latelenovela Chapter 188 Newcomers
Chapter 188 Newcomers
It gets dark especially early in winter, and the palace lanterns are lit, casting a hazy glow over the Yonghe Palace.
Outside the house, there was only the sound of falling snow. Baoque waited in the hall until he warmed up before entering the inner room.
"Your Majesty, He Chang from Suiyuxuan had a high fever this morning."
"It so happened that Concubine Wan was away, and her personal maid Fubao came to Jingren Palace for help."
"I heard that the Empress was kind and immediately sent the imperial physician to Suiyuxuan. If she had gone half an hour later, there might not be a He Changzai in the palace anymore."
"The Queen finally couldn't sit still anymore."
She said softly, with a certainty in her tone.
Ever since Cui Jinxi went to the Imperial Household Department, the Queen took the opportunity to make things difficult for Huanbi and had her share deducted from her everywhere.
Huanbi felt wronged, so she naturally went to Zhen Huan to cry.
Zhen Huan, who had a grudge against Huanbi, chose to stand by and watch, which would only push the wavering Huanbi further away.
However, even if Huanbi sided with the Queen, it is still unknown whether she would help the Queen due to her blood relationship with Zhen Huan.
During the winter months, the court was busy with affairs, and the emperor came to the harem less than ten times, seven of which he stayed overnight in the main hall of Suiyuxuan.
On the fifteenth day, the emperor could not bear the longing for Zhen Huan, and summoned her to the Yangxin Palace to accompany him early in the morning.
It was only after Zhen Huan's persuasion that he went to Jingren Palace to have dinner with the Queen.
I don’t know what the emperor was thinking at the time, but he actually praised Zhen Huan’s virtue in front of the queen.
That night he insisted on sleeping in a separate quilt from the Queen, which made the Queen so angry that she had a headache and was ill for several days.
An Lingrong didn't know what happened in Jingren Palace on the fifteenth day, but she knew one thing very well: the Queen hated Zhen Huan.
Judging from the time, she will not be so peaceful after she finishes the confinement period.
"Bao Que, how is the new Suo family nanny?"
Nanny Suo was the palace nanny assigned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As soon as this group of people entered Yonghe Palace, Xiao Xiazi took the opportunity to reveal their secrets while delivering things.
Nanny Suo was a maid selected by the late emperor to enter the palace when he was young. She once took care of the current emperor at the prince's residence.
Later, the emperor left the palace to set up his own residence, and the nanny followed him.
But she had never shown up in the prince's palace. When she returned to the palace, she became the head maid of Shou'an Palace.
This time, he was assigned to Yonghe Palace by the emperor.
When An Lingrong first met Nanny Suo, she had a good impression of her and had vague plans for her whereabouts.
If he is trustworthy, keep him to educate the princess; otherwise, find an opportunity to send him back to the Imperial Household Department.
"Master, Madam Suo has been diligently following your instructions to manage the external relations of Yonghe Palace. I have secretly observed her and it seems that she is a good person for now."
Baoque reported the truth.
With the help of Nanny Suo, they all felt a lot more relaxed, and Baoque was also able to learn a lot of experience from it.
She felt that Nanny Suo seemed to be trying to cultivate something in them.
Baoque told the empress about his doubts.
An Lingrong thought about what the emperor had said before, that he would send a capable nanny to help her.
"Since Nanny Suo is willing to teach you, you should learn more from her."
"Madame Suo is old, remember to bring her mutton soup twice a day, morning and evening."
She had two princes and a princess, and the officials in the Imperial Household Department, who were opportunistic, tried every means to curry favor with her.
Not only did they take the initiative to leave some sheep bones for Yonghe Palace every day, but they also changed from leaving bare bones without even a piece of meat to giving away some scraps.
"My Lady, I've got this in mind. I'll give Nanny Suo a hot water bottle later."
"Alright! Keep a close eye on the newcomers first, and don't let down your guard at Suiyuxuan."
"Again, tell her to take good care of herself and not put herself in danger."
Whether it was the palace maids serving in front of her or the secret agents outside, An Lingrong would not look down on any of them.
The system once taught her that rat's life is also a life.
Most of the people who serve in the palace are people with miserable lives, so she should empathize with them when employing them.
She used this method to win over a group of loyal people.
It was late at night and the people patrolling in the yard seemed to hear a soft sigh.
When I pricked up my ears again, there was no sound.
After several turns of day and night, Huanbi, who had been drinking the bitter medicine for some time, finally left the East Side Hall.
She walked into the main hall with a smile and paid her respects to Zhen Huan.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to Her Majesty Wan Fei. I have been ill for the past few days and have not been able to come and pay my respects to Her Majesty. I hope Your Highness will not be offended."
"Huanbi, why are you so thin?"
Zhen Huan looked at the woman in front of her with thin cheeks and exclaimed in surprise.
"Reporting to the Queen, I have not had a good appetite recently and have lost some weight..."
The two sisters, with different thoughts, chatted for a while, and Huanbi said goodbye for fear of getting sick.
After watching Huanbi and her servant leave the door, Zhen Huan looked at Cui Jinxi beside her.
"Aunt, do you feel that Huanbi is different?"
"Your Majesty, I see that He Changzai is much more stable than before. Your Majesty must be careful and vigilant."
Cui Jinxi also felt that the thinner Huanbi looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere.
On the way to the Yangxin Palace that day, she was afraid that Huanbi would go to the Empress to complain.
On the way, they mentioned that the medicine that made Li Nu crazy was not something Huanbi could get, and they suspected that there was someone behind her. They suggested that the queen should temporarily ignore the sick He Changzai.
When she can't bear it anymore, she will ask for help from the person behind the scenes.
However, they didn't expect that Huanbi's personal maid Fubao would seek help from the Empress in desperation, disrupting their plans.
For the next half month or so, apart from paying her respects to Jingren Palace, there was nothing unusual about Huanbi.
As for her late return to Suiyuxuan, the master and servant felt that her status was low and it was normal for her to waste time walking back.
Huanbi became close to Jingren Palace under Zhen Huan's nose.
With the Queen's care, Huanbi's share was never deducted again.
However, after learning that the emperor preferred thin women, she deliberately controlled her food intake, which made Baizhi's face a lot rounder.
The emperor came to Suiyuxuan five times, and he would rest in the east wing hall once.
The Queen was temporarily satisfied with Huanbi, but thinking that she was born a palace maid, she went to the Yangxin Palace in person.
"Your Majesty, the year for the selection of concubines has arrived. May I ask what Your Majesty should do?"
The emperor had a son and a concubine by his side, so he said without hesitation that he wanted to postpone the selection.
"Your Majesty, selecting new brides to enter the palace is a custom passed down by our ancestors. Since Your Majesty does not wish to hold a large-scale beauty pageant, why not select women of appropriate age from the families of meritorious officials?"
The queen persuaded gently.