"Oh, has Yinzhen caused trouble again?" Yinzhen, taking advantage of his young age, has caused his father, Emperor Kangxi, no shortage of trouble.

"No, the siblings get along very well!" Wanyi said with a smile, "Let you be envious!"

"Don't let him corrupt my Duanjing. Duanjing is well-behaved and sensible, unlike him, who is unruly."

Emperor Kangxi criticized Yinzhen without reservation, saying that Yinzhen was too shrewd and did not focus his energy on studying, which was a real headache.

"Your Majesty is referring to the Fourth Prince, but he doesn't seem like it at all! Although the Fourth Prince is active, he is very well-mannered and knowledgeable towards me."

Consort Duan pleaded for the Fourth Prince, saying, "How can a father speak of his own son like that!"

"Hehehe..." He chuckled but didn't speak. Could Kangxi possibly tell? It was best to leave such a shameful affair to Consort Wan; Consort Duan didn't need to know.

"Ha..." Wanyi smiled knowingly. Duanpin, who was standing to the side, looked at the two laughing people with a puzzled expression. Although she didn't know what was going on, she just laughed along with the big boss. It was this interruption that allowed Duanpin to successfully blend in as well.

"Ugh~" Dai Jiachang suddenly vomited while she was eating.

"What's wrong, my lady? I'll go fetch the imperial physician for you!" Ignoring Dai Jia's attempts to stop her, she immediately disappeared.

"That's really true. There was nothing wrong, why call the imperial physician!" They're bound to be criticized, and it wouldn't be good if the green plaque was removed later.

The result was good; the news that Consort Dai was one month pregnant spread like wildfire throughout the palace.

Emperor Kangxi didn't have to wait long in the harem; he announced the good news at the New Year's banquet.

Consort Hui, Yehenara, was promoted to Consort Hui; Consort Rong, of the Majia clan, was promoted to Consort Rong; Consort Yi, of the Guoluo clan, was promoted to Consort Yi; Consort Duan, of the Dong clan, was promoted to Consort Duan; Noble Lady Fang, of the Li clan, was promoted to Consort Fang; Attendant Changzai, of the Daijia clan, was promoted to Noble Lady Cheng; Attendant Min, of the Zhangjia clan, was promoted to Noble Lady Min; and Lady Liu of Yongshou Palace was promoted to Attendant Changzai.

At the same time, Consort Wen was in charge of the six palaces, with the four other consorts assisting. Emperor Kangxi instructed the Imperial Noble Consort to give birth to the future crown prince. As for Consort Wan, Emperor Kangxi did not mention her at all, leading the Empress Dowager and even the entire harem, except for Consort Duan, to believe that she had fallen out of favor.

This year marks the 20th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. Good news keeps coming from both the inner palace and the outer court. The Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, which had lasted for many years, has finally been quelled, and the army will soon be able to return to the capital.

"What's wrong with Furong? She looks so angry. Who dares to make our Yongshou Palace's head maid angry?"

Wanyi personally fed Shuwan the steamed egg custard, and just as she finished eating, she saw Furong walking in angrily.

"Who else could it be but Ning Dong, the head maid who will soon become the Empress's attendant!"

Ever since it was discovered that the Imperial Noble Consort was a prince, the servants of Chengqian Palace have become incredibly arrogant. At first, they bullied Yongshou Palace, but Consort Wan told them to be patient, which only made them bolder. They even became openly harsh. If it weren't for Consort Duan's help, who knows what kind of life the dignified Noble Consort would be living now. Emperor Kangxi, for reasons unknown, has not visited Yongshou Palace for a long time.

"It's alright. It's already April. Since she can't wait any longer, let's get things moving!"

Wanyi had been putting up with them for a long time, and she was almost back to how she used to grovel before the Empress Dowager. Although it wasn't very serious, it was close.

"Yes, this servant will go right away!" She replied cheerfully, her earlier dejection gone.

Meanwhile, Ningdong, who was in Chengqian Palace, returned to the palace in a good mood, carrying the tonics she had snatched.

"Your Majesty, this is the finest bird's nest!" She had originally gone to the Imperial Kitchen to get black chicken soup, but when she saw Furong, who served Consort Chen of Yongshou Palace, taking silver to buy bird's nest, she naturally snatched it away, leaving Furong with neither silver nor bird's nest.

"Where did this blood swallow come from?" the Imperial Noble Consort asked wearily. She had been through a lot lately, experiencing both pain and pleasure. Now that she was eight months pregnant, she was suffering from frequent urination, cramps, and the little prince would kick her from time to time. But the thought of having a cute little prince and soon becoming Empress kept her happy.

"It's a specialty of Yongshou Palace. I noticed that Her Highness hasn't been eating anything nutritious, so I had Furong give it to us first. I just had the imperial physician examine her, and there's nothing wrong!"

Ning Dong was very happy that she was able to snatch things from Consort Chen. Although it had happened more than once, they hadn't said anything, had they?

"I am not yet Empress, so I must restrain myself and not go too far!" The Imperial Noble Consort had known all along what Ning Dong and the others were doing to the people of Yongshou Palace, but she had turned a blind eye as long as things hadn't escalated.

"Yes, I understand. I will keep things in check!" Ningdong knew that if things went too far, it wouldn't be acceptable to the Emperor.

"Um!"

The Imperial Noble Consort ignored Ning Dong and slowly finished eating the blood bird's nest. Then, she gazed at the flowerpot in a good mood, lost in thought. The flowerpot was a tribute from a foreign country. It was brightly colored, and one could appreciate the flowerpot as well as the flower itself. When Consort Chen was in charge of this, she had wanted this batch of flowerpots, but Emperor Kangxi had bestowed them upon her instead. Consort Chen had even thrown a tantrum for it, which made her happy just thinking about it.

"Greetings to Consort Duan! May Consort Duan be well!" Consort Jing was very dissatisfied with Consort Duan's promotion to the rank of Consort. She had tried so hard to please the Imperial Noble Consort, but she hadn't even made it onto the last train to be promoted to Consort.

"Get up! I've only recently had some free time, and I didn't expect so many people to be here!" Consort Duan was still a little proud, after all, it was difficult to advance beyond the rank of Consort. She was only able to do so because of Consort Chen. They all thought that Consort Chen had lost favor, but she didn't think so.

"Now that Consort Duan is assisting in managing the six palaces, she naturally has no free time to stroll around, unlike the concubines who have nothing to do all day long."

Consort An has become quiet and doesn't even go to the Imperial Noble Consort's place anymore. She spends her days holed up in the palace, eating and drinking, thinking about adopting a child. That's why she has only recently started to go out and about, hoping to see if she can adopt a child that can be raised as a Noble Consort.

"Actually, having some free time isn't so bad. I've been neglecting Duan Jing lately, so I thought I'd come out to see the flowers she likes and pick some to take back. Please do as you please!" As for what Consort An said, Consort Duan chose not to hear it.

"Being a concubine really makes a difference; she's become so smug!" Consort Fang said enviously, watching the departing figure.

"Why do you envy her? Didn't you also stand out from the crowd of nobles and become a concubine?"

Consort An said irritably, "She really is a palace maid who only knows how to be hesitant and indecisive. I don't know how she became a concubine."

"Sister An is right. I don't know why His Majesty..." Consort Fang was as timid as ever, acting like a punching bag, which made her very despicable. However, this was the persona she had created.

"Alright, the matter is settled. We hope that the Imperial Noble Consort will successfully take that position, and we can also benefit from it."

Consort Jing was not very obedient to Consort Duan to begin with, so she was even more annoyed when she heard them arguing.