Yunmeng knew Consort Shu's personality, so she just had to appease her.
With Yunmeng's comforting words, Consort Shu quickly recovered. She reached out and took the medicine from Yunmeng's hand, and patiently drank it down.
"Cough cough, cough cough cough"
Yunmeng, unfazed, took out a handkerchief to wipe away the medicine that had accidentally spilled from Consort Shu, and then helped Consort Shu change into a clean and refreshing nightgown.
"Your Majesty, let me help you rest a bit more."
The herbal decoction contained certain calming ingredients, because Consort Shu could not control her temper and could only rely on the effects of the herbal decoction to force her to rest and recover.
She nodded with an "Mmm," feeling a little dizzy.
With the help of Yunmeng's wrist, Consort Shu lay down and quickly fell asleep.
Seeing this, Yunmeng rearranged the bedding and other items, then lowered the bed curtains and left with the empty soup bowl.
Palace maids were already waiting at the entrance.
Upon seeing Yunmeng emerge, a palace maid stepped forward and informed Yunmeng of the information that Niohuru's connections had been uncovered.
Yunmeng glanced around before whispering, "Is it all true?"
The palace maid nodded. "Sister, shall we go with the flow?"
Who would have thought that the Empress had such grand ambitions? It seems that having given birth to a legitimate son has made her fearless.
"Wait a moment, Her Majesty hasn't woken up yet," Yunmeng pondered for a moment, "Everything is up to Her Majesty to decide, but if the Empress really chooses to take action, she'll only be asking for trouble."
If anyone dares to harm the imperial heir, the empress should be prepared that her own child will also be in danger.
How much of the reason why our empress gave birth prematurely was due to her earlier actions against Yonghe Palace?
Since the Empress is currently trapped, she cannot bring up the past again.
She waved her hand, signaling the palace maid to continue sending people to keep watch. Yunmeng glanced back at the tightly closed door, then turned and went to the small kitchen.
...
A sudden downpour at the end of the month caused the temperature to drop abruptly.
The sun was not out, and everything was damp. The humid air made Xiuning and the others, who were not used to it, feel a chill run down their spines.
Many concubines developed rashes due to the high humidity in the air, which not only prevented them from serving the emperor but also made them very susceptible to scarring.
Consort Nara suffered even more during her postpartum confinement period. Her body, which was almost recovered, developed problems again, forcing her to extend her confinement time.
Meanwhile, at the Prince's residence, Chengrui fell ill again, and this time the illness was strange. No one could find the cause, only that the child would cry and fuss every night after sleeping for less than an hour, which also disturbed Chengqing, who had just entered the Prince's residence.
For this reason, Consort Nara hated Consort Ma Jia to the core. Although the two could not meet, the palace servants of the two palaces were in a very ugly situation. Despite the Empress's intervention, they could not stop the various underhanded confrontations.
Xiuning was five months pregnant at this time, and her belly was clearly visible after she changed into a light cheongsam.
These days, the Empress has been keeping a close eye on what's happening at Qixiang Palace, mainly because she's worried that Xiuning's baby is a son.
'What a pity, this baby is a girl.'
Having already learned the sex of the fetus through the system, Xiu Ning thought to herself, "The Empress really is very strict about controlling offspring. But no matter how much she schemes, she can't predict whether Kangxi will live or give birth. As a result, her own son, who has been the crown prince for forty years, ultimately ends up being deposed."
Moreover, those people the Empress is currently targeting will ultimately not be the winners.
"Your Majesty, the nourishing soup prepared in the small kitchen is ready."
As Chunyu spoke, she held a bowl of steaming soup in her hands.
"Right now, the small kitchen is only used for making pastries and soups, so we don't use many ingredients. Is that enough?"
Xiuning gently stirred the soup with a spoon, then scooped out a spoonful and put it in her mouth to taste.
This was a special treatment she received after becoming pregnant, mainly because Xiuning was always hungry, so Chunyu and Xuanting had to frequently visit the imperial kitchen.
After running around so much, Emperor Kangxi inevitably inquired about it, and eventually the small kitchen treatment ended up in Qixiang Palace.
This is also one of the reasons why the Empress has been paying close attention to Qixiang Palace recently. Even after Consort Shu fell from grace, Xiu Ning's status as a "favored concubine" remained, so the Empress was naturally afraid.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the servants in the Imperial Kitchen send over plenty of fresh ingredients every day."
The palace servants of Qixiang Palace, on the other hand, not only eat and drink much better than usual, but now they're getting extra dishes too. They're practically the envy of all the other servants.
Once the ingredients are delivered, they cannot be returned, and new ingredients are added every day. So, what's left over from before just ends up benefiting the palace servants.
Chunyu was also good at interpersonal relationships. She not only sent gifts to her confidants in the side hall, but also to Granny Li and Eunuch Kang. Of course, Eunuch Kang was not as good as Granny Li. He was a two-faced person, and she only maintained a superficial relationship with him. Chunyu was reluctant to give him any.
"As long as there's no waste, remember to give the imperial kitchen staff plenty of money."
Relationships need both affection and money to maintain them. Xiuning has no shortage of money, so being generous is always better than being stingy for the sake of future life.
Chunyu readily agreed, knowing that since her mistress was wealthy and favored, even as servants, they could be superior to others.
After serving Xiuning the soup, Chunyu was about to leave when Xiuning stopped her, asking, "How is the situation at the Princess's residence?"
"Your Highness, the Princess's residence is always peaceful, and the movement of people is not as frequent as that of the Prince's residence."
After Chunyu finished speaking, Xiuning asked, "Are there any of our people among the palace servants attending to the eldest princess?"
Chunyu was taken aback, then nodded and shook her head. "Although the one we sent in before was kept, she can't get close to the eldest princess yet. Most of the time, she just brings food and clothing to the wet nurse." It's all the kind of work that involves serving others.
Xiu Ning raised an eyebrow. "This is not bad. It can deliver meals to the wet nurse, which is something that can be used."
"Contact her and make sure she gets along well with the eldest princess's wet nurse," Xiu Ning said, her beautiful eyes darting around as she propped herself up from the couch. "Who knows, maybe this child in my belly won't have to leave Qixiang Palace."
If, during the time she was giving birth, the imperial heirs suffered a series of misfortunes, would the emperor still have insisted on the ancestral precept of sending the child to the empress? If the empress could raise her own child, what were the other concubines lacking?
...
As April arrives, the weather gradually warms up.
Kunning Palace
Consort Nara made a rare appearance at the Qing'an Hall, looking considerably weaker.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Sister Nara. She truly remains as beautiful as ever."
Consort Zhang sat side by side with Consort Nara. After the Empress's daily inquiry, she couldn't help but criticize Consort Nara.
"I can't compare to Sister Zhang. I'm just a plain-looking girl, not as elegant as you," Consort Nara said with a fake smile. Everyone knew that she had suffered a lot during her postpartum period and hadn't recovered yet.
“Why should you belittle yourself, little sister? I envy you so much,” Consort Zhang said, leaving everyone around her bewildered. What was going on here?
Soon, Xiuning understood what Consort Zhang meant. After praising Consort Zhang, the tone suddenly changed, and she started complaining about the commotion in Chuxiu Palace, especially the frequent changes of palace servants causing a ruckus in the middle of the night. On the surface, she said that Consort Nara was favored, but in reality, she said that Consort Nara was arrogant and acted recklessly because of her favor.
Consort Nara: ...Goodness, you're insulting her indirectly, aren't you?
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