Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 227

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Xie Jiu entered the hall and bowed.

Zhao Xingjin waved his hand, "Sit down, what's this?"

I didn't hear them bring any snacks or soup; they just came out completely unprepared, without even a reason.

As a result, Zhao Xingjin didn't feel comfortable asking.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has arranged for Consort Lu to reside in Jingming Palace. I feel this is inappropriate, so I have come to ask Your Majesty to speak with the Empress. I am truly afraid that I will not get along with that Lady Lu."

This time, Xie Jiu got straight to the point and stated his purpose directly.

Zhao Xingjin hadn't expected it to be about this matter, and seeing Xie Jiu's worried expression, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

There are times when she can be so troubled.

However, Zhao Xingjin quite liked Xie Jiu's straightforward way of speaking, and that she didn't deliberately beat around the bush or try to trick him into fulfilling her wish because of this little incident.

That's quite tiring.

Zhao Xingjin wasn't stupid. Whenever he encountered concubines doing things this way, he could always tell in the end whether they were acting out of selfishness.

"Your Majesty, please say something!" Xie Jiu sighed from outside, clasping her hands together in front of her, looking like a troubled young girl. "How about I move to Chang Le Palace? Wen Xi is familiar with that place, and Jing Ming Palace can be given to the new lady."

Only after she said that did Zhao Xingjin speak slowly and deliberately, with a hint of teasing.

"Is Lady Lu some kind of tiger? Why are you avoiding her like this? I think she has a very gentle nature."

Xie Jiu pouted, "She's not a tiger, but I am. Such a delicate person, if I lived with her, I would scare her to death every day. She would fall ill from fright before she even entered my Jingming Palace. That would be a sin. Besides, if His Majesty felt sorry for her, he might punish me. So I might as well make things clear now to avoid trouble later."

Xie Jiu didn't want to bother with today's events, and since it was something that could be said directly, she decided not to beat around the bush.

Since the Empress is determined to annoy her today, she'll just have to be ruthless.

Zhao Xingjin could tell that Xie Jiu was unhappy. "Then, in your opinion, where should Madam Lu live?"

"Your Majesty, I don't assign people arbitrarily," Xie Jiu said, then took two steps forward, reached out and grabbed Zhao Xingjin's sleeve and shook it, "Your Majesty, please have mercy and help me. I'll play chess with you, okay?"

Since she had already pleaded like that, Zhao Xingjin naturally stopped teasing her.

It was just a matter of accommodation, nothing serious. Zhao Xingjin could tell that the Empress had ulterior motives towards Lady Lu, just like when the Empress brought her own sister into the palace. He didn't like this approach in the first place, so he took this opportunity to tell the Empress not to think about stirring up trouble in the harem.

He prefers to control who he favors and for what reasons. Even the Empress Dowager has no intention of forcibly placing people in his favor. He can accept Jiang Ningyu entering the palace, but the Empress's plans regarding Lady Lu are very obvious. She wants to push Lady Lu to compete for the Emperor's favor, which is actually a disguised way of placing people in his favor.

So, taking advantage of Xie Jiu's words, Zhao Xingjin went along with it.

"Very well, I will send Yang Zhian to Weiyang Palace to tell the Empress that she will arrange another place for Lady Lu to stay."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu immediately smiled and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

Weiyang Palace.

Consort Chen remained seated with the Empress, keeping her company and engaging in conversation.

Before long, Yang Zhian's voice could be heard from the doorway. "This servant greets Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Chen."

"Eunuch Yang," the Empress said with a smile, waving her hand. "No need for formalities. May I ask what brings you here, Eunuch Yang?"

Consort Chen's gaze also fell on him, thinking that Yang Zhian's arrival was most likely about the new concubine, as the palace had been busy with this matter recently.

She was right, but the message was not only related to the newcomer, but also to Xie Jiu.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty means that you should arrange another place for Consort Lu to stay," Yang Zhian said respectfully.

But as soon as she said this, the Empress's smile vanished. "Why is that? Jingming Palace is spacious. Currently, only Consort Jin and Princess Wenxi live there. Adding another person would be fine. I have already made arrangements and handed them over to my staff to tidy up and furnish the place."

Yang Zhian immediately smiled obsequiously, "His Majesty said that Princess Wenxi is introverted and does not like living with strangers, so please give the order that Consort Lu should not be arranged to live in Jingming Palace."

Now that things have been said to this extent, what else is there to be unclear?

The Empress forced a smile, her face stiffening slightly. "It was my oversight. In the end, His Majesty cares more for Wenxi."

"Not at all. Your Majesty is very busy with many trivial palace affairs, and it is only natural that you may not be able to take care of everything properly at times. His Majesty is also very understanding of Your Majesty," Yang Zhian said.

As he spoke, he waved to someone behind him, and a young eunuch came up carrying a red tray.

"This jade beaded string was just presented to the emperor this year. It is said to have the effect of calming the mind. His Majesty specially ordered me to bring it to Your Highness. It is hot today, so wearing it will keep you cool and soothe your mind."

The Empress looked at the red tray, and her complexion improved slightly.

"Please thank the Emperor on my behalf."

"Yes." Yang Zhian nodded. "If Your Majesty has no other instructions, this servant will take his leave. I still have duties to perform for His Majesty."

The Empress naturally did not try to keep him. She waved her hand and instructed Hongmei to see him off properly.

As soon as Yang Zhian left, the Empress's face darkened.

After sitting down, he slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Consort Chen, supporting her belly, dared not sit down. "I suppose it's because His Majesty dotes on Consort Lu more."

The Empress sneered, "You're trying to fool me with such nonsense? Anyone can see that the Emperor is just feeling sorry for Consort Jin!"

As they were talking, Hongmei returned after seeing Yang Zhian off and reported that Xie Jiu was currently playing chess with the Emperor in Chengming Hall. He had left not long after the earlier greetings.

After hearing this, Consort Chen said, "It seems that Consort Jin was unwilling to live with Lady Lu, so she went to the Emperor's side to beg for help. Your Majesty, don't be angry. She still has some favor with the Emperor now. Once the new ladies enter the palace to serve her, the Emperor will naturally forget about her. Lady Lu is beautiful and lovable. If she finds out that she was tricked by Consort Jin before she even entered the palace, which led to her being neglected by the Emperor and suffering all kinds of hardships, she will probably hate Consort Jin very much."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's gaze gradually calmed down. She then took a deep breath, returned to her residence to compose herself, and glanced at Consort Chen before speaking indifferently.

"You're feeling heavy, sit down and let's talk."

"Yes." Chen Meiren's expression relaxed slightly, and she sat down quietly.

Then the Empress's voice rang out again in the hall.

“Since His Majesty is so fond of Consort Jin, I cannot go against His Majesty’s wishes. Let Consort Lu move to Yanqing Palace. It just so happens that Consort Sun and the Fifth Prince have already moved to Fusang Pavilion in Yihe Palace. If Consort Lu moves to the place where Consort Sun lived, she might be able to enjoy some of the good fortune.”