Concubine Zhe heard something was wrong and quickly defended: "I don't dare. Erchen just made a guess. It would be best if it really didn't happen. In fact, Erchen wanted to remind Concubine Xian that as the fourth concubine, she shouldn't
If Concubine Xian had thought of being too close to such a sophisticated troupe earlier, so many things would not have happened."
Xianyue said: "For the record, the place where the juggling troupe lives is always guarded by guards. Every time I go there, there will be guards watching from a distance. What Concubine Zhe said will never happen."
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Ling Ruo nodded slightly, stared at Concubine Zhe and said, "What's going on? Did you hear everything clearly? Are the guards still going to be summoned to testify?"
Concubine Zhe smiled dryly and said: "There is no need to go to such trouble. In fact, I also hope that what just happened will make me think too much."
Ling Ruo snorted coldly and said: "In the past two years, every New Year's Eve has been unsettled. It was like this last year and it will be like this this year. Do you think that the Ai family will not be able to have a happy New Year's Eve meal in this life?"
Hongli hurriedly said: "It's all because of my fault. My son and I failed to restrain everyone, which made the emperor worried."
Ling Ruo waved her hand and said: "The emperor has to take charge of the affairs of the previous dynasty, so how can he have so much energy to take charge of the harem? The queen should be responsible for these things."
Hearing this, Mingyu lowered his head and said, "It's all my fault that I'm so weak that I couldn't take care of the harem well."
"That's all." After saying these two words, Ling Ruo looked at Concubine Zhe again. Her gaze made Concubine Zhe feel like needles were stabbing her body, and she lowered her head to avoid it.
Ling Ruo saw these subtle changes in Concubine Zhe, and the corners of her lips curved slightly, saying: "Concubine Zhe, the Ai family knows that you don't like the Ai family leaving the management of the harem to Concubine Xian, but everything must be done
Do your best, and when your strength exceeds your capabilities, just keep your thoughts to yourself. Don't think that the Ai family is talking to Concubine Xian, these words are all for your own good."
How could Concubine Zhe believe this? However, in front of Ling Ruo, she did not dare to say anything disrespectful. She bowed and said, "I understand, I must remember the words of the emperor."
"Okay, you can go down." Ling Ruo knew that she didn't really listen, but what she said was enough. She wouldn't say any more. If Concubine Zhe did something outrageous next time, it was enough.
, she will never be polite to him.
After Concubine Zhe left, Ling Ruo turned her gaze to Mingyu and sighed softly. She didn't say much after all, she just said: "It's getting late, so the queen should go back and rest early. If you are interested, you can
Let's go to Changyin Pavilion and listen to the play for a while." After that, she said to Hongli: "The emperor should also step down."
After she and Xianyue were the only two people left in the palace, the latter said: "Huang'e Niang, please don't get angry, it's just a few words, it doesn't matter."
Ling Ruo nodded and said: "It's best if you think so. Anyway, tonight's family dinner has indeed given the Ai family a lot of surprises. The Ai family likes your intention very much. But what the Ai family wants to see most is
The harem is peaceful. The imperial concubine did not achieve this, and the concubine Zhe did not achieve this. The Ai family hopes that you can do it."
Xianyue lowered her head and said, "I understand that I will definitely do my best. I hope that I can live up to the expectations of the emperor."
There were many people in the harem who were dissatisfied with her, but Concubine Zhe and others could not make Ling Ruo say such a thing specifically. Therefore, the word "peace" in Ling Ruo's words mainly refers to Mingyu. Mingyu
The disagreement with her is not only Ling Ruo's heart problem, but also Hongli's.
In the past, when she was hoping that they would not get along, Mingyu would obey her words and treat her like a sister; now, when she is hoping that they will get along, they still have a grudge against each other, which is really ironic.
Ling Ruo knew Mingyu's temperament, so she didn't say much to her. She only reminded Xianyue and asked her to try to eliminate the grudge in Mingyu's heart.
Ling Ruo knew that this was a bit embarrassing for Xianyue, but since she gave Xianyue the power to co-manage the Sixth House and gave Xianyue trust, then Xianyue must take up the responsibility and cannot shirk it; power and responsibility have always been the same. They are all inseparable.
After a moment of silence, Ling Ruo said: "You should go back too. In addition, we will let the acrobatic troupe and the theater troupe leave the palace tomorrow, and each of them will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."
Xianyue said as she was told, "Yes, I will take my leave and come back early tomorrow morning to wish the emperor a happy New Year."
Seeing the palace door closed, Ling Ruo shook his head and sighed, Shui Xiu said: "Queen Mother, what's going on? Are you still worried about what Concubine Zhe said at the family banquet just now? Although there were many people who heard it at the family banquet just now, but From what I've seen, I think they won't be spreading random messages outside, so you don't have to worry too much."
Ling Ruo smiled bitterly and said: "The Ai family is not worried about this. The Ai family is worried about the Queen. You were also in Qianqing Palace just now. The first person to target Concubine Xian was not Concubine Zhe, but the Queen. Since the incident of Baihe Tu, the Ai family It seems that she is getting more and more confused about her identity. Even if Concubine Xian really did something wrong, she should tell her in private. How can she open her mouth in front of so many people, let alone this time? Concubine Xian has never done anything wrong."
"It seems to me, the Queen is jealous of the Queen Mother that you praised Concubine Xian, so she said that on purpose." Shui Xiu is still brooding about Shui Yue's incident, and naturally has no good impression of Ming Yu, who indirectly killed Shui Yue.
Ling Ruo sighed and said: "That's all, the Ai family has already given instructions to Concubine Xian. I hope she can handle the relationship with the queen well and not always be like this. The Ai family is fine, it's just that it's difficult for the emperor."
After New Year's Eve, it was the first month of the third year of Qianlong's reign. On the first day of the lunar month, Hongli was worshiped by hundreds of officials in Qianqing Palace, while the concubines in the harem went to Cining Palace and Kunning Palace to kowtow and celebrate the new year. On this day, whether in private or private, No matter how turbulent the undercurrent is, at least on the surface, there is harmony and peace among the concubines, without any gaps.
In the days that followed, Xianyue was still busy taking care of the affairs of the harem. Although Concubine Zhe received Ling Ruo's warning, she still couldn't swallow it. From time to time, she secretly gave Xianyue stumbling blocks, but they were all trivial matters and nothing happened. What kind of trouble? Xianyue knew clearly that it was her fault, but she didn't say anything. It was not that she was afraid of Concubine Zhe, but that she was now in power. The most important thing was to stabilize the harem and not to cause any trouble. As long as it was not a big deal, she was now Her attitude is to tolerate it as long as she can. But this does not mean that she will tolerate it blindly. If Concubine Zhe does something that exceeds her bottom line, then... she will never be polite to her again. Su - the most Good example.
However, compared to Concubine Zhe, Mingyu made her feel even more powerless. Because of what Ling Ruo said on New Year's Eve, she would go to Kunning Palace every day to pay her respects, trying to make Mingyu change his view of her; unfortunately, every time Mingyu saw her, Yong Lian was inconvenient to see her because of Ming Yu, so he could only smile at her a few times or make faces at her from a distance.