Before officially meeting Tong Jia Rongyue, Xiu Ning imagined her to be a gentle and delicate little flower, with charm in every smile and frown.
Compared to purely Manchu people, the Tongjia clan, which was elevated to the Manchu banner after Kangxi ascended the throne, had a large Han Chinese background, and their education was also more Sinicized.
During the reign of the late emperor, Consort Tong entered the palace. If it weren't for Consort Chen, of the Shumulu clan, appearing out of nowhere, she would have been a model of a favored concubine in terms of appearance and temperament. It can only be said that she was unlucky.
"Consort Tong has been in the palace for three days, and rumors about her are rampant in the harem. I imagine there will be a big show when we meet tomorrow."
Whether it was the Empress or anyone else in the harem, everyone remained wary of Tong Jia Rongyue's arrival.
Tong Jia Rongyue's birth was different from others, and Emperor Kangxi felt guilty towards his birth mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang, so he relied heavily on the Tong family in court. As for Tong Jia Rongyue entering the harem, Xiu Ning was already having a headache just thinking about it.
"My lady, I've heard that Consort Tong is quite ruthless at home. Could she be targeting you?"
Chunyu felt that if her mistress was targeted by high-ranking concubines, she would probably have to experience the same suffering she had experienced when she was frequently summoned to Yongshou Palace.
Thinking back to the time before Niohuru was severely weakened, Chunyu felt sorry for her mistress. Even though Consort Shu had received her retribution, her mistress's suffering was real.
"Targeting me?" Xiu Ning shook her head. "Consort Tong probably doesn't have time to target me." The Tong family has big ambitions, including the idea that the next emperor will come from the Tong family. After Tong Jia Rongyue entered the palace, her primary target was the Empress, and then she aimed to successfully give birth to a prince.
Xiu Ning's status? She's not high enough to be targeted by Tong Jia Rongyue.
In other words, Tong Jia Rongyue's pursuit never changed until her death. However, neither Emperor Kangxi nor the Empress Dowager allowed the Tong family to have any more princes. Tong Jia Rongyue's success and failure both stemmed from the Tong family, which was something that could not be helped.
The master and servant talked for a while about the Tong family and Tong Jia Rongyue's situation. Then Xiu Ning got up, ate some food to fill her stomach, and then went back to the inner room to rest for a while. After dark, she changed into her nightgown and lay on the couch, letting out a sigh of relief as she was being massaged.
"Press harder, yes, right here. It used to be so sore, but now it feels much better."
Xiuning waved her hand, then changed from lying down to sitting up, and casually picked up a cup of warm tea and drank it.
“The wind picked up at night, and it’s gotten a bit cooler,” Xiu Ning said, closing her eyes to get a feel for her surroundings. She nodded in satisfaction. “We don’t need to keep the ice basin.”
"Be frugal for now. New concubines have joined the harem this year, and the existing ice will need to be distributed further. If we run out later, it might be difficult to make up for it."
Last year, there was a big dispute over ice. This year, Xiu Ning was much more careful. She not only retrieved all the ice she could, but also bought ingredients and herbs to relieve the heat from the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Hospital. Now, Qixiang Palace has the small kitchen brew a pot of heat-relieving soup every day and distribute it to the palace staff. Compared to other palaces that are constantly having minor squabbles, Qixiang Palace is surprisingly harmonious.
Xiuning felt it was worth spending such a small amount of money to buy peace and quiet.
Upon hearing this, Chunyu responded with a "yes" and reached out to help Xiuning back from the couch to the inner room.
"Did the Emperor choose a concubine today?"
Before going to bed, Xiuning casually asked about Kangxi's evening schedule.
Chunyu shook her head, "His Majesty will spend the night alone in the Qianqing Palace tonight."
"Oh, it seems His Majesty still values Consort Tong highly." He didn't summon any new concubines or visit any of the older ones, giving Tong Jia Rongyue ample face. It's just unknown whether Tong Jia Rongyue will be sensible enough to ensure that His Majesty's efforts are not wasted.
After turning off the lights and going to bed, Xiuning lay down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
The next day, as soon as it was light, Xiuning opened her eyes on time and washed and dressed with Chunyu's help.
"Let's get there early today."
Driven by a desire to watch the excitement, Xiu Ning sat in front of the dressing table, combing her hair while explaining things to Chun Yu.
Chunyu's hands didn't stop moving, and she didn't forget to echo Xiuning's words, "My lady, how about wearing this gold and gemstone hairpin?"
Xiuning wore a light-colored cheongsam with only a few flower petals embroidered on it, an extremely simple and light outfit, paired with a gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones, creating a harmonious contrast.
Xiuning nodded slightly, "This is it."
Chunyu inserted the hairpin into her hair, then helped Xiuning up from the dressing table and headed to the main room where soup had been prepared.
Summer days are long, and I'm always starving by the time Xiuning comes back from paying her respects.
Before going out, Xiuning would simply eat some soup and pastries to fill her stomach, so as not to do anything embarrassing during the greetings and affect her appearance and image.
With everything prepared, Xiuning went out. Before boarding the sedan chair to Kunning Palace, she suddenly glanced back at Yongshou Palace next door. "Is there any movement from Consort Shu's side?"
Chunyu shook her head, "This servant hasn't heard anything about it."
Raising her eyebrows, Xiu Ning leaned back to steady herself. "Let's go."
The sedan chair was lifted, and the eunuchs carried Xiuning away.
...
Kunning Palace Main Hall
When Xiuning arrived, there were already people in the hall. After exchanging greetings, both sides took their seats.
A palace maid brought tea and pastries. After Xiuning had the system check and found nothing wrong, she silently ate two pieces.
As the time for paying respects approached, more and more concubines arrived.
There was someone sitting next to Xiuning, but Xiuning pretended not to know because she didn't want to chat.
"Consort Shu has arrived!"
Consort Shu was dressed in a crimson-purple cheongsam, with heavy makeup on her face.
When she appeared in front of everyone, no one reacted.
"This humble concubine greets Consort Shu."
Xiuning was the first to come to her senses, and she stood up to bow and greet Consort Shu.
The others quickly followed. Although Consort Shu had not appeared in public for a long time, she was still a consort, and she should be treated with the respect due to the public.
Consort Shu glanced at the people around her, then turned and walked to the chair on the far left to sit down.
"I thought that since we haven't seen each other for so long, we wouldn't recognize each other anymore."
"Please sit down, or you'll think I'm deliberately picking a fight."
With just a few words, Consort Shu instantly calmed the atmosphere in the hall.
Everyone looked at each other and then obediently took their seats.
No sooner had they sat down than an announcement came from outside: "Consort Tong has arrived!"
Alright, the main character for today's greetings has arrived.
Xiuning rose and, as the person entered the main hall, bowed and greeted them, "This concubine greets Consort Tong."
Please have a seat.
A light, melodious female voice came from the entrance of the main hall. After Xiu Ning took her seat, she looked up and saw Tong Jia Rongyue dressed in a light blue cheongsam, which made her face look cool and otherworldly.
She's not a delicate flower, but a cold beauty.
Tong Jia Rongyue was very beautiful, and with her own temperament, she gave people a strong desire to conquer. No wonder Kangxi valued Tong Jia Rongyue. Because this kind of woman instinctively arouses a man's competitive spirit. Before he can completely tame her, she will always be attractive in a man's eyes.
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