In the original timeline, Emperor Kangxi conferred titles upon one Imperial Noble Consort, one Noble Consort, and four other consorts in the twentieth year of his reign. This conferment laid the foundation for the power structure of the imperial harem for the next several decades.
In the future, no matter how many concubines are added to the harem, the status of these few will remain unshakable, especially the four consorts.
They not only had offspring, but also power, and the emperor respected them greatly. It can be said that if it weren't for the great threat posed by the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, all four of them might have been able to live out their lives peacefully.
But there are no "what ifs". Kangxi himself lived too long, the crown prince could not withstand the pressure, and the other sons were all raised to be ambitious. The troubles left by Kangxi in his early years finally affected his later years.
Xiuning is not Emperor Kangxi, so she doesn't know if he ever regretted his past plans before his death. But Xiuning is certain that the current Emperor Kangxi has not yet realized that he can live a long time. He refers to the average lifespan of the two emperors before him and still demands that the crown prince be trained as an heir, and promotes his other sons as capable ministers.
"In another year, Yinlu will also be going to the Prince's residence."
Thinking of her youngest son, Xiuning couldn't help but frown.
Compared to Yinyi, Yinlu was truly childlike. No matter how Xiuning considered it, she couldn't discover that Yinlu possessed extraordinary talent.
Even the food, drink, and entertainment that the royal family enjoys are just the thoughts of ordinary people; they can be described as commonplace and unremarkable.
However, this also has its advantages, as the probability of Yinlu clashing with Yinyi in the future is very small.
Although the prospect of having successful sons is very tempting, Xiu Ning doesn't want things to end up with brothers fighting each other.
Rather than fighting tooth and nail and destroying family ties for the throne, she would rather have given birth to a useless child.
"Chunyu, didn't Lu'er want those little toys that the Imperial Household Department made for him a couple of days ago? Send someone to retrieve them as soon as possible."
There was also a little pony that the Emperor had given him for his birthday. Although he couldn't ride it yet, he liked it, so the Emperor would take him to see it at the other residence when he had time.
If you're not qualified, then give up as soon as possible.
Xiu Ning was glad that she had more than one child. Even before Yin Yi went to the Prince's Residence, she had a similar free-range parenting strategy, just like she was treating Yin Lu now.
If you get lost in her free-range upbringing, then just be a regular member of the royal family and enjoy your daily life of eating, drinking, and having fun.
If they realize the situation too late and want to fight back, Xiu Ning won't stop them. However, there's always a chance of brothers fighting each other, and Xiu Ning will still control certain aspects of the situation. Even if there's internal strife, it will only happen in the final stage, when there are other people around, and they must unite against external forces.
Chunyu nodded, "Yes, this servant understands."
Stretching to relax, Xiu Ning leaned back to rest. "There's nothing to do today, so I won't go out. If there are any new developments in the harem, please inform me immediately."
She waved for Chunyu to go about her business, then Xiuning summoned the system in her mind, checking the task progress while chatting casually.
The system was already used to Xiu Ning's operation; the smooth, mechanical voice spoke slowly and deliberately, like an old, dilapidated machine.
...
When news of Juechan's successful childbirth spread throughout the palace, it did not arouse jealousy among the concubines; instead, it sparked a new round of ridicule.
For well-known reasons, the child's third-day celebration was not held.
Not only was it not done, but even Juechanshi, who had no official title or status, still had no official rank until the child was born.
Consort Hui's face was stiff; at the moment, she truly believed that the trouble this child would bring outweighed any potential benefits.
Yinti was even very dissatisfied because he had taken over the upbringing, and he was angry with Consort Hui for several days.
Well, speaking of which, Consort Hui's son, Yinti, also had a rather unfortunate life.
Because of the late Empress's presence when he was young, Consort Hui feared that her youngest son would also be lost, so she had to stage a grand performance to send him out of the palace in advance.
Later, the Empress successfully gave birth to the Crown Prince. On the surface, the position of Kunning Palace seemed secure. Consort Hui felt that there was little danger and, on the advice of the direct descendants, brought Yinti back to the palace.
As a result, after being brought back, Yinti's life was full of twists and turns, and various dangers followed one after another. This not only caused Yinti's body to weaken rapidly, but also indirectly led to the current situation where even though he held the title of the eldest prince, he did not pose much of a threat to anyone.
Having gone through so much, Yinqi certainly doesn't feel as secure as before.
Unfortunately, Consort Hui was also raising the newborn prince of the Jue Chan clan at this time, making it difficult for Yinti not to overthink things.
The situation at Chuxiu Palace can be described as one crisis after another, but since it was Consort Hui who started this whole mess in the first place, she has no choice but to bear the consequences herself, no matter how difficult it is.
Time continued to move forward, and thankfully, the little prince's full-month celebration was not canceled in the end.
Although it wasn't cancelled, the scale of the full moon celebration was still pitifully small.
In particular, the Emperor did not appear; only Consort Hui entertained the few attending concubines.
Halfway through the banquet, Liang Jiugong from the Qianqing Palace arrived with an imperial edict.
He thought the imperial decree would save face, but it turned out to be a straightforward imperial edict bestowing a name upon him.
"Consort Hui, His Majesty said he is very relieved to entrust Prince Yinzhi to your care."
"I hope Consort Hui will continue her efforts and not disappoint His Majesty."
Smiling, Liang Jiugong handed the imperial edict to Consort Hui, then curtsied and left, holding a whisk.
Seeing this, the others also congratulated Consort Hui on the birth of her son.
An adopted son is still a son, even if the emperor doesn't particularly favor him.
Consort Hui gave a fake smile, handed the decree to Chengxin, and then invited the others to dine.
Xiu Ning was one of the high-ranking concubines who attended. Consorts such as Guifei, Jiafei, and Rongfei were not present, but Consort Yi, as well as the newly entered Consort Ping and Consort Ling, were all there.
"Tell me, the Emperor hasn't given that person a title yet. How are we supposed to address him when we meet him in the future?"
Consort Yi and Xiu Ning sat together, and as they talked, the topic of Jue Chan came up.
Perhaps out of curiosity, Consort Yi racked her brains but couldn't understand how much the Emperor must have disliked Juechan to have the treatment she received. She feared that any other woman would not have survived under such circumstances.
"They probably won't refuse, after all, there's a prince involved." Even if they don't say it now, they'll definitely give instructions in private. Besides, Consort Hui really can't just stand by and do nothing. Juechan is from Chuxiu Palace, and it's her face that will be lost.
Consort Yi's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke softly, "Well, it's hard to say."
Who knows what the Emperor and Consort Hui are thinking? Anyway, she felt that some things were outrageous from the moment they happened.
The two women huddled together, eating and talking. Not far from them, Consort Hui was leading Lady Juechan from table to table, greeting and thanking everyone.
The concubines who came today were all giving her face. Although Consort Hui had some problems on a regular basis, she was still able to remain calm in this situation that concerned her own reputation, and even Juechan was much calmer.
Consort Jing
After calling out Xiu Ning's name, Consort Hui smiled warmly, her words filled with gratitude for her presence.
“We’re all sisters, no need for such formalities,” Xiu Ning raised the fruit wine in her hand in return, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.
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