ebookland Chapter 43 Who is plotting against him?
Chapter 43 Who is plotting against him?
Shen Zizai's entry into the cabinet was a joyous occasion for the Crown Prince. Li Heng was somewhat surprised but mostly happy. Although he had lost many people in the Six Ministries, he had still gained something.
That's a cabinet minister, his influence is much greater than before.
Zhou Qianqian spoke of great joy, but she felt no joy at all. Naturally, she had to consider the future. After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Shen family would definitely be a major threat.
If this continues, it remains to be seen whether her maternal family's power will be able to surpass that of the Shen family.
It seems she needs to return to the manor as soon as possible to discuss things with her father. It would be best if she could secure her position as the Crown Princess as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Lin Wan'er were to become a concubine, the future of the Zhou family and herself would be uncertain.
"May I choose some gifts to give to Sister Shen in my name as a congratulatory present?" she suggested gently.
Li Heng looked pleased: "My beloved consort is the most sensible. You shall handle this matter. In a few days, after my confinement is lifted, I will take you for a stroll outside the palace."
"Thank you, Your Highness. This morning I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. She told you not to rush, as she still needs you to handle the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration. Judging from His Majesty's words, the lifting of the ban is just a matter of days."
Zhou Qianqian gave a slight curtsy as she spoke: "This humble servant would like to offer my congratulations to Your Highness in advance."
"Then I will also take my beloved consort's auspicious words." Li Heng laughed and pulled her into his arms.
Of course, while holding the beauty in his arms, he was thinking of someone else. Lin Wan'er had been in the palace for many days, and he should go see her after the ban was lifted.
If he could take Lin Wan'er as his Crown Princess, he would have more leverage. Although military generals have always been feared by the court and cannot influence politics, an army is an army after all, and it can be the key to victory at crucial moments.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
On that day, congratulatory gifts from various palaces were delivered to Shen Li's side hall.
The gifts came from the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress's palace, Consort Zheng's palace, the Eastern Palace, and even from the Emperor himself, making them extremely generous.
The grand display of gifts made all the mistresses in the harem extremely envious; many of them had never seen so many rewards in all their years in the palace.
Xia Shiyin, who lived nearby, watched as batches of gifts were sent in and almost chewed up. Suddenly, she felt that after all these years, she still couldn't compare to Shen Li.
Even if she became a noble princess, she could never steal the limelight from Shen Li.
She was unwilling to accept this, and she was determined to get her revenge sooner or later!
The room was piled high with gifts, and when the boxes were opened, the room was filled with dazzling jewels. Peony and the palace maids happily spent most of the day counting them, while Shen Li just painted at her desk and didn't even glance at them.
When it was time to light the lanterns, Peony finally had a chance to ask, "Miss, why don't you seem so happy about such a joyous occasion as Master's marriage?"
"It's to be expected. A head-on confrontation won't do them any good. It's better to retreat strategically and gain more leverage." Shen Li picked up her paintbrush to look at the painting on the desk. Compared to her casual tone, her gaze was very focused.
"Bargaining chips?" Peony understood this sentence, so she asked, "I heard the palace servants say that things should be calming down soon, do we still need this?"
"Silly child, what's the point of calming things down? It's just one problem after another." Shen Li sighed, and her paintbrush fell again.
Peony naturally didn't understand what this was about, so she also looked at the painting. She found that it was almost finished, and the beauty of the person in the painting captivated her.
It's a pity that the painting depicts Consort Zheng; it would have been better if it were of their young mistress herself.
The thought of her mistress's hard work going to that concubine who plotted to kill her mistress made her feel uneasy.
"Miss, you've been painting all day. Take a rest. Let me show you some gifts. There are a few paintings and calligraphies."
"Please wrap the calligraphy and paintings separately. As for the rest, you can keep them if you want, except for the very valuable ones," Shen Li said casually.
It wasn't that she was stingy for not allowing people to choose overly expensive items, but rather that everything bestowed upon her by the palace was registered and recorded. If she were to casually give something to a servant, someone with ulterior motives would surely use it to their advantage.
"This servant doesn't need these fine things; I'm just happy to look at them." Seeing that her mistress was unwilling to put down her brush, Peony naturally came over to grind the ink.
It's good if you draw quickly, because once you're done, you can leave the palace.
Emperor Cheng still came to Anhua Palace every day, and he also brought a lot of gifts. Even Shen Li and Xia Shiyin from another side hall received a lot of rewards.
Shen Li's painting had reached its final stage. Although she knew that the harem might not be peaceful in the next few days, she did not leave the room. She had achieved her goal, and she did not care who benefited or suffered losses between the two palaces.
Just watch the show from the sidelines.
The excitement soon followed, as the emperor suddenly changed his mind and decreed that the task of organizing the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet be handed over to Prince Yi.
The issuance of the decree signifies the emergence of the victor in this game.
Shen Li was not surprised to receive the news. Consort Zheng was clearly using a strategy of retreat to advance, making Emperor Cheng feel guilty, and compensation would be inevitable.
Emperor Cheng also believed that allowing his father to join the cabinet would be detrimental to Prince Yi, since his father was, after all, the Crown Prince's tutor and a staunch supporter of orthodoxy.
But is the crown prince really the one who benefits from this?
She thought it was unlikely.
"Miss, this servant doesn't understand. Why would His Majesty allow Master to enter the cabinet even though he knows that Master supports the Crown Prince?" After listening to a few words, Peony asked in bewilderment, "Doesn't His Majesty dislike His Highness the Crown Prince?"
“His Majesty’s eyes are not only on factional strife. His Majesty is in his prime, and what he cares about most is the stability of the country.” Shen Li said while eating, “Father is the most suitable candidate to join the cabinet.”
The previous emperor also had this idea, but Prince Yi and Consort Zheng did not allow it at that time. After several years, the factional struggle began to intensify, and the father's position became increasingly clear, which made the emperor wary of him.
As a result, this matter dragged on for more than a decade before it was finally allowed to enter the cabinet when Emperor Cheng's health was already failing and Prince Yi's power was gradually declining.
Fortunately, she didn't miss this opportunity in this life.
"I see," Peony said knowingly. "But will the Crown Prince still be able to lift his confinement?"
"It's tough," Shen Li couldn't help but laugh.
It was completely laughable that Li Heng was so foolish. He considered himself the chosen one, yet he couldn't even lift his own confinement.
"But no matter how difficult it gets, it doesn't matter to us anymore, our painting is about to be finished."
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"How can Father Emperor be so biased? Prince Yi should have gone to his fiefdom long ago after being granted the title of prince. Now, not only is he still living in the royal palace in the capital, but he is also being made to handle such important ceremonial matters?"
"This is outrageous! If this continues, how will people respect me as the Crown Prince?" Li Heng was shocked and then furious.
He knew that Consort Zheng had been restless lately, but the Empress Dowager had been kept in check by his mother, so there shouldn't have been any sudden changes.
There might be an unknown force within the harem plotting against him.
Who is it?