The Empress Dowager passed away, and the entire court and the imperial harem grieved.
Emperor Kangxi ordered the court to be suspended for several days, and one person stayed by the Cining Palace without leaving for a moment.
After completing their daily vigil, the other concubines were all careful and dared not cause trouble.
Xiu Ning had Emperor Kangxi's decree on her behalf, so even if Tong Jia, Rong Yue, and the other two were unwilling, they had no choice but to relinquish some of their palace power.
Xiuning now holds less than one-fifth of the palace power in her hands, assisting the three of them in handling matters of the inner palace.
"Chunyu, take this stack of accounts to the Imperial Household Department, and return the top volume to Consort Hui."
Dressed in simple palace attire, without any makeup or cosmetics, Xiu Ning sat at the octagonal table in the main hall, with various palace affairs records she had finished at hand.
One by one, Chunyu carefully stacked and placed the books. Xiuning casually picked out an unprocessed one, and after reading it, she wrote down her comments.
Spring Rain must have picked up a stack of accounts, turned around and went out, but returned a little while later.
For errands like these, Chunyu no longer needs to do it herself.
The numerous palace maids and eunuchs in Qixiang Palace were all tools used for daily tasks.
"Master, you've been busy all morning, you should take a rest."
Chunyu brought over a teacup, and while massaging Xiuning's shoulders to help her relax, she whispered words of concern.
"Let's finish reading these books first," Xiuning thought, since there wasn't much work to do anyway, and she felt it was best to finish her tasks first.
Chunyu glanced at the table and didn't try to persuade her anymore, but the strength in her hands suddenly changed, and she became more attentive in relieving her master's discomfort.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xiuning put down her brush and let out a long sigh of relief.
As expected, the work is finally done.
It's really not easy. These are all trivial matters that take a lot of time and energy. It's amazing that these three people are so good at finding them.
The hands on her body slowly moved away, and Chunyu carried the palace register that Xiuning had processed down to the palace servants waiting outside the hall, not forgetting to arrange for them to return it.
"Chunyu, the funeral rites at Cining Palace are almost over. How are things going at Chuxiu Palace?"
Xiuning had already gotten up from beside the octagonal table. She rubbed her wrist as she walked around the main hall, speaking lightly and casually.
Chunyu bowed and said, "Everything is ready, we are just waiting for your command, Master."
They already had people in Chuxiu Palace, and now they could make good use of them.
"Then let's act quickly. Consort Hui has held onto palace power for so many years; it's time to let go."
Xiu Ning lowered her head and gently blew on her nails. With a raised eyebrow, she sent shivers down Chun Yu's spine.
"Yes, I understand."
Chunyu steadied herself and turned to leave.
The arrangements were passed down one by one, like a machine where the internal gears start turning, each gear doing its own job, until finally all the gears drive the whole machine to start working.
Xiu Ning's plan was simple: Consort Hui cared most about her own son, Yin Ti, so Xiu Ning would start with Yin Ti.
Furthermore, some time ago, Yinti had a big fight with Consort Hui because he was about to marry his wife, which provided entertainment for all the concubines in the harem.
Now that the old story has been brought up again, and given that it coincides with the recent passing of the Empress Dowager, Xiu Ning knows that Consort Hui and her son will not have a good time.
Tsk tsk, this is the consequence of spoiling your offspring too much. If you can't bear to discipline them, plenty of others will do it for you.
Just two days later, Yinti was publicly reprimanded by Emperor Kangxi for misbehaving during the mourning period for the Empress Dowager.
During this time, the Crown Prince, citing palace rules, demanded that the Emperor severely punish Yinti.
Yinyi, Yinlu, Yinzhen, and others pleaded for him, and were punished along with him by Kangxi.
The news shocked the imperial harem.
...
Brother
"Tell me, what are you trying to prove?"
Despite his own limited abilities, he dared to plead for the eldest prince, even at the risk of incurring the emperor's wrath.
Now look what's happened! There's no brotherly affection left, and I've even been scolded by your imperial father.
"Hmph, I think you're just too clever for your own good."
Upon hearing that Yinyi and Yinlu had been reprimanded, Xiuning hurriedly came to the Princes' Residence from Qixiang Palace.
Yinlu was alright. The boy was smart and just followed the crowd to plead for mercy. When he realized that he couldn't go against the tide, he turned around and ran away. Apart from being a little frightened, he didn't have any physical injuries.
However, Yin Yi, along with Yin Zhen and Yin Qi, were all punished with caning.
Seeing that her palms were swollen like pig's trotters, Xiu Ning, who was originally in a good mood, became even angrier.
Yin Yi sat on the couch, his hands wrapped tightly in white cloth.
Faced with his mother's incessant nagging, he smiled helplessly and said, "Mother, I was already prepared for this."
"Father Emperor went too far, saving his son's attackers the trouble. Compared to my fifth and seventh brothers, my son only suffered superficial injuries."
It may look serious, but it doesn't actually hurt at all.
Upon hearing this, Xiu Ning asked, "Are you playing the victim?"
Yin Yi nodded, "I have to sing. My eldest and second brothers are always watching me. If they don't find a way to get me out of the study, I'm afraid I'll be restless every day."
"Nonsense, how could those two make things difficult for you?" Even tied together, they don't have as much cunning as Yin Yi.
Xiu Ning rolled her eyes at him, then sat down next to Yin Yi and asked what was going on.
Her actions against Consort Hui were merely a catalyst, with her profiting from the shadows.
But her son is different from her; he actually resorts to underhanded tactics openly. Tsk, could he be like Emperor Kangxi?
But Emperor Kangxi didn't like such overt schemes, especially those that required sacrificing himself.
Xiuning shook her head. "It's good that you know what's going on. I'm angry because you were too reckless this time."
Yinyi, don't try to test your father, the Emperor. He is the Emperor.
The emperor's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; it is not easily controlled.
Your actions this time were extremely reckless.
Now you are acting according to your own desires, which is why you are able to speak to me here.
If it had turned out any other way, my son and I would be left only with nothing to do but weep.
Xiuning wasn't afraid to speak frankly; some things are good if they succeed, but they come with high risks and high rewards.
But this also means that if they fail, they won't even have a chance to regret it.
The Emperor is not an easy person to talk to. This time, it can only be said that Yinti's mistake was not serious. Yinyi was just lucky. Kangxi did not want to really pursue the matter. Otherwise, Yinyi would definitely not get away with this self-inflicted mess.
Yin Yi turned pale at Xiu Ning's words, not because he was unconvinced, but because he was terrified.
He did realize that he had been somewhat rash and had not considered things comprehensively.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened in the end, otherwise he would have really had to wait for his own mother to save him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com