Chapter 54 The Tale of Consort Hui
The Fourth Prince returned to Consort De's residence.
However, this is not a big deal, at least not for the concubines in the harem except for Consort De. What they are concerned about recently is the Empress Dowager's relocation of the palace.
Cining Palace is located on the west side of the inner court. It was a palace in the Forbidden City specifically for the retirement of empress dowagers and imperial concubines. However, since the Grand Empress Dowager had previously resided there, it was deemed inappropriate for her to be of lower status, so the Empress Dowager had to choose another palace to live in.
With the mourning period for the Empress Dowager over, and Cining Palace being the Empress Dowager's permanent residence, the relocation of the palace has been put on the agenda.
The Empress Dowager initially declined several times.
No matter how you look at it, the Empress Dowager was her elder, and she had taken good care of her during her lifetime. Now that the mourning period had just ended, she was moving into the palace where her mother-in-law had lived, and she always felt uneasy about it.
In reality, although the palace she currently lives in is not as grand as the Cining Palace, it is still spacious and comfortable. The eunuchs and maids in the palace are all familiar and considerate, and she lives a stable and comfortable life. There is really no need for her to make trouble.
However, Emperor Kangxi disagreed, and his reasons were quite valid.
The Empress Dowager is now the most senior figure, and as the late Emperor's empress and his legal mother, she is the legitimate Holy Mother Empress Dowager, a person of high status. To show filial piety, he should have her reside in the Cining Palace.
When it comes to filial piety, the Empress Dowager is speechless.
She is able to live the life she has now entirely because of the pressure of filial piety placed on the emperor.
It won't cost them their livelihood.
So this back-and-forth dragged on for nearly half a month, and finally came to a conclusion at the end of the twelfth lunar month, just before the New Year.
The Empress Dowager moved into the main hall of Cining Palace with all the palace furnishings. From then on, the concubines in the harem also moved to Cining Palace for their morning and evening greetings.
This is the last thing to do before the New Year.
Although the New Year was not festive due to the Empress's passing, there was no lively or joyous atmosphere.
However, the original holiday schedule remained unchanged, and the Imperial Study still granted the princes three days off to allow them to relax.
Everything was the same as in previous years, everyone went home. The Eighth Prince was staying with Consort Wei. The only change was that the Fourth Prince went to Yonghe Palace.
Nobody really cares.
A few days ago, a heavy snow fell, and many ponds in the Imperial Garden were covered with a thin layer of ice. Yunyun's favorite pond was also frozen over.
Baoqing didn't really approve of his mother going fishing in the summer, but now that winter has arrived, he's worried she'll be bored if she can't fish, so he's prepared a lot of things to help her pass the time.
For example, storybooks.
A thick layer of snow covered the outside, and the concubines wouldn't go out on this day, each staying in their own rooms to keep warm.
Baoqing, a dog, sneaked in carrying a box and greeted the guards.
"Mother, look what wonderful things your son has brought you!"
Fearing being stopped outside, Baoqing didn't wait for anyone to announce her arrival and quickly strode into the next room.
Yunyun sat on the warm kang, intently grooming Yunduo, while Baturu lazily lay at her feet, munching on a piece of toy cow bone.
Hearing the voice, she didn't even look up, and sneered, "What's this that's brought this time? If it's cosmetics, you can leave now and not dirty my place."
Two months ago, he also rushed over excitedly, carrying something in his arms that was completely covered up, saying that he had brought her something nice.
Yunyun was looking forward to it, but the next second she was met with a crushing blow from her own good son.
What do you mean by sending her some very easy-to-apply rouge and face powder because she got darker?
Is that even human language?
Yunyun immediately kicked Baoqing out.
Doesn't she know she's darkened? Does she need him to remind her?
Hearing her bring up the old story again, Baoqing felt incredibly wronged.
He was just telling the truth; his mother had indeed gotten much darker.
However, this time he came specifically to apologize to his mother: "Look, this time it's different, I promise you'll like it."
Seeing Bao Qing's confident assurances, Yun Jun took the box and opened it with some skepticism.
Books stacked neatly?
I glanced at them and there were about five or six books. The blue covers had no words on them, which didn't seem like the style of the palace.
Yunyun picked up the top book and flipped through it. Then she realized, "Where did you get these things?"
There were storybooks in the palace, but the content was mostly short anecdotes about virtuous empresses and filial daughters, which was like reading "Biographies of Exemplary Women" or "Classic of Filial Piety". Or they were stories about female virtues and admonitions, which were all very boring.
Unlike the book in her hand, which she could tell at a glance was probably a story about chivalry and heroism in the martial arts world.
This was not allowed to circulate within the palace.
Seeing that she was interested, Bao Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
“A few days ago, it was my uncle Prince Yu’s birthday. Father Emperor sent me to Prince Yu’s residence to offer my congratulations. During the banquet, I went to the study to find Brother Baotai and found him reading this. He said that the story was very interesting and he couldn’t stop reading it. I was thinking that Mother had nothing to do in the winter and was worried that no one would keep you company, so I asked Brother Baotai for a few copies to help you pass the time.”
The Prince Yu uncle he mentioned was Fuquan, the second son of Emperor Shunzhi, who was also Emperor Kangxi's elder brother. In terms of seniority, he was Baoqing's great-uncle and a very important member of the imperial family.
Baotai, on the other hand, is Fuquan's eldest son and the heir apparent of Prince Yu. In terms of kinship, he is Baoqing's cousin. He has already taken up a post in the court, and the two brothers are quite close on a daily basis.
When it comes to reading stories, Yun Yun naturally prefers simple and easy-to-understand vernacular texts, but given the current circumstances, she can make do with whatever she can find.
"Alright, sit down." Accepting Baoqing's apology meant that the matter from last time was over.
It's more accurate to say that it's always the same.
Baoqing was naturally bad at interpersonal relationships, the complete opposite of the highly emotionally intelligent Eighth Prince.
The Eighth Prince always speaks to people's hearts, showing consideration and sincerity.
Baoqing, on the other hand, always manages to hit people where it hurts, offending them while appearing foolish.
He's such a grown man, and he's lived a few years longer than Xiao Ba, so how come he hasn't gained any experience and his interpersonal skills are even worse than Xiao Ba's?
But he can also be genuinely sincere once or twice, making you feel that he truly considers you a brother and is genuinely thinking of you.
In any case, Yunyun had no solution to this.
Having received permission, Baoqing sat down on the other side of the heated kang, casually took the cow bone toy that Baturu was holding in his mouth, threw it aside, and then tore off a small piece of beef jerky and handed it to Baturu's mouth.
Baturu immediately wagged its tail and came over, nestling obediently on his lap and eating with relish.
"Father Emperor has hinted that he will probably assign me a task after the New Year."
When it came to serious matters, Baoqing finally showed some reliability. "It should be the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Revenue. Last September, when Galdan conquered the Khalkha tribe and moved to the border, Father Emperor had already made preparations. Although there haven't been any major developments this year, there have been occasional minor skirmishes. Father Emperor's intention is to wait for the right opportunity and strike decisively."
When Kangxi's plans were mentioned, Baoqing's eyes sparkled with admiration for his imperial father.
There is also a desire to achieve great things.
He'll be eighteen after the New Year, which is a grown-up in the world. He can't stay a bald-headed prince forever.
Although the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, he is no less capable. He is skilled in horsemanship, archery, and military strategy, and he will surely make a name for himself through his own abilities.
Listening to his words, Yun Jun felt both gratified and somewhat worried.
It's good that Bao Qing is ambitious, but the imperial court and the battlefield are not simple places. With his straightforward nature, he might easily suffer losses.
and······
Historically, it was the fourth prince, not the crown prince, who ascended the throne. She had also heard of the "Nine Princes' Struggle for the Throne," and she estimated that Bao Qing's fate would not be good.
However, she couldn't let the uncertain future stop Baoqing from being full of fighting spirit at this moment.
He studied so hard in the Imperial Study, and his martial arts lessons never stopped, even in the coldest of winters and summers, all in order to realize his ambitions and become a true Baturu.
That was his ideal—to become a great general who would achieve great feats.
So Yunyun simply told him as always: "Do your job well, follow your father's instructions, and protect yourself."
Baoqing smiled with anticipation for the future, "Don't worry, Mother, I know what's important."
-
We spent the New Year in high spirits, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, something unexpected is about to happen.
"What do you mean the Emperor threw a tantrum in the Imperial Study and even summoned Consort Yi, the Noble Consort, and myself?"
Yunyun always had people in the Imperial Study. The former cleaning eunuchs had worked their way up to the position of serving in the corridor. As soon as they heard that the Emperor was angry in the Imperial Study, they immediately sent a message to Yanxi Palace, for fear of missing the opportunity.
Therefore, she received the news faster than others.
When the imperial messenger came to deliver the message, she had already packed her things and was ready to leave at any time.
However, upon hearing that Consort Yi and Consort Gui were also among those being conveyed the message, Yun Yun changed her mind and decided to go with them.
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