Consort Ling scoffed at Consort Zhangjia's shallow thoughts.
Ha, what kind of mother is this? Cowardly and selfish, wanting to abandon her son to protect her daughter? In this cannibalistic harem, that's just wishful thinking.
That makes sense, though. If Consort Zhangjia hadn't had such unusual ideas, she wouldn't have been able to reach a successful agreement with the other party and win custody of Yinxiang.
"Since Consort Zhangjia has this idea, let's be sensible and not go over to bother her."
"As for the Thirteenth Prince, you should send someone to keep an eye out and try to bring him over before Consort Ping gives birth."
Consort Ling cracked her knuckles and gave the final deadline for the plan.
There was no other way. If they wanted to raise Yinxiang, they could only do so while Consort Ping was focusing most of her attention on them. Otherwise, once Consort Ping realized what was happening, a healthy little prince, even if he wasn't her biological son, wouldn't be given away for nothing.
In the imperial harem, a young prince was an extremely precious and irreplaceable resource. Having one to raise at least guaranteed one's wealth and honor for the rest of one's life.
Consort Ling felt that she was not greedy, nor did she necessarily want to fight for the throne. She only thought that since she had no children, raising a son would be enough to protect herself.
With no hope left for her family, and no room for Consort Ling to expect Consort Hui to remember her, she was determined to have Yinxiang.
A determined glint flashed in her eyes before disappearing quickly. Consort Ling lowered her head slightly and whispered something to her maid.
The maid nodded repeatedly, agreeing each time.
The master and servant were standing close by and spoke in low voices, so no one else could hear them. Otherwise, if the news had spread, it would have surely caused another bloodbath.
...
"You want to raise the Thirteenth Prince?"
Xiu Ning looked up at Consort Rong, who was sitting opposite her and speaking frankly with her, and was surprised.
She never expected that even Consort Rong, who had always kept herself out of the fray, would get involved.
Consort Rong smiled slightly, her tone filled with obvious helplessness and weariness, "It's not that I want to raise them, but my family is interested, so I have no choice but to try."
Consort Rong isn't crazy. Why would she raise Yinxiang? She had no interest in anything she could have obtained before, let alone in this chaotic situation.
The family has designs on it... Xiu Ning thought of the Guarjia clan behind Consort Rong.
The Guarjia clan has already chosen a candidate for Crown Princess, and according to Emperor Kangxi's wishes, she will move into Yuqing Palace in two years.
It can be said that the Guarjia clan is now on the same boat as the Crown Prince's lineage. Even if the Guarjia clan wants to shirk their responsibilities, they can't, because the ancient system of collective punishment is very strong. Basically, if one prospers, all prosper; if one suffers, all suffer.
"What Consort Rong means"
The fact that she went all the way to Qixiang Palace to confront her shows that no matter what Guarjia thought, Consort Rong was not willing to get involved. Otherwise, Consort Rong would not have needed to make this trip.
Consort Rong nodded, "I have been in the palace for many years, and I have certainly worked hard, if not made any great contributions."
"Family matters are beyond my control, but I must continue my life in the palace."
She couldn't really die for her family, especially since she had already given so much to them; even if there was a great debt of gratitude, she had already repaid it.
Xiu Ning understood what Consort Rong meant. Consort Rong was giving her a heads-up in advance, voluntarily withdrawing from the matter of Consort Ping. As for what would happen next, it was all up to the Guarjia clan and had nothing to do with Consort Rong.
"Of course, I understand Consort Rong's heart, and I will know how to act in the future."
However, as the saying goes, a mother's status rises with her son's, so Consort Rong shouldn't resist too much.
Xiu Ning's words subtly expressed her stance. Consort Rong was obedient and sensible, so she naturally wouldn't intentionally make things difficult for her. However, raising Yinxiang wasn't some kind of perilous or dangerous situation, so there was no need to be so afraid.
Consort Rong's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but then she seemed to have thought of something and shook her head.
She didn't explain to Xiuning either. What was there to explain? Raising a prince wasn't without its challenges, but compared to the pressure from all sides that would follow, she preferred to live alone.
Originally, the Guarjia clan was closely tied to the Crown Prince's lineage and the Hesheli clan behind him. If she were to take over Yinxiang, who was raised by Consort Ping, and add the little prince that Consort Ping was about to give birth to, there would be three princes in one family. Even in the harem, this would be an unprecedented favor. With such immense wealth, could the Guarjia and Hesheli clans withstand it?
Consort Rong wasn't very optimistic, so her emotions fluctuated for a moment before returning to calm.
Xiu Ning was secretly surprised when she saw this.
Consort Rong is really good at enduring things; it's a waste for someone like her to live in the harem.
The two did not discuss Consort Ping again. After Chunyu saw Consort Rong off, Xiuning leaned back and summoned the system in her mind.
"Consort Rong is a rare intelligent person in the harem," not only because she is open-minded, but also because she can control her desires.
To be fair, even Xiu Ning gets a little arrogant sometimes, which shows how rare Consort Rong's temperament is.
The system countered, "The host admires Consort Rong; does the host intend to help her?"
That shouldn't be the case. My host isn't a good person. Expecting my host to help others without expecting anything in return is like asking if I'm still half asleep.
Xiu Ning's answer confirmed the system's idea: "Why should I help the other party? I won't waste my energy if I don't offer enough benefits." Her time is precious and must be used wisely. Consort Rong is good, but that's all. She and Consort Rong are not related, so there is no reason for her to help her.
Meanwhile, Consort Rong, who had already left, was unaware that Xiu Ning had refused to help.
Even if Consort Rong knew, she wouldn't say much about it. After all, her ultimate goal in coming here wasn't to get Xiu Ning to take action. It was just that Xiu Ning had considerable influence in the harem, and Consort Rong wanted to live more comfortably in the future. She wanted to express goodwill and admit defeat to Xiu Ning in advance. After all, if her family did something stupid, Consort Rong didn't want to take the blame herself without being involved.
"Your Highness, Consort Jing is always fair in her dealings. Knowing that it is the family's will, she will surely not implicate Your Highness because of it."
The maid supported Consort Rong's arm as they walked and talked.
Consort Rong remained calm, her expression rarely changing. "Yes, as long as Consort Jing is alright, I'm not so worried about the other concubines in the harem."
Compared to Consort Jing, the others are still too weak, Consort Rong added in her mind, not to belittle them, but simply to state the facts.
The maid nodded in agreement. She also agreed with her mistress's words. It was mainly because Consort Jing was so terrifying that it made everyone else look handsome in comparison.
"Your Majesty, are you really giving up on raising the Thirteenth Prince?"
The maid asked cautiously, "There's no other way. The family is pressuring us. Besides, if Consort Ping and my lady were to get married, they would be related by blood. No matter how you look at it, I think the thirteenth prince would benefit the most if he followed my lady."
“It’s not that I’m giving up, but that I have no other choice,” Consort Rong said, supporting her forehead with her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. “If the Thirteenth Prince were raised under my care, he wouldn’t live long.”
Although I have never been a mother, I would never allow a young child to lose their life in vain.
Consort Rong would never do such a thing, so it's impossible for her to raise the Thirteenth Prince.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
