It wasn’t long before the Emperor and Empress were to discuss the harem’s accounts.

Due to the ongoing war, the Emperor had been constantly advising the harem to be frugal. However, the Empress didn’t want to be the one to offend people, so she decided to bring Shen Mei Zhuang along.

When Zhen Huan heard about this, she immediately had someone pass on the message to Yu Ying’er, letting her know so she could tell Hua Fei.

As long as Hua Fei showed up, Shen Mei Zhuang wouldn’t have the chance to speak.

This was because, knowing Hua Fei’s personality, she would definitely not allow Shen Mei Zhuang to take the lead.

Once everything was arranged, Zhen Huan also went to Yang Xin Hall to greet the Emperor.

As soon as she entered, she heard Shen Mei Zhuang, just like in her past life, talking about how the weather had grown hot, and how the palace maids and eunuchs were each given an additional bowl of green bean soup at noon to beat the heat, with a daily allowance of thirty-two taels of silver.

Zhen Huan knew that the Empress would interrupt Shen Mei Zhuang’s words.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the Empress calmly spoke:

“Wait, you said that a bowl of green bean soup costs thirty-two taels a day, but what about for the entire month?”

Shen Mei Zhuang nervously glanced at Zhen Huan, who gave her a reassuring look.

Only then did Shen Mei Zhuang pretend to carefully calculate, “For a whole month, it would be nine hundred and sixty taels.”

The Empress then turned to the Emperor and said:

“Frugality leads to wealth. Though it’s just a bowl of green bean soup, over time, it adds up to a significant sum.”

After her conversation with Zhen Huan, Shen Mei Zhuang realized that the Empress wasn’t speaking to the Emperor, but was addressing her—an eager newcomer who wanted to show off. She was subtly guiding Shen Mei Zhuang to offer practical suggestions.

As the head of the harem, the Emperor certainly wanted frugality, but he didn’t want to be seen as stingy. So he spoke:

“This expense has been in place since the late Emperor’s time. If we suddenly cut it, the people below may have grievances.”

The implication was clear: “I’m in a tough spot, so you all need to step in and solve this problem.”

And if word got out, it would look like I care for the harem, while any harsh decisions or ideas will be completely on you. As long as my reputation remains intact, you can take the blame.

The Empress and Emperor shared an unspoken understanding here. The two cunning old foxes were simply waiting for Shen Mei Zhuang, the naive little rabbit, to walk right into their trap!

Just when Shen Mei Zhuang was stuck, unable to speak or stay silent, Hua Fei boldly walked in. Shen Mei Zhuang immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

At that moment, she even found Hua Fei somewhat endearing.

In her previous life, Hua Fei had made a mistake, which had given the Empress the perfect excuse to keep her out.

But this time, because they were in Yang Xin Hall and not Jing Ren Palace, and because Hua Fei hadn’t made any mistakes, the Empress couldn’t stop her from joining, no matter how unwilling she was.

Seeing the displeasure flash in the Empress’s eyes, Zhen Huan couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

After the formal greetings, the Emperor twirled the green bead pouch in his hand, looking at Hua Fei: “What brings you here now?”

“I was just coming to greet the Emperor, but I didn’t expect so many people to be here,” Hua Fei replied with a smile, glancing around before her gaze landed on the account book in Shen Mei Zhuang’s hands.

She smiled and walked toward Shen Mei Zhuang: “What’s that you have in your hands, Shen Gui Ren?”

Shen Mei Zhuang respectfully replied, “Replying to the Empress, the Emperor and Empress are discussing the harem accounts. I am slow-witted, having studied for so long, but still unable to come up with any practical solutions. I’m fortunate that you have arrived, Your Majesty.”

“Since you’re here, sit down and listen.”

The Emperor blinked, but his expression clearly conveyed displeasure.

“Where did we leave off? Continue,” the Emperor said, closing his eyes again.

“Reporting to the Emperor, we were discussing the green bean soup that the eunuchs and palace maids consume in the summer.”

“Green bean soup?” Hua Fei glanced at Shen Mei Zhuang, then turned to the Empress, asking incredulously, “Isn’t this an expense that has been in place since the late Emperor’s time? Empress, would you really be so frugal as to cut this?”

Hua Fei had always thought of the Empress as stingy and petty, unable to handle things with grace.

The Empress didn’t know how to respond to Hua Fei’s question.

If she agreed, it would spread that she was cutting the expense for the sake of a reputation for frugality, regardless of the well-being of the harem. If she disagreed, the Emperor was still there, watching!

The Empress understood this dilemma, so she turned to Shen Mei Zhuang, passing the tricky question to her:

“Shen Gui Ren, what do you think we should do?”

“Replying to the Empress, because the Emperor and Empress value me and have allowed me to study the affairs of the six palaces, I am slow-witted and have never actually handled such matters before.”

“Today, since it’s a rare opportunity, with both the Empress and Hua Fei present, I can learn and observe.”

Seeing that Shen Mei Zhuang hadn’t answered the Empress’s question directly, Hua Fei was in a good mood: “Shen Gui Ren truly understands!”

She then turned to the Emperor: “Emperor, if you ask me, this green bean soup should not be cut. Only by showing the eunuchs and palace maids the Emperor’s favor can they serve with all their heart, right?”

On this issue, the Emperor couldn’t say much more. He turned to Zhen Huan:

“Guan Gui Ren, what do you think?”

Zhen Huan smiled at the Emperor and replied:

“I don’t understand these matters. The harem is well-managed by the Empress and Hua Fei, so I’ll just drink my tea.”

Can you really pin this on me? I’m not that naive!

Zhen Huan thought to herself.

At this moment, Shen Mei Zhuang joked, “This is what it means to have the best of luck.”

The two of them played along, successfully dodging the responsibility.

Seeing that no one could counter Hua Fei, the Emperor, going with the flow, simply agreed:

“Hua Fei is right. I also think it shouldn’t be cut. Let’s handle it as Hua Fei suggests.”

Seeing the Emperor’s agreement, Hua Fei smiled smugly at the Empress.

The conversation then shifted to reducing the standard dishes. Shen Mei Zhuang continued to decline, saying she didn’t understand, and Hua Fei used the same strategy, leaving the Empress and Emperor with no choice but to maintain the status quo.

Zhen Huan saw the Empress’s face darken and couldn’t be happier.

No matter how calculating the Empress was, when it came to certain things, she had to give Hua Fei some leeway.

Zhen Huan had used the longstanding discord between Hua Fei and the Empress to help Shen Mei Zhuang escape the Empress’s trap this time.

Lately, the weather had been growing hotter, and the Emperor, fearing that the consorts couldn’t bear the heat, made arrangements to send them all to Yuan Ming Garden to cool off.

But because of this, the Emperor was angry with Hua Fei and, under the pretext of having her oversee the other consorts in the palace, planned to leave her behind.

After hearing the news, Hua Fei had someone call Cao Qin Mo over.

Though Yi Kun Palace had been stocked with many ice blocks, Hua Fei’s temper had not cooled one bit.

Cao Qin Mo cautiously greeted Hua Fei: “Empress, may you live long and be safe.”