0p0 Chapter 165 Happy Celebration
Chapter 165 Happy Celebration
The next morning, Shen Zhiyao came back from paying respects at Fengyi Palace. Concubines from all over the palace sent gifts to Cuiweixuan.
Cuiweixuan has always been blessed with high-end rewards, and Shen Zhiyao did not take some of the gifts too seriously. Some of them were distributed on the spot to the servants and eunuchs serving in the pavilion.
Even though it was New Year's Day, not many servants could receive so many rewards, and everyone was very happy.
The cohesion of the staff in Cuiweixuan has been improved to several levels. Everyone knows that there is a future in following Jin Shuyi, so they serve her more attentively.
At noon, the Queen specially rewarded several delicious dishes. Although every concubine had one, Cuiweixuan's was the dish chosen by the Queen herself, so those watching in the harem naturally understood it.
After lunch, Lu Wanyi personally brought gifts to Cuiweixuan to see Shen Zhiyao, to wish her a happy new year, to celebrate, and to thank Shen Zhiyao for taking care of her all the time.
As soon as she saw Lu Wanyi, Shen Zhiyao walked up to her with a smile, gave her a warm hug, and kissed her on the cheek twice, leaving Lu Wanyi so embarrassed that she had nowhere to hide.
Women in ancient times would always know their limits even when they were very close. The way Shen Zhiyao treated her modern bestie was quite shocking in the entire Zhao Kingdom.
"You are such a..." Lu Wanyi wiped the lipstick marks on her face with a handkerchief while scolding. If they were not all women, she would have really cried for help. This man kissed her too... harshly.
Shen Zhiyao chuckled and handed Lu Wanyi an extra-large purse. "With my temper, it's rare for me to find someone I get along with in the palace. This is the big red envelope I prepared for you for the New Year. The value is secondary. I just want to have a good start."
Lu Wanyi took the purse embroidered by Shen Zhiyao herself and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
The purse was indeed Shen Zhiyao's gift, but the peony embroidered on it was crooked, which really made it difficult for her.
However, Lu Wanyi was deeply touched by this kindness and put it in her arms without any disgust.
Lu Wanyi also presented the gifts she had brought, a set of extremely precious chess manuals, a pair of jade earrings with excellent water content and full green, and a set of gold thread embroidery that she had embroidered herself.
"This is my gift to you. I hope Empress Jin Shuyi won't mind." Lu Wanyi rarely made a joke.
"If you keep teasing me like this, I'll have to kiss you a few more times..." Shen Zhiyao said, and pretended to hug her and kiss her again.
"Oh, stop it, it's okay if I'm wrong... Stop kissing me, it's so disrespectful..." Lu Wanyi was busy scolding her and avoiding her.
After Shen Zhiyao made such a fuss, the two of them not only did not become estranged due to the widening of their status, but their intimacy was further strengthened.
"I am really happy for you. The higher your status, the easier my life will be. Whether I am favored or not is not that important." Lu Wanyi said sincerely without hiding anything.
"I also have to thank you for your company and care during this period. From now on, we will support each other and live a good life together." Shen Zhiyao liked Lu Wanyi's honesty and naturally would not speak in official language to her.
When sending Lu Wanyi out of Cuiweixuan, Shen Zhiyao gave her a lot of things and even gave her some of the extra "sky charcoal" to prevent her from suffering in the winter.
"I came here to give you a gift, but before leaving I took so many of your things. How can I do this..." Lu Wanyi held Shen Zhiyao's hand, feeling very moved.
"Why are you still talking about this between you and me? I've gotten a lot of good things from you. Our feelings are mutual, so don't worry about the etiquette." Shen Zhiyao personally sent her out of the pavilion.
On the way back to Qingyuexuan, Lu Wanyi's eyes were wet.
She has been able to persist in her struggle until now, revenge being one reason, and the warmth that Shen Zhiyao gave her being another. She has never been jealous of Shen Zhiyao, and even sincerely hopes that she lives a good life.
"Just be a favorite concubine with peace of mind, and it's best not to get involved in those dark and dirty things..." Lu Wanyi thought as she stared in the direction of Cuiweixuan.
Because of Shen Zhiyao, Lu Wanyi finally lives for more than just revenge.
She even began to dream that one day in the future, she and Shen Zhiyao would live peacefully in the palace until they grew old, and spend their leisurely days drinking tea and eating melon seeds together as good old sisters...
That afternoon, Shen Zhiyao ordered the servants of Cuiweixuan to prepare various purses filled with silver and distribute them to the palace maids and eunuchs who regularly served in the six bureaus and twenty-four departments of the palace, as a way to thank the palace people who served Cuiweixuan wholeheartedly.
As a result, Jin Shuyi's reputation in the palace skyrocketed, and the servants serving in the palace wanted to enter Cuiweixuan to serve even more.
During dinner, Shen Zhiyao asked Chuan and Qiuyue to set up a copper pot in the pavilion, and everyone gathered together to eat hot pot.
When the servants in the kitchen heard that Cuiweixuan was going to set up a copper pot, they all rushed to bring the freshest meat and vegetables. The palace servants who were able to serve naturally received a lot of rewards and made a lot of money.
That evening, Shijin made a special trip to Cuiweixuan. He was immediately moved by the cheerful and wonderful New Year atmosphere in the pavilion and joined in the fun for a while.
The Queen asked Shijin to ask Shen Zhiyao. After all, she was a third-rank concubine and could move to a bigger palace.
The queen had even found an exquisite palace and was just waiting for Shen Zhiyao's consent before sending people to clean it.
Shen Zhiyao personally gave Shijin a New Year gift, which was a Maitreya Buddha pendant carved from Hetian white jade and a purse containing ten "golden beans".
After all, she was the queen's personal maid, so the New Year reward was naturally quite "overwhelming".
When sending the assorted items out of Cuiweixuan, Shen Zhiyao said that she still wanted to live in Cuiweixuan, and that she would just ask someone to pack up the place after the New Year, so there was no need to go through the trouble of moving.
Shijin didn't say anything, but just looked at Shen Zhiyao deeply, thanked him solemnly, and left.
Last year she didn't like Shen Zhiyao very much, but now she admires this master very much.
When everyone sat back down, Qiuyue said unconvincedly, "I have thought about this for a long time. Master, you have always relied on your strength to advance to higher positions, but that Concubine Hu was promoted too quickly. I haven't seen her do anything!"
"You, why can't you figure it out? As long as the emperor likes it, even if it's the position of the nine concubines, he can find a reason to give it, not to mention just giving it the position of a talented woman." Shen Zhiyao smiled and tapped her forehead.
"I am indeed partial to her. Seeing her being favored for no reason makes me feel very uncomfortable!" Qiuyue pouted.
"You know what, what's wrong with her being promoted with me? With a favored concubine like her who doesn't need to wait for seniority to block the way in front of me, I can save myself a lot of trouble!" Shen Zhiyao sighed.
"That's right. In Hu Cairen's current situation, she is more like a sitting duck!" Zhe Ni laughed.
"Let's do our own thing. There will be many new people entering the palace in the future, and it won't be just one or two who will be favored. In this palace, don't be too concerned about gains and losses, so that you can go further." Shen Zhiyao smiled as brightly as a spring breeze.
"Once the master is pregnant, her position will be more stable!" Qiuyue added.
The children born to concubines ranked among the nine concubines do not need to be sent to the Yangqin Palace, but can be raised by themselves.