The following afternoon

Two imperial edicts were issued from the Qianqing Palace.

Firstly, the deceased Prince Xianyi, Fu Shou, was granted the title of Prince of Gushan, and his eldest son, Quan Bao, was appointed to the Xiaoji Camp. He was also betrothed to the fifteenth daughter of the Xu Muer family, who became Prince of Gushan Quan Bao's primary consort. The wedding took place on the sixth day of the tenth month.

Secondly, the daughter of Prince Consort Shang Zhixi was betrothed to Prince Chun, Lady Shangjia, on the thirteenth day of the ninth month. The seventeenth daughter of the Xu Muer family was also betrothed to Prince Chun as a secondary consort, to be married on an auspicious day two years later.

The two imperial edicts naturally delighted Xu Lejin and the Xu Muer family outside the palace, but the concubines in the palace, such as Consort Zhao and Consort Nara, were furious.

Chuxiu Palace

Consort Zhao's face was contorted with rage, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted out of shape.

"Consort Yu is truly capable. The Xu Muer family has no one in the court, but what about the inner quarters? The Xu Muer family has received the Emperor's favor, being elevated to a higher banner and granted a surname. They have already produced a concubine of Prince Gong, which is already a great honor."

"Now, with a Prince of Gushan as his consort and a Prince Chun as his secondary consort, His Majesty is truly favoring Consort Yu and her maternal family!"

Caiyue glanced timidly towards the outside of the hall.

Lowering her voice, Caiyue whispered, "My lord, you can't say such things carelessly. I heard that it was the Empress Dowager's decree that Consort Yu's younger sister was bestowed the title of Consort of the Prince of Gushan and Consort of the Prince of Chun."

"snort."

Consort Zhao snorted coldly, her face darkening.

After a long while, Consort Zhao spoke with a mocking expression, "Back then, when the Emperor was choosing an Empress, Hesheli, myself, and Guwalgiya were all of suitable age, but what happened?"

"In the end, the Empress Dowager abandoned the Guarjia clan and rejected my proposal, choosing the concubine-born Hesheli clan."

Upon hearing this, Caiyue and Lianxing lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Consort Zhao said coldly, "After all this time, Empress Hesheli passed away after childbirth. I am the designated new empress, but what about the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager is now eager to promote Consort Yu."

"Caiyue, I am heartbroken."

After a quick moment of thought, Caiyue softly comforted Consort Zhao, but in her heart she thought to herself that Consort Yu's sister was nothing more than the wife of a Prince of Gushan and a secondary wife of a Prince Chun.

How could anyone compare to the Niohuru family, the sisters of the Empress?

The eldest princess was ordered to marry the Bairin tribe of southern Mongolia as a princess of the Heshuo County, and became the princess consort of the Bairin tribe.

The Empress Dowager is currently the highest-ranking person in the palace, wielding power within the palace. She is also the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's chosen new Empress, awaiting only the end of the mourning period for the old man before moving into the central palace.

The Third Princess is only fifteen years old now, a charming and beautiful age, as fresh and tender as a flower. In the past, many suitors have worn down the threshold of the Niohuru family. In the future, eight or nine out of ten of them will marry a prince or a duke as his primary wife.

Although the fourth, fifth, and sixth princesses are young, with the Empress's protection, their future husbands' families will surely be prosperous.

East Annex Hall of Yongshou Palace

It took three days for Consort Xitala's diarrhea to subside.

After calming down, the embarrassing scene that happened when she was serving the emperor in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace came back to her mind.

She had lost a lot of weight, and her complexion was sallow, like a withered, decaying flower.

Consort Xitala looked utterly despondent.

She actually did it in the Qianqing Palace, on the dragon bed, in front of the Emperor…

And it even soiled the Emperor's body?

Will the Emperor still summon her to his bedchamber in the future?

Her wealth and beauty, her lofty ambitions, and her desire for an imperial heir all became unrealistic fantasies.

Thinking of all this, Consort Xitala stared blankly at the roof, silently shedding tears.

Yongshou Palace, in the courtyard

"Alas, if I had disgraced myself so badly in front of the Emperor and brought shame upon my ancestors, I would have atoned with my death long ago. How could I possibly have the face to continue living in this world?"

"To behave improperly before the Emperor is a grave offense."

Consort Hesheli visited Yongshou Palace that day, walking hand in hand with Consort Guoluo along the palace corridor.

At this moment, she made no attempt to hide her true feelings, speaking in a high-pitched, shrill voice.

Consort Guo Luoluo was taken aback, her brows furrowed slightly, and she remained silent.

Immediately afterwards, Consort Hesheli added, "Sister Guoluo, do you think the Emperor will still summon her to his bedchamber after she has lost so much face in front of him?"

Consort Guo Luoluo chuckled softly but remained silent.

Consort Hesheli glanced at the closed East Annex Hall out of the corner of her eye, raised her voice, and said loudly, "Even if the Emperor forgives us and forgets this incident, I'm afraid she will never have the face to show in front of the Emperor again."

Consort Hesheli's words, spoken with a deliberately raised voice, clearly reached Consort Xitala's ears.

Consort Xitala was both ashamed and angry, her face turning bright red.

The palace maid Qingtao gently patted her back to help her catch her breath and softly comforted her, "Your Highness, the Emperor is busy with state affairs and will soon forget about this. The most important thing for you right now is to recover as soon as possible."

"Your Highness is beautiful, and the Emperor is fond of you."

As soon as Qingtao finished speaking, another palace maid, Lüliu, echoed her words.

The palace maid Die'er, standing at the entrance with her eyes lowered, making it impossible to see her expression, suddenly flashed a hint of disdain in her eyes.

Consort Xitala, her face pale, spoke slowly, "I'm afraid I won't recover. There are countless young and beautiful women in the palace. Even if I deliberately forget my indiscretion before the Emperor, he will not let me serve him again."

"Green peaches, green willows, I am not reconciled!"

Consort Xitala's face contorted with rage, her eyes blazing with fury, her gaze malevolent. "Who in the palace is it that has harmed me so cruelly, robbing me of my favor, my riches and honor?"

Who exactly is it?

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