End of Chapter 20

A few words before returning to Beijing

Although people who knew about this signal really regretted it and felt that it would have been better if they hadn't known.

Originally, they only knew that there was another person by Kangxi's side. As Kangxi took her away from the capital, they paid less attention to her. Now that they know that Consort Hui is asking people to investigate her identity, it makes others a little uneasy.

Who is Consort Hui? She is someone who has maintained her low position in the harem after giving birth to the eldest prince. Even after another prince was born, she was never seen to be so flustered.

The concubines panicked at the slightest move she made, but now that Kangxi was away and had taken away even his closest confidants, there was no chance to find out any information.

Unable to obtain any information about the Qing Palace, some people bothered Consort Tong, thinking she might know something.

Consort Tong knew, but could she say it? No!

Therefore, those who wanted to know the news could only send messages outwards, asking their families to investigate all the recent events in the capital thoroughly.

It's not that I don't want to investigate matters outside the capital. First, it would be time-consuming, laborious, and too much trouble. Second, the person in the Qianqing Palace was brought into the palace by Yinzhen, and I hadn't heard any news about him before. He's more likely to be a native of the capital.

The one who reacted the most was Consort Yi. She knew something from the beginning and tricked Consort Hui, so her reaction to Consort Hui's actions was much stronger than others.

The main reason is that Consort Yi, as the person with the most stable position in the palace, suddenly started paying attention to others, which is hard for people not to find strange.

News from the palace can only be obtained from the Imperial Household Department. The Qianqing Palace is out of the question, and the Emperor's bedroom is not a place one can easily access. Even if one wants to inquire, one must obtain information from Liang Jiugong when he is present.

Some news was gleaned from outside the palace.

The things the emperor had specifically instructed Yinzhen to do no longer needed to be kept secret; he could now learn something from the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

"If this woman is not mistaken, she was kicked out by the Chen family. At the time, they didn't think to check the girls in the capital. Now that we can't find out the specifics, we have to have someone from the Chen family see her to know if she is from their family."

Although the Chen family kicked their daughter out, bad news travels fast, and eventually someone found out about it.

However, not many people knew that the Chen family did this, and not many people knew the reason why. After being kicked out of the house, the people disappeared without a trace, their fate unknown. Since nothing happened, no one cared.

"The Chen family? Is it the Chen family that offered their daughter when the Emperor returned to the capital?" They were very familiar with the women who appeared around Kangxi, whether they had official titles or not.

"yes."

Consort Yi received an affirmative answer and frowned deeply. If she really was a woman from the Chen family, then this matter was quite complicated.

How did this person end up back by the Emperor's side, and even have Yinzhen act as a go-between for her?

"Go to the Imperial Household Department and see what they've been busy with lately. If they're free, ask them to make another cloak for you. If they're not free, come back."

When the Imperial Household Department was making clothes for people before, they put them last. Now that there's something to do, they'll definitely put them last again.

What she feared most was not the addition of more women to her harem, but rather the addition of more children.

Kangxi is currently in his prime, so it is normal for him to be close to women. However, if he had a child, it would not be of any benefit to his son, Yinqi.

Judging from the fact that he took her to the northern frontier, he clearly cared a lot about her. Otherwise, why would he bring her alone instead of anyone else? If she had a child, would the child be neglected? Impossible.

Having witnessed Kangxi's doting on the crown prince, she knew what it truly meant for him to dote on his children, and what it meant for him to dote on himself. Consequently, she treated her children differently from others.

How did this woman manage to captivate him and get him to live in the Qianqing Palace?

He cared so much that he completely shielded her from the palace intrigues, protecting her under his wing, even punishing Consort Hui.

Whether they were all under a curse or something else, they all forgot about this person. Not only her, but no one else even thought to check who he was.

As she thought about it, Consort Yi broke out in a cold sweat.

I picked up the teacup, wanting to have a sip of hot tea to warm myself up, but found that my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't even lift the teacup, so I gave up in the end.

Just then, the palace maid she had sent out returned. After bowing, she looked up and said worriedly, "Your Highness, the Imperial Household Department said they are busy. A few days ago, Consort Hui also asked someone to make a cloak, but it is not finished yet."

"I understand." Upon hearing this, Consort Yi raised her hand to rub her forehead, her expression revealing an indescribable weariness.

The palace maid rushed forward to rub her hands, and when she touched her cold fingers, she picked up a teacup and put it to her lips. "Your Highness, why are your hands so cold? Have some tea to warm them up. This servant will go and stir the charcoal fire."

Consort Yi took a sip of the drink, glancing at the flickering red embers, and wondered how much Consort Hui knew.

She knew a few days ago that the Imperial Household Department was busy with other things, and perhaps they knew much more than she did. In her eyes, their busy work these past few days must have made them look like fools.

In other words, they were all ambitious, unlike her who only fought for what she could get and didn't touch anything else, which gave her the opportunity to take advantage of them.

So be it, she's been used. Anyway, she won't be able to escape once the Emperor returns.

With such a large-scale investigation inside and outside Consort Yi's palace, Emperor Kangxi would definitely know about it. He might even find some excuse to punish her. Last time, when Consort Hui was confined to her quarters, the First Prince was also implicated and unable to go to the northern frontier. He didn't get any credit and missed the opportunity to perform in front of Emperor Kangxi.

Fortunately, her child is not scheming, so he won't be punished, but the Guo Luoluo family will probably be punished this time.

After thinking for a moment, Consort Yi sent a message to the Guo Luoluo family, telling them to keep a low profile for the time being and not to do anything that would offend Emperor Kangxi.

In addition, they ordered people in the Imperial Medical Academy to inquire about the information and find out what prescriptions had been issued by the Qianqing Palace.

The Imperial Medical Academy keeps records of pulse diagnosis and prescriptions, but it's not impossible to get a copy of a concubine's hand; she wanted to confirm some things.

Last time, Consort Hui was confined to her quarters, so this time she'll probably suffer a bit too, perhaps even more severely than Consort Hui. Since that's the case, she has to drag her down with her. She's already come up with a plan; it just depends on whether her guess is right.

Inside the palace, undercurrents were stirring, and the wind on the grassland grew increasingly cold.

By the time Consort Yi found what she wanted, the situation on the grasslands was almost resolved.

Chen Guanxue watched as Runxi packed everything away one by one, while she sat to the side eating dried fruit and watching.

I haven't been here for very long, but it's been a month or two. I've used up some of the things I brought with me, but I've also bought quite a few things, mostly hand warmers made of various leathers.

Unexpectedly, there were more clothes than anything else.

She hadn't initially thought she had a lot of clothes, but when she saw that the amount she had packed was enough to fill several large boxes, she was quite surprised.

"How come you have so many clothes since you arrived?"

Her voice was very low, and Runxi didn't hear what she said. She turned around and looked at her in confusion, asking, "What did you just say, Miss?"

Chen Guanxue opened her mouth, but swallowed the words and said something else instead.

How many clothes do you have now?

Runxi thought about it carefully. When she first entered the palace, she received two sets of clothes for autumn and winter. "There are eight sets, four for autumn and four for winter. But this is because I serve the young lady. Other palace maids only get two sets per season."

"You're wearing all the same color. I didn't realize you only had a few clothes. When we get back to the palace, have someone make you more clothes. Just throw away these old ones."

The palace maids' clothes were limited in color; in spring and summer they wore light green, but in autumn and winter they changed to a darker brown, which looked terribly ugly. The clothes of those who served the concubines were brighter and had more colors.

But she didn't expect there would only be four items in a season.

"You're always in front of me, so your clothes should naturally be nicer. I'll have someone pick out good fabrics for you later. Don't dress too poorly, or you'll embarrass me when you go out."

The fabric that Runxi was given to wear couldn't be any better; it wouldn't be the kind of fabric that only concubines or high-ranking officials could wear, so naturally, there was no fear of offending anyone you couldn't afford to offend.

As for those important people, attendants, and concubines below her, she wasn't afraid of offending them.

"Thank you, young lady." Runxi happily replied, her movements quickening as she packed her things, eager to return to the palace immediately.

It's not that the clothes she's wearing now aren't good enough; this is the best fabric she's ever worn in her life, not to mention the exquisite embroidery on them. It's just that after seeing Chen Guanxue's clothes for so long, she feels that her own clothes aren't that nice.

It took a day or two to pack things up, and during that time, Kangxi also dealt with some follow-up matters.

For example, it is very important to know how loyal this leader is to Galdan's former subordinates and how to compensate for the losses of this expedition.

Of course, I have much more free time now than before, but I also have more worries now.

For example, this new leader, lacking any sense of propriety, offered him a beautiful woman, claiming it was to show his sincere friendship.

Kangxi smiled faintly and remained silent, while Yinzhen watched his brothers exchanging glances.

Do you think the Emperor will accept it?

I guess so. We still need to maintain our relationship after the fight, so it would be good to keep it as a mascot.

There are several women in the harem who come from the grasslands; they won't be accepted into the palace.

The conversation ended with Yin You pointing his finger to the sky.

Indeed, there is only one Mongolian concubine in the harem now, and to maintain the relationship, it is unlikely that anyone else will be allowed into the harem.

"Once I'm past my prime, let's give the Mongolian girls to the princes." That's what excitement is all about.

Emperor Kangxi was not close to the Mongols, and he did not bring any more Mongol concubines into his harem. If this Mongol woman had entered his harem, she would probably have lost out on what they wanted to compete for.

Kangxi took all their shock into his mind and finally said to Yinyou, "You are always traveling around. The personality of Mongolian girls is most compatible with you. You can see the grasslands of your hometown when you are at the border."

He thought he was going to be rejected outright, but to his surprise, the prince arranged for his sister to marry his brother. Doge looked at his future brother-in-law and was overjoyed.

[Author's Note]

The outline had a mistake in the concubine's name. I made a small change in the last chapter, changing Consort Yi to Consort Hui. Today's update was also delayed due to plot revisions, so it's only 3,000 words.