Whether it's appropriate or not, Xiuning has already said it, and the system won't deliberately refute it.
They're practically in the same boat; if something goes wrong, they'll both suffer.
Besides, Xiu Ning's personality wasn't something that could be developed overnight. The system had been able to watch Xiu Ning act recklessly without causing any trouble before, so now it's all a piece of cake.
The topic of one person unifying the country came to an end. Xiu Ning called Chun Yu and asked her to arrange for people to keep an eye on Consort Ping, while she herself just shrugged and watched the show from the sidelines.
Oh, it wasn't just Xiu Ning; there was also Consort Rong who came over to watch the fun.
Looking at the remarkably calm woman sitting beside her, Xiu Ning sighed helplessly, "I never expected that Consort Rong, who never wanted to get involved before, would change her mind this time. It's truly astonishing."
Consort Rong smiled faintly, holding a cup of tea that emitted a unique fragrance in her hand. "I just feel that no one else is even half as good as Your Highness."
I am getting old, and many of my relatives outside the palace feel that it is time for me to abdicate and give way to a more worthy person.
"If that's the case, if I don't consider my own future, I fear I'll face a difficult life."
Who would want to die when they can live? Consort Rong lowered her head and took a sip of tea from her cup. Her gaze was calm, and her eyes were completely unmoved.
Xiu Ning rested her chin on her hand. "This is how people from aristocratic families all get by."
Either you suppress me, or I restrict you; the balance is inherently fragile and sensitive.
At times like these, Xiuning was especially grateful to the Hitara clan for their consistently good behavior. When they tried to stir up trouble before, she ruthlessly suppressed them. Since then, the entire Hitara clan has been much more well-behaved. At least, even though Yinyi and Yinlu are getting older, no one in the clan dares to make any contact behind her back.
"It seems that Consort Jing has many feelings to express."
"Consort Rong is also one of them."
We've all been through hardship together, so the eldest brother won't criticize the second brother.
Xiu Ning felt that it was rare to find such a clever and eloquent person in the harem, so she talked to Consort Rong quite a bit.
Consort Rong's purpose in coming was even simpler: she had given up on communicating with her family, and since she couldn't leave the palace, her family couldn't do anything about her either.
Since that's the case, Consort Rong simply found herself a new patron and would occasionally visit him to strengthen their relationship, in order to ensure that there was still a need for them to continue cooperating.
The two women each had different goals, but surprisingly, they were able to get along harmoniously.
...
In September, when the leaves fell from the tree in the courtyard, Consort Ping, who was more than nine months pregnant, gave birth to the good news.
The sun was setting when the message arrived.
After having dinner with Buer and Dai, Xiuning and her daughter planned to go for a walk, but the incident happened suddenly. Xiuning could only ask Buer and Dai to stay in the palace while she changed her clothes and told Consort Ping where she was.
"Why is the message being sent at this time?"
Sitting in the sedan chair heading to Consort Ping's palace, Xiu Ning looked up at the sky.
It was somewhat gloomy and desolate.
Chunyu replied, "I heard that the fetal activity was triggered by an evening walk, which then led to labor."
Xiuning pondered, "Was someone sent out as soon as the news came out?"
Chunyu shook her head, "This servant did not know, the palace of Consort Ping is full of people from the Hesheli clan."
The implication is that they only know secondhand information, and they don't even know how many procedures have been involved.
Xiuning stroked her chin, her expression thoughtful. "So, the timing of Consort Ping's delivery is still uncertain?"
It could be caused by an evening walk, or it could be that the baby was born from morning till night and couldn't be kept secret any longer, so they had to let it out.
Chunyu didn't reply, thinking to herself that it was indeed possible.
Even if a woman in the harem is innocent when she enters the palace, she will eventually become cunning after living there for a while. There's no way around it; if you're not smart, you'll face a very difficult situation in the harem. No one likes to be tormented, so who would want to suffer for nothing?
The sedan chair stopped at the entrance of Consort Ping's palace. Xiu Ning got out of the sedan chair, took Chun Yu's arm, and walked inside.
The courtyard was quite lively at this time. All the high-ranking concubines in the harem who could come over had come, and even Emperor Kangxi, who was often at work and had a headache because of the Dzungar issue, was there.
It's worth noting that Emperor Kangxi has rarely visited the inner palace recently. Even when he wants someone to serve him in bed, he goes to the Qianqing Palace, showing how much he cherishes his time.
Although Xiuning didn't understand whether Kangxi's actions were beneficial to the affairs of the court, it was clear that the inner palace was much more harmonious.
With the men no longer coming, everyone lost their competitive spirit and even their conversations became less heated.
"Your Majesty, I greet you! Long live the Emperor!"
"Your Highness, come and sit down."
Kangxi chuckled and beckoned Xiuning over, his face showing no concern for the woman in labor, as if Consort Ping's childbirth had nothing to do with him.
Well, from another perspective, this really has nothing to do with Kangxi. In any case, based on Xiuning's understanding of Kangxi, if necessary, Kangxi really doesn't want Consort Ping to be pregnant, because it would only weaken Kangxi's control over the aristocratic families.
Xiuning nodded and walked to sit down next to Kangxi.
Not far from her, Tong Jia Rongyue, Consort Jia, Consort Yi and others were there (Consort Hui was not there, as she was still under house arrest and not allowed to go out on weekdays).
Because Emperor Kangxi remained silent, the others also became extremely sparing with their words.
The groans of a woman could be heard coming from outside the palace; it was Consort Ping, who was giving birth.
Tong Jiarong looked up and glanced outside. "I wonder how Consort Ping is doing."
It's not good to just let them sit here and waste time; they have things to do too.
"Send someone to take a look," Xiuning said, and seeing that Kangxi did not object, she gestured for Chunyu to go out.
Chunyu turned and left, but came back in a moment later.
The news that Chunyu brought back was nothing new, or rather, the time was too short, and no other messy dangers were exposed at Pingfei's place.
Helpless, everyone could only continue to sit in the main hall and wait for news from the delivery room.
This wait dragged on until dark.
It was already dark, and there was still no good news from Consort Ping's side.
However, childbirth is a slow process, and if a difficult delivery occurs, it will take even longer.
Some of the people sitting in the main hall were about to give up and wanted to leave, but they were hesitant because the emperor was still there. In short, they were very conflicted.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. You have to attend court and handle state affairs tomorrow. Why don't you return to the palace to rest first? I will arrange for the palace servants to report back to Consort Ping as soon as possible if there is any situation here."
As the highest-ranking concubine, Xiu Ning spoke with an air of concern for Emperor Kangxi, setting a standard example for imperial consorts.
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