Ming Yue immediately launched into an accusation, terrifying Steward Chen.
Rumor had it that the Empress could kill at the slightest disagreement, and he felt a chill run down his neck.
He knelt on the ground, thinking that disobeying an imperial decree was a dead end.
Offending the Empress was also a dead end, but the difference was that offending the Empress meant immediate death.
"Your Majesty, please clarify. This old servant was recuperating outside the palace and only returned last night.
I learned that while Madam Wang was acting as head of the Internal Affairs Department, she actually transferred the servants of the Lan Yue Palace elsewhere.
This has left Your Majesty without anyone to serve. This old servant is filled with apprehension.
I was just thinking of assigning people to Lan Yue Palace when Your Majesty personally arrived.
It is this old servant's negligence. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me.
How about this? This old servant will summon all the palace servants, and Your Majesty can select them on the spot.
Lan Yue Palace's establishment includes one chief eunuch steward, one chief madam, four senior palace maids,
twelve junior palace maids, twelve junior eunuchs, and twelve rough-service madams, totaling forty-two servants.
Whomever Your Majesty fancies, select them, and the full complement will be brought back to Lan Yue Palace."
Between dying immediately and dying later, Steward Chen decisively ignored Ji Shiyou's orders and prepared to let Ming Yue choose personnel.
"There's no need for such trouble. I just came to ask. This Empress prefers quiet.
Since you are so sensible, I won't make things difficult for you.
This is Yan Liu, a palace maid from the Imperial Kitchen. I want only her. Let her be registered as a senior palace maid!"
Courtesy begets courtesy. Seeing Steward Chen trembling with fear and being completely cooperative,
Ming Yue felt a bit awkward about bullying him and said kindly.
Her main purpose for coming to the Internal Affairs Department today was to change Yan Liu's registration. She hadn't intended to fill the complement of Lan Yue Palace.
However, it was a case of "killing two birds with one stone." Her earlier pretense of an accusation,
was because she thought, since I'm here anyway.
I might as well stir up some trouble, perhaps it could advance my self-destructive plan.
She hadn't expected Steward Chen to be so timid, completely complying with her.
She suspected that if she had said she wanted to tear down the Internal Affairs Department, Steward Chen would have replied, "Your Majesty, please rest, this old servant will help you tear it down!"
This made Ming Yue feel rather bored, so she decided to quickly change Yan Liu's records and try her luck elsewhere.
"Your Majesty is the mistress of the Six Palaces. You only needed to give this old servant a command for this matter.
Why did you have to come to the Internal Affairs Department personally? Please rest assured, this old servant will handle it.
Starting this month, Miss Yan Liu's rank will be that of a senior palace maid.
Her monthly allowance will also be disbursed according to the senior palace maid's level. This old servant will arrange everything."
Hearing that Ming Yue only wanted one person, Steward Chen was overjoyed.
Furthermore, Yan Liu was a palace maid selected by the Empress from the Imperial Kitchen.
She was not assigned by the Internal Affairs Department. It was the Empress's prerogative to transfer a palace maid from the Imperial Kitchen.
The Internal Affairs Department merely needed to record it and change her rank. This would not be considered disobeying the Emperor's command, right?
This outcome was the best, as he wouldn't offend either the Emperor or the Empress.
Overjoyed, Eunuch Chen fawned over Ming Yue and said to her.
He was a capable person. According to regulations, even if Yan Liu were transferred to Lan Yue Palace,
her promotion from a rough-service palace maid to a senior palace maid, and her monthly allowance, should only be disbursed from the following month at the senior palace maid's level.
This was because there were only three days left in the current month.
Steward Chen was clearly trying to curry favor with Ming Yue, including Yan Liu.
"You've worked hard. Let's do as you say?
You must be busy with official duties, so I won't disturb you further."
Since her own people were benefiting, Ming Yue naturally wouldn't refuse. She agreed and, with Yan Liu, left the Internal Affairs Department.
"Princess, thank you!"
After leaving the Internal Affairs Department and reaching a secluded spot,
Yan Liu suddenly knelt before Ming Yue and kowtowed repeatedly.
She was just a rough-service palace maid, the lowest rank in the palace, with a monthly allowance of only two hundred wen.
Now, because of Ming Yue, she had leaped to the rank of senior palace maid. It was like a dream.
One had to know that in the entire harem, there were no less than eight hundred, if not a thousand, palace maids.
However, there were no more than fifty palace maids of the senior palace maid rank.
Almost every senior palace maid was a confidante of the mistress of their respective palace.
Because they served the masters closely, they had more prestige than the chief madams and eunuch stewards of each palace.
Most importantly, a senior palace maid's monthly allowance was twenty taels.
This was what Yan Liu was most grateful to Ming Yue for. She was desperately in need of money.
"Get up! Why the thanks?
Since you've followed me, I won't mistreat you.
Besides, the money from Lang Yue Kingdom is not to be refused.
If you want to thank me, first lead me around the harem."
Ming Yue never mistreated her own people. Yan Liu was her person, and naturally, she would protect her.
She reached out and helped Yan Liu up, ordering her to lead her to familiarize herself with the harem environment.
Through yesterday's events, Ming Yue deeply realized that her plan was a protracted one.
Therefore, she needed to familiarize herself with the environment first, which would be helpful for the implementation of her plan later.
Yan Liu had been in the palace for a year and was very familiar with it.
She led Ming Yue, introducing her to various places.
An hour later, the mistress and servant arrived at the Imperial Garden.
Ming Yue was a little tired and rested in a pavilion.
"They've planted such a large patch of roses here. Seeing them makes me want to eat Wu Man's rose cakes."
Ming Yue, without any pretense, slumped down. Looking at the large patch of roses in front of the pavilion, she swallowed.
"Princess wants to eat them? This servant knows how to make them.
I saw that the small kitchen in our palace has all sorts of ingredients.
You rest here, and this servant will go pick some rose petals and make them for you when we return."
Yan Liu's greatest skill was cooking. Hearing that Ming Yue wanted to eat rose cakes, she immediately left the pavilion.
Since she had nothing to put the petals in, she lifted the front of her robe. Soon, she had picked a full pouch.
"Bold servant! These are the roses that Consort Lian cherishes the most. How dare you steal them!
Guards, quickly apprehend her and send her to the Department of Punishments!"
Rose cakes could be stored for a long time. Since Ming Yue liked to eat them, Yan Liu thought of making a bit more.
As she was enthusiastically picking, a scolding voice reached her ears.
Then, she was pressed into the rose bushes by two madams.
Roses have thorns, and she was pricked on her body and face.
Especially on her face, blood beads seeped out.
"Greetings, Consort Lian. This servant did not know these were Your Ladyship's favorites. Please forgive me."
Yan Liu, held down, scattered petals all over the ground. She pleaded for mercy in the flower bed.
"Why send her to the Department of Punishments? She picked my beloved flowers, beat her to death directly."
Wearing a light green palace dress and a golden hairpin, Consort Lian,
supported by two palace maids, appeared beside the rose flower bed.
Looking at Yan Liu, without asking for reasons, she directly ordered her to be beaten to death.
In this harem, she had the confidence to do so.
She didn't need to be wary of which palace Yan Liu belonged to, or who her master was.
This was because her maternal aunt was the Empress Dowager.
Her father was Feng Sandu, the Prime Minister of Lang Yue Kingdom, second only to the Emperor.
She was the first woman in the Emperor's harem, the only one whose name was used as her title, Consort Lian, Feng Lian.
This was why she dared to be so reckless, unafraid of offending anyone in the palace.
Even the fiery Consort Zheng, she dared to confront directly.
However, Consort Lian had clearly left the house on the wrong day. She had encountered Ming Yue and injured Ming Yue's person.
What's more, Ming Yue was the most protective of her own, and most importantly, Ming Yue was currently looking for an excuse to cause trouble!