ebookland Chapter 187 Inventory
Chapter 187 Inventory
After a few days, the concubines gathered at Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion to pay their respects.
"I, my concubine, pay my respects to the Queen!"
The Queen, dressed in a bright yellow robe, sat upright on the Phoenix Throne, looking radiant and graceful. A faint smile adorned her face as she raised her hand and said, "Everyone, get up!"
"Thank you, Queen!"
Looking at the room full of beautiful concubines who looked like flowers, the queen said gently, "It's been so hot lately. It's hard for you to come so early!"
Concubine Qi said flatteringly, "Although Your Majesty is kind and compassionate and has specifically instructed us not to come and pay our respects, today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, so naturally we must come and pay our respects to Your Majesty as a token of our respect!"
"Well, thank you all for your concern!" The Queen glanced around and saw that Hua Fei's seat was empty, so she asked, "Is Hua Fei still not well?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of all the concubines in the palace instantly focused on Cao Qinmo.
Cao Qinmo wore a slightly awkward expression, revealing an unnatural smile. Then, she bowed slightly and replied to the Empress, "Your Majesty, Concubine Hua is much better now. However, her illnesses are always relentless, so she needs to recuperate for a while."
The Queen nodded, looked at Jianqiu beside her and ordered, "Jianqiu, pick out some good supplements and send them over. Tell her to take good care of herself!"
"Yes!"
Concubine Qi quickly said with a smile on her face, "The Queen is truly kind-hearted."
The Queen wore a genial smile throughout her face. "We are all sisters serving the Emperor together. He has been ill for so long, and I am deeply concerned. You must all take good care of yourselves!"
The concubines present all stood up, saluted the Queen in unison, and thanked her in unison: "Thank you, Queen, for your concern."
After these polite words were finished, Shen Meizhuang stood up gracefully, took two steps forward, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"you say!"
Shen Meizhuang said slowly, "The other day I accidentally received a report that the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department's Guangchusi was audacious and embezzled money, secretly transporting silk and porcelain from the palace out of the palace and selling them for profit. I have verified the facts and have sent the eunuch to the Shenxingsi, and appointed another supervisor to take over."
Hearing that it was just a minor official, the Queen didn't take it seriously and said casually, "The eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department are too bold. They should be punished. Concubine Hui is doing a good job. I am very satisfied with her."
Shen Meizhuang smiled modestly and continued, "Thank you for the Queen's praise. It is my honor to receive your approval. With your words, the rest of the matter will be easier for me!"
The Queen raised her eyebrows slightly and asked with interest, "What else do you want?"
"Your Majesty, while this matter is related to the misconduct of those individuals, the root cause is the unclear accounting and disorganized data records within the various departments of the Imperial Household Department. Therefore, Your Majesty and I have discussed this opportunity and have decided to take this opportunity to conduct a comprehensive and thorough review of all the accounts of the Imperial Household Department. I hope for Your Majesty's approval and support."
The Queen knew her intention and was delighted, but she didn't show it on her face. She nodded and said, "That's a good idea, Concubine Hui, go ahead and do it. I will have the entire Imperial Household Department cooperate fully."
Concubine Hui was still too anxious. The power of the Imperial Household Department was intertwined and complicated, and those old eunuchs had been immersed in it for decades. How could they easily let someone investigate their accounts? This matter was thankless and would cause chaos!
Shen Meizhuang continued, "Thank you, Your Majesty. However, the accounts of the Imperial Household Department have been in operation for many years and have not been thoroughly checked. Even if something is found to be missing, we cannot be sure that it is the responsibility of the current head of the department. Therefore, my audit this time is not to investigate past mistakes, but to record the amounts and types for future management."
In other words, this audit is just a count of the inventory, recording the number of items. If there are any missing items in the past, they will not be held accountable. This is also a way to tell those old eunuchs that I will not hold you accountable for your past mistakes. I will wait and see what you do in the future!
The Queen's smile froze on her face: "Concubine Hui is very thoughtful."
She had already agreed to let Concubine Hui check the accounts, and it was too late to regret it now. This time, Concubine Hui wanted to take control of the Imperial Household Department!
Shen Meizhuang turned around and bowed to the concubines, smiling brightly as she said, "Since the Emperor and the Empress have agreed, I can proceed with my mission. However, I would like to apologize to all of you sisters first. If you need something in the future and the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not deliver it in time, I hope you will forgive me."
Xin Baji started to chatter again: "Your Highness, Concubine Hui, don't say that. This is an important matter. If the concubines really have something to do, it doesn't matter if they wait a little longer. The concubines can't help the Empress with her worries, but they won't cause any more trouble!"
"Thank you, Sister Xin, for your understanding."
After leaving Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion, Shen Meizhuang stopped Jingpin who was about to leave, "Sister Jingpin, I haven't spoken to you for a long time. I wonder if you have time to visit Xianyue Pavilion?"
Jingpin smiled and said, "I know you have a lot to do, and I'm always afraid of disturbing you."
Shen Meizhuang smiled and said, "I'm not that busy. Please come in, sister! Rong'er..."
Turning around, I saw An Lingrong already walking away holding Liu Zhu's hand!
Looking at her back, Concubine Jing was a little confused: "What happened to Sister Wen?"
"I do not know either!"
The two returned to Xianyue Pavilion, held the Sixth Prince in their arms for a while, and when they saw him start to yawn, they handed him to the wet nurse's arms and coaxed him to sleep.
After a few words, Xiao Shi came in from outside the hall and said, "Your Majesty, Chief Steward Jiang is here with several officials!"
Seeing that Shen Meizhuang was busy, Jingpin stood up and said, "Sister, please be busy first. I will go back now!"
Shen Meizhuang quickly stopped her and said, "It's okay, sister, sit down and listen."
The reason she called Jingpin here today was for this matter, so how could she let her go?
Seeing her insistence, Jingpin, although puzzled, sat down again.
After Jiang Zhongmin and the others finished their greetings, Shen Meizhuang said, "This inventory will primarily focus on the six Guangchusi warehouses: silver, leather, porcelain, satin, clothing, and tea; the Imperial Tea and Food Office; and the Imperial Pharmacy. The other six departments will serve as supplementary departments. Each of you will be in charge of one area, and be sure to conduct a thorough and prompt inventory and record keeping."
"Yes!"
Shen Meizhuang continued, "Take the account books of the Emperor's gifts to the various palaces and leave them as they are. All other items should be recorded. The moldy furs, tea leaves, and medicinal herbs should be cleared out and recorded separately."
"Yes."
After they left, Shen Meizhuang picked up a thick account book and handed it to Concubine Jing. "This is the expense account book for each palace last month. The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent it over a few days ago. Sister, take a look!"
Jingpin showed a hint of embarrassment: "I don't think it's good, right?"
"Just let sister take a look!" Shen Meizhuang smiled slightly.