Neither the Empress nor Consort Xian had ever acted so outrageously. Consort Chun and Consort Jia could see their sons whenever they wanted, and Consort Xian would even occasionally invite Consort Chun to go to the princes' quarters together.
Regardless of whether people do it sincerely or not, the fact that they do it allows others to see it.
Comparing the reputations of the three, Consort Gao's is truly appalling.
Chen Yuwei didn't expect Gao Hongshan to be so dramatic. She thought that Gao Hongshan's frail body couldn't handle it, but physical health was not a reason to stand in the way.
Shaking her head, Chen Yuwei smiled and touched the beautiful jade bracelet on her wrist. "Prince Yongqi will only be five years old after the New Year. He's not old enough to go to the Prince's Residence yet. Why can't Consort Gao understand?"
Only when people are alive can they fight for things; otherwise, when people die, everything belongs to others.
Gao Hongshan only has Yongqi as her adopted son, so it's highly likely that all her dowry and gifts will be left to him.
But Yongqi is still young and doesn't remember much. Rather than hoping that Yongqi won't be ungrateful, she might as well just offer him a great reward to get Consort Yu to help her.
Chen Yuwei thinks it's good that Gao Hongshan is taken out of the picture early, since she can't even use the most reliable relationship of mutual benefit. Let's make room for other capable people.
"Your Majesty, if Consort Gao could understand this, she wouldn't have been competing with others for so many years."
She's just not a smart person; she did everything she should and shouldn't have done.
Xia He's evaluation of Gao Hongshan was quite sharp, which may also be related to Chen Yuwei's daily attitude towards Gao Hongshan.
If the master doesn't take the other person seriously, expecting a servant who always obeys the master to show respect is just wishful thinking!
Chen Yuwei didn't seem to care much about Xia He's outspokenness.
After all, Yikun Palace is their own territory. If they have to be careful and fearful when they speak here, then what is the point of her staying in the harem?
"Regardless of what Consort Gao is like, she chose this path herself, and she has to bear the consequences of her own actions, whether it's right or wrong, success or failure."
Chen Yuwei grinned, finding the affairs of the imperial harem quite interesting at times.
However, staying there for too long can be tiring, and Chen Yuwei is currently experiencing this feeling.
Tsk, if all else fails, why not have another child and raise it? The children who are separated from her all play wildly, and the princess's residence and the prince's residence are legends among them.
Chen Yuwei often stays alone in Yikun Palace and doesn't like keeping furry pets. Considering this, it's true that a baby is more interesting.
As for having children... I've already had six, that's enough.
She doesn't have any special fetishes; even fulfilling the original owner's wishes would be considered an overachievement.
Forget it, let's think about other interesting things.
The child can be put aside for now. The Emperor's attention and thoughts are all focused on Changchun Palace. Chen Yuwei has to see what kind of child the Empress can give birth to.
...
The annual palace banquet of the ninth year of Qianlong's reign passed by in a daze.
The most famous event of the year was undoubtedly the Empress of Changchun Palace becoming pregnant again.
Even because the Empress was pregnant, Hongli gave a speech at the New Year's banquet.
The general idea was that they wanted to share the joy with the people and exempted the residents around the outskirts of Beijing from taxes for a year.
Chen Yuwei: ...What have the people far from the capital done to you? You're showing favoritism.
Disdainful of Hongli's underhanded bribery tactics, Chen Yuwei could only channel her grief and anger into her stomach, devouring the dishes at the New Year's banquet.
All the dishes were carefully prepared by her, and none of them were overrated or pretentious.
She's finally gotten this chance, so she's definitely going to make sure she gets her money's worth.
The annual palace banquet that year was also praised by all the concubines in the harem.
Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress gave Chen Yuwei a warm welcome, and the rewards after the New Year were generous, which greatly increased Chen Yuwei's income. As a result, the palace servants of Yikun Palace also had a prosperous New Year.
Unfortunately, this joy did not last long. After the New Year, Consort Gao's condition worsened, casting a shadow over the entire harem.
The concubines in the palace were easy to deal with; they didn't go out and no one could find fault with them.
But the servants who frequently needed to go out were extra cautious.
On the 23rd day of the first lunar month, after confirmation by numerous imperial physicians and witnessing by the other concubines, the Emperor decided to grant Gao Hongshan a promotion to a higher rank to bring good fortune.
He directly promoted Consort Gao Hongshan to Imperial Noble Consort, and also promoted Consort Xian to Noble Consort Xian.
In addition, Consort Chun, Su Jingtong, also hitched a ride on this opportunity, finally becoming Consort Chun.
Consort Yu, of the Keliye clan, was renamed Consort Yu; Consort Ning, of the Yehenara clan, was renamed Consort Ning; and Noble Lady Wei was renamed Consort Ling.
This can be considered a major expansion of the imperial harem on another level, with several more high-ranking concubines added, and even two more positions for the rank of consort.
But who cares if the emperor is happy?
The Empress was on maternity leave, and the Empress Dowager didn't object, so let's just grant her the title.
Amidst the envy and jealousy of the concubines, the very next morning, Hongli posthumously conferred upon Consort Zhe, of the Fucha clan, the title of Imperial Noble Consort, on the grounds that she had given birth to the eldest son, Yonghuang.
Wow!
The imperial concubine had just been married off to bring good fortune, and although she was already delirious and mentally confused, she was still alive.
Then, they turned around and bestowed the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon someone who had been dead for who knows how many years.
The Emperor's decision is truly baffling.
Could it be to appease the Empress Dowager? Because they gave her too many concubine titles, they're trying to make up for it by giving Yonghuang some, to appease the Empress Dowager? Shouldn't they be giving Yonghuang a noble title? Wouldn't that be more effective than posthumously honoring a dead person?
Chen Yuwei didn't understand, and couldn't comprehend it at all; she was completely dumbfounded even while she was in Yikun Palace.
But what happened next was even more foolish. Less than a day later, Gao Hongshan, who had just been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, died in Chengqian Palace.
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