Quick Transmigration: Leisure

It seems.

The Empress was no longer satisfied with the progress within the palace. This was only the first day after leaving the palace, yet she had already sent Qi Zhuo to personally deliver the wristband.

But she can't bring it now.

Furthermore, it cannot be kept on one's person; if it is discovered by someone with ulterior motives, it will lead to dire consequences.

Xia Youmi's departure from the palace proceeded very smoothly. The emperor's secret guards were different each time, appearing in rotation.

However, she is very patient.

Each person will have their own information database established.

Even if only the eyes are exposed, the system can still recognize them year after year.

A month and a half later, the same bodyguards finally appeared again.

The given numerical designation can also be a cutoff point.

Today, the bodyguard number seven who came out with her was a bodyguard who was very passionate about painting. He always stared intently at her easel. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, Xia Youmi would even give him a few pointers on appreciation.

Several of them were Qi Zhuo's subordinates.

For example, Guard Number Twenty-One, whenever it was his turn to stand guard, basically acted as a lookout for his masters. He was also very humble, always observing and learning from Shi Yi and Shi Rong how to fabricate their actions before His Majesty!

As time went on, even Shaoyuan stopped personally inquiring about it.

He entrusted the task to the head of the secret guards, who was also Xia Youmi's designated secret guard number zero, to record all the events that occurred each day. This also provided an opportunity for some of the less skilled secret guards to copy his work.

For example, in the later stages of the 31st case, he would bring his notebook and have Shi Yi write out the drafts for him.

Most of the bodyguards got along well with her and didn't interfere much in her affairs.

There were a few troublemakers who tried to stop her from leaving the city, but a beating would make them behave. They called it sparring with her maids.

Xia Youmi also made sure to cultivate relationships with high-ranking officials, presenting paintings to the Empress. At first, he was more discreet, but gradually he began including tourists and ordinary people in his paintings. Later, at her request, he would even secretly include Qi Zhuo in the portraits, hiding him among the crowd. The Empress would then search for him, finding it like a treasure hunt – a truly delightful experience.

However, she is certainly a cautious person.

I've explained in detail that once Her Majesty the Empress finds Qi Zhuo and Xia Youmi's locations, I need to add some details to conceal their appearances. I also need to change the identities of several other people to avoid suspicion.

This joy was known only to the three of them.

Qi Zhuo became even more domineering, often secretly leaving some paintings at his residence. He wouldn't be so careless in the palace. Xia Youmi would occasionally indulge him, painting for him in a different style and with different paints, then signing it "Nian Nian".

The system was ecstatic.

This world is relatively easier for it; it doesn't need to find people to participate in solving cases.

The system knows that Mi assigned numbers to the Dark Guards to amuse them. Furthermore, they have many future travel plans and won't actually prevent this world from being unable to provide much data.

Another person who needs to be won over is Consort Zhao, with whom Xia Youmi has a childhood friendship. He often brings her childhood toys and occasionally gives them to the princes.

In addition, she helped deliver the Ye brothers' sentiments several times. She placed the gifts to be delivered in the designated location and brought them in when she returned to the palace, as gifts for Ye Ruilan.

She herself did not appear to hand over the work.

The emperor and empress dowager, of course, did not neglect him either, sending him some rare and precious items. On the surface, they were following the same route as Xia Youmi's maternal grandparents, and were imported goods from overseas trade.

In reality, it was Xia Yuan's caravan force that was actually behind it.

They were forced to open up this trade route out of necessity.

The Xia family were loyal and righteous, but they should not have died unjustly at the hands of corrupt officials. The reason my grandfather was able to become Grand Commandant was because his brothers did not get along well with the old emperor! At a critical moment in the border war, the vital supplies were controlled by a bunch of scoundrels in the Ministry of Revenue.

Some soldiers were forced to sacrifice themselves so cheaply.

After the war subsided, my grandfather resolutely took charge of the court and began to fight with the civil official.

The old emperor was also feeling guilty, which is why he gave him the high-ranking position of Grand Commandant, one of the Three Dukes.

The Xia family also began to save themselves. Xia Youmi's father married the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

With the support of his father-in-law, some worries were alleviated. In case of emergency, the imperial court allowed merchants to advance grain supplies. Regardless of whether the Ministry of Revenue released grain, the merchants would buy it first, have it transported to the battlefield by soldiers, and then the merchants would request payment from the Ministry of Revenue later.

This strange rule was brought about by Grand Commandant Xia.

Later, by the time of Xia Sheng and Xia Yuan's generation, they had almost no energy to arrange marriages with wealthy merchants. The emperors also no longer allowed them to do so, and thus tried to use gentler means to remove this rule.

But Xia Yuan still found a way: he went into business himself.

It was comical, but effective.

Moreover, Xia Sheng and his sister's maternal grandparents helped them understand the market. So they often went to their grandparents' house to play. Xia Youmi was genuinely playing, while the other two brothers were both creating personas and genuinely learning in a different way.

The old emperor didn't want them to marry the daughters of wealthy merchants, and he also wanted to control their marriage partners. They understood this, which is why they kept delaying. They were unwilling to return to the capital and also unable to arrange marriages themselves that would burden others.

Until the new emperor ascended the throne.

Xia Youmi's entry into the palace was supposed to resolve the conflict of this forced marriage.

However, she was not His Majesty's actual concubine, and the Xia brothers were unwilling to enjoy the freedom gained by sacrificing their younger sister.

They continued their trade relentlessly, preparing for both ends. They also promised her that once she left the palace, she wouldn't be forever confined there to wither away.

The fact that Lian Shaoyuan agreed to let her sneak out of the palace to keep watch was ultimately due to the support of the Xia family's soldiers.

So, besides painting.

She spent most of her time handling business. Gradually, some of her bodyguards became unwilling to waste time on leisure. Within ten days, she was able to be assigned a trustworthy bodyguard five days a year.

September.

Consort Zhao's second son, the third prince Lian Congzhan, turned four years old. A small banquet was held at Yunlan Palace. Xia Youmi had sent the gifts she had prepared to the Ye family outside the palace in advance and did not go to join in the fun, thus missing a good show.

We can only listen to Shi Rong's version of the explanation.

In the midst of the festivities, an inconspicuous noblewoman experienced morning sickness, simply because she smelled the fishy odor of the fish soup on the table. One after another, several other concubines also began experiencing symptoms. Upon examination by the imperial physician, it was discovered that five women, at varying stages of pregnancy, were already six months along.

The oldest one is already four months pregnant!

Chaos erupted immediately. Someone was sent to invite His Majesty, and some, eager for a good show, even invited Consort Qiong. Ye Linghua herself had only sent a congratulatory gift and hadn't attended the banquet.

Then someone reported that something important had happened at the banquet and that he needed to attend to palace affairs, so he could only quickly pack up and go.

However, they bumped into His Majesty at the entrance of Yunlan Palace, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Lian Shaoyuan couldn't hide his embarrassment. He was simply following the Empress Dowager's instructions to fulfill the ministers' request for more children and grandchildren, while simultaneously diverting attention from Linghua.

Unexpectedly, within just four months, news broke that five concubines were pregnant at the same time.

This caused Consort Qiong to lose face.

This actually confirms that she was the one who hindered the birth of her child in the past.

Even harder to refute!