Chapter 53 Consort Hui's Advice
The candles inside the hall crackled and burned, the white wax gradually melting and shrinking under the heat of the flames, just like the life of the Imperial Noble Consort.
She lay on the gold-embroidered canopy bed, her breath as faint as a candle flickering in the wind. Emperor Kangxi, dressed in simple everyday clothes, sat by the bedside, the candlelight casting a hazy glow on his face, obscuring his expression.
After a long silence, the Imperial Noble Consort used a term she hadn't used in a long time: "Cousin."
Since the death of her eighth daughter, she had never called Kangxi that way again.
Kangxi silently took her hand.
“I am so happy to be my cousin’s rightful wife,” the Imperial Noble Consort said, her eyes clear, as if she had returned to her girlhood when she first entered the palace, her eyes filled with pure affection. “Cousin, I have no regrets.”
She appeared carefree.
As Kangxi looked at her gaunt face and bright eyes, his shoulders seemed to collapse for a moment, only to straighten up again the next instant.
Her voice was hoarse, "Is there anything else you wish for?"
The boxwood Bodhisattva on the altar has a kind and benevolent expression.
The Imperial Noble Consort's gaze swept past the Guanyin statue and landed on Kangxi's face. She knew him too well, knew where his bottom line was, and understood that she must never mention anything that might threaten the Crown Prince's position.
So, gathering her strength, she asked in a somewhat bewildered voice, "What will Yinzhen do after I'm gone?"
Kangxi didn't say anything like that Consort De would take good care of him.
He simply held the Imperial Noble Consort's hand tightly and listened quietly as she continued.
“Let’s choose a consort for Yinzhen,” the Imperial Noble Consort smiled. “Once he marries a consort, he will be a great man, and I won’t have to worry anymore.”
She had a sordid relationship with Consort De and didn't believe Consort De would be devoted to Yinzhen. She felt too lonely in this vast palace, so she decided to find him a companion; this was the only thing she could decide.
At least for now, the Emperor will grant her only last wish.
Looking at the expectation in her eyes, Kangxi slowly nodded, "Do you have anyone in mind?"
The Imperial Noble Consort smiled with relief, "The princess from the Fei Yanggu family is very good."
Her background as a member of the Plain Yellow Banner and her father's status as a Grand Minister could provide some assistance to Yinzhen. Her family was prominent but not ostentatious, avoiding becoming too powerful and threatening the Crown Prince. She was a well-considered choice.
Emperor Kangxi tacitly approved of her idea, saying, "I will issue an edict as soon as I return."
The Imperial Noble Consort smiled genuinely.
"Let Yinzhen in. I want to tell him that he must treat his wife well and live a good life from now on."
-
The Imperial Noble Consort died of illness in Chengqian Palace on the second day after becoming Empress.
Having experienced several major funerals, Yunyun handled everything with ease.
The Empress's death was a national mourning event, and the Imperial Household Department had developed a complete and strict procedure, ensuring that the entire funeral procession proceeded without the slightest mishap.
Only the Fourth Prince knelt before the coffin all day, deeply grieving, sometimes not even drinking a few sips of water all day.
He wasn't particularly robust to begin with, and after this funeral, he became even more thin, the mourning clothes hanging loosely on his body.
Baoqing really wanted to say something, but every time he tried to speak, his mother's sharp eyes would involuntarily appear before his eyes, so he remained silent the whole time.
Although the Crown Prince was arrogant, he had always had a good relationship with the Fourth Prince. To put it bluntly, one could say that he had watched the Fourth Prince grow up. Seeing him like this, he couldn't help but offer some words of comfort and take extra care of him in his daily life.
The Fourth Prince became the Crown Prince's little shadow.
Baoqing felt that this wouldn't work.
On a whim, he approached the Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince, dressed in plain clothes, looked at Baoqing with a blank expression. "Brother, is there something you need?"
“Your fourth brother is very upset right now,” Bao Qing said earnestly, pulling on the Eighth Prince’s arm and instructing him, “Go and comfort him, preferably for several days in a row, talk to him more, and tell him not to keep it all bottled up.”
Baoqing was calculating things in his mind.
He's a lone wolf, and so must the crown prince!
Strong people don't need lackeys who hold them back!
Besides, my eighth brother is kind-hearted and speaks well. He gets along well with everyone in the Imperial Study. Letting him comfort me would definitely be better than me, who is clumsy with words.
This will also help my fourth brother recover from his grief sooner.
Although the Eighth Prince felt that his eldest brother was acting strangely and he didn't know what he was up to, he thought about the Fourth Brother's behavior these days and his body that was as thin as a stick, so he nodded and said, "I will take good care of the Fourth Brother."
Not seeing anything wrong with the younger brother taking care of the older brother, Baoqing patted the Eighth Prince on the shoulder approvingly, "Alright, then it's up to you."
However, he wasn't entirely unreliable; he even offered specific words of comfort.
For example, the Fourth Prince still has his biological mother, Consort De.
For example, the Fourth Prince was not the Imperial Noble Consort's biological son and had no blood relation, so there was no need to be too sad.
For example, the Fourth Prince also has a younger brother by blood, so he is not alone and will have brothers to support each other in the future.
Eighth Prince: ......
Is the eldest brother really not planning to die together with the fourth brother?
Fortunately, the eldest brother did not actually go to the fourth brother to tell him these things. The eighth prince, at such a young age, already knew how to coax his older brother, and said in a very sincere tone, "Big brother's thinking is really too comprehensive."
Without a deep understanding, one couldn't come up with such comprehensive and insightful words that touched Fourth Brother's heart.
Under the Eighth Prince's sincere praise, Baoqing gradually lost herself and thought with great pride.
He is such a loving older brother.
-
After visiting the palace in the south, Yunyun gradually became fascinated with fishing.
And because the fish in the Thousand Carp Pond were so foolish that they always took the bait so easily, she wandered around the Imperial Garden and found a perfect spot for fishing.
The Jade Pavilion in the northwest part of the Imperial Garden features a rockery and a pond. Several aquatic plants are planted in the pond, and fish can be seen in and out of sight.
In addition, this pavilion is smaller than Fubi Pavilion and Chengrui Pavilion, and is rarely visited by people, so there is no need to worry about people disturbing the fish and causing them to bite. It is simply an ideal fishing spot.
With just a fishing rod and an embroidered stool, Yunyun could sit here for an entire afternoon.
Baoqing felt that his mother was causing him more and more trouble. Under such a hot sun, his mother was still outside all day long, didn't she feel hot?
What if I get heatstroke?
He then lamented to the First Princess Consort, "It's not that I don't want Mother to go fishing; having a hobby in the palace is quite nice. But Mother is becoming too obsessed with it, spending all her time in the Imperial Garden. In just half a month, she's gotten quite tanned. The last time I went to pay my respects, I noticed that Mother's neck and face were not the same color."
Dafujin:······
"If you're so capable, say that to your mother's face," she said with a forced smile.
Baoqing looked at his wife, as if he had suddenly noticed this, and said very sincerely, "Wife, did you not apply your makeup evenly? Your face and neck are not the same color if you look closely."
The First Princess Consort choked for a moment, then said irritably, "Have you ever considered that Mother might just have not applied her makeup evenly?"
Baoqing had great confidence in his observation skills and said with certainty, "Mother is just dark-skinned. If you don't believe me, just ask her next time you pay your respects."
The First Princess Consort wondered if she had offended him somehow recently, otherwise why would he make such an unreliable suggestion?
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