Chapter 29: I gave you a chance, but you failed.

Jiang Nan looked at her, who was so terrified that she rejected the lifeline he had offered.

A hint of disappointment and understanding flashed in his eyes.

I gave you a chance, but you didn't do it.

His face remained expressionless; he simply replied with a faint remark.

"Oh, you're not feeling well? Then never mind, we'll talk about it next time."

Having said that, she didn't look at Ma Jia again and went straight with Fang Ruo and Wang Shi.

Amidst the deathly silence of the hall and the scrutiny of countless disparate gazes, he walked out of the main hall of Kunning Palace without looking back.

Only after Jiang Nan's figure disappeared outside the palace gate did the suffocating sense of oppression ease slightly.

Ma Jia slumped there, her body ice-cold, and a sudden surge of boundless regret welled up in her heart.

Did she just... miss the only chance to save Cheng Rui?

The Empress, seated on her throne, stared in the direction Jiang Nan had left, her eyes so dark they seemed to drip with gloom.

Her hands, clenched tightly around her lower abdomen, turned white at the knuckles. She thought to herself, "Guarjia Jiang Nan... I will never let you go."

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As we left Kunning Palace, the evening heat dissipated slightly.

Jiang Nan and Wang walked side by side, followed by a group of palace maids and eunuchs, but the atmosphere was much more silent than when they arrived.

Wang carefully observed Jiang Nan's expression and saw that she remained calm.

Without showing any displeasure, she carefully chose her words and spoke softly.

"Sister... just now in the hall, were you trying to win over that Consort Ma Jia?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nan did not stop walking, but turned her head to glance at Wang Shi.

"Sister Wang noticed?"

She spoke casually, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

"Although I have only met Lady Ma Jia a few times, I can tell at a glance that she is fertile. Look at her figure and her expression; she has the features of someone who will give birth to a son."

She paused, then continued, "If our Yongshou Palace wants to truly stand firm in the long term, relying solely on the Emperor's occasional favor and special affection is not enough. Children are the strongest foundation of the harem. The more princes and princesses there are, the more often the Emperor will visit, the more attention he will give, the more rewards he will bestow, and the more servants will serve him. This power... will grow bigger and bigger like a snowball."

“On the contrary!” she changed her tone, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Just like Ma Jia and her sickly Cheng Rui now. The Emperor still remembers them because he has few children now. But once the Empress's son is born, and the Emperor has many children, who will still care about a weak and sickly eldest son who might die one day? At that time, their lives will only be more difficult than they are now."

Wang was terrified, but she had to admit that Jiang Nan's words made perfect sense.

She subconsciously touched her protruding belly, feeling a mix of fear and relief.

She nodded quickly, expressing her sincere admiration.

"My younger sister is far-sighted, while I am dull-witted. Only today do I truly understand the key to this!"

Jiang Nan smiled, her tone returning to its previous languidness.

"So, I thought that since Lady Ma Jia is capable of bearing children, I wanted to give her a hand. If she is willing to come, Yongshou Palace can naturally protect her and her children. In the future, when there are more children, they can rely on each other. For the sake of the children, the Emperor will also visit Yongshou Palace often. This is a good thing for everyone."

At this point, she waved her hand dismissively.

"However, you saw how terrified she was just now. I gave her a chance, but she didn't dare to take it, afraid of offending the Empress. Well then, let it go. You can't force a melon to ripen. I never force anyone. There are many other women in this harem who can give birth, and there will be plenty of people who want to get close to me in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wang's admiration for Jiang Nan deepened even further.

She quickly replied, "What my sister says is true. It's just that she's unlucky and missed out on your protective heart."

Jiang Nan yawned and rubbed her slightly hungry stomach.

"Alright, let's not talk about her anymore. Let's hurry back to the palace. I'm really hungry. Of all the things in the world, eating is the most important."

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Life went on uneventfully, and Yongshou Palace seemed to become a brief eye of the storm in the Forbidden City.

Outside, the waves were raging, but inside, a strange tranquility of eating and drinking was maintained.

A month later, an imperial edict, like a pebble thrown into a lake, stirred up quite a few ripples in the imperial court and the inner palace.

Emperor Kangxi issued an edict to hold a general election this autumn to enrich the imperial harem.

This was undoubtedly an important measure taken by the new emperor to demonstrate his authority and stabilize public sentiment after he had completely seized power and eliminated the remaining influence of Ao Bai.

The imperial decree was issued in a high-profile and solemn manner, and the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department immediately sprang into action.

In the capital, the families of eligible Manchu and Mongol noblewomen also secretly began to stir.

When the news reached Yongshou Palace, Jiang Nan was reclining on a cool couch, idly flipping through a book.

Fangruo carefully reported the news, secretly observing her master's reaction.

Jiang Nan simply lifted her eyelids lazily and uttered an "oh".

That was the last thing I heard, and my attention returned to the poorly drawn embroidered patterns in the book.

A talent show? Oh right, it seems Kangxi had quite a few wives…

The entire Kangxi Emperor's harem consisted of hundreds of people...

It's good that they've come; more people make the harem more lively. Anyway, apart from the Empress, Consort Niohuru and a bunch of concubines who are like quails, there's not much to do now.

Jiang Nan pursed her lips. It seems like Tong Jia Shi won't be able to appear for another few years, right?

Those who come now are probably NPCs whose names I can't remember.

She seemed uninterested in this upcoming event, which could be a life-changing moment for others, as if it were none of her business.

What really bothered her was something else—the weather.

As summer arrives, the heat in Beijing intensifies day by day.

The red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City absorbed all the heat, making it like a giant steamer. Although the palaces were high and spacious, they were also so stuffy that it was hard to breathe.

Inside Yongshou Palace, several young palace maids took turns fanning themselves against the faint cool air emanating from the gilded ice chest in the corner of the wall.

Trying to send that pitiful little bit of coolness to the master.

Jiang Nan was only wearing a thin silk summer dress, but she still felt sticky all over and was so irritable that she couldn't sit still.

The ice melted so quickly that the slight coolness it brought was a drop in the ocean and couldn't possibly quell the pervasive heat.

"This awful weather is killing me!"

She complained for the nth time, her voice weak and listless, feeling like a salted fish about to be dried out.

Life without air conditioning is unbearable; the discounts on luxury enjoyed by the aristocracy in this feudal society are just too steep.

She reminisced about her past life: air-conditioned rooms, iced cola, watermelon Wi-Fi…

———————

The rear hall of Kunning Palace was also stuffy, but it added to the oppressive and stagnant atmosphere.

Unlike Jiang Nan, Empress Hesheli did not suffer from the heat. She leaned against the phoenix couch covered with jade mats.

One hand rested unconsciously on her still-flat stomach, but her face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Standing beside her was her most trusted confidante, the old nanny, whom she had brought from the Hesheli residence to the palace.

"Granny!"

The empress's voice, tinged with barely suppressed resentment and irritation, broke the silence in the hall.

"In the past month, Jiang Nan, that lowly servant girl from a bondservant family, has become increasingly arrogant and outrageous."