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

Chapter 179 Appeasing the Empress Dowager

Watching Xie Yun'an's figure disappear into the gates of Yuxiu Palace with the grand procession of bright yellow, Yao Jinse sighed and felt that her actions yesterday had been somewhat rash.

Ultimately, it doesn't quite match her established public image.

Bai Tao appeared out of nowhere, bringing Yao Jinse a cup of tea to moisten her throat, and said softly, "His Majesty is so considerate to you, Your Highness. Judging from His Majesty's demeanor today, it seems that he has changed his opinion of you. Your Highness's favor has finally arrived."

"It might not be a good thing. What use would it be even if we received such favors now?"

In fact, Yao Jinse didn't think there was anything wrong with her current life. Her life was peaceful and safe, and she could get some help from the Imperial Concubine. She had also recently made contact with the Empress Dowager, which seemed like a very stable connection.

Just then, Xie Yun'an, the most influential figure in the harem, intervened, leaving Yao Jinse often at a loss for words.

The problems raised by the emperor cannot be ignored, but solving them may not necessarily lead to a good outcome.

Consort Rong is a prime example. She was showered with favor, and countless eyes in the harem wished they could pierce her very bones. They just didn't show it on the surface, but who didn't know it in private?
The Emperor stayed overnight at Yuxiu Palace yesterday, so she will definitely have to go to Chengqian Palace to explain things to Consort Rong later. Fortunately, she already knows Consort Rong's temperament very well.

Working with someone like Consort Rong, who doesn't hide anything, is the easiest. As long as you go along with her, even if you suffer a little, you won't really suffer.

When the time comes, as long as we tell the Consort about what happened last night, she will naturally not care much about Xie Yun'an staying overnight. She will definitely turn to Yao Jinse and wonder how Xie Yun'an will handle this dispute between the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

……

Xie Yun'an moved quickly.

The task he assigned to the Empress Dowager was quite logical. He stated explicitly, "The Empress Dowager devotes herself to vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting to pray for the country's well-being, but as her son, I cannot fail to appreciate her years of hard work. Therefore, I plan to prepare a very grand birthday banquet for her next birthday."

"As for this birthday banquet, no one else could possibly do it to please the Empress Dowager. Naturally, it has to be organized by the Empress Dowager herself. The Emperor has agreed that everyone involved in this birthday banquet must obey the Empress Dowager's orders. Even we concubines have to serve the Empress Dowager if she has any needs. Even the Empress is not exempt."

Consort Rong had someone find out everything about the Emperor's arrangements. When she returned and told the story, it sounded like a joke. The Empress Dowager had always been indifferent to Consort Rong, so she naturally wouldn't ask Consort Rong to help out at the birthday banquet in these matters.

If we're talking about being busy, then the Empress is definitely busier.

"However, this servant has a question. Even if this is the Empress Dowager's first proper birthday celebration since the Emperor ascended the throne, surely it's not so bad that the Empress Dowager would be too preoccupied with the Empress's affairs?"

Wanqiu fanned Consort Rong from the side and also asked Yao Jinse the question she wanted to ask.

Speaking of this, Consort Rong's smile widened, as if it were Xie Yun'an's idea, or something she had offered to him: "His Majesty promised the Empress Dowager that she could invite all her relatives and friends to her birthday celebration this year. In other words, all of the Empress Dowager's close friends from her youth can come."
This is a great opportunity. Since everyone, whether they like it or not, can come, how could the Empress Dowager let it pass by?

As for those who are not in the capital, it will take some time to notify them. The Emperor probably chose this idea on purpose, otherwise how could he divert the Empress Dowager's attention? Once the Empress Dowager has finished this busy period, if she still has the energy to think about the Empress's power to manage the harem, then she can just find something new to do.

However, I reckon that by the time this is all over, the Empress Dowager will be exhausted, and she'll probably go back to enjoy her retirement.

Yao Jinse nodded as well.

When she read the book before, she didn't see the power-hungry part of Empress Xu's character. She just thought she was an old lady who loved watching the drama unfold and enjoyed the chaotic scenes of concubines fighting over each other in the palace.

The recent commotion was probably just because she was bored. The palace was so peaceful that the old lady was unhappy.

However, Xie Yun'an's move was truly brilliant.

Old friends and acquaintances—on one hand, when a person rises to prominence, it's one thing to accept the flattery of those new faces, and on the other hand, it's another to listen to these old friends talk to them. The Empress Dowager had been in the palace for many years but had never been particularly favored, so naturally she had no experience in this regard. Now that she had gained power, if Xie Yun'an hadn't brought it up this time, she probably wouldn't have remembered this matter.

It's not easy for someone outside the palace to enter, so naturally only the emperor could grant such a special favor. For Xie Yun'an, it was just a matter of saying a few words, but for Empress Dowager Xu, it meant something different.

The Emperor said that it was his filial piety, and if she were to ask for it herself, it would be considered extravagant.

Even though she is now the Empress Dowager, there are no ministers in the court who can speak up for her. If she were to be bitten by those mad dogs in the Censorate, she would suffer for several days, even if she is the Empress Dowager.

Now that Xie Yun'an has agreed to this matter, Empress Dowager Xu naturally puts the issue of sharing power with the Empress aside for the time being and focuses on recalling her old friends from back then. Whether they are close or not, since they are coming to the palace to pay their respects to her, she will call them all over.

For close friends and family, she can even modify the menu for them, since there are so many people, and it's important to consider who can and cannot eat what.

Logically, these things should have been handled by the Imperial Kitchen, but the Empress Dowager was looking for trouble for herself, so she naturally took matters into her own hands.

However, although she no longer mentioned the issue of sharing power, Empress Dowager Xu did not intend to let the Empress off easily.

Just for the sake of revising a menu, the palace maids would be sent to talk to the Empress every few days, and other concubines would also be summoned from time to time, just not as frequently as the Empress.

What Yao Jinse was particularly concerned about was that among those summoned by the Empress Dowager, there were quite a few new concubines.

Like He Yunqing, she and Yao Jinse both had the power to manage the trivial matters of the harem.

Yao Jinse doesn't usually get involved in things, but He Yunqing is actually working under Consort Zhuang.

Now that there is an opportunity to get close to the Empress Dowager, no one with eyes to see would let this opportunity pass.