"My Lord"
The maid looked troubled, wondering why her mistress had become so temperamental after giving birth to the little princess.
Leaving aside her constant crying and sobbing, her frequent mood swings alone are enough to make people unbearable.
This is not to say that the maid was afraid, but rather that these unpredictable emotional changes made it much more difficult for her to take good care of her master.
The woman in the cheongsam leaned against the bedside, with soft pillows neatly arranged beside her. A faint smell of blood and milk wafted in the air.
Consort Zhangjia had just given birth and was still in her postpartum confinement period. She couldn't clean her body in time, so naturally she had this postpartum odor.
Fortunately, Consort Zhangjia had been giving birth and recuperating frequently in the past two years, so the maids were familiar with her. They turned around and brought over a small incense burner that was placed next to the octagonal table. The faint fragrance of incense quickly masked the original smell in the room, which relieved Consort Zhangjia.
Reaching out, Consort Zhangjia rubbed her throbbing chest, took a deep breath, and waved for a maid to bring the little princess, who had been taken away to sleep by the wet nurse earlier.
The maid nodded in agreement, and a moment later, a round, swaddled baby appeared before Consort Zhangjia.
Reaching out to take it, and then unbuttoning her own clothes, Consort Zhangjia patted the back of the swaddled baby with a relaxed expression. "The ice is insufficient, which is fine for me, but the two children are delicate and cannot withstand this kind of weather."
Send someone to Consort Ping's palace; if that doesn't work, then inform Consort Ling.
Everyone was thinking about her son, Yinxiang, while she, as the mother, was useless and could only rely on her son's weak protection to take care of her two daughters.
Her mood involuntarily plummeted, and Consort Zhangjia sniffed, her eyes welling up with tears.
Upon seeing this, the maidservant was so frightened that she quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe Consort Zhangjia clean.
"Forget it, stop busy."
Dejection is contagious. If Consort Zhangjia herself couldn't muster any energy, how could the maids serving her possibly do anything?
Seeing that her mistress was upset, the maid tried to comfort her, but the little princess in her mistress's arms started crying.
The little princess was born feeling suffocated in the womb for too long, which caused her to be in poor health. She would cry for no reason at the slightest disturbance.
Consort Zhangjia had tried to coax him before, but it was no use. She tried to coax him, but he couldn't stop her. In the end, she ran out of patience and became increasingly irritable.
"Quickly, take the child away, take the child away."
Consort Zhangjia hurriedly stuffed the child into the maid's arms, as if she had seen a plague god, her eyes filled with terror as she waved her hands frantically toward the door.
Maid: ...
The maid sighed helplessly and had no choice but to send the little princess to the door to be taken away by the wet nurse. By the time she returned, she had already lost the opportunity to persuade her mistress.
Well, let's just live our lives in this muddle-headed way.
The maid gave up completely, and Consort Zhangjia sank into despair alone. The future of Yonghe Palace was bleak. If someone came at this time, they would find that Yonghe Palace was lifeless and devoid of any human presence.
...
"Your Majesty, it's done."
The maid ran excitedly to Consort Ling's side and told her mistress the good news she had been planning for a long time.
Consort Ling stood at the door, and upon hearing the maid's words, her eyes lit up. "Really?"
The maid nodded emphatically, "Consort Hui has already sent someone to invite the Emperor over."
Consort Ping's negligence in taking care of the Thirteenth Prince resulted in him hitting his head in his bedchamber; she cannot escape blame.
Consort Ling walked around the main hall twice, then waved her hand excitedly, "Quickly, quickly, help me get ready, let's go see this good show."
Oh, this play was directed by Consort Ling, and Consort Hui and Consort Ping contributed their efforts; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to appreciate it.
Consort Ling became excited, not only looking forward to achieving her goal, but also feeling smug. Just imagining herself manipulating two high-ranking concubines made her feel incredibly proud.
The maidservant responded with a "yes" and then helped Consort Ling into the inner room to change her clothes.
Neither the master nor the servant lingered; they emerged from the main hall in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
At the entrance, the sedan chair was already prepared. Consort Ling got into the sedan chair, and with a shout of "Lift the sedan chair!", she was lifted up.
At the same time, Xiu Ning, who had also received the news, rushed to Consort Ping's bedchamber with Chun Yu's help.
She didn't want to go, but the power of the palace was still in her and Tong Jia Rongyue's hands, so she had no choice but to show up.
Who orchestrated this this time?
Consort Ling? Or some powerful faction outside the palace?
Thinking to herself, Xiu Ning made inferences based on the information she had gathered. It wasn't until the sedan chair landed and the palace gate was right in front of her that Xiu Ning suddenly realized that it was probably Consort Ling.
As for the reason, Xiu Ning looked at the sedan chair parked not far from her. It belonged to Consort Ling's palace. The only reason she would go to such lengths to come and join in the fun was either because she liked gossip or because she was the culprit.
A faint smile appeared on her lips before quickly disappearing. Xiu Ning stood up and was helped inside by Chun Yu.
Unlike the silence outside the door, it was noisy inside. Palace servants would walk past her from time to time, and even their greetings were perfunctory.
Before even entering the hall, Xiuning heard a sound powerful enough to pierce her eardrums.
The tone wasn't that unpleasant, but it was sharp and piercing.
Frowning slightly, Xiu Ning gestured for Chun Yu to slow down. She deliberately listened for a little longer before entering the hall.
Upon entering the hall, Xiuning was met with a scene of confrontation.
Consort Ping, supporting her swollen belly, looked at Consort Hui, who stood tall and proud, with a look of disgust.
Consort Hui was flanked by the cautious Consort Ling, while the other lower-ranking consorts were scattered around her.
"May Consort Jing be well."
"Your humble servant/concubine greets Consort Jing."
No need for formalities.
Xiu Ning waved her hand, noticing that Tong Jia Rongyue hadn't come. She walked to the main seat and sat down. "Consort Ping, you're still pregnant, you should rest first."
Upon hearing this, Consort Ping nodded, then glared at Consort Hui before sitting down.
Consort Hui felt a surge of resentment after being glared at for no reason.
"Consort Ping, why are you taking your own good deeds out on me now?"
I came here simply because I feel sorry for the Thirteenth Prince.
It's pitiful that the thirteenth prince, at such a young age, was separated from his birth mother and ended up being treated so harshly.
"Consort Ping, do you think you've lived up to the Emperor's trust? Wait until he arrives, then I'll see how you try to explain yourself."
Consort Hui turned around and sat down in a chair, thinking to herself that if she didn't teach Consort Ping a lesson for her, this woman would probably sit on her head and cause trouble.
As Consort Ling was right, Consort Ping was like a dog that doesn't bite. Fortunately, Consort Ling saw through her nature. This time, even if she couldn't strike Consort Ping hard, she wouldn't let her get away with it.
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