The first day back at the palace passed by peacefully.

Although Xiuning said that Chunyu should deal with the palace servants of Qixiang Palace according to the situation, some things cannot be rushed and people always need some time to calm down.

Chunyu did not disappoint Xiuning's high regard for her. In less than half a month, the palace servants of Qixiang Palace ushered in a trend of replacing the old with the new.

About a third of them were replaced, which is above Xiu Ning's bottom line. It's the kind of change that's noticeable but still acceptable.

"Mother, I really can't bear it. I don't even know how to get along with the Empress Dowager anymore."

In the main hall of Qixiang Palace, Ning Chuge was clinging to Xiu Ning's arm, acting coquettishly.

Her voice carried the naivety of a young girl, but because Ning Chuge acted with a strong will, the contrast was huge.

"Ning Chuge, speak properly."

Xiu Ning patted Ning Chuge's shoulder lightly, and then touched the boy's downturned hair. "It will be good for you to interact more with the Empress Dowager. Don't always compete with her in your heart. That won't make things better, it will only make things worse."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chuge pouted, "Mother," and swayed from side to side like a twisted little rope.

Of course, this also shows that Ning Chuge is very relaxed around Xiu Ning and doesn't need to play any tricks on her at all; the mother-daughter relationship couldn't be better.

"My daughter isn't being stubborn, it's just that the Empress Dowager's attitude has changed drastically recently."

The Empress Dowager's visit with her daughter would surely make her daughter happy," but she didn't expect the visit to come so suddenly, as if something she had given up on had been brought back to her. She had actually been prepared to lose it.

With a sigh, Ning Chuge remarked like a little adult, "It seems that one shouldn't take life in the harem too seriously."

The Empress Dowager's attitude in the imperial harem was extremely fast; her attitude before returning to the palace was completely reversed.

"The Empress Dowager's change stems from external factors. Don't you know about Consort De's matter?"

This is not the Empress Dowager's fault. Xiu Ning only found out in the last two days that Yin Zhen did not come back with her, but was instead left at the summer palace to accompany Consort De.

This is a signal that Consort De's previous actions at the imperial palace angered the Empress Dowager, and therefore the Empress Dowager will most likely give up raising Yinzhen.

"My daughter knows about Consort De's matter, and I heard that my sixth brother still suffers from the aftereffects of fainting at the sight of blood."

Ning Chuge finished speaking in a low voice, then pointed out the window, "Empress Tong also complained to the palace servants around her, but since Consort De was not in the harem, there was no way to retaliate directly."

This news was practically common knowledge within the harem.

Because the matter of Yinyu had been on everyone's mind since the time of the imperial palace.

Unexpectedly, things really went wrong in the end. Tsk, Consort De is still lucky.

"Does being outside the harem guarantee you'll escape unscathed?"

Xiuning felt that her daughter was still naive. It had been almost a month since the trip to the imperial palace. Consort De was just recovering from childbirth, and she should have recovered by now. So why hadn't she been able to return to the palace?

Moreover, Consort De had Prince Yinzhen by her side. Logically speaking, as long as someone sent a message mentioning it, the Emperor would have given his permission.

But so far, there has been no news from the imperial palace, and Consort De's presence seems to be nonexistent compared to Consort Jia's impending childbirth.

Whose scheme was this? I can't think of anyone other than Tong Jiarong and Yue Xiuning.

Of course, Emperor Kangxi must have known and agreed to Tong Jia Rongyue doing this. After all, no matter what, aside from the fact that the two were related by blood, the Tong family was powerful, and there was also his own son, Yinyu.

Emperor Kangxi was also dissatisfied with Consort De's methods, otherwise he would not have bestowed upon her the title of "De".

This is different from the original timeline. Here, Wuya Chenglin is not as favored as before, and the time of her conferment of the title subtly overlaps perfectly with the original incident. Even Consort De herself would probably be angry about this title.

But who cares about Wuya Chenglin's feelings? She has to bear the consequences of her own actions. If she hadn't been greedy for the benefits of the concubine position and directly tricked Yinyu, she wouldn't have been retaliated against like this by Tongjia Rongyue.

She chuckled inwardly, but her expression remained unchanged. Instead, she explained the current situation to Ning Chuge.

"If the Empress Dowager comes looking for you in the future, go happily. If she doesn't, just live your life well."

"Ning Chuge, you're getting old. Even if you stay in the palace, you won't have many more years."

In fact, Ning Chuge was already fourteen years old. According to Kangxi, he was looking for a consort for Ning Chuge. It would take about a year and a half to find a suitable candidate. There would be other arrangements after that, and Ning Chuge would have to leave the palace to get married at the earliest when she turned eighteen.

Four years. Don't be fooled by how long four years may seem; only when time passes will you realize how incredibly short it is.

“Mother, I understand everything you’re saying.”

When asked about her future, Ning Chuge looked serious. Her mother had talked to her about topics like marriage more than once.

Ning Chuge has gone from being completely bewildered to being calm and composed.

This was something she couldn't escape; could she really avoid it by staying in the Qing Dynasty? She would rather be far from her homeland than be a caged canary.

The concubines in the palace showed her various ways of life as a canary, but Ning Chuge still felt that she was not suited for such a life.

“Cherish this time you’re still in the palace,” Xiu Ning patted Ning Chuge on the shoulder, then turned to the Empress Dowager and brought up what would happen next.

The sadness shifted as Xiu Ning revealed the truth. Ning Chuge's eyes widened. "How could this be? Would Father Emperor agree to this? This is too much of a joke."

If it's acceptable to exchange children for adoption, wouldn't that make imperial heirs seem extremely cheap?

She frowned. "Mother, Father values ​​his reputation highly. What the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager are doing will only do more harm than good."

Even if they did get together, wouldn't the two princes eventually become rivals when they grow up?

The feelings she had invested were taken back once again. Putting everything else aside, Ning Chuge understood this feeling of abandonment better than anyone else. This was very unfair to her younger brother, Yinzhen. Her brother hadn't done anything wrong; it was all the adults' fault.

“It depends on whose perspective you’re looking at it from,” Xiu Ning explained earnestly to Ning Chuge. “The Empress Dowager raised the princes for the sake of Mongolia and for her own old age, but Consort De’s previous actions show that she is not a peaceful person. With such a mother, the Empress Dowager is not at ease with Yinzhen.”

In truth, who can be blamed for this? The Empress Dowager's previous partners were her and Consort Yi, but Yinzhen was personally sent there by Emperor Kangxi. It can be said that Yinzhen was never the best solution that the Empress Dowager valued. Now that Consort De is causing trouble, it is perfectly reasonable for the Empress Dowager to throw him back.

Ning Chuge gasped in surprise after hearing this, "That sixth brother is really pitiful."

All the consequences fell on Yinzhen, yet he himself was unable to extricate himself from them.

"There's nothing we can do; no one can choose their birth," which only shows that Yinzhen was unlucky.