PDLP Chapter 274: Power Reduction
Chapter 274: Power Reduction
The morning light was just breaking, and the biting cold wind had not yet died down. Last night's heavy snow had covered the entire Forbidden City with a thick layer of silver.
The Queen issued an order, ordering all the palace members to gather at Jingren Palace to pay their respects.
An Lingrong peered through the window lattice at the thick snow on the ground, which loomed like an icy mountain before her. A strong sense of foreboding washed over her. Normally, in inclement weather, the imperial court would have waived the formalities of greeting, but today, the situation was completely different, with all the concubines being ordered to gather at Jingren Palace. This meant something was going on!
In recent days, the only thing worth mentioning that caused the Queen to mobilize such a large number of troops was the fire in Shufangzhai.
The two of them changed into warm clothes, put on cloaks, sat in the sedan chair, and slowly headed towards Jingren Palace.
For An Lingrong, the only benefit of being promoted to the position of concubine is that she can summon a sedan chair wherever she goes and no longer has to walk.
Didi private car, available on call.
When they arrived at Jingren Palace, the empress had not yet gotten up. Due to the cold weather, the concubines were invited into the palace. An Lingrong saw that a chair had been placed next to the phoenix throne at the top.
It seems that the emperor will also attend the harem meeting today.
Sure enough, before the concubines had finished their tea, the emperor and empress appeared together.
Everyone stood up and said in unison: "Greetings to the Emperor, and to the Empress!"
Yongzheng raised his hand: "Get up!"
After the concubines were seated, Yongzheng said, "It's freezing cold today. Thank you for the trouble you've made. You must all take care of yourselves!"
Everyone stood up and saluted again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."
Yongzheng's face was full of love, and he asked about the children's situation with concern, such as whether there was enough charcoal fire, whether they had eaten well, and whether their clothes were warm enough.
Since Shen Meizhuang and Feng Ruozhao took over the harem, it has been well managed. Shen Meizhuang, born into a prominent family, behaved with integrity, while Feng Ruozhao was thoughtful, kind, and highly organized. They treated all concubines equally, regardless of their level of favor.
Even for the concubines who were not favored, charcoal was delivered on time and in sufficient quantities. Although the food variety was not as diverse as that of the favored concubines, it was still fresh, delicious and nutritionally balanced. Clothes and bedding were distributed on time according to regulations. Although the materials were not top-notch, they were enough to keep out the cold.
Under their supervision, the Imperial Household Department no longer dared to engage in the same fawning and despising behavior as before. Those eunuchs and palace maids who had previously curryed favor with the powerful had also become much more restrained under the authority of Shen Meizhuang and Feng Ruozhao, strictly adhering to palace rules in their dealings with the various palaces, not daring to slack off or show favoritism in the slightest.
The concubines answered Yongzheng's questions with a smile, and for a while, the palace was full of joy.
Looking at his expression, An Lingrong's thoughts drifted away. Was the meeting held on a snowy day just to show concern for the concubines and children?
After greeting every concubine, Yongzheng's face suddenly darkened, and he changed the subject, calling out in a cold voice, "Concubine Hui."
The tone was not as gentle as before.
Shen Meizhuang's heart tightened, but she still stood up calmly, bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness is here!
Yongzheng looked at her sharply and said calmly, "Do you admit your guilt for the fire in Shufangzhai yesterday?"
Shen Meizhuang knew that this accountability would come sooner or later, so she remained calm and responded calmly, "I have done my job poorly, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Yongzheng, however, seemed unwilling to let her off easily, raising his voice: "I value your dignity and composure, so I handed the power of the harem to you. I thought you could handle everything properly, but I didn't expect you to be so careless and make such a big mistake. You really disregard my trust."
With such a heavy burden on her shoulders, Shen Meizhuang had no choice but to kneel down. However, her back remained straight, her expression calm, and she said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I, Your Majesty, have been so kind to me that I take charge of the harem. I dare not slack off in the slightest. Yesterday's incident was caused by falling fireworks, which was truly beyond my expectations. Your Majesty has blamed me, and I dare not argue. I hope Your Majesty will calm down!"
Feng Ruozhao also hurriedly knelt beside Shen Meizhuang and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The affairs of the Zhongyuan Festival banquet are complicated. Concubine Hui and I have already done our best. This accident is not what we wanted!"
Yongzheng's tone was cold and emotionless: "The first banquet of the new year has ended in this state because of your carelessness. It also frightened the Empress Dowager. You are guilty and cannot escape punishment."
An Lingrong didn't have time to think about it. She quickly stood up and knelt behind Shen Meizhuang. "Your Majesty, what happened yesterday was a natural disaster, beyond human control. Besides, Concubine Hui has done her best to remedy the situation, and no palace servants have died. I hope Your Majesty will consider Concubine Hui's hard work in managing palace affairs over the years and not blame her."
Seeing this, Concubine Qi stood up and said, "Your Majesty is right. A fire broke out at the first banquet of the new year. This is extremely unlucky!"
An Lingrong turned around, looked at Concubine Qi's smug smile, gritted her teeth, and said, "Concubine Qi, you're wrong. The Lantern Festival is the Lantern Festival, and the customs of admiring lanterns and watching fireworks are all related to fire, praying for a prosperous new year. And yesterday, the heavens were kind, sending a great fire, which is an auspicious sign. This year, the Qing Dynasty will surely prosper and prosper, and the Emperor will be blessed with success and abundance."
Just talk!
These flattering words made Concubine Qi speechless.
The concubines were very considerate and stood up together and said, "I wish the Great Qing Dynasty prosperity and the Emperor success in everything."
Yongzheng's eyes were dark and unclear as he looked at An Lingrong and said, "Concubine Wen is quite eloquent. Even if you speak eloquently, the consequences have already been made. Come, Concubine Hui is incompetent. Her authority as assistant to the six palaces is stripped away and she is confined to Yonghe Palace. No one is allowed to visit without my permission. As for the Sixth Prince, send him to the Yangxin Palace! As for the affairs of the harem, the Empress will still be in charge, and Concubine Jing will assist!"
Yongzheng's voice echoed in the palace, cold and resolute, as if not allowing any argument.
Su Peisheng was stunned for a moment after hearing Yongzheng's imperial edict, then he lowered his head and replied, "I obey your order."
When Shen Meizhuang heard this, her body swayed slightly, but her pride did not allow her to say any more words of pleading.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Hui has worked hard on palace affairs and has done her best. Even if she has no merits, she has worked hard. I hope Your Majesty will give her a lighter sentence." Feng Ruozhao said anxiously.
Yongzheng ignored her and said calmly, "You all should go away!"
Then he stood up and walked to An Lingrong, his tone without any emotion: "Go back to your Yanxi Palace and live there."