Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Chapter 135 New Stuff
Winter days are long and lonely.

It was freezing cold, and it was easy to slip after the snow, so even the servants were unwilling to go out to work in such weather.

In order to show the kindness of her master, the Queen Mother had to come out to show favor at this time. When she paid her respects to Concubine Zhuang in the morning and evening, she specifically told her that except for the necessary charcoal and daily supplies, everything else could wait for a while.

As long as it can provide for the expenses of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, it will be enough.

These words were more or less meant to be spoken to Concubine Rong. After all, the place with the highest expenses in the harem was Concubine Rong's Chengqian Palace. Even the Empress Dowager and the Emperor might not spend as much as Concubine Rong.

As more money is spent, there will naturally be more work to be done in the palace, so the servants can do less work. The things that are most affected are naturally those things in Chengqian Palace that require manpower and material resources to take care of.

Yao Jinse was sitting there, and inadvertently glanced at the Imperial Concubine's expression out of the corner of her eye. Fortunately, Imperial Concubine Rong did not get angry because of what the Queen said. If it were in the past, Imperial Concubine Rong would not have been willing to say a word about this matter. The fact that she was able to keep silent now was because she had recently mastered the art of cultivating her Qi.

Thanks to the words of the imperial physician - people who are restless and irritable often have more difficulty in getting pregnant, Concubine Rong listened to the imperial physician's advice and adjusted her own condition to make herself healthier while also making her temperament more dignified. Although it is not known whether it has the effect of helping her get pregnant, for those who serve the imperial concubine, this is a real good thing.

I just don’t know how long the imperial concubine can maintain her self-cultivation this time. If she can last longer, it will be a great credit to the imperial physician.

But no matter what, Concubine Rong has made up her mind not to respond to the Queen's words. Anyway, it's not Concubine Rong who has to do the job, so why should she make herself unhappy just for a second or two of verbal pleasure?

Concubine Rong was happy, but the Queen was bored. Seeing that she was punching cotton and did not get the usual pleasure, the Queen stopped and asked everyone to disperse. Yao Jinse followed the Concubine and naturally went to Chengqian Palace.

"It's almost the end of the year, and I'm busy with things outside. You don't have to accompany me all the time."

Yao Jinse was really surprised to hear these words from the imperial concubine.

In her impression, Concubine Rong was not a person who liked to be alone. When the emperor was not around, Concubine Rong always liked lively scenes, or at least had someone to talk to around. But now Yao Jinse was busy with things outside, and Concubine Feng had long been forgotten about, so Chengqian Palace became so quiet.

"Accompanying Her Majesty is my duty. Moreover, now that things have been set up, everyone below me knows what to do. I am following Her Majesty to learn these things. Now, I am still overwhelmed by these things. When I am outside, I am always nervous, afraid that I will not do well and damage Her Majesty's reputation."

When the imperial concubine is present, Yao Jinse never reveals her true character. People say that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, but serving the imperial concubine is not easy either, and one must always be cautious.

Chen Yimiao really likes to listen to Yao Jinse talk. Yao Jinse is not very beautiful, let alone glamorous, but at least she is acceptable. Even though Yao Jinse's daily dress is a bit old-fashioned, for such a quiet person, such dress is also in line with her personality. Overall, it always looks more comfortable than those glamorous ones. People are visual animals, whether they are male or female, there is no difference in this regard. They will feel better when they see what they like.

Not to mention that whatever Yao Jinse said touched her heart. When Concubine Yi was around, Yao Jinse was able to occupy a place in Chengqian Palace. Wasn't it because she was able to stabilize the imperial concubine's emotions?
"You don't have to lie to me." Although she said this, the cheerful expression on Concubine Rong's face could not be faked: "How many things can there be outside? I have dealt with them before. Even if you are not very good at these mundane affairs, you still have them. At worst, there is Concubine Zhuang. The people below dare not deceive you."

"But then again, with your current status, it's really a stretch for you to assist in managing the six palaces. You're not a very smart person to begin with. If you find these things difficult to do, just give them to Concubine Zhuang."

"She doesn't see the emperor on weekdays anyway. If she doesn't do some work, she will be lonely to death."

This was said harshly, but it fits her character. Concubine Rong is like a combination of two contradictions. When it comes to all matters concerning the Emperor, she becomes a jealous and calculative woman. On the contrary, if it is something unrelated to the Emperor, the military spirit in her bones will surge up.

——Could this also be the influence of the novel?

Yao Jinse muttered to herself, followed the Imperial Concubine's words and laughed twice, then quickly turned the conversation back to the main topic: "If Your Majesty feels bored on weekdays, there are still some concubines in the harem who can come and chat with Your Majesty. Your Majesty might as well invite two of them."

"Forget it. It's so cold, I feel stuffy staying in the house alone. Wouldn't it be even more stuffy if two more people came?"

Chengqian Palace is highly favored, so the people in the Imperial Household Department naturally dare not take it lightly. The first year after the emperor ascends the throne is the best time for interpersonal communication, and the many masters in the harem have to rush to curry favor with him.

Not to mention that Yao Jinse was in charge of the charcoal fire, even if Yao Jinse didn't take care of these things, Chengqian Palace would definitely not lack anything.

However, the charcoal fire was too strong, so the room was inevitably too hot. In order to keep warm in winter, the curtains between the halls were made thick, so that the cold air outside could not get in at all. In such an environment, people staying inside would naturally feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing.

"Speaking of which, your majesty's feelings are similar to mine recently. In this cold winter, it's so stuffy staying in the house all the time. Your majesty is fine. I passed by my room two days ago. The black charcoal they lit was not only hot and stuffy, but also very suffocating. They were burning charcoal with the doors and windows open, so the heat was barely contained. It was really uncomfortable."

Yao Jinse has never been a person who speaks without purpose. She said this intentionally or unintentionally, which naturally aroused Concubine Rong's thoughts.

"and then?"

"I thought at that time, it would be great if there was something in this world that could warm people up without being suffocating. If such a new thing could be made, it might be a good thing that would benefit the country and the people!"