There was originally a palace maid named Xue Lian who had served Consort Xi. When she was twenty-five years old, she was released from the palace.

Even palace maids who left the palace were highly sought after. They were well-versed in palace etiquette, and many Manchu noble families would specially invite these palace maids to their homes to teach their daughters manners so that they could be selected as imperial concubines in the future.

After leaving the palace, Xue Lian was invited into Narbu's home to serve his daughter, Lan Rong.

As luck would have it, Xue Lian had seen Xiao Lan at the Yuanmingyuan Garden, so when she saw Lan Rong, she felt a sense of familiarity. However, she did not say it outright. Instead, she found an opportunity to have a eunuch who was out of the palace on business relay the matter to Consort Xi.

When Consort Xi learned of this, she took it to heart. During the selection of concubines, she spoke with the nannies and told them to make sure that Lan Rong was selected.

Later, Lan Rong indeed passed the preliminary selection. During the second selection, Emperor Yongzheng, considering that Consort Xi was Hongli's mother, asked for her opinion. Consort Xi pointed to two candidates, and her words clearly showed her preference for Lan Rong.

Although Lan Rong's father did not hold a high official position, the selection of concubines not only considered official rank but also traced back three generations to assess family background. The Nara clan was, after all, a prestigious family with an impressive lineage. Ultimately, following Consort Xi's wishes, Yongzheng designated Lan Rong as Hongli's secondary consort.

As it turns out, Su Yushan's guess was quite accurate; it was indeed Consort Xi who was plotting behind the scenes, and her purpose was obvious!

Although he had already guessed it, Hongli was still furious when he heard the truth with his own ears. He planned to go to Yiyun Pavilion to question Lan Rong, but Su Yushan stopped him.

"It's no use asking her. She'll definitely say she doesn't know anything about it, that it was all arranged by Consort Xi, and that she was also set up."

It felt awful to be schemed against! The more Hongli thought about it, the angrier he became. He simply couldn't understand why his mother always seemed to enjoy upsetting him.

"It's just a concubine, why would Mother resort to such tricks? Does she think that because Lan Rong has been kind to me, I would favor Lan Rong and despise you? She has truly underestimated our relationship!"

The truth has been revealed: Lan Rong was Consort Xi's pawn. From now on, Hongli will be extremely wary of her. Su Yushan no longer needs to worry; she can now rationally observe the matter from an outsider's perspective.

"Now that we know the whole story, there is no need to pursue it further. Even if we question Lan Rong and Consort Xi, it will be useless. She has already entered the palace and become your concubine. She has done nothing wrong, and the Emperor is unlikely to punish Lan Rong. It will probably just end there."

Once Consort Xi realizes this plan has failed, she'll probably come up with other schemes. Rather than letting her cause more trouble, it's better to go along with her wishes, pretend ignorance, and keep Lan Rong here. With her pawn safely in place, she'll be at ease, and only then can you be at peace.

After careful consideration, Hongli realized that Yu Shan's words made sense. He could pretend that nothing had happened, but his gratitude towards Lan Rong had been completely wiped out by their scheming. It was already merciful of him not to pursue Lan Rong's responsibility. It was impossible to expect him to dote on Lan Rong any more!

Hongli sighed inwardly, realizing that his mother's wishful thinking had ultimately backfired. He decided to let her continue down this path of error. Only if she remained oblivious to her mistakes would she quiet down for a while.

Lan Rong was still hoping that Hongli would still remember her and come to find her again, little did she know that it was all a scheme. He had never been moved by her, so how could he have any lingering feelings for her?

He hadn't visited Yiyun Pavilion since then, and Lan Rong couldn't help but feel anxious. Qiu Cha comforted her, telling her not to worry.

"I heard that the young prince and princess are about to be vaccinated against smallpox. The Fourth Prince is discussing the date with the imperial physician. Perhaps he is too busy to accompany you."

That's true. Hongli is a prince, and he has to manage both state and family affairs, so he's naturally busier than ordinary people. Lan Rong has to be a understanding and tolerant person, and she can't be like Su Yushan, always getting angry with him.

With this in mind, she stopped being anxious and patiently waited for the right opportunity.

Hongli had told her not to go to Huatang Pavilion anymore, so Lan Rong never went there again. Apart from paying her respects to the Fujin, she didn't go anywhere else and just stayed in her own room.

Since she entered the mansion, people have been sending her gifts one after another. Both Princess Fucha and Consort Gao sent gifts, each one more precious than the last.

As Qiu Cha tidied up the items, she casually reminded them, "Master, they're all trying to curry favor with you! Do you think we should return the favor with gifts?"

Lan Rong didn't even look at it, and shook her head.

"Returning a gift implies a desire to befriend them; you cannot return it."

Qiu Cha didn't understand her meaning. "Forgive my ignorance, but we are new to this manor and don't know anyone here. We should make more friends so that our journey will be easier."

Her eyes darted around, a cunning glint in Lan Rong's peach blossom eyes. "Those women are all out of favor. They've been in the manor for so many years and haven't even had a child. Fourth Master doesn't like them. Befriending them won't bring me any benefits; it will only make Consort Su more wary of me. If she whispers in Fourth Master's ear, then we'll be in trouble!"

Because she understood the situation, Lan Rong was unwilling to associate with others. In her view, only by getting close to Su Yushan could she bring herself any benefits.

But Hongli said that Su Yushan is a slow starter, and it's hard for ordinary people to win her over. Lan Rong isn't in a hurry; she can wait patiently, seize the right opportunity, and then try to get closer to Su Yushan to seek benefits for herself.

Lan Rong was still making her own plans, unaware that Su Yushan had already seen through her and didn't care about her at all.

Days passed by, and the date for vaccination drew closer.

Su Yushan thought that a royal physician would come to the mansion to vaccinate the children, but she didn't expect that the vaccination had to be carried out in the palace. As the mother, she could not go with her children, and she could not even find out about the condition of her children in time.

Hongli comforted her, telling her not to worry, "I have invited the most experienced imperial physician. Yan Yan will be fine, don't worry!"

Su Yushan understands this rule, and no matter how worried she is, she cannot escape it; this is an inevitable path for children!

At the end of May, the daughter of the Fujin and the son of Su Yushan were taken to the palace to be vaccinated against smallpox.

Witnessing the scene of the child being taken away, Su Yushan's heart was in her throat, fearing that something unexpected might happen, and she secretly prayed that Yan Yan would overcome the difficulties.

Yu Ying is also praying for her daughter. To show her sincerity, she has been eating vegetarian food for the past few days, hoping that Buddha will bless her daughter.

Inside the palace's Xihua Hall, the imperial physicians were already waiting. Two physicians were assigned to each of the imperial grandsons to perform smallpox vaccinations separately.

Because eunuchs and palace maids also had to serve other masters, if eunuchs served them and they went to other palaces afterwards, there was a possibility of infection. Therefore, the court stipulated that eunuchs and palace maids could not serve them during smallpox vaccination, but rather the low-ranking servants of the Imperial Household Department, Sula, would serve them.

Two Sulas take turns on duty each day, serving only one day before being replaced the next, in order to ensure the children's safety as much as possible.

These imperial physicians were all experienced, especially when it came to inoculating the royal children with smallpox. They were exceptionally careful and cautious. However, while medical skill was important, the child's constitution was even more crucial. Whether the child could survive was entirely up to fate.

Both of them were the fourth prince's children, and the imperial physicians naturally hoped that both of them could be successfully vaccinated against smallpox. However, fate was unpredictable, and things ultimately went wrong!