"Speaking of which, Consort Duan and Consort Jing have also been showing symptoms of catching a cold recently. They're either coughing or short of breath when I see them. How come they're suddenly feeling unwell again?"
As Xiuning spoke, she gave Chunyu a suggestive look.
Chunyu then realized that what her master wanted to ask was not why the two people were sick, but whether their illness was the same as that of Consort An.
Nodding knowingly, Chunyu turned to Xiuning and brought her a cup of tea. "There is some connection. I heard from the palace servants that she caught a chill when she got up at night. It is said that the imperial physicians who examined her pulse were the same ones who used to examine Consort An."
Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning's eyes flickered. "Is that so?" Then there's an explanation. The Emperor doesn't intend to let these two people go and wants them to follow in Consort An's footsteps.
"Your Highness, my investigation is not very clear. Should we arrange for more people to continue investigating?"
After Chunyu finished speaking, she pointed to the window and said, "Some of these things are brought by the palace servants themselves. They come from all sorts of sources, and it's hard to tell what's true and what's false."
Well, Chunyu's words also indirectly showed Xiuning that her source of information was not entirely reliable. After all, there was a lot of gossip in the harem, and countless rumors circulated every day. If Chunyu were to distinguish which ones were true and which ones were false, she was afraid that she would not be able to finish the task until next year.
"No need to investigate anymore. Regardless of whether this is true or false, everything will become clear as we look ahead."
Consort Duan and Consort Jing were not much more prominent in the harem than Consort An.
To be honest, since they had no children, Xiu Ning's attention to them all came from Chun Yu's occasional casual mentions.
Since it's already been brought up, just listen to it casually as casual conversation. But it's definitely not acceptable for Xiuning to spend more time on them.
"Ultimately, it depends on the Emperor's thoughts, and besides, can we possibly guess what the Emperor is thinking?"
What if Kangxi just wanted to punish them and then let go, and everyone else pretended not to know, but she insisted on getting involved and was caught by Kangxi? Just thinking about that scene made Xiuning unable to accept it; she wasn't a masochist.
"It's best not to ask around. If others say something, listen to what they have to say; if they don't, just pretend you don't know anything about it."
Xiuning held the teacup in her hand, but didn't drink from it; she just held it in her hands.
The beautiful porcelain white lid was lifted with a series of pauses. Xiu Ning turned her head and said, "The weather is getting colder day by day. Time really flies."
In every sense, Xiuning didn't think much of it, but when she suddenly realized that she had been in the palace for so long.
...
Xiuning's words did have some effect to a certain extent.
Chunyu no longer paid special attention to Consort Jing and Consort Duan, but would occasionally mention their recent situation to Xiuning.
As the flowers, trees, and shrubs in the Imperial Garden slowly withered, the autumn winds subsided, and the entire Forbidden City welcomed its first winter snow, Xiu Ning finally realized that Consort Jing and Consort Duan had not appeared in public for some time.
Spring Rain was wearing winter clothes, carrying the chill that had come in from outside.
"Your Majesty, those two are already bedridden, and I heard they won't even attend this year's New Year's banquet."
"Is it that serious?"
The sound came from the tatami room. Xiu Ning was wearing a beautiful embroidered qipao, with a thin leather overcoat, and cloud patterns embroidered on her neck and shoulders.
Chunyu nodded, her tone full of emotion. After all, just a few days ago, Consort Jing and Consort Duan were still able to go out for a stroll, but a single winter snowfall had completely crushed them. She really didn't know what to say.
"Find an opportunity and have someone deliver some auspicious items over there."
As for supplements or anything that can be ingested, forget about it.
Chunyu responded softly, and then started talking to Xiuning about other gossip in the harem.
The main issue is Yikun Palace, where Consort Yi is over eight months pregnant and almost ready to give birth.
Speaking of Consort Yi's pregnancy, it was the focus of much attention among everyone in the harem.
Unfortunately, Kangxi's previous decision to hand over Yinzhen to the Empress Dowager thwarted Consort Yi's plans. Although Consort Yi was able to raise her own child, she felt that the losses were irrecoverable and that it was a great loss.
"You've reminded me to prepare the congratulatory gift for Consort Yi in advance. Also, Yonghe Palace is much quieter than it was a few years ago; quite a few children have been born there in the last two years."
Xiuning waved her hand, turned over, and pulled the blanket covering her up even higher.
Seeing this, Chunyu quickly brought a thick blanket and laid it out again for Xiuning.
"Stop working, it's very cold, you should go back and rest."
Xiuning was fine to begin with, especially since she didn't have to go out in the winter.
It was like giving Chunyu a short break. When only Xiuning was left in the room, she pretended to doze off, but in reality, she was chatting with the system in her mind.
There was nothing she could do; Xiu Ning was also bored. But as a concubine in the harem, there wasn't much she could do. In addition, her children were all busy with their own things, so she could only chat with the relatively leisurely system.
The system has been holding back a lot of information lately, especially since it monitors the entire harem almost 24/7 and knows far more gossip and truths than Xiu Ning does. Unfortunately, this information can only be obtained through points redemption, and since Xiu Ning doesn't spend money to buy it, it can't reveal a single word.
But Xiuning isn't stupid; if she could get the information out of him, why would she spend money?
Xiuning simply rambled on with the system, gradually tricking it into revealing the information she wanted.
For example, Consort Jing is about to die and won't survive; Consort Duan can save her life, but the price is that her family will be suppressed, and she may die alone in the harem; and then there's Wuya Chenglin in Yonghe Palace, whose pregnancy has problems and she might die after giving birth... etc. The system hoped that Xiuning could complete this mission smoothly, so it never refused Xiuning's questions and answered them whenever possible.
As the two bickered with each other, Xiu Ning slowly grew sleepy.
Xiu Ning gave a small yawn, rubbed her eyelids, and closed her eyes to rest.
...
In the twelfth month of the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Consort Yi, of the Guo Luoluo clan, gave birth to a son in the main hall of the Yikun Palace.
The process was thrilling, and there were even rumors that Consort Yi was having a difficult labor due to her large baby. Fortunately, the imperial physicians and midwives helped stabilize the situation and successfully saved Consort Yi and her child.
In the middle of the same month, Jing concubine passed away.
Within a month, two major events, one joyful and one sorrowful, occurred in succession. Coupled with the approaching New Year, everyone in the harem felt somewhat uneasy.
In the end, it was Tong Jia Rongyue who stepped in to appease the situation, and the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager summoned her one after another. After the New Year festival, the inner palace returned to normal.
In the first month of the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Wuya Chenglin of Yonghe Palace gave birth to a son in a side hall.
However, she was not as lucky as Consort Yi. Her child was born very weak, and the imperial physician bluntly stated that the child would be difficult to raise.
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