vrcanaries Chapter 89 Zhaoyang Palace is an exception
Chapter 89 Zhaoyang Palace is an exception
"Go back! Why wouldn't I go back? What does it matter to me if the Emperor kills those people? He wouldn't drag me along to be killed!"
Shen Shixi looked at the newly dyed nail polish on her slender fingers and liked it very much.
Qinghao said, "My lady, I can make some beauty creams and rouges, as well as some face powders and lip balms. If you don't mind, I'll make some for you."
"Great job, Qinghao! You're amazing! I really don't like using the powder sent by the Imperial Household Department; it's so powdery and it falls off the ground with the slightest movement. You'll get a reward for doing a good job!"
"I'll reward you after I've done it and you like it. Besides, it's my duty."
Shen Shixi said, "When doing anything, doing it wholeheartedly and doing it dutifully are two different things. Whether you do it well or not is another matter. For me, what I need is to do it wholeheartedly."
"This servant understands!"
It has to be said that Qinghao is quite capable; Shen Shixi's health has improved significantly compared to before, and she should consider promoting Qinghao.
Speaking of personnel, Shen Shixi suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Chaoyu for the past two days. Upon asking, she learned that he was on vacation and had left the palace.
Shen Shixi didn't ask any more questions. It was the legitimate right of his subordinates to take leave. When managing employees, salary and wages were one thing, but humanistic care was also very important.
Admittedly, the servants in this palace have no right to take leave, but others are others.
That evening, Chaoyu returned. When she greeted Shen Shixi, she was smiling, but it was clear that she was forcing a smile.
"What happened?" Shen Shixi asked. "Didn't you say you went home? What happened at home?"
Chao Yu's eyes immediately reddened. "I dare not trouble my mistress with the trivial matters at home. It was my fault, I..."
"Stop talking about this!" Shen Shixi said. "Get up and talk! Since you've followed me, your honor and disgrace are tied to me. Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help if I can, otherwise it's another matter."
If you encounter difficulties today and I don't help you, but someone else does, and that person then uses that help to blackmail you against me, would you agree or disagree?
"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant would rather die than betray her master!"
"I hope you genuinely don't want to memorize it, and aren't forced into it because you're afraid to. So, tell me, what's wrong at home?"
"My mother is ill and needs a top-quality ginseng root for medicine. My family couldn't afford such a good ginseng even if we sold everything we owned."
Old ginseng is something that money can't always buy, and its price is ridiculously high.
"How many years does it take to be considered an old ginseng?" Shen Shixi genuinely didn't understand.
"The doctor said it should be at least thirty years, or more."
"Thirty years? I thought it would take more than a hundred years," she said. "Bai Ping, give him some silver and tell him to go to the Imperial Household Department to exchange it for a forty-year-old ginseng. Take it back to save your mother."
It's been too long, and I'm afraid patients won't be able to handle it.
Caught off guard, Chao Yu burst into tears, bowed deeply to Shen Shixi, and left, wiping away her tears.
His eyes were resolute, and his resolve was even stronger. He would dedicate his life to serving his mistress, even unto death. From this day forward, his life belonged to her.
The others were naturally deeply moved. To have such a master who treated his subordinates like human beings was something they would gladly give their lives for.
Shen Shixi didn't think that much about it. She felt that compared to a human life, what was a hundred-year-old ginseng worth?
Human life is the most precious thing.
As for the distinction between noble and lowly people, she considered it all nonsense. Who wasn't born of a mother and raised by parents? Who doesn't have relatives, siblings, and children to worry about?
In the evening, Li Yuanke arrived and dined here. Shen Shixi asked the kitchen to prepare a dish of boiled pork slices. The dish featured bright red chilies, sprouted bean sprouts, freshly ground tofu and pressed tofu sheets, and tender, smooth pork slices rolled in egg white. The ingredients were fresh, the cooking time was precise, and the preparation was meticulous, so the taste was naturally excellent.
It wasn't spicy at all; for Li Yuanke, who rarely eats spicy food, this level was just right.
He ate two large bowls of rice.
The two went for a stroll to digest their food. They hadn't gone far when they encountered Lady Song. The emperor hadn't seen her from afar, so she quickly came over and bowed, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty and Consort Yuan!"
"No need for formalities!" Li Yuanke led Shen Shixi along the lakeside, glancing at Li Fude.
Several eunuchs went forward to escort Lady Song away, but she knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, my sister is unwell and misses you dearly. May I request that Your Majesty come and see her?"
"You can't wait any longer?"
She leaned against Li Yuanke, mimicking Lady Song's tone, "Your Majesty~, I'm not feeling well either, and I miss you so much. How long has it been since Your Majesty last visited me? I won't allow Your Majesty to see other women!"
[Acting like everyone can be a fairy, do you all think I'm dead?]
The Emperor reached out and embraced her. Madam Song looked at her in disbelief. Shen Shixi smiled and said, "Is it your sister who misses the Emperor, or do you miss the Emperor? Your sister poisoned me in Qifeng Palace back then, trying to kill me."
Actually, that cup of poisoned tea was prepared by Consort Song for herself, but Little Song didn't know that!
Madam Song's pupils constricted in fright. "Please forgive me, Consort Yuan! I had no idea that you were so cruel, sister. I will definitely persuade you when I get back. Please forgive me, Consort Yuan."
Shen Shixi ignored her, released the emperor, and Li Yuanke led her away.
Ms. Song felt somewhat helpless. She had witnessed Shen Shixi's abilities today and felt that she was in a very difficult situation.
The emperor seems to treat Shen with special affection. Given this, is she still confident that she can win the emperor's heart?
At Wangxian Palace, Consort Song and Lady Song each resided in the east and west side halls.
Li Sihe used to live in the side hall, but now she has moved to Zhenxia Pavilion.
When Madam Song entered, Consort Song was drinking her medicine. Upon seeing her, her eyes turned cold. "It's already dark. Where have you been? I've told you so many times, you don't need to stop the Emperor's carriage. You're just bringing trouble to the family."
"Sister, since I entered the palace, the Emperor has never come to see me. I know you are sad and want to share your burden. But I am powerless to ask the Emperor to come."
"Did you go to invite the Emperor? Did you see him?"
"The Emperor is with Consort Yuan, and she won't let the Emperor come to see my sister. There's nothing I can do. Sister, Consort Yuan seems to have no manners, but the Emperor indulges her."
"She has always been rude and barely literate. The Emperor himself did not study properly when he was a prince, so how much reason can he possibly understand? If Grand Tutor Shen were alive today, he would surely die with his eyes wide open in dismay if he saw the two of them like this."
That's a bit harsh.
The people inside the house were terrified when they heard this.
Little Song thought to herself, "You're the one who's really causing trouble!"
She smiled and said, "What you say makes sense, sister. It's just that the Emperor hasn't come for a long time. After all, you've borne him a child, yet you can't win his favor. I really feel sorry for you."
Consort Song leaned against the headboard, exuding an aloof air. "If you have the ability to get the Emperor to favor you, then go and think of your own way. The Emperor never spends the night in a concubine's quarters until he becomes the Empress. Don't even think that if the Emperor comes to see me, he will favor you!"
"Sister, you've misunderstood. I never thought about myself. I was always thinking about you."
Song Jieyu smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
Back in her side hall, Lady Song asked Lingzhi, the maid assigned to her by the Imperial Household Department, "If I'm not the head of a palace, will the Emperor never stay overnight?"
Lingzhi responded with a "Yes," and added, "However, Zhaoyang Palace is an exception."