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

Chapter 210 On the surface

Struggle has its own significance.

Whether it's for favor, wealth and status, or even just to improve one's life, these can all become reasons for conflict.

After all, that's how the world is. Often, it's not that people want to actively fight for something; it's just that circumstances and situations force people into that position, and gradually, people have few choices left.

Everyone has their own stance, which has long since devolved into a life-or-death struggle. The women in the harem only care about feelings for the emperor, and their interactions are purely based on mutual benefit. In Yao Jinse's view, this direction is actually wrong.

An emperor's status dictates that he will not be devoted to just one woman. Therefore, a wise woman will never pursue the dream of a lifelong monogamous relationship. Even a devoted woman like the Imperial Concubine would never have such fantasies.

However, it is precisely because everyone is quite pragmatic that the struggles within the palace are endless and cannot be stopped.

Yao Jinse was not the type to bully the weak or fear the strong, nor was she afraid of these scenes of struggle and fighting. However, she knew that she did not have enough resources to compete in such a way. She had neither family background nor the emperor's favor.

Therefore, one must be extremely careful in the inner palace in order to find a glimmer of hope for survival.

In stark contrast to her situation was the Empress, who sat at the head of the table at that very moment.

Even though it was winter and Kunning Palace should have been chilly, there was no sign of coldness at all. After most of the doors and windows were closed, a warm current, as if from spring or summer, seemed to spread through the palace.

This warmth was actually due to the fact that in autumn, all the living quarters in the palace were equipped with a system called heating.

There were mines outside the capital. Although this was a fictional dynasty, it was consistent with real history, so the use of coal naturally followed a similar lineage.

However, coal was mostly used for smelting ironware in the past. The difficulty of mining and the fact that it was difficult to burn completely made its uses very limited. After Yao Jinse presented the design drawings for the heating system, she originally planned to use charcoal fire for heating. However, the Ministry of Works had already added coal during the improvement process.

Since she was already willing to go all the way, and since the other side had already expressed their opinion, Yao Jinse went along with it and offered some "opinions" on the coal production process.

With the emperor's attention to this matter and Yao Jinse's foresight, the design and application of heating systems proceeded smoothly and are now in use throughout the palace.

It must be said that one of the advantages of a place like the imperial palace, where talented people and skilled craftsmen gather, is that everything can be done to perfection.

Yao Jinse had visited the Hall of Mental Cultivation when the heating was first installed. The carefully selected bamboo pipes had excellent thermal conductivity. The Hall of Mental Cultivation was such a large area that charcoal braziers were originally needed in winter. With the heating and floor heating, not only was there no need to burn charcoal braziers, but people could even wear one less layer of clothing, which shows that it was very effective.

Kunning Palace was the sleeping quarters of the mother of the nation. Whatever good things the emperor's palace had, Kunning Palace would surely have too.

This is a matter of face for the empress, and also for the emperor. It would be a laughing stock if word got out that his wife was treated worse than that of a concubine in the harem.

Therefore, the Kunning Palace, like the Yangxin Hall, uses the best materials, and hot water can always be placed on the stove, which is especially convenient in winter.

Furthermore, the inner hall of Kunning Palace was much smaller than that of Yangxin Hall, making the air warmer. Since the concubines usually paid their respects in the inner hall, the more people there were, the warmer the room became. Experiencing the convenience of this new item, the Empress naturally didn't hesitate to offer verbal praise to whoever proposed it.

"It was all by chance. The fact that it has such an ingenious function is all thanks to the skillful craftsmen. I only came up with a design. If it weren't for Your Majesty's wisdom and intelligence, we wouldn't have this in the palace today."

Faced with the Empress's praise and compliments, Yao Jinse could only decline repeatedly, but in her heart she felt it was worthwhile.

To be honest, the palace has underground heating, so it's not particularly cold in winter. It's even less likely that someone would freeze to death in the harem—at least, it's very rare to see it openly.

Therefore, the presence of heating in the imperial harem was merely an added bonus. In contrast, wealthy households always kept braziers and charcoal braziers readily available, so the benefits of heating were not particularly apparent.

But for the poor people in the capital who had to tighten their belts and cut back on food and clothing to get through the harsh winter, these things were extremely useful.

Living in the capital is not easy, and with the changing times, there are always families with limited resources.

For such families, saving a little money on charcoal might mean one more person could survive the winter. But for Emperor Xie Yun'an, the greatest benefit and the most prestigious thing was to let more people live.

The implementation of this single decree alone is enough to add an indelible achievement to the history books.

However, everything is difficult at the beginning. Although the product is good, it is not easy to promote it.

Firstly, the cost is a factor, and secondly, changing established habits is not an easy task. If it can truly benefit the general public, it will probably have to wait until the number of people is larger.

But since the emperor was willing to make this part of his political achievements, he would naturally do his best in this matter.

Yao Jinse didn't expect to gain any lasting fame through this—she knew perfectly well that such fame wouldn't fall on her at this moment. Since she had already exchanged things for benefits, she would just enjoy them in peace.

But since such a thing exists, it naturally provides the perfect topic of conversation. Shen Qingyin took the opportunity to chat with Yao Jinse for a while with a smile, and they talked about their experiences in raising their daughters before vaguely mentioning the commotion at Chengqian Palace.

Yao Jinse understood the Empress's meaning, so she naturally went along with it. It's easiest to say nice things, especially since Yao Jinse appeared so sincere: who in the harem doesn't genuinely respect the Empress? Since the Empress is so determined, she can accomplish anything.

Now that the Imperial Concubine has locked herself in Chengqian Palace and is not seeing anyone, it is undoubtedly because she is waiting for the birth of her child. The Imperial Concubine is waiting, and so are the Emperor and everyone else in the harem. Whether this will bring joy to everyone or only increase the commotion in the harem, no one knows.

Yao Jinse glanced up at the Empress, her gaze sweeping over Shen Qingyin's thoughtful face, and she understood.

At this point, the Empress has not yet fully let go of the burden of her empty reputation. The pressure from this reputation for virtue is not yet too great. As a member of the harem, she should also share the Empress's burdens. As for how to do it...

She has her own plans.