Chapter 38 Consort Hui's spy reduced by one
Emperor Kangxi was very pleased to enjoy the Crown Prince's closeness to him, feeling that the Crown Prince was the best older brother ever, caring for his younger brother at such a young age.
Although he did not want the Crown Prince to have too much contact with the Empress and Consorts, since the Crown Prince wanted to see his younger brother, Emperor Kangxi waved his hand and took him directly to Chengqian Palace.
Dressed in bright yellow everyday clothes, a father and son, one big and one small, appeared before Consort Tong.
Consort Tong: ?
Didn't the Emperor treat the Crown Prince like the apple of his eye, forbidding anyone from touching him? Why is he now bringing him to Chengqian Palace on his own initiative?
The Crown Prince, dressed in a miniature version of the Emperor Kangxi's everyday clothes, bowed respectfully to Consort Tong, saying, "Greetings, Consort Tong."
Although Consort Tong was the Crown Prince's stepmother, the Crown Prince, no matter how young, was still the heir apparent. Consort Tong stepped aside to accept half a bow, then offered a gesture of support, "Why has Your Highness come to Chengqian Palace?"
These days of taking care of the child have softened Consort Tong's gaze towards the Crown Prince.
The crown prince, with his childish voice and a very polite expression, said, "Mother Consort Tong, I begged Father Emperor to come. I want to see my little brother."
Consort Tong looked at Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi nodded with a smile.
Okay.
Zhao Mama then gave a knowing wink, and as soon as Kangxi and the Crown Prince sat down, the wet nurse brought in the eleventh prince.
The little guy had just woken up and was full of energy, his little eyes darting around, seemingly looking at something.
"My little brother is so small!" The Crown Prince exclaimed, looking at the eleventh prince in the cradle.
“He’s only six months old,” Consort Tong explained, noticing the Crown Prince’s desire to play with his younger brother. “Your Highness can use the rattle drum next to him to tease him, but remember to put it in his hand as soon as he pouts.”
Because of the Eleventh Prince's behavior, there was only one rattle drum displayed in Chengqian Palace, so as not to make a mistake.
Consort Tong wasn't just teasing the child for nothing; she had a precise understanding of the Eleventh Prince's temperament, especially his crying expression, which she had considerable experience with.
Emperor Kangxi watched with amusement as his son teased his other son.
The wet nurse who was taking care of the eleventh prince was terrified. Children don't know their own strength, and His Highness the Crown Prince was afraid that he might accidentally hurt the little prince.
However, the Crown Prince, despite his young age, displayed remarkable observational skills. He tried to make the Eleventh Prince cry for a long time without success, and even managed to make him laugh non-stop.
The childish actions are difficult for adults to perform, but they are just right for a child like the prince.
The Crown Prince amused his younger brother, and the Eleventh Prince was also amused by the Crown Prince. Emperor Kangxi was happy to see the Crown Prince happy.
It's a win-win-win situation.
As the Crown Prince was about to leave, he was still reluctant to part with his brother. "Father, may I take my younger brother back to the Qianqing Palace?"
Emperor Kangxi didn't even flinch, rejecting his request and giving the Crown Prince a new task: "Baocheng hasn't written any large characters yet. I'll reconsider once you can recite the entire 'Great Learning' from memory."
The Great Learning is a text taught in the Imperial Study, and the Crown Prince is currently memorizing the Thousand Character Classic.
However, once he finishes learning the Thousand Character Classic, he will probably forget about this requirement.
“Alright,” the Crown Prince, unaware of his father’s sinister intentions, and though somewhat disappointed that he couldn’t take his younger brother home, obediently followed Emperor Kangxi.
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Consort Tong is obsessed with raising children. Now is the time when the child is at his cutest. He can't speak yet, but he can look at you with his big, bright eyes. His smile can melt your heart.
When Consort Tong paid attention to Consort Wuya again, it was already two months after she became pregnant.
It seems that every time a concubine became pregnant, Consort Tong would lament the same thing: why wasn't she pregnant yet?
Especially since this pregnancy is with Consort Wuya, whom she particularly dislikes.
Not wanting to hear these unpleasant things, and since Yonghe Palace wasn't her territory, Consort Tong simply decided to ignore it and throw the booklet in her hand onto the kang table. "From now on, don't pay attention to things at Yonghe Palace. Also, send someone to tell Consort Wuya that since she's pregnant, she should stay home as much as possible."
Who are you trying to impress with that pitiful look all day?
Did she bully her?
When Consort Hui's fifth prince was raised outside the palace, she didn't see him for five years, yet she never had tears in her eyes all the time.
That's truly baffling.
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Consort Tong had already decided to avoid seeing her and not wanting to be bothered. She didn't even bother to prepare the usual rewards for pregnant concubines, openly showing her attitude that she disliked Consort Wuya.
Yunyun, however, went to Yonghe Palace with Consort Rong.
Wuya, the noblewoman, received them kindly and thanked them for their gifts. She was humble and showed them great appreciation.
Even though I know that Consort Wuya is not as simple as she seems on the surface, her way of talking is just pleasant to listen to, and makes people feel like they are bathed in a spring breeze.
A cool breeze wafted from the ice chest. Yun Yun took a bite of the bright red chilled watermelon with a fruit fork and sighed to Fu Ling, "After chatting with Consort Wuya, my mood has improved a lot. No wonder she was able to stand out from the crowd."
So he's a special talent with high emotional intelligence.
Fuling was never one to say much; she simply listened quietly to her sighs. Seeing that the watermelon in her bowl was almost empty, she poured her another cup of plum juice.
This summer has been unusually hot, with a scorching sun. Even with ice traps, it still feels quite muggy.
Yunyun took a sip of plum juice and felt the restlessness in her heart lessen a bit. Then she became concerned about Baoqing's situation.
"Children are not tolerant of heat, so Baoqing should keep an eye on things and have Granny Sun and Xiao Dezi give him less cold food to avoid damaging his spleen and stomach."
"Make him a few more breathable clothes. We won't use cotton or satin for now, as they tend to make him sweaty. Make him a few more gauze clothes instead."
Baoqing grows quickly, so she has to change her clothes every quarter.
Besides, children like to run and jump, and Yunyun knew that Baoqing wasn't exactly well-behaved in the Imperial Study either.
She couldn't control him, and knew that studying was hard for him, so she could only try to make him as comfortable as possible by working on the smallest details.
"By the way, I heard from the people who take care of Baoqing that he only eats meat and doesn't like vegetables. That won't do. Stop sending Baoqing the dried meat for a month and replace it with vegetable and egg pancakes. Also, tell the kitchen to serve him a vegetable porridge for breakfast and dinner, and make sure he eats more vegetables."
She's at a crucial stage of growth, and these days there aren't many calcium or vitamin supplements, so we have to make sure she eats plenty of vegetables.
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With two pregnant women suddenly appearing in the palace, Consort An and Consort Jing's hopes were rekindled.
Consort Guo Luoluo has Consort Yi as her principal wife, and they are sisters; they can't compete with her.
However, Consort Wuya's chances of getting pregnant this time are still quite good.
The eleventh prince is being cared for by Consort Tong; he is unlikely to die suddenly.
Consort Wuya was able to give birth to a prince right under Consort Tong's nose, which suggests she is shrewd and resourceful, and would certainly be able to protect her pregnancy.
Having a child has become an obsession for them.
Yunyun listened to Fuling's report with surprise, "Mai Dong was moved out of Yanxi Palace because she got sick?"
Changes in the rank of third-class cleaning maids generally do not alarm the principal concubines, especially in cases where a palace maid falls ill, which is considered unlucky. The head maid or nanny usually makes the arrangements themselves, as long as it does not interfere with the work.
But who told Fuling that Maidong was Consort An's spy, and that she occasionally kept an eye on her?
Poria cocos was also distressed, saying, "They say that Ophiopogon japonicus has contracted scabies and can only be moved out."
Scabies is a skin disease characterized by intense itching and the appearance of red papules.
Third-class palace maids lived in large communal rooms, making them very susceptible to infection. The moment the infection was discovered, the head maid moved the Ophiopogon japonicus out of the communal room.
Even if it gets better, it's unlikely they'll be able to return to Yanxi Palace.
Well, one of the spies is gone. Yun Jun then turned her attention to the other, "Where's Bai Shu?"
"Bai Zhu and Bai Lan, who was close to Consort Nara, were very close," Fu Ling knew about these things.
Yunyun guessed a bit of what Consort Jing was thinking. This was the twelfth prince who hadn't given up on Noble Lady Nara and was waiting for an opportunity.
But Consort An?
"Check if Ophiopogon japonicus has been in contact with anything, or if it has been placed in Yanxi Palace. Search for it."
She's watched a lot of palace intrigue dramas. Maybe Mai Dong did something big and was quietly silenced?
Yunyun's imagination ran wild.
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It wasn't until Fuling said that she saw a palace maid who looked very similar to Ophiopogon japonicus at the entrance of Yonghe Palace.
Yunyun: ?
A few days later, Fuling confirmed that the palace maid who swept the palace was actually Ophiopogon japonicus.
Yunyun: !
She had people search Yanxi Palace thoroughly, and nothing was found or missing, which means that Mai Dong did nothing.
But didn't she have scabies? How could she be at Yonghe Palace?
After summoning the head maid and asking around, it turned out that after the Ophiopogon japonicus was moved out, it was discovered that it was not scabies, but simply papules, only the symptoms resembled scabies.
The Imperial Medical Academy wouldn't send imperial physicians to treat palace maids, so it wasn't until the red rash on her body gradually subsided after she was moved out that Mai Dong realized it wasn't scabies.
However, she can no longer return to Yanxi Palace.
Yanxi Palace has always been a favorite place for palace maids. The principal concubine, Consort Hui, is kind-hearted and does not scold or beat the palace maids. She also bestows rewards throughout the palace when there are happy occasions.
Many palace maids were willing to spend money to come here.
It doesn't matter if they're ranked third; the older sisters will eventually leave the palace, so they still have a bright future ahead of them.
So as soon as Ophiopogon japonicus was moved out, its place was taken.
Just then, Consort Wuya became pregnant, and there were two vacant positions in Yonghe Palace, so Maidong was assigned to them.
Knowing the whole story, Yunyun: ......
Was she trying to outsmart thin air when she was so nervous and had people search Yanxi Palace?
Fu Ling has her own opinion on this matter. She knows the inside story: "Mai Dong entered Yonghe Palace through proper procedures, and it is estimated that it will not be able to be changed a second time in a short period of time."
There are only two situations in which palace maids are transferred when they have a master to serve them.
One method is for the master to personally give it away, which requires a legitimate reason.
Another type is similar to Ophiopogon japonicus. Due to the personal reasons of the palace maids, such as being dismissed for not doing their job well or being unable to serve their masters due to illness, they would be sent back for reassignment.
Yunyun knew the intricacies of the situation and, thinking about who lived in Yonghe Palace, a guess popped into her mind.
Could it be that Consort An has her eye on Consort Wuya's pregnancy?
Put yourself in Consort An's shoes.
A loyal spy is hard to come by. Since there's nothing to gain from Yanxi Palace, it would be a waste to send a spy. It would be better to make full use of human resources and send someone to Yonghe Palace.
That makes perfect sense.
So, Consort An's logic for planting spies was—she had a child?
Yun Jun's expression was somewhat strange.
She felt that Consort An was going to be disappointed again. Noble Lady Wuya was not someone who could be easily manipulated. With her superb conversation skills and emotional intelligence, Consort An could not outmaneuver her.
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Author's note: I had something to do tonight, so I'm posting earlier today.
Happy National Day everyone! [Cat emoji]
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