Chapter 16 "How could it be Consort Hui?"...
"How could it be Consort Hui?"
Wen Shan paced back and forth, carrying Yin Si, while Bao Quan inquired outside. According to reliable information Bao Quan had gathered, Consort Tongjia, Consort Hui, and the First Prince were all currently in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
This morning, Consort Hui and the First Prince waited outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and Emperor Kangxi was immediately surrounded by them after the morning court session.
Then Consort Tongjia was hastily summoned there.
The news gradually spread throughout the palace, seemingly about the Fourth Prince. By now, the group had been in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for half an hour.
Yinzhi yawned slightly. What was so strange about that? Nowadays, apart from his mother and fourth brother who had a relationship and might care about this matter, the only people in the palace who didn't get along with Consort Tongjia were Niohuru and Consort Hui, and of course, Consort Ping.
However, Consort Ping would not step forward herself, otherwise she would implicate the Crown Prince. Since she could not persuade her mother, she would naturally choose another one.
Speaking of which, Yinzhi was more familiar with Consort Hui and the First Prince than with the other concubines and princes. After all, in his previous life, he had been raised in Consort Hui's palace. Even after Yinzhen ascended the throne, because the First Prince Yinti had been stripped of his title and imprisoned by Kangxi for bewitching the Crown Prince, it was Yinzhi who took Consort Hui to Prince Lian's residence for a life of luxury.
Consort Hui was favored by Emperor Kangxi at this time, and having given birth to his eldest son, she naturally had a high opinion of herself. Moreover, Yinti was the first son to grow up after Emperor Kangxi lost four sons in infancy, and he was very favored from a young age. Although he could not compare with the Crown Prince, he was still the first son and was somewhat different from the other princes.
If Consort Hui hadn't come from a humble background, and if Yinti hadn't yet grown up, the mother and son would probably have been swaggering around by now.
After all, Consort Hui and Prince Yinti in the later period of the Kangxi reign gave everyone the impression of being an arrogant, domineering, and always overconfident mother and son.
This is the ruthless man who, when deposing the crown prince, said, "If Yinreng is to be executed, it need not be done by the Emperor himself."
Consort Hui's idea of gaining status through her son has always been there, but it's only in its early stages.
Therefore, Yinzhi was fully aware of Consort Hui's current thoughts. It was one thing to have a crown prince standing in front of the eldest prince, but if Consort Tongjia ascended to the position of empress, both her biological son and her adopted fourth brother would become stumbling blocks for the eldest prince. He would definitely be used as a pawn by Consort Ping, whether she was openly or secretly instigated.
Well, it was exactly what he expected.
But for some reason, this life felt both strange and familiar to him. For example, in his previous life, there was no Hui Pin suing Tong Jia Guifei. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he could no longer follow the trajectory of his previous life after he was born. Logically speaking, it should be his strange rebirth that changed everything, but he always felt inexplicably that his mother was the center of these changes.
Regardless, since God has given him this opportunity, he will definitely make the most of it, whether for himself or for his mother.
Wen Shan was clearly clueless about these schemes. Seeing her mother's brows furrowing in worry, Yin Si sighed and reached out to hug her, trying to distract Wen Shan.
Give up, Mother. You are different from them. This is not something you should be thinking about.
"Your Majesty, Consort Hui and the First Prince have come out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation." Baoquan hurriedly came in from outside to report the latest situation.
"Where is the Imperial Concubine?" Wen Shan picked up Yinzhi and comforted him, turning her face to ask.
“The Imperial Concubine is still inside,” Baoquan said. “But Consort Hui seemed very happy when she came out.”
Wenshan sat down, thinking that it was probably a done deal.
Pearl served tea and said with a smile, "Shouldn't we be preparing to welcome the Fourth Prince back?"
"Shall we get ready to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?" Amber chimed in, stepping forward.
"Where are you going!" Yinzhi kicked his legs and glared at Amber. How could he appear in front of his father at this time!
Since Consort Tongjia can no longer raise Fourth Brother, he should either return to Consort De or return to his mother. Once this matter is settled, the Empress Dowager will naturally step in to bring Fourth Brother back.
The Cining Palace may appear unmoved by external influences, but its ears are actually sharper than anyone else's.
Fortunately, Wen Shan wasn't too confused. She patted Yin Si's back and picked up the small blanket that he had just kicked off.
"The Empress Dowager said to just wait for news."
Although things are about to be settled, Wen Shan still has some questions after reviewing the events.
Why do you think Consort Hui is making things difficult for Consort Tongjia?
Jade, fanning herself, said, "Perhaps it's because the rumors outside are so widespread that the Emperor intends to make the Imperial Concubine the Empress, so the Imperial Concubine has naturally become the target of everyone's criticism."
Yinzhi affirmed, "Not bad, not bad, at least there's one who's not so muddle-headed."
Wen Shan: "What? The Imperial Concubine wants to be made Empress?"
Yinzhi: "..."
So, Mother had no idea at all?
Even he, an infant who couldn't even leave the Xianfu Palace, knew about it, which shows how widely the news had spread. In recent days, Consort Yi, Consort Duan, and even the Empress Dowager had all mentioned it, though they all spoke of it cryptically. Yinzhi never expected that his own mother knew nothing about it.
Wen Shan only understood the whole story after thinking about it. She thought to herself that Consort Tongjia was too famous as a "one-day empress". According to history, she should have been conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort this winter. So she never thought that Consort Tongjia would be conferred the title of empress now.
Of course, another reason is that she has been very upset lately and has not been paying attention when chatting with Consort Yi and the others.
Sure enough, Wen Shan waited patiently for another half hour before someone came to deliver a message: Kangxi wanted her to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
...
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Consort Tongjia knelt at the lower end, weeping softly, while Emperor Kangxi sat at the upper end, watching her coldly, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
"Your Majesty, I know I am wrong and dare not argue," Consort Tongjia said, choking back tears. "But Your Majesty has never mistreated Yinzhen."
“Yinzhen was only a few days old when he was raised by my side. Although I am bothered by this, my love for Yinzhen is genuine.”
Consort Tongjia herself found it absurd and laughable, but perhaps human emotions are just that complicated and inexplicable.
On the one hand, she was still bothered by what her mother had said, but after all, Yinzhen had been raised alive in her palace, so how could she not have feelings for him?
Who knows the struggles and pain she endured?
However, after her miscarriage, she couldn't help but vent some of her anger on Yinzhen, and she became even more jealous when she saw him being close to Consort Xuan.
"Not mistreated?" Kangxi said coldly, "Yinzhen has been kneeling in the dark room of Chengqian Palace for two days. You call that not mistreated?"
Upon hearing this news today, Kangxi summoned Consort Tongjia and also asked Yinzhen to come along. However, he learned that Consort Tongjia had punished Yinzhen by making him kneel in a dark room two days ago, and that Yinzhen was too weak to see the emperor.
This incident made Consort Hui's lawsuit extremely smooth, as the fact of the mistreatment was right before her eyes. In addition, the First Prince vividly described how Yinzhen was absent-minded and depressed in the Imperial Study, which directly enraged Kangxi.
How could his prince allow his concubines to treat him like this?
Moreover, such nonsense about mutual generation and restraint is simply absurd.
No wonder Yinzhen's personality was so strange and gloomy; it was all because of Consort Tongjia.
“That’s Yinzhen…”
"It was just a beast raised by Yinzhen who destroyed something, and you punish him like this?" Kangxi interrupted her, stood up and walked to Consort Tongjia, his expression inscrutable.
"Those are clothes that I prepared for the child in my womb!" Consort Tongjia suddenly raised her head and said dreamily, "If he is born safely, he will be able to wear them by now."
"Why does Yinzhen have to make things difficult for my child!"
Emperor Kangxi stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Consort Tongjia as she cried out.
"The Imperial Concubine has gone mad and is behaving erratically. Let her go back to Chengqian Palace to recuperate."
"As for Yinzhen, let Consort Xuan take care of him. There's no need for him to return to Chengqian Palace."
For the first time, Consort Tongjia felt the oppressive power of the emperor, which made her feel suffocated. She realized that the emperor was truly angry this time, and there was no room for negotiation.
Kangxi glanced at her and said calmly, "If you are unwilling to raise them, there are plenty of concubines in the harem who are."
When Wen Shan arrived, she saw Consort Tongjia slumped on the ground with lifeless eyes, while Emperor Kangxi sat calmly on the dragon throne reading memorials.
After Wen Shan finished greeting the two men, Kangxi finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.
"Consort Xuan has arrived."
The tone was as if he were inviting her to dinner.
Wen Shan asked cautiously, "What's wrong with Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine?"
"Don't worry about her." Kangxi closed the memorial. "Go to Chengqian Palace now and bring Yinzhen back. From now on, Yinzhen will be raised in your palace."
"Really?!" Wen Shan was overjoyed. She hadn't expected things to go so smoothly that she didn't even have to ask.
Looking at Wen Shan's bright eyes and her genuine, undisguised joy, Kangxi's emotions calmed down a bit. Sure enough, there were still people in his harem who truly loved children.
His tone softened considerably: "Go ahead, I'll visit Yinzhen at your place tonight."
"..."
Can you take back that last sentence?
Wen Shan's abruptly stopped smile and her feigned surprise and gratitude made Kangxi's anger rise again. This Consort Xuan really was someone who used him and then threw him away.
Emperor Kangxi smiled warmly and said, "Remember to cook more of my favorite dishes."
"..."
Wen Shan almost lost her composure. Oh well, she'd already done him a favor today, so she'd reluctantly do something for him.
Wen Shan thanked the emperor and hurried to Chengqian Palace. With Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict, she had no obstacles in Chengqian Palace. The palace servants led her to Yinzhen's room.
As soon as Wenshan entered the room, she smelled a strong medicinal odor.
"What's wrong?" Wen Shan saw Yinzhen lying on the bed in a single layer of clothing, with a young eunuch applying medicine to him.
Yinzhen's face turned deathly pale. When he heard Wenshan's voice, he thought it was a hallucination until he saw Wenshan rush to his bedside and frantically check his body. Only then did he realize it was real.
Xuan's mother has arrived.
"It's alright, I did something wrong, and my mother made me kneel for a while as punishment." Yinzhen struggled to sit up, but Wenshan pressed him down and saw that his knees were bruised and scraped.
How long have they been kneeling?
"Yinzhen, your father said you'll be living in Xianfu Palace from now on." Wenshan showed him Kangxi's edict and patted his hair. "Your mother will take you back later."
Yinzhen stared blankly at the imperial edict for a while, then nodded. Wenshan hugged him, preventing him from watching the application of the medicine.
"Empress Xuan, good fortune!" Yinzhen suddenly thought of something and looked at her pleadingly, "Save good fortune."
"What's wrong with good fortune?"
The eunuch who was applying medicine to Yinzhen said, "The good fortune ruined the Consort's things. The Consort had it thrown back to the dog kennel. Dogs that are returned by nobles are usually disposed of."
The eunuch spoke cryptically, and Wen Shan understood that she would be killed. Upon hearing this, Yin Zhen became even more restless.
"It's alright, just lie there quietly. Baoquan will take you back to Xianfu Palace later, and your mother will go and bring you back your good fortune," Wenshan reassured him, giving Baoquan a wink.
Yinzhen's medicine was almost ready, and Baoquan immediately went forward and carried him on his back.
"Fourth Prince, this servant will carry you back."
After Yinzhen was carried back to Xianfu Palace by Baoquan, the palace servants were in a flurry of activity. Feicui even shed a few tears of heartache. Yinsi craned his neck to take a look, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that his fourth brother had been carried back.
What happened? Are you injured again?
Yinzhen passed by Yinsi's cradle and called for it to stop.
"Let me see my eighth brother."
Baoquan exclaimed "Oh!" and pulled Yinzhen to his side, then squatted down so that Yinzhen could see Yinsi in the cradle.
Yinzhi sucked his fingers, thinking that his fourth brother had finally returned and seemed to have suffered some hardships, and smiled at him.
Unexpectedly, Yinzhen took Yinsi's finger out of his mouth with a serious expression.
"Little brother, don't suck your thumb."
Yinzhi was stunned. Good heavens, he just got back and he's already lecturing him!
"What can I do if I don't listen to you?" Yinzhi stuck his finger back in.
Yinzhen then took it out for him with a stern face.
The two brothers went back and forth five or six times, making the palace servants watching them laugh.
Yinzhi caught a glimpse of Wenshan out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes lit up as he burst into tears.
Mother, my fourth brother is bullying me!
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