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

Chapter 207 The Wind Suddenly Stops

Judging from the results that came back, it was clear that in this power struggle between the emperor and the imperial concubine, Consort Rong, who had a child, had the upper hand.

However, the price Consort Rong paid for this was also obvious.

After she came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the gates of Chengqian Palace were closed, and Yao Jinse, who should have been summoned immediately, was not summoned.

Under these circumstances, even Yao Jinse was unaware of what kind of promise Consort Rong had made.

However, based on her understanding of the Imperial Concubine, she had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

What could move Xie Yun'an was the affection between the Consort and Xie Yun'an over the years, the unborn child, and the fact that the Consort had truly made a difficult decision, sacrificing most of her own interests.

If she gave birth to a prince, that prince would have no maternal relatives to rely on for the rest of his life, and would naturally be weaker than Consort Zhuang's eldest prince.

However, this may not be a bad thing.

Given how domineering the Duke's mansion had been for so many years, it's already quite remarkable that this enormous residence has become nothing more than an empty shell.

Now, those who are still considered innocent are not only temporarily exempted from punishment, but are also able to stay in the Duke's mansion as members of the Chen family, continuing to live under this empty title.

For those outside, this outcome was definitely a pleasant surprise.

But in doing so, the affection between the emperor and the empress might have been worn away.

Everyone had their own guesses, and the few people in Yuxiu Palace frequently looked at Yao Jinse's face. However, the latter always had a very high level of composure and would never show these things on her face.

After all, this is a matter concerning Chengqian Palace, so what does it have to do with her Yuxiu Palace?

Meanwhile, because this matter was so new, the small gathering in Yuxiu Palace did not last long.

Everyone found excuses to leave, and for a moment they remembered many things that hadn't existed before. Yao Jinse didn't expose them; everyone just wanted to go back and find out more information, which wasn't anything unusual.

When Consort Chen left, she seemed reluctant to go. She patted Yao Jinse's hand and didn't say anything in the end. However, Yao Jinse already understood what she wanted to say—if things didn't work out with the Consort, she could still stand on her own in the palace even without the Consort.

Yao Jinse wouldn't respond to Consort Chen's hint. She smiled slightly and pretended not to understand. She had planned this all for the sake of the Imperial Concubine, not to abandon her and seek personal gain at this time.

She had long understood that in the imperial harem, those who could fall in love with the emperor were no ordinary people, and those who were as compatible as the imperial concubine and the emperor were even rarer.

In the original storyline that belonged to Consort Rong, even the eventual downfall of her family did not completely destroy the emperor's favor with her, demonstrating that his affection for her was extraordinary.

Even someone like Qiao Yanran, who is the female lead in the story, would have to give way to Consort Rong for a while. So as long as Consort Rong plays her card well, Yao Jinse will definitely have a safe place in the harem.

With this in mind, Yao Jinse saw the guests off and asked someone to inquire about the situation at Chengqian Palace. Whenever there was any disturbance on the side of the Imperial Concubine, she, as the Imperial Concubine's henchman, would immediately appear before the Imperial Concubine to help her solve her problems.

Unfortunately, the messenger returned saying that Consort Rong's pregnancy was unstable and she was feeling unwell. She had already arranged for a female physician to be by her side, so Yao Jinse no longer needed to attend to her.

"When I came out today, I took a look inside and outside Chengqian Palace. Everything inside the palace was as usual, but there were a few flowers on the outer wall that were almost wilted and hadn't been replaced yet." Whenever something happened in the palace, time always flew by. In the blink of an eye, two or three days had passed. Yao Jinse sent people to inquire about Chengqian Palace every day, but the answers she received were always the same.

Not being able to see the Imperial Concubine for a while, and not knowing what the Empress was doing or thinking, wasn't that important to Yao Jinse.

Whether the Imperial Concubine sees her or not, as long as she opens the door and sends a message through her servants, it means she has no objection to this respect. And when the servants go to ask, they will naturally be able to see what kind of life the Imperial Concubine is living now.

There were no changes in the palace, which meant that the people around the Consort and her monthly allowance were still the same as usual. As for those wilted flowers outside the palace, even if they were pretending to fall out of favor, they would still put on an act, let alone if something really happened this time.

It's normal for some people in the Imperial Household Department to slack off.

Since the emperor wasn't angry with the imperial concubine over this matter, it's a good thing that he hasn't seen her these past few days.

After all, the Imperial Concubine is about to give birth.

How many more people will suffer depends on the Empress's next pregnancy.

The changes in the previous dynasty were even faster.

Halfway through the matter, after the ringleader was punished, His Majesty suddenly became uncertain about what to do with the remaining people.

The court officials probably understood the prevailing sentiment, and all the shrewd ones quickly withdrew their hands. Regardless of what role they had played in this matter, they all kept quiet at this moment.

It was as if they had only just remembered that there was a lady surnamed Chen in the palace, from the Duke's mansion.

Yao Jinze had channels of communication with the outside world, so he naturally received letters from home every day. Although they were just simple notes of greeting, they were enough to convey some information.

"We need to continue to appease Xiao Chizi. The Night Fragrance Bureau is a tough job, and it's inevitable that people will feel uncomfortable staying there. We must make sure to pay him enough money."

Those who serve as servants in the palace are inevitably bullied by servants above them. However, in a small place like the Night Fragrance Bureau, even if you reach the top, you are still just a steward servant, at most you don't have to work hard every day.

Since Xiao Chizi got involved with Yuxiu Palace, he has always been diligent in his work, and Yao Jinse is happy to promote him—and not just him, but also, taking advantage of the remaining power she has, she has indeed promoted some people who are close to her.

However, to outsiders, these people had little to do with Yuxiu Palace. After all, the promoted palace maids and eunuchs had no open dealings with Yuxiu Palace before they gained power, and they always handled official business after their promotion.

Yao Jinse didn't have many ways to control her subordinates, and she always turned a blind eye to some things, but there was one thing that was most important: that people in positions of authority should do their jobs properly.

The tasks that need to be done cannot be omitted, and mistakes cannot be made.

Therefore, the people she selected should at least be responsible for their assigned tasks.

That would be best.

Those who are capable will not be easily replaced and will naturally stay in their positions for a long time. Yao Jinse looks down on those who have no ability and rely entirely on connections, and naturally will not use them.

The right people doing the right things is the way to long-term success.