Seeing that the old woman was no longer willing to explain, Wu Yachenglin could only put aside her questions for the time being, got up and followed the old woman away.
"Girl, we've arrived."
The old woman stopped, glanced at Wuya Chenglin, and then turned and left.
They've left?
Wu Yachenglin: ...
Wuya Chenglin looked left and right and realized that she was at the entrance of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.
But the main hall door was still closed, and no servants came to ask her anything. How was she supposed to get in?
Somewhat annoyed that the nanny had left without saying goodbye, Wu Ya Cheng Lin felt increasingly uneasy, especially after hearing what the nanny had said to her earlier.
Inside the hall, separated from Wuya Chenglin by only one door, Emperor Kangxi was sitting in a chair, governing the country.
Beside him was Liang Jiugong, who served him with utmost care.
Even though it was already springtime, Liang Jiugong still felt cold.
He unconsciously swallowed hard, then stole a glance at Emperor Kangxi, who was reviewing memorials with his head down. Hmm, his expression remained unchanged, and his face looked very calm. Tsk tsk, does the Emperor intend to punish this palace maid named Wuya Chenglin?
"Liang Jiugong, when is it?"
As if he had gained supernatural insight, Kangxi's words startled Liang Jiugong, who was still lost in thought.
Liang Jiugong quickly composed himself and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it is almost half past 5 PM."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi put down his brush and closed the scattered memorials, saying, "It's already this late; it's time for dinner."
Normally, if Emperor Kangxi stayed overnight at the Qianqing Palace alone, he would postpone his dinner. He would only eat earlier if he wanted to summon his concubines.
Immediately, Liang Jiugong understood perfectly, "This servant will send someone to bring dinner."
"Your Majesty, Miss Cheng Lin has been here for a while now. Would you like to see her?"
It was just a casual remark, and besides, Wuya Chenglin had indeed been quite prominent in front of the Emperor recently. People are all driven by self-interest, and Liang Jiugong was trying to curry favor with him.
Unfortunately, Liang Jiugong had barely finished speaking when he met Kangxi's dark eyes.
Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat, and he knelt on the ground, saying, "This servant has overstepped his bounds, please punish me, Your Majesty."
Oh my god, why is he bringing up Wuya Chenglin? He deserves a beating for that mouth.
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Because of nervousness, beads of sweat on Liang Jiugong's forehead and other parts of his body dripped down his temples and onto his clothes. He hung his head, his heart sinking.
Just when Liang Jiugong was afraid he couldn't hold on any longer, Kangxi suddenly spoke up, "If you know you're wrong, go down and accept your punishment. Three months' worth of your monthly allowance will be deducted."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Having narrowly escaped death, Liang Jiugong nimbly got up from the ground and left the main hall with a hunched back.
...
"Your Highness, good news! The concubine Wuya from the Imperial Household Department has gone to Yonghe Palace."
Chunyu hurried in and told her master what had just happened.
Xiuning and Yinyi were playing with a small toy sent by the Imperial Household Department. It was similar to a building block, but only the size of a finger. However, due to its structure, it could be changed at will.
"It's over? It seems the Emperor still has some special feelings for this person," otherwise Kangxi should have thrown him into the enclosed room behind the Qianqing Palace.
Once inside the inner chambers, there was no chance of leaving except when summoned by Emperor Kangxi. Moreover, palace maids who served him could not become pregnant, making it arguably the worst possible outcome.
"If I remember correctly, Consort Li, who was quite favored, still lived in Yonghe Palace."
Speaking of which, this Lady Li also came from a powerful family. She was one of the few Han Chinese, but she was able to be granted the title of Consort An in the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, which shows how outstanding her family's abilities were.
Moreover, despite her sweet and charming appearance, Consort Li has a truly sharp tongue. Wuya Chenglin might suffer some grievances after moving into Yonghe Palace.
Xiu Ning admitted that she had a prejudice against Wu Ya Cheng Lin, perhaps because she simply couldn't bring herself to like her.
Her words were echoed by Chunyu: "As soon as Consort Wuya arrived, Consort Li gave her a warning."
Although there aren't many people living in Yonghe Palace now, it's clear that Consort Wuya, the newcomer, is no match for Consort Li.
Xiu Ning smiled upon hearing this. As a colleague who had worked with Consort Li for five years, her words were not without purpose. Several of the concubines who entered the palace in the tenth year of Kangxi's reign had rather bad tempers, which was the advantage of having a family to back them up.
"Keep the men watching, and report back immediately if anything happens."
After instructing Chunyu, Xiuning reached out and snatched the small piece of wood that Yinyi had stuffed into his mouth. "You can't eat it. We'll have our meal later. Go back to your room and rest first."
"Mother, your son wants to play," Yin Yi said clearly, with a round head, round face, and round belly, looking adorable.
Xiu Ning's expression softened instantly. "Wait until you've rested before playing. It's time."
At this time every day, Yin Yi would take a short nap. Seeing that he was already yawning, Xiu Ning couldn't let Yin Yi stay up any longer, otherwise she would be the one who couldn't sleep at night and would be the one tormented.
Yin Yi couldn't help but bury his head in Xiu Ning's arms and act cute. His little voice sounded soft and adorable, but Xiu Ning's heart was as firm as a rock, and no matter what Yin Yi did, it was useless.
In the end, Yin Yi could only pout as the wet nurse carried him away to rest.
"This child certainly knows how to be charming and affectionate."
Xiu Ning let out a breath. The room was empty. She got up and walked around the main hall twice to relieve the soreness in her body before entering the inner room.
It's not just Yin Yi who needs rest; she needs it too, after all, she's getting old.
As time went on, with Wuya Chenglin moving into Yonghe Palace, this person finally understood what it meant to have a run of bad luck.
Not only did Consort Li in the palace cause her trouble, but Wu Ya Cheng Lin was also the main target of gossip during her daily greetings.
Among them, Consort Shu was the main one. However, the Empress still harbored resentment towards Wuya Chenglin for using Kunning Palace as a stepping stone. Most of the time, she pretended to be stupid and only spoke up to stop Consort Shu and others when they went too far.
Wuya Chenglin felt both frustrated and powerless. Every time she went to pay her respects, she was furious, but when she returned to Yonghe Palace, she didn't know what to do, because the Emperor had never summoned her since she entered the harem.
“This can’t go on. There will be another imperial concubine selection next year, and the number of concubines in the harem will only increase.” Her competitiveness was originally based on her understanding and considerate persona, but she was tricked and returned to square one. If she doesn’t try to change things, then all the efforts her family has made will be wasted.
"But my lady, we are being watched by everyone right now, so it's not wise for us to act."
Fearing that her mistress might lose her temper, the maid Jinglan quickly tried to dissuade her.
Wu Yacheng patted Jing Lan's shoulder. "It's not about taking action, it's about making changes." She didn't have the ability to take action; her connections were nowhere near those of the high-ranking concubines.
“Didn’t Mother secretly send us many prescriptions before, and we took them to the imperial physicians we knew to have them made?”
It is said that the physical body is the purest desire between men and women. Since she had been cut off from the path of a slow and steady relationship, she could only find another way to bring Kangxi back.
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