The Self-cultivation of the Noble Concubine Who Eats Melon

  Chapter 113 114: Confrontation

  One autumn rain and one cold, Song Yunzhao opened the window in the morning, and the raindrops fell gently under the eaves. From a distance, it seemed that the courtyard was covered with a layer of rain and fog. The autumn wind blew, making her shiver.

  Xiangxue hurriedly brought her outer clothes and came over, "Master, don't stand by the window, it's very windy right now."

  Song Yunzhao nodded and walked back, and said as he walked: "The weather is going to be cold right away, have you brought the autumn clothes from the Department of Clothes Bureau?"

   "Not yet." As soon as Xiangxue put her hands together, she felt that the master's hands were a little cold, so she turned her head and sent a hand stove over.

  Song Yunzhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "It's not winter yet, so there's no use for this."

   "Your hands are too cold, please warm them up. It doesn't matter what the season is, as long as you are comfortable, this thing will be useful."

  Song Yunzhao stretched out his hand to take it, not to mention that it really felt a lot warmer in his hand, and the cold fingertips also felt warm.

   Shizhu held an umbrella and walked to the eaves of the corridor, and handed the umbrella to the little maid, who carried a big burden into the hall by herself.

  Xiangxue immediately asked, "What did you take?"

   "Master's autumn clothes, Madam Yu took me to the Clothes Bureau to bring them back. It got cold all of a sudden. Fortunately, I went early, and there were quite a few people from the Department of Clothes Bureau." Shi Zhu handed the bundle to Xiangxue, saluted the master again, and said with a smile, "The servant girl will change into clothes and come to serve the master."

  Song Yunzhao saw that her shoes were soaked, and hurriedly said, "Go quickly, don't come here first after changing your clothes, let the waiter make some **** soup for you to drive away the cold."

  There is no small kitchen in Wangyou Palace, only a tea room, where water is usually boiled to make tea, and occasionally it is used to warm up snacks and other snacks for Song Yunzhao.

  Shi Zhu responded with a smile before turning around and leaving.

  On the other side, Xiangxue took out the autumn clothes and looked through them carefully, checking the patterns, patterns and stitches one by one.

  They themselves are good at sewing, but they rarely have time to make such a big piece when they are on errands, autumn clothes are no better than summer clothes.

  Song Yunzhao thoughtfully, looked at Xiangxue and said, "I've been promoted to Jieyu, shouldn't our Wangyou Palace add people?"

  Xiangxue was taken aback for a moment, and then said, "I want to add people."

  Song Yunzhao raised his eyebrows slightly, "Did Gong Zhengsi send anyone here?"

  Xiangxue's complexion was also not good-looking, "It's a servant who neglected his duty, so I ask the master to punish her."

  Song Yunzhao didn't think of it herself, and she didn't blame Xiangxue, she just didn't expect Gong Zhengsi to pretend to be deaf and dumb, which is kind of interesting.

  She looked at Xiangxue and said, "You go to Gong Zhengsi and let them add people according to the book."

  Xiangxue responded immediately, "I'll go now, slave girl. It stands to reason that Gong Zhengsi will select a person, and then let the master look at the person."

   "Let Nanny Yu go to Zhangyan and pick a few who are good at needlework." Song Yunzhao felt that he had a good relationship with Liang Zi from the Shangfu Bureau.

  Xiangxue went to find Nanny Yu, and then the two went to Gong Zhengsi.

  Song Yunzhao found it very troublesome. As he lived in the palace for a longer period of time, he felt that there were more and more things that were controlled by the Six Shang Bureau.

  Comparatively speaking, Gong Zhengsi is a palace institution that serves concubines exclusively, but things are not that simple. The relationship between the harem and Gong Zhengsi is a mutual check and balance.

  This delicate relationship is difficult to describe in words, and the six court ladies in the Six Shang Bureau under Gong Zhengsi are not all bricks and mortar, just like the Department of Clothes Bureau under the Shang Fu Bureau has a bad relationship with him.

  Si Yi Bureau dared to do this because of the support of Cui Shangfu, who has a close relationship with Concubine Wan.

  But now that he is being favored, Cui Shangfu doesn’t dare to blatantly embarrass himself, so the autumn clothes he sent are in line with the regulations.

  The Bureau of Shangfu is waiting for you to give up?

   It's a dream!

  She decided to cultivate her own talents. Although it took time, it was cost-effective to train her own people.

  In the harem, it is very important to have your own territory and your own connections.

  Cui Shangfu can’t get hold of him, and he can’t easily go to the emperor to file a complaint. You must know that such a thing as a complaint must be beaten seven inches.

   An hour later, Nanny Yu came back with a grim expression, and Song Yunzhao looked at her.

   "Master, Gong Zhengsi said that there are no suitable palace ladies to be selected at the moment, and the previous batch of palace ladies have just been selected by Huayang Palace."

  Song Yunzhao was happy, Qin Xiyue's movements were fast, she deserved to be an ambitious heroine.

   "When does Gong Zhengsi say to send someone over?" Song Yunzhao could hear what Gong Zhengsi meant, and his relationship with Qin Xiyue was so-so, Huayang Palace chose the remaining people, and he definitely couldn't get them.

  Besides, since he has a higher rank than Qin Xiyue, if Gong Zhengsi really dares to choose Qin Xiyue's leftovers for him, that would be an obvious offense to himself.

   Gong is just a sensible person.

   "Gong Zheng said that Wangyou Palace's lack of palace personnel is due to her dereliction of duty. When she chooses someone, she will come to Wangyou Palace to choose someone to make amends for the master." Yu Yu said so, but the expression on her face was not very happy.

  Song Yunzhao thought to himself that Nanny Yu must have fought Gong Zheng, and it turns out that Wangyougong won.

   "It doesn't matter if you wait for a few days." Song Yunzhao chuckled, "However, Mammy asked someone to go to Gongzheng to reply, saying that I want two palace maids who are good at needlework."

  Song Yunzhao didn't want to become enmity with the entire Liushang Bureau. He was afraid that he would live too freely and make trouble for himself.

  Gong Zheng's attitude is acceptable, and she is also willing to give the other party a step down.

   As for whether her posture of descending the steps suits her, it depends on Gong Zheng's attitude.

  Xiangxue said after hearing the words: "Slave maid, go for a walk, and go with someone else, so as not to be unclear."

  Song Yunzhao nodded, "You can run again, remember to be gentle."

   "Yes." Xiangxue went out under the eaves and put up an umbrella, this time her mood was a little better than before.

  The master ordered like this, there must be someone behind him, if Gong Zhengsi doesn't know the way this time, there is a high probability that he will be in trouble.

  The rain gradually stopped, the autumn clothes were put into the closet by carnations, and the summer clothes had to be sorted out one by one. Several court ladies were busy running around, registering and cataloging, and when the weather was good, they had to take them out to dry before sealing them into storage.

  Song Yunzhao was impatient with these trivial matters, so she went to the study to continue writing her "Peony Pavilion". She wrote it scatteredly for many days. Some of the lyrics she had forgotten had been recalled through her unremitting efforts, but some of them were really impossible to remember.

  She is ignorant of knowledge, no matter how you look at it, the holes she repaired are still a bit short, so she can barely do it. Tang Gong's name was written on the signature, and Song Yunzhao heaved a sigh of relief.

  Checked it from beginning to end, found nothing wrong, put the booklet in a brocade box and sealed it, and sent it out of the palace when the weather was better tomorrow, and asked for news by the way.

  She had lunch alone, and after taking a nap, Han Jinyi's personal servant came over and said that Feng Xiaoyuan wanted to visit with Han Xiaoyi.

   Song Yunzhao agreed when he had nothing to do. In the book, Feng Yunjin served as Qin Xiyue's military adviser, but the two of them are not yet tied together. As long as there is a corner that can be dug, she will definitely dig it.

  Feng Yunjin has a good impression of her so far. When it came to Lu Zhixue, she knew the grievances between herself and Lu Zhixue, and she was willing to pay back the family's affection. She was not afraid of offending herself because of this. This shows that this person has a bottom line and morality.

  Who knew that when he was waiting for the door, he saw Lu Zhixue following behind him, and Song Yunzhao fell silent.

  She discovered that Lu Zhixue was really an incomprehensible existence, why did she follow others to her place every time?

   Do you want to chat too?

  Lu Zhixue was a little embarrassed when she saw Song Yunzhao's surprised expression, but she followed Song Yunzhao and didn't learn to be thick-skinned. She took the initiative to say, "I happened to run into Yun Jin and Jinyi when I was out of the palace."

  What else can Song Yunzhao say, but he can't drive people out.

   What kind of friendship do you think she has with Lu Zhixue?

   It's very strange.

   Greeting the three of them to sit down, she had long ago decided to come and make tea by the stove, the weather couldn't be more suitable.

  Song Yunzhao asked people to get the necessary equipment for the surrounding stove from the imperial dining room. The charcoal was burning in the small clay stove, and soon there was a sound of sizzling water on the copper pot stand on the road, and white mist slowly overflowed from the spout.

  She also made a grilling net and put it on another small oven. The mesh is very fine. Put the melon seeds on it, and the aroma will soon be roasted.

   For a moment, the clumsy people laughed, and Lu Zhixue knocked a sunflower seed that she roasted herself, thinking it was delicious.

   This thing is really interesting, and she will make one for herself later.

  Song Yunzhao put jujubes, pears, and hawthorns on the roasting net and roasted them slowly over low heat. Lu Zhixue asked, "Can these also be roasted?"

   "Why can't these be baked?" Song Yunzhao asked her deliberately.

  Lu Zhixue: …

  Song Yunzhao looked at Lu Zhixue's expression, and said happily: "If you can bake it, you will know if you bake it. If you don't bake it, how will you know if you can bake it? If you bake it, you will know if you can bake it."

  Lu Zhixue was stunned.

  Feng Yunjin and Han Jinyi squinted their brows and eyes with joy, these days are really happy.

  Han Jinyi walked down the steps to Lu Zhixue, "I don't know that these things can be roasted and eaten, let's just give it a try." He said and looked at Lu Zhixue, "After we try it at Jieyu's place, we will make one ourselves when we go back, and we will definitely not make a mistake in the exam."

  Lu Zhixue thought it made sense, so she pinched the dates and put them on, and it smelled quite delicious.

  Song Yunzhao is a bit regretful that there are no oranges. Let’s not talk about whether the roasted oranges are delicious, but the aroma is really charming.

   "I heard that Concubine Zhuang wanted to hold a small banquet for Qin Wanyi to congratulate her on her promotion. Why is there no news?" Han Jinyi looked at Feng Yunjin and asked.

  Feng Yunjin lives in the West Palace, which is closer to the palaces of Concubine Zhuang and Qin Xiyue, so the news is naturally better than theirs.

  Feng Yunjin swallowed the melon seeds in her mouth, and then said: "I heard that Qin Wanyi refused."

  Lu Zhixue snorted, "Pretentious, I'm afraid that everyone in the harem will go to congratulate her."

  Song Yunzhao agreed seriously, "It makes sense."

  When Song Yunzhao echoed her words, Lu Zhixue looked a little better. She coughed lightly and said, "I heard that Qin Yuanjing was impeached recently, and Taifu Qin was running around for the matter of the eldest son. How could Qin Wanyi be in the mood to congratulate herself?"

  Song Yunzhao's eyes lit up, oops, the news he handed out has been moved so quickly?

  Lu Zhixue originally wanted to show off to Song Yunzhao that she was well-informed, but when she raised her head and met her bright eyes, she suddenly froze.

   Song Yunzhao looked at her and urged: "You said it, how is it?"

  You shouldn't be too obvious about reading jokes, but Lu Zhixue likes it, and she especially likes Qin Xiyue's jokes now.

  Han Jinyi suppressed a smile and remained silent, Feng Yunjin also had a smile in his eyes, and the two looked at each other, taking a sip of tea at the same time, lest they couldn't help talking too much.

  Lu Zhixue said a little arrogantly: "Qin Xiyue's promotion to Wanyi is different from your promotion to Jieyu's. Your family doesn't like to pick faults, but Qin Yuanjing is different. He has great ambitions and few talents. With Qin Taifu's protection, he sat in the position of a doctor in the Ministry of Industry. The Taifu is very arrogant when he usually relies on his own father. This time something happened. I don't know how many people saw her as a joke."

   After talking for a long time without getting to the point, Song Yunzhao was so angry that he almost flipped the table. Do you think this popularity is irritating?

  Feng Yunjin saw that Yun Zhao's eyes were about to get angry, and hurriedly explained to Lu Zhixue: "It's hard to say whether what Qin Langzhong committed this time is serious or not, it depends on how His Majesty decides, but considering Taifu Qin's face, he should not be severely punished."

  Song Yunzhao glared at Lu Zhixue, seeing how good Feng Xiaoyuan was at talking, he knew what she liked to hear,

  Lu Zhixue shut her mouth in anger!

  Song Yunzhao turned his head to look at Feng Yunjin, settled down and talked to her slowly, "I heard that Langzhong Qin accepts bribes, and the amount of bribes will be judged to be responsible for the crime. I wonder how much Langzhong Qin received?"

  Feng Yunjin nodded, "This matter has just caused a storm, and the result has not yet come out. Someone needs to be investigated for impeachment."

  Han Jinyi added from the side, "Both the Ministry of Criminal Justice and the Dali Temple are investigating fraud cases, and there are not many people who can be allocated. I am afraid that we will have to wait for the results."

   "What's the matter, when something like this happens, Qin Xiyue, who claims to be a noble family, see how she has the face to promote her nobleness in the harem." Lu Zhixue said fiercely.

   This makes sense, the other three looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

  Lu Zhixue looked at the three of them, "What's so funny about this, am I wrong?"

   "That's right." Han Jinyi hurriedly reassured her, "Qin Wanyi refused the congratulatory banquet, probably because she didn't want to be in the limelight at this time. If what happened to Qin Langzhong this time is found to be true, she really can't bear it."

   Acting low-key now is also planning for the future.

  Lu Zhixue still looked a little unhappy. She trusted Qin Xiyue at the beginning, but she was tricked by her. Now that she thinks about it, she feels stupid.

   Now that she can see Qin Xiyue's jokes, she is happier than Song Yunzhao. Thinking of this, she said: "Qin Taifu is talented and knowledgeable, and he is an official, but it is a pity that his descendants do not live up to it."

  Han Jinyi nodded, Qin Xiyue would not have entered the palace if it hadn't been like this, and Grand Tutor Qin may not have let her enter the palace to find a way for his son.

  Feng Yunjin looked up, "I heard that the exam will be re-opened this time."

   "Really?" Lu Zhixue was a little surprised. If the exam is retaken, will the emperor forgive the previous incident?

  She doesn't know how much her father has been involved with, but she hopes that her father will be safe and sound.

   "It should be." Feng Yunjin nodded, then looked at Song Yunzhao, "Does Jieyu know about this?"

  Song Yunzhao shook his head, "I haven't heard the news, but the emperor is a wise king, and he will definitely not disappoint the students. Everyone has studied hard for so many years, and we can't just go back like this."

  Feng Yunjin didn't believe that Song Jieyu didn't know that her cousin was the one leading the disturbance outside the palace.

  However, after she learned that Song Xinran had handed in blank papers, she was deeply impressed. In the entire examination room, he was the only one who handed in all three blank papers. The other one who handed in two blank papers was Song Jieyu's cousin-in-law.

   You said, Song Jieyu's blessing is that she is favored in the palace, and her natal family also adds honor to her outside the palace. What a help.

  The fraud case has become so big, it is no longer simply a matter of leaked exam questions. A letter from the family told her cryptically that the fraud case has swept through to the fight between the left and right sides of the court.

  There are quite a few officials involved this time, and the emperor will certainly not deal with all of them, but there must be many unlucky ones belonging to the direct descendants of the Second Prime Minister.

  The emperor has always wanted to take back the power of the court, and this time the Song family really handed the knife to the emperor.

  Based on this credit, Song Yanran's rise to the top is already foreseeable. If he can be on the list again in the scientific examination, he may be even more famous than the number one scholar.

  This is really enviable, this is not just a matter of luck and good fortune, it requires decisive courage and strategic planning.

  The emperor liked Song Jieyu in the first place, and now the Song family is so worried about the king, before the next draft, no one in the palace can compare to Song Jieyu.

  Would the emperor like these beautiful girls from outstanding families?

Certainly not.

  Their entry into the palace was the emperor's compromise with the courtiers.

  Their situation is even worse than that of the third concubine and the noble concubine, because the emperor is no longer the emperor five years ago, so there is no need to wrong himself to dote on the noble concubine and the third concubine.

  Feng Yunjin saw this clearly, so she worked hard to adjust her position in the harem. It was better to build a good relationship with Song Jieyu than to count on the emperor's favor.

   She observed carefully for several months. Song Jieyu seemed domineering, but she acted in a very orderly manner, and she acted according to the law, and her mind was not narrow.

   It can be seen from the matter of Lu Zhixue.

  She can know that Song Jieyu is domineering and hates to be favored by others. When someone tries to compete with her for the emperor's favor, her attack power is quite powerful.

   And she has no extravagant expectations for the emperor's favor. If the emperor favored her back then, she would not refuse, but obviously she is not so lucky.

   Befriending Song Jieyu may not get what she wants, but it will not become her stepping stone either.

  Feng Yunjin once hesitated between Qin Xiyue and Song Yunzhao, but as time passed, she finally decided to approach Song Jieyu.

   It's just that Song Jieyu has been favored for several months, but she still has no good news.

  Thinking about the lack of good news for the third concubine and the noble concubine, she even suspected that it would not be the emperor's problem, right?

  I only dared to think about it for myself, but didn't dare to say a word.

  She even hoped that Song Jieyu would give birth to the emperor's eldest son, so she took refuge in Song Jieyu and hoped that she would rise to the top.

  Han Jinyi took a bite of the roasted pear, which was slightly sour and sweet, but it really suited her appetite, so she immediately asked everyone to have a taste.

  Lu Zhixue cut a piece of the mouth with a small silver knife, frowned slightly, a little sour, but the sourness was just right, it was really delicious.

   "If the exam is repeated, the ranking of the students will definitely be very different this time." Han Jinyi laughed.

   "Of course, can wine bags and rice bags be compared with talented people with real talents?" Lu Zhixue complained.

  Song Yunzhao smiled, and Feng Yunjin also smiled.

   It wasn't until the fourth day of the Youchu period that Lu Zhixue's Yihua Palace was closer, and he said goodbye to the two of them at the intersection soon.

  Han Jinyi and Feng Yunjin continued to move forward, passing through the East Imperial Garden, Liuhua Palace was in the distance, Feng Yunjin looked at Han Jinyi, "It's a very happy thing to talk to Song Jieyu, no wonder you flirted with her at the beginning."

  Han Jinyi was overjoyed, "This is unexpected, but Jieyu's temperament is really easy to get along with."

  Feng Yunjin thought that it might not be easy to get along with, but it is really good to be an ally with such a person.

   "It looks like autumn is coming, and the New Year will be a few months away. This year is really fast, and it will pass in the blink of an eye."

   "Yes." Han Jinyi nodded slightly, and the Chinese New Year will soon be here.

   "Wait until the New Year's banquet, do you think our family can attend the banquet?"

  Han Jinyi was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "How can I know this, but I hope so."

  If the mother can go to the palace banquet, this is also the honor she brings to the family as a daughter.

   "Yes, I hope so too." After Feng Yunjin said goodbye to Han Jinyi, she continued walking in the autumn wind.

  Han Jinyi stared at Feng Yunjin's back, and after a while entered the gate of Liuhua Palace, not wanting to meet An Fangyi who was taking a walk, she stepped forward to greet her, "I have seen An Fangyi."

  An Fangyi nodded lightly, looked at Han Jinyi and asked, "I seem to have heard Feng Xiaoyuan's voice just now."

  Han Jinyi replied with a smile: "Yes, my concubine and Feng Xiaoyuan are walking along the way."

  An Fangyi didn't speak any more, and turned to go to her Feishuang Palace.

  Han Jinyi returned to his Qiulan Hall with a smile, entered the inner hall, and then looked at Xia and asked, "Why is An Fangyi walking in the courtyard at this time?"

  Ask Xia to stay at the Qiulan Palace today, and upon hearing the words, he replied: "I haven't seen anyone visiting An Fangyi..." After finishing speaking, he paused, "However, An Fangyi left Liuyun Palace in the afternoon and didn't come back until half an hour later."

   "Do you know where you went?"

   "The servant doesn't know, or I'll go out and find out?"

  Han Jinyi shook her head, "No need, it's just a random question."

  Han Jinyi said this, but she was a little puzzled in her heart. An Fangyi seldom went out of Liuyun Palace, and only came back after more than half an hour. In this weather, she must not be going out to enjoy the flowers and gardens, but must be meeting someone.

  Han Jinyi remembered what An Fangyi had asked her before, as if he was waiting for her to come back.

   Today’s update is here, my little cuties.

  (end of this chapter)