frightfiction Chapter 541 Take the initiative
Chapter 541 Take the initiative
Bai Zhi smiled and responded softly.
"Mr. He, the queen left a message before she left. She said that if other masters come to visit, she will receive them personally."
Huanbi's identity is not ordinary. Baizhi is not sure about her master's attitude towards her, but she dare not accept the gift she brings to her door on her own.
Let's keep the person here first, and she will send someone to report the news immediately.
"Please wait a moment. I know you like tea. My master has some snow-capped emerald green tea stored. I will make you a pot right away."
Huanbi was about to get up and leave, but when she heard the snow-capped mountains were covered with green, she changed her mind instantly.
"Then I'll trouble you, Miss Baizhi. It's a great honor for me to have the opportunity to taste such fine tea."
It is said that the Snowcapped Jasmine grows on the steep peaks of the bitterly cold Far North. It is not only extremely difficult to pick, but also rare, with only about ten trees in the world.
In the past, only the Empress Dowager and the Emperor could enjoy it. Now she has the opportunity to taste it and she must not miss it.
The fact that Zhen Huan was so favored by the Emperor, didn’t that mean that she had made the right decision?
Huanbi stroked her bulging belly with a smile, secretly thinking about how to show her favor to her elder sister.
On the other side, Zhen Huan was walking on the long street, feeling mixed emotions.
The palace maids along the way bowed and greeted her one after another. This long-lost honor made her feel deeply moved.
Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. In order to achieve her goal, she can only rely on the emperor.
As soon as she approached the Yangxin Gate, a warm smile appeared on Zhen Huan's face.
"Jinxi, what a coincidence! I was brought back today by Eunuch Xia, who is currently on duty outside the Yangxin Palace."
"I was busy on my way and didn't thank him properly. Later, you can give him a purse and tell him that I'm treating him to a drink."
"Yes, Master, I understand."
Xiao Yunzi and Gao Changjin had an accident, so they had no access to any news from the palace.
If he could make friends with the young eunuchs in the Yangxin Palace, even if he couldn't win them over, the occasional information he revealed would help his master gain a firm foothold in the palace.
Now they have entered the Yangxin Palace, and Cui Jinxi, who is supporting her master, dares not be distracted at all.
The yellow glazed tiled rooftop was so magnificent under the sunlight that Zhen Huan found it a bit dazzling.
She squinted uncomfortably and silently looked away.
This palace witnessed her joys and sorrows.
The palace remains the same, but the people who returned have already changed their mindsets.
When Xiao Xiazi, who was guarding outside the palace gate, saw Zhen Huan and her servant, she asked Xiao Dongzi to call Su Peisheng who was drinking tea in the small room.
Xiao Xiazi saw Cui Jinxi looking at him several times.
He doesn't want to get involved with weird women!
It would be better to leave such a good thing to her fellow villager Su Peisheng.
As soon as Su Peisheng received the news, he hurried down the stairs and saluted with a smile.
"Your servant pays respects to Concubine Zhen!"
"Eunuch Su, please don't be polite."
Zhen Huan raised her jade hand slightly and responded with a smile.
"Eunuch Su, I have come to thank the Emperor. Please help inform him."
Su Peisheng replied with a smile.
"Reporting to Concubine Zhen, the Emperor has already left a message. He said that if you come, you can go in directly."
"Okay, then I'll go in directly."
Zhen Huan also specifically told Cui Jinxi to wait for her outside.
She held her breath, walked forward step by step, and stepped over the threshold steadily.
Seeing that the emperor was reviewing memorials, Zhen Huan signaled to the palace maid who was grinding ink nearby to go out.
When the palace maid Shi Mo was struggling, the emperor suddenly looked up.
"Princess Zhen, you're back?"
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May you be blessed with good health and happiness!"
Zhen Huan bowed deeply and respectfully.
This made the emperor, who was staring at her, even more satisfied.
The emperor stood up and helped the man up.
"You returned to the palace from Ganlu Temple so early this morning, so you must be tired. You were also pregnant, so why did you rush to see me?"
"Your Majesty, etiquette cannot be abolished."
Zhen Huan tentatively shook the emperor's hand and explained in a low voice.
"The child in my belly started moving as soon as I returned to the palace. I guessed that the child wanted to see the emperor as soon as possible, so I brought the child to see you."
"My child wants to see me earlier, but you don't want to see me earlier..."
Cui Jinxi finally felt relieved when she heard the deep laughter coming from the hall.
Previously, the emperor treated his master in an ambiguous way, which made her worried for a while.
Now it seems that the nostalgic emperor really cares about his master.
Cui Jinxi felt relieved and turned her attention to Su Peisheng.
After not seeing each other for nearly four years, Su Peisheng still enjoys the emperor's trust as deeply as before.
Power is indeed the best panacea, and those who are immersed in it feel comfortable all over.
She had an idea and walked towards Su Peisheng.
"Eunuch Su, I haven't seen you for many years, but you are still as charming as ever."
“And I have aged a lot.”
"Aunt Cui, you're joking. My face is full of wrinkles. I'm not the same person I was four years ago."
Ever since Xiao Dongzi told Su Peisheng that he had more wrinkles on his face than chrysanthemums, he always looked in the mirror from time to time.
In recent years, a lot of new wrinkles have indeed been added.
Cui Jinxi, like her master, will not do anything without profit.
He doesn't deserve such insincere praise.
"Aunt Cui, I have to serve tea to the two masters. I'll excuse myself first."
Su Peisheng arched his hand and snatched the tray from Xiao Xiazi's hand.
"Just send the idiot inside, and you just keep watch outside."
Xiao Xiazi could only agree with a smile.
He glanced at Cui Jinxi not far away and roughly understood that this cheap master might have been harassed.
Xiao Xiazi just stood back in his original position when he caught a glimpse of Cui Jinxi walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.
"Eunuch Xia, the weather is getting colder. I'm sorry to bother you to go to Ganlu Temple in the dark to pick me up."
Cui Jinxi stuffed a small purse over.
"This is a drink my master is inviting you to. Please accept it."
"Then I would be disrespectful to refuse. I hope Aunt Cui will thank Concubine Zhen on my behalf."
Xiao Xiazi took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and stuffed the purse into her hand.
If you have money, you are a fool not to take it!
Besides, he didn't see Zhenpin and her servant giving Su Peisheng any reward just now.
The emperor was diligent in his work and loved his people, so Zhen Huan considerately didn't stay there for long.
As soon as the two people left, Xiao Xiazi walked up to Su Peisheng with a smile and handed over the purse she got from Cui Jinxi.
"Master, I have felt it, and it contains banknotes. Please accept them."
"You are such a fool! The money in Zhongcui Palace is very expensive. Be careful next time."
Su Peisheng had no intention of taking it.
He thought about it and decided to get rid of this unlucky purse as soon as possible.
"The guards who followed you out in the dark at night have worked hard. Please get them some wine and drinks."
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will do it as soon as possible."
Xiao Xiazi had this plan originally.
As a low-level person who has been in the palace for many years, he is well aware of the importance of backing and connections.
If his sister had not become the personal maid of Concubine Shu by accident, Xiao Xia Zi would not have dared to guarantee which master in the harem he would rely on in the future.
She wasn't even sure when she would be implicated and die in the palace.
He was very satisfied with the current situation. Concubine Shu was a good master worthy of following.
After Zhen Huan came out of the Yangxin Gate and turned a corner, she suddenly stopped.
"Jinxi, Her Majesty Shu Guifei has had Zhongcui Palace renovated to my liking. Now that I've returned to the palace, I should personally thank her."
Cui Jinxi nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty is right. From the Auspicious Gate is the Eternal Longevity Palace. If you go there to express your gratitude, no one will gossip about you."
The master and Concubine Shu participated in the same selection and entered the palace on the same day.
The two of them have a friendship that no one else can compare to.
Now that the master has returned to the palace, he should indeed come to reminisce about the past.
As Zhen Huan walked on the road, she was thinking that the emperor had actually promoted An Lingrong to the Bordered Yellow Banner and bestowed upon her the famous Manchu surname Fucha.
Yunli told her this on the way back to the palace.
Sitting in the carriage, she recalled the years that An Lingrong had been in the palace, and suddenly realized that not only had she been promoted from a small concubine to the position of a noble concubine, but she had also safely given birth to two princes and a princess.
The more Zhen Huan thought about it, the more she felt that An Lingrong, whom she had ignored before, was an extremely extraordinary person.
She had two purposes for visiting Yongshou Palace.
One is to test An Lingrong's depth and see if he can make friends with her.
The second reason was to sow discord between the two imperial concubines.
I heard that the emperor let the talentless and unethical Concubine Hua take over the Phoenix Seal. In the past few years, she has been domineering in the palace and no one dares to challenge her.
If she knew that after expressing gratitude in the Yangxin Palace, he rushed to pay a visit to Concubine Shu, she would definitely be furious.
Zhen Huan, standing in front of the gate of Yongshou Palace, had a smile on her face.
Cui Jinxi walked forward and knocked on the door gently, and Xiao Linzi inside poked his head out from the half-open door.
As soon as he saw the visitor, he immediately saluted with a smile on his face.
"Your servant pays respects to Concubine Zhen!"
Zhen Huan smiled and told him to excuse himself.
"Hello, Eunuch Lin. As soon as I returned to Zhongcui Palace, I found everything to my liking. The servants told me that it was Imperial Concubine Shu who personally sent someone to take care of it, so I came here to express my gratitude."
"I wonder if the Imperial Concubine is free?"
It was already past lunch break, and Zhen Huan had chosen this time specifically to come.
"Empress Zhenpin, you've arrived at an unfortunate time. Not long ago, Empress Hua Guifei of Yikun Palace sent a message saying that she had palace affairs to discuss with my master."
The master only gave a simple order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to repair the Zhongcui Palace, and did not do anything else.
Fortunately, the master was very foresighted. As soon as he learned that Concubine Zhen had come to the Yangxin Palace to express her gratitude, he sent the news to the Yiku Palace in the back.
Xiao Linzi suppressed his thoughts and opened all the doors.
"How about your Majesty come in and rest first, and I'll send someone to inform the master."
Zhen Huan quickly declined.
"Eunuch Lin, this isn't a big deal for me. There's no need to disturb the two imperial concubines from handling palace affairs."
"Then I will go back first. I will come to visit the Imperial Concubine another day."
If she really agreed to Xiao Linzi's words and waited for Concubine Shu to come back in Yongshou Palace without knowing the seriousness of the matter, she would definitely offend Concubine Hua.
This goes against the original intention of wanting to meet Concubine Shu.
Zhen Huan thought about it and decided that in order to avoid any complications, it would be better to return via the Jixiang Gate.
As soon as the master and servant disappeared, Xiao Linzi sent someone to deliver the news of Zhen Huan's visit to Yikun Palace.
Upon hearing the news, Concubine Hua slapped the small table in anger.
"Lingrong, that bitch Zhen is truly vicious! She was trying to sow discord between us back at Ganlu Temple."
"Now that he's back in the palace, he's even worse!"
An Lingrong smiled and comforted her.
"Don't be angry, Sister Nian. You have always been very smart and you have seen through her tricks long ago."
"Of course not! Don't you see who I am?"
Concubine Hua smiled complacently.
Then she looked at An Lingrong curiously again.
"I heard she was over four months pregnant, yet she rushed all the way back to the palace from Ganlu Temple. Why would she be so restless and run away? Isn't she afraid something might happen to the baby in her belly?"
"Why did she run away so restlessly? Isn't she afraid that something bad might happen to the evil child in her belly?"
"Sister Nian, Xiao Yunzi, the child left behind by Concubine Zhen, died in Shoukang Palace, and Gao Changjin also died in an accident. Although she has resumed correspondence with Concubine Hui, the information she can obtain from them is ultimately limited."
An Lingrong smiled and continued to add.
"Prince Guo, who has other thoughts in mind, will never tell Zhen Huan everything that happens in the palace in order to prevent her from seeing his flaws."
"Whether Concubine Zhen went to the Yangxin Palace to express her gratitude or to the Yongshou Palace to request an audience, she was taking the initiative."
"She is like the free-range raccoon in the imperial garden, cautiously exploring her surroundings."
"I heard that Shen Meizhuang went to Zhongcui Palace to wait before Concubine Zhen arrived at the harem."
"As soon as she left Zhongcui Palace, Huanbi rushed over with her men. She's probably drinking tea there right now."
To be on the safe side, An Lingrong also arranged staff in the vacant palace.
The news about Zhongcui Palace was spread by an inconspicuous eunuch who swept the palace.
"He Huanbi is just a fence-sitter. Zhen Huan is always smart, why would she use someone like that?"
Concubine Hua looked down upon Huanbi who betrayed her master and climbed into his bed.
The reason why I didn't hold her down was to make her and Concubine Qi, two idiots, fight with each other for fun.
An Lingrong leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Sister Nian, there is an inseparable bond between Concubine Zhen and Noble Lady He. If Noble Lady He takes the initiative to show her affection, Concubine Zhen may not refuse."
"As I said before, Concubine Zhen's return to the palace is a fresh start."
"I think even if the deposed queen showed her good will, she would definitely accept it."
Zhen Huan will use everything she can get her hands on to climb up.
"You're right. She was able to endure the disgust and show her kindness to the Emperor, so what does a mere sister who betrayed her time and again mean to her?"
After saying this, Concubine Hua's eyes rolled and she asked in a low voice.
"Noble He has always had a very narrow vision. What do you think about me having the Imperial Household Department send some goodies to Concubine Zhen that are good-looking but useless?"
"If Concubine He often visits Zhongcui Palace, she will definitely become jealous over time."
An Lingrong nodded approvingly: "Sister Nian, this is a brilliant plan. And Concubine Hui is well-known for her love for Princess Longyue. We can also start from this aspect and create more discord between these two 'sisters' who are so close..."
The harem has been quiet for so long, it really needs some liveliness.