"Yin'e"

Consort Jia lay on the bed and called out to her son, who was standing by the bedside, with difficulty.

Her expression was complex; in the final moments of her life, she still greedily wanted to remember more.

Seeing his mother like this, Yin'e panicked. It was mainly due to his animalistic instincts; Yin'e had always felt that the atmosphere in the room was strange.

There have been similar problems before, but never one as strange as this.

Scratching his head, Yin'e cautiously approached Consort Jia's bedside again, his face ingratiating. "Mother, your son has come to see you. Are you alright?"

Consort Jia smiled and shook her head, thinking to herself, how could nothing be wrong? But she couldn't tell the truth, otherwise, with a stubborn child like Yin'e, he would definitely ask the tutor for leave to stay with her.

The studies in the Imperial Study were not demanding, but if one did not go there for an extended period of time, the Emperor would certainly become dissatisfied.

Because of his own actions, Yin'e was never favored by Emperor Kangxi.

If this dislike continues to worsen, it will be extremely detrimental to Yin'e's future marriage and childbirth.

Taking a deep breath, Consort Jia supported herself and forced a smile, saying that her condition had improved and that Yin'e should not worry.

"Spend more time on yourself, and when you grow up, get married, and have children, you should move out of the palace."

"Yin'e, your mother won't be able to help you much then; you'll have to rely on yourself."

Consort Jia spoke earnestly, her eyes revealing emotions that Yin'e could not understand.

Yin'e: ...Confused.

Confused, Yin'e listened to Consort Jia's words, which sounded like both an instruction and a request. But Consort Jia often said things like that, so Yin'e didn't think much of it and just responded with "uh-huh" and "yeah".

Consort Jia: ...I'm even more worried now.

"Yin'e, if you need anything, you can go to Yikun Palace to find Consort Yi. Your mother and Consort Yi have a good relationship."

However, you can't ask others for everything; you need to find the right balance and also maintain a good relationship with Yinzhen.

Consort Jia became increasingly reluctant to part with him, and her expression and demeanor seemed off.

Yin'e scratched his head again, thinking to himself, when did his mother and Consort Yi become close? Aren't the two of them rarely able to get along?

Unable to understand, Yin'e simply stopped thinking about it and agreed to whatever his mother said.

Consort Jia felt helpless and heartbroken. Oh well, it's not so bad that her son is like this. It's much better than the eldest prince and the crown prince fighting each other to the point of exhaustion.

Speaking of the eldest prince and the crown prince, they are truly an inseparable pair of rivals.

Previously, he was able to restrain himself somewhat, but now, because of Consort Hui's incident, the First Prince was directly implicated in the promotion, and this matter was even related to the Crown Prince... It was like lighting a fuse for a powder keg. The First Prince simply transferred all his resentment and hatred onto the Crown Prince, to the point that the two of them truly became irreconcilable enemies.

Didn't they know that all the previous confrontations were intentional on Kangxi's part? But there was nothing they could do.

People are being pushed forward by the forces behind them. The eldest prince and the crown prince can't stop, and now even Mingzhu and Suo'etu can't back down. Even if Kangxi regrets it, it's too late.

Consort Jia understood the vortex of power; once you're in, you can't get out. That's why she was willing to sacrifice most of her own interests to save Yin'e's life.

Yin'e was unaware that his mother was working so hard for him; he only thought that his mother was doing the same thing as usual.

After Consort Jia finished speaking, Yin'e revealed his signature silly grin, serving tea and water and attending to his medicine, before happily leaving Yongshou Palace.

Hehe, anyway, he didn't upset his mother today.

Consort Jia: ...

Consort Jia then stopped paying attention to Yin'e and instead focused on dealing with the servants of Yongshou Palace.

After inquiring about the servants' thoughts, Consort Jia sent some out of the palace and others into other palaces. Since she still had some advantages, she figured she might as well take advantage of them.

Every move that Yongshou Palace made was reported to Xiuning in Qixiang Palace by Chunyu without leaving a trace.

Xiuning was also surprised that Consort Jia was so persistent; indeed, women who become mothers can endure a lot.

"Your Majesty, Consort Jia has handed over most of her connections in the palace to Consort Yi, and sent the rest outside the palace, leaving none for the Tenth Prince. Isn't that a bit too heartless?"

The Tenth Prince was already no match for his brothers in the harem, and now that his own mother isn't helping him, won't he just be bullied for nothing in the future?

Chunyu felt that Consort Jia had been deceived by Consort Yi's words. No matter what, she should leave some means of survival for the Tenth Prince.

Xiuning disregarded Chunyu's concerns, thinking to herself that it would be bad for Yin'e to hold back.

Yin'e is best suited to a life of leisure and idleness.

If Consort Jia were to hand over all of Yongshou Palace's wealth to Yin'e, I guarantee that the child would be swindled out of every last penny by others.

It's different if it's given to Consort Yi. Once Consort Yi receives a benefit, as long as she's not utterly shameless, she'll definitely take better care of Yin'e.

With Consort Yi as his backer, at least people in the palace would be more cautious of Yin'e, and his family outside the palace would not be just for show.

Having figured out the underlying issues, Xiuning looked up and beckoned to Chunyu, "If Consort Jia isn't ruthless, then these two, mother and son, will definitely meet down there soon."

Xiu Ning's words were blunt and startled Chun Yu.

Chunyu looked up and touched her wildly beating heart. "Could it be like this?"

Xiuning nodded helplessly, "That's good. At least it proves that Consort Jia really wants to protect the Tenth Prince."

It wasn't about her dying wishing her son would rise above her circumstances and bring her honor; it was about her truly living life to the fullest.

...

As April arrived, people began to wear increasingly thinner clothes.

It's getting hot.

Xiuning's spring clothes gradually turned into summer clothes, all made of Jiangnan fabric, which were comfortable to wear and felt wonderful to the touch.

During such times, Consort Jia in the neighboring Yongshou Palace could no longer hold on and died.

When Xiuning heard the news, it was just dawn outside.

Chunyu rushed in, and after speaking, she helped Xiuning hurry over.

It was understandable; Xiuning didn't even have time to change her clothes, so she could only remove some of her valuable jewelry.

"I heard the imperial physician mention it a couple of days ago, but I didn't expect that Consort Jia wouldn't make it this time."

The imperial physicians often said that Consort Jia's life was nearing its end, but in the past, Consort Jia had shown great courage and managed to hold on by sheer willpower.

Now that he has probably finished dealing with the remaining matters, he breathed his last and is gone.

The passing of Consort Jia was not a big deal; everyone else in the harem had anticipated it, so it didn't cause any major upheaval.

For Yin'e, the loss of Consort Jia was like the sky falling.

He no longer has a mother.

Yin'e immediately burst into tears and wailed uncontrollably.

Xiuning was helping with the funeral arrangements at Yongshou Palace when she saw Yin'e return, wailing loudly for miles around.

Xiuning: ...This is truly a terrible thing.

The Tenth Prince, Yin'e, was born in the twentieth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. He is only eleven years old now, at most a half-grown boy, and not a very bright child. Oh dear, how will he live in the future?

"That's how the children in the harem all lived. Those who didn't survive could only go and keep their elders company."

Therefore, Xiuning was one of the cold-hearted types, and she had absolutely no sympathy for Yin'e's plight. Everyone was trying to make a living in the harem, and whether they lived well or poorly depended entirely on their own abilities.