The concubine is extremely cautious

Chapter 263 The Last Time, Jun Prelude

Ning Wanyin came out of Qianxin Palace, and Lianrui hurried to meet her.

He lowered his voice and reported, "Master, something happened in the Imperial Garden just now. Concubine Shun and Concubine Yao..."

"Zhaoyi Yao has gone to Mingde Palace now." Lian Rui said finally.

Ning Wanyin nodded slightly, "Then don't worry about it, Concubine Rong will handle it herself."

Concubine Rong is fair and will handle this matter properly.

The master and servant arrived at Yonghe Palace.

Xiao Guizi came up quickly and said, "Master, Concubine Rong wants to see you."

"Invite her in."

Ning Wanyin was a little surprised. She could handle it by herself. Was there anything else that required her to see her?

Fu Jiaoyi entered the main hall and bowed:

"I pay my respects to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. Something happened in the Imperial Garden today...I went to Changchun Palace, and Concubine Shun returned the ice box to Yao Zhaoyi."

Concubine Shun was very reluctant, but Fu Jiaoyi, who was in charge of the six palaces, came forward in person, so she had to step back.

What's more, Fu Jiaoyi also told her that if anything happened to Yao Zhaoyi due to heatstroke, she would be to blame.

When Concubine Shun heard that she might be implicated, she immediately returned the ice box.

"I also want to report something to the Imperial Noble Consort. Concubine Yao criticized the high-ranking concubines and spread rumors without any evidence that you ordered Concubine Shun. I specifically asked Concubine Shun, and she hasn't seen you in the past few days, let alone the matter of ordering you." Fu Jiaoyi looked at Ning Wanyin and said word by word:

"Yao Zhaoyi is committing treason and spreading rumors behind her back. Please ask the Imperial Concubine to punish Yao Zhaoyi!"

When Concubine Shun stole something, she dealt with it impartially. But when Concubine Yao slandered the Imperial Noble Concubine, that was another matter.

Ning Wanyin understood instantly.

Yao Zhaoyi wanted to use Rong Fei to deal with him, and secretly said bad things about him to her, but the result was...

Concubine Rong reported her directly.

Rong Fei has always been clear about her position - to check and balance Ning Wanyin. So she and Ning Wanyin are on equal terms, but at the same time, she does not need to deal with Ning Wanyin.

If Ning Wanyin really did something that violated the emperor's bottom line, she would report it to the emperor. This is the meaning of checks and balances, to prevent Ning Wanyin from having absolute power in the harem.

Apart from that, they got along well.

On the contrary, if someone wants to deal with Ning Wanyin, she will help.

"I understand." Ning Wanyin nodded slightly.

Later, the emperor came to Yonghe Palace. Ning Wanyin reported Yao Zhaoyi's slander:

"I think that Concubine Yao should be demoted. Your Majesty, please understand."

The demotion of a concubine needs to be reported to the emperor.

Helian Qi said coldly, "No need, banish Yao to the cold palace."

The Yao family was wrong, but she still didn't repent and slandered the imperial concubine for being jealous and deliberately targeting the Yao family because of the selection incident.

Isn't this slandering me for listening to the words of the women in the harem and being stupid and immoral?

The emperor had suspended the selection of concubines. Even if the imperial concubine was to blame, the emperor was ultimately to blame for being "seduced by women".

The emperor was naturally very unhappy.

"Yes." Ning Wanyin accepted the order.

Yao was stripped of her position and banished to the cold palace.

Peace returned to the harem.

Summer goes and autumn comes, time passes by like a horse through the window, and in the blink of an eye, another year has passed.

During this year, the former dynasty was stable, and the harem was also calm under the management of Ning Wanyin and Fu Jiaoyi.

In the eleventh year of Yanchang, the first snow fell in winter.

The emperor and his concubine sat opposite each other in front of the window, playing chess.

It was snowing heavily outside the window, but there was a floor fire and an incense burner in the hall, so it was warm.

Ning Wanyin was wearing a crabapple red skirt embroidered with blue phoenix flowers today, with a snow-white fox fur coat on the outside, and a set of makeup with a red gold headdress inlaid with butterflies and hundreds of treasures that His Majesty had awarded her when she first entered the palace. She looked bright and charming.

On the windowsill, there is a slender white vase with painted branches, filled with freshly picked plum blossoms.

On the small stove next to the coffee table, the boiling water in the teapot sizzled.

Quiet and cozy.

Helian Qi recalled the year when Wanwan first entered the palace. It was the first snow of winter that year, and they also sat in front of the window, enjoying the snow, drinking tea, playing chess and chatting.

Just like before.

Wanwan still looked the same as before, and the snow scene was the same as before. The only difference was that he could no longer accompany her to watch the first snow of next year.

"Cough cough..." Helian Qi coughed twice.

Ning Wanyin immediately looked at him, her eyes full of worry. But her Majesty's condition was a topic she couldn't ask too much about.

She could only express concern but could not ask about the specific circumstances.

This year they were like an ordinary couple, living in harmony and equality.

But Ning Wanyin has always been very clear that they are not an ordinary couple after all, but the emperor's concubine, and she always keeps her distance.

"I'm fine. I remembered the time when I watched the first snow with you, and it was the same scene..." A gentle smile appeared in Helian Qi's eyes.

At the time, it was only common.

He had been striving for imperial power all his life, with only the vast territory in his eyes. But in the end, he was still greedy for some human love.

Life in this world is lonely.

The emperor is a lonely man.

It is a blessing to have someone in this world who knows you, loves you, and is in tune with your soul.

"Your Majesty specially built a warm room for me." Ning Wanyin took over the conversation softly, her eyes full of affection: "Your Majesty treats Wanwan with great love and kindness, but Wanwan cannot do anything for His Majesty, and I feel guilty from time to time."

"You've done enough for me." Helian Qi gently grasped Ning Wanyin's hand. He couldn't help but cough violently, and his handsome face turned pale.

"Wanwan, if Daliang raises an army, who do you think should be the commander-in-chief in the southwest?"

There were no outsiders in Yonghe Palace at this time.

Only the emperor and his concubine performed the dialogue before the king for the last time.

There is no commander-in-chief in the southwest at present. Han Xun is the commander of the Qilin Guard. If he is appointed as the commander-in-chief, he will be both the commander and the supervisor. Moreover, once Daliang rises up, the capital is likely to be in chaos.

Han Xun has been kept in the capital by the emperor and is the most suitable person to guard the capital.

Although Marquis Dongchuan is a general in the southwest, his ability to lead troops in combat is slightly inferior to top generals like the Xue family's commander-in-chief.

Looking at all the generals in the army today, Tang Yuan is the one who stands out.

He is currently leading the army in the northwest, and the war is well controlled. He has come to the southwest to help fight and is familiar with the affairs of the southwest.

It seems that he is the most suitable person to use.

"Master Jiang of the Southwest Academy said that there are several generals in the southwest who have the talent to be great commanders. I believe that generals are selected from the ranks of soldiers and judged by their military achievements," Ning Wanyin answered seriously.

After one year of teaching, many ministers returned to the capital, and new people were appointed the next year. But Jiang Chengxu volunteered to stay, and the emperor promoted him to be the head of the Southwest Academy. He worked diligently and wrote a memorial every month to describe the progress of his teaching.

There were several generals in the southwest who performed outstandingly in the art of war classes, and he recorded and reported them one by one.

Ning Wanyin knew very well that if Tang Yuan took control of the troops in the southwest, Da Yan would first fall into civil strife.

The Tang family originally controlled the northwest, and now also the southwest. The entire west fell under the control of the Tang family. Such power would surely overwhelm the Xue family. The Xue family would definitely strongly oppose it, and Da Yan would start an internal conflict.

For the monarch, handing over the entire West to a general was a gamble.

Ning Wanyin didn't want to gamble. When you stand in this position, you know that you can't afford to gamble with this vast country and the people.

Since there is no commander in chief in the southwest, then we should promote talented generals instead of appointing our own people.

From the perspective of the Ning family, Tang Yuan would be the best choice. But from the perspective of the monarch, all the people in the world are your subjects and you can use them all.

Helian Qi smiled with satisfaction. He did not choose the wrong person. He picked the most suitable successor for the world.

Helian Qi's cough became more and more severe, and he finally coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Your Majesty..." Ning Wanyin hurried forward to support him.

Helian Qi was well aware of his condition, and he was relying on tonics to keep himself going. He was already on his last legs. He knew this was the last time, and he looked at Ning Wanyin calmly, "I'm fine. Wanwan, let's finish this game of chess."

At the beginning of the story, he played a game of chess with her.

At the end of the story, they play chess again, the last game.

……

Three days later, Qianxin Palace.

The emperor was seriously ill and unable to get up, so he summoned important officials, relatives and nobles to the palace to meet him.