latelenovela Chapter 442 Posthumous Title
Chapter 442 Posthumous Title
In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yongzheng, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sat upright in front of a large imperial desk. His vermilion cinnabar brush moved across the rice paper, making a rustling sound. He dipped the brush in ink from time to time with a serious expression.
Suddenly, there was a slight noise outside the hall, and Yongzheng subconsciously raised his head. After seeing who was coming, his stern face softened instantly.
"It's rare to see you two together!"
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang walked into the palace and bowed before Yongzheng, saying in a clear and gentle voice, "Greetings to the Emperor."
"No need to be so polite, just sit down." Yongzheng waved his hand.
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang did not sit down, but came to Yongzheng.
Zhen Huan smiled sweetly and spoke first, "The weather has been getting colder these past few days. I was worried that Your Majesty would catch a cold, so I made some ginger tea to warm him up. I didn't expect to run into Sister Mei on the way."
Shen Meizhuang also smiled and said, "It seems that we sisters are really in tune with each other. I thought that the emperor was very busy and might get hungry easily, so I made some lotus root powder and osmanthus sugar cakes and brought them over."
As she spoke, she gently opened the food box, and a sweet fragrance filled the air.
The two men placed the food they brought in front of Yongzheng.
"As long as you guys are thinking about me, I won't feel tired at all even if the government affairs are busy." Yongzheng said with satisfaction, then picked up the spoon, tasted a few bites out of courtesy, and nodded in praise.
When the atmosphere calmed down a bit, Shen Meizhuang got down to business: "Your Majesty, please give us your instructions on how to determine the positions of the new concubines entering the palace."
As she spoke, she respectfully handed the list in her hand to Yongzheng.
Yongzheng took it and opened it, scanning the names on it. After a moment's silence, he said, "Let's just give them all the promised positions first. There will be opportunities for promotion after serving in the emperor's bedchamber, so it's not appropriate to set them too high now."
"Yes, I have already selected the nurses. They are all experienced and will surely teach my sisters the rules of the palace so that they can better serve the emperor in the future."
"Thank you for your hard work." Yongzheng raised his eyes, his gaze full of praise, and he highly recognized Shen Meizhuang's ability to do things.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. But there is one more thing I don't know whether I should tell you or not." Shen Meizhuang lowered her head, with a hint of hesitation on her face.
Upon hearing this, Yongzheng couldn't help but laugh: "Isn't this what Concubine Wen often says? It seems that you have lived with Concubine Wen for so long that even your speech is like hers."
Shen Meizhuang's cheeks flushed slightly, and she feigned shyness and said, "Your Majesty, please stop teasing me."
"Haha, you can say whatever you want."
He really enjoyed Shen Meizhuang's occasional coquettish behavior.
"The Third Prince is about to get married, and his biological mother, Concubine Qi..."
Before Shen Meizhuang finished speaking, Yongzheng frowned.
"Why are you mentioning her when everything is fine!" There was a hint of displeasure in his tone.
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang continued calmly, "The mistakes made by Concubine Qi are naturally unforgivable, but now that the Third Prince is planning to establish his own residence, if his biological mother doesn't even receive a posthumous title, others will inevitably discuss it, and it will be embarrassing for the Third Prince. I've noticed that he is always terrified and cautious in front of the Emperor, and I think this is also the reason."
Seeing that Yongzheng didn't say anything, Shen Meizhuang knelt on the ground and said, "I am also a mother. Seeing him like this, I am really distressed. If I have upset the emperor, I apologize to him."
After hearing this, Yongzheng couldn't help but sigh.
After all, Hongshi was his eldest son, and he loved him deeply. Moreover, now that Hongshi was going to marry Fucha's daughter and posthumously confer the title of Consort Qi, it was also a face-saving move for the Fucha family.
"Well, let's posthumously confer the title of Concubine Qi on Concubine Qi Que, and then move her to the concubine's mausoleum. I leave this matter to you." After thinking for a moment, Yongzheng finally made a decision.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Yongzheng looked at Shen Meizhuang again, he showed more approval and extended his hand to her.
Shen Meizhuang didn't seem to understand what he meant. She stood up and took a step back. "I still have to arrange for the concubines to enter the palace. I will take my leave now!"
Yongzheng had no choice but to withdraw his hand awkwardly and said, "Okay, I'll come see you when I'm free!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After Shen Meizhuang left, Zhen Huan came to Yongzheng and picked up the inkstone to grind it.
She glanced at Yongzheng's expression and knew that he was satisfied with Shen Meizhuang. She deliberately asked, "Is the emperor not angry with Sister Mei?"
Yongzheng leaned lazily on the dragon throne, raised his hand and picked up another piece of lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake, and gently put it into his mouth. The cake melted in his mouth, and the sweet taste spread on the tip of his tongue.
He savored it carefully, then said, "Although this snack may not be very flavorful, it is light and beneficial to the body. It is unique among all snacks."
Zhen Huan smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, are you talking about snacks or people?"
"Of course, I'm talking about people. I'm increasingly finding that Noble Concubine Hui is open-minded and righteous, but sometimes her mind isn't on me. She's a little unromantic, and she can't understand my feelings like you do."
Zhen Huan felt disdainful in her heart, bah, you want both.
But she smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Sister Mei is usually busy handling palace affairs and taking care of the princes and princesses. Naturally, she doesn't have the time to be with Your Majesty every day like me. Besides, she takes good care of the harem, isn't she also understanding Your Majesty's feelings! Moreover, Your Majesty ate Sister Mei's snacks and said that Sister Mei's mind was not on you. I have to stand up for Sister Mei!"
Yongzheng laughed: "Is this how you protect her?"
"Of course, I have known Sister Mei since childhood and we have a special bond. Moreover, I am now the Imperial Noble Consort, so I should be the one to take care of these things. However, I am stupid and have no power to do anything. I have no choice but to trouble Sister Mei to work hard. Therefore, it is reasonable and proper for me to speak up for her."
"You!"
After Zhen Huan left, Yongzheng's eyes moved slightly. Logically speaking, the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince were in a competitive relationship. He didn't expect that Shen Meizhuang would think so carefully about the Third Prince. After she passed away, she would definitely take good care of the other princes.
Thinking of this, he took out a memorial from a pile and started reading. It was almost the end of the year, and the Ministry of Personnel sent in the year-end evaluations of officials at all levels. Shen Pingchuan got excellent grades in all of them.
"Su Peisheng, pass on the imperial decree, Shen Pingchuan is promoted to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."
Su Peisheng, who had been hiding in the corner, stepped forward and said, "Yes, I'll do it right away!"