Chapter 207 The Sixteenth Year of Kangxi

Ever since that day when they fought in Yonghe Palace and were each given a fifty-point beating by the Empress.

As expected, Madam Tongjia took Mama Ma's rules as gospel and began to find fault with Madam Wuya in every way.

After a day of meditation, on the palace road, Uya saw Tongjia's entourage in the distance. She wanted to lower her head and quickly walk away, but Tongjia called out to her.

Uya had no choice but to step forward and perform the proper greeting, though her posture was quite standard.

His eyes, however, revealed aloofness and impatience; he only wanted to get away as soon as possible.

"stop."

Tongjia, supported by Granny Ma, slowly walked up to her, looked her up and down, and a cold smile appeared on her lips.

"Consort Wuya, your greeting is... a bit too perfunctory, isn't it? What, do you have some dissatisfaction with me?"

Uya was furious, but she suppressed it.

"Your Highness is too kind. I dare not accept such an honor."

"Don't dare? This princess thinks you're quite bold!"

Tongjia's voice suddenly turned stern.

"Granny Ma, look at her! The way she squats, the way she looks—where is the slightest bit of respect? It seems she really is from a bondservant family; she hasn't learned the proper etiquette yet! Go and teach her properly what it means to have dignified manners and a sincere heart!"

"Yes, sir."

Granny Ma stepped forward in response and spoke to Madam Wuya with a blank expression.

“Master Uya, I apologize. Please greet me again. This old servant will guide you until you are in accordance with the proper etiquette.”

Uya was so angry that she trembled all over, but she knew that this was an open conspiracy and she could not resist it.

She had no choice but to repeat the squatting and standing motions over and over again on the palace path as dusk fell.

Granny Ma was extremely strict, demanding that anyone make a mistake be done again, all the while constantly reciting palace rules.

From the time the sun began to set until the palace lanterns were lit, Wuya felt as if her legs were made of lead and her back was sore.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and he felt utterly humiliated.

She finally understood that Tongjia wanted to use this blunt knife to cut flesh.

They slowly eroded her dignity and disgusted her.

From then on, Uya began to live a life of hiding whenever possible.

Every time she fell into a deep sleep, she was always the first to arrive outside Kunning Palace to wait, and when the event ended, she would linger until she was the last to leave.

Make sure to avoid meeting with the Tongjia clan.

He usually stayed in the palace and never went out unless absolutely necessary.

When going out, he would keep a close eye on everything around him, and if he heard any noise from the Tongjia clan's entourage, he would immediately take a detour.

At first, Lady Tongjia was able to catch her a few times on the palace road, and each time she would use the excuse of learning etiquette to torment her for several hours.

But Wuya learned her lesson and became even more cautious, which eventually caused Tongjia to miss her for half a month.

How could the Tongjia clan accept this?

Since she couldn't block the way on the palace road, she went directly to the entrance of the west side hall of Yonghe Palace.

On one occasion, she even became impatient and led her people into the palace.

Uya was by no means one to swallow her anger.

When Lady Tongjia barged into her own palace, she had nowhere to hide, and Lady Tongjia's words were harsh and deceitful.

She would seize the opportunity, or take advantage of the moment when the palace maids and nannies were off guard, and suddenly pounce on them and start fighting with Tongjia.

They pulled hair, pinched soft flesh, and used every possible means to do so.

Tongjia was initially taken aback, but then she was enraged and fought back fiercely.

From then on, the two formed a strange tacit understanding.

Fighting is acceptable, but it must not cause too much of a commotion, and certainly not alarm the Empress.

They would often fight quickly for a few rounds inside the palace before being pulled apart by their respective palace servants.

One reason was to maintain the princess's dignity and avoid making a big fuss.

Another reason is the fear of a complete breakdown in relations due to the difference in social status.

After each fight, they would tidy their clothes and hair, glare at each other, one would storm off in anger, while the other would cover their new bruises and curse incessantly.

Inside Kunning Palace, Jiang Nan listened as Zhao Deyi vividly described how the two of them, one chasing a rabbit around and the other hiding like a groundhog, were constantly on the move.

Occasionally, they would meet on a narrow path and the brave would win a fight, often making them laugh so hard they were doubled over.

The two of them chasing each other, creating a chaotic scene, truly added a lot of fun to her peaceful life in the palace.

As long as nothing serious happens, she's happy to watch the show, and even somewhat anticipates what new tricks they might come up with.

Time slips away quietly amidst this seemingly absurd yet subtly turbulent entanglement.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.

Just as the cold winter was passing, an even more significant piece of news shook the six palaces of the East and West.

Consort Ma Jia of Yikun Palace is about to give birth.

This news, like a boulder thrown into a seemingly calm lake, instantly attracted the attention of everyone who cared.

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Changchun Palace, main hall, late at night.

Hesheli sat in front of her dressing table, her face reflected in the bronze mirror as a young woman, yet one etched with weariness and repression.

She clutched a plain handkerchief tightly in her hand. After a long while, she suddenly slammed the handkerchief onto the dressing table.

His voice trembled with a hint of impatience, as if he were on the verge of collapse.

"Granny! Tell me honestly, what kind of trouble has our good wife caused this time? Does she really think we're living too comfortably in this palace and not dying fast enough?"

Upon hearing this, the old nanny standing to the side deepened the wrinkles on her face. She sighed and took a few heavy steps forward.

His voice was extremely low, filled with endless bitterness and fear.

“My lady… this old servant just received the news. This time, the Fujin (consort) didn’t consult with us at all. She… she directly used a very secretive connection and spent a lot of money to bribe one of the midwives who is about to deliver the baby for Consort Ma Jia of Yikun Palace!”

Hesheli's pupils contracted sharply, and she turned to stare at the old woman.

"Bribing the midwife? What is she trying to do?"

The old woman's lips trembled before she managed to utter the insidious plan with difficulty.

"The Princess Consort's intention... is for the midwife to tamper with the delivery... to ensure that Lady Majia dies in childbirth. The Princess Consort says she won't harm the imperial heir, only the mother, leaving the child. It's perfectly normal for a woman to die during childbirth; the Emperor certainly won't investigate further, and it won't trace back to us..."

"Won't they investigate further? Can't find anything?"

Hesheli stood up abruptly, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, her body trembling slightly with excitement.

"Does she think the Emperor and Empress are fools? Countless eyes are watching Ma Jia's pregnancy. If anything goes wrong, it will be a huge disaster. The Empress will be the first to investigate thoroughly. Was it someone arranged by the Fujin? Or was it bribed? These kinds of relationships are the most unreliable. As soon as she is interrogated, or even if she only senses the slightest movement, that midwife will be the first to sell out the Hesheli family to save her own life. At that time, you, me, and everyone in Changchun Palace will be buried with us!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her chest heaving violently, her eyes instantly reddening, and her voice trembling with sobs and immense grievance.

"They live a life of luxury in their mansions, just talking, but have they ever thought about what kind of life we ​​lead in the palace? Every step we take is like walking on thin ice. I just want to live a peaceful life and survive, but why... why is it so difficult? Have they forgotten how my sister... died? This harem is a bloodthirsty place, and they are still pushing me into the fire!"

"But thinking about it, it makes sense! What am I anyway? Just an insignificant pawn, someone who can be discarded at will after use. Why would the family care?"

Seeing her mistress in such a state, the old nanny stepped forward and supported her trembling shoulders, tears streaming down her face.

"Master! Please don't do this, you'll hurt yourself. It's my fault for being useless and unable to protect you..."

Hesheli slumped back onto the stool, tears finally streaming down her face as she murmured.

"Granny, what do you think we can do now? The Fujin has already blocked all our paths and arranged everything... Can we report our own family? But if we just stand by and watch, and if the Empress investigates, I, a member of the Hesheli family, will also face certain death!"

She closed her eyes in despair.

"Now... we have no choice but to bite the bullet, clean up their mess, and try to make this look like a perfect cover-up."

The old woman wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her voice hoarse.

"My lord...is there no other way? Could we surrender to the Empress and reveal the Princess's plan..."

Hesheli suddenly opened her eyes, a fleeting glint of light flashing within them before quickly fading away.

Instead, there was a deeper sense of weariness and irony.

"To surrender to the Empress? Granny, what you can think of, I've thought of it too."

She shook her head with a bitter smile, her tone filled with helplessness.

"Let's not even talk about whether Her Majesty the Empress will believe our sincerity in abandoning darkness and turning to the light. Even if she does believe us, why would she protect us?"

She wiped away her tears, her eyes gradually becoming empty and resigned.

“More importantly… Granny, I still have family outside the palace, my father, mother, brothers and sisters… If I dare to betray my family, what will happen to them? You and I both know how the Fujin (wife) is.”

She slowly stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the deep night sky outside, as if staring at the cage of fate from which she could not escape.

Her voice was as soft as a breeze that might dissipate at any moment, carrying an icy chill.

"Enough... Granny, don't think about it anymore. This is my fate. It was destined from the day I was chosen. Pawns have no right to choose. They can only take one step at a time, live one day at a time."