The Legend of Zhen Huan Reborn: Overthrowing Zhen Huan to Become the Queen Mother

Nian Shilan's eyes fell on the books almost without focus, and she pulled the corner of her mouth.

"Your Majesty is truly thoughtful."

It happened that Zhou Ninghai informed Jingpin that she was coming to visit.

Nian Shilan exhaled lightly, straightened her back which had just relaxed a little, and said lazily, "Let her in."

Jingpin walked in quickly and said respectfully without raising her head, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine and the Imperial Concubine Fang."

"No need for formalities." Nian Shilan said lightly, tilting her head towards the armchair on the other side.

Jingpin then sat down, nodded towards Jiang Ruyin, and said:

"Last night, Eunuch Yuan, who serves as the attendant of Concubine Fang, came to my palace and told me about this. I had prepared the account book long ago, but since I rarely have the opportunity to visit the Concubine in Yikun Palace, I went to the imperial kitchen and asked for a portion of crab roe pastry, hoping that the Concubine would be more cheerful."

Ruyi and Hanzhu behind him came forward, one holding a plate full of crab roe pastries and the other holding four account books.

Jingpin continued to introduce, "Here are the account books and keys of the North Five Antique Houses, the Shou Medicine House, and the Antique House."

Jingpin's expression was respectful but a little reserved, and she looked at Nian Shilan cautiously.

Jiang Ruyin felt emotional in her heart that Jingpin had done her best to please the emperor in order to raise a child.

After all, Jiang Ruyin had heard Nian Shilan talk about the theory of the man in the bedroom many times before.

Nian Shilan did not give Jingpin a cold look, but looked at Jingpin with a little surprise.

He cleared his throat unnaturally and said, "You are so thoughtful."

Jingpin breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.

The atmosphere in the hall fell silent.

In the past, whenever Concubine Li and Concubine Wen came, they would just pick a topic to talk about. Now that it was Jiang Ruyin and Concubine Jing's turn to sit down, Nian Shilan really didn't know what to say.

"My two younger sisters should have some experience in managing the six palaces. Later, I will divide the palace affairs and send them to the palaces of my two younger sisters. Oh, and Concubine Duan." Speaking of Concubine Duan, a clear look of displeasure flashed across Nian Shilan's eyes.

Jingpin looked at Jiang Ruyin with a little surprise. Seeing Jiang Ruyin frown, Jingpin understood.

"I haven't heard the emperor mention this matter." Jiang Ruyin said with lowered eyes.

At the mention of Concubine Duan, Nian Shilan's inherent arrogance became more apparent, revealing her disgust beyond words. "How can she still help manage the six harems in that state? It's really bizarre."

Jingpin thought for a moment and said, "Well, it's really unexpected that Concubine Duan has had a relapse of her old illness in the winter."

It happened that Jixiang, who was beside Concubine Duan, came to report.

He bowed with his head bowed, "Your Highness, please forgive me. Our queen had a cough this morning and was wheezing badly. I'm afraid I won't be able to come and pay my respects to you today."

Nian Shilan instantly regained her spirits, raised her head and spoke in a high voice, "In that case, I wonder if Concubine Duan can be competent in assisting the six palaces."

Nian Shilan didn't cry out, and Jixiang remained on his knees, saying neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Although our queen is not completely healthy, she will definitely not disappoint the emperor's will."

"Ah!"

Nian Shilan snorted coldly.

Jingpin's body stiffened, fearing that she would get angry the next second, and there might be a palace maid in a well in the imperial garden.

In the end, Nian Shilan didn't say anything, just raised her eyebrows and said, "I understand. Let Concubine Duan wait."

Jingpin breathed a sigh of relief, and felt that Nian Shilan's temperament had changed drastically, and she immediately relaxed a lot.

After a busy morning, I suddenly relaxed and felt my stomach was empty.

Her eyes fell on the table. There were two plates of desserts on the table: rose pastry and water chestnut cake. Jingpin knew that the desserts in Yiku Palace were the most exquisite and delicious.

Jiang Ruyin glanced at her and picked up a piece of water chestnut cake. "The chefs in Yikun Palace are so skillful. The fruity aroma in this water chestnut cake is overflowing. It makes you salivate."

As he said this, he took a small bite of it in a serious manner.

Songzhi handed the crab cakes that Concubine Jing brought to Nian Shilan. She lazily sipped her tea and said, "It's his blessing to catch my eye, so naturally he should do his best."

Jingpin was still afraid of the water chestnut cake, so she took a piece of rose milk pastry and ate it in small bites.

The jam in the center of the rose pastry is sweet and sour, and the pastry is fragrant, crispy and delicious.

In the past, when paying respects, the cakes and pastries were just placed on the table, and few people would even use the tea and snacks.

It was a wonderful experience to have dim sum in someone else's palace for the first time.

......

The next day, Concubine Hua divided up the palace affairs, and Jiang Ruyin paid close attention to inquire about them.

I have a relatively easy job in the Imperial Pharmacy and Imperial Hospital. There are a lot of work and rewards, but the account books are huge.

Jingpin was assigned a completely unnecessary position, with the Four Storehouses, the Ruyi Pavilion, and the Antique Room. One was used to store the emperor's clothes and accessories, a place no one dared to tamper with; the other was a painting gallery, practically unseen in the palace except during festivals; and the Antique Room, as its name suggests, was solely responsible for storing and delivering antiques to the various palaces as arranged by the Imperial Household Department.

Concubine Duan was assigned to the Imperial Tea and Food Office, a position she held with the greatest rigor. The Imperial Tea and Food Offices saw a significant flow of personnel and complex accounting. While she received no rewards on a regular basis, she was bound to be held responsible if something went wrong. Crucially, this area had been the domain of the bondservants, the Uya clan, even before the previous dynasty. Even after their rise to the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, they maintained control of the Imperial Tea and Food Office.

It's a really tough nut to crack.

Nian Shilan took control of both the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Works Office. The Imperial Household Department was responsible for the affairs of the six imperial palaces, while the Imperial Works Office was responsible for manufacturing imperial supplies. They only had to do their jobs as required, and there was no place to profit or suffer losses.

It can be seen that Nian Shilan is really knowledgeable about palace affairs.

The burden was suddenly much lighter, and Jiang Ruyin also had time to read and walk around.

An Lingrong came once in the middle of the month and mentioned her half-brother.

"My father helped him marry the daughter of the Chuzhou prefect. Who knows what the Chuzhou prefect had in mind, but he actually married his daughter to Anzhedi."

Jiang Ruyin looked at her. Perhaps she had become more pampered after becoming the mistress, and there was a more calm look in her face. But at this moment, her brows were furrowed, and she looked quite resentful.

Jiang Ruyin sighed and said, "It hasn't even been three years since Madam An's incident..."

An Lingrong's eyes grew even more furious. "Yes, if it weren't for Hongning, he would have promoted his favorite concubine to the position the day after Mother's accident."

After saying this, An Lingrong's fingers gently brushed across Hongning's delicate cheek, her eyes full of affection.

"I think my sister is so angry that she says these things in front of the children. Hongxuan, take your brother to the back hall to play." Jiang Ruyin called Hongxuan.

Hong Xuan was so excited that he suppressed the urge to jump up and down and bowed to Jiang Ruyin and An Lingrong.

"Yes, mother. Empress Qian, I've taken Hongning to the back hall to read. Don't worry, Empress Qian, I'll take good care of my brother."

An Lingrong was not worried at all. She saw Hongxuan's love and care for Hongning every day, and she couldn't help but smile, "Okay, Empress Qian knows that Hongxuan is the best."