thefictionvixens Chapter 12 Work Attitude 1. Must Be Correct
Chapter 12 Work Attitude 1. Must Be Correct
The next day, Shen Shixi went to pay her respects to the Empress again; she was not late that day.
Being late all the time is considered a bad attitude, and it's not good if your boss targets you.
"Consort Rong has fallen ill today. I heard that she encountered Consort Shen in the Imperial Garden yesterday and fell ill afterward. The imperial physician said it was due to excessive grief and unresolved issues. Consort Shen, this is disrespectful to your superior and should be punished!"
Jiang Cairen asked.
"Consort Jiang is quite the big shot. Has the harem gained another mistress now?" Shen Shixi remarked.
"If I could make someone sick with just a few words, Consort Jiang would have been reincarnated by now! It seems Consort Jiang's skin is thicker than the palace walls, impervious to swords and spears, and unaffected by fire and water!"
"You..." Jiang Zhiyu sneered, thinking to herself, let's see how many more days you can keep jumping around, then you'll be in for a world of hurt!
Consort Hui said, "Your Majesty, Consort Shen is disobedient and disorderly, her words and actions are outrageous, lacking in dignity and virtue, and she is truly unfit to be a concubine in the harem. I beg Your Majesty to arrange for a governess to properly discipline Consort Shen!"
Before the Empress could speak, Shen Shixi said, "If you ask me, the one who should learn etiquette the most in the entire harem is Consort Hui. I have said this before in front of the Emperor. Don't be fooled by your extensive knowledge of poetry and literature, and your constant admonitions to the Emperor and Empress. You don't even understand the most basic Three Obediences and Four Virtues. What are you talking about etiquette and rules for?"
These words struck a chord with the Empress.
Those in positions of power don't care about etiquette or rules; they are the ones who disregard the rules the most.
Rules are meant to restrain subordinates, but when subordinates use rules to restrain them, that's a taboo.
Hui Xiurong's actions were taboo.
The Empress said sternly, "Consort Shen, be careful with your words! Consort Hui is learned and talented; the late Emperor bestowed upon her the title of 'Female Scholar,' how could she not know the Three Obediences and Four Virtues!"
If the Empress's eyes didn't show any smile, Shen Shixi would believe that she was on Hui Xiurong's side.
"If that's the case, it's a waste of your talents to be a concubine, Consort Hui. You should take the imperial examination and become an Imperial Censor; that would be a perfect fit for your abilities!"
All the concubines suppressed their laughter, especially those who came from the Eastern Palace.
The new concubines all kept their distance from Shen Shixi, but who would have thought that this Consort Shen could actually win a verbal battle against all the other concubines?
puff!
Consort De couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling quite embarrassed. "Consort Shen, with that mouth of yours, really... if you ask me, you'd be fit to be an imperial censor!"
"Your Highness is too kind, but I am not worthy of such favor. Thanks to Consort Hui, I get a headache just hearing the word 'etiquette' and feel nauseous at the mention of 'dignity.' I can neither learn nor practice the rules that a mistress of the household is supposed to follow, so I have no right to criticize others!"
Yes, these rules of etiquette, manners, and virtues—shouldn't these be matters for Her Majesty the Empress to worry about?
Hui Xiurong was trembling with anger, but she couldn't argue with Shen Shixi and was instead humiliated, and the Empress didn't even side with her.
She wanted to let outsiders know that the Empress was not fair and acted improperly, so that in the future, she would not dare to bend the law for personal gain again.
The emperor didn't come to the harem yesterday, so the concubines chatted for a bit and then dispersed today.
For half a month, the emperor did not enter the inner palace.
On this day, good news came from the Northwest: General Lin Junji of the Right Guard led his troops in a counterattack, and the good news arrived. That evening, the emperor selected Jin Baolin, also known as Lin Guiyou, as his consort.
Inside the Wangxian Pavilion, a joyous atmosphere filled the air as everyone congratulated the young master on being summoned by the Emperor.
Lin Guiyou was both expectant and shy; she fell in love with the Emperor at first sight.
She chose a peach-pink, high-waisted brocade dress, over which she wore a light red embroidered vine and branch blouse with wide sleeves, and a headdress adorned with kingfisher feathers, pearls, and eight treasures. She waited quietly and happily for the Phoenix Spring Grace Carriage.
The Phoenix Spring Grace Carriage passed by the alley next to Zhaoyang Palace, and Lin Guiyou was taken to Qianyuan Palace.
Shen Shixi was doing yoga on the bed. Bai Ping secretly glanced at her master's expression and saw that he was very calm, which made her feel even more sorry for him.
Is the master trying to suppress his grievances?
"Your Majesty, the Emperor will definitely come to see you in a couple of days. If you feel uncomfortable, please tell us. Don't keep it to yourself!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, you see, the Emperor comes to our palace every time. Other concubines are taken to Qian Yuan Palace and then sent back. Your Majesty, the Emperor treats you differently," Bai Kui hurriedly added.
Shen Shixi glanced outside, her expression turning sorrowful, and said, "What can I do if His Majesty wants to come or not?"
She only said that much, then, too lazy to keep up the act, she told Bai Ping to close the door.
She must be incredibly foolish to waste her energy on a man, but if she doesn't react at all, Li Yuanke will definitely think that she doesn't care about him at all and doesn't like him.
She would try her best to like Li Yuanke, liking his good looks and physique, his large penis and excellent sexual skills, and the wealth and luxury he brought her.
The main problem is that pretending to like someone year after year, day after day, is extremely difficult.
Li Yuanke was extremely intelligent and adept at scheming. No little trickery could escape his keen eyes. Such a proud man would never tolerate anyone who deceived him.
But liking someone is enough. Talking about love is harmful to your health. It's bad enough to love a man, but to fall in love with an emperor is like an old man hanging himself.
In Li Yuanke's harem, Consort De and Consort Qing were considered to be people with a very upright work attitude; Consort Rong was the type of person whose boss wanted her to work hard, but instead she wanted to have a romantic affair with her boss. This type of person was more intimidating to the leader.
After all, you want to pull your boss into an area he's not good at, using your strengths to overcome his weaknesses, which makes him feel insecure.
Hui Xiurong is the number one person who uses company resources to seek personal gain. Such a person seriously violates the leader's taboo. Once the leader has any leverage over her, she will be the first to be fired.
Qiongfei is the type of person who spends her time on Douyin (TikTok) and playing games online. Bosses usually won't assign her important tasks, and she will gradually be marginalized. If there are layoffs, she will definitely be among them.
Although Shen Shixi is related to the leader, she cannot take this relationship for granted and disregard the leader. If she works hard and has strong professional skills, she will be one of the fastest to be promoted.
She neither wanted to be empress nor a favored concubine; she just wanted to avoid being lazy, disliked by Li Yuanke, and marginalized.
Maintain a proper attitude at work; whether you do a good job or a bad job is another matter.
So, just pretend it's there.
At the door, Chao En and Chao Yu exchanged a glance. The Emperor had summoned a new concubine, and their master was saddened.
Bai Ping and Bai Kui were greatly surprised and lowered their voices, saying, "Master, could it be that there's something wrong with the servants outside?"
That's really something!
Fortunately, they were always cautious and didn't leave any loopholes.
"Don't be afraid. Chao En and the other four are the Emperor's men. I don't know about the four who were assigned later. Just have Chao En and the others keeping an eye on things. Don't worry about anything else. Just do your job well and don't let anyone interfere."
Shen Shixi gave this one instruction: "The Emperor summoned Consort Jin today. People will definitely think that the Emperor's interest in me has waned, and what's coming is probably about to happen. Tomorrow morning, you all secretly check the route I take every day to see where the other party is going to make their move."
Her only weakness is running laps.
Someone will definitely try to take advantage of this opportunity.
The Empress definitely had her own agenda in bringing Chen Yuxi here.
Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace; it's common to have disagreements with colleagues.
"yes!"
Bai Ping and Bai Kui grew up together since childhood. Knowing her personality, Shen Shixi didn't ask too many questions.
Chao En and Chao Yu were worried that their master might do something rash, but Shen Shixi slept soundly. An hour later, Feng Luan Chun En's carriage carrying Jin Baolin returned through the alley.