tkworld Chapter 50 The Master of Stirring Up Trouble
Chapter 50 The Master of Stirring Up Trouble
"If it's cold, just warm it up again. What's the rush?" Yuan Zhaoyue said. "What's your name, palace maid? Were you given to you by the Imperial Household Department? You have absolutely no manners!"
Wang Yuehuai said, "These are things I brought from home; they are a bit unruly, please don't take offense, Consort Yuan!"
Yuan Zhaoyue said unhappily, "If it were one of my palace maids, she would definitely slap her for being so rude!"
Guiqiu knelt down with a thud and slapped herself in the face, saying, "It was my fault, I know I'm guilty!"
Wang Yuehuai felt heartbroken watching this, gazing longingly at Yuan Zhaoyue.
The latter just kept sneering and wouldn't say anything to stop.
"Why is that?" Shen Shixi stood outside the pavilion, frowning as she listened. "Stop! It's so noisy!"
Gui Qiu quickly turned around and knelt before Shen Shixi, joining her masters in paying respects to Consort Zhao, saying, "Greetings to Consort Zhao, may Consort Zhao be blessed!"
"Tong'an!" Shen Shixi looked at Gui Qiu's face. "What happened?"
Gui Qiu glanced at Wang Yuehuai and said, "This servant is a maid of Consort Wang. I reminded my mistress to go back and take her medicine, which displeased Consort Yuan. I punished her slightly because of this. I beg Consort Yuan's forgiveness!"
Yuan Zhaoyue quickly said, "I was just saying something. You servant, really! Doesn't that make me look so harsh and ignorant of etiquette, even interfering with the people in Sister Wang's palace!"
Shen Shixi said, "I can't stand the sound of being hit. Since you've done nothing wrong, and Consort Yuan hasn't said anything to blame you, get up! You must also remember who your mistress is. If she doesn't punish you, only the Empress and the Lady of your own palace can punish you!"
Guiqiu hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Consort Zhao. I will remember it!"
Shen Shixi then left.
Bai Ping said, "Why should Master concern himself with this?"
Shen Shixi tugged at the weeping willow branch. "Perhaps I recognized the person! Let's go! Let's pay our respects to the Empress Dowager, and have a meal there while we're at it!"
"Master is truly shrewd!" Bai Ping laughed.
Yang Tingyue was still at the Empress Dowager's place. Upon seeing Shen Shixi, she angrily asked, "What are you doing here?"
These past few days, the Empress Dowager has been punishing her by making her copy Buddhist scriptures; her arms are almost broken from copying so much.
Even in front of the Empress Dowager, Shen Shixi wouldn't let it go, "Then why are you still here? Is this your home?"
Yang Tingyue said angrily, "I'm staying with my aunt, what's it to you? I'm staying here, so what are you going to do about it? You think you can kick me out?"
"I may be incompetent, but Brother Yuan Ke is. I'll have him kick you out. Do you think he'll listen to me?" Shen Shixi sneered.
Yang Tingyue was furious. She rushed over and knelt before the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty, look at her! She bullied Yue'er today! She chased me away! Waaah! My cousin always protects her!"
The Empress Dowager already had a headache. She glared at Shen Shixi with annoyance and said, "Tell me about you two. How old are you? How many years have you been fighting? Every time you meet, you're like cross-eyed cocks, arguing until my head hurts."
Aunt Qingruo found it quite amusing, "This morning, the Empress Dowager said that Consort Zhao hadn't come for several days and it was so lonely, but now that she's here, she complains about the noise."
Shen Shixi came over and knelt before the Empress Dowager. "Empress Dowager, I heard that this time the Donghu and Xiqiang will bring their princesses for the Emperor to choose from. I have seen Yulong, the princess of Xiqiang. She is beautiful with delicate features and a heroic spirit, but her temper is really domineering."
Princess Jinzhu of Donghu has a small, delicate face, as beautiful as a peach blossom in spring, and a gentle temperament. Do you think the Emperor will keep them all, or will he only choose one?
The Empress Dowager looked helplessly at Aunt Qingruo, who couldn't help but chuckle.
Yang Tingyue jumped up first, "Haven't you always liked your cousin the most? Do you actually wish he would keep everyone here?"
"Of course!" Shen Shixi said, "The Emperor is the Emperor of the Great Zhou, not the Emperor of any one person. The Emperor reigns over the world and bears the responsibility for the hundreds of millions of people, as well as the responsibility for continuing the imperial lineage."
Since I love Your Majesty, I naturally hope that Your Majesty's household will be filled with many children and grandchildren.
"Hmph, what a hypocrite!" Yang Tingyue said.
"Tingyue!" the Empress Dowager roared, "What does this have to do with you?"
Yang Tingyue knelt on the Empress Dowager's lap and cried, "Aunt, you know perfectly well what Yue'er is thinking!"
The Empress Dowager was also quite helpless.
The Empress's palace was also discussing this matter.
"There are still two new concubines in the palace who haven't served the emperor yet, and now there are at least three more. We don't know what the temperaments of Princess Jinzhu of Donghu and Princess Yulong of Xiqiang are like. How will the emperor bestow titles upon them after they enter the palace?"
Consort Qing and Consort De hadn't left yet. They were originally staying here to listen to the Empress's request to find a high-ranking monk to perform a ritual. But when the Empress returned, she could tell from Consort Qing's expression that there was no need to ask.
Consort Qing said, "Your Majesty the Empress need not worry about this! No matter what kind of foreign princess she is, she is just a noblewoman from a small tribe that is dependent on our Great Zhou. After entering the palace, she will at most be a concubine; even if she gives birth to a prince in the future, she will not have the possibility of succeeding to the throne."
"But our current Consort Zhao is a real problem. Once her son gains power through his mother, all of us have wasted our years of effort! I don't care about my own child, but what if Her Majesty the Empress gives birth to a legitimate son? Will she have to give up her position to her illegitimate son?"
The Empress felt a growing sense of unease.
If the emperor doesn't allow her to get pregnant, that's fine, but since he has given her hope, wouldn't she regret it for the rest of her life if she can't seize it?
But the Empress wasn't stupid; she knew these people wanted to use her to manipulate Shen Shixi.
She doesn't have a son yet, so why bother?
"Let's not talk about that for now. The state banquet is the most important thing. No one can afford to make the slightest mistake tomorrow. You are all veterans, so I'm not worried about you. But for the new concubines, you still need to give them some pointers. It concerns the dignity of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and we can't afford to be negligent in the slightest!"
"Yes, Your Majesty's decree!"
At this time, the Great Zhou Dynasty was like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, full of vigor and its national strength was growing day by day.
At this time of year, many countries come to pay homage, from distant countries like Persia to nearby Baekje, and even closer ones like the Donghu and Xiqiang tribes.
There's no need for greetings today. After Li Yuanke left this morning, Shen Shixi slept until she naturally woke up.
Li Fude personally delivered over twenty large boxes, saying, "Greetings to Consort Shen. His Majesty has ordered me to bring some tribute from foreign lands. Look, these are all rare items. Apart from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, this is the first time His Majesty has taken notice of such a gift!"
Even the Empress doesn't receive as much as Consort Shen. The Empress receives her all-you-can-get allowances, but Consort Shen is favored and gets all the good things. The entire palace doesn't even receive as much as she does.
This collection includes Persian carpets and snail-shell dyes. The carpets are brightly colored and exquisitely crafted, with dyes extracted from natural plants and minerals. The dyes are long-lasting and do not fade, and the collection has always enjoyed a high reputation.
Snail dye is also a product of the Boston snails, made from the secretions of the snail. It takes 1,000 snails to extract 1 gram of high-purity dye. It has stable color, is waterproof and sweatproof, and is a good product for eyebrow drawing.
It is also quite valuable.
Because of their scarcity, the Emperor had previously given them away rather than at all, occasionally bestowing them upon favored concubines. The Empress's palace usually received more, and Consort Rong would also receive some. This time, however, more than half of them were indeed given to Consort Zhao.
Shen Shixi, unusually interested, looked through everything. "I am very pleased with His Majesty's gift. Please help me thank His Majesty. I will personally express my gratitude when His Majesty is less busy!"