Fucha Jinyi had poured too much effort into Yonglian, and even though the situation was dire, she couldn't abandon him.
This is why, even though Fucha Jinyi was already so exhausted, she still had to take care of the children herself.
"Your Majesty, what about your health?"
Dong Han hesitated, worried that if things continued like this, her mistress's health would collapse before her brother's.
"I am in good health, but arrangements need to be made in advance with the Imperial Household Department."
Fucha Jinyi rubbed her throbbing temples with her other hand, not forgetting that it was the monthly account review date again.
She's been working day and night, and there's still a little bit left before she can finish watching it.
"Bring the accounts here, and we'll handle them here," she said, able to keep Yonglian company while also managing palace affairs.
With a wave of her hand to let Dong Han go, Fucha Jinyi took a deep breath, turned around and sat back down at the octagonal table next to her.
...
On the sixth day after the new concubine entered the palace, Hongli officially selected a new concubine to serve him in bed.
The first to receive this honor was Consort Hui, of the Niohuru clan, who held the highest rank among the eight.
She served the emperor for three consecutive days and received many rewards from him, but she was not promoted to any other rank.
After Consort Hui, there were two other Noble Ladies from the Niohuru clan. One of them, who had a baby face, was more favored and took the opportunity to receive the title "Jin" from the Emperor.
The other was just another ordinary person, serving the emperor for only one night, neither particularly outstanding nor unremarkable.
It took about half a month for all eight women, except for Lu Xuening, who was the youngest and whose body was not yet fully developed, to successfully serve the emperor.
What was both unexpected and yet reasonable was that the most favored person in the Niohuru clan was not Consort Hui, but Noble Lady Jin, as members of the same clan were put together to compete against each other.
"To please the Emperor" was meant to annoy Empress Dowager Niohuru and the Empress Dowager.
It's best not to say much openly, but behind the scenes, we'll make sure neither side gets off easy.
Even the favored Consort Jin was unhappy, because the greatest hostility came from her own family.
"My lord, it's cold, and the situation at the prince's residence is getting worse."
Xia He whispered a reminder to her master, then added in her mind, "I wonder whose opportunity this is."
If Prince Yonglian, as the legitimate son, were to succumb to illness and die, the Empress's position would become unstable.
Whether the emperor and empress want to have another son immediately, or someone else has other ideas, the harem is sure to be thrown into turmoil again.
"Given the Emperor's current attitude, given the incident involving the prince, there is a high probability that the Empress will be pregnant again."
We don't need to pay too much attention to it, and it's useless for others to have any ideas for the time being, because Hongli doesn't give them a chance, not even to be cannon fodder.
Moreover, Hongli was not one to give up easily; the pursuit of perfection was practically etched into his mind.
No matter how good or outstanding a son born out of wedlock is, he is not as important as a son born out of wedlock. The difference in status and position made Hongli always want to make up for it in the next generation.
In Chen Yuwei's opinion, Hongli just liked these pretentious and superficial things, until he realized that things were not going to work out and had to give up.
However, while Hongli had good judgment in choosing his successor, he wasn't very lucky.
Both of his legitimate sons died young. Prince Rong, Yongqi, whom he thought was capable of taking on great responsibilities, also died young. His second son grew up safely, but he was dull-witted and did not meet Hongli's expectations.
Finally, after much deliberation among the remaining offspring, they could only choose Yongyan, the son of Lady Wei. Unfortunately, Emperor Jiaqing was not as adept at political maneuvering as Emperor Qianlong, and thus, the decline of the Qing Dynasty was inevitable.
But those are all things to be discussed later; in any case, Hongli wouldn't live to see them.
With a calm shrug, Chen Yuwei continued to focus her attention on her own small plot of land.
Xia He, having received instructions from her master, did not show the same level of importance to the prince as the others.
When October arrived and the cold wind blew, the inner palace was filled with unease, and everyone unconsciously focused their attention on Yonglian, the prince. Meanwhile, Yikun Palace was still leisurely enjoying itself, which was truly baffling.
Some even speculated whether Chen Yuwei was truly uninterested, since anyone with ambitions would care about that position to some extent.
Chen Yuwei didn't take it seriously. All the scheming of the crowd was like child's play compared to Hongli's long lifespan, and would pass in an instant.
Given this, Chen Yuwei naturally behaved obediently. Not to mention that position, she didn't even covet Fucha Jinyi's position.
It was just another ordinary day of paying respects, but Jin Xiangling's self-disclosure made it all the more comical.
That's right. After holding it in for almost two months, Jin Xiangling finally couldn't take it anymore and took the opportunity of this routine greeting to reveal that she was pregnant.
Chen Yuwei was present at the time and noticed the surprised expressions on everyone's faces after hearing the news.
It's like pouring a drop of boiling hot oil onto a calm surface of water; it explodes with a bang.
Pregnancy? Consort Jia? And at this time?!
Some people mocked Jin Xiangling for not choosing her timing, some envied the speed at which she got pregnant, and others simply stayed out of it and chose to watch the show.
The myriad aspects of life in the imperial harem are vividly portrayed in this seemingly ordinary daily greeting.
At times like these, Chen Yuwei is always relegated to the background or invisible, occasionally playing the role of someone who brings a bit of fun.
Empress Fucha Jin Yi, in particular, was overwhelmed with legal troubles and worried sick about her son's illness. If you could put yourself in her shoes, you would really want to strangle Hongli and Jin Xiangling, that pair of scoundrels who were deliberately making things difficult for her.
Fortunately, Fucha Jin Yi was always able to keep her composure. Even though Jin Xiang Ling, who was pregnant, was completely oblivious to the situation, Fucha Jin Yi was still able to calmly offer her congratulations and have her maid deliver a gift to celebrate.
It's a pity that Jin Xiangling had just received the congratulatory gift that Fucha Jinyi had prepared at the last minute, and before she could receive the gifts from others (especially Hongli), she received news from the prince's residence about the death of Prince Yonglian.
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