Chapter 102 Guo Luoluo gives to Yi'an...
Guo Luoluo prepared two identical gold-inlaid jade longevity locks for Yi'an and Hongxi. The workmanship was exquisite, and two large pearls were inlaid on them.
Fucha immediately recognized that this was a rare and valuable item, and after accepting it, she thanked the aunt on behalf of the two children.
"Sister-in-law, you've given me such an expensive gift on our first meeting. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you." Fucha smiled and immediately put the two longevity locks on Yi'an and Hongxi's wrists.
The two children are almost one year old now. Yi'an is learning to walk and talk faster than her brother. She can now take a few steps while holding onto the wall or a person. She can now call out "Mother" and "Father" and can occasionally utter a few other words.
Hongxi, on the other hand, is a bit slow-paced. He can sit by himself and play with his toys for half a day without making a fuss. He doesn't react much when anyone tries to coax him, and he is focused on doing his own thing.
Guo Luoluo also prepared gifts for Wenshan and Yinxiang, all of which were carefully selected as valuable and thoughtful gifts. Wenshan was quite satisfied with her two daughters-in-law. Putting aside other factors, they were both very straightforward and not the kind of people who would scheme against each other behind the scenes, which made it very comfortable to get along with them.
Yinzhi and Guoluo sat together and said with a smile, "Is Mother's gift ready? You gave Fourth Sister-in-law a lot of good things back then, so you can't be biased."
As the mother-in-law, Wen Shan naturally had to return the favor. She joked, "Look at him, he already sides with his wife right after they got married."
Guo Luoluo blushed slightly, looking somewhat shy.
Lady Fucha covered her face with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "My eighth brother and sister-in-law will live in harmony and grow old together with many children and grandchildren. I am so happy for them."
"As for the gifts, Mother has already prepared them. Eighth Brother, you don't need to worry, they are all for you and your husband."
Wen Shan's private stash is truly full of treasures. Anything that enters her private treasury is a rare gem. A few days ago, Wen Shan was thinking about this matter when Lady Fucha came to Xianfu Palace with her child. The two of them even discussed and chose a gift for Lady Guoluo.
As the eldest sister-in-law, Lady Fucha naturally prepared a set as well, consisting of some conventional treasures and antiques. The most outstanding item was a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who granted her a child, which she had obtained for her when she got married. It truly blessed her by allowing her to give birth to a son and a daughter.
After having Yi'an and Hongxi, Lady Fucha did not plan to have any more children in the next few years. She wanted to set aside time and energy to raise these two children properly. Therefore, she wanted to give this Guanyin statue that grants children to Yinzhi and Lady Guoluo so that they could have children as soon as possible.
Wen Shan was rummaging through the jewelry and jade pieces when she heard Fucha's words. She turned her head and said, "Those were obtained by your mother. Is it appropriate to give them to Yinzhi and Guoluo?"
After all, it's a mother's heartfelt gift, so it doesn't seem quite right to just pass it on like this.
"Mother, don't worry. Your daughter-in-law has already told the family. Mother also said that the Guanyin of Fertility is for those who wish for things to go smoothly. If it can benefit more people, it can be considered in line with the Buddhist teaching of universal salvation."
Guo Luoluo was overwhelmed with gratitude when she saw that Fucha had brought out such precious things to give to her. She thought to herself that her mother and fourth sister-in-law were indeed sincere people.
Wen Shan chose a set of headdresses for Guo Luoluo that the Empress Dowager had given her when she was conferred the title of Imperial Concubine. Guo Luoluo had treasured it all these years but hadn't worn it much.
"This was a gift from the Empress Dowager when I was conferred the title of Noble Consort. It was also given to me by Emperor Wen when the Empress Dowager gave birth to the late Emperor. It is quite an old item. I am giving it to you today, hoping that you and Yinzhi will have a peaceful and prosperous life."
Knowing how deep the relationship was between Wen Shan and the Empress Dowager, Yin Si quickly said, "Mother, this is too precious. You should keep it for yourself."
"I have plenty of things left to me by the Empress Dowager, it's alright." Wen Shan said with a smile, "The Empress Dowager loved Yinzhi very much when she was alive. She would be happy if she knew that this set of jewelry had been passed down to her great-granddaughter-in-law."
Having said all that, Guo Luoluo had no choice but to accept it.
After sitting and talking for a while, Liang Jiugong came to Xianfu Palace in person, saying that there were some matters from the previous dynasty. Kangxi had already gone to the Imperial Study to discuss with the ministers and did not have time to see Yinzhi and Guoluo. He also took Yinzhen away to go to the Imperial Study together.
Yinzhi should have gone to the meeting, but he was on his wedding leave, so he skipped it.
Without having to go through the formalities with Emperor Kangxi, Cheng Wenshan invited Yinzhi and Lady Guoluo to stay for lunch.
It's just that I reckon it's unlikely that Yinzhen will make it in time.
Yi'an and Hongxi's laughter and merriment made the adults laugh out loud.
Guo Luoluo was also a little envious when she looked at Fucha's two children. They were fair-skinned, tender, beautiful and cute children who were a delight to behold.
Yi'an was clever. Although she didn't know that Guo Luoluo was her aunt, she started babbling and reaching out her little arms to hug the beautiful older sister who had given her a gift.
Fucha handed Yi'an to her, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"That girl is clever and quick-witted; she knows who's good to her."
This was the first time Guo Luoluo had ever held a baby, and her posture was a little stiff. Fortunately, Yi'an was no longer a newborn baby. She cleverly adjusted her posture and hugged Guo Luoluo's neck, smiling sweetly.
"Mother...Mother!"
Yi'an bounced around in Guo Luoluo's arms, looking very happy.
“I’m your aunt, not your mother,” Guo Luoluo said with a smile.
Lady Fucha sighed from the side, "Ever since this girl learned to call me 'Mother,' she calls any woman she sees 'Mother.'"
It was as if in her world, "Mother" was a general term for all women.
Yi'an blinked and tilted her head, seemingly hearing the term "aunt" for the first time.
"Aunt...Aunt..." Yi'an clapped her hands, "Aunt!"
Guo Luoluo was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Yi'an is so clever!"
Wenshan and Fucha were also surprised that Yi'an had learned to call her "aunt".
Guo Luoluo was extremely envious, and she also thought that it would be great if she could have a daughter as lovely as Yi'an.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang teased Hongxi from the side. Hongxi was very mature for his age. He imitated his father's stern face perfectly, but he was not as reserved as Yinzhen was when he was a child. He always liked to do some naughty things with a serious face.
Yinzhi always liked this little nephew very much, and would hold him on his lap and bully him mischievously while he was still unable to speak.
"Hongxi, look, your little sister can already say a few words and even call you 'Auntie'. Why don't you, you little lazybones, open your mouth yet?"
Hongxi glanced at him but didn't say anything, continuing to fiddle with the longevity lock around her neck.
Seeing how much he liked it, Yinzhi teased him, "This was given to you by your aunt. If you don't call her aunt, then give this to your sister too."
As expected, Hongxi became wary upon hearing this, carefully protecting his longevity lock and then looking at Yinzhi with great displeasure.
Yinzhi was amused by him. He knew this kid was smart and could understand everything, but he just wouldn't speak.
"Alright, stop teasing your nephew." Wen Shan glared at Yin Si when she heard this; it wasn't appropriate to joke like that with a child.
Yinzhi raised his hands in surrender and immediately admitted his mistake: "Eighth Uncle was wrong. How about Eighth Uncle gives Hongxi a small bracelet as an apology later?"
Hongxi finally relaxed his tense expression: "Mm."
Hongxi can only make a few sounds like "uh-huh" and "ah-ah" right now, but that's enough for this little mute.
"Hey, this kid!" Yinzhi clicked his tongue and said.
Yinxiang laughed heartily, saying that Hongxi's pretense of being a fool was more like Yinsi's than Yinzhen's.
Yinzhi patted Hongxi's head and said, "Wait until you grow up and see how your father deals with you."
As expected, Yinzhen did not return for lunch. Wenshan asked Yinsi what had happened that had led to such a long discussion. Yinsi replied that it was nothing, just some troublesome matters at the border, neither major nor minor.
Pearl came in while the group was eating.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has just issued an edict promoting Consort Jin to the rank of Imperial Concubine Jin."
Wen Shan simply said "Oh," without any further reaction: "You can prepare some congratulatory gifts and send them over as usual."
I didn't expect her to be promoted so quickly. It seems that Emperor Kangxi really likes Consort Jin. Otherwise, given how stingy Emperor Kangxi is with the ranks of his concubines, it would have taken him five or six years to catch up with the grand promotion of the six palaces.
Pearl continued somewhat awkwardly, "Consort Tongjia just sent someone to tell Your Majesty that she doesn't know how to deal with Consort Jin."
"Consort Jin and Consort Ping lived together in Chuxiu Palace. Now that Consort Jin has been granted the title of Consort and is now the head of a palace, it is no longer convenient for her to live in Chuxiu Palace. However, there are not many vacant rooms in the East and West Six Palaces, so Consort Tongjia came to ask for your opinion."
It is a rule that there cannot be two principal positions in one palace. Since Consort Jin has been granted the title of Consort, it is indeed not appropriate for her to continue to share the Chuxiu Palace with Consort Ping.
However, the six palaces in the east and west are now quite full, with the only remaining palace being Yonghe Palace of the Uya clan.
Yonghe Palace has been sealed off ever since Uya was convicted.
Consort Tongjia felt it was inappropriate to leave the vast Yonghe Palace empty for the sake of a disgraced concubine. However, given the special circumstances of Consort Wuya, she dared not make the decision directly to let Consort Jin move in, nor did she know where to move Consort Wuya. So she simply came to ask Wenshan for her opinion.
Yinzhi and Yinxiang had obviously thought of this as well. Yinzhi said, "Although there is no principal position in Yonghe Palace, the imperial decree to seal the palace was issued by Father Emperor. If we want to move people in, we have to ask Father Emperor's opinion."
Wen Shan nodded, and told Pearl to go and report back to Consort Tongjia.
The matter eventually reached Emperor Kangxi. After some deliberation, Kangxi ordered that Lady Wuya be moved to the relatively remote Jingqi Pavilion, and that Consort Jin be moved into Yonghe Palace.
Consort Jin was somewhat unwilling upon learning the news. She felt that Yonghe Palace was unlucky, not only because many children had died prematurely, but also because the Fourteenth Prince had rebelled, and the Fifth Princess...
However, since there were no other palaces available, she had no choice but to move in reluctantly. Before moving in, she had the Imperial Household Department renovate the entire facility, causing them considerable hardship. Unfortunately, Consort Jin was currently favored by the Emperor, so they had no choice but to comply.
Not long after the new year came the Fifth Princess's wedding. Since the Fifth Princess was marrying into the capital, Wen Shan and many other concubines went out of the palace to attend the Fifth Princess's wedding. Consort Min was also unusually radiant that day as she came to send her daughter off to her wedding.
The day before the Fifth Princess's wedding, she went to Jingqi Pavilion but did not go inside. She simply kowtowed and paid her respects to Lady Wuya outside, which was considered to fulfill her filial duty.
Uya remained inside without showing her face or uttering a single word.
Just three days after the Fifth Princess's wedding, Consort Min's condition took a sharp turn for the worse, as if she had finally lost her obsession and her body rapidly deteriorated.
Yinxiang hurriedly summoned all the imperial physicians, both inside and outside the palace, to Yanxi Palace, but to no avail. Almost all the doctors said that Consort Min was beyond saving and there was no way to save her.
Yinzhen and Yinsi also helped find many famous doctors, but to no avail. They could only spend more time with Yinxiang.
Wen Shan also frequently visited Consort Min. Consort Min was aware that her time was coming to an end, and she was unusually calm and peaceful at this time.
"The scene of the day the Eleventh Prince passed away has tormented me day and night for years, but it's finally coming to an end," Consort Min said with emotion.
Wen Shan couldn't help but want to cry. She turned her head away to wipe her tears before saying, "Don't think about it so much. It's all in the past now."
Consort Min shook her head: "I can't get over it, I'll never get over it. If I hadn't gone to Yikun Palace that day, the Eleventh Prince might have lived to be a hundred years old."
Consort Min always believed that she was responsible for the death of the Eleventh Prince and blamed herself for it every day, never having the face to face Consort Yi again.
This matter is a deadlock. If Consort Min is to get out of this mess, she needs to find someone else to take responsibility for the death of the Eleventh Prince.
If Consort Min were a selfish person, she could have easily shifted all the blame onto the Fifth Princess. If the Fifth Princess hadn't begged her, Consort Min wouldn't have gone to Yikun Palace in the middle of the night to discuss a solution with Consort Yi.
But Consort Min was not that kind of person. She loved the Fifth Princess so much that she could only grit her teeth and take all the responsibility upon herself.
Now that the Fifth Princess has also gotten married, she has nothing left to worry about.
"Wen Ke and Dun Ke are still waiting for you, their mother, to choose husbands for them." Wen Shan forced a smile and said softly, "Fifth Princess, you care so much, but what about your own two daughters?"
"And then there's Yinxiang. In another two or three years, it'll be time to discuss marriage. Who knows, in a few more years you might be able to hold your grandson."
"How can you say you don't miss out on all the wonderful things in this world?"
Consort Min seemed to have imagined the scene Wen Shan described, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "I am very relieved that Yinxiang is being taken care of by Your Majesty and his two older brothers. As for Dunke and Wenke, Yinxiang, as their older brother, will also take good care of them."
"Every cause has its effect; there's no escaping it."
Wen Shan would visit Consort Min almost every day to talk to her. Consort Min's condition fluctuated, and Yinxiang and Wenke Dunke also served her at her bedside every day, hoping that Consort Min would recover quickly.
Both Lady Fucha and Lady Guoluo sent a lot of tonics and medicinal herbs to Yanxi Palace.
Emperor Kangxi visited her several times, and he naturally knew where Consort Min's heart lay. However, he was even more at a loss as to how to comfort her, since he had also truly lost a son who had grown to the age of twelve.
One afternoon, shortly after Wen Shan returned from Yanxi Palace, a palace servant came to report that Consort Yi had arrived.
Wen Shan's eyes lit up and she quickly had someone invite her in.
"Did Your Highness just return from Yanxi Palace?" Consort Yi asked directly after entering, without any formalities.
Wen Shan nodded: "Minfei's condition is not good, so I thought I'd go and see her more often."
Wen Shan had considered having Consort Yi visit Consort Min. However, no matter how much they said, it might not be as comforting as Consort Yi saying a few words to Consort Min. Consort Yi was in even greater pain from losing her son, and she had told Wen Shan that she would try to avoid seeing Consort Min in the future. Wen Shan found it difficult to bring up the matter.
After a long silence, Consort Yi said, "I was thinking of going to see Consort Min later. After all, we've been sisters for many years, so I should visit her."
Wen Shan wasn't particularly happy to hear this; she just sighed and said, "I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position."
The messy accounts between Consort Yi and Consort Min are probably impossible to unravel no matter how you try to explain them.
Consort Yi smiled and said nothing more before taking her leave and heading to Yanxi Palace.
Yinxiang soon received the news and rushed to Xianfu Palace.
"Mother, I heard that Consort Yi went to Yanxi Palace?"
Wenshan said, "I just left here."
Yinxiang also smiled. If Consort Yi could comfort his mother, perhaps his mother's knot in her heart would be untied.
Yinxiang had been running around these past few days and looked quite thin. He was relieved to learn that Consort Yi had gone to Yanxi Palace and complained that he was hungry. Wenshan quickly went to the small kitchen and made him some food. An hour later, a palace servant came to report that Consort Yi had left Yanxi Palace.
Consort Yi stayed in Yanxi Palace for quite some time, and they didn't know what Consort Yi and Consort Min talked about. However, after Consort Yi left, someone reported that Consort Min's spirits had suddenly improved and she even mentioned wanting to drink meat soup.
Yinxiang was overjoyed and said that indeed, a mental illness requires a mental cure. If he had known that Consort Yi's words would be so effective, he would have knelt in front of Yikun Palace for a long time to beg Consort Yi to visit him.
Wen Shan felt inexplicably more anxious. Sure enough, just before going to bed, Amber rushed in and said that Consort Min had passed away.
Wen Shan's mind went blank, and she hurriedly dressed and rushed to Yanxi Palace. When she arrived at the palace gate, she heard Wen Ke and Dun Ke crying.
Chaos reigned in Yanxi Palace as well. Yunlan, the head palace maid, was managing to organize the servants' tasks. When she saw Wenshan arrive, she hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort, you've finally arrived."
Wen Shan looked at it and asked, "Have you notified Yinxiang?"
Yinxiang is probably still awake at the Fifth Palace in Ganxi.
Yunlan sobbed, "Before our Empress left, she instructed us not to disturb the Thirteenth Prince's rest, saying that we should tell him tomorrow morning."
“This won’t do,” Wen Shan said to Amber. “Go to Ganxi Fifth Palace and tell the Thirteenth Prince to come over here quickly.”
Given Yinxiang's personality, he would be heartbroken to death if he didn't get to see Consort Min one last time.
Amber hurriedly went to the Fifth Palace of Ganxi, while Wenshan walked towards the bedroom.
Dunke and Wenke were weeping by Consort Min's bedside. When they saw Wenshan arrive, they all called out to the Empress Mother through their teary eyes.
Wenshan picked them up and hugged them, one in each arm.
"Good children, don't cry anymore. How sad your mother would be to see you crying like this."
Wen Ke and Dun Ke were still young, so Wen Shan comforted them and had them taken away first, worried that it might leave a bad impression on them.
Consort Min passed away peacefully, a smile still on her lips. Yunlan sobbed and said, "Before she left, her mistress drank a bowl of lotus seed porridge and sewed sachets for the two princesses."
Wen Shan couldn't hold back her tears either. Yin Xiang arrived at this time, his clothes were a bit messy, probably because he had just thrown them on as soon as he heard the news and rushed over.
Yinxiang was struck dumb, standing there in front of Consort Min's bed, unable to utter a single word.
Wen Shan put her arm around him, unsure of what to say to comfort him at this moment.
As it turned out, Yinxiang was much calmer than she had imagined. He didn't even shed many tears, but simply stayed silently by Consort Min's bedside.
Wen Shan dismissed all the palace servants, and Yin Xiang looked up at Wen Shan and said, "Mother, I have tried my best, but I still couldn't protect you."
"Mother knows." Wen Shan wiped away her tears and said, "Your eighth brother once told me that life and death are determined by fate, and human power cannot change anything. At least compared to the previous life, you have allowed Consort Min to live a few more years."
Having already experienced the loss of too many relatives and close friends in two lifetimes, it would be too cruel to make him experience the death of his own mother again.
The next morning, Yinzhen and Yinsi also received the news, and people from various palaces came one after another. Kangxi also came to take a look and issued an edict to bury Consort Min with the standards of a Noble Consort, and posthumously conferred upon her the title of Noble Consort Jingmin.
Consort Min's funeral was held in a grand manner. Yinxiang stayed by her coffin every day, and Yinzhen and Yinsi took turns bringing her meals. At such a time, the two of them could only choose to keep her company silently.
Consort Yi also came to pay her respects to Consort Min. Wen Shan didn't ask what Consort Min and Consort Yi had said that day. The deceased is gone, and there's no point in saying more. Besides, Consort Yi is definitely not the kind of person who would stab someone in the back.
Like Yinxiang, the Fifth Princess never relaxed her vigil and stayed by Consort Min's coffin, kneeling for the full mourning period.
Yinxiang and the Fifth Princess knelt side by side but didn't exchange more than a few words.
After Consort Min's funeral, Emperor Kangxi came to Xianfu Palace, mainly to discuss with Wenshan who should raise Wenke and Dunke.
Wenke and Dunke were both young and needed to find a foster mother. Wenshan and Consort Min had always been on good terms and Wenshan was raising Yinxiang, so Kangxi wanted Wenshan to decide who would raise the two princesses.
“Wen Ke and Dun Ke have been raised together since childhood and have a very close relationship. My intention is not to separate the sisters,” Kangxi said. “As for who to entrust them to, you can decide.”
"If you don't trust others, you can keep them in Xianfu Palace."
Wen Shan nodded, also thinking that it would be best to raise the two little princesses in Xianfu Palace, so that it would be convenient for Yinxiang to visit them.
The next day, Consort Yi heard the news and rushed to Xianfu Palace, saying she wanted to raise Wenke and Dunke in Yikun Palace.
“On the day Consort Min left, she entrusted Wen Ke and Dun Ke to me, but she never told Your Majesty,” Consort Yi said.
Wen Shan was somewhat surprised: "Was it Consort Min who brought it up on her own initiative?"
"Yes, since Consort Min trusts me, I will naturally take good care of the two princesses."
To this day, Wen Shan has not pressed for details about what the two of them said that day. Consort Yi is clearly not keen on bringing up the topic either, but she earnestly hopes that Wen Shan can help raise the two princesses with her.
Since it was Consort Min's last wish, Wen Shan had no reason to disagree; she simply said she would ask the two children for their opinions first.
Consort Min did not tell Wen Ke and Dun Ke about the grudges between the adults. To the two children, Consort Yi was just an aunt who used to visit them often and bring them gifts, and they liked Consort Yi very much.
Moreover, before Consort Min left, she told them that they might have to live with her in the future and that they should be obedient.
So when Wenshan asked, the two children agreed.
Then, Consort Yi naturally took Wen Ke and Dun Ke back to Yikun Palace.
Wen Shan was initially worried that Yinxiang would disagree, but Yinxiang remained silent for a while and then said that since this was Consort Min's wish, then let the two younger sisters go.
He also believed that Consort Yi would treat Wen Ke and Dun Ke well.
After Consort Min left, Wen Shan felt that time passed exceptionally quickly. Spring came and autumn went, and two or three years passed in the blink of an eye. Yinzhi and Lady Guoluo also welcomed their first child.
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