For the entire afternoon, Consort Tong and Qingyan listened to the Mongolian wives bickering. Several of the sisters-in-law felt that these Mongolian wives' methods were simply too much.

"Alright, finally some peace and quiet!" Consort Hui also felt a headache coming on. This time, during the autumn festival, Consort Hui and Consort Tong came out for the sake of the real occasion. Who knew that they would witness so much drama as soon as they arrived.

Qingyan and Yingenjueluo exchanged a glance. They were still too young and unaware of many of the methods used.

"What are your thoughts after reading this?" Consort Tong asked Qingyan and Lady Yingenjueluo.

Qingyan pondered for a moment and said, "Mother, I've noticed that there are even more problems among the women of the various Mongolian tribes than among us sisters-in-law. What could have been easily resolved are seen as major issues by them, with their own interests taking precedence over everything else!"

After the words were spoken, the women fell silent. This was normal. Whether they were imperial concubines or wives of princes, they all hoped to gain more benefits for themselves. Consort Tong had always been helping her family. Only after Tong Guowei completely broke Consort Tong's heart did she slowly change and hope to live a good life with Emperor Kangxi.

“Xiao Guai is right. There are bound to be a lot of problems between sisters-in-law. My wife and I from the third brother’s family have had quite a few problems. But outside, we can still work together to uphold the dignity of the royal family!” Yin Genjue Luo Shi also sighed. These women must be completely oblivious to everything else.

The struggles between men are all minor squabbles; the battles between women are the most brutal, involving not only dealing with external threats but also managing the home front.

“Sister Consort Hui, His Majesty probably doesn’t want these tribes’ sleeping quarters to be together. The Qiyan clan’s secret medicine must have been spread by His Majesty or by you.” Consort Hui has been in the palace for decades and is very familiar with these methods.

Consort Tong smiled and said, "As expected, Consort Hui has a good eye. It was His Majesty who spread the news. Too many legitimate sons of the various tribes have died young in recent years, many of whom were the children of His Majesty's aunts. In order to control the various tribes, the Khorchin sent their carefully cultivated girls to the tribes as concubines and princesses. After they gained favor, the legitimate sons often suffered!"

After learning about the situation of the various tribes, Emperor Kangxi personally formulated this plan. This time, they were prepared to take direct action.

Qingyan covered her mouth, looking at Consort Tong in surprise.

No wonder the number of legitimate sons of the Mongols is decreasing. Before, she thought it was the nannies of the Imperial Household Department who were doing it, but it turns out it was the bloodline of the Khorchin who were doing it.

Borjigit, as expected of those of the golden bloodline, employed even more ruthless methods. Perhaps, well, these girls were able to survive on their own in Khorchin.

"You probably don't know how the girls of Khorchin are trained?" Consort Tong shook her head as she looked at the gossipy look in Qingyan's eyes.

As soon as the words were spoken, Consort Hui and her daughter-in-law also became curious. Consort Hui was also aware of Consort Xin's methods, and she chose to stay away from this person.

"Your Majesty, please tell me! You've stirred up my curiosity, and now you're making such a fuss. Look at the eldest daughter's and the fourth daughter's—their eyes are practically popping out of their sockets!" Consort Hui couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Qingyan lowered her head in embarrassment. She was too curious and really wanted to know about the methods used by the Khorchin.

“After the girls turn five, they are all gathered together to learn the rules and regulations. Then, they begin to live together. It’s not surprising that there are one or two conspiracies involved,” Consort Tong explained. “After they have mastered the methods, the clan head will also bring in the concubine daughters, so that the legitimate daughters and the concubine daughters will start fighting each other. There, apart from the highest authority, they can only pass the test if they kill the other party.”

Upon hearing this, Qingyan couldn't help but feel curious, as the Khorchin's method of training their eldest daughter was somewhat similar to training Tibetan mastiffs.

“Your Highness, it looks like you’re training a mastiff!” Yin Genjue Luo Shi also noticed the problem. Women like this must be natural actors, which clearly surprised them.

Consort Tong nodded in agreement. That was for sure. Back then, she had also learned her lesson after suffering several setbacks.

"Are you talking about Consort Ning?" Consort Hui thought of that woman, who eventually made Emperor Kangxi resentfully remove her from the Imperial Archives. One could imagine just how ruthless that woman's methods were.

"Yes, you know what happened back then. The Empress Dowager even summoned me and Consort Ning together. Even though I was wronged, the Empress Dowager still forced me to apologize!" Consort Tong was pampered and doted on by Emperor Kangxi since childhood. While Emperor Kangxi was away on a military expedition, the Empress Dowager made trouble for Qingyan.

On that day, Kangxi did not secretly return to the capital in triumph, and Consort Tong probably could not chat and laugh with them anymore.

Qingyan couldn't help but be curious. This Consort Ning didn't exist. It turned out that she had been removed from the list. She had thought there was some major reason why she had become so insignificant.

"Those medicines were all administered by Consort Ning, and they were even from the Qiyan clan. In fact, the Empress Dowager understood immediately. She only sent you to apologize to protect Consort Ning, creating the illusion that you had done something wrong and implicated Consort Ning!" Consort Hui had the least respect for the Empress Dowager. When Yin was born, the Empress Dowager's expression was very unpleasant.

In fact, the mother and son were almost killed by the Empress Dowager's secret medicine. Fortunately, Consort Tong appeared early and told Consort Hui, who was then Consort Hui, some clues.

"Back then, I was new to the palace and didn't think much about it. I thought that I could get genuine sincerity from Cining Palace. Apart from the Empress Dowager, who in Cining Palace wasn't shrewd?" Consort Tong sneered.

After Kangxi returned to court, the Empress Dowager was still not satisfied and blamed Consort Ning's actions on Consort Tong. Kangxi's power was not yet fully established, so he had to swallow his anger. He privately cared more and more about Consort Tong and even vowed in his heart that he would never let Consort Tong suffer any injustice.

"You're stupid too, trying to win someone's heart with that old fox. You're the only one who thinks it's a good idea!" Consort Hui laughed. They would fight for their sons, but they wouldn't damage their outward harmony.

“Who says otherwise? You two should listen carefully. These are all experiences that our elders have learned through blood and tears!” Consort Tong looked at her sisters-in-law earnestly.

Qingyan nodded obediently. These words were truly lessons learned through blood and tears. Consort Tong's poor health was largely due to that punishment. Every time Kangxi saw Consort Tong's illness flare up, he felt deeply distressed. If he had been more careful back then, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have had a hold on her, and Consort Tong probably wouldn't be in this state now. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)