Zhulan never interfered in her mother's family affairs. She had to say that her eldest brother's idea was very good, but Yang Wen was the eldest grandson. "Brother, the sea is really too dangerous, and not everyone is suitable for the sea. Seasickness is a big problem."
Changyi was lucky, so he went to sea smoothly. The first criterion for navy selection is good swimming ability, and many marines’ hometowns are near water.
Yang Zhumu was not giving up. He saw an opportunity. "After a few days, your second brother and I will take some children to the beach. I remember you said you have a fishing ground by the sea. It's a good opportunity for us to go and have a look and learn some new things."
Zhulan knew that her brother would not change his mind no matter what she said, "Okay, I'll let the housekeeper arrange it."
Yang Zhulin just listened without interrupting. After his father passed away, his eldest brother became the head of the family. In Lizhou City, he also followed his eldest brother's example.
Zhulan watched Yang Wen and his friends playing with swords. All of them were very good. Although the Yang family didn't have many children, their quality was good. "Shu Ren sorted out a lot of books and said he was waiting for you to take them away when you go back."
Yang Zhumu smiled and said, "Well, come to think of it, all the books in our house were given by you. Your eldest nephew said that the study room in our house is almost as good as that of a civil servant's."
Zhulan, "You must pay attention to this. Books are a very important heritage. Shuren told me that Minister Li of the Ministry of War is well-read. Shuren admires Minister Li very much."
Yang Zhumu took his brother-in-law's words very seriously. The Minister of War was too far away for the Yang family, but he was a good role model. "Don't worry, we attach great importance to our children's studies."
In a blink of an eye, it was five days later, the day when the Queen summoned Zhulan. A lot of things happened during these five days. The first big thing was that a lot of palace maids and head aunts were released from the palace. The aristocratic families did not receive the news in advance, it was very sudden.
Many people didn't react and the maid had already left the palace.
When Zhulan got the news, according to Mrs. Song's suggestion, the Zhou family invited several older palace maids back to the mansion. There would be no problem with Mrs. Song's help. Zhulan planned to place them with Yushuang and the others, and have them become personal maids after Yushuang and the others got married.
As for the head aunt, Zhulan had never thought about it. These head aunts had always been fought over by the aristocratic families, and the Zhou family's temple was too small to accommodate her.
Relatively speaking, older palace maids are no worse than the head aunts. There are a limited number of positions in the palace, there are many rules in the harem, and not all head aunts are good.
Zhulan followed the female official into the palace. There were fewer palace maids in the palace. Although it didn't seem deserted, it was much quieter.
Soon they arrived at the Queen's bedroom, where there were fewer palace maids.
The queen was sitting under the pavilion in the yard playing chess with herself. She looked up when she heard the noise.
Zhulan stepped forward to greet him, "Your Majesty, the Queen."
Xue Han: "Your servant greets Her Majesty the Queen."
The queen was obviously in a good mood, and said with a smile: "Hurry up, can Yang Shuren play chess?"
Zhulan: "I know a little bit."
Queen, "Play a game with me."
In the pavilion, Zhulan saw a lot of lists placed on the low table on one side. She didn't dare to look at them too much and sat down carefully.
The Queen then said, "I heard that Miss Zhou is good at making tea. Could you please make me a cup to try?"
Xue Han, "I am sorry to show my humiliation."
The queen picked up the chess piece and said, "Shu Ren goes first."
Zhulan didn't hesitate. She knew her chess skills well and took the lead. The yard was very quiet as she played chess while smelling the fragrance of tea.
Unfortunately, the game of chess was not over yet, and the Imperial Concubine arrived. The Imperial Concubine was the mother of the King of Liang and the concubine second only to the Empress. She raised her chin very high and said, "I heard that the Empress summoned the female relatives, so I came to join in the fun."
The queen took the brewed tea and drank it, looking at the imperial concubine calmly, "It's only been a few days, and the imperial concubine has forgotten the rules again?"
Concubine Feng froze in her tracks and politely said, "Your Highness, I greet you."
The Empress glanced at the female official behind Concubine Feng, "I underestimated Concubine. Even if her hands and feet were cut off, she is still very capable. No wonder she knows everything about the Emperor's political palace."
Concubine Feng's face changed. After years of peace, the Queen took the initiative for the first time, catching everyone off guard. They suffered heavy losses from their years of business. What's more hateful is that they hadn't seen through the Queen for many years, but the Queen saw through them and acted quickly and accurately.
She went to see the emperor, but the emperor didn't even see her. The empress even punished her. Now her knees hurt and she hasn't had a good rest for several days. In addition to Concubine Chen, Concubine Qi were also punished in the harem.
Zhulan and her daughter paid their respects to the imperial concubine and then stepped aside. She did not look at the imperial concubine carefully, but just glanced at her to get a rough idea of her appearance. The imperial concubine's appearance was not very outstanding and she was very thin. Zhulan thought to herself that the people in the emperor's harem represent power, and power does not mean appearance. It is unrealistic to say that all the concubines in the harem in TV dramas are beauties.
Zhulan has met many young ladies from official families over the years. There are some beauties, but most of them are of ordinary looks, mostly pretty.
Zhulan listened quietly to the conversation between the Queen and the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine ridiculed the Queen for making plans for the Crown Prince too early, saying that this harem was still the Emperor's harem and the Queen had cleaned it out too early.
The Queen stabbed the Imperial Concubine in the heart, saying that she was short-sighted and had reached her peak.
Zhulan has the guts. I know a lot. However, the imperial concubine also reminded me that the queen did cause trouble because she felt sorry for Rongchuan, and it is not ruled out that she will clean up the harem and lay the foundation for the prince.
The imperial concubine was tired. "Miss Zhou's tea is good. Pour me a cup of tea to try."
The queen sneered, "If you want to drink tea, go back to your palace. Not everyone can drink my tea."
The imperial concubine's expression became even uglier. She knew that the queen liked Miss Zhou. The queen was slapping her in the face about praying for blessings. She deliberately instigated Miss Zhou, but the queen didn't even think about stopping her and didn't give her any face. She really stood up and gritted her teeth, "Then I will return to the palace."
"It's better not to come if I don't summon you in the future."
Zhulan was excited. It was a live version of the confrontation, and it was a direct showdown. The queen was really tough. Yes, the prince was not only the legitimate son but also the eldest son, and his current position was very stable. What's more, the queen had two sons!
After the imperial concubine was defeated and a game of chess was over, several female officials came over with books. The queen was also not idle, as she had a huge harem to manage.
More than half an hour later, Zhulan took her daughter out of the palace.
The Queen summoned her this time just to fulfill what she said in the temple, still to elevate the Zhou family. In fact, she didn't have much to talk about with Zhulan, so she mainly played chess. The Queen was very good at chess, and in order to kill time, Zhulan played for a while even though her chess skills were not good.
Sitting in the carriage on the way home, Xue Han's palms were sweating, "Mom, touch my hands."
Zhulan reached out and touched her daughter's hands, which were cold. "It's amazing that you can still make tea steadily."
Xue Han rubbed her hands together and said, "Mom, I was afraid that I would drop the cup. Phew, I am finally out of the palace."
She didn't even dare drink tea, for fear that she would become nervous and want to go to the bathroom, which would be embarrassing.