Guo Shao returned to the imperial city and went straight into the archive room in the east hall of Jinxiang Palace. Jingniang followed him in with an unhappy look on her face.
Guo Shao frowned and said: Who offended Jing Niang
Jing Niang hesitated for a moment before finally saying: That soup cake beauty
Guo Shao interrupted her before she finished speaking and said sternly: Luo Mengzi is my sworn brother, he fought and died for me, I treat his wife like my sister-in-law, how can we call her Tangbing Xishi? Such a disrespectful name, what will the generals in front think when they are fighting for their lives
Jingniang's tone was also unhappy: "I didn't say anything about His Majesty, nor did I say anything about General Luo. Mrs. Luo didn't fight in the battlefield, she just sat there enjoying the wealth and luxury. I think she is young and not a calm person, I'm afraid she may not be able to keep it."
Guo Shao said: The Luo family is now rich and the son is her own, she should not be willing to remarry. Don't worry about other things, anyway, Luo Mengzi died, it's not her fault, let her think whatever she wants.
Jingniang sighed.
Guo Shao glanced at her and probably understood why she sighed. He ignored her and flipped through the files on the table, which showed the ministers' specific suggestions on reforming the military system and forming local militia.
He looked for a while, then looked up at the name slips posted on the wall. He first saw Xiang Gong's name, then looked at it for a while, then turned around and found another name: Cao Bin.
There is no more boring place in the whole imperial city than Wanfu Palace. The permanent residents are all concubines and palace ladies left over from the previous dynasty. They just wait for death here and are not responsible for managing any palace affairs. Usually they spin yarn and weave cloth for the palace, but there is no regulation on how much cloth they have to weave. That’s all they do.
But wherever there are people, there is power. After Concubine Zhang went to Sanqing Palace, Concubine Li now has the final say in Wanfu Palace. She has almost subdued everyone in Wanfu Palace. Those who were close to Concubine Zhang in the past either changed their minds or were forced to do dirty and tiring work.
But the shadow of Concubine Zhang still remains here, and Concubine Li still remembers the humiliation of being forced to reconcile in a humble manner last time.
Today, she heard that a maidservant who served Zhang was sent back from Sanqing Palace. Concubine Li immediately became interested and asked someone to bring the maid in to ask about it in person.
The maid's face was covered with tears and she was still crying when she came in. After being pushed in, she saw Concubine Li sneer and shuddered with fear.
Concubine Li asked calmly: Didn't she go to the Sanqing Temple to become a Taoist priest? Why was she sent back
The palace woman who followed in immediately said with great joy: This little rascal was caught stealing by Wang Shang Gong from Sanqing Palace, and then rushed to Wanfu Palace.
The maid hurriedly said: I didn't steal.
A woman standing nearby said sinisterly: People with dirty hands and feet are rushing into our Wanfu Palace, but this is not a place for filth and dirt to hide.
The maid kept saying: "When I was cleaning the room, I just saw that the bracelet was beautiful, so I touched it. I didn't intend to take it. But Wang Shanggong insisted that I stole something. I am innocent."
After hearing this, Concubine Li looked at the maid below. The maid's eyes were red, but she didn't seem to have any injuries on her body, so she must not have been beaten. Concubine Li thought to herself: For such a thing, the woman surnamed Zhang didn't punish her severely, but just drove her away. How can the people below be afraid
It's no wonder. Zhang actually has no ability to establish her authority and control her subordinates. Otherwise, when Zhang was still in Wanfu Palace, she had the highest status. How come the power she actually held was not as great as that of Concubine Li? Zhang was able to become a noble concubine in the previous dynasty because she pleased men.
Whether it is unjust or not cannot be determined by your one-sided statement. Concubine Li said in a cold tone.
The palace maid said: I am really wronged.
At this time, a palace lady nearby said: "Your Majesty, it is really difficult to deal with this man now that he is here. If we just let it go, then the rules will be broken; but if we beat him to pieces, then we will be the bad guy for Concubine Zhang."
Concubine Li said: The rules cannot be broken.
When the maid heard that someone had said that she would be beaten to pieces, she was so scared that she fell to her knees and kept begging for mercy. But the people around were just watching the show, because everyone here regarded her as Zhang's side. The struggle between Concubine Li and Zhang was not just one or two days, and the two of them were originally incompatible.
After a while, the palace maid seemed to understand what was going on and said hurriedly: "I ask the Queen Mother to take me in. I will be loyal to you from now on."
Concubine Li said calmly: What's the point of me taking someone with dirty hands and feet
The maid was angry and sad after hearing this: "I really can't clear my reputation in my whole life. How can I live in the palace in the future?"
She suddenly thought: I have a secret, Madam Zhang
Several women immediately looked over curiously. Unexpectedly, the palace maid hesitated and hesitated, unwilling to speak.
Seeing this, Concubine Li became even more curious and wondered if this little palace maid had something on Zhang.
She wanted to scare the little maid, but then she thought that sometimes it is not easy to make people submit if you just use force. Concubine Li said: If you really want to support me, you have to let me know which side you are on. As long as she is my person, I can still sit back and watch her being pointed at and cursed behind her back for no reason.
The little palace maid was immediately moved and said: Your Majesty is really willing to clear my name.
Li Taifei said: It depends on your heart. If you are really loyal to me, I can just say that Zhang's people wrongly accused a good person.
The young palace maid was silent for a moment, and then whispered: Empress Zhang once used her beauty to seduce the emperor.
Oh, Concubine Li looked at her and thought to herself that she had heard that the emperor had met Zhang at Sanqing Palace last time, but no one said whether she had seduced the emperor. She immediately said that this could not be a random guess.
The little palace maid said: I am not guessing, I saw it with my own eyes
Li said in a deep voice: What did you see with your own eyes
The little palace maid gritted her teeth and whispered: "Once, the emperor went to Sanqing Temple to see Empress Zhang. Empress Zhang sent everyone away early. Although the door of the temple was ajar, there were only the emperor and Empress Zhang inside.
When Li heard this, she thought that the bitch was indeed that kind of person. She didn't even think about her own status and didn't care about etiquette or ethics.
The maid's voice got lower and lower. As I passed by the door, I suddenly heard a clang from inside.
Several palace ladies were listening intently, and they were also trembling at this time, and asked hurriedly: What happened
The little palace maid said: "I was also startled. I didn't dare to look at first, but when I heard the noise, I couldn't help but take a look through the crack of the door. It was terrible. A can of sesame oil was poured on Madam Zhang, and her upper body was completely wet. It was still hot at that time, and everyone was wearing thin clothes. What would it look like if their clothes were wet with sesame oil?"
Oh, everyone looked at each other, and besides expressions of disdain, most of them were filled with interest.
The little palace maid whispered: The emperor is still in front of us.
Everyone was talking at once, wondering how the sesame oil could have spilled on her. She must have wet herself on purpose so that people could see her coquettish body. That's right. In front of the emperor, everyone would be very careful. How could they be so careless as to accidentally overturn the sesame oil jar and spill it on her? Haha
This matter was not easy. Li immediately realized that it was indeed valuable information, and there was also a witness in front of him.
If a concubine seduced the emperor, it would be fine, at most she would be accused of being shameless; but Zhang was Taizu's concubine, and they were of a lower generation than each other, so this matter was more than just shameless.
Li immediately said calmly: You'd better not tell anyone about it, watch your mouth, trouble comes from the mouth.
After a while of cursing, everyone could only say: We will follow the Queen's wishes.