Chapter 77: The Tenth Prince's Lazy Double Standards at Chuxiu Palace...

"Yes, I do." The Fifth Prince seemed a little confused by the question, but he still nodded in response.

The Fifth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager from a young age. Most of the palace servants who served him since childhood were people from the Empress Dowager's side. They were all native Mongolians who came to the Qing Dynasty from Mongolia with the Empress Dowager.

Although born in the Manchu imperial palace, the Fifth Prince grew up among Mongolians. Under such immersion, he naturally learned to sing Mongolian long songs. Not only could he sing them, but he sang them very authentically.

Yin'e breathed a slight sigh of relief, then leaned over and whispered in the Fifth Prince's ear, "Fifth Brother, if Granny Ukuma sees us later, sing her a Mongolian long song."

Yin'e felt that compared to these great-grandsons whom the Empress Dowager didn't have much contact with on a daily basis and whom she wasn't particularly familiar with or fond of, Mongolian things might be more likely to make the Empress Dowager happy, and could better comfort her as she lay in bed seriously ill.

Emperor Kangxi would travel to the border regions almost every year to pacify the various Mongol tribes, and the Empress Dowager would accompany him on these trips. However, traveling beyond the Great Wall did not mean that the Empress Dowager could visit the Khorchin grasslands or return home, as the Khorchin grasslands were located in southern Mongolia, which was quite a distance away.

If you think about it carefully, the Empress Dowager hasn't returned to her hometown for many years. She is a wanderer who has been away from home for decades. She has been drifting away for many years and can only dream of returning to her hometown, but she can hardly set foot on her hometown land in person.

For those who have left their hometown, the things from their hometown are what they miss the most and what can best soothe their lonely hearts.

Compared to her great-grandchildren, the Empress Dowager now longs to see the Horqin Grassland, which she hasn't visited in decades. It is not only her hometown and her roots, but also the place that holds her past and her youthful days.

The Fifth Prince was somewhat bewildered by the sudden incident caused by Yin'e, but he was kind-hearted and always took good care of his younger brother. He didn't ask any further questions and simply nodded in agreement.

Yin'e breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the Fifth Prince with a sense of accomplishment. He then pulled the Ninth Prince, whose expression was somewhat awkward, to sit down next to the Fifth Prince.

It was only natural that the Empress Dowager missed Mongolia. Yin'e knew that he was not the only one who thought of this, and that he was not the only one who knew what Mongolia meant to the Empress Dowager. But—this was all he could do for the Empress Dowager.

Yin'e did not actually have a deep relationship with the Empress Dowager. Although the Consort was favored by the Empress Dowager, Yin'e was far from being the Empress Dowager's most beloved great-grandson.

However, in recent years, the Empress Dowager has never distanced herself from or neglected Yin'e. She has treated Yin'e very well and has bestowed many gifts upon him on holidays. Yin'e is quite grateful to the Empress Dowager and likes this kind old woman who is very kind to them.

With the addition of Yin'e and the Ninth Prince as students, the palace maid whom the Empress Dowager had arranged to teach the Fifth Prince Manchu remained expressionless. She was already used to the addition and reduction of students from time to time, and the addition of a few more students did not affect her teaching at all; she still taught in the same way.

This palace maid, fluent in both Manchu and Mongolian, was brought in by the Empress Dowager to tutor the Fifth Prince. Her primary responsibility was to teach him Manchu, while the other princes were only taught incidentally. Therefore, her teaching pace and speed were all tailored to the Fifth Prince's level.

For Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, the Fifth Prince's learning progress was a bit late, and the palace maids also slowed down the teaching pace to accommodate the Fifth Prince. Studying with the Fifth Prince was not only a review of what they had learned before, but also not very intensive, allowing them to rest during class.

Although studying with the Fifth Prince was a waste of time, neither Yin'e nor the Ninth Prince said a word or expressed any objection—it was a joke, there wasn't a single diligent and studious person among them, so why would they take the initiative to study when they could be lazy?

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince exchanged a glance and simultaneously revealed a knowing smile.

On the contrary, the Fifth Prince's smile gradually froze when he thought he had escaped a disaster when Yin'e and the Ninth Prince arrived at the side hall, turning into a bitter look.

The Fifth Prince knew he couldn't escape studying—oh well, he loved studying, and studying made him happy o(╥﹏╥)o.

Consort Tong arranged a schedule for the concubines who were qualified to come to Cining Palace to attend to the sick. Not only did she arrange for them to come to Cining Palace in order, but she also arranged for each concubine to attend to the sick for only half a day at a time, instead of being busy from morning to night and exhausted all day long.

Yin'e and the other two waited in the side hall, but even after half a day had passed and the Imperial Concubine was about to return to Yongshou Palace after finishing her duties for the day, the three of them did not receive a summons from the Empress Dowager.

With a sigh that was hard to describe as either regret or melancholy, he greeted the Fifth Prince, leaving him to continue studying Manchu in the side hall. Yin'e and the Ninth Prince left the side hall hand in hand to meet the Consort who had come out from the inner room.

After attending to the Empress Dowager in the inner chamber for half a day, the Consort looked somewhat tired. However, her condition was still good. Her daily exercise and constant supplementation with food and medicine over the past few years had been effective, and the Consort was now in excellent health. The ailment she developed during childbirth four years ago had long since been completely cured.

With one hand holding the Noble Consort's hand and the other holding the Ninth Prince's hand, the three of them walked together towards the exit of Cining Palace, where they encountered the concubines who were coming to change shifts.

The person who came was about sixteen or seventeen years old and was dressed in a light purple imperial robe in the style of a concubine.

She was of average appearance, with rather plain features. Her looks gave Yin'e a strange sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place where that familiarity came from.

The Imperial Concubine exchanged a few pleasantries with the concubine who came to replace her, and then had Yin'e and the Ninth Prince pay their respects to her, and had them address her as Concubine Mother, unlike the four Concubines Hui, Rong, Yi, and De who had their own titles.

Yin'e performed the proper greetings to his elders, stood aside for a moment and pondered before remembering the identity of this young concubine.

She was Consort Hesheli of the Chuxiu Palace, and the half-sister of Empress Renxiao.

No wonder Yin'e felt that her features were familiar to him; it turned out that Consort Chuxiu's eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to the Crown Prince.

However, the Crown Prince had exquisite features and a noble air, far surpassing the beauty of Consort Chuxiu. Before recalling Consort Chuxiu's identity, Yin'e had never associated her with the Crown Prince.

Nowadays, the palace is said to have four consorts, but in reality, there are six consorts with the same rank and treatment as consorts.

In addition to the four consorts Hui, Rong, Yi, and De, there was also Consort Borjigit of Xianfu Palace, who entered the palace early and was only conferred the title of consort this year, and Consort Hesheli of Chuxiu Palace, who entered the palace in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and was conferred the title of consort in the twenty-third year of his reign.

Although Consort Xianfu and Consort Chuxiu were granted the title of Consort by imperial decree, they did not receive official titles or undergo a formal investiture ceremony, and their rank was after the four Consorts. Because both of them were granted the title of Consort due to their family background, and they had neither favor nor children, they were rarely mentioned inside or outside the palace.

Consort Chuxiu entered the palace in the same year as Consort Gui. Consort Chuxiu was the half-sister of Empress Yuan, while Consort Gui was the younger sister of Empress Xiaozhao. Both of them entered the palace with a mission: to continue their marriage alliances with the royal family and to ensure that their respective families maintained their relationship with the royal family.

However, Heseri acted somewhat undignifiedly in this matter.

Empress Xiaozhao passed away in the seventeenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. After the Consort finished observing the mourning period, she entered the palace as a consort at the end of the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Manchu women typically married late, usually waiting until they were eighteen or nineteen before being married off. The Imperial Concubine was similar, entering the palace at exactly nineteen.

However, it seems that Empress Heseri was reminded by Empress Niohuru that she should send another noblewoman to the palace to continue the relationship between her family and the royal family. So, six years after Empress Yuan's death, Empress Heseri and Empress Niohuru sent a noblewoman to the palace together.

The Consort Chuxiu, who was sent to the palace by Empress Hesheli, was less than ten years old at the time. She entered the palace with the treatment of a Noble Lady and stayed in the palace for several years until she was officially named a Consort by Emperor Kangxi in the twenty-third year of his reign.

In his early years, many concubines did enter the palace at a young age, but that was because Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne at a young age and needed to win over various forces.

After Emperor Kangxi assumed personal rule and seized power, the Hesheli clan was the only one to send young girls into the palace to wait for their birth.

If it weren't for the sake of Empress Yuan and the Crown Prince, Emperor Kangxi would not have been willing to bring Consort Chuxiu into the palace—he didn't lack concubines, so why give her the status of a concubine and let her go out to eat for free?

Putting aside the fact that Consort Chuxiu is too young, her appearance is not outstanding either!

If Consort Chuxiu were to formally participate in the imperial selection according to the rules, she would most likely not be able to enter the palace.

Emperor Kangxi had a rather sophisticated aesthetic sense; her appearance wasn't exactly his type. As for her inner beauty... Consort Chuxiu was just a little girl when she entered the palace; she hadn't grown up yet.

Although Consort Chuxiu was granted the title of Consort in the twenty-third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, she had not been favored by him for the past few years. In addition, her frequent attempts to contact the Crown Prince and win him over further displeased the Kangxi Emperor, who had not set foot in Chuxiu Palace for nearly a year, which was a great embarrassment to Consort Chuxiu.

When Empress Heseri sent Consort Chuxiu to the palace in the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Kangxi Emperor knew that Empress Heseri intended to deepen her connection with the Crown Prince and win him over.

This was something that Emperor Kangxi could not tolerate.

Emperor Kangxi loved his crown prince dearly, cherishing and protecting him. However, he was also a very controlling emperor who did not allow his sons to be too close to their maternal clans or to rely on or trust them too much. It must be said that Kangxi was quite hypocritical; the Tong family prospered precisely because they were Kangxi's maternal clan.

But Kangxi was the emperor, and no one dared to say a word against his double standards.

When Consort Chuxiu entered the palace, her father, Emperor Kangxi, who was unaware of his double standards, arranged for her to live in Chuxiu Palace.

It should be noted that Chuxiu Palace is located at the end of the Six Western Palaces, and is the palace furthest from Yuqing Palace among the Twelve Eastern and Western Palaces, almost diagonally opposite Yuqing Palace located on the outer south road. The two palaces are separated by a distance of not just tens of thousands of miles, but this also physically cuts off any possibility of contact between the concubines of Chuxiu Palace and the Crown Prince.

Even so, Consort Chuxiu has not been quiet these past few years, constantly looking for opportunities to contact the Crown Prince.

It was a minor matter that Consort Chuxiu frequently sent things to Yuqing Palace; she would even run out of the Western Six Palaces to Yuqing Palace to see the Crown Prince, which increasingly offended Kangxi and aroused his dissatisfaction.

The Imperial Concubine looked at Consort Chuxiu and wanted to offer her some advice, telling her to stay away from the Crown Prince and not to try to win him over on behalf of the Hesheli clan—after all, they entered the palace in the same year, and Consort Chuxiu was just a little girl at the time. The Imperial Concubine had practically watched her grow up and always had some affection for her.

But the words of advice had been brewing in her mind for a long time, yet the Consort Gui never spoke. She simply bid farewell to Consort Chuxiu without showing any unusual expression, and left Cining Palace with Yin'e and the Ninth Prince.

Since it concerned the Crown Prince, the Imperial Concubine ultimately decided to remain silent.

Moreover, good advice is useless to a doomed fool. If Empress Heseri hadn't been greedy and wanted to use the Crown Prince to gain benefits, how could Songgotu have been demoted again and again in the twenty-second year of Kangxi's reign?

Consort Chuxiu was granted the title of Consort by imperial decree in the twenty-third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. However, this was merely a gesture of respect from the Emperor to Empress Dowager Yuan and the Crown Prince.

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:07:55 on March 21, 2023 and 11:56:10 on March 22, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Tianwai Feixian (3 bottles); Mint Cool, Millet Worm, and -Shallow Smile (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!