bullyxtreme Chapter 561 Zhou Bai's term is about to expire
Chapter 561 Zhou Bai's term is about to expire
Meng Shu quietly squeezed Green Willow's palm, her gaze gently sweeping over Su, the wet nurse, who was holding Yu Nu'er.
Green Willow immediately understood, quickly stepped forward, took Yu Nu'er from the wet nurse's arms, and gently carried her to Meng Shu.
As soon as the little guy was in his mother's arms, he kicked his little legs lively and stretched out his chubby little hands towards Kang Ge'er, saying, "I want to play with my little brother."
Meng Shu then gently said, "Your Majesty, the Phoenix Palace has been uninhabited for a long time, and the palace servants who arranged the temporary palace have not yet had time to clean and tidy it up. The Bilang Pavilion is located next to the Thousand Carp Pond, and the scenery is serene and secluded. Why don't we let the Noble Consort stay with me? It would also be good for Yu Nu'er to get closer to Kang Ge'er."
As she spoke, she looked at Consort Chun with a smile: "What do you think, Wan'er?"
These words saved the Emperor's face while also respecting etiquette. The Emperor's expression softened considerably, and he nodded slightly: "The Bilang Pavilion is just a single courtyard, which is rather cramped. The Consort is most intolerant of heat, so she shall stay in the Qingliang Palace next door. Jingming, quickly send someone to tidy it up."
The moment the words "Qingliang Palace" were uttered, even Jingming, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback.
Qingliang Hall was not the imperial concubines' sleeping quarters, but a special banquet hall within the imperial palace. The hall had a water channel and jade-paved floor, making it extremely cool during the height of summer. It was traditionally a venue for the emperor's small banquets, and there was no precedent for concubines residing there.
Consort Chun and Meng Shu exchanged a glance, both feeling a strange sensation.
After the Emperor rested at Yingzhou Hall, everyone dispersed. Under the discreet gazes of Consort Shun and Consort Lin, Meng Shu and Consort Chun returned to Bilang Pavilion hand in hand.
The two were very familiar with the place; although they hadn't been there for more than two years, they still felt very familiar with every plant and tree.
Upon entering the study, Consort Chun frowned and said in a low voice, "What does His Majesty mean by this today? First, he wanted me to stay in Fengyi Palace, and after I refused, he arranged for me to stay in Qingliang Palace... He knows perfectly well that I have never fought for these things."
Meng Shu dismissed everyone, her gaze darkening slightly: "There is indeed something strange about this. Judging from His Majesty's words and actions today, it seems... he was doing this on purpose for someone else."
She had a vague feeling that this move was not aimed at Consort Shun and other concubines. After all, if Wan'er really moved into Fengyi Palace, the shock to the court would probably be greater than that to the harem.
If we think about it carefully along this line of thought, the answer will become obvious—besides Tang Xian, who is far away in Lin'an in mourning, who else is worth the Emperor going to such lengths?
Consort Chun could roughly guess what was going on. A hint of disgust flashed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but say coldly, "Your Majesty, as the supreme ruler and the sovereign of the world, to be so obsequious... is to lose your imperial dignity and make people look down on you."
She was straightforward, and her voice unconsciously carried a hint of sharpness: "...Besides, if this behavior were truly to ask the Tang family for something, it would seem as if Father were using his power to coerce the emperor!"
The sound of cicadas outside the window, sometimes near and sometimes far, made me even more restless.
Meng Shu gently placed the round fan on Consort Chun's shoulder, warning her, "Wan'er, be careful what you say."
If the Emperor truly intends to elevate Consort Chun to appease the Marquis of Lin'an's household, then the court's ambitions... are likely no small matter.
After careful consideration, she said slowly, "Back when the late emperor was alive, the current emperor was still a prince. To contend for the throne, he needed the support of military generals, so he formed an alliance with the Jiang family. Winning the throne also required financial support, and later, governing Jiangnan and replenishing the national treasury required the help of the Tang family's wealth, which led to the Tang family's current situation. Originally, it was a win-win situation where everyone got what they needed."
Consort Chun nodded slightly and listened attentively.
Meng Shu looked out the window, gently waving her round fan, which brought a cool breeze: "But the current emperor has been on the throne for a long time, and his heart is deep and unfathomable. His art of controlling his ministers is like holding black and white. When using their power, one must guard against their influence; when granting them authority, one must balance it. The downfall of the Jiang family was not only due to the empress. The saying 'when the birds are all gone, the bow is put away' is an eternal principle of the imperial court."
"Although we do not know what the Emperor intends to do at the moment, the actions of the imperial palace are by no means unfounded. The most urgent task is to write a letter to Lin'an as soon as possible, report the unusual situation to the Marquis, and ask the Marquis to make a judgment."
In the power struggles of the court, one wrong step can lead to a series of mistakes. Only by informing the Marquis of the situation in the capital as early as possible can we make preparations in advance. Only then will we not be caught off guard when the storm arises.
Although Meng Shu had not yet fully grasped the Emperor's deeper meaning, her analysis was indeed spot on.
However, neither of them knew that all of this was within Tang Xian's expectations.
Tang Xian even predicted that he would receive a summons soon and would be ordered to go to the capital to meet the emperor.
After careful consideration, Consort Chun wrote a letter home and asked Mengzhu to summon Aunt Mei.
Aunt Mei took the envelope with both hands, put it in her bosom, and then turned to Meng Shu and said, "Your Highness, when I came to the palace yesterday to make arrangements, I received news from the manor. It is said that Miss Dingxiang has returned from Yangzhou. Lord Zhou will be returning to the capital at the end of the year to report on his duties, so it seems that he will be transferred back from his post in Yangzhou. Although it is not yet certain which substantive post he will fill, it is most likely that he will stay in the capital."
"Therefore, Madam Zhou specially sent Dingxiang and her family of three back to the capital, not only to tidy up the mansion, but also seemingly to start a business in the capital. Miss Dingxiang went to the mansion to pay her respects to Madam yesterday, and today she wants to ask Madam's favor to come to the imperial palace to kowtow and pay her respects to the Empress."
Upon hearing this, Meng Shu's eyes lit up with a genuine smile: "Dingxiang is back? She's been helping her aunt manage affairs in Yangzhou all these years, she must be even more capable now."
Green Willow smiled upon hearing this, "Winter Melon is still learning to cook vegetarian meals at Guangci Temple today. If she knew that Lilac had come, she would be overjoyed."
(Note: Dingxiang was Xiuyun's maid at Chunfeng Tower. She stayed by Xiuyun's side and later married a servant of the Marquis's family, who was also Mengzhu's cousin.)
Meng Shu frequently corresponded with Zhou Bai, and she knew that her uncle's three-year term was coming to an end.
Zhou Bai achieved remarkable political achievements during his tenure as the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai. He not only rectified the long-standing problems in the canal transport system and dredged more than a thousand miles of canal routes between the north and south, but also, inspired by Tang Xian, the two of them jointly created the "segmented transport" method, which reduced the loss of grain from 30% to less than 10%, saving the national treasury hundreds of thousands of taels of silver annually.
With such outstanding political achievements, coupled with his connection to Consort Jin, it was clear to everyone in the court that Zhou Bai was destined for promotion. For this reason, as early as six months ago, various factions had already considered the lucrative position of Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai to be theirs for the taking.
In her letter, Meng Shu subtly advised her uncle to take advantage of his return to the capital to report on his duties and retire into seclusion. However, Zhou Bai's reply did not reflect this intention. Instead, his words revealed that the Emperor had already assigned him a substantive post, though he did not elaborate on the specific position.
......
At noon, Consort Chun stayed at Meng Shu's place for lunch.
After the meal, Mingyue stepped forward to carry Kangge'er back to rest. Yu Nu'er heard that Qingliang Palace was cool and pleasant, so she tightly gripped the hem of Consort Chun's clothes and refused to let go.
Seeing this, Meng Shu smiled and said, "It's perfect that you can help Wan'er take care of this little guy, so that I can have some peace and quiet."
Consort Chun bent down and gently picked up Yu Nu'er, teasingly saying, "Then I'll take her away. If you miss her later, don't come crying to me for her."
Meng Shu waved her hands repeatedly, feigning disgust: "I'm in a hurry to see Dingxiang, hurry up and take her away."
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and Green Willow hurriedly said, "This servant will go to the outer room to wait, and will inform Miss Dingxiang as soon as she arrives."