Chapter 69 Consort Hui, Imperial Concubine
Unfortunately, Mingzhu was still in good health, and even ate two extra bowls of rice after hearing the news of Suo'etu's downfall.
There was absolutely no sense of sorrow or sympathy for the loss of one's kind.
His heart was filled with the joy of finally defeating his political enemies and the high spirits of being about to make his mark.
With Songgotu's group wiped out, he readily accepted the vacant positions.
While Baoqing was visiting the Crown Prince, the court was already in orderly motion, tacitly dividing up the 'legacy' left by Suo'etu, with Mingzhu, who had contributed the most, naturally taking the lion's share.
Then Kangxi continued to weigh the pros and cons, silently elevating the Tong family and assigning duties to the Third and Fourth Princes to show his regard for them.
The temperature in October was already quite cold. Yunyun had just issued an order to the Imperial Household Department to purchase all the necessary items for winter, especially charcoal and cotton, when she received a message from the Imperial Concubine requesting her presence.
This imperial concubine has never had a high profile in the palace.
She was the younger sister of Empress Tongjia. In the 30th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, she entered the palace through the Donghua Gate and then through the Cangzhen Gate, enjoying the treatment of a concubine. In the 39th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, she was promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort.
Although she held the title of Noble Consort, she did not wield much real power. The four consorts had already divided up the palace power completely, and the Emperor had not brought it up. Therefore, she was merely a figurehead in the Noble Consort position, an ornament to demonstrate the Emperor's high regard for the Tong family.
It seems the mascot is no longer going to be used as a decorative item.
"Master, would you like to make some preparations?" Fuling put down her needlework.
Both she and Lingzhi had long ago said they didn't want to leave the palace and wanted to stay by their mistress's side to serve her. Now, both of them are respected head maids in Yanxi Palace, and when they go out, they are inevitably addressed as "Auntie".
This is infinitely better than leaving the palace to marry.
“No need,” Yun Yun straightened her clothes, then stood in front of the silver mirror and checked herself over. Seeing that she was dressed properly and not a single hair was out of place, she didn’t plan to change her clothes or add any hair ornaments. She got up and walked out, saying to Lingzhi, who was about to go out to deliver a message, “No need to order a sedan chair. Jingren Palace is right next door. I can walk there.”
Being close by was convenient; when the palace maid led her into a side hall of Jingyang Palace, she was the only one inside.
The palace maid, wearing a light blue embroidered jacket, said softly with a respectful yet cheerful smile, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. The mistress will be here shortly. Please have some tea and snacks first. If you have any instructions, I will wait outside the door."
As they spoke, two palace maids, both dressed in light blue embroidered jackets, quietly served a cup of Biluochun tea and two plates of pastries. After bowing respectfully, they stood not far away, ready to receive any orders.
Yunyun held the teacup to warm her hands, trying to recall her impressions of the imperial concubine.
She didn't know much about the Imperial Concubine. The only time she spent with her was when she paid her respects to the Empress Dowager. The Imperial Concubine seemed to be somewhat taciturn, and in her mind, she was just a smiling figure sitting upright.
However, the rules in the palace are quite good.
Yunyun gently blew on a mouthful of steaming Biluochun tea.
Indeed, Tongjia's daughters were carefully raised from a young age, especially those who planned to enter the palace. Treating servants with both kindness and strictness was the most basic requirement.
After about half a cup of tea's time, Consort De arrived, her face bearing her usual gentle smile.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries and then waited quietly, each holding a cup of tea.
Consort Rong and Consort Yi arrived one after the other.
They were all old acquaintances, and with a few knowing glances, they had already guessed the Consort's purpose.
As expected, after the Imperial Concubine appeared, she exchanged a few pleasantries with them, changed the tea once, and then spoke about the important matter she had invited them to discuss.
They spoke in a grand and dignified manner, but they understood the unspoken meaning behind their words: power was at stake.
Consort Yi couldn't help but speak up: "Logically speaking, this matter should be under the management of the Noble Consort, but since His Majesty has not yet given his approval, we concubines cannot make decisions on our own."
The implication was that they shouldn't be pressured with their rank; the Emperor had approved their division of responsibilities.
The Imperial Concubine remained calm and composed: "This matter is also His Majesty's will."
Yunyun also had this suspicion in her mind. Without the Emperor's permission, the Consort would not have let them come so easily.
This definitely needs to be divided up.
The four women reached a consensus without prior agreement. Yunyun, representing the concubines, expressed her opinion to the Noble Consort: "Your Majesty's wishes are naturally not to be disobeyed. However, the power in the palace is complex. Has Your Majesty specifically stated which parts Your Highness will be in charge of?"
The imperial concubine remained silent for a moment.
She had never been involved in palace affairs before, and she never even thought that she would have this kind of luck at her age. How could she know who was in charge of which specific things?
Yunyun understood; the Emperor was giving her authority, but he hadn't specified what that authority would entail.
As for giving it all to the Imperial Noble Consort, it's obviously impossible. Even when the Imperial Noble Consort's own sister was the Imperial Noble Consort, she didn't take over all the power in the palace, let alone now that she's just an Imperial Noble Consort.
Now there are many more things you can do inside.
Consort Rong, being the most senior concubine, spoke leisurely: "Since everyone is here and we don't lack time, let's explain everything in detail to Your Majesty, and then Your Majesty can decide which specific tasks to take over."
They didn't deliberately set a trap for the Imperial Concubine—this matter was authorized by the Emperor, and they wouldn't let the Imperial Concubine suffer in public.
He simply edited and revised the narrative, keeping his most important possessions hidden and adding some unimportant and tedious details to the imperial concubine.
They still live in the palace, and these things are their livelihood.
As for the Imperial Concubine, let her practice with these things first.
-
Everyone wanted to finalize the matter in one go. When Yunyun returned to Yanxi Palace, the sky had already darkened and a strong wind had begun to blow.
Lingzhi hurriedly brought over ginger soup: "Master, this will warm you up."
The ginger soup at Yanxi Palace still tastes the same as before. Yunyun has been drinking it for so many years that she has gotten used to it and can even taste a hint of sweetness in the spiciness.
I gulped it down, and the warmth spread from my mouth to my stomach.
Having discussed a bunch of brain-taxing things during the day, she just wanted to relax. She took off her flowerpot-shaped shoes and removed her hair ornaments, saying, "Prepare water, I want to take a bath."
Yanxi Palace has no shortage of firewood and its own tea room, so hot water is quickly prepared.
Yunyun sat comfortably in the bathtub, with Lingzhi washing her hair behind her, the air filled with steam.
Fuling brought over a bottle of rose dew: "Your Highness, this was sent by the First Princess Consort last month. She said it has a light floral fragrance and can moisturize the skin. It's very popular among the princesses outside the palace. Would you like to try it?"
Yunyun nodded with her eyes closed.
She trusted the First Princess's taste; they didn't like strong fragrances, preferring light and pleasant scents, and the things they recommended were generally to her liking.
After her bath, Yunyun, carrying a faint scent of roses, sat on the chaise lounge reading a storybook. Lingzhi stood behind her, drying her hair with a soft towel. "Your hair is so well-maintained, Mistress."
While wiping away the moisture, Lingzhi praised, "Your hair is jet black and shiny; even the ladies of the harem rarely have hair like yours."
Yun Jun muttered to herself, "Who told her to be so carefree and open-minded?"
Aside from maintaining her hydration, there's very little that worries her. She eats well, sleeps well, and gets enough nutrition, so it would be strange if her hair wasn't doing well.
-
After October, the emperor set off on a western tour.
He took the Third Prince with him and, before leaving, assigned Baoqing a task: to oversee the construction of the Ninth and Tenth Princes' residences.
The two princes, both in their twenties, still had no official duties and spent their days in the Imperial Study with the Fourteenth Prince, playing with cats and dogs, prompting the Imperial Study's tutor to petition the Emperor more than once.
It is said that the two princes are getting old, and it is not good for them to just stay in the Imperial Study. If the Emperor has any trivial tasks, he should give them to the two princes.
They really couldn't wait for those two princes to leave, because they were about to set off firecrackers.
It's just that Kangxi had been holding back for some reason, and only now has he finally given his consent to allow the two princes to leave the palace and establish their own residences.
Baoqing didn't think the job was unimportant, and even went to ask his ninth and tenth brothers what kind of mansion they wanted.
The location of the mansion was chosen by Emperor Kangxi before he left. The Ninth Prince's mansion was located in Tieshizi Hutong, and the Eighth Prince's Beile Mansion was just to the north.
The Tenth Prince's residence was not adjacent to any other prince; it was surrounded by the residences of ministers and was not far from Mingzhu's residence.
The Ninth Prince had already prepared a map and pointed it out to Baoqing: "I want to have a lake in this location, and plant some lotus flowers in it. In the summer, we can also take boat trips there."
The Tenth Prince also came over to look and copied his idea: "This is a good idea. Please remember it for me, brother, so I can build one too."
Baoqing listened to their discussion and had a eunuch take notes.
The more they talked, the more absurd it became. Baoqing interrupted his ninth brother, who was getting carried away, saying, "If we need to repair anything else, we'll have to pay for it ourselves. Do you have enough money?"
Although the Ninth Prince had a concubine as his mother, Consort Yi strictly controlled his allowance because he was too good at causing trouble, fearing that he would squander the money.
Therefore, the Ninth Prince was not really wealthy.
The Tenth Prince eagerly offered to be the sucker: "It's alright if Ninth Brother doesn't have enough, I can lend him some first."
He is really rich.
His mother was a concubine, and after her death, she left all her personal wealth to him.
It was a vast fortune, which included her sister Empress Niohuru's dowry and private savings, her own dowry and private savings, as well as various festival rewards from the palace and tributes from all over the country.
In short, the Tenth Prince was incredibly wealthy.
The Ninth Prince opened his folding fan with a swish, beaming with pride: "Tenth Brother doesn't need to pay, I have my own money."
As for how it came to be, let's not worry about that.
Baoqing wasn't curious about where the Ninth Prince's money came from; he just thought that his Ninth Brother, who was fanning himself in the dead of winter, was crazy.
-
Today the sun was shining brightly, and it was warm and cozy. Yunyun had two pots of wine and a few side dishes warmed up and brought to the courtyard to eat, which would be a good opportunity to replenish calcium.
The Grand Princess lay with her on the rocking chair, with butter tea with bamboo tubes inserted beside them.
The maid from the Prince's residence stood nervously to the side. This was her first time accompanying the Princess Consort to the palace to pay her respects to Consort Hui, and no one had ever told her that this was how the Princess Consort interacted with Consort Hui in the palace.
This is... utterly lacking in manners.
It is also natural and relaxing.
Yunyun had two slices of cucumber placed over her eyes, which looked quite professional. The First Princess Consort couldn't understand this beauty recipe and didn't want it.
"My ninth brother's wife's birthday is in a few days. Mother, what do you think we should give her as a gift?"
The Ninth Prince's wife and the Third Prince's wife were both from the Dong'e clan and were cousins. However, her family background was more illustrious, and her father was a second-rank military commander.
According to her observation, the couple's relationship was quite good; the Ninth Prince seemed very tolerant of his straightforward wife, unlike his third sister-in-law...
However, she couldn't interfere in matters between husband and wife.
The eldest princess consort was very self-aware of her role as the eldest sister-in-law and treated her younger siblings well. Even the crown princess could meet with her and exchange a few words.
Knowing the First Princess's temperament, Yun Jun yawned softly, feeling lazy under the sun, and said slowly, "Aren't they going to leave the palace to establish their own residences? Let's send them some things that they can use after they leave the palace."
The First Princess Consort began to consider what she lacked or was short of when she left the palace.
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