allonlinenovel Chapter 474 A Stranger’s Rise to Power (42)
Chapter 474 A Stranger’s Rise to Power (42)
'The effect varies from person to person, depending on how they think about it.'
Shen Yao did not deny that she did this with the intention of winning people's hearts. After all, she was the queen. If she wanted to keep the harem stable, she had to have a firm grasp on some people.
"Host, what if some people are unwilling?" "To surrender to the Queen means to be a pawn, and from then on, you will have no control over what others do (although not surrendering will not end well either).
Shen Yao rolled her eyes at the system in confusion, "If you don't want to, forget it."
Winning people's hearts is not the purpose, the most important thing is to take this opportunity to help me keep a close eye on the concubines in Jiangnan.'
You should know that the family members are scheduled to enter the palace next month, and the face-reading group also includes the entire harem of concubines.
The He sisters are from the Jiangnan clan, so the He family will definitely send someone over. By then, "are you afraid that you won't be able to catch them even if you have evidence?"
system:……
It turns out that the host's plan is waiting here, and the others are just incidental, the main target is still the concubines of Jiangnan.
The system said "oh" to indicate that it understood, and turned around, hugging its spherical body and becoming autistic.
Shen Yao raised her hand and touched her long hair, then called Xiaoji to ask when the Shen family would enter the palace.
Last night the emperor mentioned the Shen family's petition, and after he accepted it, he turned around and told her.
Shen Yao naturally planned to do it as soon as possible. It had been such a long time since Shen Chunbai and his son returned to Beijing, but they had not yet had a formal meeting and conversation.
Now Shen Yao's two sisters-in-law have come to the palace, nominally to express their gratitude on behalf of Shen Chunbai and his son, but in fact they want to discuss with Shen Yao what the future of the Shen family should be.
"My Lord, the palace has arranged for them to enter the palace at 9:00 p.m. The two of them are probably at the palace gate now."
"Then arrange for someone to pick them up. The last time I saw the two sisters-in-law was in the spring of last year. Time flies, and almost a year has passed."
Even though she was a high-ranking concubine in the harem, Shen Yao could not summon her relatives into the palace frequently.
Last year, Shen Chunbai and his son Shen Changyu were not in the capital most of the time, and Shen Yao just called She and Cheng in to sit down in the name of comforting them.
When they met again this year, she couldn't help but feel that things had changed.
"Your humble servant She/Cheng greets Her Majesty the Queen. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health and happiness."
"This is the palace rule, sisters-in-law, please don't be surprised, please take a seat."
Shen Yao raised her hand with a smile, and let Xiaoji bring two round stools and place them in front of the couch.
The She and Cheng families expressed their understanding of this, saying that the difference in status cannot be ignored.
"Xiaoji, look at the tea."
Xiaoji brought two cups of tea and handed them to Ms. She and Ms. Cheng respectively.
The teacup is exquisite, made of fine porcelain, with lifelike patterns engraved around it, which makes people feel very happy at the first sight.
She came from a family of civil servants. She started by praising the furnishings in the room, and then extended the praise to other aspects from a small teacup, flattering the person fluently and naturally.
Because she was pregnant, she hadn't lost all the weight yet, which made her look gentler and more amiable.
"It's not what my sister-in-law said, it's just the tea set sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
If sister-in-law likes it, ask Xiaoji to prepare a few more sets when we get back."
Shen Yao has always been generous in this regard, and she is not the kind of person who is falsely polite.
She had been married into the Shen family for several years and had come into contact with Shen Yao several times, so she was quite familiar with the temper of her half-sister-in-law.
Seeing this, he did not refuse politely, but accepted it with sincere gratitude.
Cheng followed suit and echoed the words. Although she was not as smart as her sister-in-law, fortunately she was obedient enough. Before entering the palace, Shen Changhe had told her that everything should be based on her sister-in-law.
The two exchanged a few polite words and then moved on to the key topic: the future of the Shen family.
She kept a very low profile, especially when talking to Shen Yao. Shen Yao must be in the dominant position, and she was just a tool who could enter the palace and convey various words.
"Father and elder brother have been very busy lately, and I can also learn a thing or two from the emperor.
I hope my sister-in-law will tell my father and brother that Shen Shi has caused such a big commotion just now, and the emperor has shown special favor to her. She must not cross the bottom line drawn by the emperor again."
What is the bottom line drawn by the emperor? Some acts of openly oppressing the people and occupying fertile land are things that the emperor does not like and will settle the score with him later.
"The officials of the three departments in the court have never really rested since they thoroughly investigated the memorials. The emperor is concerned about the country and will never allow something that will destroy the foundation.
Shen was acting recklessly before, and I was trapped in the harem, so it was hard for me to say much.
Now that my father and eldest brother are back, I'll have to trouble them to take care of this matter and try to reduce some risks while protecting the Shen family."
Shen Yao's words were straightforward and clear, not giving She any chance to play dumb.
Upon hearing this, She could only nod in agreement and smiled assure Shen Yao not to worry. Even if the Shen family was dissatisfied, they would not dare to make Shen Yao unhappy.
"My two sisters-in-law, please taste this tea. The tribute sent from Jiangnan is not much."
Shen Yao was able to have this thanks to the emperor's continued guilt. Any good tribute sent from below would get a share from Fengyi Palace.
Upon hearing this, Ms. She and Ms. Cheng tasted the tea themselves and found that it was indeed fragrant and lingering.
There seemed to be some lingering tea fragrance on the tip of her tongue. She pursed her lips and said nothing. She was awakened by Shen Yao's words and praised the tea.
Shen Yao nodded with a smile, and said that it seemed that there were not many of them. "It's hard to hand them over to the two sisters-in-law. Please forgive me."
She hurriedly stood up and saluted, "How can we deserve such treatment from the Queen?" This tea was originally a tribute from the south of the Yangtze River, how could they have the nerve to drink it and take it.
Shen Yao smiled and said that there was not much tea, otherwise she would have given it to the Shen family to try.
“Speaking of which, after some time, the families of the concubines in the palace above the fifth rank will be able to enter the palace, and those below the fifth rank will have special people to carry letters for communication.
The concubines and their families in the Jiangnan area spent a lot of time traveling.
I was thinking if someone could help me, it would be better.”
Originally, this job definitely had nothing to do with the Shen family. After all, the imperial court had a department specifically responsible for this matter.
But now that Shen Yao brought it up directly in front of She and Cheng, they couldn't help but think about it.
Cheng was still unsure, but She had already analyzed several possibilities of what Shen Yao wanted to express from her words, and compared them one by one in her mind, carefully eliminating them.
Finally, She tactfully raised the most unlikely yet most likely point, "If your Majesty wants to ensure that the families of the concubines from Jiangnan have good food and accommodation in the capital, you still have to specifically instruct the government office in charge."
Shen Yao pretended to rub her forehead and said, "It is inconvenient for me to speak in the palace. It is inevitable that I will make a fuss when the emperor tells me to do so. I shouldn't think so much. I am afraid that someone will secretly make trouble during this operation."
After all, the suggestion was made by Shen Yao, and it was Shen Yao's name that was promoted.
Just imagine, if this kind of news were to get out, the concubines and their families would surely say good things to Shen Yao.
She understood the intention and said that such a thing must not be allowed to succeed. Although the Shen family did not have the function in this regard, considering Shen Chunbai's current status and popularity, it could be done with just a few words.
Shen Yao smiled obscurely, "Don't be too high-profile, in case rumors spread, the previous incident with the Shen family is a lesson for us."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand," She felt that her majesty was quite cautious in her actions. She thought to herself that it was no wonder that the Shen family was so stable. With such a big Buddha guarding them, even she would not dare to be too presumptuous.
She and Cheng did not stay in Fengyi Palace for long, especially since the emperor was coming over in the evening.
Not wanting the two sides to meet face to face, Shen Yao sent She and Cheng away in advance.
When She and Cheng returned to the Shen family, they would naturally tell Shen Chunbai and others about their conversation.
Shen Chunbai called brothers Shen Changyu and Shen Changhe back to the study to discuss.
Many of the thoughts between men are often deeper than those of women.
Take the arrangements for the relatives of the concubines in Jiangnan mentioned by She. On the surface, Shen Yao asked the Shen family to help take care of them. It would be best to stop some restless people and avoid things that would damage Shen Yao's reputation.
But in fact, this might just be a signal to make them pay attention. The real reason lies with the relatives of the concubines in Jiangnan. It would be more accurate to say that they are monitoring them rather than taking care of them.
Surveillance?
"Father, are you thinking too much? Maybe it's just caring?"
Shen Changhe is worthy of his position in the Shen family. He can never compare to Shen Changyu in terms of reaction and ideas. This is why the Shen family is so popular now and the heir who is put in the open has never wavered.
Shen Changyu shook his head. "If it's just about taking care of me, there's no need for the queen to give any special instructions."
Even when the news of concubines and relatives entering the palace spread, the Shen family had already prepared for all this in advance.
Not only the Empress kept Shen's affairs in mind, but the Shen family would not forget them either. The enemies had not been completely suppressed, and they would not allow any unfavorable rumors about the Shen family and the Empress to occur.
“It may be that Your Majesty is a little worried about the concubines and their families in Jiangnan.
The Jiangnan region has always been prosperous, and the concubines from the Jiangnan region are also favored in the palace. "Not to mention those far away, the Shen family heard everything about the He sisters alone outside the palace. Even when Concubine He got pregnant and had a miscarriage, She also sent the news to the border through letters.
In this case, it is inevitable that Her Majesty will become suspicious of the families of the concubines in Jiangnan.
Shen Chunbai touched his chin, indicating that since the matter had been revealed, no matter what the Empress's real purpose was, their Shen family would take it seriously.
There is a saying that goes, it is better to be prepared. Doing more is always better than doing less. Otherwise, if they really miss something, it will be too late for them to regret.
"Don't worry, father. Leave this matter to your son." Whether it was placing people in place in advance or giving instructions openly, Shen Changyu felt that he could do his best.
Shen Changhe: ...
Shen Changhe followed the crowd and said that everything would be arranged by his father and elder brother, and they would do whatever they were told to do.
"Why don't you try harder and show your ability in front of your father?"
When Shen Changhe came back from the study, Cheng asked about the situation and then patted him hard.
Shen Changhe dodged to the side, indicating that she had not behaved well in front of the empress in the palace. They, as a couple, should not embarrass themselves, not to mention the eldest brother.
Cheng: ...