After the rebellion was successful, I realized that this place was the Red Mansion

Chapter 275 Feng Jie's Greed Leads to Schemes, Chu Yan Cleverly Takes in Feng Nu (Part 1)
Ping'er returned to Feng Jie's courtyard and, seeing that Grandma Feng was not in the room, asked Xi Ren, "Where did Grandma go?"

Xiren laughed and said, "You still call her Grandma?"

Ping'er laughed and said, "It's just something that sounds good."

Xi Ren continued, "The end of the year is approaching. Granny Feng went to discuss with the Third Miss what to do for the New Year. This year, with the Emperor in the mansion and all the concubines, our food, clothing and daily necessities are different from before. We can't do it the same way as in previous years."

Ping'er nodded and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) chatting with her.

About half an hour later, nearing noon, Sister Feng returned from outside. When she saw her, a smile appeared on her rosy face: "You have time to come to my place again today?"

Ping'er pulled her to sit down and glanced at her.

Sister Feng's heart skipped a beat. She shook off her hand, glared at her, and said, "You're definitely up to no good!"

Ping'er used to be such a well-behaved and clever person at home, but after entering the palace and gaining favor, she became a completely different person, always trying to use the emperor's decree to subdue her.

We haven't settled the score with her about that undergarment yet!
Ping'er smiled and said, "It is Consort Li."

As soon as Fengjie heard this, she knew what was going on, but she sneered, "Which one is Consort Li? I'm not in the palace, so I don't remember who made which consort."

Xi Ren laughed from the side, "It's Madam Qin!"

Sister Feng could only laugh and reply, "So it was her. No wonder she ordered you to come. Only Her Majesty can command Consort Ping."

Ping'er smiled and said, "Grandma has misunderstood. Consort Li only said that if Grandma is free this afternoon, she should go to the East Mansion to sit with her for a while."

Fengjie said, "Why would she ask me to go for no reason? She knows it's almost the end of the year and I'm busy. You... never mind, Feng'er, go tell her later that I'm not going."

She wanted to call Ping'er, but Ping'er was no longer her maid.

"Yes, grandma."

Feng'er agreed, but Ping'er quickly stopped her and said, "How could Grandma forget? Today is Grandma Zhen's birthday. Consort Li went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation this morning and told the Emperor to ask Fangguan and the others to perform for Grandma Zhen."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng exclaimed "Oh dear!" and slapped her forehead, laughing, "Look at my memory! I completely forgot her birthday. She didn't even send anyone to tell the old lady or the madam."

Xiren sighed inwardly: The insignificant actresses in the mansion, who were once just ordinary people, now have the privilege of serving in the emperor's room. If the family wants them to perform, a concubine has to personally invite them.

However, it is only reasonable for the Empress to invite them. Fangguan, Lingguan, and Wenguan are serving in the Emperor's room. How can they be summoned away by someone else so easily?

Although the other eight young actors were not in the emperor's room, the twelve of them seemed to have become a theatrical troupe specially raised by the emperor.

Ping'er said, "Times have changed, and besides, it's the eldest mistress now... Consort Li, remembering our past friendship, specially arranged this birthday celebration for her."

Ping'er quickly stopped talking, but Fengjie understood that she was referring to the fact that You Shi had also served at the spring pool.

Thinking of the spring pool, she recalled the absurdity of that day, and her heart couldn't help but flutter. A wave of heat spread through her, and she quickly covered it up with a smile, saying, "I'll make time to go there this afternoon."

After he finished speaking, the clock struck, and the maids and servants began to bustle about setting out the meal.

Ping'er ate in Feng Jie's room, and the maids brought her food, which was more lavish than Feng Jie's. After all, she was a noble lady personally appointed by the emperor, which was better than Feng Jie, who was just a "housekeeper".

Fengjie glanced at it twice, then smiled at Ping'er and said, "We'll have to wait until next year when the summer tax is collected before the food is worthy of Your Majesty's noble status."

That was a joke he made at her.

Ping'er remembered something and asked, "Grandma and Third Miss were just discussing whether there is still money in the palace for the New Year?"

Sister Feng said, "Stop talking. It's enough for the New Year, but we have to use it sparingly until July next year. The palace isn't well-off either, and the national treasury has very little silver. We're really worried about this!"

There were four people in charge of the palace and the Grand View Palace: Empress Zhang, Yuan Chun, Tan Chun, and Wang Xifeng!

The finances of Daguan Palace and the Imperial Palace are separate, but if Daguan Palace runs out of money, the Imperial Palace treasury will inevitably have to allocate funds from it.

Ping'er smiled and said, "Several hundred thousand taels of silver will be deposited into our account soon, and then we'll be more financially comfortable."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng hurriedly asked, "Where did these hundreds of thousands of taels come from? How come I didn't know? Where does the Emperor collect taxes from, or whose property is being confiscated? Could it be that it was found in the private treasury of the previous dynasty?"

Ping'er nodded and smiled, "Grandma guessed right. Yesterday, the Emperor issued an edict ordering the palace eunuchs to hand over half of their wealth. I think those eunuchs who were showing off outside the palace must have at least a million taels of silver in total."

"They actually copied them!"

Feng Jie was first surprised, then sneered, "They should be confiscated. These eunuchs need money to leave the palace. Lian alone gave them several thousand taels, and the East Mansion has given them several thousand more. Their silver is more than a million!"

Ping'er smiled again and said, "That's even better. With this private money, the palace and the mansion will be well-off, and His Majesty won't have to worry about it."

The silver obtained from confiscating the homes of eunuchs would certainly go into the imperial treasury, not into the national treasury.

Fengjie ate her meal silently. When Ping'er saw her like this, she knew that her grandmother had some wicked thoughts.

She was originally extremely greedy and money-grubbing, always trying to find ways to lend out her monthly allowance to collect interest, and never telling Jia Lian a single penny of the money she received. Now that the eunuchs are confiscating her property, how could she not be tempted?
really.

Fengjie asked, "Where did you hear about this? I came back from the Third Miss's place, and then I chatted with the Eldest Sister and the Empress for a while, but I didn't hear anyone mention it."

Ping'er said, "It was Yuanyang who said that yesterday His Majesty went home with Miss Lin to visit her family and wanted to give Mr. Lin a house. So His Majesty issued an order for Xia Shouzhong to confiscate the house."

Sister Feng hurriedly said, "If he goes to confiscate their property, wouldn't that be tantamount to embezzling from his own household? They are all eunuchs from the previous dynasty. Now that the dynasty has changed, they are isolated and helpless in the inner palace. How could they not collude with each other?"

As she spoke, she urged Ping'er to eat quickly and then go tell Yuanyang what was happening.

Ping'er had no choice but to agree.

After lunch, the two hurried to Yangxin Hall. Upon entering, they found Yuanyang and Qingwen there, and Fengjie explained the matter.

Qingwen said, "We can't make a decision on this matter. We'll wait for the Emperor to return, and then Grandma Feng can report to him."

Xiangling didn't say anything, and Yuchuan didn't speak either. Hongyu looked around, and although she had an idea in mind, she would wait for Yuanyang to speak before she said it.

The five head maids in the emperor's room—or rather, the head palace maids—didn't usually have a clear hierarchy. They would discuss things together. However, Chu Yan usually doted on Xiangling and Qingwen, and Yuanyang and Hongyu were capable and good at making decisions.

Sister Feng laughed and said, "Logically, we should wait for His Majesty to return, but I think that Xia Shouzhong is a cunning and greedy man. He is well-behaved in front of the Emperor, but he has a different face in front of his subordinates. His Majesty was not careful and trusted him wrongly, so he ordered the eunuchs to confiscate the property."

After hearing this, Yuanyang nodded and said, "Grandma Feng's concerns are very reasonable. However, regarding this matter," she paused before continuing, "His Majesty only mentioned it at Miss Lin's house yesterday, and then never brought it up again. Xia Shouzhong came to tell us this morning that he has to go to the palace to handle this matter, and it will take a day or two to complete."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng thought to herself, "Indeed, they are the ones in charge of this matter."

Then he laughed and said, "You believed him too?"

Qingwen didn't care much. With a cold smile on her pretty face, she said, "He dares to deceive his superiors and cover things up. I'll make sure he doesn't die a good death. Let's see how many heads he has!"

Xi Ren, who was listening intently, couldn't help but glance at her again, and became even more envious of her good fortune.

Originally, Qingwen was just a second-class maid in the Grand View Garden, but now she is openly reprimanding the eunuchs and many female officials in the palace. It was only in these past few months that Qingwen gradually developed such an aura.

At this moment, Hongyu smiled and said, "In my opinion, it would be good to send two people over to keep an eye on things. They're probably afraid of being held accountable later."

Xiangling and the others remained silent.

Fengjie snorted: "How can the subordinates keep a close eye on things? They don't know the ins and outs. I'll go to the palace myself and watch over things!" Yuanyang quickly smiled and said: "Go and tell Consort Xiande and the Empress."

"I know, I'll go right away."

Having received the approval of several head maids in the Emperor's quarters, Fengjie knew that the matter was mostly settled. She hurriedly went to find Yuanchun and Empress Zhang, but both of them remained silent. So she quickly ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair and immediately went to the palace.

After Wang Xifeng left Yangxin Hall, Yuanyang called a young eunuch and instructed him: "Go to Lixiang Courtyard and find an opportunity to go in and report to the Emperor."

Hearing her words, Yu Chuan asked curiously, "Why didn't you tell Grandma Feng just now?"

Hongyu smiled and said, "If I had said that earlier, Grandma Feng would have definitely started talking, saying she couldn't wait to go to the palace."

Yu Chuan couldn't help but smile when she thought of Feng Jie's anxious look.

After a long while, the young eunuch returned and reported: "His Majesty said: He understands."

The group of people were relieved and put the matter aside, each going about their own business.

……

Now, let's talk about Sister Feng.

After entering the palace with Ping'er, he immediately ordered someone to find Xia Shouzhong—Ping'er, as the only concubine with the rank of consort in the palace at that time, naturally had influence.

Before long, Xia Shouzhong appeared before Sister Feng with a forced smile.

"Grandpa Xia, do you still remember me?"

Feng Jie stood on the high steps behind the Linjing Hall, smiling at him. Her face, though that of a beautiful young woman, exuded a murderous aura.

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty is too kind to this servant! This servant deserves to die. I don't know how I offended Your Majesty?"

Sister Feng sneered, "Are you really unaware, or are you pretending not to know? If you dare to say you don't know, I'll walk away and never bother with your affairs again. No matter how the Emperor confiscates your property, I won't care!"

Ping'er found it amusing; her grandmother was just using her position to bully others again.

Xia Shouzhong kowtowed again, pleading, "Your Majesty, are you referring to the events of the previous dynasty? It's all a misunderstanding. I borrowed most of the money from the Jia family and gave it to Dai Quan."

"Which Grand Chancellor of the Ming Palace?" Sister Feng asked hastily.

Xia Shouzhong said yes, and Fengjie then asked, "Where is he?"

Xia Shouzhong laughed and said, "The old emperor of the previous dynasty, also known as the Duke of Chongle, is dead. He has lost his former prestige and now he just sweeps the floor in the Eastern Palace every day. He doesn't care about or can't manage any external affairs."

With a glance from Sister Feng, the other eunuchs stepped back a few paces before she asked, "Where is his money? How much land and property does he own outside?"

Xia Shouzhong just smiled until Fengjie stamped her foot and said, "Fine, I'll do as you say, and I'll reluctantly put in a good word for you with the Emperor!"

"What Lady Feng said..."

"Stop talking nonsense to me!" Sister Feng retorted angrily.

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly said, "This servant dares not disobey the imperial decree. All the eunuchs in charge must hand over half of their family wealth. This servant dares not have the slightest thought of embezzlement. In addition, this servant will also make the powerful nannies in the palace hand over their silver. Only those who have lost power, such as Dai Quan, can get some benefits from it. The Empress took it all... It is difficult for the people below to do things."

Sister Feng laughed and said, "I'll give you half a percent, don't think it's too little. I know you all have a fortune of millions, so half a percent is still fifty thousand taels!"

Xia Shouzhong was startled and said, "Your Majesty has wronged us servants. The original silver has been used to bribe officials at all levels. For example, Dai Quan sold official positions outside and got a thousand taels, but more than half of it went to officials in the outer court."

Sister Feng laughed and said, "Now that you're an inner minister, will you still worry about not having money to spend?"

Xia Shouzhong said fearfully, "Even if I were to become the Grand Chancellor, I would not dare to sell official positions under the Emperor's very nose."

Fengjie was about to argue with him when Ping'er said, "Grandma, hurry up, don't delay our trip back to the garden to watch the play this afternoon."

Sister Feng said directly, "Go and bring me your account books. I know you keep records. Also, bring me the property deeds in the capital and the land deeds in other places. I need to see them all!"

Xia Shouzhong had no choice but to agree, and would send someone back to Daguan Palace to ask Qingwen and the others after she left.

After a cursory inspection, Sister Feng took Ping'er back to the Grand View Palace to watch a play with Qin Keqing and You Shi.

Upon hearing what she had done, Qin Keqing laughed heartily, put her arm around her shoulder, and said with a smile, "Auntie, you're really obsessed with money."

Fengjie said, "What do you know? I manage the household every day. This requires money and that requires money. I take care of the old lady, the madam, and the gentlemen outside. Even the emperor is short of money, let alone me!"

Qin Keqing just smiled and said, "I'll go to Yangxin Hall with you later. Does Mother-in-law want to come too?"

Lady You shook her head and said she wouldn't go; after all, she wasn't a proper imperial concubine.

evening.

Qin Keqing, along with Wang Xifeng and Ping'er, arrived at Yangxin Hall.

Inside the warm pavilion, the young ladies were already chatting and laughing. When they saw Wang Xifeng enter the room, they all laughed and said, "The greedy Granny Feng is here!"

Sister Feng's face flushed red.

She could swagger around in the palace, but how could she bear to be called greedy in front of her relatives, sisters, and sisters-in-law?

Logically, they wouldn't make fun of her like this. The only person who could make fun of her so naturally was the man sitting on the kang, the new emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, Chu Yan!
He was looking over with a faint smile.

It must have been him who brought this up, and Tan Chun and the others deliberately said that the greedy Granny Feng had arrived in order to plead for her.

Having formed a suspicion in her mind, Fengjie stepped forward and said with a smile, "What are you all saying about me? How am I greedy for money? I was clearly working for the Emperor, and you've wronged me for no reason."

Daiyu and Tanchun both covered their mouths and laughed.

Chu Yan smiled and asked Baoqin, "Sister Qin, you tell me, what mistake did she make?"

Baoqin feigned surprise and asked, "How did Sister Feng make a mistake? I didn't realize that Sister Feng wasn't working for the Emperor?"

"That's right!" Sister Feng replied with a smile.

Daiyu and the others laughed again.

Chu Yan pulled Baoqin into his arms and pinched her cheeks repeatedly before Baoqin begged for mercy and said with a smile, "Your Majesty... please forgive Qin'er. Qin'er will just guess and answer randomly."

Chu Yan released her.

Baoqin sat cross-legged on the kang next to him, looking very serious, but because of her delicate and beautiful features and her slightly young age, she appeared cute and playful.

She smiled at Wang Xifeng and said, "Sister Feng, come here, I have an imperial decree to interrogate you!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan laughed and looked at Baochai, who was puzzled.

(End of this chapter)