Traveling to the ancient harem

Chapter 258 The Emperor Doesn’t Understand the Twists and Turns of the Harem

Ningyuxuan.

After Huang Ye came back from Kunning Palace and had breakfast, she asked Hongdou to move a chair and sit in the corridor to watch Xiao Chengzi and two eunuchs plowing the soil in the small vegetable garden she had planned. The soil had been plowed once before, but Huang Ye felt that spring was coming and it would be time for sowing, and plowing the soil again would make it softer. On the side close to the courtyard, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had already sent people to repair the flower beds, waiting for spring to come and plant some flowers.

"Your Majesty, I have bought the meat." Xiao Xiangzi came back with a large piece of pork. The retired emperor sent someone over last night to say that the emperor would have lunch in the Qiyun Hall at noon today and had specifically requested dumplings.

Huang Ye didn't know how the emperor knew about the dumplings. She guessed that the retired emperor wanted to eat them but was too embarrassed to say it, so he deliberately used the emperor's name.

In fact, Huang Ye wronged the emperor. Just last night, the emperor sent Eunuch Ai to the Yangxin Palace and asked him to have lunch at the Qiyun Palace tomorrow. The emperor suddenly asked, "Will there be dumplings at the Qiyun Palace tomorrow at noon?"

What was there for Eunuch Ai to not understand? The emperor had heard about the dumplings they had eaten at noon and was missing them. The dumplings were indeed delicious and he was still savoring them. So after he came back from the Yangxin Palace, he told the matter to the retired emperor.

The retired emperor thought it was a coincidence. He just felt that he didn't have enough for lunch and was looking for a reason to ask the girl from the Huang family to cook for him again. Now the reason was sufficient, so he immediately sent eunuch Ai to Ningyuxuan to convey the emperor's intention to Huang Ye.

Huang Ye has not yet decided whether to go to see the emperor, but even if she doesn't, she has to send the dumplings to him. Now that the emperor has spoken, how can she not send them?

"Hongdou, go help in the kitchen. You may have to deliver more at noon." Huang Ye made the decision instantly. If you eat her dumplings, you have to do things for her. Can her dumplings be eaten by anyone?

Royal study room.

The emperor was still a little groggy after the morning court session. The key point was that he didn't sleep well last night. He blamed his father in his heart. Isn't it just a meal? Wouldn't he come over to talk about it after the morning court session today? He didn't know what was going on. He tossed and turned all night last night and couldn't fall asleep.

"Your Majesty, the food is ready. It's time for you to have breakfast." Eunuch Yu had prepared everything in the dining room and came in to call him to eat.

"I can't eat. You go and eat." The emperor felt that he had no appetite at all. He just wanted to sleep for a while.

"Your Majesty, please have a bite to warm your stomach..." Eunuch Yu advised. There was such a big table of food, not to mention that he had no appetite today. Maybe... maybe he was just like the emperor, thinking about the dumplings in Qiyun Hall at noon.

"Just eat when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?" The emperor decided not to review any memorials this morning. He wanted to take a nap, otherwise he would feel tired all day.

"I'm going to sleep for a while. Call me when it's time for dinner." The emperor threw the memorial in his hand on the table, stood up and went to sleep in the bedroom set up in the imperial study.

Eunuch Yu thought to himself that I couldn't eat any more either, so he called his apprentice who was waiting outside the door and said, "Go take the food from the dining room down and call a few people to share it."

Anyway, he was determined not to eat a single bite. He wanted to empty his stomach and eat dumplings at noon. Others might not know, but he knew that not only Eunuch Ai ate dumplings yesterday, but even the little eunuch who was stoking the fire in Qiyun Palace ate a big bowl. Given his friendship with Concubine Huang, he could forget about the dumplings at noon.

If Concubine Huang had something to talk to the Emperor about, Eunuch Yu also knew about it. When he sent Eunuch Ai out last night, Eunuch Ai told him everything. In fact, he didn't sleep well last night, and he was thinking about how to solve this matter.

The Empress and the Queen Mother are not easy to deal with. If they are determined to drive Concubine Huang out of Ningyuxuan, I believe even the Emperor would not be willing to turn against these two people for Concubine Huang.

However, Eunuch Yu supports Concubine Huang. It depends on how big a fuss the Queen Mother can make this time. Anyway, as long as he can help Concubine Huang, he will not stand idly by.

The emperor really found it strange. He wanted to sleep while reviewing memorials, but after falling asleep he became more awake. He was not in a hurry to get up, but just lay in bed thinking about things.

"Little Yuzi." The emperor called out, and Eunuch Yu, who was waiting at the door, responded and quickly opened the door and walked in: "Your Majesty, what do you want to call me for?"

"What's the matter that your Majesty called me over today?" Don't think he doesn't know. This little Yuzi was raised by Eunuch Ai, and the two have a good relationship. He thought that when little Yuzi sent Eunuch Ai out last night, he must know something.

Eunuch Yu has been waiting for him to ask since last night: "Your Majesty, from the tone of Eunuch Ai, it seems that the Queen and the Queen Mother want to drive Concubine Huang out of Ningyuxuan. Concubine Huang is unwilling to move out, so she asked the Emperor to help..."

"Why did the Queen and the Queen Mother drive Huang Concubine out?" the Emperor asked. He had placed Huang Concubine in Ningyuxuan for the Queen and had said a few words to the Queen. Could it be that the Queen felt that she was wrong and wanted to place Huang Concubine somewhere else? But what did this have to do with the Queen Mother?

Eunuch Yu decided to say a few more words: "Maybe the Queen and the Queen Mother felt that Concubine Huang lived too close to the Emperor Retired in Ningyuxuan, and they were afraid that Concubine Huang would catch the Emperor Retired's eye."

The emperor had a hunch that Eunuch Yu was not telling the truth: "Tell me everything you know. If you dare to hide anything..." He was left to figure out the outcome himself.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The key point is... I'm afraid you'll be angry if I tell you..." Eunuch Yu quickly knelt down and kowtowed.

"Speak." The emperor felt that he would be even angrier if he didn't speak.

"It's like this. The Queen wanted Concubine Huang to move out of Ningyuxuan in front of everyone in Kunning Palace. Concubine Huang said that she lived very well in Ningyuxuan and didn't want the trouble of moving around..." Eunuch Yu observed the Emperor's expression and saw that he was not angry with Concubine Huang, so he continued.

"When the Queen saw that she was unwilling to move, she found the Queen Mother. I heard that the Queen asked the Queen Mother to drive Concubine Huang out in exchange for the management rights of the rear palace's sewing room." Eunuch Yu thought that the Emperor would know it sooner or later anyway, so he might as well tell him now so that he could be prepared.

"Since Concubine Huang is unwilling to move out, it would be fine for her to live in Ningyuxuan. She can also help supervise my father to lose weight. Why does the Queen insist on driving her out?" The Emperor felt that this was unreasonable and the Queen did not need to worry about this at all.

"Your Majesty." Eunuch Yu felt tired. The emperor was swift and decisive in the court, but how come he knew nothing when it came to the affairs of the harem? Well, he had never paid attention to the twists and turns in the harem.

"Perhaps the Queen feels that you have been going to Qiyun Palace frequently recently, and is afraid that Concubine Huang has really bewitched you with her seductive tactics, just as Princess Su said..." Eunuch Yu said cautiously.