MM Racing Chapter 18: A large team will be difficult to manage.
Chapter 18: A large team will be difficult to manage.
Shen Shixi was unaware that she was being gossiped about again in the Empress's palace.
At the end of the Chen hour (7-9 AM), Li Yuanke left the court, and Consort Qiong personally brought him food. Taotie followed behind, utterly dejected.
The guards and eunuchs in front of Qianyuan Palace smelled a foul odor from afar and thought someone had soiled their pants.
The aroma was getting stronger and stronger; without a doubt, it was the very thing that Consort Qiong had served.
"Please inform Your Majesty that I have prepared something delicious; may you have a taste!"
Inside the hall, Li Yuanke frowned at the stench and said, "No need. Let Consort Qiong go back! From now on, Consort Qiong's meals need not be reported to me!"
He could smell the stench even through a window.
Today, having resolved the issue of Jiangnan East Circuit, he dispatched the Marquis of Changning to the south to divide the military power of the Marquis of Jiaqing, Xie Zheng. Next, he plans to separate the judicial power, thus forming a system of separation of powers among the three departments.
Now, a pilot program is being conducted in Jiangnan East Road.
If Shen Shixi knew, he would have to sigh that Li Yuanke's mind was truly that of an emperor.
"Guards, convey my decree: Consort Shen is hereby awarded half a colorful banner!"
Half of the colorful banners was delivered to Zhaoyang Palace. Whether Shen Shixi was pleased or not, she happily expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty!"
From now on, she can go out by palanquin instead of on her own two legs. Zhaoyang Palace also has eight more people, two teams of people, to carry the palanquin.
The concubine's rank is carried by eight people, but Shen Shixi's rank is only half a rank, carried by only four people at a time.
It would be a great honor for others, but Shen Shixi was hesitant to sit in this thing.
She was being carried in mid-air; if anyone deliberately sabotaged her, she would fall off and be crippled, if not killed.
The one who came to deliver the imperial decree was Jiang You, Li Fude's most promising godson. Having received guidance from Li Fude, he treated Shen Shixi with great politeness.
"My godfather said that this palanquin was specially selected from the Imperial Household Department, and the people in it were also specially chosen from the Imperial Household Department. Master Shen can use it with peace of mind. The Emperor has given special instructions, and no one below would dare to be sloppy!"
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "I have nothing to worry about. Anyway, the Emperor is watching over me. If I really get killed, it's because the Emperor doesn't want me to live, and I should die then!"
Jiang You dared not reply, thinking to herself, "Your words are too bold; this servant dares not answer."
"Bai Ping, have you given the eunuchs their tea money as a tip?"
Bai Ping handed a purse to Jiang You, saying, "You've worked so hard! It's hot, buy me a bowl of herbal tea!"
Jiang Youyi weighed the money in his hand; it was no small amount. He left happily, and once outside the palace gates, he found a quiet place and distributed several silver ingots to his subordinates. He kept the lion's share for himself, thinking that he would make more trips to Zhaoyang Palace in the future.
When it came to giving rewards, Consort Shen was truly generous; he received ten taels of silver by himself.
Shen Shixi had Bai Ping give silver to reward the eight newly arrived eunuchs. Each of them received one tael of silver, which was equivalent to two months' worth of their monthly allowance.
That's how it is in the palace; the harder the work, the less money you get. It's the same for everyone who's been treated like a beast of burden throughout history.
Shen Shixi called out to Chao En, "His Majesty has assigned you to my post; it's a waste of your talent..."
Chao En kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind. This servant is more than willing to serve Your Majesty."
He, Chaoyu, Lanying, and Lantan were originally from the Qianyuan Palace and Taiji Hall. Serving the Emperor was naturally different for them, but they would never have a chance to rise in rank.
When they were first assigned to serve Master Shen, they were not happy. Serving a newly arrived mistress was like being exiled.
But the emperor dotes on his master. His master has a bright future ahead of him. Wouldn't it be better for him to become a chief eunuch in charge of a palace than to be a errand boy in Qian Yuan Palace?
"Since you're willing, I won't say more. There are quite a few people in Zhaoyang Palace right now. First there were the four of you, and then four more after I was promoted. There are three from the small kitchen, and now eight more have arrived. In addition, there are twelve servants from outside, and the people I brought with me. That makes a total of thirty-three people."
The palace maids here are under Lan Ying's management, and the eunuchs are your responsibility. You need to keep a close eye on them. I don't care about their abilities, but they must be loyal! If something like what happened last time happens again, I don't need to say anything, you'll see if the Emperor will still keep you on his side!
The last time the mung beans were scattered, it was because Madam Chen had her people bribe a eunuch to grab a handful of mung beans from the small kitchen.
Since that incident, apart from Chao En and the other three people in the small kitchen, all the others in her household have been replaced.
Chao En, covered in sweat, kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. This servant will certainly serve you willingly. The people below are being kept in close watch so that no one else has a chance to take advantage."
"Okay, call everyone over!"
The hall was filled with kneeling people. Shen Shixi said, "I'll tell you a few of my rules. Listen up. If anyone doesn't follow them in the future, don't blame me for being impolite, no matter what happens!"
First, in my work, every position will be filled by the most capable. Today I will announce your job responsibilities and assign people to score you. For each position, the one with the highest score will be hired, and the one with the lowest score will be rejected. As for whether you are sent back to the Imperial Household Department or given another chance, it depends on your own performance.
Shen Shixi set standards for each position, and Lan Ying and Lan Tan scored the palace maids, while Chao En and Chao Yu assessed the palace servants.
She then recited the palace rules: "You must not have any connection with anyone in any of the palaces. If any of your sisters or brothers are in a certain palace, you must report it to me and register it with me. If you conceal anything and I find out, you will be severely punished."
You must never go out alone; you must be accompanied by at least two people.
Under no circumstances should one do good deeds outside the palace, nor accept or pass on anything from any other palace personnel;
……
You must not act against the Lord. You must not act on my orders without my permission, nor explain to me afterwards that it was for the Lord's sake. If you do, you will be punished by caning!
Shen Shixi rattled off forty or fifty rules, adding her own as she spoke. Bai Ping took notes, polished them, and copied them down, which became the palace rules of Zhaoyang Palace.
As she was promoted, her department expanded and her staff grew, she had to rely on rules and regulations to keep them in check. Otherwise, if her subordinates made mistakes, she would inevitably be implicated.
No leader likes to see their promoted department head making mistakes every few days. Even if the department head is bullied a lot, they will be disliked by the leader, unable to stand up for themselves, and will embarrass the leader.
Shen Shixi didn't need to fight, but she didn't want to die either.
The prerequisite for lying flat is being able to save your life and be able to rest easy.
In the afternoon, after resting for a while, Shen Shixi felt a little bored and wanted to take a stroll in the garden. Bai Ping firmly stopped her, "Good mistress, please calm down. You just fell yesterday, and if you go for a walk today, wouldn't that just confirm that you're using your injury to curry favor?"
Shen Shixi originally wanted to say, "So what if it is?"
But the thought that she would have to pay her respects the next day after visiting the garden made her reluctant to do so, so she had to hold back for now.
At the palace gate, it was announced that Consort Xue had arrived to visit Shen Shixi.
"I don't want to see you, I don't know you, and we have nothing to say to each other." Shen Shixi refused outright and didn't even let the person in.
Consort Xue was immediately dumbfounded. She had brought a gift box with her. "Why is this? Does Consort Shen have some misunderstanding about me?"
Lan Ying said, "Consort Shen is unwell. The imperial physician said she needs to rest. Once she has recovered, Your Majesty can speak with her again."
Lan Ying went back to report, and Shen Shixi found it a bit strange, "Did you figure out why she came here?"
Could it be that she wants him to introduce her to the Emperor?
But it is not necessary.
Now that they've entered the palace, the emperor will surely summon them. Even if the emperor wanted to punish someone, he wouldn't use such a despicable method—leaving them out in the cold and not allowing them to serve him.
Lan Ying shook her head. "This servant is too dull to see it."
"It's normal that you can't tell. This harem is full of hidden talents. Those with shallow minds have already been eliminated, and those who have survived are all more cunning than the sea."
At Qianyuan Palace, Li Yuanke listened to Li Fude talk about the palace rules of Zhaoyang Palace, as well as the evaluation and scoring system and the competitive recruitment strategy, and he pondered it for a moment.
The Imperial Household Department sent over a jade plaque. Li Yuanke scanned it but didn't see Shen Shixi's. He then flipped over Xu Xuanshi's plaque.
The imperial harem also received the news, and today it was Xu Xuan's turn to serve the emperor.
Bai Ping was worried that her master would be sad, but Shen Shixi smiled and shook her head, "Li Yuanke's reign as emperor... is truly..."
Xu Murong's father, Xu Sheng, was a brave and heroic general. Sending him to Jiangnan East Circuit to lead military affairs and share the power of the Marquis of Jiaqing, thus creating a system of checks and balances, was indeed a very suitable choice.