Chapter 16 Consort Hui's Mother

Everyone wants to climb higher, and the palace maids and eunuchs weren't stupid either. They were all serving people, but the difference between serving a favored concubine and serving an unfavored one was like heaven and earth.

Serving alongside favored concubines meant receiving frequent rewards, wearing fine fabrics bestowed by their mistresses, and sporting gold and jade bracelets—a lifestyle more respectable than that of some unfavored concubines.

Rats have their own ways. In the palace, those below know which master is generous and which has a bad temper.

Especially those aunts and grandmothers, who had lived in the palace for most of their lives, knew a lot of secrets and private matters.

Serving others is an art, and it must be said that some people are born with high emotional intelligence and are extremely considerate.

"The tea today is quite good," Consort Tong noticed the difference.

She loved drinking Longjing and Biluochun teas. The palace maids in the tea room had a good tea-making skill, which suited her taste.

However, the Empress bestowed favors upon the palace maids, and she left the palace before the next one was trained. After that, Consort Tong always felt uneasy when drinking tea.

However, it was a minor matter, and she didn't show it, so no one else knew.

Now that she was drinking Biluochun tea that was clearly made with different techniques, Consort Tong casually asked a question.

Chunzhi, as the head palace maid of Chengqian Palace, was very familiar with the people below. After recalling for a while, she explained: "The palace maid who used to make tea fell ill, so we arranged for a new palace maid to fill in for a few days. The one in the tea room now is named Wuya. She is sixteen years old and quite nimble."

"From now on, let her make tea," Consort Tong said calmly.

She wouldn't deprive herself of even a drinkable cup of tea; she was just a newly arrived palace maid.

“Yes,” Chunzhi agreed.

The palace maids serving tea were considered second-class palace maids, and they could stay in a dormitory room with four people. This palace maid, Wuya, was quite lucky.

As for the palace maid who served tea, Chengqian Palace doesn't employ people who can't do their jobs well. Once she recovers, she can be transferred to sweep the outer halls; it's not worth the trouble.

While the young palace maid, Consort Tong, was still preoccupied with something else, she was concerned about something else entirely: "How much longer until Mother arrives?"

A few days ago, I sent a message home, saying that my mother would be entering the palace today.

According to palace rules, noblewomen must first go to Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress before entering the palace. However, it is already close to 9:00 AM. If they delay any longer, they may not be able to leave the palace in time.

Moreover, the palace has strict rules, and noblewomen are not allowed to have lunch in the palace. She was afraid that something might happen to her mother on the way.

Consort Tong frowned. "Send someone to check, lest some blind fool offend Mother."

Just then, a palace maid came in to announce, "Master, Madam Tong has arrived."

Madam Tong came from the Hesheli clan, a prominent family, and possessed an air of pampered elegance and a perfectly appropriate smile.

Upon seeing her mother, Consort Tong went to greet her, her voice carrying a hint of lightness that she herself was unaware of.

"Mother is here."

Madam Tong's smile became genuine, and she bowed according to etiquette, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Imperial Concubine. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings."

Before she could even bow down, Consort Tong personally helped Lady Tong up.

"It's only been a year since we last met, why are you acting so distant with your daughter, Mother? This Chengqian Palace is my place, there's no need for such formalities."

Mrs. Tong said that etiquette should not be abandoned, but she was very pleased with her daughter's concern.

As she stood up with the help of Consort Tong, Madam Tong said in a friendly tone, "I used to love you the most at home. What are you saying now?"

The mother and daughter had a good relationship. Consort Tong personally helped Madam Tong sit down and asked with concern, "How is everything at home?"

"Everything is fine," Madam Tong said with a kind smile, but she looked at Consort Tong with some concern. "You look a bit thinner, though. How have you been in the palace?"

It was the unanimous idea of ​​the family to send their daughter to the palace. She was the legitimate daughter, and her age was just right for the emperor. From the moment the emperor ascended the throne, their daughter was destined to enter the palace.

But how could one stay in the palace so comfortably?

Madam Tong carefully examined her daughter's features. Before entering the palace, her face still had a childlike innocence, but now, a year after entering the palace, the flesh on her cheeks had all disappeared.

Consort Tong seemed to know what her mother was thinking. She leaned affectionately against Madam Tong and said, "Mother, don't worry. I'm doing well in the palace. The Emperor treats me very well. I'm a Consort, and I'm living a comfortable life."

"You have always been intelligent," Madam Tong said with satisfaction, patting Consort Tong's hand.

Seeing that the two seemed to have something to say privately, Chunzhi led the serving maids away and personally stood guard outside the door.

Even in Chengqian Palace, Madam Tong did not lose her caution, lowering her voice, "No matter what, the family is your support. As long as you stay calm and don't make any mistakes, things will be fine. As for offspring, your father hopes that you will give birth to children as soon as possible, but I am your mother. What do men know about women's matters?"

Madam Tong paused, then lowered her voice even further, “Your health is the most important thing. As for any fertility-enhancing drugs, all medicines have some toxicity. Food is worse than medicine. Listen to your mother's advice: what you need to do now is take good care of your health. Don't rush into having children.”

Hearing her mother's and Zhao Mama's similar words, Consort Tong nodded silently.

She believed in her mother.

Madam Tong was also a formidable figure. Before she gave birth to her child, Tong Guowei—who was also Consort Tong's father—had no good news in the inner quarters.

Even after she gave birth to a child, only the obedient concubines in the inner quarters had children; the restless ones had long been sent away by her.

"Mother, I will listen to you." Since her mother had finally entered the palace, Consort Tong didn't want to keep talking to her about these things. Instead, she had someone bring out the gifts she had prepared long ago.

As a favored imperial concubine, she was frequently rewarded by the emperor, and the Imperial Household Department also regularly presented her with gifts.

“I prepared them for my father, mother, and younger siblings, especially my third sister, who is young and these pieces of jewelry are perfect for her.”

Lady Tong had two daughters, and the third sister mentioned by Consort Tong was her biological sister.

“She was still thinking about you when I left,” Madam Tong said with a smile. “These past few days she has been learning embroidery, but the handkerchiefs she embroidered are really ugly. I showed her the first one you embroidered, and she was so upset.”

Madam Tong truly loved her daughter, and she carefully kept everything related to Consort Tong.

Consort Tong understood her mother's feelings and smiled sweetly.

The two chatted happily, and a palace maid brought out fresh fruits and tea.

Madam Tong seemed to have thought of something and frowned, "Do you have any beautiful palace maids in your palace?"

Consort Tong didn't understand why she asked that question, and said in confusion, "The palace maids are all of average appearance, and it's normal for one or two to be a little outstanding."

“If you don’t have that kind of plan, you should be more careful in the future,” Madam Tong said calmly, taking a sip of tea. “The palace is a place of wealth and power, and many people want to rise to the top in one step.”

Madam Tong also suffered from this problem when she was young.

Her maidservant had somehow become involved with Tong Guowei, and Tong Guowei personally asked her for her, thus adding another concubine to the inner quarters.

That maid was one of Madam Tong's dowry maids, and she knew Madam Tong very well.

Fortunately, Madam Tong stopped the damage in time, using some tricks to make the maid disliked and then make her disappear.

Otherwise, having a concubine in the inner quarters who knows her inside and out would definitely be a bad thing for Madam Tong.

However, these matters involved the past of their elders, so Madam Tong couldn't speak openly to Consort Tong and could only ask Granny Zhao to keep an eye on things.

Consort Tong understood what Madam Tong meant and said with a smile, "Mother, rest assured, there will absolutely be no scandalous incident of palace maids climbing into the bed in Chengqian Palace."

Moreover, if such a thing were to happen, she would be ridiculed to death by the concubines in the harem.

Only an incompetent ruler can fail to control the people in his palace.

Seeing her daughter's confident promise, Madam Tong felt relieved and shared her experience with her: "Managing subordinates requires a balance of strictness and kindness. If anyone harbors disloyalty, you must get rid of them as soon as possible; you absolutely cannot keep them around."

The two talked for a while until the chiming of the clock struck, at which point Madam Tong stopped talking.

"Alright, it's getting late, I'll head back now."

Seeing her daughter looking at her with reluctance, Madam Tong comforted her, "We'll see each other again at the Double Ninth Festival banquet in a few days."

So Madam Tong arrived in one carriage and left with three other carriages.

The two cars behind were gifts from Consort Tong to her family.

-

As night fell, a light rain began to fall from the sky, tapping softly on the glazed tiles.

The Empress was sleeping soundly when she vaguely heard someone calling her. She opened her eyes groggily.

The candles had been lit, and in the dim light, the face of the head palace maid, Chunxing, was close at hand, her eyes filled with anxiety.

"Your Majesty, Zhaoxiang has sent word that the Ninth Prince has a persistent high fever, and the imperial physician has been summoned."

The Empress's sleepiness vanished instantly, and she hurriedly had a maid help her change her clothes. "When did this happen? Has the Emperor sent anyone to investigate?"

The Empress could not help but be anxious.

As the Empress, all the princes and princesses had to call her "Empress Mother," and taking care of and disciplining them was part of her responsibility.

Moreover, she has just ascended to the position of Empress, and it is precisely the time for her to take care of all matters. If the Ninth Prince makes a mistake at this critical juncture, outsiders will surely say that she cannot even take care of the imperial offspring, which is no small matter.

You should know that she usually inquires about Zhaoxiang's affairs.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Chunxing hurriedly stepped forward, taking the Empress's undergarment draped over the screen as she spoke urgently, "The nanny from Zhaoxiang's quarters said that before the palace gates were locked, the Ninth Prince had a slight fever. At first, we thought it was just from catching a chill at night, so we gave him some ginger soup and didn't think much of it. But later, his temperature rose higher and higher, his little face turned bright red, and he didn't even have the strength to cry anymore, so we quickly summoned the imperial physician. The Emperor has already sent a eunuch to inform them, and all the palaces should have received the news. I've also sent someone to deliver messages to Consort Hui and Noble Lady Nara in Yanxi Palace."

The Ninth Prince's birth mother is Consort Nara of Yanxi Palace. Now that the child has a persistent high fever, Consort Nara, as his birth mother, naturally has to go.

Consort Hui, as the head of Yanxi Palace, also bore some responsibility for this.

The Empress changed her clothes simply and tied her hair up casually. The rainy night was a bit chilly, so Chunxing draped a cloak over her shoulders and then hurriedly went to Zhaoxiang's residence with an umbrella.

Consort Hui and Noble Lady Nara had arrived earlier. After paying their respects to the Empress, Noble Lady Nara continued to look at the imperial physician with a worried expression.

The imperial physician is taking the Ninth Prince's pulse.

A note from the author:

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