Two weeks later

The Mid-Autumn Festival arrives as scheduled on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

Consort Wan and Consort Liang, who had been confined to Yonghe Palace for a year, have now been released and attended the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet in full regalia.

Although Consort Liang had been disfigured, after several years of treatment, her face was covered with thick makeup, and no scars could be seen.

Consort Wan wore a water-red palace dress, her makeup exquisite and alluring, like a fairy.

Consort Wan and Consort Liang made a high-profile appearance at the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet. Their every smile and gesture was full of charm, attracting everyone's attention. Even Emperor Kangxi's gaze fell on Consort Wan and Consort Liang several times.

After a round of drinks

On the side of the imperial family, Princess Consort Gong, holding a wine cup, stood up and said with a smile, "I, Princess Consort Gong, would like to offer a toast to His Majesty and Imperial Noble Consort. May His Majesty live ten thousand years, and Imperial Noble Consort live a thousand years."

Emperor Kangxi and Empress Xu Lejin were both taken aback.

The two then raised their wine cups, and Kangxi smiled and said, "Princess Consort Gong is very kind!"

Changing the subject, Kangxi then spoke.

"Second brother, fifth brother, seventh brother, and beloved concubines, today is a family banquet, so please don't be shy. Let us drink this cup together and wish our Great Qing Dynasty a thousand years of prosperity and strength."

Prince Yu, Prince Gong, and Prince Chun all stood up.

The concubines in the harem also rose and raised their cups.

Everyone answered in unison, "Yes."

Princess Consort Gong looked embarrassed, sullenly downed her drink in one gulp, her eyes darting around.

After everyone had drunk their fill, they took their seats one by one, except for the wife of Prince Gong, who remained standing tall and proud.

Prince Gong gave her several meaningful glances, but his wife did not react at all.

Xu Lejin saw this and exchanged a glance with her second sister, Xu Chaojin, who had her head slightly lowered, and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

At this moment, Prince Gong's wife smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I come from the Khorchin Mongols and am the great-niece of the Empress Dowager. I have been married to you for many years but have no children. I wish to..."

After a pause, Princess Consort Gong glanced arrogantly at Xu Chaojin, who had his head bowed.

"Your Majesty, I would like to request Your Majesty's permission to adopt the son of the Prince's concubine, Lady Sakda, so that I may also have offspring to enjoy with my children."

The moment the Princess Consort of Prince Gong spoke, the entire hall fell silent.

Emperor Kangxi's face was so dark it seemed like it could drip water, and he looked coldly at Prince Gong's wife, Lady Borjigit. Prince Gong and his secondary wife, Xu Chaojin, immediately stood up and knelt down respectfully.

Prince Gong said with trepidation, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty, please forgive me. My brother's wife has never had any children, and over time, she has developed hysteria."

Xu Chaojin crawled behind Prince Gong, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Emperor Kangxi frowned and remained silent, while Consort Xu Lejin and Consort Que looked indifferent, and Consort Hui wore a gloating expression.

Consort Wan hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and speaking softly, “Your Majesty, the wife of Prince Gong is over twenty-five and has no children yet, so it’s understandable that she is anxious.”

"I have heard that Consort Sakda of Prince Gong's household has two sons. Why not have one of them adopted by Consort Sakda, thus fulfilling the wishes of a loving mother?"

After a pause, Consort Wan and the wife of Prince Gong exchanged a glance without making a sound.

Then, Consort Wan added, "If Princess Consort of Prince Gong were to have a son, I believe that my maternal clan, the Khorchin and the various Mongol tribes, would be eternally grateful to Your Majesty and would swear to serve you to the death."

The words spoken lightly by Consort Wan silenced the entire hall, leaving only the soft sound of breathing.

Xu Lejin frowned as she looked at Consort Wan and the wife of Prince Gong.

Consort Wan's words, seemingly pleading for a son for Prince Gong's wife, were in fact a way of coercing Emperor Kangxi by invoking the Khorchin Mongols and the forty-nine Mongol tribes.

If Prince Gong's wife had a son, would the Khorchin Mongol tribe and other Mongol tribes be loyal to Emperor Kangxi, or would they be disloyal if they did not?

Prince Gong, kneeling in the main hall, was filled with immense regret, his heart pounding in his chest. He deeply regretted bringing Lady Borjigit to the banquet.

If I had known this would happen, I should have kept Borjigit in the palace while she was ill.

Time passed by, minute by minute, after a cup of tea...

Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily and said, "It is rare for the Princess Consort to have the heart of a loving mother. How could I not agree? However, if only one son is adopted, the Princess Consort will inevitably be lonely. Why not have both a son and a daughter and make a complete family?"

"I recall that my fifth brother came to the palace a few days ago and mentioned that his household has a second daughter born to Consort Chen and a third daughter born to Consort Jin."

With a meaningful smile, Kangxi spoke again in a loud voice, "The eldest daughter born to Lady Jin is Princess Irmu, whom I raised in the palace. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, a time for family celebration. Therefore, I hereby issue an edict to adopt the daughters of Lady Chen and Lady Jin under the name of my wife, Lady Borjigit."

"in addition,"

Emperor Kangxi glanced at the eldest princess, who was now fifteen years old and had grown into a graceful young woman, and said in a deep voice, "The eldest princess was betrothed to the Khorchin tribe in her early years. It is inevitable that she will be lonely after marrying into the Khorchin tribe alone."

"Today, I hereby betroth Prince Gong's wife, Lady Borjigit, and her two daughters to the Khorchin tribe. In the future, they will marry together with the eldest princess as Heshuo Junzhu (princes of the first rank)."

Upon hearing this, Princess Consort Gong's face changed from joy to deathly pale. She was in a daze until, after being reminded by a palace maid, she sat quietly in her seat without saying a word.

The Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner continues.

The next day

Consort Que, along with the four consorts and two concubines, gathered at Yikun Palace to pay their respects to Xu Lejin.

(After Xu Lejin became Imperial Noble Consort, she decreed that only those of the rank of Consort or above, and those of lower rank such as Noble Ladies, Attendants, and Ladies-in-Waiting, were required to pay their respects once a month on the second day of the month.)

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