Next came Hongli's battlefield. Just when he was worried about not finding a way to make money, he discovered the wealth of the Imperial Household Department.
They found a pretext to exile and execute the most prominent members of the Cha family.
Hongli took this opportunity to make a small fortune. While he may not have filled the empty national treasury, his own private coffers were certainly much fuller than before.
One can deduce something from the rewards given to the pregnant concubines and the gifts Chen Yuwei received.
The one with the most complicated feelings was Consort Ning. She spent her own money to curry favor with the Emperor, and with her belly almost four months pregnant, she didn't know what to complain about.
Chen Yuwei is a smart person who not only got the benefits but also managed to extricate herself from the situation.
They accepted the emperor's reward without making a fuss, and even managed to curry favor with the emperor.
Hongli liked Chen Yuwei's sensible demeanor. Compared to others who were all pretentious, Chen Yuwei was not. Her neat and generous manner made Hongli feel awkward looking at everyone else.
Occasionally, Hongli would remark on Chen Yuwei's authenticity to Wu Shulai in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
It was a casual chat, after all, Hongli wasn't always working in the Hall of Mental Cultivation; he needed to relax a lot in his daily life.
Wu Shulai is now completely convinced of the authority of the person in Yikun Palace.
That's amazing. No matter whether others are favored or out of favor, the one in Yikun Palace always manages to maintain her special place in the Emperor's heart.
Over the years, the one in Yikun Palace has worked her way up to Imperial Noble Consort, while others have been affected by some ups and downs. At best, their positions are unstable and they disappear; at worst, they die in the palace and vanish. Only the one in Yikun Palace has a stable position, as stable as the rockery in the Imperial Garden, which is not easily moved.
...
Four pregnant women suddenly appeared in the palace, among whom the most attention was drawn to Consort Ning, Yehenara, who was currently residing in Jingyang Palace.
This woman entered the palace in the sixth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, and it was only after ten years in the palace that she was able to conceive successfully.
It's fair to say that Consort Ning longed for this child so much that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was eagerly anticipating it.
Especially when the imperial physician diagnosed that Consort Ning was carrying a prince, her long-cherished wish came true, and Consort Ning truly felt that her life was complete.
After having her maid escort the imperial physician away, Consort Ning happily circled the main hall.
Brother, it's my brother!
"Your Majesty, we should go and tell the Emperor the good news, so that he can also be happy."
Consort Ning had a somewhat artistic temperament, which led to the maids who served her having relatively simple and direct thoughts.
If other concubines knew they were carrying a prince, they would definitely choose to hide it for safety reasons.
After all, princes in the palace are much more valuable than princesses. Even if a prince is not favored by the emperor, as long as he grows up and gets married, he can still support his mother.
But princesses were far from it. Throughout history, very few Qing princesses made a name for themselves, and they were often married off to distant lands. Even if they were incredibly wealthy, it was like trying to quench a thirsty thirst with water from afar.
Therefore, most of the concubines in the imperial harem, except for a small number, hoped to give birth to a prince, thus giving them something to look forward to in life.
Consort Ning shared the same thoughts as most people. The only difference was that Consort Ning did not intend to hide the fact that she was pregnant with a prince. She preferred to share the joy with the Emperor.
The maid's words brought Consort Ning back to her senses. Realizing that she hadn't yet spoken to the Emperor, Consort Ning immediately became restless.
She grabbed her maid's hand and asked her to quickly get ready, then hurriedly boarded a sedan chair and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
However, they met in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation shortly after each other.
They both looked to be more than five months pregnant, and their complexions were excellent.
Wei Hanyu didn't expect that there would be other people besides herself.
Looking at Consort Ning with a slightly surprised expression, Wei Hanyu greeted her with a smile.
Consort Ning and Consort Ling
Consort Ning entered before Consort Ling. Consort Ling stood at the entrance of the main hall, listening to the laughter coming from inside, while the handkerchief in her hand was gently torn.
Some people were curious about what Consort Ning could say to the Emperor, and how she could make him so happy.
Soon, Consort Ling learned the reason why Consort Ning could make the Emperor happy: Consort Ning was carrying a boy.
“The princes are very good. I have always hoped that you all could give me a few more princes.”
As he spoke, Hongli walked to the front of the octagonal table, picked up a teacup, and brought it to his lips.
Consort Ling's expression stiffened slightly, and the handkerchief in her hand had been torn and deformed.
Unfortunately, she just received confirmation from the imperial physician that she is most likely carrying a princess.
Would the Emperor be unhappy about this? Consort Ling didn't know, but she did know that she was indeed jealous of Consort Ning, who was carrying a boy.
After returning to the palace from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wei Hanyu lost all interest.
Ping'er tried her best to sing and joke, but it couldn't elicit the slightest reaction from Wei Hanyu.
Ping'er: ...
"Your Majesty, nothing is absolute. The little prince hasn't been born yet. You can't give up so easily."
What could Ping'er do? She could only say nice things to help her master recover as soon as possible.
At the very least, one shouldn't be constantly distracted, and one shouldn't only half-listen when being spoken to.
Wei Hanyu turned her head and looked the bottle over.
Only after Ping'er was completely bristling with anger did Wei Hanyu sigh and instantly become listless, "If the imperial physician says otherwise, there is no way to turn things around."
Now, I know perfectly well the situation of Consort Ning and myself; only Consort Qing and Consort Lin remain unaccounted for.
Consort Qing and Consort Lin are a month behind them in getting pregnant, and are only about four months along now.
What if Consort Qing and Consort Lin are also carrying boys?
Wei Hanyu couldn't help but break down whenever she thought about how the other three had gotten what they wanted while she had to suffer giving birth to a princess.
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