see this happen. The suggestion made by Concubine Shen was really good, and the Emperor was also satisfied.

But as for other people, especially Concubine Hua, with her temper, how could she tolerate it?

"Jianqiu, go inform the imperial kitchen that all regular dishes from now on will be reduced by half, and desserts should also be moderate, without any extravagance or waste."

"Yes, my lady! I will go right away."

At this time, Concubine Hua was angry: "Why are all the dishes today vegetarian? There's not even the crab roe pastry that I usually like?"

"Even the snacks are so petty. What is the Queen planning to do to me?"

"Don't be angry, Your Majesty. This is all because of the idea proposed by Concubine Shen to reduce expenses. Now it's not just in our palace, but even the Queen's is doing the same."

This Concubine Shen had only been learning to manage the six palaces for a few days, but she had already learned to use chicken feathers as a token of authority. If this continued, what would become of the harem?

Take some money and distribute it to the people below, and let them do their work well. If you spend a lot of money, I don't believe that there will be no one who doesn't do their work well.

For a time, everyone in the palace was complaining and dissatisfied. People were saying all kinds of things in private, and rumors were spreading everywhere.

The Emperor and the Empress naturally knew about this. Now that things had come to this, if Concubine Shen was not punished, everyone in the harem would be upset.

"Although Concubine Shen has not committed a serious fault, this matter is ultimately caused by her. I hope Your Majesty will calm down and give her a lighter punishment." The Queen seemed to be speaking sincerely, but she was very happy in her heart.

"Mrs. Shen, your actions have been deviant and your considerations lacking. You shall be fined one month's salary and allowed to reflect on your mistakes for half a month."

As soon as the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict left, Sister Mei collapsed on the stool. She couldn't figure out what she had done wrong.

"Lingrong, are you saying I'm really wrong? The Emperor advocates frugality, so I try my best to do so, and I can always share the Emperor's worries."

"Sister, you're wrong. The palace has been extravagant for a long time. How could the Empress not know this? But she never deliberately does anything. Do you know why?"

"Because the Queen knows this is not going to be easy, she intends to promote you and share Hua Fei's power. If you do well, it will naturally be her credit. If you don't do well, then it will be entirely your responsibility, sister."