Chapter 884: Solution
Chapter 884 -887: Solution
Both the outer court and the inner harem were restless over this fortune. A few imperial concubines had already caused a scene before the Supreme Emperor, crying about how difficult it was for the Commandery Princes to establish their own estates. Although the courtiers had submitted a series of applications to the Ministry of Revenue, Gu Wenheng rejected most of them. These people refused to give up, coming up with new excuses every day.
At first, Gu Wenheng had the patience to explain which rules they were violating, but he eventually grew tired of it. He picked out a few typical cases and reported them to the Emperor. In front of all the courtiers, Gu Wenheng showed no mercy. Hua Zhang also knew the hidden tricks involved and reprimanded a few of them, which finally forced these people to gradually settle down.
However, the harem was far from peaceful. Since the Supreme Emperor claimed to be ill and hid in his bedchamber, these concubines took their complaints to the Empress Dowager.
“Empress Dowager, the Supreme Emperor’s actions are truly unfair. A few of the Princes are leaving the palace to establish their estates, but with only those few manors allocated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they simply can’t sustain themselves. How are they supposed to establish a foothold in Shangjing?” Seeing that the other concubines remained silent, Consort Xu scoffed coldly, stood up, and demanded an answer.
With someone taking the lead, the others no longer held back. Lady Liu chimed in, “For dignified Princes to live worse than lower-ranking officials is a joke to the Royal Family.
“The dignity of a Prince represents the dignity of the Royal Family.”
Consort Xu added, “Even when commoners divide their family assets, they wouldn’t leave out their other sons, aside from the eldest.
“The Supreme Emperor has opened several of his private storehouses. We sisters aren’t greedy; we only hope that the Supreme Emperor can let a little slip through his fingers for those poor Princes…”
“Insolence!” Empress Dowager Zhou slammed her hand on the table. “Are you complaining to me that the Supreme Emperor is being unfair?”
All the concubines shrank their necks. In their earlier years, they had suffered far too many losses at the hands of Empress Dowager Zhou. Even now, just thinking about it made them feel timid. They were all quite old now; if they were punished to run laps in the back garden again, not only would they lose their dignity in front of the younger generation, but how could they ever assert their authority in the palace in the future?
“The Grand Emperor opened his private storehouses entirely for the benefit of the people.
“You are here complaining on behalf of a few Princes—do you want them to compete with the common people for profit?”
Empress Dowager Zhou looked at them coldly. Over the years, these women had submitted in word but not in heart, constantly causing trouble for her. She had let these matters slide with minor punishments to serve as major warnings. She thought that since her son had ascended the throne and his position was secure, these people would finally settle down. Little did she expect history to repeat itself today. This time, all the imperial concubines in the harem who had sons were present. It was obvious they had conspired beforehand.
“Empress Dowager, you are mistaken,” Consort Xu said self-righteously. “We simply wish to see the Grand Emperor, and we beg you to grant our request.”
Empress Dowager Zhou took a sip of tea to calm herself for a moment before replying unhurriedly, “If you want to see the Grand Emperor, it’s easy. Just go and request an audience directly. What use is it coming to me?”
“But the Grand Emperor refuses to see us…” Concubine He instantly covered her mouth, earning the glares of her fellow sisters.
“Then there’s truly nothing to be done,” Empress Dowager Zhou said. “Why don’t you go and beg a few more times?”
“Empress Dowager, the Grand Emperor summoned you recently,” Consort Xu said. “Please, for the sake of the Princes who call you Imperial Mother, put in a good word for them. Later, we will have them come into the palace to thank you.”
Empress Dowager Zhou laughed. “Consort Xu, you are mistaken. They don’t just have me as their Imperial Mother; they also have their own birth mothers.” She would rather the Grand Emperor empty all his private storehouses than let these people reap any benefits.
“The Commandery Princes have been of noble royal blood since birth. No matter how difficult their lives might be, it couldn’t possibly be harder than that of the common folk.
“The Grand Emperor aches for the suffering of the common people and plans to use his private storehouses to consolidate the government and pacify the masses. This is a matter that benefits both the nation and its people. Even if the Commandery Princes don’t support it, they shouldn’t cause trouble for the Grand Emperor at a time like this.
“Do you imperial concubines think my words make sense?”
Consort Xu clenched the silk handkerchief in her hand, cursing inwardly that it was easy for her to make cynical remarks; after all, the one benefiting was her son who had already become Emperor. However, on the surface, she smiled and said, “The Empress Dowager makes a valid point. We have been foolish.
“I’ve heard that the items in the Grand Emperor’s private storehouses are incredibly diverse and require a lot of effort to organize.
“This is, after all, our Royal Family’s own storehouse. Having Mr. Gu, an outside minister, manage it is still somewhat against the rules. Since the Commandery Princes are idle, why not let them assist from the sidelines?”
“The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics,” Empress Dowager Zhou replied. “If you imperial concubines wish to secure positions for the Princes, you should have them seek out the Holy Emperor or the Grand Emperor.
“We female members of the harem should strictly abide by our duties, lest we invite impeachment from the courtiers.” Her reminder was not born out of kindness, but rather a desire to avoid bringing trouble to her own son.
“Empress Dowager, you worry too much. We are merely making a suggestion. After all, using outsiders is never as reassuring as using one’s own family.” Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhou wasn’t taking the bait, Chen Taipin, who had been listening from the sidelines, grew anxious. Affected by her paternal family’s downfall, Chen Ziyan’s original concubine position had also been demoted to a Taipin, and the Sixth Prince had suffered as a result. If he couldn’t secure a position now, who would respect him—even with the title of a Commandery Prince—once the Grand Emperor passed away?
Empress Dowager Zhou said, “It’s fine for Chen Taipin to say such things within my palace, but you must not act so recklessly outside.
“Mr. Gu has his own set of principles for conducting himself as an official all these years, otherwise he wouldn’t have been favored and entrusted with such heavy responsibilities by the Grand Emperor and the Holy Emperor.
“The Commandery Princes must wait patiently; the Grand Emperor and the Holy Emperor will not forget them.”
Seeing that the imperial concubines and taipins still wanted to speak, Empress Dowager Zhou picked up her teacup, not wanting to entertain them any longer. It seemed that the routine morning greetings on the first and fifteenth of every month needed to be changed. Now that the Grand Emperor was in poor health, as concubines of the harem, they ought to do their part by copying scriptures and praying for his well-being.
By the time the various imperial concubines and taipins returned to their respective bedchambers, the Empress Dowager’s edict followed right behind: all palaces were ordered to cultivate their moral character for three months by copying scriptures and praying for the Grand Emperor.
When Hua Shunming heard about the commotion in the harem, he merely smiled, completely unfazed. He had long been accustomed to the women of the harem creating drama every few days. Right now, he was in the storehouse, looking at the treasures he had accumulated over time. After a period of organization, they were all sorted and waiting for his orders.
“Gu Aiqing, you have worked hard these past few days,” Hua Shunming nodded in appreciation. Only Gu Wenheng could make him feel at ease handing over so many valuable items.
Gu Wenheng replied, “This is all part of my duty.”
“It is thanks to you, Mr. Gu, that I possess all this wealth,” Hua Shunming said. “I never expected that, after all this time, it would still fall to you to handle it.
“You mentioned before that selling these items wouldn’t be easy. So many days have passed; I wonder if Gu Aiqing has come up with a suitable solution?”
Gu Wenheng listened quietly before replying, “To answer the Grand Emperor, I have not yet thought of one. However, with so many ministers in the court, if we pool our wisdom, we will surely come up with something.”
Hua Shunming hesitated. “…Previously, your Madam has always set up shops in Lu City to purchase these imported goods…”