"Consort Tongjia is very kind, but I am too old to endure such trouble. It is better for the Empress Dowager to lead you all here on the first and fifteenth of each month." The Empress Dowager meant that Consort Tongjia was not qualified to lead the concubines to pay their respects to her. If anyone should come, it should be the Empress. This was a blatant act of protecting the Empress.

"Your Majesty, I will definitely bring all my sisters to pay our respects to you on time. Please don't mind if my sisters and I are noisy!" The Empress looked at the aggrieved Consort Tongjia, secretly delighted, but she didn't show it on her face and teased the Empress Dowager.

"How could that be? I'm overjoyed that you're so filial!" The Empress Dowager had seen plenty of these petty power struggles, but she was happy to see Consort Tongjia unhappy. As long as Consort Tongjia was unhappy, she was happy.

"Consort Wan, how are you feeling?" The Empress Dowager suddenly turned her gaze to Consort Wan.

"Your Majesty, I am well. I was delayed by some matters and have not been able to pay my respects for a long time. I hope Your Majesty will not be offended." Wanyi rose and bowed, but her face showed that she was very casual.

"You! Even when you're sick, you're still restless, sending me little things almost every day to cheer me up."

The Empress Dowager also accepted Wanyi, since no one else cared about her year after year, so she treated Wanyi as an ordinary junior.

"I am relieved to see the Empress Dowager smile. The Emperor often tells me that he is busy with state affairs and cannot always be by the Empress Dowager's side, so he asks me to be more filial to you."

Kangxi did mention that if she spontaneously sent gifts to the Empress Dowager, it would be considered that she was trying to curry favor, and everyone would follow suit. However, if she received Kangxi's permission, then when she sent gifts in the future, they could not say that Consort Wan was trying to curry favor; they could only say that she was showing filial piety. Otherwise, you would be questioning the Emperor's will.

"So it was the Emperor's order. But you deserve my praise. It shows you are a filial and good child. Otherwise, why would the Emperor have given you this order?" The Empress Dowager's words immediately put Wanyi in the spotlight, but Wanyi had a way to defuse the situation.

"Your Majesty, you flatter me. These are just trivial tricks. I am content as long as they please Your Majesty."

Wan Yi said shyly, and the scene suddenly fell silent. The concubines who did not speak had smiles on their faces, but in their hearts they cursed Wan Yi's ancestors for eight generations, and some were also insanely jealous.

At this moment, Granny He, who served the Empress Dowager, hurriedly came in and said,

"Empress Dowager, Lady Yi, of the Xianfu Palace, has fainted for some unknown reason."

Granny He was watching from outside as the instruction on palace rules was given to those below the rank of Noble Lady. Halfway through, Consort Yi suddenly fainted.

"Please summon the imperial physician and move Consort Yi to the side hall first."

The Empress Dowager suddenly composed herself, and it was clear that she was in a bad mood. After all, on such a joyous day, someone had fainted outside her palace. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she had been harsh on the concubines, causing her to faint.

"Yes, this servant will go right away." In fact, Granny He had completely suppressed the matter, but her current mistress was Consort Wan, and this matter was originally orchestrated by her, so how could she suppress it?

"It must be because Consort Yi is weak. Let the imperial physician take a look, and she should rest if necessary," the Empress immediately said, trying to exonerate the Empress Dowager.

"Today is a joyous occasion for the entire palace to pay homage, and she pulled this stunt. I don't know if it was intentional or if she was dissatisfied with us." Consort Tongjia spoke deliberately, seemingly oblivious to the Empress Dowager's darkened face. She simply couldn't bear to see the Empress pleased.

"I have observed that Consort Yi has always been in good health, which is a cause for celebration and adds to our joy today," Wanyi said meaningfully, for she knew Consort Yi's condition far better than anyone else.

"A joyous occasion? Could it be that Consort Wan knows something?" Consort Tongjia pursed her lips, but her words drew everyone's attention to Consort Wan.

"How could I possibly know about Consort Yi's affairs! I just thought that on such a joyous occasion as today, even if Consort Yi were naive, she wouldn't faint so easily. It must be either a sad or a happy occasion. However, we'll only know the truth after the pulse diagnosis." Wanyi said with a frown. Consort Tongjia, having failed to become Empress, was acting recklessly, even defying the Empress Dowager. She was truly stubborn.

"I thought Consort Wan had some inside information to say that, but it turns out it was just speculation. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Don't you think so, Your Majesty?"

Consort Tongjia thought that since she was already a consort and the empress's position was already taken, her family background meant that even the Empress Dowager couldn't do anything to her.

"Just wait for silence over there." The Empress looked at Consort Tongjia calmly, after all, she was just as she expected.

"If Yi agrees that there is indeed some good news, I will take the liberty of promoting her to the rank of Noble Lady. How about it? If any of you can conceive and give birth to a prince, you will be meritorious, and I and the Emperor will reward you handsomely."

The Empress Dowager didn't care about Consort Tongjia, since she would never let her have a child in her life; the title of Consort Tongjia was her final act.

"Thank you for your grace, Empress Dowager!" Everyone rose and performed the curtsy.

"But what happened to Consort Yi?" the Empress asked directly as she watched He Mama walk in.

"Congratulations, Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and Your Majesty the Empress! It has been discovered that Consort Yi is over a month pregnant." Granny He smiled broadly, her eyes practically disappearing behind her teeth.

"Yes, this is a joyous occasion. As I just suggested, let her be promoted to the rank of Noble Lady! She is a blessed person, so let her be given the title of 'Fu' (福, meaning blessing)!" The Empress Dowager was so pleased that she promoted Irgen Gioro Clan two ranks.

"Congratulations, Your Excellency!"

The promotion or demotion of concubines has no impact on the Empress, but the rapid promotion of Consort Fu has made many people envious, especially Consort Tongjia. She also understood the Empress Dowager's unspoken meaning, which was that she was being told that Consort Fu was not blessed.

When Emperor Kangxi heard about this after court, he also praised Jin Yi as Consort Fu in accordance with the Empress Dowager's kindness and bestowed upon her many gifts.

"It's all about timing and fate. Pregnancy isn't always the same. Consort Fu was promoted as soon as she got pregnant. Logically, my sister should have been a concubine, so why did she only get the rank of concubine? I don't know what the Emperor is thinking!" Consort Chun said, looking indignant on behalf of Consort Wan.

"Princess Chun, be careful what you say."

Since Consort Wan's return to power, Consort Chun, of the Borjigit clan, has been coming to Yongshou Palace every few days. One day it's bird's nest, the next it's cloth, and it changes every day. If you didn't know better, you'd think Consort Wan was pregnant with Consort Chun's child.

"What's there to be afraid of when I'm with you, sister? I trust your ability to manage your subordinates." She knew about Wanyi's control over the palace maids and eunuchs, though she had only discovered it by chance.