After the plague in the suburbs of Beijing was revealed, it suddenly seemed like an outbreak and became serious in just three or two days.
In order to prevent the plague from spreading to the city and the palace, the city gates were temporarily closed and no one outside the palace was allowed to enter.
All purchased items should be delivered to the palace gate and then transported to the corresponding places by palace staff.
When the ministers came to court, they all volunteered to go to the suburbs to eliminate the epidemic.
This time, Ning Chen waved his hand and selected one person from each of the younger generations of the Chen, Xie, Yao, and Wu families and threw them out together.
Of course there are some other officials, but the main ones are these four.
Let's see how they make money first.
At the same time, Ye Jun found a way to pass a letter to his mother Chu outside the palace. The content of the letter was that heroes emerge in troubled times, and if his grandfather and uncle wanted to become imperial merchants, now was a good opportunity.
Chu was also smart and naturally understood the meaning. Even though her husband was gone, her children were still young, and if her parents' family was well off, she would have someone to rely on.
So the letter was sent to Bianzhou at full speed that day.
When paying respects the next day, the Queen became stern.
"There is a plague spreading outside the city right now. The vegetables and fruits sent to the palace at this time are inevitably not as fresh as before. You should all be more sensible. If I know who is making trouble at this critical moment, don't blame me for not considering the relationship between sisters!"
This is said for Miss Yi.
Yesterday afternoon, Miss Yi asked for some fruit, but there was none of the ones she liked, so she got very angry at the kitchen manager.
At this moment, the beautiful Ziyi lowered her head and dared not to breathe.
Fortunately, no one dared to cause trouble now, for fear of being caught and punished by the queen, so no one mocked her.
In fact, Lady Yi also regretted it. She lost her temper yesterday because she was irritated by the people in the kitchen.
It turned out that the person had said openly or secretly that she didn't love Ye Jun as much as she did now. Even Ye Jun wasn't so picky, so what was she picky about
If she thought about it carefully, that man was just a servant and she herself was not out of favor, so how dare that man mock her like that? It must be someone who instructed him to do so.
But the incident had already passed, and she could not afford to regret it. She could only remind herself to be more careful.
"All those below the rank of Concubine can disperse. The rest of you can follow me to the Cining Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager."
When the queen had finished her words, she stood up.
Ye Jun sighed inwardly, hoping that the Queen Mother would not act like a demon.
This was her first time going back to the Cining Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and she wanted to come back safe and sound.
When they arrived at the Cining Palace, they all bowed and sat down according to their seats.
The Queen Mother held a string of jade beads in her hand, glanced at him calmly, and then spoke.
"The recent plague has caused a lot of uproar. The emperor has suffered a lot in the past. You must serve him more attentively and relieve his fatigue. In addition, I feel bad for the people suffering outside. I have copied a lot of Buddhist scriptures in the past two days, but I feel it is far from enough. I think that since the ladies in the harem cannot share the emperor's worries, then go with me to Baohua Palace to copy scriptures, burn incense, worship Buddha, and pray for the people."
"My Queen Mother has a kind heart towards the people. I'm sure it will move God and end this plague soon." The Queen agreed with a smile.
Concubine Shu also spoke up, "The Empress Dowager is the mother of the country. If the Empress Dowager personally prays for the people, it will definitely benefit the people."
"That's right. With the Empress Dowager leading me and others in praying for blessings, we can be considered to have done our bit for the people." Concubine Wen said.
After hearing these compliments, the empress dowager smiled slightly, showing that she was very pleased.
Of course, these "daughters-in-law" were not called here to receive compliments.
His eyes swept across and fell on Yao Xiang.
"Fang Xiuyi saved the emperor's life, so she must be a blessed person. I think it would be better if Fang Xiuyi stayed for an extra hour every day to burn the Buddhist scriptures that I and the others copied for the Bodhisattva."
Concubine Shu quickly replied, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother is right. Fang Xiuyi was able to recover from such a serious injury. She must be very lucky. It is most appropriate to let her burn the Buddhist scriptures."
"If the Queen Mother thinks highly of me, I will serve the people and do my best."
Yao Xiang stood up obediently and bowed her body properly. This submissive look made the empress dowager feel very comfortable.
In the past, Imperial Concubine Yao had a higher status than her, but she was the only one who bowed her head. Now, seeing both the aunt and niece of the Yao family bowing and scraping at her hands, she felt very happy.
After tormenting Yao Xiang, they naturally wouldn't let the next one go, and Ye Jun was named next.
Some time ago, Ning Chen gave Ye Jun many gifts, both openly and secretly. When the empress dowager heard the news, she cursed her as a vixen countless times in the Cining Palace.
"Ming Jieyu's outfit is quite elegant, with a moonlight brocade dress, a Hetian jade bracelet, and a South Pearl hairpin. The people are suffering outside the palace, and I have become frugal, but you are still extravagant!"
The Queen pretended to try to reconcile them, and hurriedly said, "Mother, calm down. Ming Jieyu is young, so it's natural that she likes these bright clothes. The Emperor loves Ming Jieyu, and last year he rewarded her with gold and silver powder to decorate her nails. We don't lack these in the palace, but it's special now. But please rest assured, mother, I will teach her well."
Ye Jun frowned and stood up, "I know I was wrong, I will dress more simply, these jewelry and cloth were sent by my mother's family, I can change them when I go back.
He paused and continued.
"But I think that the Empress Dowager can just pray for the people, and she doesn't need to be too hard on herself. The Empress Dowager has lived a life of luxury for so many years, and now if she cuts back on her clothes and food for the people, I'm afraid the people will feel bad and blame themselves. Wouldn't that go against the Empress Dowager's original intention of doing things for the people?"
"Are you saying that I did something wrong?" The Queen Mother snorted coldly.
Ye Jun bowed calmly, "I dare not, I just feel sorry for the Queen Mother. The Emperor has seen the people suffer. If the Queen Mother cannot enjoy happiness, I am afraid that the Emperor will suffer even more."
Speaking of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager was concerned about Ye Jun's recent favor with the Emperor, so she glared at her and said nothing more.
As soon as she came out of the Cining Palace, Wang Xiuyuan called her.
"I saw the full moon gift that my sister gave to the second princess. It was really thoughtful. I thank you on behalf of the second princess."
"You're too polite, sister. The Second Princess is a gifted girl from heaven and deserves all the good things. I was just taking advantage of her. As long as I can make you happy, my efforts are not in vain." Ye Jun smiled.
Since you have decided to make friends, be gentle.
Wang Xiuyuan looked around and lowered her voice, "Don't blame me for not speaking for you just now. Although I gave birth to the second princess and have the current position, my family is not favored by me. I still have some face in front of the emperor. As for the queen mother... I really have no say."
"Sister, you are overthinking. I understand." Ye Jun comforted her. "Our Queen Mother has high standards. I am afraid she only values Chen Wanrong. It is normal for me to be angry. However, I will have to kneel down in Baohua Palace in the future. Sister has just come out of confinement. You must take good care of yourself."
Wang Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she really didn't blame herself.
The two separated, and Ye Jun got on the sedan chair and went back to Yuxiu Pavilion, feeling irritated.
This Queen Mother dislikes everyone, but she doesn't realize that everyone dislikes her either.
Sooner or later you will kill yourself.