Demoted from wife to concubine? Reborn, the mistress of a noble family plots another high-status mar

Chapter 533

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager stared sharply at Yun Xiyue, "Why did you follow the Emperor to Qinghuan Palace to drink the nuptial wine with Consort Shu?"

"Don't forget, an empress must be a model of virtue for the nation; jealousy is unacceptable!"

Yun Xiyue sneered inwardly, not believing that Granny Su hadn't told her why, but she simply refused to believe the truth.

"His Majesty has ordered me to accompany you to Qinghuan Palace, and I dare not disobey His Majesty's wishes."

"Besides, His Majesty doesn't like Consort Shu, so I can't force him to stay overnight at Qinghuan Palace!" she said, looking aggrieved.

"As for the matter of the Emperor punishing the Consort, then I am even more wronged. The Emperor punished the Consort because she did not understand the palace rules."

"If Mother doesn't know what happened, she can ask Granny Su first. Granny Su was there at the time. Alternatively, she can ask Eunuch Fu to come and confront them together."

Granny Su's face stiffened slightly. If it weren't for Eunuch Fu, she would have lost her life yesterday.

If she were to confront Eunuch Fu, and lied, she would offend him.

Even in the palace, interpersonal relationships and social etiquette are important.

Granny Su was at a loss for what to do, so she pretended to be deaf and dumb. The Empress Dowager told her not to speak, so she didn't speak.

"Your Majesty, you see, even Granny Su has tacitly agreed," Yun Xiyue said with a smile.

Granny Su's face was cracked, and she dared not utter a single word.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Mama with displeasure. "Even so, as the Empress, you are in charge of the rewards and punishments in the harem. If the Emperor has to manage them for you, how will he have the energy to focus on the court?"

"You are the Empress, so you should help the Emperor resolve his worries."

Yun Xiyue smiled and said, "It's just a matter of Mother's reprimand. From today onwards, I will discipline my sisters properly and will no longer let them bother the Emperor."

The Empress Dowager choked on her words, her heart pounding with anger.

He's really quick-witted!

"The Imperial Concubine is currently under house arrest, so you will be in charge of organizing the victory celebration banquet. We have just finished fighting a war, and the national treasury is empty. Everyone in the harem must cut back on expenses, but the victory celebration banquet cannot be taken lightly."

This morning, Murong Yu told the ministers about the tight national treasury.

The emperor instructed the women in the inner palace to begin austerity measures and to refrain from extravagance and waste.

Other ministers should take the lead in practicing frugality.

Your salaries will be halved. Although some people are dissatisfied, many ministers dare not say much because the military officials support it.

Murong Yu used the money saved from halving the salaries of court officials to subsidize retired, wounded, and deceased soldiers as resettlement allowances.

Having just won a battle, the emperor personally led the expedition.

The military generals were in high spirits, and the civil officials were somewhat outmatched, their objections proving ineffective.

When the Empress Dowager learned of the news, she thought it was a good thing that Pei Fang was confined to his quarters. The cost of holding a celebration banquet was not low, and the Ministry of Revenue could not come up with much money. So whoever was in charge of this matter should pay the money to subsidize it.

Having been an empress, she knew this was standard practice, and she had previously supplemented it with a considerable amount of her private savings.

Yun Xiyue naturally understood, "Your Majesty and I have already discussed it and will hold a celebration banquet."

The Empress Dowager was surprised; she hadn't expected her to take on this mess without hesitation. Even if she was still dissatisfied with her, she couldn't be too harsh on her now.

After all, no one dared to take on the task of organizing a victory celebration banquet.

Zhou Zhilan and Zeng Rou wanted to step forward, but unfortunately they both had their own concerns, and besides, they weren't as wealthy as Yun Xiyue.

hateful!

They were both furious.

"Mother, there are too few sisters in the palace. The other sisters should be entering the palace soon!" Zeng Rou said.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Yun Xiyue and said, "The daughter of the Minister of Revenue will enter the palace tomorrow. You will be in charge of arranging the wedding for Consort Xian to enter the palace!"

Yun Xiyue was unwilling. Just because she agreed to let the Empress Dowager send people into the harem did not mean that she was willing to be trampled on like this.

What wife would willingly allow her husband to take a concubine?

She agreed because she didn't want to put Murong Yu in a difficult position.

But the Empress Dowager deliberately wanted to make her uncomfortable, and she wasn't a pushover.

"I believe that everyone should be treated equally. Whoever was in charge of the wedding when Consort Shu entered the palace should be in charge. If we make special arrangements, it will make the other sisters feel uncomfortable."

"If we do that, the harem will become disharmonious. Everyone will run to the Emperor and complain about the unfairness. Wouldn't that cause the Emperor a lot of worry? So let's stick to the old ways!"

She glanced at Zeng Rou as she spoke, "I remember that everything concerning Consort Shu's entry into the palace was arranged by the Ministry of Rites."