Chapter Twenty-Two: The Legend of Zhen Huan - Fang Jiachunyi 22
Nian Gengyao's memorial to the emperor was written in illegible handwriting, and he even wrote "morning and evening vigilance" as "evening sun and morning diligence".
The idiom "朝干夕惕" comes from the Book of Changes. It emphasizes that a virtuous person is diligent and conscientious all day long, carefully and cautiously improving himself without any negligence or slackness.
"To be careful at night and work hard during the day" means to be cautious at night and work especially hard during the day.
Nian Gengyao wrote "朝干夕惕" as "夕阳朝干", which is, at the very least, a typographical error.
On a grander scale, it's a satire of the emperor, hinting at his wariness and caution towards his brothers after successfully seizing the throne.
Nian Gengyao was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and the emperor would never believe that he made a mistake.
Long-accumulated discontent erupted, and at the urging of Consort Wan, the Emperor sent the memorial back as is, allowing Nian Gengyao to defend himself.
Nian Gengyao's memorial of defense detailed his many years of merits, intimidating the emperor.
The emperor, having reached his limit of tolerance, removed him from his post as Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi and demoted him to General of Hangzhou.
Later, he was stripped of his titles of Grand General and Grand Tutor, and his first-class dukedom was also removed. His sons, Nian Fu and Nian Xing, were also dismissed from their posts.
Consort Cao exposed the various crimes committed by Consort Hua, and Consort Hua was demoted to a lower rank.
Consort Cao was promoted to the rank of concubine for her meritorious exposure of the truth, and was granted the title of Xiang. She was then moved to Jingyang Palace.
Later, Nian Gengyao was demoted to guard the city gate of Hangzhou, where he was forced to wear an imperial yellow jacket while guarding the gate, and was eventually ordered to commit suicide by the emperor.
The glorious years of General Nian have come to an end.
Jingren Palace —
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress, and greetings to all the ladies of the palace."
The graceful beauty slowly curtsied, her voice sweet and melodious.
Her skin was as white as snow, fair and translucent, her face like a peach blossom, delicate and lively, with a captivating charm in her eyes.
This is the newly arrived Consort Qi—Guarjia Wenyuan, daughter of Guarjia Emin, a censor from the Censorate.
There have been too many things happening this year, and the Emperor has no interest in holding a selection of concubines, but the palace has not seen any new women enter for a long time.
The Empress then selected two daughters from among the meritorious officials.
Consort Qi stood out because she belonged to the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner and was selected to enter the palace.
The Empress said, "Get up."
Consort Qi: "Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
"Indeed, she is very beautiful. Come forward and let me see her."
Looking at Consort Qi's beautiful face and the subtle calculation and flattery in her eyes, the Empress felt nothing but satisfaction.
The Consort Xian she had previously chosen did not join her household as she had anticipated.
She hadn't looked at the others, but this one turned out to be quite good.
"Yes." Consort Qi curtsied and stepped forward with a smile.
"This person is good-looking, and his title is auspicious," Consort Xin praised.
"There are quite a few happy events in the palace recently." Consort Wan smiled and looked at Consort Hui and Consort Xian beside her.
Consort Xin: "This Noble Lady Qi is beautiful, but there's a calculating look in her eyes and brows."
It's not that being calculating is bad, but such an obvious display inevitably makes people dislike you and makes you more vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
"With so many people in the palace, there's bound to be a lot of gossip and trouble." Consort Jing smiled kindly; it would be abnormal for the concubines in the harem not to be scheming.
"But the number of people in this palace will only increase, never decrease."
Consort Wan inevitably felt somewhat sad, and her interactions were fraught with scheming and vigilance, which always made people feel very tired.
"I heard that this Consort Qi is also seventeen years old, only a few months younger than me!"
Being in the first row, it was difficult to even chat, but Fang Jiachun still sneakily joined the conversation like a thief.
"Yes, I wonder which of you two is older." Consort Xin shook her head with amusement, only then noticing the question.
"I guess I'm older," Fang Jiachun said uncertainly.
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