The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 337 Rejected by the Emperor

After leaving Fengyi Palace, the smile on Xie Run's face faded slightly, and a serious look appeared on his face.

She asked Xie Run: "Dan Tao, how long have we been in Fengyi Palace just now?"

Dan Tao thought for a moment and said, "It'll only take half a cup of tea."

"Only half a cup of tea..."

The queen couldn't hold on any longer and showed signs of fatigue.

How bad is her health?

After returning to Showa Palace, Xie Run sat in a chair and felt worried. He took the tea handed to him by Xiao Shu and sent everyone else away.

"I originally thought that although the Queen's health was declining, she was still in her prime and could easily last another thirty to fifty years."

"But today, you and I have only been in Fengyi Palace for half a cup of tea, and she already looks exhausted. It's obvious that her health is not as good as before."

Xie Rundao: "She had just taken the medicine at that time."

There was also a hint of worry between her rosy brows, "Your Majesty is worried about the Queen..."

She lowered her voice and asked, "Your health is too bad, and you won't live long?"

Xie Run sighed, "I'm afraid it's not just a matter of short lifespan anymore."

Xie Jiang had previously tipped off Xie Run that the Queen's surgery would affect her lifespan.

Xie Run believes that the impact on life expectancy is from a normal life of 50 or 60 years old to 40 or 50 years old.

The Queen is only twenty-five years old now and has plenty of time to live.

But looking at it today, it seems that she has misunderstood it?

What Xie Jiang said about shortening one's lifespan might mean that the queen simply won't live long.

But isn’t it just an abortion?

Xie Run was confused and wanted to find Xie Jiang to find out some information.

But she is now in the palace, and it is inconvenient for her to go in and out, let alone exchange letters, so it is not convenient to ask about this matter.

Xiao Shu and Dan Tao both knew that their master had no ambition to become queen, and they also understood that Xie Run’s current family background was a shortcoming.

If something really happened to the queen, the first thing the new queen would do was to take action against Xie Run, the favorite concubine, to establish her authority.

Xie Run: "Forget it. If the Queen's health is really this bad, there will be signs sooner or later. There's no need to keep guessing."

Xie Rundu was ready to assist the empress in managing the six palaces, but was rejected by the emperor.

In the past, the emperor did not care about the affairs of the harem. The empress made the decisions and then reported them to the emperor as a notification to the emperor.

But this time the queen sent someone to pass the message to the emperor, but was rejected.

"Concubine Zhaode was injured while saving me. It's time to take good care of her and not put too much stress on her."

"Why not let Concubine Wen and Concubine Li assist you in managing the six palaces."

The Queen was not happy and did not respond to the Emperor's words. "I have not considered it carefully enough. I will think about it carefully for two more days."

Mother Li was puzzled. "The Emperor asked Concubine Wen to assist the Empress, perhaps because she's his younger sister. But why did he also ask Concubine Li to come?"

"Instead of Concubine Li, it would be better to have Concubine Jing assist you, the Empress." Mother Li glanced at her and snorted, "This Concubine Li is not a quiet person. Ever since she moved into Chonghua Palace, she's been arguing with Gong Xiurong every other day."

"Gong Xiurong is not someone who is easy to deal with, but he has been wronged by Concubine Li several times in a row. I'm afraid Concubine Li is also a manipulative person."

Nothing that happens in the harem can be hidden from the queen's eyes, it all depends on the size of the matter and whether the queen wants to intervene.

The old people who came with her in the palace knew the queen's temperament, so they all acted in a measured way when making trouble. Only newcomers tended to lose their sense of proportion when doing things.

Furthermore, Mother Li was from the Xia Dynasty and followed a princess of the Xia Dynasty. Of course, she could not stand Concubine Li, a princess from the Rakshasa Kingdom.

She couldn't help but mutter, "A princess of a small country isn't even as prestigious as the daughter of the governor of the Yu Dynasty. She only got her position by giving gifts to the emperor."

“Not to mention the previous dynasties, during the reign of the Supreme Emperor, high positions were never given to small countries. But now the Emperor is so generous that he gave a concubine position right away. Even the old people in the palace don’t have this position.”

"She's quite worthy of it!"

In the past, the Queen always liked to scold Mother Li and not let her talk nonsense.

But now her health is getting worse, and she is even less interested in these trivial matters.

In addition, Mother Li also knew her limits and only complained quietly when no one was in the Queen's palace, and the Queen just ignored her.

After listening, he asked, "I heard that Wu Baolin has been complaining for a few days that the courtyard he lives in is not good and he wants to move to another place?"

Mother Li said disdainfully, "That's not where I live, is it? That's Ye Cairen next door!"

"That's a tricky one too."

The Queen leaned back in her chair and listened to Mother Li talk about trivial matters in the palace.

Mother Li: "Wu Baolin finally behaved himself after being punished last time, but he's been acting crazy again lately."

"A while ago, she complained that the food provided by the imperial kitchen was not good and caused her stomach discomfort, so she called the imperial physician overnight."

"She's pregnant with the royal heir. Who in the imperial kitchen dares to neglect her?"

If we want to settle the score, we have to wait until Wu Baolin gives birth to a child.

Mother Li thought about this and continued, "It's just that when she was a talented lady, the imperial kitchen saw she was pregnant and prepared meals for her according to her status as a beauty. Now that she is Baolin, naturally it can't be the same. But she is not satisfied, so she always finds fault and wants the same meals as a beauty."

"Ye Cairen lived next door to her. One day, she stole a vegetable for some reason, and she immediately took people to take it back from Wu Baolin's yard."

Mother Li paused and whispered, "I heard that before Concubine Ye left, she dumped the entire dish onto Wu Baolin's bed, saying that if she hadn't been concerned about the heir to the throne, she would have thrown it in her face."

If this happened to someone else, Mother Li might praise them for their true nature.

But if it falls on the concubines in the harem, it means adding burden to the queen to deal with these troubles.

Mother Li complained, "Luckily it's summer. If the bedding had gotten dirty in winter, I don't know what we'd do."

"These two have been enemies ever since, and they've been having minor conflicts every now and then. Ye Cairen's methods are cunning and strange, and Wu Baolin, worried about the child he's expecting, doesn't dare to act recklessly. Of the two, Wu Baolin is the one who often suffers."

The Queen said calmly, "How could it be such a coincidence that Wu Baolin took Lady Ye's meal?"

The Queen was fully aware of the thoughts and tactics of her subordinates. "I'm afraid Wu Baolin must have offended the Imperial Kitchen, and they've deliberately set him up."

Mother Li lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty is the one who sees things clearly."

The Queen continued, "But she is pregnant with the heir to the throne. If she is constantly being bullied, it might be detrimental to her pregnancy. That Concubine Ye is also quite arrogant and shows no mercy."

"Now she's competing with Wu Baolin and has gained an advantage. If Wu Baolin really makes a mistake, half her life won't be enough to compensate for it."

Mother Li massaged the Queen's shoulders and asked kindly, "Your Majesty, are you planning to have Wu Baolin move?"

The Queen nodded. "She may be narrow-minded, but she's not a bad person. Let's arrange for her to live in Anxin Pavilion and keep Lady Fang company."