AWB Chapter 549: Long Live His Majesty! Long Live the Imperial Concubine!
Chapter 549: Long Live His Majesty! Long Live the Imperial Concubine!
There was a fire in the main hall of Chunxi Palace. Although only the back hall was burned, it still needed to be repaired before people could live in it.
There was no reason to let a newly promoted imperial concubine live in a house that had been burned down.
There are many rooms in the palace.
There are not many vacant houses that are large enough for an imperial concubine to live in.
It was freezing cold and the end of the year was approaching, so there was no time to clean up and redecorate the palace, so the emperor let Fei Wan live directly in Chenqian Palace.
Now, the newly appointed imperial concubine lived and worked with the emperor, and Fei Wan's status in the palace rose sharply.
Her two-day experience in Gongzhengsi was tacitly forgotten by everyone.
Every day, there was an endless stream of concubines coming to Chenqian Palace to pay their respects to the emperor and flatter Fei Wan, to the point of disturbing the emperor's rest and recuperation.
The emperor simply issued an edict that no one was allowed to come before him without being summoned.
This made everyone even more envious of Fei Wan's treatment.
This means that no one can get His Majesty these days, only the Imperial Noble Consort can!
But Fei Wan herself said that there was really nothing to envy - it was too tiring to live with the emperor who lay in bed all day long.
When he is awake, you should accompany him, serve him, and talk to him.
When he was asleep, he had to review memorials for him.
Before, I only approved part of the memorials, but now, all the memorials have been handed over to Fei Wan.
Besides status and honor, this was Fei Wan's most important gain from staying in Chenqian Palace. She was becoming more and more familiar with the government affairs, so being a little tired didn't matter to her.
This matter was naturally carried out in secret.
The emperor was very confident in his dealings with Lu Guinian and other court officials, and refused to admit that he had someone else review the memorials on his behalf. As a result, he received a number of memorials praising him. Officials who were unaware of the situation thought that the emperor was too tired to govern despite his injury.
The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month will soon be here.
At the morning court that day, behind the emperor's sedan chair followed Fei Wan's sedan chair.
It's impossible to say I'm not excited.
Fei Wan has worked hard for a long time since her rebirth, and finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Although it is not yet a formal entry into the DPRK, this is a good start!
"Long live your majesty!"
The emperor entered the Golden Palace and sat on the dragon throne. The court officials all knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor".
Fei Wan was wearing a bright yellow imperial concubine dress and standing beside the emperor.
After all the ministers finished their greetings and stood up, the emperor smiled faintly.
He said, "You pay your respects to the Imperial Concubine."
The ministers were stunned.
As they looked at each other in confusion, an old minister stepped out from the crowd and expressed his opposition.
It was already inappropriate for a concubine to enter the court, and it was even more inappropriate for her to ask the ministers to pay them an audience.
"There has never been such a precedent since ancient times. In the hundred-year history of Daliang, there has never been a case of officials paying homage to the imperial concubine. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
The emperor glanced at his ministers.
"If anyone doesn't want to bow, just take a step back. I won't force them."
The old minister immediately returned to the queue and took a step back.
Several people also followed the old minister and retreated.
Gradually, more and more people retreated.
But there were still many people who did not retreat and stood where they were, most of them observing the wind direction.
At the front of the team, to the emperor's surprise, Lu Guinian did not retreat.
"Lord Lu, why don't you retreat? Don't you hate the Imperial Noble Consort the most?"
Lu Guinian bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wrong. I have never disliked the Imperial Noble Consort."
Among all the officials in the court, only Lu Guinian dared to directly tell the emperor that he was "wrong." The emperor was used to hearing this and did not think it was inappropriate.
He continued, "You rebuked the Imperial Noble Consort to her face and even wrote memorials to criticize her. Why, now you don't admit that you hate her?"
Lu Guinian said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have never met the Imperial Concubine before. She is a concubine of the imperial court, and I am an outsider. It is not a question of whether I dislike her or not. When I criticized her before, I was just speaking the truth, without any selfish motives."
"What about you now?"
"Now, I am just discussing the matter at hand."
The emperor asked, "Do you think this is feasible?"
Lu Guinian replied, "According to the history of both the previous and current dynasties, this action is unprecedented and contrary to moral principles, so it is naturally unacceptable. However, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, your power has spread throughout the country, and the prosperity and peace are unprecedented. Your Majesty is an extraordinary ruler, and you can do extraordinary things. If Your Majesty invites me to attend, I will obey your command. I am also willing to listen to Your Majesty's instructions and understand why this matter must be carried out."
As he said this, he lifted up his clothes and knelt on the ground.
Bow loudly.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine, may Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"
Officials from his faction naturally followed suit and bowed.
Lots of people.
There are civil officials, military generals, and some nobles.
Lu Guinian was in charge of more and more powerful affairs, and made friends with more and more court officials while doing things. He appeared to be meticulous, but secretly he often turned a blind eye and let his hands go, allowing others to reap the benefits.
Especially the recent reconstruction of the Shenji Camp has consumed a lot of various materials, and a lot of money has been spent, and some of it has also flowed into the pockets of people at all levels, including many nobles.
Lu Guinian never thought this was a bad thing.
If the water is clear, there will be no fish.
As long as things get done in the end and the profits are kept within a certain range and don't affect the work, it's fine.
Therefore, those who have benefited from him are willing to follow his side and help him build momentum.
Seeing a large group of people kneeling down and shouting "Long Live the Empress", a smile appeared on the emperor's face.
"Lord Lu, do you know why I want you to pay homage to the Imperial Noble Consort?"
"I am a fool, and I would like to listen to your Majesty's instructions."
"Haha, do you know how many foreign spies the Imperial Concubine has uncovered in the past month? These spies have entangled themselves in the palace, plotting massive schemes to assassinate the emperor and his followers. I was nearly murdered by them several times. If it weren't for the Imperial Concubine, I would have died by now, and Daliang would be in chaos! I asked you to pay your respects to my savior, but are you unhappy?"
The more the emperor spoke, the colder his smile became.
He scanned the entire audience with an extremely majestic gaze.
"I know I was wrong. I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
Immediately, several court officials changed their minds, instead of retreating, they took a step forward and bowed on the spot.
When someone starts, others will follow.
Among those who took a step back, almost half of them bowed down.
There was an endless stream of voices shouting "Long Live the Lord!" in the hall. Although not in unison, it sounded very nice, and Fei Wan felt happy hearing it.
"Everyone, please stand up."
With the emperor's eye permission, Fei Wan raised her hand and shouted.
She stood straight beside the emperor, dignified and elegant.
She spoke slowly, "Killing the scoundrels and protecting the Holy Emperor is my duty. Your Majesty has bestowed upon me this honor, and I feel truly humbled. However, I am standing here today not simply to receive your thanks."
"The spies have repeatedly plotted to disrupt the palace, trying to put me to death and assassinate Your Majesty. This is a serious provocation to our Daliang."
"Today, I will stand here, beside His Majesty, to show those who want to overthrow our Daliang Empire that we will never be bullied."
"Even a weak concubine cannot be killed!"
"Great Ancestor, all our ancestors, and the heroic spirits of all generations, our Daliang is indestructible, our country is forever secure, and our prosperity will last for thousands of years!"
She raised her hands in the air.
The wide sleeves fluttered.
As dazzling as the bright moon.
"Long live Daliang, long live His Majesty, and a thousand years of Imperial Noble Consort!"
Lu Guinian took the lead and bowed again.
Shouting at the top of his lungs.
His teammates naturally followed suit.
For a moment, the people in the hall were excited and completely ignited.
In the end, even the old minister who had opposed it at the beginning had to kneel down and shout for the country and the emperor.
A barely perceptible smile flashed across Fei Wan's lips.
This is a smooth start!
……
"Empress, the palace has sent new New Year's goods to the palace."
At Fengming Palace, Linglong handed over the list of New Year's goods sent by the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Every December, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would send a portion of wild game presented as tribute to the palace as a New Year gift from various farms, and this year was no exception.
Queen Yan took Linglong's hand, glanced at the list casually, and told her to accept it.
She was busy arranging matters for the New Year in the palace and was so busy that she didn't want to worry about the New Year's goods at home. She would just wait until after the New Year to count them slowly.
Linglong whispered, "My Lady, it's Madam Liao who's here to deliver the New Year's gifts."
"?"
Queen Yan was surprised.
What is Madam Liao here for?
The nanny who raised her when she was young was extremely shrewd and capable, but now she rarely leaves the house. The last time she entered the palace was when she was framed by the deposed Empress Zheng, and the nanny came to help her.
"Please ask Mammy to come in."
Queen Yan guessed that there was something important to convey in the palace, so she put aside the palace affairs at hand.
As soon as Madam Liao entered the room, she saw a pile of accounts and bills from the Ministry of Internal Affairs next to Empress Yan, and she sighed.
"What's wrong, Madam?" Queen Yan was puzzled.
After paying her respects, Madam Liao immediately dismissed all the palace maids, even sending Linglong out.
He said to Empress Yan privately, "My queen, Yu is in the Golden Throne Hall receiving homage from all the officials, and you are still here tending to palace affairs. If she takes over your head one day, it will be too late for you to regret it!"