The Survival Rules of a Concubine's Daughter 106 The Original Imperial Consort

  Bite back the doubts in her heart, and cheer herself up thinking that even if she can't do it perfectly at her age, at least she should be able to make people believe her.

  The servants came forward in groups of three to five, kowtowing and paying their respects. They continued to kowtow for a full three quarters of an hour before finally finishing. As she watched, she was able to discern from the movements and words of these kneeling servants whether they were truly respectful or not. At this moment, she also brought into play her remarkable memory, making a desperate effort to recall all the relationships between the various servants that she had noted down in her mind yesterday.

  After the sky brightened, Jing Tai Wang Fei finally handed over the work. She solemnly introduced Ru Qing, the new mistress, to the people below, firstly to show her importance to Ru Qing, and secondly to formally announce that Ru Qing would take over the management of the Wang Fu's miscellaneous affairs.

  "The Queen Mother spoke briefly and sternly, saying: 'This Chao Yue Hall is not usually opened easily. Today, Rier and the others have formally met the Queen, and from now on, the Queen will be your master. If anyone dares to take advantage of my usual indulgence and secretly makes things difficult for the Queen, even if they are punished, don't come crying to me. Everyone knows my temper, so don't try to show off in front of me with your sly and evil ways. And you, don't bully the new Queen just because you're an old person in the mansion, thinking you can put on airs. If I find out, I won't let it go lightly.'"

  After finishing speaking, the King's wife turned to Ruqing and said: "From now on, the royal mansion is officially managed by you. I know you are new here, and some of the slaves may not be obedient to you. However, as the King's wife, I am the legitimate daughter-in-law of the Jing Wang Fu family, so you must show some dignity and authority. If someone dares to bully you because of my influence, don't be polite, just tie them up or beat them or punish them directly."

  After Queen Jeongtae finished speaking, it was the turn of Yu Qing, the new CEO, to give a speech.

  "I won't say anything extra, although I'm new here, the queen and the king have also told me that whoever dares to bully me or try to take advantage of me will be directly tied up, beaten, or sold by my order. Don't think you can bully me just because I'm new, don't show off your skills in front of me either. If I make a mistake, it doesn't matter who has face or not, everything will be handled according to the rules."

  Everyone heard the queen's words were harsh, but her tone was soft and gentle. They thought that since she was new to the position, she was just trying to show off her authority, so they didn't take it too seriously. However, on the surface, they all bowed and expressed their obedience, indicating that they did not dare to deceive the queen.

  Keeping a distance, as if also can't see the thoughts of others, and said: "For now, you are still very reassuring in doing things, and I don't need to say some empty words to make you laugh. You all just focus on your own tasks. If it's done well, I'll take notice, but if it's not done well, don't blame me for being disliked. Speaking of which, there are only a few days left before the reward silver is distributed to everyone. If you want to get more rewards, you must work hard. Although I'm new, I still have the right to allocate the reward silver. But please don't force me to cut your pay."

  The people below either high or low expressed their determination to work hard and never let the princess catch any flaws.

  After saying a few words, she finally found the tone of the princess and continued: "I've just entered the door, and I'll have to trouble you to remind me of the various rules in the mansion. Don't think about making fun of me on purpose, if Master Wang sees it, the fate of Miao Yin, Hong Niangniang, and the Hong Dacheng family will be your example."

  Everyone knew what would happen to Hong and others, each of them shuddered in their hearts and bowed their heads to greet.

  The Empress Dowager Jing Tai looked at her daughter-in-law with a hint of surprise, then turned her head slightly and said in a low voice: "Mother, shall we have them withdraw now and attend to their respective duties?"

  The Empress Dowager Jing Tai slightly raised the corner of her lips. "Is there anything else you need to say? If not, then let's disperse."

  Then, as expected, he looked towards Song Jiang's house. Song Jiang's family hurried out and shouted loudly: "The princess has an order, telling everyone to disperse and attend to their respective duties. If there is anything urgent, go and report it privately to the princess."

  After the people below dispersed, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked back, respectfully supporting the imperial consort in the direction of Jiaxin Garden. Listening to her mother's teachings, "Your words just now were very good. Much better than mine when I was young."

  "Mainly because you, Mother Empress, are by my side supporting me; otherwise, I would be in a panic."

  The Empress Dowager Jing Tai thought of the time when she first managed the household, and couldn't even say a complete sentence due to nervousness. She smiled slightly and said warmly: "I heard that you've been helping your sister-in-law with household chores since you were young, so you must have some experience. Today, I saw how you spoke and acted, and it seems like you're also someone who knows what they're doing. Now I can rest assured."

  "Mother, I've just entered the door and everything is still unfamiliar to me. You're entrusting such a heavy responsibility to me, I...I'm afraid..."

  The empress dowager held her hand and smiled: "Don't blame me for being heartless, these years of managing the household have been exhausting. The affairs of the palace are complex and numerous, your father the king always complains that I don't put him in my heart, this old thing, not having managed a household before doesn't know how precious rice is... Now that Xiao'er has finally married a wife, I can also relax. It's just that you will have to work hard."

  She was so eager to be angry, but other people's wives were afraid of encountering a domineering mother-in-law who loved to interfere. She, on the other hand, encountered a laid-back mother-in-law who gave her full autonomy, which was good, but perhaps too hands-off.

  ……

  The queen's errand for Ruoqing was to have the accountants withdraw some loose change from the money house and bring it back. The servants in the palace had to be tipped, and the tenant farmers who managed the estate also had to be rewarded. There were rules about how much to give openly and how much secretly. Moreover, the tenants also sent over many chickens, ducks, fish, meat, rice, and other New Year's goods, which were received by the manager of the front courtyard and then arranged by Ruoqing.

  The princess gave her all the registration books of slaves in the palace and the silver money books for each department, letting her think carefully.

  After all, Jing Tai Wangfei was afraid that Ruxin's experience was insufficient, so she didn't dare to hand over the major affairs of the household to Ruxin. Ruxin was only responsible for a few minor matters: Firstly, distributing silver and rice to the servants in the mansion according to their merits, as well as giving out rewards and New Year's money. Secondly, during the New Year, they had to receive many distinguished guests, so they had to assign a group of servants to specifically take care of them. Thirdly, during the New Year, they had to hold a grand ceremony for ancestor worship, and also host a banquet for everyone in the mansion. Ruxin had to make a list of dishes early on, so that the purchasing could be done ahead of time.

  These things look simple, but in a palace with thousands of people, they are indeed difficult to handle.

  As soon as he returned to Longxian House, he took out the list of all the servants and stewards again and studied it carefully. The next day, he had these stewards summoned to the Wangmei Hall in Longxian House and made a thorough arrangement.

  Because the previous inner courtyard manager, Hong Niangniang, was dismissed by Li Xiu after being given a demotion, the position of managing the household became vacant. Everyone thought that Li Xiu would definitely let his own wife take over the power to manage the household, but unexpectedly, he announced publicly that everyone could compete fairly for the position, and whoever performed well would become the next inner courtyard manager.

  Everyone was excited when they heard this, and the power of the housekeeper was greatly increased. From the arrangement and punishment of the maids in the master's room to various purchases and acquisitions, from counting and distributing monthly silver, whether rewarding or punishing, it all depended on her. Everything was a fat job, especially with a separate house, with small maids serving and cleaning, equivalent to half a master. In the lower ranks of the inner house, she was also a figure who could call the wind and rain.

  "As the saying goes, 'I've just married into this household and I'm not very familiar with your skills. You all do your own jobs well, if you have any good suggestions for managing the inner house, tell me privately, and if I think they're good, I'll implement them. If I don't think they're good, I won't adopt them. If the implementation is effective, whoever suggested it will be the next manager."

  In addition, she decided to select a housekeeper from among the servants in charge of sweeping and dusting, purchasing, laundry, needlework, education, storage, gatekeeping, logistics, pharmacy, and kitchen. Whoever did the best would be appointed to the position. If they did their job well, they would be rewarded; if they couldn't even do their own job properly, don't blame her for being ruthless. Of course, it had to be a fair competition; if anyone dared to secretly play tricks, once discovered, there would be no pardon.

  That night, when Qing went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager praised her highly, saying that she had done a good job. She knew how to reward diligence and punish laziness, divide labor clearly, and inspire people's hearts.

  After being praised, he was very happy and flattered his mother-in-law again. He then returned to Longxian Residence with a smile, only to find that Li Xiao, who had been in the house just now, was nowhere to be seen. So he asked Yu Rong, "Where is Wang Ye?"

  Yu Rong replied: "Lin Wangfei, just now the original side concubine sent someone to inform the king, it seems that the eldest son is not feeling well again, and asked the king to go take a look."

  Forcing herself not to frown, she asked, "When was this?"

  Yu Rong hesitated for a moment before responding, "The queen just left and the former imperial concubine had someone summon the king."

  As if he had already counted in his heart, he called Yuan Fu to come and ask: "I heard that the body of the alliance brother is not very good. Is this brought from the mother's womb or what?"

  Yuan Fula's family respectfully replied: "Replying to the princess, Meng Ge is indeed a pitiful child. He was poisoned while still in his mother's womb, which led to premature birth. The doctor said that Meng Ge suffered from symptoms in his mother's womb, so his body is weaker than other children. Now, he's almost five years old and is always getting sick every three days or so. As the only flesh and blood of the prince, the prince has given him extra care. Fortunately, the prince married you, princess, and I believe that in another three to five years, the mansion will be lively again."

  As she sighed inwardly that this person was quite good at comforting others, she asked: "Which doctor examined Alliance Brother earlier?"

  "He is the most famous Hu Daifu in the Imperial City."

  The Fang family's social status is not high enough, and they are not qualified to buy a house in the imperial city. Therefore, they are not familiar with the doctors in the imperial city, but they can open a medical clinic inside the imperial city. It must be that their medical skills are not bad.

  "What kind of illnesses do these alliance brothers usually have?"

  "Hmm, palpitations, fainting, fever, nausea, vomiting... these are all the illnesses I've had over the years."

  She knew that the child was premature and had a weak physique, but after being fed breast milk, his resistance should still be relatively strong. Other people's twins who were premature could thrive, it didn't make sense that an infant born ten or so days early would have so many illnesses.

  However, as expected, Zhi Lian was also ill and uncomfortable when he was young, so it's not unexpected. But towards Yuan Fu's words, "Poor Meng Ge, I should go visit him as his stepmother. Let's go, have someone lead the way, and see how Meng Ge is doing."

  As they walked to the Huanxiang Temple, she told her about the origins of each of the king's consorts that her elder sister-in-law He had previously inquired about. "This original consort is a distant niece of the Grand Empress Dowager, although she has already been out of mourning for five years, but after all, there is still that relationship. Moreover, this original consort also raised an illegitimate eldest son, and what's even more astonishing is that every time Li Xiong returns to the palace, this illegitimate eldest son always falls ill, either with a headache or a fever. I suppose he's not a harmless person either. You must be extra careful to guard against him."

  Thinking that the aunts would have a fight for favor, it's not unexpected that Li Xiong wouldn't take it seriously. Since Meng Ge is a boy, he can't be ignored. The original consort relying on Meng Ge to add fuel to her fire is also within reason. If she were even more ruthless and used Meng Ge as a pawn against her, then they would have to be careful.

  As a modern person, I don't have much of a guard against emotions for Meng Ge, after all his mother has already passed away, and he's still young, if raised properly, it won't be too bad, but what I'm afraid of is that someone will take advantage of him and bully him, causing trouble.

  If Yuanyang really had ill intentions, Meng Ge would truly not dare to underestimate her.

  As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Huanxiang Temple, an imperial eunuch shouted loudly: "The princess has arrived." After a while, there was a flurry of footsteps inside. Among them, one person was wearing a dignified dark red jacket, leading a group of maidservants to kneel down in front of Ruo Xue and said: "We welcome the princess's arrival." The maid who led the way said to Ruo Xue: "I am Liu Fu, the accompanying maid of the concubine. The concubine is dizzy and cannot welcome the princess, please forgive her."

  Yu Ru's gentle voice said: "The original imperial concubine took care of Meng Ge, and also got sick with him, truly a motherly heart."

  Liu Fu's family got up, carefully observed the king's expression, and then bowed his head: "Wang Fei, Ce Fei is lying down at this time, with a rough face, afraid of polluting Wang Fei's eyes. The young master also has someone to serve him, Wang Fei doesn't need to worry too much. The young master is a lucky person, I believe that under the care of Wang Ye and Wang Fei, he will recover soon."

  As Ru Qing nodded, "No matter what, I am the legitimate mother, and when the child is ill, it's only right to come and take a look. Liu Fu Jia's, you lead the way first, I'll go see Yuanyang Fei first, then go visit Meng Ge." Her gaze swept casually over the scene in front of her, Huanxiang Yuan was not a large house, with two rows of buildings, intricately decorated, and a small pond in the courtyard with some bare lotus leaves, next to which were several artificial hills forming a small garden. A straight path made of bluestone led directly into the inner quarters. Ru Qing had already made up her mind, so she insisted on going to see Yuanyang Fei. Yuanyang Fei was Li Xiang's concubine, and her status was much higher than that of ordinary concubines, so there were also a female attendant, four maidservants, one eunuch, four young eunuchs, four senior maidservants, several second-class maidservants, and several rough servants. Meng Ge was also being raised by her, plus the wet nurse and attending maidservants, so Huanxiang Yuan had more than thirty people serving there.

  Liu Fu's family was still eloquent, and after a round of flattering words, the original imperial concubine had already come out from inside, gently and weakly bowing to Ruo Qing, "The princess has arrived, I have failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me."

  "Your body doesn't feel well, go lie down and don't bother with these empty formalities." After a closer look, this original imperial concubine was wearing a pink silk jacket with embroidered plum blossoms, her hair was neatly combed, her pearl decorations were shining brightly, and on her forehead she wore a hairpiece inlaid with gold powder, which made her face as beautiful as a flower. Her pale face had rosy cheeks, where did the appearance of being "ill" come from?

  The concubine also knew that her attire was improper, but she smiled as if nothing was wrong and said, "It's all because of my own incompetence, causing the princess to worry."

  "As gentle as a loving word: 'You're also exhausted from taking care of Meng Ge, hurry up and lie down, I'm here.' Then, without saying another word, she ordered the maid behind Yuan Ce Fei, 'Don't you help Yuan Ce Fei back to her room and have her rest well?'"

  After the queen entered the house, she let someone lead the way again and saw where her brother had gone.

  Meng Ge's house is just next door, with a curtain lifted, the spacious room is divided into living and sleeping areas by a screen.

  Li Xizheng sat in front of the bed, looking at his brother Meng Ge on the bed with a worried face. He had just arrived, and his tired face was filled with joy. "You're here?"

  "I heard that Brother Meng is ill, so I came to take a look. What did the doctor say?"

  "The doctor just left, feeling nauseous and dizzy, don't know what's wrong with me, probably due to physical weakness."

  As soon as she entered the room, she glanced around and casually sized up the furnishings, which were somewhat disorganized. On the long table in front of the bed, bowls, plates, and teacups were scattered about. The charcoal fire was burning fiercely, emitting a wave of sweltering heat that hit her right in the face.

  As if ordered by the attendants, "The child is ill, but he must have some fresh air, go and open two windows to let in some air." Then she went forward and felt Meng Jiao's forehead, which was not feverish, only dizzy. She asked the wet nurse beside him a few questions: how much had he eaten? How had he slept recently? Were there any other symptoms at ordinary times? At the same time, while talking to the wet nurse, her eyes met those of He Yiniang.

  "What a pity, Brother Meng is so pitiful, at such a young age he has this and that illness. It's not good for a boy to have a weak physique, doesn't the king plan to raise him by his side and personally teach him?"

  Although she didn't ignore the joy in Li Xiao's eyes, she sighed inwardly, but her mouth said: "I heard that my second brother was also premature, so he was born with a weak physique. However, after growing up for several years, Father asked a martial arts master to teach my brother martial arts, and only then did his body improve. Now, Your Highness can see that my brother no longer has any trace of his former frailty."

  Li Xiang thought of Zhiyi's confident and arrogant expression, nodded in agreement, "You mean, also hire a martial artist for Meng Ge?"

  She shot him a look of disdain, "My father is a scholar so he hired a martial arts instructor from outside. You're also someone who has practiced martial arts since you were young, do you still need to go through the motions and have an outsider teach you?"

  Li Xiao smiled and said: "You're right, I'm his father, so it's only proper that I teach him myself. However..."

  "I'll try to make myself sound gentle and elegant, 'Your Highness is afraid that I will be jealous? That's not necessary at all.' She glanced at him coldly, 'Any woman who is truly broad-minded would not be jealous of a child as young as Meng Ge. Meng Ge is about the same age as my brother's friend Wen Ge, but his physical condition is much worse. I don't even have time to pity him.'"

  Li Xiu saw Ru Jing's sincere words and was moved, but at this time there were also servants around, so it wasn't good to say too many emotional words. He just held her hand, "Alright, I'll listen to you. But, taking Meng Ge to Longxian Residence might be a problem for the concubine..."

  "Prince Wang is afraid that the original consort will be unhappy, this is a common human emotion. However, for the safety and health of Meng Ge, even if it means risking offending the original consort, I must take Meng Ge away."

  Li Xixin's heart skipped a beat as he fixed his eyes on him and asked, "Have you found anything out of place?"

  "It's probably just my imagination. This room feels stuffy, and even the adults feel uncomfortable, let alone a child? Let's move Mengge to Longxianju instead. The place is bigger, the rooms are wider, and with careful care, he'll definitely recover."

  The wet nurse saw the princess wanting to personally care for her son, and was overjoyed. She hastily went to the bedside to prepare to pick up her son, but He Yiniang stepped forward and pushed her away, shouting: "You, don't move, stay away from the young master."

  The wet nurse said with discontent: "Sister, I am the wet nurse of Meng Ge, and have served Meng Ge for several years."

  "What's more, you've been serving the young master for many years, yet you still have a second heart. That's why you can't serve anymore."

  The wet nurse was shocked and said loudly: "Sister, what do you mean by this? Why can't younger sister understand?"

  He Nainai let out a cold laugh, her hands moving as swiftly as lightning. She flipped over the wet nurse's palm and said, "Your entire body is filled with a thick fragrance of flowers. If I'm not mistaken, it should be rose."

  The old lady's face suddenly changed, but she quickly calmed down, "It's the rose, isn't it? This flower is fragrant and intoxicating, why can't I perfume myself with it every day?"

  "What a sinister intention!" He suddenly changed his face and said to Li Xiong, "The fragrance of roses is strong, but it's not suitable for indoor placement. Prolonged inhalation can cause chest tightness, shortness of breath, and suffocation. The young master has a weak constitution, and being with the wet nurse all day, smelling the floral scent on her body, would naturally trigger chest tightness and lead to dizziness and fainting."

  The wet nurse indignantly cried out: "This is truly unheard of, Your Highness! I have served the young master for many years, pouring my heart and soul into it, being diligent and frugal, never once being lazy. My loyalty to the young master is known by everyone in the Huan Xiang courtyard, from top to bottom. This sister is unreasonable, coming here and slapping such a big hat on me, Your Highness, I am wronged!"

  "Does smelling these roses really make people feel sick and suffocated?" asked Yihuan to Nanny Zhao.

  "Your Highness, I previously saw many concubines fighting in the Liao Wangfu. Also, as a child, I followed my father to learn medicine and have some knowledge of it. This jasmine flower is indeed not allowed in the house, if you smell it for too long, it will cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting. Just now when Your Highness entered the room, didn't you feel a stuffy and irritable feeling? Especially the strong scent of jasmine on the wet nurse's body made me suspicious. Look, there are several flowerpots with burn marks on them, if I'm not mistaken, that pot of jasmine must have been moved into the house before. And it's not just once or twice."

  Li Xiangru's emotions were intense and unexpected, she walked forward and carefully examined the long, narrow, black wooden waist-high table in front of the bed, and indeed found some circular marks on it, which should be the traces left by heavy ceramic objects being placed there for a long time.

  Before the emotions subsided, Chen Mama and Zhou Mama had already rushed out quickly, brought in the pot of jasmine from the courtyard, and placed it down according to the marks. In a low voice, they said: "Prince Lin, Princess, what Old Lady He said was indeed true."

  Li Xiao's face suddenly turned dark, and he sternly shouted at the wet nurse: "You lowly servant girl, aren't you going to confess the truth?"

  The wet nurse immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, I am guilty! I thought the jasmine flowers were blooming beautifully and fragrant, so I brought them into the house for your brother to appreciate. Who knew there was such a plot behind it? Your Highness, even if you gave me ten times more courage, I wouldn't dare harm your brother! My son is about the same age as your brother and has been raised in the palace. If I had harmed your brother, it would have brought no benefit to me at all! Please think thrice, Your Highness, I truly didn't know anything!"

  Li Xiao gritted his teeth in anger and said: "If it wasn't you who did it, then who was it?"

  The wet nurse stayed, looked around and the maidservants nearby quickly knelt down, "Your humble servant is innocent, Your Highness please investigate clearly."

  Li Xiang knew that in any wealthy household, whether for fame or fortune, the people below would always do some sinister things. He had also been strictly on guard, using both kindness and severity to control his subordinates, and was never indulgent towards his concubines. Unexpectedly, such a despicable thing still happened right under his nose, and he couldn't help but feel so angry that his nose twisted in rage.

  "As before, she gently comforted him with a couple of words, 'Your Highness, I am also shocked and angry about what happened in the mansion. However, these internal family matters, Your Highness as a man, it's not suitable for you to intervene. If you trust me, then let me handle it.'"

  At this time, a soft and weak voice came from afar, "What happened? Is there something wrong with Meng Ge again?"

  As I turned around, it was the original imperial concubine Yu, who had taken off her outer garment and was only wearing a pink undergarment with a red cloak draped over it. Her hair was loose down her back, and she looked as gentle as if she couldn't withstand the wind.

  No one answered her, Li Xiu stared at her coldly, with a look of sympathy and pity, saying that from now on, whether she was involved or not, her days would definitely be difficult.

  The original wife saw Li Xiao's icy gaze, and the wet nurse of Meng Ge also knelt on the ground, understanding something. She shook her body unsteadily, staring at the wet nurse in disbelief, and shouted in a shrill voice: "Just now Liu Fu Jia told you that you actually used jasmine flowers to harm Meng Ge, you, you this evil slave, cheap maid..." As she spoke, she slapped the wet nurse on the head, but ultimately couldn't bear it and fell softly onto her. Liu Fu came forward in a hurry to support her.

  Liu Fu's family was heartbroken: "The concubine is resting, take care of your body, take care of your body."

  The concubine was helped up, but she was still furious, her cheeks flushed red as she pointed at the wet nurse and scolded: "Meng Ge'er has been weak since childhood, he should have been taken care of carefully, but you, you sly slave, Meng Ge'er has finally grown up to this day, yet you secretly did evil things behind his back... I, I..." She seemed to be so angry that she was on the verge of madness, and couldn't even speak coherently. The maid supporting her beside her couldn't help but advise: "Concubine, take care of your body."

  By the way

  Nothing to say today, whether double update or not, everyone work hard and show off, others are waiting for you to send flowers, diamonds, and rewards, don't be too many, many people make a difference, one point is enough. Let me go to my husband's place and show off a bit, haha