books44 Chapter 1163 Zhen Huan Enlarged to 87
Chapter 1163 Zhen Huan Enlarged to 87
Concubine Qi's actions were very secretive. The concubines in the harem were busy preparing for the New Year and asking the palace maids to knit sweaters, so no one noticed her little movements. And as the queen, Jiang Xinxin did not react even when the people below reported that Concubine Qi intended to meet Fatty Ju to compete for favor.
It was the season for red plum blossoms to bloom again. Ever since Dapangju became emperor, he had never left alone during the New Year's Eve banquet. Concubine Qi knew that Dapangju would usually go to Yimeyuan alone to admire the plum blossoms on the second or third day of the New Year. In order to commemorate Empress Chunyuan, she would often go to the Imperial Garden after New Year's Eve and would stay there for at least an hour.
In the Suiyu Pavilion, Concubine Shen heard the palace servants report that Concubine Qi had come to the Imperial Garden again. She just listened and did not comment. She was even worried about Zhen Huan who was in the cold palace. "It's especially cold this year. I don't know how Huan'er is doing now..."
Caiyue had no grudge against Zhen Huan. Even though she couldn't stand Shen Bin's excessive enthusiasm towards Zhen Huan when she first entered the palace, she was really worried about Zhen Huan at this moment: "Before the New Year, I took the time to send Miss Zhen two baskets of charcoal and a lot of wool, and also handed over Liu Zhu to knit a sweater. Logically, they shouldn't be cold, but the cold palace is drafty on all sides, and I'm afraid that no matter how warm the brazier is, it won't help."
Concubine Shen was worried about this. "It's not good for the cold palace to be cold in winter and hot in summer. Now we can go out of the palace to escape the heat. There are floor heating in winter, and we have woolen blankets to cushion and cover ourselves. Life is of course very comfortable, but in the cold palace..."
Cai Xing came in with two newly woven wool blankets to present her treasures, "Your Majesty, these are wool blankets that were just woven by the young palace maids under Sui Yu Xuan. I knew that Miss Zhen and Liu Zhu in the cold palace were in need of these, so I bought them for them."
Concubine Shen happily touched the soft and warm wool blanket and repeatedly praised Caixing for her good work. Seeing everyone happy, Caiyue joined in the fun and said, "Sister Caixing did a good job. If I could go to the cold palace on behalf of the queen and give these two wool blankets to Miss Zhen and Liuzhu, wouldn't it be better?"
Zhen Huan and Liu Zhu, who were cared about by everyone in Sui Yuxuan, were not as miserable as everyone thought. Zhen Huan and Liu Zhu moved into the place where Concubine Shen used to live, and they used the small ear room as their bedroom. Although the place was small, they could light a brazier to keep warm and make their winter days better.
Liu Zhu skillfully baked two pieces of rice cake for Zhen Huan as a snack, and paired them with a cup of Keemun black tea. Zhen Huan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Although we didn't have to live frugally in previous years, we couldn't have such a good life with black tea and snacks like today."
Liu Zhu was a kind-hearted person. She knew that her good life today was all thanks to the care of Concubine Shen and Concubine Rou, so she spoke kindly, "We didn't get the woolen clothes and blankets last year, but we did this year. If it weren't for the care of Concubine Shen and Concubine Rou, we wouldn't be able to make money knitting sweaters today!"
Liu Zhu's parents had long passed away, so she regarded Zhen Huan, the young lady she had served since she was a child, as her only relative, otherwise she would not have insisted on following her into the cold palace to serve. She used to sell embroidery with Zhen Huan for a living. There was a period of time when Concubine Rou had to take care of them and Concubine Shen, the master and servant, and life was really difficult. She also sold embroidery with everyone else.
However, the quality of her embroidery was average and could not be sold for a good price. Even though they were not exploited because of Concubine Rou's care, she still felt that she was holding everyone back and kept this in mind.
Now, knitting a sweater is very easy, and she can even come up with other ideas, so the price will naturally go up. Also, because of Jiang Xinxin, the price of knitting a sweater is clearly marked. Liu Zhu calculated carefully and found that she could still have nearly ten taels of silver left after the New Year.
Liu Zhu could not help but exclaimed: "This knitting job was ordered by the Empress. I heard that the Empress felt that in addition to the maids of the upper three banners, there were many maids and eunuchs who entered the palace from other channels. She hoped that everyone could save more money through this knitting job so that they could live better after leaving the palace."
"The Queen is indeed worthy of being the Queen. Just by knitting sweaters, I'm afraid she can save countless lives. What a great merit this is!"
Zhen Huan was also deeply moved, "Yes, the Queen's action really saved countless lives, and more importantly, it prevented many poor families from selling their wives and daughters at a low price."
Zhen Huan is not a fool, on the contrary, she is very smart. She is truly smart, not the kind that is just being clever.
In the past, as the wife of an official, she seldom saw the sufferings of the outside world, but she was not completely ignorant of it. Just look at Liu Zhu.
Liu Zhu was originally a girl from a good family, but when a natural disaster struck, her whole family had to flee the famine, and she was the only little girl left in the capital. She was lucky to be found and bought by Zhen Huan, otherwise the life her family had earned for her at the cost of their lives would not have lasted long.
So even Liu Zhu can say that Jiang Xinxin's knitting job can save countless lives. Zhen Huan will understand the significance of this job to women better than Liu Zhu.
To put it bluntly, women now have the opportunity to stand up!
Zhen Huan seemed to have seen such a grand scene, and her heart was filled with emotion. She wished she could fly to her good sister Shen Meiyu immediately to discuss this matter with her. It was a pity that one of them was in the harem and the other in the cold palace; one was the emperor's concubine and the other was a commoner in the cold palace.
She was depressed for only a moment, and before Liu Zhu could comfort her, Zhen Huan cheered herself up, "Good Liu Zhu, while we have nothing to do, we should make more things. The small gloves, socks and hat we gave to the Eighth Prince that day are very nice. They are fluffy and very cute. I'm sure there are many people out there who like them."
The idea of the gloves with five fingers apart was not spread by Jiang Xinxin, but was brought into the palace by someone outside. Zhen Huan was very clever and figured it out herself after taking a look at it, and she actually made it. So even if the palace organized knitting for a full two months, the two of them could still save a lot of money after paying the necessary expenses.
The only ones who can worry Zhen Huan now are Princess Hengti, who is kept by the Imperial Noble Consort and rarely comes home even for the New Year, and Madam Yun and Zhen Yurao, mother and daughter, who live outside the palace with the help of the Tonggiya clan.
Because of this, Zhen Huan was even more grateful to Jiang Xinxin. She could make a living by knitting in the cold palace and even save a lot of money. Then it would be more convenient for Madam Yun and Zhen Yurao and her daughter outside the palace to move around. Maybe they could even save some money and find a good husband for Zhen Yurao.
Zhen Yurao now has the ability to support herself. Even if her husband's family is unreliable in the future, at least she can guarantee a life without worries about food and clothing, and she will even have enough energy to take care of their mother, Madam Yun.