"Are you so happy?" Ning Chen raised his eyebrows
Ye Jun pinched a piece of red bean cake and winked, "Of course I am happy. She wanted to bully me, and I bullied her back. I won the battle, and the emperor rewarded me?"
"Tsk... you really are, and you're still rewarding her. She has a title, so you should at least be more restrained."
The emperor was very hypocritical. Although he said this, he pulled out a jade pendant from his waist and handed it over.
"This jade has a nice shape, but it hasn't been carved yet. I'm giving it to you as a reward. You can play with it or make it into jewelry. It's up to you."
Ye Jun took it. It was a piece of fine mutton-fat jade, oval in shape, which could be made into several things if it was broken down.
Naturally, she accepted it without hesitation.
They sat for a while and watched the temperature gradually rise. Although it was a cloudy day, it was still summer and it was still uncomfortable to stay outside.
Ning Chen thought the Zhaixing Pavilion was too small, so he took people directly to Jingqian Palace.
But unfortunately, before Ye Jun could even sit down, a minister came to see him.
It was none other than the Empress Dowager's brother, Chen Baolin's father, the Emperor's uncle, Lord Chen.
"Lord Chen said he came here for matters concerning the Ministry of Personnel. Would Your Majesty like to see him?" Yuan Jiu asked cautiously.
Ning Chen's eyes turned cold. It was the Ministry of Personnel again. Who did they want to give a good official position to this time
It was not appropriate for a woman from the harem to interfere in matters of the court, so Ye Jun obediently withdrew.
When he came out, he happened to meet Lord Chen. The two of them greeted each other and then went their separate ways.
"I think this Lord Chen doesn't look like Chen Baolin. I heard that he is a civil servant, but he looks so heroic." Huiyue said in a low voice.
Lu Yan followed suit and spoke up, "I have had the opportunity to see the Chen family from afar. This lady is 60% similar to the Empress Dowager, and Chen Baolin is more like her mother."
"Oh? Then Chen Baolin's mother must be a beauty too. Chen Baolin is pretty good-looking."
Ye Jun smiled and continued chatting, "Lu Yan, how old are you this year, and how long have you been in the palace?"
"Replying to Wanrong, I am 24 years old this year. I was selected to enter the palace when I was 16 years old. I have been serving the late Emperor Qin Zhaorong. Last year, Qin Zhaorong died, and I returned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to wait for orders. This year, I was assigned to you, Wanrong. I have been in the palace for eight years."
Lu Yan spoke truthfully, with a hint of unnaturalness in his eyes.
These questions were asked once when selecting people, why are they asked again
"Twenty-four, according to the law, you can leave the palace and marry at the age of twenty-five." Ye Jun looked at her with a smile, "If you serve me well, I will prepare a dowry for you when you leave the palace next year. The same goes for the maids who serve me here. I will give them dowries when they leave the palace."
Ye Jun really had no other intention at this moment, she just asked. She was serious about preparing the dowry, she had money and was not stingy with it.
But she didn't know that this casual remark gave her the opportunity to fight back at the critical moment.
Back to the present, the master and servants returned to the Zhaixing Pavilion. Ye Jun guessed that the emperor would not look for anyone for a while, so he changed into casual clothes and started painting.
Since you have been rewarded with paint, just paint a colorful one.
The painting shows the koi fish that we fed today.
At that time in Jingqian Palace, Lord Chen had already left. Ning Chen stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, his eyes calm, and said nothing.
The uncle who came today actually wanted to dismiss a relative of the Chen family.
That person is indeed not a talented person. He is forty years old but has no political achievements. However, he holds the important position of Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Over the years, he has made many unjust, false and wrong judgments.
The Chen family was actually willing to give up such an important position.
Ning Chen couldn't think of anything else, the reason was that the Chen family wanted to retreat in order to advance.
His cousin encountered setbacks everywhere as soon as she entered the palace. It must be that the Chen family planned to make concessions in the previous dynasty so that the daughter in the harem could have a better life.
After all, Yao was already a talented woman and had even been given a title. It would indeed not look good if Chen Baolin, her cousin, did not receive a promotion.
Ning Chen clenched his fists, his eyes were cold. The Shaoqing of Dali Temple was an important position, but his superior was the Dali Temple Minister. Although that person was not a member of the Chen family, he was a disciple of the Chen family and could be considered a member of the Chen family.
Even though he could replace the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple with his own people, he still could not completely control the Ministry of Justice.
But now he has no choice, even if it is just a small profit, he has to pick it up.
As an emperor, Ning Chen was naturally humiliated and angry when he had to snatch meat from his subjects, but his foundation was unstable and he had to suppress it.
Which one of the Empress Dowager Chen's family, the Grand Noble Concubine Yao's family, and the Queen Xie's family is easy to mess with
Before he builds up his own power, he must keep the three companies in a three-way balance of power and not let any one of them dominate.
From this, Ning Chen thought of Ye Jun and the Chu family again.
"When will the people sent to Bianzhou return?"
"Your Majesty, I should be back in about five days." Yuan Jiu bowed.
Ning Chen narrowed his eyes, "My cousin, you have understood my respect. I should go and see you. I have neglected the queen for a long time. Send the Clivia I painted to Wutong Palace. You can also send some gifts to other places as long as you don't break the rules."
Yuan Jiu responded and left.
He had to pick these out himself, so Huai'an accompanied the imperial carriage to Chen Baolin first.
In the Zhaixing Pavilion, Bai Zhu came in cautiously and told the emperor's whereabouts. He kept his head down for fear that his master would be unhappy.
"You did a good job. Keep a close eye on what's going on outside." Ye Jun smiled and waved at Huiyue, "Go and give him some change. You have to be willing to spend some money when you're trying to gather information outside."
"Your servant is Xie Wanrong!" Bai Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and retreated with great gratitude.
There was no one else in the room, so Huiyue spoke carefully.
"Wanrong, don't be angry. After all, she is the emperor's cousin. I think Lord Chen said something when he came to the palace. The emperor has been with you for the whole morning today, and he has you in his heart..."
"Okay, don't say such things in the future." Ye Jun stopped her calmly, "The emperor cares about the government and the country, and I am just a girl in the harem, just seeking favor from him."
Ye Jun raised his head and looked outside the door, his eyes were cold.
Huiyue was stunned, feeling happy and distressed at the same time.
If the general had not died, his daughter would have been able to choose a good husband, marry him, become his wife, take care of his husband and children, and live a happy life.
Now that she has entered the palace, although the emperor's concubines are also noble, they are still concubines in the end. What's more, the glory that others can see is all the result of the girl's hard work. She is walking on thin ice, so how can she feel relaxed
The most taboo thing in the palace is to be emotional. If you lose your heart, you lose. But if you have no emotions, it is a pity.
Ye Jun didn't know what Huiyue was thinking. He just sighed that even though he was the emperor, he still had no control over his own affairs.
She entered the palace, having no choice but to compete for favor.
He was in the harem, helpless, who was there that he really loved
Thinking about it this way, Ye Jun found it funny that he and Ning Chen actually had something in common.
If she wants to get a high position in the future, she has to make her mother's family and her favorites strong, so that she can stand firm.
If Ning Chen wants to break free from the control of the aristocratic families, he has to build up his own power.
What's not to like when two people work together