Harem for a living

Chapter 58

"What the Queen Mother said is very true, but the Queen Mother Ci Ning has already told the concubine to let Yang Guifei and the others help the concubine for a while..." The queen smiled and said with a little hesitation: "If you don't let me They help, I'm afraid Empress Dowager Ci Ning can't explain it."

So, if you want to intervene, you can discuss it with Empress Dowager Ci Ning yourself.

Empress Dowager Ci'an frowned and thought for a while and said: "Since that's the case, you should listen to what Empress Dowager Ci Ning said, but Concubine Hui and the others have just entered the palace, and Ai's family is not at ease, so they first sent a nanny to teach, Ai Nanny An and Nanny Xing around the family have been with the Ai family for a long time, and they also know a lot about childbirth, so they can just help Concubine Yang and Concubine Shu."

"As for Concubine Hui and Concubine De, Aunt Bai and Aunt Wang next to Ai's family are also old people in the palace, so they can just give advice to Concubine Hui and Concubine De." Empress Dowager Ci'an clicked her lips twice, and then she left the queen. Other than the other high-ranking concubines, staff were placed around them.

Chen Manrou almost couldn't react, didn't the old lady Ci'an come to seize power?Why did the fire burn to himself?
"Queen Mother, Nanny An and others are old people around you. They serve you very attentively and understand your habits very well. You gave them to Concubine Yang and the others. The people who serve you around you are not just people. Are you worried?"

The queen said with great concern: "The concubine can't let the queen mother have no caring person to serve you because of such a small matter, otherwise, mother An and the others, you still keep it? As for Concubine Yang, the concubine is another Send someone to point it out?"

"No need, Ai's family is in good health." The Empress Dowager Ci'an waved her hand and said, Chen Manrou frowned and thought about the Empress Dowager's standard system. Empress Dowager An, shout out to Empress Dowager, have the palace people around you exceeded the regulations?
After all the words are said, the queen can only agree.As a result, there was an extra person beside Chen Manrou and the others immediately.

Back at Zhongcui Palace, Chen Manrou didn't talk to Aunt Bai, but asked Jin Huan to arrange a place for Aunt Bai to live in first. There are many rooms in the side hall, and one room for Aunt Bai is enough.

"Go and find out, and see how Concubine Yang Gui and Concubine Shu deal with the nanny brought back from Ci'an Palace." Chen Manrou called Wei Le, and ordered casually, although Wei Le was probably Shu She is a concubine, but Chen Manrou is still willing to use it for things like inquiring about news.

To be happy and to live up to Chen Manrou's expectations, she came over at lunchtime: "The imperial concubine, sent Nanny An to Ma Jieyu, saying that it was rewarded by the Empress Dowager Ci'an to help take care of the second princess. Concubine Shu Nothing happened, I just heard that Concubine Shu is very attentive to Nanny Xing."

Chen Manrou thought for a while, but didn't say anything.Just like that, Aunt Bai stayed in the Zhongcui Palace. Every day, Aunt Bai had people prepare meals for Aunt Bai, but she never asked Aunt Bai to serve her.

When I went to pay my respects the next day, the empress talked about what happened yesterday: "Since Empress Dowager Ci Ning and Empress Dowager Ci'an have both told you to help me with palace affairs, I will not be impolite. Sister, please help me."

"It's almost the Chinese New Year. According to the rules, at the end of the year, the palace people in the palace will have to send out two sets of clothes. Let this matter be handled by Concubine Yang." The queen said with a smile. There are regulations, and there are also regulations on the number of sets of clothes. Basically, Concubine Yang only needs to ask a few questions to get the job done.

This kind of needle and thread problem, if it is in a big house, can still play tricks on fabrics and money.But in the palace, the Ministry of Internal Affairs provided the fabric, and the people in the sewing room provided the handwork. Concubine Yang Guifei really didn't have much room to play.

"The concubine obeys, please rest assured, the empress, I will definitely handle this matter well." Concubine Yang Guifei's face did not change much, she got up with a smile and made a promise.The queen nodded, and then said: "There are also sacrificial items, which should also be sorted and prepared. Concubine Shu, you are responsible for these things, can you do well?"

"My concubine will definitely live up to my mother's entrustment." Concubine Shu got up, and said in a gentle and indifferent tone.Sacrifice is a big thing, but it is also very cumbersome and requires great attention. If one is broken in the middle, it is estimated that Concubine Shu will be at the top.

Chen Manrou was a little surprised. Isn't Concubine Shu and the Queen on the side?Why now it seems that the empress doesn't feel so relieved towards Concubine Shu?But immediately, Chen Manrou thought of the significance of offering sacrifices, and immediately overturned her previous thoughts.

Anyway, I don't do this kind of thing by myself, so let others guess what it means.

"Concubine Hui..." Just as she was thinking, she heard the empress call from above, and Chen Manrou hurriedly got up to salute: "My lady, actually, I have something I want to ask of you."

The queen touched her long nails, looked at Chen Manrou for a while, and said slowly, "Say it."

"Your Majesty, just as Empress Dowager Ci Ning said, my concubine's father is currently on the battlefield, and I really can't feel at ease, so I want to ask the Empress Dowager to let my concubine set up a small Buddhist hall in Zhongcui Palace." Chen Manrou said, embarrassed Scratching her cheek: "Please ask the empress to share this palace work with others. To be honest, when I was at home, I have never touched these things. I am worried that I will make a joke."

"Sister Hui Concubine, what are you afraid of? Didn't the Empress Dowager Ci'an send Aunt Bai to help you? If you don't understand anything, just ask Aunt Bai?" Concubine De quickly said that she and Chen Manrou entered the palace together Yes, if Chen Manrou wants to give up the power she has obtained, she will have to refuse it several times even if she is putting on airs.

However, the fear is that the queen doesn't want to see that she is pretending.

"But, if I want to pray, I don't have so much time to ask Aunt Bai for advice." Chen Manrou turned to look at Concubine De, and counted with her fingers: "I will come to pay my respects to the Empress in the morning, and I will recite scriptures and worship Buddha when I return in the morning. After taking a nap in the afternoon, I want to exercise, become a female celebrity, practice calligraphy and painting, and copy Buddhist scriptures. Where can I find free time?"

Concubine De stared at Chen Manrou with wide eyes, and Chen Manrou blinked, then turned to look at the Queen: "Madam, I'm really not good at palace affairs or anything, you'd better spare me, I'd rather embroider your purse for you."

The queen rubbed her forehead, looked at Chen Manrou and asked, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

"I know that I want to set up a small Buddhist hall and pray for my father on the battlefield." Chen Manrou said very simply, her eyes were firm.It was almost the end of the year, and although there were good news on the battlefield, they were all small news.

There was no sign of complete victory.Chen Manrou had already started to worry. In previous years, when she was in Zhending Mansion, although she encountered Khitan attacks once or twice a year, they could be resolved within a day or two.This time, it was too long.

"Okay, Concubine Hui is sincere, and I have to agree. When I turn around, I will send you the things to decorate the Buddhist hall." The queen paused for a while, then said with a smile.

Chen Manrou was about to thank you, her heart moved, and then she said a little embarrassedly: "Madam, there is one more thing I want to ask you, so don't be annoyed by this concubine."

"Speak." The queen frowned slightly, her voice slightly flat.Chen Manrou rubbed the handkerchief, her voice was a bit awkward: "When worshiping Buddha, don't you have to be vegetarian? I have something to do recently, and it's almost the end of the year, and I don't want to bother the imperial dining room, so I want to open the small kitchen of Zhongcui Palace. Yes, look..."

"So it's this one, Ben Gong agreed." The queen thought for a while and said, the fourth concubine and above all have small kitchens, and Concubine Yang and Concubine Shu have already opened them.Concubine De had just entered the palace, so she never found a chance to mention this matter.

It was Chen Manrou who took the lead. At this moment, Concubine De looked at Chen Manrou not wanting to bite off a piece of meat, but wanting to bite off two pieces of meat.

"Concubine De, I see that you have always been clever. You can collect the utensils reported by the palaces at the end of this year. You can count them." Chen Manrou didn't touch the palace and retreated completely. The queen turned her head and said to Concubine De.

"Yes, my concubine takes orders." Concubine De hurriedly got up to thank her, but secretly complained in her heart, this is hard work.If you have a high rank and want to get something more, will you give it or not?If one fails, several people can be offended.

But she couldn't say no to doing it, if she turned down this errand, she wouldn't even want to get involved in the palace affairs.

On the contrary, the empress was very satisfied with her arrangement. The important imperial dining room was not entrusted to others, the personnel transfer was not entrusted to others, and the banquet arrangement was not entrusted to others. The power was still in her own hands.

Since then, Chen Manrou has started living in a house.It wasn't until the new year that Chen Manrou asked Aunt Bai: "You said, she has only been to Ci'an Palace once during this period?"

Jin Huan replied in a low voice: "Yes, I saw her go out just once, and the rest of the time, you didn't order her to stay quietly in Zhongcui Palace, and she didn't gossip with others, and no one came. Find her."

"Go and ask her to come here. Since the queen mother has already sent Aunt Bai here, she probably won't go back. We must either make Aunt Bai our own, or be on guard all the time." Chen Manrou sighed and said: "I'll take a look at this person first, and then make a plan."

"Aunt Bai, how old are you?" When someone came in, Chen Manrou looked at Aunt Bai and asked slowly.Aunt Bai's appearance is very ordinary, and her dress is also relatively ordinary, but she just gives people the feeling of a very stable old mother.

"Returning to Concubine Hui, there are three out of thirty slaves this year." Aunt Bai saluted and replied neither humble nor overbearing.Chen Manrou asked with a little surprise: "Why didn't Aunt Bai leave the palace back then? Is there no one else at home?"

"The maidservant came to the palace voluntarily because of a disaster in her hometown." Aunt Bai paused and said, "All the family members died back then, and I was the only one left."

"Then Aunt Bai ever thought about getting married?" Chen Manrou stroked the rim of the cup with her finger, and said casually: "There is no one in the family, and there are no nephews. I haven't been out of the palace for so many years, and I don't have an old friend. I can't die of old age." In the palace?"

Nowadays, people are very serious about whether someone will collect the body when they die, whether they can be buried with the whole body, whether there will be funerary objects, and whether there will be someone to worship.Even if you can't live a good life during your lifetime, you must live a good life after death.

Aunt Bai was stunned for a moment, probably because she didn't expect Chen Manrou to ask this question, and she replied after a while: "This servant has never thought about getting married. Since this servant has already entered the palace, she will always serve the master in the future."

It is serving the master, not the queen mother.

Chen Manrou grasped the point in an instant, and the smile on her face was a bit real.She just said, how old is the old lady Ci'an, Madam Xing and the others, they don't have many years to live, so naturally they should seize the best time, live as easy as they can, and grab the Empress Dowager Ci'an Thighs will always be looked at high.

And this aunt Bai, who is not very old, is middle-aged, and has a lot of good years, how could she always be loyal to an old lady who is destined not to survive the queen, or young concubines like them?
However, Chen Manrou did not start to win over Aunt Bai immediately.He just smiled and shook his head and said: "Women, you still have to marry and have a child in your life. Especially for you, since your family members are all dead, you never thought that the blood of your Bai family is just like this." Is it broken?"

Aunt Bai's face turned pale and she didn't speak.Chen Manrou didn't expect her to answer, and quickly changed the subject: "Aunt Bai, since the Empress Dowager Ci'an asked you to guide me, then I will ask Aunt Bai to help me take care of the Zhongcui Palace for the time being. "

(End of this chapter)