Work overtime

Chapter 704

After Concubine Xie came to Changchun Palace, she began to praise the large three-courtyard building, the good landscaping, the luxurious interior furnishings, etc. with an enviable look on her face.

After entering the room, she bowed deeply and shouted happily, "My sister greets Sister Defei."

Chunliu, the personal maid who came with her, immediately presented a valuable gift.

After sitting down, she drank Tremella and lotus seed soup while gossiping enthusiastically about the affairs of the Meng family and Meng Zhao's miscarriage, completely ignoring the anger and embarrassment on Meng Zhao's face.

For example, what does the abortion medicine taste like, does it hurt during the abortion, did you see what the fetus looks like, do you know whether it is a gender, etc.

It's just like poking wherever it hurts.

But he looks innocent, diligent and studious, and particularly concerned about Meng Zhao.

If it was Jiang Yuebai, Lichun would slap him a few times first, and then let Xiao Luozi drag him out of Yonghe Palace.

Meng Zhao was in a mess. At first, he wanted to say a few words because he wanted to confide in the other party. But later, he realized the other party's malicious intentions and couldn't hold it anymore. He said unhappily, "I'm not feeling well and want to sleep."

"Then sister, have a good rest. I'll come another day." Concubine Xie blinked her eyes, her face full of concern.

After Concubine Xie left, Qingying was indignant on behalf of her master, "Concubine Xie is really too much, deliberately making the master sad. From now on, the master should learn from Concubine Ning and simply not let her in."

Meng Zhao held his breath and said "hmm".

I thought to myself, Concubine Xie always holds grudges. Could it be that she came here to take revenge on Concubine Xie because Concubine Fang had confronted her at the morning meeting on the first day of the new year?

The answer is of course yes. And the feud between the two of them had already been established. It's just that Meng Zhao didn't know it.

On the way back, Concubine Xie met the Emperor and took the initiative to report that she had just visited Concubine De and comforted her.

It was not until he arrived at Changchun Palace that Li Beichen understood what the so-called comfort was.

After Meng Zhao told Li Beichen his guess, Li Beichen ordered Liang Xiaobao to arrange a place for Concubine Fang to live and move out of Changchun Palace.

Meng Zhao's troubled heart was slightly relieved by Li Beichen's comfort.

Meng Zhao tearfully recalled the happy times her family had before entering the palace. At that time, her parents loved her very much, and although her four brothers were not on good terms with each other, they all treated her like a treasure.

Especially Meng Ran, although he is an uneducated and uneducated playboy, he is a good brother.

When she was little, I secretly gave her beautiful butterflies and dragonflies, and caught tadpoles for her to raise. When she grew up, I often secretly gave her sugar-coated candied haws, steaming red sugar date cakes, pure white bunnies, and talking starlings.
Whatever she asked for, he would try his best to find it.

Although these little gadgets were often thrown away by Mrs. Meng and the fourth brother was often beaten because of them, the fourth brother never got tired of doing it with her and the two of them had many little secrets.

Is there any utilitarian flattery in it? Of course there is, but it really brings Meng Zhao a lot of joy and novelty.

After hearing what Meng Zhao said, Li Beichen was silent for a while, then he looked up and told Liang Xiaobao, "Take good care of Meng Ran's body and find a place to bury him."

According to the rules, Meng Ran's body had already been thrown into a mass grave.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meng Zhao was moved and lowered his head, letting the tears fall.

The voice of her fourth brother Meng Ran rang in her ears, "What's so good about the palace? There are so many rules, it's not as comfortable as home. And you're going to be the emperor's concubine, you'll definitely be bullied."

Meng Ran has always been dissolute and open-minded. Although he feels inferior about being born out of wedlock, he talks about it without any concern. When he talks about the emperor's concubines, it's as natural as saying that his mother is a concubine.

At that time, she looked young and full of hope.

"Brother, but there is someone I like there."

Meng Ran poked her forehead with a look of disgust, "Why not just find someone else you like? What's so good about being a concubine? You're just stupid."

"Marrying someone you love is different!" she argued with a blushing face.

Meng Ran's peach blossom eyes showed helplessness. "Okay, okay. Take a look at the hairpin that Fourth Brother bought for you. Do you like it?"

Meng Ran is a bad person in every way. He is a playboy, uneducated, cruel and aggressive, but he is her best fourth brother.

Thinking of his fourth brother, Meng Zhao felt a sharp pain in his heart.

She stared at the emperor who was sitting at the table, concentrating on copying Wu Daozi's portrait of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbearing, for her.

The emperor said that after the painting was finished, it would be hung on the wall of her room.

At night she had no appetite, so the emperor tried to coax her. She ate a little but threw it all up, and the emperor stayed with her without eating a single bite.

The person I love is right in front of me, but why do I feel so happy and sad at the same time?

She also didn't know whether what Fourth Brother said was right or not.

She only knew that her fourth brother was gone and she was very sad. The emperor was clearly in front of her, but she felt that he was so far away.

She inexplicably recalled what her father had told her before entering the palace, "The emperor is the emperor. You are his concubine, but he is not your husband."

The pain in my heart is even worse.

But when Li Beichen turned around and told her that the painting was finished and could be hung up in half an hour, her heart skipped a beat.

All the random thoughts just now disappeared. My heart and eyes were filled with only the person in front of me.

Li Beichen accompanied Meng Zhao and said many comforting words. He waited until she fell asleep before returning to the Qinzheng Hall.

He ordered Liang Xiaobao to guard outside the door and not allow anyone to see him.

The next day, I didn't even have breakfast and went to attend the morning court.

At the court, Li Beichen announced the decision on Prime Minister Meng with a heavy face. He promoted Zhou Shipeng, the former Left Inspector of the Inspectorate, to the position of Left Prime Minister. Luo Mingxing, who was transferred from the Dali Temple, was transferred to Zhou Shipeng's original position.

Du Heng, a newly-minted Jinshi who was working in the Ministry of Revenue, was promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The newly-appointed scholar Chu Hehai was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

A new department called the Ministry of Agriculture was established to be responsible for agricultural production.

It includes statistics on the distribution of crop production in various regions, research and promotion of advanced agricultural technologies, research on relevant policy issues of "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers", formulation of agricultural taxes and agricultural subsidies, early warning and prevention of pests and diseases in various regions, statistical surveys of agricultural irrigation facilities in various regions, etc., and compilation of the annual "Agricultural Statistical Yearbook".

The Minister of Agriculture was Zhao Yuhang, the newly-appointed scholar, who was the leader of the rioters who demanded a thorough investigation of the imperial examination fraud. The left and right assistant ministers were all newcomers, newly-appointed scholars from farming families.

Listening to the emperor's enthusiastic explanation of the functions of the new department, the ministers understood that this was to divide part of the functions of the original Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Works, weaken the power of these two departments, and form supervision and checks and balances.

Moreover, the two departments with the most money, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, each had an assistant minister who was a newly-appointed Jinshi selected by the emperor. After Chen Ang's followers were eliminated, the two departments were filled with newcomers, which meant that the two departments had been taken over by the emperor.

Prime Minister Meng, who once held great power in the court, was sent to Fujian to eliminate the Japanese pirates. In addition to these personnel adjustments and the use of new people, the entire court was reshuffled.

During the whole process, Li Beichen kept rubbing his forehead and coughing from time to time, looking very tired and in pain.

Today is August 15th. The original plan was to hold a simple banquet to entertain high-ranking officials, but it was naturally cancelled due to the continuous funerals in the palace.

But the festival benefits were not to be missed. Every official received eight mooncakes with two kinds of fillings, ham and jujube paste, made by the imperial kitchen.

After announcing the adjournment of the court, Liang Xiaobao immediately sent someone to bring the health-preserving eight-treasure porridge to the emperor, "Your Majesty, you haven't eaten for two meals. You should eat something."

Li Beichen held the bowl, stirred it for a long time, put it back into the lacquer plate, and still didn't eat it. He sighed faintly, "I have no appetite."

He stared at Prime Minister Meng's back as he left, "It rains a lot in Fujian, go get an umbrella for the Prime Minister."

"Yes."

Not long after, Liang Xiaobao caught up with General Meng himself, panting, "My Lord, this is the umbrella the Emperor gave you. The Emperor said that Fujian is prone to wind and rain, so please take care of yourself, my Lord." General Meng understood the Emperor's double meaning, and immediately knelt down, raised his hands above his head, and took the bright yellow umbrella, "I thank the Lord for his grace. I will do my best and will do my best."

After Meng Xiang took the umbrella, he left without even receiving the mooncake. The court officials who were queuing together to receive the mooncakes were talking about it.

"Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. Alas."

"Marquis Changping is going to the southeast. He has a protective umbrella. I'm so envious."

"The Marquis of Changping had made many military achievements during the reign of the previous emperor. The emperor has high hopes for the Marquis."

"If the emperor hadn't valued the Marquis of Changping and allowed him to go home to visit his family, these terrible things wouldn't have happened."

"I was on guard in the palace, but I didn't expect to be harmed when I returned home. It's really terrible."

"If this happened in someone else's house, murdering the heir to the throne would be a capital crime punishable by the extermination of all five clans. The emperor even gave him a new wife. Do you think anyone among you would be treated this way?"

"Yes. I really didn't expect it. The emperor is so kind that there is such a good thing after divorcing his wife."

"What's wrong? Do you want to divorce your wife?"

"How dare I?"

"It seems that it's not that we don't want to, but that we don't dare."

"In this way, the eldest prince will most likely be made the crown prince."

"Not necessarily. Concubine Ning's son is also possible."

"Who can say for sure?"

"Stop talking. Be careful what you say. Be careful with your words!"

"Yes, yes, yes. You talked too much again today. You deserve a beating."

"Be careful with your words! Be careful with your words to keep safe."

General Meng heard the faint discussion behind him and looked up at the sky. There was no bright moon in the sky, only the sun that could not be looked at directly.

Today is August 15th. It is the Mid-Autumn Festival. A day for family reunion.

I feel so heartbroken that I can't breathe.
.
*
After Li Beichen left the court, he went to Changchun Palace, saying that he wanted to have breakfast with Meng Zhao.

Meng Zhao then learned from Liang Xiaobao that the emperor had not eaten since yesterday because of her. Naturally, he was deeply moved and felt warm in his heart.

Li Beichen also said that he had no appetite anyway, and if Meng Zhao didn’t eat, he wouldn’t eat either.

Liang Xiaobao naturally knelt on the ground, crying and begging the emperor to eat some.

After finishing the whole set, Meng Zhao was so moved that she cried. Although she didn't want to eat, she still ate some with the emperor. She ate all the dishes that the emperor picked up.

After lunch, I rinsed my mouth with tea.

Li Beichen said in a gentle voice, "I will not let our child die in vain, nor will I let the murderer go unpunished. I have found the culprit who caused you to lose your child."

"Who is it?" Meng Zhao asked hesitantly.

My father only found out that Yao's pregnancy-preserving medicine had been secretly replaced by someone, but he did not find out which concubine did it.

"You'll know just by looking at it."

Liang Xiaobao immediately brought in a palace servant carrying a black box.

Meng Zhao immediately guessed that there was a human head inside.

Li Beichen ordered, "Lift up the white cloth and let Her Majesty take a look."

"No, that's not necessary." Meng Zhao was so frightened that her face turned pale and her hands tightly grasped Li Beichen's sleeves.

"Really don't need to look at it?" Li Beichen asked softly.

Meng Zhao shook his head desperately, "No need to look at it."

She is afraid.

Li Beichen waved to the palace servants, "Retreat. Don't scare the queen."

Then he comforted Meng Zhao, "I have avenged our child. You must cheer up and eat well. You can't skip meals. There is a saying among the people that the departed child has a connection with you in the previous life and will always stay by your side and be reincarnated into your life."

When Meng Zhao heard this, tears rolled down her cheeks again. She leaned into Li Beichen's arms and cried, "Your Majesty."

She comforted herself by saying that even though she had lost her child and her father had cruelly divorced her, she still had a husband who truly loved her, who would protect her and make decisions for her.

She couldn't help but stick closer to Li Beichen.

Li Beichen said in a gentle voice, "I will protect you, don't be afraid. If you miss your mother, I will arrange for you to go to Jing'an Temple to see her in the name of worshiping Buddha, so that you and your daughter can be reunited."

Hearing this, Meng Zhao's tears came out again and he couldn't help but hug Li Beichen tightly.

Although she didn't understand why the emperor married a new wife for her father, she loved the emperor so deeply, how could she bear to blame the man who loved her so much?
Seeing Meng Zhao crying and not saying anything, Li Beichen thought for a moment and then lied against his will:

"When you recover, you will have children. When the time comes, you will not go anywhere but stay in Changchun Palace and then you can be promoted to a higher position."

Meng Zhao rubbed Li Beichen's chest and said, "I don't care about status. As long as the emperor loves me, I will be satisfied."

Hearing the word "love", Li Beichen was stunned for a moment and let go of Meng Zhao:
"Okay, stop thinking about it. Take the medicine and have a good sleep. Remember to eat mooncakes when you wake up. Today is Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Then would the emperor be willing to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Zhao'er tonight?"

Meng Zhao said hopefully. If the emperor is willing to accompany her on such a day, he must really love her, not some Concubine Ning.

Li Beichen was stunned for a moment, his expression gloomy, "I will go to the funeral palace tonight to pray for the Queen Mother. In previous years, I spent the Mid-Autumn Festival with my mother, and we had a lot of fun. Now I have neither a father nor a mother."

Meng Zhao felt even more distressed after hearing this. He held Li Beichen's hand and whispered, "Your Majesty, you still have Zhao'er to accompany you."

As he spoke, he leaned on Li Beichen's shoulder.

No matter what, her parents are still alive. The emperor is even more pitiful than her.

All of a sudden, a lot of tenderness arose in my heart, and I wanted to comfort the emperor who looked very sad.

Li Beichen patted the back of her hand and said with a smile, "Yes. No matter how sad you are, you still have to live your life. I will go back to the Qinzheng Palace first. Take care."

After leaving Changchun Palace, Li Beichen rubbed his brows tiredly, and then rubbed both cheeks. His mind was clear the whole time, but he felt like a mask was growing on his face, and it was so stiff that it hurt.

Sometimes he couldn't tell whether he was acting or not.

After being comforted by the emperor, Meng Zhao felt sweet in his heart and was immersed in the emperor's tenderness.

Although she was still very sad, she hated Chanjuan and the jealous and harmful concubines. She did not hate others.

She began to hope that everything would be fine. As long as the emperor loved her, she would soon have another child.

"Qingying, I feel a little hungry. Give me some mooncakes to try."

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