Mu Qing said that Lian Taifei was a person who could see things very clearly and wasn't wrong in the slightest.
In just a few days, Empress Dowager Ci Xi issued an imperial edict in her own name praising Lin He. The edict lavished praise on Lin He, saying she was "deeply wise and virtuous", "frugal and humble", and had the beauty of a mother figure. It said that as the empress's heart was with the people, she proposed ways to reduce expenses in the imperial palace, setting an example by being frugal herself. With such a leader in the palace, it was truly a blessing for the palace. But I, as a princess, have been enjoying honor and privilege without thinking about the suffering of the common people, which is really shameful. I wish to follow the empress's example, reduce my allowance, and use the saved silver for national purposes...
When this folding screen came out, other imperial consorts and concubines looked at each other, more or less a little afraid to speak again.
If they said that they were poor at first, it was because of the crowd and the emperor's concubines. They had the meaning of using filial piety to suppress Lin Daiyu. But as soon as the queen mother's edict came out... At the same time, the emperor's harem, including the queen mother, had such a high awareness that they were willing to voluntarily reduce their share, but they were crying and complaining here that their share was not enough, which instead highlighted that they were indeed unaware of the suffering of the people and only knew how to enjoy the luxury.
Most of them are also from aristocratic families and have officials in their families, so reputation is still very important.
Moreover, their era has passed, and now it's the emperor's harem's world. Whether it's their family or sons, they will all have to rely on the emperor in the future. They also dare not make big moves to pressure Emperor Lin Yi, using filial piety to suppress him a bit.
After Consort Liang joined the reduction of pin money, some other consorts and concubines also gradually came forward to express their willingness to voluntarily reduce their share.
Lin He let it slip again, the emperor intended to let the princes and kings take the imperial concubines out of the palace to support them, and then the imperial concubines would completely disappear. Empress Dowager Duan made several moves to instigate and persuade, but this time even Cao Guifei pretended to be dead and refused to come out and speak again.
The common people's aunt still wants to follow her own son out of the palace, let alone the imperial consorts in the palace. Ask them if they are willing to stay in the palace and live under the face of Lin Daiyu, a younger generation, or go out of the palace to enjoy their sons' filial piety with their daughters-in-law in the prince's mansion. As long as there is a son, I'm afraid the answer will be to leave the palace.
Even the princes and dukes who were eager to take the lead for the imperial consorts all stopped in their tracks. Then they stared intently at when the policy of sending the imperial consorts out of the palace would be announced.
Joking, at first they knew that the silent and unsmiling Empress Dowager was a second-hand goods' old seven who would become Emperor. When he was young, they often bullied him together, now they are worried that the Emperor will occasionally bully their Empress Dowager to avenge her. If it's really possible to take out the Imperial Consort or Noble Consort, hurry up and take out my own mother!
At that time, even the Longkun Palace of Lin Ke was bustling with activity. The princesses would often come and go, probing and testing to see when they could bring out the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubines.
Lin He saw this and only felt amused, then had someone invite Consort Shuang over. She said to Consort Shuang: "This palace is busy managing the vast harem, and besides, it's still better for Mother Empress Dowager to speak with the consorts, so I want to hand over the management of Cian Palace to Mother Empress Dowager, would you be willing to help me?"
As soon as the Empress Dowager heard this, she was like being doused with a basin of cold water. She had also been staring at the princes and kings who were supporting the Empress Dowager's affairs. Unlike Cao Guifei and Duan Taifei, they had not bullied Xianfei and the Emperor in the past, but rather took good care of them. Now that the Emperor trusted King Heng so much, if there was really a good thing about the princes supporting the Empress Dowager, she would naturally be the first to benefit from it.
Since the queen said so, the matter of Prince Qin taking care of Empress Dowager was just something the queen brought up to fool people, or even if it's true, it wouldn't happen that quickly.
This made Consort Rong somewhat disappointed.
But thinking again, although she can't leave the palace, she can still control Cian Palace and suppress Cao Guifei and Duan Taifei. During the previous emperor's time, Cao Guifei was De Fei, and she was only a concubine of rank nine, lower than Cao Guifei, so she had suffered at Cao Guifei's hands many times before.
There's also Duan Taifei, who is truly a heart full of evil water. She loves to incite others to deal with her and Xian Fei, then sits behind the scenes watching the show. Now that ten years have passed, it's time for her to put pressure on them and make them live in fear of her.
Moreover, after the previous emperor's passing, these consorts of his in the rear palace were really bored with their days. Having something to manage was also a way to pass the time.
Concubine Lian's expression changed to one of delight, and she chuckled: "I'm willing, I can help the Empress share her worries, why wouldn't I be?" Then, holding Lin Daiyu's hand, she assured her: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, with me in charge of Cining Palace, everything will go smoothly."
Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Queen Mother Lian."
"Never mind, I'm the kind of person who loves to interfere in other people's business." Then she had a look of rubbing her fists and wiping her palms, eager to take action.
Huayang Palace
Hu Zhaorong asked her elder aunt: "Do you think the Emperor really intends to let the Princes and Dukes support the Empresses Dowager?"
The empress dowager smiled and said: "Since the queen dared to speak out, it's probably true. Even if it won't happen for now, it definitely will in the future."
Hu Zhaorong looked outside and saw the eldest princess laughing happily as she chased butterflies in a flower cluster with palace maids, and sighed: "It's still better to give birth to an imperial son."
Giving birth to a prince, even if he cannot succeed to the throne, being enfeoffed as a qinwang or junwang can still allow him to take his mother out of the palace and give her something to look forward to. However, in any dynasty, there is no reason for a princess to support an empress dowager.
Hu Zhaorong asked again, "Your Majesty has been staying in Changkun Palace for a month now, right? Since the grand wedding, you haven't stayed overnight with any other palace concubines. It's said that Your Majesty should give the Empress face and have given enough already, so shouldn't it be time to visit the other people in the harem?"
Hu Zhaorong stood up and walked to the window, looking outside, lost in thought.
The queen is still young and her body has not fully developed, serving the emperor may not be able to satisfy him completely. But this year is the year of the grand election, soon there will be new imperial concubines coming in.
Among the hundreds of flowers, there will always be newer and more beautiful ones that catch the emperor's eye. When new concubines enter the palace, the favors bestowed upon these old people by the emperor can only decrease.
But Hu Zhaorong thought she still wanted to have another child, a prince.
With brothers, the eldest princess will have someone to back her up in the future.
So she should probably seize this opportunity to attract the emperor to her palace before a new imperial concubine enters the palace and conceive a child.
