Chapter 33 The Death of Consort Hui
The imperial harem became quite lively during this period.
Some were raising children, some were protecting their pregnancies, and some were vying for favor. Everyone was doing their job, and none of them neglected their own little schemes.
For example, among the concubines who have no children, there are always one or two who are eyeing Noble Lady Nara.
Whether it was due to family background or something else, anyone who could attain the rank of concubine was at least not too foolish, and also had a basic understanding of the power dynamics within the harem.
Take, for example, the pregnancy of Consort Nara.
If it were a princess, there might be a slight chance that the Emperor would entrust her to Consort Hui for upbringing. But if it were a prince, he would absolutely not entrust her to Consort Hui.
The candidate must be chosen from the remaining concubines.
There's no need to even consider the Imperial Concubine; she's only just raised the Eleventh Prince, how could she possibly send another prince over?
Consort Rong and Consort Hui are in similar situations and will not be considered.
Consort Yi heard that her sister was being recommended recently, and she immediately knew that she was not capable of raising other people's children, so she did not consider it.
Consort Nara has a past grudge against Consort Xi. Even if Consort Xi wanted it, Consort Nara would probably use a loophole, so the possibility is slim.
Only the top three, Consort An, Consort Jing, and Consort Duan, remain.
Consort Duan has truly devoted herself to vegetarianism and Buddhist practice over the years. After the death of the second imperial daughter, she seemed to have followed her, spending her days copying Buddhist scriptures and remaining completely detached from worldly affairs.
Upon closer inspection, the most competitive candidates turned out to be Consort An and Consort Jing, who were close friends.
There are very few things in the palace that are guaranteed to be successful. Even a 30% chance is worth the risk. Rather than spending their lives as concubines in the harem, they might as well wait for the right opportunity and try their luck to leave the palace and become a dowager consort.
Actions inevitably leave loopholes, and the palace maid whom Yunyun had been keeping an eye on for so long finally yielded results.
The unassuming palace maid in the gray cotton coat stood in front of Yun Yun and answered clearly, “Your Highness, Mai Dong has already found out. A second-class palace maid who serves Consort An and a eunuch who sweeps the Imperial Garden are from the same hometown. After Mai Dong returned this time, I took a look at her jewelry box when she wasn’t paying attention. There was an extra ruby ring inside, but it’s not the style from the palace.”
Mai Dong was someone who had caused trouble during the Great Conferment of Titles to the Six Palaces and was demoted to a third-class palace maid.
So it was Consort An's mole all along.
After gaining some power in the palace, Yunyun investigated everyone in Yanxi Palace. Those who showed any unusual behavior were removed by her. Only Ophiopogon japonicus and Atractylodes macrocephala were suspected of being suspicious, and they were people who had served her for a long time.
“And then there’s Bai Shu,” the palace maid continued, “Actually, she didn’t do anything big; she just happened to go to the east side hall.”
This is something that is very spiritual, even if it is unintentional.
Bai Shu was a second-class palace maid, responsible only for the main hall of Yanxi Palace.
There's no need to guess anymore. Yun Jun sighed, "Mai Dong is Consort An's person, and Bai Shu is Consort Jing's person. Only the two of them in the palace have the ability to arrange people around her so early on."
After all, family background isn't just something to say when paying respects.
When concubines from good families entered the palace, they had countless amounts of silver in their treasury. With money and the connections of their fathers and brothers who were officials in the previous dynasty, it was not uncommon for them to be able to place one or two obedient people in the palaces of other concubines.
Especially in the first few years after the emperor ascended the throne, the order in the harem wasn't as well-maintained as it is now. The palace maids and eunuchs were all after money; if bribed properly, and someone said a few words at a crucial moment, they might do something suicidal…
“Keep an eye on them,” Yun Jun said calmly. “Write down what they’ve collected and what they’ve done, but don’t disturb them.”
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The rivalry between Consort An and Consort Jing was not a public contest, but rather an undercurrent of tension, with everything unfolding unspoken.
Even Noble Lady Nara, the one being coveted, was unaware of their thoughts and was still happily chatting with Yun Jun.
She felt that this pregnancy was very easy, unlike her previous pregnancy when she vomited so much that she couldn't even drink water.
“I knew it would be more lively here with Consort Hui,” said Noble Lady Nara, helping Bai Lan step over the threshold.
She is now more than seven months pregnant, and her blue jacket and skirt are bulging, making her originally slender waist look even thinner.
Yunyun was very worried, feeling that Noble Lady Nara's back might break at any moment.
Seeing that Consort Nara, despite being heavily pregnant, was about to bow to her, Yun Jun quickly helped her up. "Be careful, it's freezing cold and the ground is slippery. Didn't we exempt you from your greetings? Why do you still come every day?"
Bai Lan carefully helped Noble Lady Nara sit on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).
Noble Lady Nara's face was rosy and she was in a good mood. "I was getting bored staying in the house, and since I had nothing else to do, I came to talk to you."
Although she didn't know whether the baby was a boy or a girl, Noble Lady Nara already had a strange sense of confidence.
This child was well-behaved even while still in her womb; it's clear he's here to bring her good fortune.
Once she gives birth, the Emperor will surely promote her rank.
After all, continuing the royal lineage is a major matter, and there's the precedent of Uya promising to be promoted to a Noble Lady after giving birth to a child. She doesn't ask for much; a Consort rank would be enough. She wants to raise the child under her wing.
She had had enough of the pain of being separated from her child.
It started snowing heavily outside the window at some point. The snowflakes, like goose feathers, swirled and fell onto the roof, quickly accumulating into a thin layer outside the veranda.
When Consort Nara arrived, Yunyun was directing Fuling to roast chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Now that Consort Nara was here, Yunyun also roasted a cup of ginseng tea.
A young eunuch, with a bitter face, braved the heavy snow to reach Yanxi Palace.
Lingzhi hurried in, but considering that Noble Lady Nara seemed hesitant to speak, she dared not utter a single word.
Seeing that Lingzhi's face was pale, Yunyun stuffed a warm chestnut into Nara Guiren's hand. "You eat first. The servants are careless. I'll go check on them first."
Without giving it much thought, Noble Lady Nara nodded.
She assumed that something had gone wrong at the Imperial Wardrobe again.
The last time she came to see Consort Hui, she happened to see her scolding the head of the Imperial Wardrobe, saying that a garment had an embroidered pattern that was wrong, using auspicious and celebratory patterns like bats and peaches during the mourning period, and she got very angry.
She felt uneasy just looking at it.
Yunyun followed Lingzhi out of the east room, passed the main room, and continued walking without stopping, going directly to the west room.
Lingzhi whispered in Yunyun's ear, her voice barely audible, "Zhaoxiang just sent word that the Ninth Prince... has died young."
They didn't know the specifics of the situation, but everyone in the palace knew about the Ninth Prince's sickly condition.
Yunyun frowned. "This matter cannot be kept from Consort Nara; she is the birth mother of the Ninth Prince."
However, precautions should be taken to prevent Nara from miscarrying.
"Seven out of ten live, eight out of ten don't." If anything happens to Nara Noble's baby, it could be very dangerous.
"Immediately take the token to the Imperial Hospital to summon the imperial physician," Yun Jun took a deep breath and quickly sorted out her thoughts. "Keep it a secret until the imperial physician arrives. No one is allowed to mention this matter in front of Consort Nara. If anyone dares to say anything out of turn, they will be sent directly to the Imperial Laundry Department. You will personally select trustworthy people to guard the main hall for me."
Fortunately, Yanxi Palace was strictly managed; otherwise, if a eunuch or maid were to suddenly make a fuss outside and it reached Consort Nara's ears, causing a miscarriage, she, as the head of the palace, would be held responsible.
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