Chapter 1324 Crazy man and resentful woman!

3:30 pm, Daqian Palace

Under Ye Mingsheng's coordination, the money for the expansion of the Daqian Palace was finally in place more than a month ago, because this expansion and renovation was in response to the requests of Ye Cui, An Miaoyi and other female members of the harem. In addition, Ye Mingsheng was busy with government affairs and had no extra time and energy to take care of this matter.

Therefore, when it came to the expansion of the imperial palace, Ye Mingsheng simply became a hands-off boss and let the Queen An Miaoyi and the Minister of Works Chen Fu coordinate the matter. They could just discuss how to expand and renovate the palace. In principle, Ye Mingsheng had no objection to this.

Under the instruction of Ye Mingsheng, An Miaoyi took over the task. In order to please her old mother-in-law, An Miaoyi, as a daughter-in-law, ordered that the first step of the expansion and renovation was to build a Furen Palace for the Queen Mother Ye Cui!

Currently, the Daqian Palace is built on the basis of the original Ye Mansion. In order to make the Ye Mansion a majestic palace, An Miaoyi’s expansion and renovation plan is also massive. However, due to the actual situation, the entire plan has to be implemented in stages!
The total construction fee for the first phase was approximately 300,000 taels of silver. In order to satisfy her old mother-in-law, An Miaoyi instructed Chen Fu to use two-thirds of the total construction fee, or 200,000 taels of silver, to build a Furen Palace for Ye Cui that would be worthy of her status as the empress dowager.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Works, this Furen Palace is the counterpart of the Xiangshou Palace in the Luoan Dazhou Palace where the Queen Mother lived. After completion, it will have 50 rooms and cover an area of ​​at least 500 acres. By then, it will be the most magnificent and unparalleled palace in Daqian.

Ye Cui was naturally very satisfied with this, and she praised An Miaoyi for being filial and capable many times, saying that she was her good child and a good daughter-in-law...

However, there was another voice in the palace of Daqian Palace regarding An Miaoyi's behavior. The reason why An Miaoyi was willing to spend so much money to build the Furen Palace was actually to prepare for herself in advance!
However, once this rumor spread, it was suppressed by An Miaoyi before it had time to spread. Several palace maids and nannies who were gossiping about it were also beaten to death by Nanny Sun, who was under An Miaoyi's command.

Today was supposed to be the day when the newly-arrived beauties were to pay their respects to the Queen Mother. Everyone was ready, but early in the morning, Ye Cui sent a message saying that the Queen Mother was not feeling well and would not be there today. The newly-arrived beauties would have to pay their respects to the Queen Mother on another day.

However, just as these beautifully dressed beauties were leaving in disappointment, half an hour ago, news came from the empress dowager that her health was no longer bad, and she asked all the beauties and other concubines to come to the empress dowager for an audience.

Faced with Ye Cui's frequent changes of orders, everyone felt helpless, but there was nothing they could do. After all, she gave birth to a good son who could build an empire and was the empress dowager of the Daqian Dynasty.
As all the concubines and maids arrived, Ye Cui came out accompanied by Queen An Miaoyi and some palace maids and nannies.

Seeing this, everyone bowed and said:

"We pay our respects to the Queen Mother! Long live the Queen Mother, a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"

After saying this, everyone continued:

"We are here to see the Queen! Long live the Queen, a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"

Facing the greetings from everyone, Ye Cui first sat down, then said with a kind face:

"Let's all get flat!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

As the meeting ceremony ended, An Miaoyi, the queen, and the concubines Murong Qingwu, Pei Zhixiu, Shen Yutong, and Bai Yuanyuan all sat down one after another, while the other concubines and the newly entered palace ladies could only stand...
After sitting down, Ye Cui chatted casually with An Miaoyi and Murong Qingwu. The two women, An Miaoyi and Murong Qingwu, complimented their mother-in-law throughout the whole process, making the old lady smile from ear to ear. During this process, the concubines and maidens did not dare to interrupt because of their low status.

The concubines who were qualified to interrupt, such as Pei Zhixiu, Bai Yuanyuan, and Shen Yutong, had known for many years that the old lady looked down on them, so they kept their mouths shut and would not speak if they could. They would only speak out reluctantly when they really had to.

After a brief chat, An Miaoyi, the queen, also brought the topic to today's topic. She smiled and said to Ye Cui:

"Mom! There are quite a few wonderful people entering the palace in this selection!"

Hearing what An Miaoyi said, Ye Cui also became interested and asked:

“Are they all those people?”

An Miaoyi also introduced it after hearing this:
"This is Chen Rouer from the Jiangnan Chen family!"

After hearing An Miaoyi introduce herself, Chen Rouer also hurriedly stepped forward and saluted Ye Cui:

"The concubine Chen Rouer pays respect to the Queen Mother! I wish the Queen Mother long life and good health!"

After Chen Rouer finished speaking, An Miaoyi continued to introduce with a smile:
"Mom, this is Yuwen Jingxiang from the Yuwen family in Guanzhong!"

"The concubine Yuwen Jingxiang pays respect to the Queen Mother! I wish the Queen Mother long life and good health!"

"This is Zhao Huihui from the Qilu Zhao family!"

"The concubine Zhao Huihui pays respect to the Queen Mother! I wish the Queen Mother long life and good health!"

Listening to An Miaoyi's introduction, Ye Cui also looked at the three girls in front of her, then nodded with satisfaction and said:

“You are all good children! You must serve the emperor well in the future…”

The three girls said in unison:
"We will keep the Queen Mother's teachings in mind!"

Ye Cui nodded slightly and was about to continue to say something, when she noticed a figure among the group of beautiful women. She immediately became interested and waved her hand and said:

"That showgirl, stand up!"

As Ye Cui finished speaking, there was some commotion among the group of beautiful women, but a moment later a stunningly beautiful figure walked out.

Seeing the beautiful figure in front of her, Ye Cui's eyes became softer and she asked:
"What's your name? Where are you from?"

"In reply to the Queen Mother, the concubine's name is Murong Xinyun! She grew up in Guanzhong!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Cui asked back with great interest:

"Your last name is Murong? Are you from the Murong family?"

Without waiting for Murong Xinyun to answer, the old lady looked at Murong Qingwu who was standing aside. Seeing this, Murong Qingwu immediately stood up and said:

"Your Highness! Xinyun is my cousin! She is the youngest daughter of my fifth uncle!"

Hearing Murong Qingwu say this, Ye Cui looked back and forth between Murong Qingwu and Murong Xinyun and said with a smile:

"You sisters really are somewhat alike!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Xinyun also hurriedly said: "Thank you for the compliment, Queen Mother!"

"Your sister is very talented, beautiful and intelligent, and she serves the emperor very well. Xinyun, you should learn from your sister and do a good job in expanding the royal family!"

“Thank you, Queen Mother, for your teachings! Xinyun has always taken her sister as her role model…”

Seeing that the limelight of the three people she introduced was stolen by Murong Xinyun, the smile on An Miaoyi's face gradually faded.

However, as the Queen Mother, Ye Cui also understood the principle of equal treatment, and immediately changed the subject and said:
"You four are the best among this group of concubines. In that case, all of you will be promoted to concubines!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many jealous eyes were cast towards Murong Xinyun and the other four people. Although this harem was not as good as that of the previous dynasty, the status was still clearly distinguished. Murong Xinyun and the other four people were concubines from the beginning, so it can be said that they were far ahead of others from the starting line.

Facing Ye Cui's order, Murong Xinyun and the other three also accepted the order and expressed their gratitude.

Just as Ye Cui was about to chat with these newcomers and learn more about them, An Miaoyi's right-hand man, Nanny Sun, the head maid of the Daqian Palace, came over with an anxious look on her face and whispered in An Miaoyi's ear.

Although An Miaoyi has always been quite shrewd, her expression changed slightly when she heard Nanny Sun's report at this moment. After thinking for two seconds, she asked Nanny Sun to report the news to Ye Cui.

A few seconds later, Ye Cui was also slightly startled when she heard the news. She was originally in a good mood, but her face suddenly turned pale and she immediately ordered:
"I'm a little tired! Let's stop here for today!"

After saying that, Ye Cui stood up and left, and An Miaoyi followed immediately. Seeing Ye Cui’s sudden change, everyone was caught off guard, not knowing what had happened...

But soon everyone reacted and bowed to the backs of Ye Cui and An Miaoyi and said:
"We respectfully send off Her Majesty the Queen Mother and Her Majesty the Empress!"

After Ye Cuishi and An Miaoyi left, everyone dispersed. After walking out of the house, Murong Xinyun, who was somewhat curious, wanted to ask her sister, but before she could open her mouth, Murong Qingwu gave her a look.

Although Murong Qingwu did not say anything, Murong Xinyun was also a smart woman. She immediately understood what her sister meant and followed her sister silently without saying a word.

Half an incense stick later, the two sisters returned to Murong Qingwu's yard. After entering the house, Murong Xinyun felt relieved and asked carefully:
"Sister, what happened?"

Murong Qingwu shook her head and said:

"I do not know either!"

After giving Murong Xinyun the answer, Murong Qingwu hesitated for a moment and continued:
"Something serious must have happened! Otherwise, Queen Mother, An Miaoyi wouldn't be like this!"

Seeing that Murong Qingwu seemed to have only a vague understanding of this, Murong Xinyun did not continue to delve into this issue. Instead, he hesitated for a moment and said:
"Sister, did you mention me to the Queen Mother?"

Murong Qingwu said helplessly after hearing this:
"I don't know what you're thinking yet, so of course I won't take the initiative to mention you to the Queen Mother. You are born with such a beautiful appearance that it's hard to give up..."

Facing her sister's teasing, Murong Xinyun smiled in a naive way.

Ever since she learned about Ye Mingsheng's hobby from Murong Qingwu last time, Murong Xinyun felt a little unacceptable, so this time when she visited Ye Cui, she deliberately hid in the crowd, not wanting to attract attention, but unfortunately Ye Cui had a sharp eye and still noticed her from the crowd!

Seeing her sister's guilty look, Murong Qingwu couldn't help but admonish her:
"Xinyun, I know you can't accept it now. My sister was the same as you at the beginning!"

"But since you have entered the palace, some things are inevitable. Even if you want to hide, how long can you hide?"

"And you have to be clear about one thing! This place is not like our Murong family. Your status in the palace is directly linked to whether you are favored or not!"

Seeing her sister's serious expression, Murong Xinyun nodded quickly and said:

"Don't worry, sister. I will adjust as soon as possible!"

Hearing her sister's assurance, Murong Qingwu couldn't help but shook her head. Then she seemed to have thought of something, and immediately asked Murong Xinyun with a serious face:

"Xinyun, tell me the truth, do you still have Wang Shun in your heart?"

When Murong Xinyun heard her sister mention her lover's name, her expression changed slightly. Seeing this, Murong Qingwu knew that she was right and sighed:

"Xinyun! You shouldn't have entered the palace!"

After hearing this, Murong Xinyun was silent for a while and then said quietly:
"Sister, give me some time, I will definitely forget him..."

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While the Murong sisters were having a secret conversation, An Miaoyi and Ye Cui, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were also listening to the reports from their subordinates.

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, Queen, although Chu Zhiyi led the patrol battalion to break into Lord Ye Dong's residence, he did not take General Ye away as he wished. At present, some members of the Ye family have led their troops to General Ye's residence and surrounded Chu Zhiyi and the patrol battalion!"

Hearing this, Ye Cui asked anxiously:

"Did they use knives?"

"In reply to the Queen Mother, from the report just now, although both sides have displayed their weapons, they did not fight. They are just in a stalemate in General Ye's mansion. Both sides seem to be restrained!"

Ye Cui's heart was relieved after hearing this, and at this time An Miaoyi asked calmly:
"What are your instructions, His Majesty?"

"They should have just received the news, and His Majesty probably hasn't had time to issue an order yet!"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi immediately ordered:

"Madam Zhao, go and keep an eye on the Attendant Department. If there is any movement there, come back and report immediately!"

"Yes!"

At this time, Ye Cui also asked with some doubts

"Why did Chu Zhiyi want to arrest Ye Dong? Is he so bold as to arrest the Ye family?"

Nanny Sun said without hesitation:
“Your Majesty, this Chu Zhiyi accused General Ye of sending people to murder Liu Xinjie, the censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, so he wanted to arrest General Ye. But it seems that he did not ask for permission from Your Majesty before arresting him, so now both sides are in a stalemate in General Ye’s mansion…”