Chapter 8 Rewards from Consort Nara
Did I say you could leave?
Consort Nara wanted to back down, but Consort Guoluo was not prepared to let it go.
She enjoyed the emperor's favor for a month, then fell out of favor for a month; her life after entering the palace was full of ups and downs.
When she was favored, she was surrounded by flattery, and the palace maids in the Qianqing Palace treated her differently, serving her with great care.
After falling out of favor, even the kitchen staff dared to mess with her, sending her either soups with a thick layer of oil or bland, undercooked side dishes that were clearly just practiced by the young eunuchs.
This also gave her a deeper understanding of the imperial harem.
The feeling of elation instantly plummeted to the ground.
People are no longer as restless as before.
However, she will not let the culprit get away with it.
"Sister Nara has truly wasted her time learning manners," Consort Guoluo said arrogantly. "She can't even greet people properly, and now she's even forgotten how to take her leave?"
Consort Nara was not a very composed person to begin with, and she turned around and started arguing with Consort Guoluo.
The two of them took turns poking at each other's hearts with their words.
Neither side would give in.
Consort Tong was in a rare good mood and took a walk in the Imperial Garden with her palace servants.
Recently, Consort Guo Luoluo has fallen out of favor. Although the Emperor will visit the palaces of other concubines, he only stays for a short while.
He would stay overnight only when he went to her palace, and he served her in bed far more often than anyone else.
This gave Consort Tong a bit more confidence, and she even found the scenery around her much more pleasing to the eye.
Hearing some commotion nearby, Tong Fei raised her hand and said, "Let's go take a look."
As a true imperial concubine, Consort Tong would literally lift eight feet at a time when she went out, followed by a long line of palace maids and eunuchs.
Very conspicuous.
Upon seeing her, Consort Nara and Consort Guoluo stopped arguing, curtsied, and greeted her, "Greetings, Your Highness Consort Tong."
Seeing that it was the two of them, Consort Tong frowned and said, "Get up."
"You are all the Emperor's concubines. What kind of behavior is this, making a ruckus in the Imperial Garden?"
Consort Nara pouted, "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. I happened to meet Consort Guoluo strolling in the garden and we exchanged a few words. Who would have thought that Consort Guoluo would be so arrogant and look down on my lowly rank of princess?"
At this point, she stopped addressing them as "sister" or "younger sister."
nausea.
Consort Tong disliked Consort Guo Luoluo; deep down, she thought Consort Guo Luoluo was a vixen.
However, she also disliked Consort Nara.
"Alright," Consort Tong said, too lazy to listen to their arguments. "We are all sisters who serve the Emperor. What grudges can't be settled in private? Why make a scene in public? It's a laughing stock for the servants and a disgrace to the harem."
Consort Nara wanted to say a few more words, but a palace maid beside her gently tugged at her sleeve.
Having just finished being confined to my home, it's best to keep a low profile for now.
Consort Tong was not a kind person.
She wasn't stupid enough to admit it, so Consort Nara wisely bowed her head and said, "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have argued with Consort Guoluo in the Imperial Garden."
Consort Tong turned her gaze to Consort Guo Luoluo.
She was somewhat reluctant, "This concubine knows her mistake."
Although Consort Tong disliked them, she didn't take them seriously either.
It's just a wrapper.
The punishment was given lightly: "Since you know you're wrong, you must accept the punishment. Go back and copy the palace rules ten times."
The palace rules were extremely complex, covering various aspects such as etiquette, clothing, daily life, and punishment.
Furthermore, it will be supplemented based on the actual situation.
Even a well-trained court scribe, working tirelessly and without error, would need three months to complete the task, even with intensive daily copying.
Moreover, there were two unprofessional concubines in the imperial harem.
However, as a concubine, Consort Tong had the right to punish other concubines.
They had no choice but to accept it.
-
The imperial harem was relatively peaceful during this period.
None of the three newly entered concubines were favored. Each of them served the emperor once, and after that, they were forgotten by the emperor.
Emperor Kangxi frequented the same places he had visited before.
Consort Ma Jia and Consort Tong shared the emperor's favor equally, while Consort Yun Yun and Consort Guo Luo Luo were second in rank. The rest of them simply stayed in the harem and lived their lives as living, breathing people.
Or rather, this is the norm.
Newcomers may still have unrealistic fantasies, but the older generation is already used to it.
Fresh flower buds appear every year, but very few can truly leave an impression on the emperor.
No one dares to be certain that they can be that flower that never fades.
Consort Niohuru did not forbid the concubines from vying for the emperor's favor; in fact, one could say she was happy to see the harem flourish with a hundred flowers blooming.
However, one must have the confidence to compete for favor.
Either you have a powerful family background, or you have money to bribe officials, or at the very least, you have some brains.
None of these exist.
Go to bed early tonight.
It was lunchtime, and a palace maid was kneeling on the ground gently massaging Consort Niohuru's legs when a eunuch outside the door whispered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived."
Consort Niohuru's eyelashes fluttered, and she raised her hand to signal the palace maid to leave.
The Emperor would sometimes suddenly appear on a whim, and Consort Niohuru was used to it.
There wasn't enough time for her to dress up, but fortunately she was always meticulous. The red gold hairpin with pearls was inserted diagonally into her temple, and the dark patterns on her clothes were neatly embroidered. There was nothing wrong with her in order to receive the emperor.
She had just gotten up when Kangxi lifted the curtain and entered, his bright yellow dragon robe sweeping across the threshold, carrying the sweltering heat of the outside world.
"Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
Kangxi helped her up, saying, "No need for formalities, I just came to sit down."
The young eunuch quickly served the freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and the two chatted casually about everyday matters.
Kangxi unconsciously twirled the sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist, polishing them until they became smooth and shiny.
Suddenly, he changed the subject, his voice deepening, revealing neither joy nor anger: "I intend to send the Tenth Prince out of the palace and entrust him to the care of ministers."
Consort Niohuru paused, her hand holding the teacup still, and frowned slightly: "Does Consort Ma Jia know about this matter?"
She actually dared to do that?
Although Consort Ma Jia gave birth to five sons and one daughter, four of the sons died young, and only the daughter was raised by her.
Moreover, her body was damaged during this childbirth, and the imperial physicians have concluded that she can no longer have children.
She had to treat this son, who might be her only son in the future, like her lifeblood.
Why would they still be willing to give it away?
This matter is actually related to Emperor Kangxi.
When Emperor Kangxi visited Consort Ma Jia, he casually mentioned that the Fifth Prince was doing well outside the palace, while looking at the tiny Tenth Prince. Consort Ma Jia immediately had an idea.
She asked for nothing more than that the Tenth Prince could grow up healthy.
What does it matter whether I'm by her side or not?
There were too many examples of princes dying young in the harem, and Emperor Kangxi naturally understood Consort Ma Jia's concerns.
Moreover, entrusting princes to the care of high-ranking officials is a means for the royal family to win over nobles. Given the precedent of the Fifth Prince, it is not considered out of line.
“She is naturally willing,” Kangxi said calmly. “I have already chosen someone to raise her, and I intend to entrust her to the care of the First-Class Duke, Garu.”
Consort Niohuru immediately understood.
Garu is the eldest son of Soni, the head of the four regents, and the biological father of Empress Renxiao. He also serves as the Minister of the Imperial Guard, holding the power of the Imperial Guard. He is one of the most trusted ministers of Emperor Kangxi.
Handing the Tenth Prince over to Garu not only gave Consort Ma Jia face but also further consolidated the connection with the Hesheli family, achieving two goals at once.
Seeing that the Emperor had a plan in mind, Consort Niohuru also came to her senses.
The Emperor probably came here right after leaving Zhongcui Palace.
Consort Niohuru put down her teacup, nodded slightly, and said with just the right amount of agreement, "The person His Majesty has chosen is certainly appropriate. Lord Garu is loyal to the emperor and loves his country. As a member of the imperial family, the Tenth Prince will surely receive careful care in his residence. I will give the order now to begin preparations for the Tenth Prince's departure from the palace."
Emperor Kangxi showed some satisfaction: "With you in charge, I am at ease."
After finishing his business, Kangxi chatted with Consort Niohuru for a while before getting up and leaving.
He still had state affairs to attend to and could not stay in the inner palace for long.
In less than half an hour, the eunuchs from the Qianqing Palace arrived in a grand procession carrying the rewards.
"Greetings to Your Highness Consort Niohuru! This was sent by His Majesty through our servants. Would Your Highness like to take a look?"
Two young eunuchs stepped forward carrying a red lacquered tray, and the young eunuchs quickly introduced the items.
"These are three bolts of brocade newly presented as tribute by the Suzhou Textile Bureau this year. One is moon-white with a peony scroll pattern, one is sapphire blue with a crane and cloud pattern, and one is apricot with a lotus scroll pattern. They are all extremely rare treasures. This year, the Suzhou Textile Bureau only presented these three bolts as tribute, and His Majesty sent them all to the Empress."
"These are pearls from Northeast China. Each one is plump, round, and translucent. Whether used to make jewelry or ground into pearl powder to nourish the body, they are of the highest quality."
"And these lychees, the Fujian governor transported the whole lychee trees that had borne fruit to the capital by boat, carefully nurtured them in the process, and only managed to get five baskets in total. Your Majesty, you have received two baskets."
Consort Niohuru looked at the gifts and smiled gently. She said to her head maid, Qingxing, "Please thank His Majesty for these gifts on my behalf."
Qingxing was prepared and handed over two heavy purses.
The young eunuchs took the silver ingots in their hands, and judging from their weight, they knew they contained the full amount of silver. Their eyes narrowed with smiles: "Thank you for your reward, Your Highness! If Your Highness has no other instructions, we will take our leave now, as we still have to deliver things to the other ladies."
After the eunuchs left, Qingxing went forward to tidy up the tray.
She couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the Emperor's rewards this time are truly generous, especially those three bolts of cloud brocade. So many people would kill for them!"
Consort Niohuru simply waved her hand dismissively, "Put them all away. Lychees are considered 'hot' in traditional Chinese medicine, and I, being of a cold constitution, cannot eat them. You can take them and distribute them so that the servants can share in the joy."
These were all ordinary objects to her.
She came from the Niohuru clan, a prominent family, and had seen and tasted all sorts of fine things while living in the mansion.
These things are simply not good enough for her now.
For her, the emperor's trust and the power to manage the harem were far more important than these objects.
-
This wasn't the only place that sent rewards.
Yunyun also received a box of pearls of varying sizes and a basket of lychees.
She peeled one.
It tastes almost the same as the one she bought at the supermarket.
He pushed the remaining lychees to Lingzhi: "You guys share them. I still prefer to eat iced watermelon in the summer. These lychees are too sweet."
Just as Lingzhi was about to accept it, Fuling walked in.
“Your Highness, all the rewards for the various palaces have been delivered. I inquired and found that the other concubines, like us, received a box of pearls and a basket of lychees. Among the princesses, only Consort Li, Consort Wang Jia, and Consort Nara each received a plate of lychees. The rest of the princesses didn’t even get to see them.”
Lychees, which are readily available in modern times, have become a symbol of status here.
No wonder the concubines wanted to climb the ranks.
Without status, you can't even afford fresh fruit.
The treatment of unfavored concubines was even worse than that of the palace maids serving favored concubines.
Yunyun said, "By the way, leave a few for Xiaofuzi. It's not easy for him to run errands outside in this hot weather."
Lingzhi quickly agreed, "I remember, I'll take it to him later. By the way, my lady, this morning Xiao Fuzi went to the kitchen to get some things and brought back two watermelons. They should be thoroughly chilled in the well water by now. I'll go cut them up for you to cool you down."
“No rush,” Yunyun said, pointing to the pearls in the box.
"First, take out the larger pearls from this box to make earrings, and put the smaller ones in the storeroom. When you have enough pearls to fill a box, weave them into a necklace, which will be perfect for wearing with plain clothes in the summer."
-
The atmosphere in Consort Nara's room was somewhat delicate at this moment.
She held the plate of lychees, a hint of pride on her face.
Although it was just a plate, it was much more respectable than those princesses who didn't even get a glimpse of lychees.
But then she thought about it again. Consort Guo Luoluo, as a junior consort, received a whole basket, while she only received a plate, and a sour feeling welled up in her heart.
She has children, so how can she be inferior to Consort Guo Luoluo?
I wonder when the Emperor will promote her rank.
Seeing her expression change, the palace maid beside her quickly advised, "Your Highness, it is already a great favor to receive the Emperor's reward. Please try it; these lychees are so fresh."
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