Chapter Twenty: The Legend of Zhen Huan - Fang Jiachunyi 20

"That's true." Consort Xin smiled and shook her head, then, remembering something, said:

"Consort Tian recently sent Shuhe some jewelry as a gesture of goodwill towards me. Everyone in the palace knows that we are on good terms."

"She's clearly targeting you, but she never showed any sign of backing down before because of her family background in the Fucha clan. Why is she suddenly being so friendly?"

The main reason is that when Fang Jiachun was promoted to Imperial Concubine, Consort Tian only sent an ordinary gift and always acted alone.

He got along well with Consort Qi because of their similar personalities, but he had no intention of joining Consort Qi's faction.

The sudden act of bowing down to curry favor feels somewhat like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.

"I know that. Because of that flower viewing banquet, Consort Tian miscarried her child and Consort Wan found out she was pregnant. She always felt that Consort Wan's child had brought bad luck to her child."

I suspect she said something inappropriate in the palace that Consort Xian overheard. Fearing that Consort Xian would complain to Consort Wan and Consort Wan would target her, she tried to curry favor with me.

But they couldn't bring themselves to do it, so they gave gifts to the children, and Hongxu and Jingshu also gave gifts.

After being promoted to Imperial Concubine, many palace servants volunteered to serve her. After screening them, Siqin also recruited quite a few people.

She wouldn't intentionally harm anyone, but she couldn't just keep these people around for nothing, so she decided to let them collect gossip.

"She's so arrogant even though she wants protection. Just give her a gift of equal value in return."

Consort Xin scoffed, "Consort Tian is just a brainless, stupid beauty."

"If she was seeking protection, why didn't she go to the Empress? After all, she has some connection with Consort Qi, doesn't she?"

"It must be because of the Fucha family. Perhaps the Fucha clan's people in the palace found out some information, but they didn't tell Consort Tian."

Moreover, despite the fact that the Empress was respected by the imperial family and ministers on the surface, many people actually disliked her behind her back because she was the first concubine in the Qing Dynasty to be promoted to the rank of Empress.

At the time, many high-ranking officials and princes were eager to seize power, and a princess consort was even forced to die of illness. It was only after the late emperor issued an edict that this upheaval was suppressed.

Fang Jiachun took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.

“I was unaware of this matter, after all, my father was serving in Sichuan.” Consort Xin said knowingly.

She had heard some of the story of Empress Chun Yuan and knew that she had a fiancé before marrying the emperor.

It's probably some prince who spread the word, as for the uproar caused by the concubine being promoted to the rank of principal wife.

It was probably because the late emperor was involved that things didn't escalate.

However, first the emperor took the wife of his subject, and then the concubine was promoted to the rank of empress. It was truly a blessing from heaven that the emperor was able to ascend the throne.

"I only found out after I arrived in the capital. My mother mentioned it when she was teaching me."

After all, many members of the Fang family held official positions in the capital. After arriving in the capital, Mother learned a lot of information from their wives.

She felt comfortable discussing these things with Consort Xin, even though Consort Xin appeared straightforward in front of outsiders.

But some things are kept very secret. A person who is outspoken and straightforward might be true when they first enter the prince's residence, but later they become a mix of truth and falsehood.

Summer has come again, and the sweltering heat makes the concubines in the six palaces feel restless.

The Emperor took his concubines to the Yuanmingyuan Garden to escape the summer heat. Consort Xin stayed at Hanyue Tower, while Fang Jiachun took her two children to Chunyu Pavilion.

Hanyue Tower is located by the lake, partly to prevent the two children from catching a cold from the wind at night.

However, Hanyuelou and Chunyuxuan are close to each other, making it quite convenient to visit each other.

"The apricot blossoms here are quite beautiful," Consort Xin said, looking at Shuhe who was laughing and chasing butterflies nearby.

"Perfect for making apricot blossom pastries and apricot blossom porridge," Fang Jiachun said, looking at the apricot blossoms in her delicate basket.