Chapter 39 Benefiting the concubine
However, even more attention is being paid to Consort Yi's pregnancy than to Consort Wuya's. She is also more than three months pregnant.
If you calculate the dates carefully, Consort Yi's pregnancy was a month earlier than that of Noble Lady Wuya.
According to regulations, if a concubine becomes pregnant, she must report it to the person in charge and the Imperial Household Department immediately.
Firstly, it facilitated the palace administrators in reviewing the official records and clarifying the royal bloodline.
Secondly, it facilitated the establishment of records by the Imperial Medical Academy, so as to prevent concubines from unknowingly consuming or using anything harmful to the fetus.
But Consort Yi kept it a secret for three months, until the pregnancy was stable and she was about to show, before she slowly and leisurely reported to Chengqian Palace. Isn't this a contempt for palace rules and a lack of trust in Consort Tong?
Even when the news spread, the other concubines had a different opinion of Consort Yi, who was known for her straightforwardness.
Could it be that Consort Guo Luoluo was actually Consort Yi who came out to attract their attention the other day?
The goal is to ensure a smooth and comfortable first trimester.
Consort Tong threw the account book in her hand away angrily.
"What does Consort Yi mean by this?"
Consort Tong's voice tightened, and she smashed another teacup. "Is it because I'm pregnant that you think I can't manage the harem?"
"You only told me you were three months pregnant? Isn't that a slap in my face?"
In a normal pregnancy, the imperial physician can detect the pregnancy completely within two months.
Although Granny Zhao understood Consort Yi's concerns.
Three months into pregnancy was a hurdle, childbirth was another hurdle, and raising a prince requires countless efforts. It is understandable to be cautious.
But now that the harem is managed by her own mistress, Consort Yi's act of concealing the truth is, to some extent, a questioning of Consort Tong's abilities.
Granny Zhao picked up the account book and handed over a cup of warm ginseng tea. "Please calm down, Your Highness. Consort Yi kept it a secret for three months. Not only do you not know, but I doubt even the Emperor knows."
Since Emperor Kangxi had entrusted the harem to Consort Tong, he would not help Consort Yi conceal such matters from her.
Granny Zhao was confident in this much.
However, she felt that Consort Yi had made a mistake. Consort Rong was so favored in the past, with five sons and one daughter, yet she never had to wait three months to report her illness.
Consort Yi has set a precedent.
The Emperor is not making a fuss about it now because Consort Yi is pregnant, but who knows what will happen after the baby is born?
Consort Tong also realized that Consort Yi's behavior not only showed distrust towards her, but also distrust towards the Emperor.
As her emotions gradually calmed down, she sneered, "I couldn't care less about what happened before, but now that the harem is in my hands, I won't allow any scandalous acts of murdering pregnant women to occur."
She was in charge of the harem, and any children born to the concubines were considered her achievement.
However, my impression of Consort Yi has worsened.
Who would like someone who deliberately hinders their work and provokes them?
"The Yikun Palace is being taken care of normally, as is the Yonghe Palace. It is their blessing to be able to give birth to an heir for the Emperor. Just pass on a message to the Yikun Palace, telling Consort Yi to rest assured and focus on her pregnancy, and not to worry about anything else."
She wasn't ruthless enough to harm a pregnant woman, and it's unclear what Consort Yi was guarding against.
Consort Yi successfully rose to become the second most disliked concubine of Consort Tong, second only to Consort Wuya.
-
The winds of change blow quickly in the inner palace; the news of Consort Yi's pregnancy reached Cining Palace in less than half a day.
The Empress Dowager paid little attention to the concubines, but she did care about the Emperor's offspring.
"Is Consort Yi more than three months pregnant?" The Empress Dowager sat on a soft couch by the window, holding a white jade ruyi in her hand, a birthday gift specially presented by Emperor Kangxi.
The Empress Dowager stroked the patterns on the jade ruyi with her fingertips, speaking slowly and deliberately, "There are now three pregnant women in the harem."
"Yes," Sumalagu said with a gentle smile, "it seems that there will be three more children in the palace before next spring. It is a good thing that His Majesty's offspring are flourishing."
"That's wonderful," the Empress Dowager sighed softly, looking out the window at a pine tree, considered a symbol of longevity, standing straight and tall.
She suddenly said, "When Qiqige came to pay her respects to me this morning, I noticed that the fine lines around her eyes were becoming more and more obvious."
This empress dowager, the stepmother of Emperor Shunzhi and now the Empress Dowager, recently celebrated her 26th birthday.
Qiqige is her given name.
The Empress Dowager felt guilty towards her. Qiqige was not favored by Emperor Shunzhi. Despite being the Empress, she could only stay in her small territory and lived a life as dull as a dry well, even more boring than the old woman.
Now that the Emperor's offspring are increasing, the Empress Dowager has some thoughts on the matter.
After years of quiet contemplation at Shou Kang Palace, Qiqige deserves some joy.
However, it is necessary to discuss this carefully with the emperor.
-
Soon after, Consort Guoluo gave birth to a daughter, the sixth in her family, and was promoted to the rank of Noble Lady.
The princess's whereabouts are simple and clear: she was raised by Consort Yi.
Consort Guoluo had a close relationship with Consort Yi, and could enter and leave without being informed, as if she were raised by her own side.
Princesses are not considered precious, and they may have to bear the responsibility of caring for the Mongols in the future, suffering the pain of separation from their mothers.
Consort Yi wanted a prince.
Coincidentally, the Empress Dowager also wanted a prince.
"After I pass away, with a prince by my side, Qiqige can enjoy the happiness of family life," the Empress Dowager thought far ahead.
Qiqige's relationship with the emperor was not close; she only had the respect due to the emperor as his legal mother.
Sumalagu spat twice, disregarding etiquette, "Our master will live to be a hundred years old and will be watching His Highness the Crown Prince marry and have children. How can you say such discouraging things?"
The Empress Dowager was amused by her and gently patted her hand, saying, "Living to a hundred years old is just nonsense. No one actually lives to be a hundred."
Having spent a long time in the palace, the Empress Dowager had a very open-minded view of these things.
"I've lived most of my life and seen all kinds of storms. Now I just hope that Qiqige can live a good life."
In order to secure Shunzhi's throne, she strongly advocated that Qiqige be married off from Khorchin to the Forbidden City. However, Shunzhi favored Consort Dong'e, and Qiqige, as the empress, could only be confined to the palace.
Although Mengguqing was deposed, at least she was able to return to Mongolia.
But Qiqige was the Empress Dowager, so she could only continue to spend the rest of her life within these red walls.
"This is not the life that Qiqige should live. I have Shunzhi and Xuan Ye, but Qiqige has nothing. I must find her a companion."
The Cining Palace is governed by strict rules, and under the control of the Empress Dowager, it is as impenetrable as an iron barrel. No one knows what the Empress Dowager was thinking behind these words.
In October, an imperial edict was issued from the Qianqing Palace—Noble Lady Wuya was promoted to Consort De.
In Yunyun's eyes, Consort Wuya was the future Empress Dowager and Consort De. It was normal for her to be promoted; it would be strange if she wasn't.
But in the eyes of the other concubines, Consort Wuya was only pregnant. Although a mother's status depends on her son, the child hadn't even been born yet, so how could she have already become a high-ranking concubine?
Is she so favored by the Emperor?
An imperial decree has been issued that, although the investiture ceremony can only take place after the birth of the pregnant woman, in the mouths of the people, Consort Wuya has already been addressed as Consort De.
According to the original hierarchy of the harem established by the Emperor, there was one Empress, one Imperial Noble Consort, two Noble Consorts, four Consorts and six Concubines. These were the proper mistresses. As for Noble Ladies, Attendants and Ladies-in-Waiting, there was no limit to the number of them.
However, since the first grand conferment of titles included seven concubines, and the emperor himself broke this rule, no one else could say anything. Therefore, there was surprisingly little opposition to Consort Wuya being promoted to Consort De.
Yonghe Palace originally had no principal seat, so Consort De successfully occupied the palace.
Consort An's scheme has failed once again.
At this point, the Emperor was bestowing the title of Consort, which clearly indicated that he intended for Consort De to raise the child herself.
——
A faint light appeared on the horizon; it was another day of greetings.
The Empress Dowager held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in her hand. When she saw Kangxi enter, she asked a palace maid to bring him his favorite pre-rain Longjing tea, saying, "It's windy outside, have a sip of this hot tea to warm yourself up."
Kangxi took the teacup, and warmth spread through it.
The Empress Dowager's expression was kind, but her words carried a hint of teasing, "Baocheng came to me a few days ago to complain that you wouldn't allow him to go to Chengqian Palace to see his younger brother?"
Emperor Kangxi had a very good relationship with the Empress Dowager and knew how much the Crown Prince meant to her. Helplessly, he complained to her, "It's not that I'm stopping him from seeing his younger brother. It's just that this child keeps running to Chengqian Palace every few days. Although the weather has cooled down now, he still runs around and sweats when he goes there. I have no other choice but to resort to this measure."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager also chimed in with a smile, "It's a good thing that Bao Cheng loves his brothers. I told him the other day that Yikun Palace and Yonghe Palace will have a younger brother soon. He'll have someone to look after him in the future, so there's no rush."
As the crown prince, Bao Cheng often came to Cining Palace to pay his respects. He was sweet-talking and filial, which pleased the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
When Bao Cheng was mentioned, the Empress Dowager's voice softened.
When the topic turned to Yikun Palace, Kangxi frowned almost imperceptibly.
Consort Yi concealed her pregnancy for three months. Although she later explained to him that she had been focused on the signs of Consort Guo Luoluo's pregnancy and had also experienced spotting, she attributed it to weakness and did not consider the possibility of pregnancy.
She also arranged for the imperial physician to examine Consort Guo Luoluo's pulse.
It wasn't until she felt unwell that she had the imperial physician examine her, and only then was it confirmed that she was pregnant.
When Kangxi heard this, he did not show any displeasure on his face. He only offered a few words of comfort and continued to visit Consort Yi at Yikun Palace as usual.
Because she mentioned her qi deficiency, the amount of medicine and tonics she was given to prevent miscarriage increased by 30%.
But in the end, I had two more things to consider.
The emperor disliked hiding things, especially when it came to the imperial heir; this was not just her business.
The Empress Dowager noticed Kangxi's subtle expression and knew that he was dissatisfied with Consort Yi, but she did not point it out. She simply turned her prayer beads gently and changed the subject in a calm tone.
"Now that the weather is getting cold, please keep a closer eye on Yikun Palace and Yonghe Palace, especially Consort Yi. She is pregnant for the first time and is inevitably lacking in experience. She also has a princess to take care of, so please pay extra attention to her."
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement. She always agreed with whatever the Grand Empress Dowager said. "I still have some medicinal herbs that I brought from Mongolia. I'll add some to her when I send someone to deliver the reward later."
She's very wealthy; she has plenty of medicinal herbs and the like.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
