The great hall was quiet and serene. Wisps of green smoke rose up from the mouth of the copper crane, so thin that they couldn't be seen. The Emperor leaned on Emperor Ming's Soft Couch, his eyes closed, seeming to be asleep at the same time.
Head Steward Gao Shenghai stood at the side and reported the list of gifts that had been paid to him.
How could the Emperor keep such a long list in his heart? He could just choose a few important items to listen to.
After singing, the emperor opened his eyes after waiting for a moment. "All of them are here?"
"Yes, Emperor is here. It's more or less the same as last year."
The Emperor asked, "No grapes?"
"I do," Gao Shenghai said as he went over the list smoothly. "There's Purple Mouth, Agate, and Beauty's Finger."
The Emperor frowned. "That's all. Don't we have a horse in the past?" The empress's appetite is not good, so she's rather fond of that. "
Gao Shenghai took a closer look, "Emperor, there isn't any on the list, so this servant asked around, maybe he missed out on it."
The emperor replied, "We will temporarily place the beauties that have been sent here in the storage palace. We will reward them when we have some free time."
Gao Shenghai boldly asked, "Will the Emperor not leave anything behind? I heard that the beauty sent by Tofu this time is really pretty, with deep eye sockets, a high nose bridge and a smooth stripe. "
The emperor waved his hand. "The empress's health isn't good, so I won't add to her troubles. Leave her be for now." "You should return to your original position. According to the customs of the past years, those that need to be divided up should be divided up. I am tired, so I will rest for a while."
Gao Shenghai replied and quietly left.
According to the rankings, the items would be divided into different grades and would be sent to the masters of the harem one by one.
Imperial Consort Bai's identity was respectful, she was only second to the empress. When she saw the people who sent the things in, she glanced at them and frowned, then asked the little eunuch who was gifting the things, "Is it these?"
The eunuch lowered his hands and replied, "Yes, everything that the Noble Consort's Empress is here."
Imperial Consort Bai picked at the boxes, "Where are the grapes?"
The young eunuch replied, "In reply to the Empress, there are purple mouths, beautiful fingers, and agate."
Imperial Consort Bai snorted. The Queen must be going to get something good, since her health was not good, even the Emperor had to give her more compassion. Last year, he even gave her some milk, but this year, there wasn't even a shadow of her. He knew that when he sent fresh fruit, he would be thinking about that refreshing tit for tat. Who knew that he would not have it?
She had been used to being a spoiled child in the palace, and she wanted more and more things that she could not get. However, when she arrived at the palace, she was always held back by the empress, and the emperor always defended her in every possible way, making it impossible for her to vent her anger even if she wanted to.
She was willing to spend money, so it wouldn't be difficult for her to get the news. When the news came back, there wouldn't be any milk grapes in the tribute, so she felt better.
The young eunuch, Ma Liu'er, hesitated for a moment before saying: "Mistress, this servant also found a piece of news. I said that there were four kinds of grapes.
Imperial Consort Bai's eyes lit up, "This happened?"
"Yes, this servant used some silver taels to scout things out. Prince Chu welcomed me out of the city and wanted to take away the case of horse tits, so I crossed out the form of gift."
The Imperial Consort Bai smiled sinisterly. "Yes, well done. I can't make you lose money," he said, "Reward him with the golden melon seeds."
Ma Liu'er was a smart person, so she immediately kowtowed to express her gratitude. The eunuchs in the palace were just like this, they were not lonely. He was divided up in the Rayford Palace, and was a member of the Imperial Consort Bai, and to share his master's worries was an internal matter. The position of the Noble Consort was high, and the Empress had such a body. It couldn't be wrong to hug Imperial Consort Bai's thigh.
Imperial Consort Bai thought for a bit, every time she went to complain, the empress would protect Prince Chu, so this time, she had to avoid it and tell the emperor in private.
She called for people to prepare some iced sour plum soup and then carried it to the Heart Nurturing Palace. When she saw the emperor coming out, she hurried over to pay her respects. "Chenqie pays her respects to the emperor."
"No need for formalities," To Imperial Consort Bai, the Emperor had always been polite and helped her up, "Did Noble Consort need anything from us?"
Imperial Consort Bai said with a smile, "I just received the emperor's reward. I wanted to treat you with respect, so I sent the emperor some iced sour plum soup.
"It's good enough that the item has been delivered, but it's just for a fresh look."
The Imperial Consort Bai asked, "Is the emperor going to the Empress?"
"Mm, the empress isn't in good health. Zhen will go and see her."
"When chenqie went to pay her respects in the morning, the Empress looked to be in good spirits. She joked around with everyone for a bit and talked about the offerings she had been spitting out. "It just so happens that the reward came today. Your Highness should have eaten it by now."
The emperor smiled. "I'm afraid the empress will be disappointed. There aren't any milk grapes on this year's gift list."
Imperial Consort Bai was surprised, "No? I clearly said that there were four types of grapes, but this concubine actually got three.
The emperor looked at her with a smile. "Who told Noble Consort that there are four types?"
The Imperial Consort Bai's face reddened, "Your Majesty, please don't blame your concubine. When the convoy that delivers the tribute arrived, your concubine sent people to ask about it, saying that there are four types of grapes, four types of melons, four types of dates, and four types of apricots.
The emperor also felt that it was strange. Gifts were usually given in double numbers, but this year, there were only grapes in odd numbers. Since there were four of them, why were there only three?
Imperial Consort Bai would not say anything. At this point, she could not easily say what Prince Chu was thinking, otherwise it would show her intentions.
Imperial Consort Bai was secretly pleased in his heart. Her Majesty did not care about it, but took care of the empress and snatched away the fresh fruit that the empress liked. Prince Chu, just you wait!
Seeing her complacent look, Yun Zhi asked, "Master, do you think the Emperor will investigate?"
The Princess Chu pinched a beautiful finger and placed it in his mouth, chewing on it slowly, "He should know, the Emperor is also a man, the Princess Chu poisoned his tiger a few days ago and just stopped, the Prince Chu took away the Queen's favorite horse milk midway, even if the Emperor does not blame the Prince Chu for it, he must have kept it in his heart. You tell Ma Liu'er to be more quick-witted, and report to me immediately if there is any news, the Prince Chu has the capability, I will slowly tell him."
Yun Zhi laughed, "Prime Minister has contributed a lot to the Court and Master has contributed a lot to the palace. Even if Prince Chu is a god, he would still be dragged down the ground. The more stable the Prime Minister is, the more unshakeable the position of Master is. Even the Emperor will have to give some face to Master. "
The Imperial Consort Bai scoffed. "You think the emperor isn't afraid of the Prince Chu? The Emperor will deal with him sooner or later. "
Imperial Consort Bai guessed right, the moment her feet left, the emperor's face darkened. She called Gao Shenghai over and whispered some instructions to him, then he started to head towards Phoenix Cry Palace.