That night, Zhu Houzhao met the Twelve Beauties that Concubine Li carefully prepared for him.

This is much more interesting than the "beauty pageant" prepared by Zhang Yuan for him. The woman Li Fei found was not the palace maids in the palace, but were all found by the people, and the person who helped behind it was Qian Ning.

Qian Ning knew very well that his relationship with Concubine Hua had become very stale, and even said Concubine Hua was a little disdainful of him. Qian Ning took advantage of the opportunity to send Concubine Li to Zhu Houzhao and finally found a new way to invite favors. Concubine Li relied on him very much and left everything to him... This also has something to do with Concubine Li just got favor, and there was no resources on hand, and both parties needed mutual benefit.

The twelve beauties competed for beauty, each representing a seasonal flower. Zhu Houzhao drank a few glasses of wine and was a little fluttering. Then he ordered these women to line up, pose and show their most beautiful side. He was the only referee and commented. Each woman received his guidance and was given the title of "beauty".

Because these women did not enter the palace, Zhu Houzhao's enthronement did not pass the relevant vocational yamen, which did not make much sense. However, these women could at least get a salary, which gave them the foundation for their survival in the leopard room.

That night, Zhu Houzhao pulled Twelve Chai into the room. Concubine Li was unwell and did not follow Zhu Houzhao to go in and make trouble.

After everything was arranged, Concubine Li finally breathed a sigh of relief and said quietly: "It is really not a light job to serve such a master."

Xiao Tiaozi walked out of the room and closed the door. When he saw Concubine Li sitting there, he hurried over to salute and greet him.

Concubine Li said: "It's so polite to twist my father-in-law. Can Your Majesty rest?"

"It's still early."

Xiao Zhuozi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is drinking inside, reciting poems and essays... I haven't seen Your Majesty so happy for a long time. Concubine Li is really capable."

Around Zhu Houzhao, the eunuch forces and the concubine forces are interdependent, and the situation is subtle... The two sides sometimes cooperate, sometimes they are competitors, and more often they are master-servant relationships. However, because Xiao Tiaozi has a high status around Zhu Houzhao, he does not need to be very respectful to Concubine Li.

Concubine Li even took the initiative to curry favor with her. After all, to get the holy favor, she needs the help of these eunuchs around the emperor. Concubine Li didn't have as long in the leopard room as she had, and her connections were not that deep, so she now catered to others in every way to gain favor. Many people also tried to establish a good relationship with Concubine Li, the upstart in front of the emperor.

Concubine Li smiled and said, "You are good at swearing at your Majesty. You have the ability to serve Your Majesty since childhood. You have been trusted by Your Majesty. In the future, I will rely more on you."

After saying that, Concubine Li stood up to salute, which made Xiao Tiaozi feel very gloomy and she was a little fluttering for a moment... The favored women around the emperor were humble to him. What a glory this is?

Then he thought of his mortal enemy Zhang Yuan, and his expression became restrained again, bowed and said, "It's not too early, and Concubine Li has been busy all day, so I must have been tired. If I sue my servant, I will not disturb Concubine Li's rest."

"Um."

Concubine Li smiled and nodded, and then arranged for the palace maid to send Xiaotiao out.

After Xiao Tiaozi left, Concubine Li didn't stay in the hall for too long. She exclaimed a few words to the little palace maid beside her, and then the little palace maid went out to do business.

Concubine Li looked at the emperor's room, heard the laughter vaguely coming from inside, shook her head and sighed, and then went to the outsider.

...

...

Concubine Li came to a small flower hall in a yard next to her.

It was cold outside, and although there was a brazier in the room, the temperature was not high. Li Fei was wearing a heavy cloak and sat down dignifiedly beside the warm couch.

Soon, Qianning came in from outside with a treacherous head.

"What's wrong with the empress calling the villain to come late at night?"

Qian Ning looked very proud when he saw Concubine Li, because Concubine Li was carefully selected and sent to Zhu Houzhao, and he was favored by finding some women to give to Zhu Houzhao from time to time. Qian Ning felt that he was Concubine Li's benefactor, so after meeting in the small flower hall, he couldn't help but get away with it.

Concubine Li said, "Your Majesty is very satisfied with the woman you have found. You have been blessed by this now. You have made great contributions."

Qian Ning smiled and said, "Look at what the Empress said, isn't this for Your Majesty... And you have to do your best to do your business? The Empress is looking for a villain, but she won't want to arrange to find a woman for Your Majesty again?"

"I want to ask you about the situation in the court."

Concubine Li said, "You might tell me one or two?"

Qian Ning was a little surprised, thought for a while and asked curiously: "Why is the Empress interested in the affairs of the court? This is not very... in accordance with the rules, the Ming Dynasty harem has never interfered in politics... However, if the Empress really wants to know, it doesn't matter, but it doesn't matter. The villain knows everything and says everything."

Concubine Li smiled and said, "I am not trying to interfere in the government affairs, but I am just curious about some things in the court. I heard that Shen Zhihou, the Minister of War, was stabbed and Marquis Jianchang was imprisoned because of this. What's going on now?"

Qian Ning said: "Haha, what are you talking about? What do you mean? Just a dog bites a dog. Shen Zhihou can be said to be very strong. Since he defeated Liu Jin, he has been arrogant and even dared to investigate the relatives of the foreigners, so he was stabbed. However, His Majesty also made the decision to avenge him and imprisoned the Marquis of Jianchang who was sent to assassinate... Then Jianchang is the Empress Dowager's younger brother. The Empress Dowager sent people to plead with His Majesty several times, but His Majesty did not agree. However, Jianchang Hou should not have any trouble and will be released soon."

"oh."

Concubine Li nodded and said, "What's the situation in Shen Zhihou now? Can his injury... be life-threatening?"

Qian Ning frowned: "Why would a villain care about this kind of thing? But then again, what does it have to do with the Empress whether he dies or lives? Could it be that the Empress knows him?"

Concubine Li shook her head and said, "Before I arrived at the Leopard Room, I was just an ordinary woman. Where did I get to know such a big man? It was just a folk saying that he was a top student in high school at a young age, and in the next few years he made achievements for the Ming Dynasty. There were so many rumors, so I was naturally curious and wanted to ask clearly."

Although Concubine Li explained, Qian Ning disagreed and thought to herself: "You called me to ask in the middle of the night, just to satisfy this unreasonable curiosity? Are you a fool?"

Qian Ning seemed a little impatient: "It's probably not going to die. Although he hasn't returned to the court to do business yet, if his injuries were serious, it would have been heard by Your Majesty... Your Majesty hasn't cared much about Shen Zhihou's injuries recently. It seems that it's not long before Shen Zhihou recovers. This is the injury in winter, and he is lucky and life-threatening. If it were Longxia, he would be afraid that his life would be in danger."

Concubine Li nodded: "Does Lord Qian have the chance to meet this Lord Shen?"

Qian Ning glared and said, "What does the empress mean? I repeatedly asked Shen Zhihou's affairs, which made the villain really unable to understand. No matter how Shen Zhihou was hurt, the villain did not want to see him. The villain's job was to serve His Majesty well and had nothing to do with Shen Zhihou. If the empress and him were old acquaintances, they would not mind helping."

Concubine Li waved her hand: "Since there is no intersection, just pretend I didn't ask this question. I have some things to tell you about His Majesty's preferences..."

...

...

During this period of time when Chen Xi recovered from his injuries, he enjoyed a rare leisure.

Don’t worry about court affairs, there will be people who worry about everything, and you can be a free agent with peace of mind.

Although the injury was not serious, Chen Xi tried to be careful when he was in the mansion. After all, there might be eyeliners installed by the imperial court in the Chen Mansion. There were too many servants, so it was difficult for each to investigate in detail. Chen Xi had been living in the ward and had very little contact with the female family in the inner courtyard, let alone sleeping together.

After all, Chen Xi is in good health and feels lonely when he is idle... Fortunately, he can sneak out to spend a short time with Yun Liu and Xier during the day, which can relax his body and mind a little. At night, no matter what, he will go back to the wing room where he is recuperating to avoid trouble.

But that day he took time to visit Hui Niang's place.

The small separation is better than the newlyweds. Hui Niang and Li Jin haven’t seen Chen Xi for a while. After welcoming Chen Xi into the door, we were so happy that we quickly cleaned up the room.

I was worried about Chen Xi's injuries, but after looking at the "wound" in detail, they realized that the hideous scars were made of some special things.

"Master, why are you doing this?"

Hui Niang complained a little, feeling that Chen Xi didn't need to be so wronged... Not only did she have to deal with so many military and national affairs to exhaust herself physically and mentally, but she also had to use these conspiracies and deceitful means to gain political benefits.

"If it is not so, it will be impossible to restrain the illegal relatives!"

Chen Xi explained, pointed to his chest and said, "I can't take a bath. After washing this place with water, it can't be restored. Let's do it now."

Hui Niang said to Li Jin: "Jin'er, why don't you go and bring some hot water? You go and take a shower first, and the master will give it to me."

"Um."

Li Jin hurriedly prepared the hot water, while Hui Niang bent down and gently stroked Chen Xi's wound... Hui Niang was gentle and considerate in everything she did, making Chen Xi feel a sense of warmth.

Hui Niang suddenly said, "Master, Sui'an and Dongxi are playing with Hong'er in the backyard. It can be seen that they are pure by nature. If the master likes it, they can accept it at any time."

Chen Xi shook his head and said seriously: "It's impossible, they are half-aged children. Besides... I can't pass the psychological level... I try to provide them with a better living environment. When I grow up, I'll find a good family to marry. It's a kind of explanation to the past."

Hui Niang looked at Chen Xi, her eyes suddenly felt a little sad.

At this time, Li Jin brought the water basin, Hui Niang asked the maid to burn the stove in the stove more, then picked up the hot towel, wringed it dry, and helped Chen Xi wipe his body a little bit.

Hui Niang said: "Sui'an and Dongxi have a very pitiful life experience. Sui'an was abducted and sold to her since childhood. What was going on in her family has long been unclear. Because she was resold too many times, she learned to observe her words and expressions..."

"oh."

Chen Xi closed his eyes and was unwilling to think too much, acting as a loyal listener.

Hui Niang said again: "Although they are not old, they have experienced many things, and their life experiences are even more bumpy than that of me... After knowing what happened to me, I suddenly felt that this life was still quite happy."

Chen Xi looked at Hui Niang with a smile, without saying anything, her eyes were full of tenderness.

Then Hui Niang stopped talking. The room was very quiet, but full of warmth... When the two of them were alone, they didn't have to worry about the troubles in the outside world, as if the whole world was limited to this small courtyard.

After a while, Hui Niang finally raised her head, gave Chen Xi a blank look, and said, "Jin'er's bathing is almost done, let her come and serve you. I'm not feeling well in the past two days."

Chen Xi smiled bitterly and said, "In this way, I should calculate the day before I come back?"

Hui Niang gently tapped Chen Xi's forehead, then helped Chen Xi tidy up the front and personally took the basin to go out.

Chen Xi stayed with Hui Niang and Li Jin and felt great relaxation.

After all, I am a foreign house. No matter how reserved I am, I can't help but think of some ways to strengthen my favor. In this way, my relationship with Chen Xi will be more refined, and Chen Xi is more willing to come here.

Even Hui Niang, who was relatively extreme in the past, has gradually changed her attitude after getting along with each other over the years. She has become a woman who is competing for favor intentionally or unintentionally, trying every means to win Chen Xi's favor.

As the evening approached, it began to snow in the capital. It was very snowing, and the world was vast, but the room was warm.

Hui Niang would occasionally go to the room to check it out, say something through the curtain, and show all the gentleness and considerateness of a woman, but she knew the right amount of her ability and gave her more opportunities to Li Jin. She was like a tolerant sister, worried about this little family.

After everything calmed down, the sky gradually faded, and Chen Xi suddenly felt hungry.

Hui Niang said, "The master is still injured and can't treat his health unfairly. The kitchen has already prepared supper, so let's have dinner here today. I didn't prepare wine for the master, so I asked Jin'er to accompany the master with tea instead of wine."

"Um."

Chen Xi nodded and turned his head to look at Li Jin with a shy face in his arms.

Hui Niang walked into the curtain, sat down beside the couch, looked at Chen Xi and said, "The master hasn't come for many days, and I'm ready for the accounts and other things. There is still a batch of silver transported from Jiangnan. I don't know where to send it?"

Chen Xi was a little ashamed: "You have to work hard to get the profits out and fill in the bottomless pit on my side, which really makes you worry."

"It was originally a business of the master, so we just helped to manage it. Besides, why do women want so much money?"

Hui Niang said, "After Eunuch Liu's power was disintegrated, the master's reputation in the south became more prosperous. Now it is easier for the Chamber of Commerce to do business in the local area. Officials in Guangdong, Jiangxi and other places are taking care of..."

Chen Xi couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was most disgusted with this business model of collusion between officials and businessmen, but in the end he found that he had become the biggest beneficiary of collusion between officials and businessmen.

Li Jin smiled and said, "In this case, you can almost get more than 200,000 taels of silver in your account in this year."

Hearing this number, Chen Xi was surprised.

In the past, when Hui Niang managed the Tingzhou Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce made no profits, but now local trade in several southern provinces alone can achieve such high profits, allowing Chen Xi to see the opportunity to develop industry and commerce in this era.

Chen Xi got up and put on his clothes. Hui Niang came to help, talking about business affairs.

Hui Niang seemed to have some attachment to the south, and finally said, "...If you have time, I want to go back to Guangdong to see. The people in the local area may not be reliable, so it is difficult to guarantee that they will not be able to fill their pockets..."

Chen Xi smiled and said, "Don't be so harsh to the people below, and share some benefits appropriately, otherwise who would do his best to help do things?"

Hui Niang said angrily: "From the master's opinion, we have to make some money from the money we have earned with hard work? All the chamber of commerce regulations that have been revised have been arranged? I have considered the interests of the shopkeepers before, and it is impossible to say that if you extend your hand, you can't tell me. Now the master is so big, with both kindness and power, how can you give up more interests?"

Hui Niang’s idea of ​​doing business is very traditional. She regards the entire chamber of commerce as a big family and decides everything in the family in the way of a parent. So far, it is running pretty well.
Chapter completed!