Jingren Palace Main Hall
Tong Jiarongyue lay on the bed, her face pale, coughing occasionally.
Squeak—
The door opened, and Qianli quickly walked to Tong Jiarongyue with the boiled medicine in her hands.
"Your Majesty, the medicine is ready," Qianli said hesitantly, a hint of heartache in her eyes.
She thought to herself that her own concubine was also in a bad situation. She had only been watching Consort Shu stir up trouble, but who would have thought that this storm would also sweep through Jingren Palace and affect her own concubine as well.
Although the Empress suffered from prolonged menstrual bleeding, which the imperial physician ultimately diagnosed as a deficiency of qi and blood, only she and her servant knew the truth: it had nothing to do with qi and blood at all; it was a miscarriage.
They were tricked by others without realizing there was a problem.
In other words, the Empress is currently recuperating in Jingren Palace, which is essentially like a woman recovering from childbirth, but this is something that cannot be explained to others.
Thinking that her mistress had just lost a child that she had longed for, Qianli felt heartbroken. She sighed and wondered when she would be pregnant again.
"Cough cough, thank you for keeping an eye on these medicines for me every day."
Compared to her previous cold beauty, Tong Jia Rongyue is now a sickly beauty.
Her frail body trembled slightly with each cough, as if Tong Jia Rongyue's spirit had been worn away, and she had lost all her former vigor and ambition.
Carefully holding the medicine bowl in her hands, Tong Jiarongyue stirred the spoon and took small sips of the dark brown medicine into her mouth.
The bitter taste of the medicine filled her mouth, making Tong Jiarongyue's expression difficult to control.
Seeing this, Qianli quickly brought over a cup of warm tea for her master to rinse his mouth and cleanse it of the taste.
Tong Jiarongyue simply pushed it away and waved her hand, "It's nothing." It's just a little bitter. Her life is no longer complete, so what does this little bit of bitterness matter?
"Your Highness, why must you do this?" Qianli thought and thought, but still couldn't help but speak up to comfort her. She was afraid that her mistress would lose her spirit, and she was also worried that her mistress would follow in the footsteps of Consort Shu.
She was a servant girl, and her whole life she could only follow in her master's footsteps, whether forward or backward. From any perspective, she hoped that her master would get better and better, so that she could also enjoy the benefits that came with the rise in her master's status.
"The imperial physician said that if your body is carefully treated, you will have a chance to recover in three to five years."
It's not that there's absolutely no possibility, so there's no need to get hung up on it.
Tong Jiarong smiled and said, "Three or five years? Silly Qianli, I don't have that much time."
Regardless of how old she will be in three to five years, her family alone would not allow it. They would love for her to conjure up a prince as soon as possible, whether he is her biological son or an adopted one.
Qianli listened to her mistress's words and knew in her heart that someone in the family must be forcing her again.
Since last year, the family has been openly urging their master to get pregnant as soon as possible. This year it has gone even further. If it weren't for the fact that the Tong family's daughters were not old enough, they would probably have sent them in to create a scene of sisters sharing one husband.
While Qianli was lost in thought, Tong Jiarongyue had already finished drinking the herbal medicine in her hand.
Handing the soup bowl to Qianli, Tong Jiarongyue waved her hand and said, "Send someone to investigate the Wuya clan of Yonghe Palace, and while you're at it, also check on the other concubines in the harem. Remember, avoid those with prominent surnames."
Upon hearing this, Qianli blinked first, then nodded obediently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."
...
This imperial concubine selection, held in the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, continued until late March.
In the end, seven women were selected to enter the harem. Three of them were pre-selected, such as Xiao Niu Hulu, Ma Jia, and Guarjia. The remaining four entered the harem either because of their appearance or their temperament, and had little to do with the previous dynasty.
"This Consort Jia's conduct is not as good as Consort Shu's."
After returning from paying her respects at Kunning Palace, Xiuning chatted with Chunyu about the seven new people who had entered the palace while they were still on the way.
As the younger sister of Consort Shu and a noblewoman of the Niohuru clan, Consort Jia, a member of the Niohuru clan, entered the palace as a consort and moved directly into Yongshou Palace, where her older sister lived (although it was very unlucky that someone had just died, the emperor arranged it this way, and even though Consort Jia was disgusted, she dared not say anything). She was arguably the most high-profile of the seven.
Whether it was being the first to serve the emperor or anything else, Consort Jia always came out on top, even when she went to Kunning Palace to pay her respects.
Perhaps she was too dazzling, because even though Guo Luoluo entered Yikun Palace as a concubine, she failed to attract much attention.
"This servant noticed that the other concubines are all rather humble, but Consort Jia has a fiery temper. I heard that she has a conflict with Consort Wan Liuha, who is in the same palace."
Yongshou Palace and Qixiang Palace are neighbors. Xiuning was the first to know about Consort Shu's affair, and naturally, she also heard about Consort Jia's affair.
Hearing Chunyu say this, Xiuning stroked her chin, "Wanliuha Consort was previously Consort Shu's maid, so how could Consort Jia have a conflict with her?"
If I remember correctly, this person seemed to have turned around and stabbed Consort Shu in the back at the end, which indirectly helped Niohuru and Consort Jia, making him their savior.
Chunyu shook her head, indicating that she did not know. Their people had been sent to the Imperial Household Department for redistribution after Consort Shu's death. As for Yongshou Palace now, it was thanks to Consort Jia's mismanagement that they had the opportunity.
With a light laugh, Xiu Ning stopped asking questions. Anyway, it wouldn't do any good to know. Right now, if Wan Liuha wanted to get ahead, she would have to get past Consort Jia first.
Judging from her brief interactions with Consort Jia, Consort Jia was even more troublesome than Consort Shu. Leaving aside whether Wanliuhashi could meet expectations, dealing with Consort Jia alone would be a struggle.
"Arrange for her to go to Yikun Palace. Guo Luoluo took the opportunity to enter the harem, and she is in more danger than the others."
Consort Yi's methods are not to be underestimated; she was able to use her own son and the Empress Dowager to make deals and climb directly to the rank of Consort in just four years.
Upon hearing this, Chunyu nodded, "This servant understands."
When a new concubine enters the palace, the emperor will always unconsciously favor her.
Qixiang Palace was relatively peaceful because Xiuning was pregnant, but other palaces, especially those with new occupants and existing elderly residents, were more prone to becoming lively.
Chuxiu Palace
"Chengxin, what's all that commotion outside? Why is Yinti crying again?"
Consort Nara has long lost her former beauty; her emaciated body and cold face are enough to make anyone lose interest just by looking at her.
Chengxin glanced at him and whispered, "It's the newly arrived Consort Zhou. The Emperor has summoned her to serve him in bed."
The commotion that just broke out was from the imperial attendants. They were taking a bath and getting into their sedan chairs, so it was inevitable that they made some noise.
"Consort Zhou?"
Consort Nara frowned, a petite and lovely girl appearing before her eyes. "Ha, what a two-faced fool," she thought, "the Emperor is truly blind."
Orange Heart: ...No need for that.
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