Chapter 108: The First Act of Power

The Emperor bestowed gifts upon the imperial physicians, midwives, and others.

Finally, he also gave Lady Shun a pile of gold and jade.

Because she was pregnant and had already been promoted to Lady Pin, she had a title, so her rank didn’t change.

But judging from the Emperor’s gifts to Lady Shun, he was also very satisfied with the birth of a princess.

A few days later, Changchun Palace.

“Master, I heard that Ning is now Lady Zhao…” Chunque said indignantly, “His Majesty hasn’t promoted your rank…”

“If I had given birth to a prince, His Majesty might have promoted me to a higher rank, but it’s just a princess… Sigh…” Lady Shun lay on the couch, feeling dejected.

She knew that the Emperor was indifferent to her, this pregnancy was already a blessing from heaven…

She didn’t know when she would be favored again.

“Your Majesty, don’t be discouraged… This servant thinks that His Majesty is still very happy. His Majesty often goes to Linlang Palace to see the eldest princess… You have a second princess now, His Majesty often comes to see the child, you will still have a chance…” Chunque comforted her.

Lady Shun thought about it, and it was true!

She hadn’t been favored before, but now that she had a daughter, maybe things would be different in the future!

“Quickly, prepare a generous gift, I want to thank Lady Zhao properly.” Lady Shun, who had been listless, suddenly became radiant, and she warned Chunque, “You foolish thing! Next time you get pregnant, you’ll need Ning to help protect you, don’t ever be disrespectful to her!”

Chunque suddenly realized, she quickly covered her mouth, “Yes, yes, yes, this servant almost forgot about that… This servant will definitely continue to fawn over Lady Ning!”

…

Lingxue Pavilion was piled high with gifts from the Emperor for her promotion to Lady Zhao.

Tang Miaoling and Wei Yingya also sent congratulatory gifts.

“Master, Changchun Palace sent a top-grade jade pillow made of jadeite, it’s a rare and precious item.” Lianrui held the gift box and said:

“This servant thought that after Lady Shun gave birth, she wouldn’t be so polite to you anymore… She doesn’t seem like someone who knows how to repay kindness.”

Ning Wanyin said calmly, “Perhaps she thinks I’ll need her in the future.”

“She’s hoping to ask for your help again? This is really…” Lianrui was speechless for a moment.

“It doesn’t matter…” Ning Wanyin didn’t care what Lady Shun was thinking.

She was promoted to Lady Zhao, and she was assisting in managing the six palaces, she had gotten all the benefits she should have, and she had done what she should have done.

She would deal with the future later.

…

At dusk, the imperial carriage arrived.

Ning Wanyin greeted Helian Qi and entered the warm pavilion together, they had dinner together.

“This concubine has something to ask for Your Majesty’s grace.” Ning Wanyin looked at Helian Qi, hesitant to speak.

Helian Qi knew that she rarely asked him for anything, he was willing to grant her some favors:

“Go ahead, what do you want?”

“This concubine is honored by Your Majesty’s favor, assisting in managing the six palaces. But the affairs of the six palaces are complex, and this concubine doesn’t have many trusted people… This concubine wants to select a group of palace servants.” Ning Wanyin looked a little uneasy:

“Your Majesty knows, trusted people are not something you can find overnight…”

Helian Qi understood her subtext.

She wanted to use the selection of palace servants to send a group of her people into the palace. The Second Duke and the Four Marquis had always done this…

They would send their own trained pawns, disguised as commoners with clear backgrounds, into the palace during the selection of palace servants.

Ning Wanyin could naturally do this as well.

But she looked at him nervously, as if afraid that he would be angry, she was a little helpless:

“

This concubine can’t use all the people from the imperial court, Your Majesty also needs people to serve him. There are so many big and small matters in the six palaces, if this concubine has to manage them all alone, this concubine really can’t take care of everything…”

Helian Qi reached out and rubbed her head, his expression gentle, “I allow you.”

“Your Majesty… You… understand what this concubine means?” Ning Wanyin looked at him with watery eyes.

Helian Qi chuckled, flicked her forehead with his finger, “How could I not understand? Wanyin, I trust you, go ahead and do it…”

“Your Majesty, you are so kind…” Ning Wanyin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her eyebrows curved, full of joy.

The Emperor most disliked the dukes and marquises sending people into the palace.

Ning Wanyin didn’t tell him about this, and he wouldn’t object. Because he knew that if Ning Wanyin wanted to hold power, she would need a group of capable and reliable people to do things for her.

Otherwise, she would have power but no manpower, even if she managed to do things, there would be loopholes everywhere.

He allowed Ning Wanyin to hold power, naturally, he had to allow her to cultivate her own people.

He tacitly agreed to her sending people into the palace.

But…

Ning Wanyin specifically came to discuss this with him, Helian Qi understood that she knew his taboo, but she didn’t want to become his taboo. But she couldn’t not do things, she was in a dilemma, so she could only be honest with him and ask for his grace.

She valued their relationship so much…

The slight misgiving in Helian Qi’s heart dissipated.

The little girl was thinking of him all the time, Helian Qi felt a little happy, and he asked for Ning Wanyin twice more…

When dawn broke, Helian Qi went to court, and Ning Wanyin finally got a chance to sleep.

“Master, His Majesty really grants you whatever you ask for…” Lianrui said happily.

Ning Wanyin knew the Emperor would agree.

But she still asked.

The biggest taboo when serving the Emperor was that you thought you were serving the Emperor, and the Emperor allowed you to do so, then you could act recklessly…

Some things, you would do them anyway. But if you told the Emperor, the impression he had of you would be very different.

Small details were the easiest to cause trouble.

Be careful.

…

The first thing Ning Wanyin did after assisting in managing the six palaces was to select a group of palace servants to enter.

She wrote a letter to her mother in advance, and Cheng immediately sent all the people she named to participate in the selection of palace maids…

She circled the people she wanted, and also circled a group of commoners who seemed to have clear backgrounds but she didn’t know if they were truly clear…

In just seven or eight days, everything was done.

She was decisive and efficient, which was astonishing.

“This servant greets Lady Zhao, Lady Zhao is well!” A row of newly admitted palace servants stood in the Internal Affairs Department, bowing and saluting.

The young women stood in the front row, and the older women stood in the back row.

The palace often had concubines who were pregnant, and they needed a group of older palace maids with experience in raising children.

“You four, serve me.” Ning Wanyin pointed at four palace maids.

They were the four second-class maids from her childhood.

She then pointed at two older women and said:

“You two go to Lingxue Pavilion as well.”

Then she arranged people to go to the Imperial Kitchen, the String Music Pavilion, the Imperial Garden, and other places.

She didn’t directly send people to the concubines’ palaces.

Everyone knew they were her people, if they went to serve, wouldn’t they be bullied to death?

Instead, she sent them to places shared by the six palaces, those in charge knew they were Lady Zhao’s people, so they could only be polite.

If these head eunuchs/matrons dared to touch her people, she would dare to touch their positions.

Now that she was assisting in managing the six palaces, even the people under the two great dukes dared only to play tricks behind her back, on the surface, they had to bow and salute respectfully.

The people Ning Wanyin sent into the palace were mostly those who had served her openly in the past.

But there were also some who she had arranged privately before, older women who did things for her outside the mansion, they didn’t seem to be her people on the surface.

Ning Wanyin placed her obvious pawns in Lingxue Pavilion and some places that needed to be watched openly.

Her hidden pawns also had their own places.