Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 297 East Palace
"Sister Lin will arrange your accommodation!" Li Qiang said to the other girls.

He said something to Lin Daiyu and went to the main hall. He had been out of the palace for so long today, and he didn't know what would be waiting for him.

After Li Qiang left, Lin Daiyu asked Xue Yan to summon a palace maid and inquired in detail about the situation in the East Palace, especially where the female family members lived.

In addition to the princess's bedroom, the East Palace also has a bedroom for the prince's concubines.

"I am inconvenient, so you can live in the prince's and concubine's dormitory. You can discuss how to allocate it yourself!" Lin Daiyu said simply and casually.

She was tired from the journey and her body was heavy. She really didn't want to move now.

The girls were considerate and smiled lightly as they took their maids to the prince's concubine's bedroom.

Just hearing the name of the prince's concubine's dormitory, they were all Yunying's unmarried daughters, naturally they were ashamed.

There are many rooms in the prince's and concubine's bedroom, enough to accommodate them all, and each girl has a relatively independent space.

Of course, compared with that in Grand View Garden, the living environment here is much worse.

She is extremely tolerant towards Li Qiang. Whenever she thinks of Li Qiang's suffering outside, she feels sorry for Li Qiang.

Why the Supreme Emperor did not dare to pass the throne to Li Qiang at first was not because Li Qiang acted too harshly and could not tolerate any loss.

"You don't need to ask any questions about the prince. He is not a prince trained in the palace. You'd better not try to take advantage of him!" the queen mother warned.

Xue Baochai didn't pass this one at the beginning and was punished.

But the other nine women, plus numerous maids, all need to be examined before they can stay in the palace.

"Just tell me if you have anything to say!" Li Qiang said slightly impatiently.

"But these women have not been inspected, and they do not comply with the ancestral rules!" Tao Zhangyin quickly reminded.

After the girls arranged their accommodation, they went to the princess's dormitory again without much rest, to accompany Lin Daiyu.

Historically, women who entered the palace, whether they were maids or concubines, needed to be inspected by a dedicated person before they could enter the palace until they met the conditions for entering the palace.

In addition to the physical examination, the conditions for entering the palace also include background checks. If you do not meet the requirements at all, you will not be able to enter the palace.

How could he blame Li Qiang for the affairs of several women?

"I live in the East Palace, so you don't need to worry about the affairs of the East Palace!" Li Qiang said lightly.

Jin Dong asked a young eunuch to go out to inform, and soon Tao Zhangyin came in from outside.

"Tao Palm Seal!" Li Qiang had a good memory and remembered who this Tao Palm Seal was. He was one of a group of eunuchs outside the Daming Palace, and he seemed to be standing near the front.

Who would have thought that Li Qiang would bring back a group of women this time. Lin Daiyu, the crown princess, had become a fact and the Chief of Ceremonies could not intervene.

But this matter is not a trivial matter, and it is never a trivial matter involving the royal heirs.

In the past, there was no precedent for an emperor to bring a woman directly into the palace. Even if the main emperor wanted to bring a woman into the palace, he would not do so himself, but would leave it to the eunuchs.

In the past, Emperor Jingwen was not good at women, and most of his concubines were political marriages. In addition, because of the longing for his dead lover, he no longer had the title of queen after the queen's death.

"Does the Supervisor of Ceremonies also take care of this?" Li Qiang asked.

"The Queen Mother, today Her Highness the Crown Prince brought the Crown Princess into the East Palace, along with nine women and more than thirty maids, all without any inspection!" Tao Zhangyin met the Queen Mother and directly informed her of his purpose.

But the girls are not picky. This is the palace, the center of power of Daqian. Being able to live here makes the girls satisfied.

After passing through the hands of the eunuch, according to the rules of the palace, the old palace maid will inspect the woman, and only if she passes the examination will she enter the palace.

"Let him in!" Li Qiang waved his hand as he didn't know what happened to Tao Zhangyin and would come to see him at this time.

Feeling Li Qiang's persistence, Tao Zhangyin reluctantly bowed and retreated.

"The prince is living abroad. Are you going to tell him about the ancestral rules?" the Queen Mother asked in a deep voice.

The Queen Mother knew her royal grandson very well.

"Get back on your feet!" Li Qiang waved her hand and said.

Li Qiang came back to the main hall. Maybe he had just moved into the East Palace today and there was no book delivered to him, which left him with nothing to do for a while.

"I don't dare!" Tao Zhangyin said as he knelt down and put his head on the ground.

"Master, Tao Zhangyin, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, would like to see you!" Jin Dongtong reported.

Tao Zhangyin arrived at the Cining Palace, and after obtaining the consent, he entered the Cining Palace and met the Queen Mother.

He was thinking of going to the prince's bedroom and the east palace study behind the main hall, but he saw Jin Dong walking in quickly from outside the door.

The Si Li Jian is the most powerful institution in the palace and has the power to manage other eunuchs.

Tao Zhangyin stood up, with a hesitant look on his face.

He did not give up. The rules in the palace could not be broken. He left the East Palace and headed towards Cining Palace.

He did not go to the Supreme Emperor's side. This was a matter that belonged to the harem and was within the jurisdiction of the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace.

"The prince is already over 20 years old, so what does it matter if he has a few more women!" the Queen Mother said nonchalantly.

"I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince not only brought the Crown Princess into the palace, he also brought back nine women?" Tao Zhangyin bowed and asked.

"Slave Tao Chi comes to see His Highness the Crown Prince!" Tao Zhangyin knelt down and saluted and said.

"According to the rules of the palace, all women entering the palace must be inspected and registered before they can enter the palace. Your Highness, please be aware of this!" Tao Zhangyin replied while still bowing.

He didn't want to come over. As soon as the prince moved into the East Palace today, he came to find him.

As an emperor with this kind of temperament, Da Qian cannot have enemies. Otherwise, Li Qiang's first idea is to send an army to defeat the enemies.

As for the opponents within Daqian, Li Qiang will most likely kill them.

The way to be an emperor is not to kill, but to balance, the balance of power, the balance of civil and military affairs, and the balance of the general trend of the world.

If all three princes had not committed crimes, if the Supreme Emperor had not felt unable to train a new prince, and Li Qiang was the only capable one among the remaining princes, the Supreme Emperor would not have chosen Li Qiang.

Tao Zhangyin actually dared to provoke Li Qiang like this.

"I know this!" Tao Zhangyin felt bitter in his heart. He didn't want to control Li Qiang. He just wanted to maintain the rules in the palace.

But he did not dare to refute the Queen Mother's words, so he could only bow his head and admit his mistake.

"Go to the East Palace, I'm going to see what kind of girl the prince is looking for!" the Queen Mother ordered after Tao Zhangyin left.

She was extremely curious about the woman Li Qiang was looking for.

Since Emperor Jingwen committed a crime and all the concubines in the palace were wiped out, she, the Queen Mother, didn't even have anyone to talk to.

Now I heard that Li Qiang had brought a group of women into the palace. She wanted to go and have a look, if for no other reason than to find someone to relieve her boredom. Arriving at the East Palace, Li Qiang heard that the Queen Mother had arrived and hurriedly greeted her.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Princess is inconvenient and cannot come to greet you personally. Please don't blame me!" Li Qiang said with a salute.

"The Crown Princess is pregnant with the dragon seed and she has to keep it well. How could I blame her?" the Queen Mother replied with a smile.

Li Qiang supported the Queen Mother, who was in pretty good health. Li Qiang took this opportunity to re-inject the energy of the 'Healing Technique [Advanced]', allowing her body to remain in its current state for several months.

The Queen Mother felt her body relax, she couldn't help but smile, and said nothing.

After entering the princess's bedroom, the ladies heard that the queen mother had arrived and quickly knelt down to salute.

"Princess, you can't kneel down, sit down quickly!" Seeing that Lin Daiyu was about to kneel down, the Queen Mother hurriedly supported her and said.

She pulled Lin Daiyu to sit down and carefully looked at Lin Daiyu's protruding belly, with a smile on her face.

"You guys, get up too!" She said to the kneeling girls and maids again.

The women stood up one by one, and the Queen Mother observed these women.

"Prince, you have good taste. Each of these women is beautiful and their appearance is top-notch!" The Queen Mother turned to Li Qiang and praised.

"My grandson thanks you for your compliments on their behalf!" Li Qiang replied with a smile.

"You have entered the palace, but you don't know the etiquette of the palace. Please ask two old palace ladies to come over and guide you. There is nothing wrong in the East Palace, but you still have to pay attention to formal occasions!" the Queen Mother said to the ladies.

"Thank you, Queen Mother!" The ladies quickly thanked her.

"My grandson forgot, he should have mentioned it on his own initiative!" Li Qiang said.

"As a prince, you are in charge of important affairs of the family and the country. You don't have to worry about the affairs of the harem. The prince will take care of it. If the prince doesn't understand anything, you can ask me!" The queen mother glared at Li Qiang and said.

Li Qiang stepped aside helplessly.

"You don't have to be too restrained. You can have fun as you normally would. Bring me with you!" the Queen Mother said, waving to the girls.

The girls were indeed cautious at first, but when they saw that the Queen Mother was very approachable and not as majestic as rumored, they couldn't help but feel more relaxed.

The Queen Mother joined the other girls. From the elegant giving of orders, to the active throwing of pots, to the ordinary playing of cards, the Queen Mother played to her heart's content.

When giving orders, Lin Daiyu also tried to invite Jia Qiang, who was watching from the sidelines, to join.

"He's just a top pick. Why should we play if he joins in?" the Queen Mother said, pretending to be displeased.

When the pot was thrown, Lin Daiyu asked Jia Qiang to join.

"He is a famous general, but the game of throwing arrows into the pot is not as good as his. Let's stop playing if he joins in!" the Queen Mother said again.

The last cards were not enough for several girls, let alone Li Qiang.

That is to say, it was Li Qiang who blessed the Queen Mother with the 'Healing Technique [Advanced]' just now, which made the Queen Mother so energetic that she played until dark.

The girls were very happy on this day. They found that the palace was not scary.

The Queen Mother was even more cordial and played with them.

It can only be said that the girls are happy. The Queen Mother has long passed the age of fighting for power, and because she feels that she owes Li Qiang, and Li Qiang has the means to treat her, she has a different view of this group of Li Qiang's women. treat each other.

The Queen Mother also wanted to be like Jia Mu, surrounded by children and grandchildren.

The former Emperor Jingwen was not too fond of the Queen Mother for his temperament, and the concubines of Emperor Jingwen were all extremely respectful when they met the Queen Mother.

It seems that none of these women have been trained by the palace. After the Queen Mother showed gentleness, these women released their nature one by one and played with the Queen Mother.

As for those concubines who have been trained in the palace, no matter how approachable the Queen Mother is, it is impossible to have such fun with the Queen Mother.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Queen Mother has no interest in these women. No matter how much she dotes on these women, it will not affect the Queen Mother's status.

"By the way, Prince, you should go to Daming Palace to pay your respects now!" The Queen Mother looked at the time and reminded with a smile.

Li Qiang patted his head and forgot about it while accompanying the Queen Mother.

In the past, when Emperor Xingwen was here, he would go to the Daming Palace every morning and evening to pay his respects.

Now that he has become the prince, he must do the same. This is filial piety.

"My grandson, please pay your respects to the Queen Mother first!" Li Qiang first bowed to the Queen Mother and said.

"You, you are too lazy to even go to Cining Palace. That's all. You don't have to go to Cining Palace to say hello in the future. I will come to the East Palace when I have time!" the Queen Mother said, tapping Li Qiang with her finger.

The Queen Mother liked the atmosphere in the East Palace very much. She even thought that when the old palace maid came to guide these women in intrauterine etiquette, she was not allowed to teach other palace rules.

These women who don't know the rules in the palace are really fun and can make her life in the palace happy.

After Li Qiang left the East Palace, he was too lazy to take the prince's car and went to the Daming Palace with only Jin Dong.

"Grandpa Huang, my grandson is here to pay his respects to you!" Li Qiang entered the Daming Palace and saluted the Supreme Emperor.

"If you don't stay with the Crown Princess in the East Palace, what are you doing here?" The Supreme Emperor was watching a play. When he saw Li Qiang arriving, he waved his hand and asked.

"Didn't you say you have to say hello sooner or later?" Li Qiang explained.

"That was my intention to embarrass Jingwen. What does it have to do with you!" The Supreme Emperor said calmly.

Li Qiang was startled. He never expected that the Supreme Emperor would say this.

"The Jingying Jiedushi Wu Zicang is your subordinate. From now on, the Jingying will still be handed over to you. I heard that you are not satisfied with the guards in the palace, so you will arrange the guards in the East Palace yourself!" The Supreme Emperor continued.

"Grandpa Huang, you are delegating power too quickly, and your grandson is not used to it!" Li Qiang mumbled.

Indeed, when the Supreme Emperor handed over the capital camp to Li Qiang, it was equivalent to handing the capital directly into Li Qiang's hands, without leaving any room for himself.

"Since we have decided to make you the crown prince, then this world belongs to you. I let you be the crown prince first. I just want you to think that I am watching over you when handling government affairs, and not to do anything willful." The Supreme Emperor explained.

"Thank you, Grandpa Huang, for your trust!" Li Qiang said sincerely.

"I don't know about you yet. You defeated the Tatar tribe twice with more than 100,000 troops. You didn't bring any troops, you just brought your own soldiers. With your force, who else in the world can stop you.

That is to say, you don’t want to be the emperor, otherwise not even I can stop you from taking the throne away.

Now that you have taken over the throne of Daqian, what use are the tens of thousands of troops in the capital camp in front of you? "The Emperor said it very directly. After he decided to let Li Qiang take over the throne, he looked away from everything.

If it weren't for Li Qiang, he would probably be dead right now, and he wouldn't have the energy to watch a movie and drink here.

He wanted to live a few more years, watch how Li Qiang governed Daqian, and see if his choice was really the right one.

As for controlling Li Qiang, the Supreme Emperor had no such idea. He was just joking to control an unparalleled and famous general. He didn't want his grandson to become enemies.

(End of this chapter)