The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

A year has passed since the Queen's death.

During this year, both the former court and the harem maintained a cautious calm.

Now, this emperor, when he just ascended the throne, first beheaded his own brother as a sacrifice to heaven, and then thoroughly investigated all illegal activities, killing thousands of people, and countless people were implicated and became slaves; but since then, the emperor has restrained his tyrannical temper, and instead become steady and introverted, but occasionally a little cynical.

However, the outbreak of the "Stone Tablet Case" this time reminded the court and the public of the bloody methods the emperor had used. As a result, no matter if they were nobles or aristocratic families, they all behaved cautiously during this year, and as a result, the capital of Dasheng enjoyed a rare period of peace for a long time.

A year has passed.

The ban on officials holding banquets and getting married has also been lifted, and the originally peaceful Dasheng Imperial Capital has gradually become more colorful. However, since no one is sure what the mood of the person currently sitting on the dragon throne is, the families who are anxious to find marriages for their children only look for each other in secret and dare not hold weddings in a public manner.

This day.

Empress Dowager Hu invited the emperor to the Cining Palace. During their conversation, the mother and son mentioned that several women from other families in the imperial capital were anxious to get married, and when they came to the palace to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Hu, they had inquired about this several times, both openly and secretly.

The emperor simply said that the national mourning period was over, and marriage among officials was naturally no longer prohibited.

"...Maybe they were all scared by the previous incident." said Empress Dowager Hu.

The Marquis's Mansion and the Earl's Mansion were destroyed in an instant. They were noble families that had been passed down since the founding of the country. In the end, not even a single bloodline could escape, and they all turned into a wisp of ash in the history books of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

"These people are really bold when they are bold, but too cautious when they are cautious." The emperor said with a smile. When the queen had just passed away, he was indeed irritable and sensitive. When he was in court, if any official said something that did not suit his taste, he would scold him at best and demote him at worst.

"It's as if I am a completely unreasonable person." He did scold and demote the ministers in the court, but there were reasons for that. If they hadn't done anything wrong first, why would he punish them?

And even if I was sentenced to death, didn't I know how to handle it properly?

There's nothing wrong with it. I just got scolded a few times. The words were really inhumane. At most I would just be demoted.

Following the "Stone Stele Case", those whose homes were confiscated and whose three clans were executed were implicated, weren't they because they were all found to have been involved in corruption, favoritism and abuse of power?

The emperor was unhappy, and all the officials in the court had to be on edge and live carefully. Now, when they saw those families who were anxious to get married, even if they had to observe the national mourning, they did not dare to play happy music without permission, but instead went to Empress Dowager Hu to inquire... The emperor could not help but want to laugh.

"Forget it. I had promised Concubine Zhao that I would accompany her home to visit her parents, but it has been delayed for more than a year..."

Since Xie Yuzhen's promised visit to her parents had been delayed for so long, the matter of Xie Yi's resettlement outside the palace naturally came to nothing.

After the death of Concubine Huaijing, the eldest prince and the third prince were moved to Chonghua Palace. Later, Concubine Deng and Concubine Ning both died, and the eldest princess, the second prince, and the third princess who were raised by them were also moved in.

Upon seeing this, the emperor simply moved the school for the princes and princesses to the Linzhi Hall between the Imperial Study and Chonghua Palace. As Xie Yi was his stepson, it was natural for him to go to school with them.

Among the several royal heirs who entered the school, the eldest princess had a dignified and steady character; the eldest and third princes were in weak health, but they were not pampered and difficult to serve; the second prince was a little old-fashioned and did not like Xie Yi, the emperor's stepson, but he would not deliberately make things difficult for him; the third princess was quiet and taciturn. As long as she held a book in her hands, she could sit in a corner silently all day long.

Needless to say, the second princess was in good health and had a lively personality. She was very close to and fond of her extremely handsome brother Xie Yi, and loved to take Xie Yi out to play.

There were other study companions of princes and princesses in the Linzhi Palace. Although their personalities varied and not all of them were friendly to Xie Yi, the elders in the family had to keep a low profile and live their lives cautiously. Even if some people wanted to exclude Xie Yi, they dared not show it too obviously.

Just like the peace that lasted for more than a year in the capital of Dasheng, a subtle tranquility was also maintained in the Linzhi Palace.

Xie Yi, who was already six years old, carried his small school bag on his back and was led back to Shouning Palace by Chunfen. He still had a childish face, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, just like Xie Yuzhen. His every move was more disciplined than his biological mother who lived a reckless life. He was not as active as ordinary children, but showed a maturity that was not right for his age at an early age. But at the same time, he did not look old-fashioned. Outsiders would only think that he was a pretty child who was trying hard to imitate adults.

"Mom, I'm back." Xie Yi said at the door before walking in.

Xie Wei was counting the things he needed to take with him when he left the palace tomorrow. Hearing this, he looked at him and said, "Why don't you go take a rest first, but come here directly?"

Xie Yi gave his mother a well-behaved smile, took off the school bag from his body, then carefully took out the books, handed the school bag to Chunfen himself, and said sorry to her.

The palace maids in Shouning Palace have become accustomed to being polite and calm in expressing their gratitude, and they prefer to do everything themselves, big or small.

"I got top marks in the exam today, and I want you to be the first to praise me." Xie Yi handed a paper to Xie Yuzhen, with a hint of pride on his face.

Xie Yuzhen raised his hand and touched his head: "You have to take the exam every ten days, and every time you get a top grade, you come here to ask for praise like this. Aren't you tired of hearing it?"

"I am so happy when my mother praises me, how can I get tired of it?" Xie Yi replied with a smile.

As he wished, Xie Yuzhen pinched the boy's face and praised him a lot. At the end, he said, "After tomorrow, you will have to move out of the palace and move to the Yongjia Marquis' Mansion. The Marquis' Mansion is supervised by your grandmother and your father's trusted Wang Tai. I don't worry about your food, clothing, housing and transportation. It's just that your uncle's personality is not suitable for dealing with those officials. If it weren't for the help of Eunuch Wang in the past year, I'm afraid he would be unable to cope with it."

Ever since Xie Yuzhen had a seizure in the Lizheng Hall that day, those who went to the Yongjia Marquis' Mansion to inquire, express goodwill, hint at cooperation, and even want to curry favor with him, have gradually changed from frustrated scholars who failed the imperial examination and small officials who were frustrated in their careers to officials and nobles with real jobs in the court.

The royal family is even less reserved. Xie Jingrong, who is a little slow in interpersonal relationships, now has a seat in the only two remaining royal palaces and the princess's palace. If Xie's father had not suffered a stroke and become paralyzed, I'm afraid he would have been added to the banquet list.

As the real master of the Yongjia Marquisate, Xie Yuzhen naturally was unwilling to relax everything in the Yongjia Marquisate. When it came to the transmission of intelligence, the connections left in Concubine Deng's letter and her experience in managing power provided Xie Yuzhen with considerable help, allowing her to successfully establish her own intelligence network in just one year.

For this reason, Xie Yuzhen would also give Concubine Deng an extra pig's head during festivals.