Ever since she made up her mind to teach Concubine Shu a little lesson, Yun Shang has been paying attention and looking for opportunities. One day, she chatted with Manager Zheng who was next to Emperor Ning and talked about the Winter Solstice Sacrifice Ceremony. Manager Zheng then
He mentioned that in previous years, the Empress would preside over the ceremony, but this year, as the winter solstice was approaching, the Empress was pregnant. The ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven was hard, and Emperor Ning was afraid of hurting the fetus, so he was thinking about whether Concubine Shu should be the officiant.
Emperor Ning also vaguely mentioned to Concubine Shu that at this time, Concubine Shu had begun to prepare sacrificial robes. After Yun Shang heard about this, she was more diligent when she arrived at Concubine Shu's palace.
Although Concubine Shu felt a little strange when she came here to say hello and chat, since she took charge of the harem, there were a lot more people coming to show their courtesy for no reason, so she didn't pay much attention to it. They just came and went frequently.
I met Emperor Ning more often in Concubine Shu's palace.
After three or four visits, Emperor Ning noticed it and asked Yun Shang with a smile, "Why do you keep coming to Concubine Shu's palace these days?"
Yun Shang smiled and glanced at Concubine Shu, who was sitting aside and ordering her servants to prepare lunch. When she heard Emperor Ning's question, she couldn't help but turned her head to look at Yun Shang and said softly, "Shang'er is in Ningguo.
After so many years in the temple, I was not very familiar with the concubines in the palace, and there was nothing in the palace that I could talk to. In addition, I always heard my father say that Concubine Shu was quiet and kind, so I started to feel close to her.
, Now that Concubine Shu is in charge of the harem, Chang'er also wants to come over and learn a lesson, so as not to make a joke in the future because she doesn't understand anything."
Hearing this, Concubine Shu turned around and smiled at Yun Shang and said, "Princess is making fun of me. In terms of virtue and virtue, I cannot compare to the empress. The princess grew up under the empress's knees since she was a child, and she has been influenced by her ears and eyes.
I must have learned a lot.”
Emperor Ning shook his head, "Shang'er didn't tell the truth. I believe this is part of the reason, but not all of it. If it is like you said, when will you be unable to come? I just saw that you have been very diligent in coming recently.
.”
Yun Shang deliberately showed some flaws, just waiting for Emperor Ning to ask this question. Hearing this, she laughed out loud, with a bit of a daughter's childish look, "I can't hide anything from my father, and my sons and ministers often
I came here because of this..."
Yun Shang raised the tea cup in her hand and said with a smile, "What's in this is locust nectar. The royal chef in the palace makes it very delicious. I could get it from my mother before. She saw her sons were greedy, so she occasionally rewarded her with some."
Recently, I couldn't drink it at my mother's place. Chang'er didn't dare to ask her mother for it, so she secretly ran to ask the imperial cook. He said that locust nectar is the honey produced by bees after collecting locust flower pollen. The locust nectar in the palace was
It's a tribute from the Lu family in Sanmenxia, and there are only a few jars every year. It used to be available at my mother's place, but now it's only available at Concubine Shu's place. I came here smelling the scent of acacia nectar."
When Concubine Shu heard this, she suddenly paused. She was a little surprised that Yun Shang would say such a thing. In this way, the emperor must have felt that he was in charge of the harem, but he stuffed the best things into his own palace.
The majestic Princess Huiguo actually had to come to her to drink locust nectar, so she felt a little panicked. She quickly looked at Emperor Ning, but she happened to see Emperor Ning looking towards her with a somewhat cold gaze.
"Really? Is this locust nectar so delicious?" Emperor Ning looked away calmly. Although he suspected that Yun Shang was deliberately complaining, he gave up the idea when he saw Yun Shang's uninformed look. Although,
There is no woman in the palace who is not thoughtful, but Yun Shang is different. Firstly, because she is the daughter of Concubine Jin, and also because she has been sent to live in Ningguo Temple since she was eight years old. No matter what, Wu
He believed in the master's character. Besides, there was no intrigue in a temple, so Yun Shang's mind was naturally simpler and he said whatever came to his mind.
Yun Shang nodded, with a hint of innocence in her smile, "The ones from Concubine Shu's Palace are especially delicious."
Emperor Ning's eyes darkened slightly. Seeing this, Concubine Shu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I don't know that such a thing happened. The eunuch of the Shangshan Bureau sent it to me, saying that this thing is for beauty.
It was a tribute, and I thought that there were all concubines in the palace. How could women not love beauty, so I thought that if I became beautiful, the emperor would look at me more, so I didn’t go into detail."
Concubine Shu's soft words made Emperor Ning nod. Since it was sent by the eunuch of Shangshan Bureau, he didn't care about Concubine Shu. It must have been the eunuch of Shangshan Bureau who took advantage of the situation and saw Shu.
The concubine began to take charge of the harem, so she thought of ways to curry favor with her.
Hearing this, Yun Chang frowned, "Hey, Chang'er thought that because Emperor Father asked Concubine Shu to be in charge of the harem, she should be in charge of the Shangshan Bureau and Shangyi Bureau, but it turns out there are none."
Emperor Ning smiled and said, "Of course, the harem is just such a chore. Taking care of the food and clothing for hundreds of people in the harem, although it doesn't seem like much, it is very tiring."
"Ah? Didn't the eunuchs of the Shangshan Bureau give the account book to Concubine Shu? Chang'er remembers that when the empress was in charge, she would have an account book. How many things were recorded on it, she could tell at a glance
I understand. Chang'er remembered that last time, the Queen Mother praised the Shangshan Bureau for its meticulous accounting. It must be some eunuchs from the Shangshan Bureau who wanted to seize something. Seeing that Concubine Shu had just taken office, they interfered with it.
, did not give the account book to Concubine Shu."
When Emperor Ning heard this, he frowned again. Yes, every account in the places controlled by the harem was recorded. Since Concubine Shu was in charge of the harem, the account books must be in her hands, but she couldn't say that.
Knowing how much acacia nectar is, I thought it was available in every palace. In this case, either Concubine Shu had monopolized the good stuff, or Concubine Shu was not in charge of the harem well and did not read the account books carefully.
After Concubine Shu heard what Yun Shang said, she wanted to sew Yun Shang's mouth shut. What was going on with Princess Yun Shang? Why did she feel that this person seemed to be deliberately going against her?
But Yun Shang said again, "Father, you must be responsible for punishing Shangshan Bureau. Concubine Shu is the one who personally ordered the emperor to take charge of the harem. Those people in Shangshan Bureau dare to obey the law. Fortunately, today
My father discovered it, otherwise if someone misunderstands Concubine Shu in the future, it will be hard to say anything."
Emperor Ning glanced at Concubine Shu and saw that her face was a little red from holding back. Naturally, he had some thoughts in his mind, so he nodded and said, "It should be cleaned up properly."
Concubine Shu's heart skipped a beat, but due to Emperor Ning's presence, she didn't dare to say harsh words to Yun Shang, so she could only forcefully smile and replied softly, "That's what the emperor said."
Seeing Concubine Shu acting like this, Yun Shang drank all the locust nectar in the cup in one gulp. She stood up and said to Emperor Ning, "It's getting colder and colder today. It's not even the hour yet. It's time."
The sky is getting dark, and I have to go back to Qingxin Palace quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to leave when it gets dark, so I will leave now." With that, he hurried out of Concubine Shu's house with Qian Yin.
palace.
As soon as Yun Shang left, the palace became quiet. After a while, Emperor Ning's voice was heard. He said coldly and casually, "Are you ready for the sacrificial robes for the Winter Solstice? That day is a big day.
It needs to be more grand."
Concubine Shu's heart returned to its original position after Fang mentioned it. She originally thought that Emperor Ning was going to talk to her about the sophora nectar. She hadn't thought of a way to deal with it yet, so she felt nervous. But she didn't expect that she was asking about this. The emperor didn't pay attention to what Yun Shang said, and felt a little more at ease.
"It's almost ready. As usual, the color is solemn black. The emperor's crown robe is ready, and the coat is still being made..." Concubine Shu said with a slight smile.
Emperor Ning nodded, as if he remembered it accidentally, and said casually, "By the way, in a few days, the Queen's belly should be slightly swollen. When you order people to take off the clothes, remember to make the belly slightly looser to avoid being too tight. , affecting the fetus in the belly.”
When Concubine Shu heard this, she was startled. What did the emperor mean by this? He had mentioned it before, saying that the queen was pregnant and the rituals for offering sacrifices to heaven were too complicated, fearing that the queen would be unwell. The implication was that he clearly wanted to make her When attending the ceremony on behalf of the Queen, when he asked someone to prepare the coat, he also prepared it according to his own size. At this time, the Emperor suddenly said that the Queen's belly would be swollen and should be a little looser?
Concubine Shu gritted her teeth, knowing that it must have been what happened just now that made Emperor Ning suddenly change his mind. She was filled with hatred, but she could only pretend to be submissive and responded softly, "Yes, I understand, Your Majesty, just don't worry. .”
In the Qingxin Palace, Qianyin quickly took off Yun Chang's cloak, took a cup of hot water from the hand of the palace maid on the side, handed it to Yun Chang's hand, and said with a smile, "Princess is really amazing. With just a few words, she asked the emperor to speak to her. Concubine Shu is a bit cold. I have watched the emperor’s face getting worse and worse with my own eyes. Concubine Shu has suffered a lot. However, princess, if we act so blatantly, Concubine Shu will definitely bear a grudge against us. Yes, a queen is very difficult to deal with. If you add a concubine, wouldn't you have to be more careful every step of the way?"
Yun Shang warmed her hands, put the cup aside, and quickly walked to the soft table and sat down. The palace maid quickly brought hot water, helped Yun Shang take off her shoes, and tested whether the water was hot to her hands. Putting Yun Shang's feet in. Yun Shang breathed out a comfortable sigh and said with a smile, "Concubine Shu will definitely report to Prince Jing after this incident. Without Prince Jing's permission, she will definitely not dare to act rashly. If When she faced me, not only did we have an additional opponent, but so did she."
Hearing this, Qianyin stared at Yunshang for a while, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "The princess is relying on the prince's favor, so she dares to be so presumptuous."
Yun Shang was stunned when he heard the words, and quickly turned his eyes, "What are you talking about? You can't hold back your words."
Qianyin responded "Yes" repeatedly, but her eyes were still full of smiles. When Yun Shang saw this, she knew that she was getting darker and darker, so she stopped talking to her.
Qianyin laughed enough and then said with a smile, "I feel that if such a commotion occurs, Concubine Shu will not be able to worship the emperor in place of the queen. However, why should the princess help the queen?"
Hearing this, Yun Shang smiled coldly, "Help her? How could I help her? However, if she hadn't come to sing this performance, how could it have continued? This princess arranged a performance for the Queen. What a show."
Hearing this, Qianyin suddenly realized, "My slave said that the princess has long been away from provoking, but she has chosen to go at this time, that's why."
While the two were talking, the door curtain was opened, and Qin Yi walked in from the outside, with a bit of anxiety on her face.
Seeing this, Yun Shang raised her eyes and looked at Qin Yi and said, "What's wrong? Didn't you go to see your mother and concubine? Look at you like this, but who made you angry?"
Qinyin sighed and said, "When I went to Qiwu Palace, I happened to meet the palace maid delivering anti-fetal medicine to my master. However, my master didn't even look at it and just poured it out. The slave then asked my master, what happened to this anti-fetal medicine?
, the fetus in the belly is also fine, but the master sighed and said, if it falls out, there will be nothing wrong with it. "
Hearing this, Yun Shang was silent for a long time, and then sighed and said, "The mother-in-law is a smart woman, but she was heartbroken by her father. She originally wanted to be a couple for the rest of her life, but she didn't want her father to include one woman after another.
In the palace, I originally thought that since my father was the emperor, only by showing off could I reassure the ministers of the previous dynasty, but I didn’t expect that there were many pregnant concubines. She was cold-hearted back then, so she invited herself to the cold palace.
It's because of me that I left the cold palace, but I don't want to have to watch my father and other concubines loving each other every day, so I feel aggrieved."
Qin Yi nodded and said, "When the emperor and his master were on good terms, many people envied him. The emperor was always obedient to his master, but how can he change his mind when he changes his mind?"
"My father has not changed his mind. You see that day in the Splendid Palace, my father also had feelings for my mother and concubine, but his love was not only for my mother and concubine."
Qianyin said with some cold understanding, "This is so unfair to women. If a man is not satisfied with his wife, he can just divorce her. If he can't divorce his wife, he can still have a few more concubines. But.
If a woman marries the wrong person, she can only endure it."
"Otherwise, men are afraid of getting into the wrong profession, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man. Therefore, the prince-in-law after the princess must be carefully selected. The appearance must not be bad, the intelligence must not be bad, and the most important thing is conduct.
You can't be a playboy, otherwise, even if you take a concubine, you will respect your wife." Qin Yi sighed.
When Yun Shang heard this, she suddenly remembered her previous life. She thought she had married a good husband, but unexpectedly, she jumped into a pit of fire. Her husband lingered in the land of fireworks all day, and his concubines were brought into the house one after another.
He could only swallow his anger. However, his own patience made him become more and more out of control. He actually hooked up with Hua Jing and even poisoned his own child.
Marry? In this life, Yun Shang never dared to think about it. She came here with hatred and did not take revenge. How could she talk about getting married? Even if she got revenge one day, because of the nightmare in her previous life, I am afraid that she would not be able to do so.
Dare to try it again.
Thinking of this, Yun Shang smiled and said, "You have been discussing what kind of man you should marry all day long. Do you really want to get married?"
The two shook their heads repeatedly, "I don't want to do that. I still want to stay with the princess."
Yun Shang smiled, "It doesn't matter who you marry, what matters is whether you can suppress him. If you can suppress him, even if he has such a philandering heart, he won't dare to move. You guys
Don't worry, you are my palace maids. In the future, I will definitely find a husband for you, which will not only satisfy you, but also make them obedient to you and not even dare to think about anything else."
Qinyi and Qianyin were both unmarried young ladies. When they heard what Yunshang said, their faces turned red and they quickly begged for mercy.
Yun Shang smiled, wiped her feet, and lay down on the soft couch. After a while, she said quietly, "I will definitely ensure that the child in the mother's belly is born safe and sound, and I will also look for opportunities to go there."
I talked with my mother and concubine. During the days when I returned to the palace, I also secretly observed my father for a long time. Although he was the king of a country and had the ability to govern the world, he was not a good husband. Although he still had feelings for his mother and concubine, he still had feelings for his mother and concubine.
But it’s not unintentional for the queen and Concubine Shu. If the concubine doesn’t want to stay in this palace anymore, I will try my best to take her out.”
Qinyi and Qianyin fell silent after hearing this.
After a long while, Qin Yicai spoke again, "Princess, I have made arrangements for the Winter Solstice Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony. Thanks to the people Qianyin placed in the Shangyi Bureau, I was able to arrange it so easily this time.
.”
Yun Shang nodded, "There are still three days left. This time, in front of all the civil and military officials, I will definitely give the queen a big gift."
Three days passed in a blink of an eye. On the day of the winter solstice, early in the morning, snow began to fall. It was still dark, so Yun Shang was called up by the palace servants and put on the heaven-sacrifice clothes.
Wearing a princess dress, we got on the train and headed towards the Temple of Heaven.
Seven minutes before sunrise, the sound of bells came from the Bell and Drum Tower. Yun Shang saw Emperor Ning and the Queen walking in from the door on the left, slowly walked up to the Temple of Heaven, and stopped to worship halfway.
After worshiping, the wood stove on the side started burning, and the music sounded. Emperor Ning stood up, walked to the top of the Temple of Heaven with the Queen, knelt down in front of the sacred tablet in the middle of the Temple of Heaven, lit incense, and then
One by one, they offered incense and kowtowed to the ancestors and clans next to them. After a while, they returned to the middle and performed three bows and nine kowtows.
Yun Shang's eyes kept falling on the empress next to Emperor Ning, who was wearing a black coat and carrying a golden phoenix with wings spread. The empress had a serious look on her face and followed Emperor Ning closely, kneeling and bowing meticulously.
However, if you don't look carefully, no one will notice that every step the queen takes and every time she bows, her body is tense and her movements are a little slow, as if it is very laborious.
The eunuch on the side slowly walked up to the Temple of Heaven carrying a tray with jade silk. Emperor Ning and the empress took off the jade silk from the tray, walked to the main seat and the throne one by one to present the jade silk. Then, the eunuch brought it to the altar again.
Carrying the ritual utensils for cattle, sheep and other meats, Emperor Ning and the Queen entered the room one by one.
Yun Shang saw that when the queen stood up, she paused slightly and stood up straight after a while. Even Emperor Ning couldn't help but turn his head and take a look. Yun Shang smiled slightly, and the show was about to begin. (
