Chapter 17. Yinzhen was stunned, and began to...
Yinzhen was stunned and began to try to comfort his younger brother at a loss.
"Don't cry, don't cry, brother won't tease you anymore."
Yinzhi's cries grew louder.
As soon as Wen Shan entered the palace gate with good fortune, she heard her youngest son's loud voice.
Yinzhi was truly an angel baby. He ate and slept well and rarely made a fuss. In particular, he rarely cried. So when Wenshan heard him crying so loudly, her first reaction was to wonder what had happened to make him so upset.
Yinzhen turned to look at her: "Mother Xuan..."
He didn't expect that he would make his younger brother cry as soon as he got back.
Wen Shan picked up Yin Si and patted Yin Zhen's head affectionately. She asked the palace servants what was wrong. Fei Cui suppressed a laugh and said, "The Eighth Prince was sucking his hand when the Fourth Prince saw it, so the Fourth Prince took it out for him."
Yinzhen nodded: "Mother Xuan, I didn't mean to make my brother cry."
Yinzhi had stopped crying and was nestled against Wenshan's neck, but glistening tears still clung to his eyelashes, making him look pitiful. He glared fiercely at Yinzhen with his back to Wenshan.
Yinzhen: "..."
His younger brother glared at him.
sad.
Wen Shan, both amused and exasperated, explained to Yinzhen that it was normal for his younger brother to suck his thumb at this age, and that he should not let him suck his thumb for too long. She even showed him Yinsi's pacifier.
Yinzhen had never seen such a small child grow up, so it was normal that he didn't know these things. After coaxing Yinsi, he showed Yinzhen the dog cage that the eunuchs behind him were carrying.
“Look, your mother has brought you good fortune.”
Fuqi has lost a lot of weight and lies listlessly in its cage. Its fur is also matted and looks dirty. It doesn't look like it could be put to a dog kennel in two days. Wenshan guesses that it wasn't well cared for when it was in Chengqian Palace.
Fuqi let out a soft whimper when it saw Yinzhen, its breath very weak. Yinzhen was a little anxious and wanted to open the cage to check on it, but Wenshan stopped him.
"Fuqi is fine, it just hasn't eaten properly in a long time. How about I give Fuqi a bath and feed it some food later, then you can come and see it again?"
When Wenshan arrived, the dog keeper was about to leave Fuqi to fend for itself. If she had arrived a few days later, Fuqi might have starved to death. The dog keeper had a veterinarian on hand, and Wenshan had him examine Fuqi on the spot. Fortunately, there were no external injuries or illnesses, but Fuqi was weak from not eating for too long.
Yinzhen looked at Fuqi several times with lingering affection before Wenshan urged him to go back to his room to rest.
Baoquan carried him into the side hall where he used to live. Since he left, Wenshan still had people clean it every day, and the furnishings were still there. The books that Yinzhen liked to read, the toys he liked, Fuqi's doghouse, and a few pieces of clothing were still there.
The bedding on the bed was soft and warm, all of which he had used before.
Yinzhen felt as if he had only gone to the Imperial Study and returned after two hours.
The palace doors were ajar, and Yinzhen could vaguely hear Wenshan directing the palace servants to prepare ingredients in the courtyard; their warm laughter was as usual. The medicine prescribed by the imperial physician had a calming effect, and back in his familiar bedchamber, drowsiness washed over him, and he soon fell asleep.
Wenshan and Zhenzhu tiptoed in. Wenshan was worried about Yinzhen's injury and took the opportunity to check on him while he was asleep. When she saw the bruise on his knee, Zhenzhu couldn't help but frown and whisper, "The Imperial Concubine is too cruel."
As the weather grew warmer, Wen Shan fanned Yinzhen, brushed the hair from his forehead, and looked at Yinzhen's sleeping face with pity, saying, "I wonder if Yinzhen knows that Consort Tongjia thinks he has brought misfortune to her child."
It's probably better not to know; it saves a lot of trouble.
Pearl thought for a moment: "When I met the Fourth Prince in the pavilion that day, judging from his expression, he probably knew."
Wen Shan sighed and instructed Zhenzhu, "Tell everyone in the palace to be careful and not to mention this matter in front of Yinzhen."
...
Emperor Kangxi had been in Cining Palace for a while. The Empress Dowager shook her head as she looked at Kangxi's gloomy face: "This is not a big deal. At worst, it's just that Lady Tongjia has poor morals. As for these theories about birth and death, they shouldn't be spread as they would damage the royal reputation. We can just find a pretext to confine Lady Tongjia to her home for spiritual practice."
"We shouldn't be too harsh on her since she just lost her child. It's understandable that she might act a little crazy in her grief."
Emperor Kangxi looked up and said, "Grandmother is quite lenient with the Consort today."
Everyone in the palace knew that the Empress Dowager disliked Consort Tongjia, so it was rare to hear the Empress Dowager defend Consort Tongjia today.
"It's truly a pity that the baby is already seven months along. Isn't the Emperor planning to make her Empress to appease her?"
The Empress Dowager sat cross-legged on the couch. The white hair at her temples had slowly crept into her hair, and the lines between her brows and the corners of her eyes were getting deeper and deeper. For the first time, Kangxi felt that the Empress Dowager, who had lived through three reigns, seemed to have really aged.
“My grandson is not only saddened by the loss of her son. Tong Guowei made great contributions in suppressing the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories and the Tongjia clan should be rewarded. The Consort has been in the palace for many years and has never made a mistake before. Since Niohuru left, the harem has been without a master, and the Tongjia clan is indeed the best choice.”
Kangxi said slowly, adding that he also had a deep affection for Consort Tongjia, so the matter of her being made empress was already almost certain.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "The Emperor's plan is so well thought out that I have no objection. However, once this matter comes to fruition, I'm afraid the establishment of an Empress will be impossible."
"Then let it be." Kangxi didn't dwell on the matter further, but instead said, "However, it has already been decided that a grand investiture ceremony will be held at the end of this year for the six palaces, and the Tongjia clan..."
Emperor Kangxi clicked his tongue, seemingly in a difficult position.
"She will be confined to her quarters for six months to cultivate her mind, and that will be the end of it. She can be granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort and that will be it," the Empress Dowager said.
Kangxi smiled and said, "Then I will listen to my grandmother."
The Empress Dowager stretched her limbs and then looked at Kangxi, instructing him: "Although Consort Hui has some ulterior motives, we should still reward her a little and let it go on to save face."
"Does the Empress Dowager really think that Consort Hui discovered this matter?" Kangxi asked with a half-smile.
The Empress Dowager hummed in agreement and bowed slightly: "Is there something else going on here?"
Kangxi shook his head and laughed, "I was just saying it casually."
"It's getting late, I won't disturb Your Majesty's rest any longer, I'll take my leave now."
"Go then." The Empress Dowager added one last instruction: "It's getting hot lately, so don't go out in the cold."
After Kangxi left, Sumalagu came out from behind the palace. The Empress Dowager sighed, "Sumala, the Emperor has really grown up."
“Grandmother, look at what you’re saying. In two more years, His Majesty will be thirty. He’ll be all grown up.”
"I wasn't referring to his body," the Empress Dowager said, pointing to his head. "I was referring to this."
Su Ma smiled without saying a word, thinking that what the old ancestor said made no sense. The emperor had been ruling in his own right for many years, capturing Ao Bai and quelling the Three Feudatories. The Qing Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous. Xuan Ye, who was pulled onto the throne by the Empress Dowager, was already a real emperor.
"I understand what you mean. You think I'm getting senile, don't you?" The Empress Dowager laughed for a moment, then sighed, "In the past, even if the Emperor didn't come to me, I could still figure out his thoughts pretty well. But today I realize that I can't guess what the Emperor is thinking."
Sumalagu was taken aback: "Ancestor, what do you mean?"
"He never intended to make Lady Tongjia his empress; he's just setting up bait to fish here!"
"In both the inner palace and the imperial court, those who covet the positions of Empress and Crown Prince have all emerged."
The Empress Dowager said leisurely, "He probably knows perfectly well what Consort Hui, Noble Lady Ping, the Hesheli family, and the Niohuru family are thinking."
After a moment's thought, Sumalagu understood the key point. The Empress Dowager said with satisfaction, "Good, with the Emperor doing this, I can finally give an explanation to the ancestors of the Aisin Gioro family."
Yinzhen woke up around noon. His knee injury looked serious, but after applying medicine, he was actually able to get out of bed and walk, though he was limping and it was inconvenient for him.
Baoquan wanted to continue carrying him, but Yinzhen refused, saying he wanted to walk on his own.
Wen Shan asked the imperial physician if there was any bone injury and if he could walk without any problems before allowing him to get up and walk around.
For lunch, Wen Shan personally cooked a large number of dishes that Yin Zhen loved, and the bowl in front of Yin Zhen was piled high with food by Wen Shan.
"Eat more, you've lost so much weight." Wen Shan looked at Yinzhen with a loving expression.
Yinzhen nodded obediently and buried himself in his food.
Seeing Yinzhi standing to the side, he couldn't help but laugh. He stretched out his little feet and made two "ah" sounds. Wenshan picked him up and straightened his tiger-head hat. Yinzhen ate while looking at him, and after a while, he said, "My little brother has grown so much."
He's been gone for over two months, and his younger brother has grown almost half again as big as before.
“Yes, my little brother is almost five months old and he can already roll over,” Wenshan said with a smile.
It wasn't until the afternoon, when Yinzhen and Wenshan were making kites on the bed, that they truly realized how powerful Yinsi's ability to turn things around was.
The weather has been much better lately. Wen Shan originally wanted to keep her promise and take Yin Zhen out to fly a kite. However, Yin Zhen remained silent for a long time before telling her that the kite they had previously flown had been burned by Consort Tong Jia. Wen Shan smiled and said it was alright, and then took him to make a kite together on the couch.
After Yinzhi learned to roll over, he no longer liked staying in the cradle, so Wenshan put him on the couch, where a thick layer of mattress was specially laid so that he wouldn't bump into it.
Yinzhen was making a kite when he suddenly felt someone touch his leg. He looked down and saw that Yinsi had somehow gotten next to him and was kicking him with his leg.
"..."
Yinzhi had little strength, so his kicks didn't hurt; they felt soft and comfortable.
Yinzhen put down the half-finished kite he was making and tried to pick up Yinsi. Yinsi stared wide-eyed and struggled wildly. Wenshan found it amusing and said, "Yinsi, don't move around. Be careful, or your brother might drop you."
There was no safety hazard in the two brothers playing around on the bed, so Wen Shan went along with them. Besides, Yinzhen was always very sensible.
Yinzhen used all his strength to pick up Yinsi and put him on his lap, hugging him tightly: "Little brother, let's make a kite together."
"How about I make you a puppy kite? When you grow up, your brother will take you to fly it."
Yinzhi was utterly despondent. If the Ninth and Tenth Princes knew that the Fourth Prince was holding him in his arms and making kites with him, they would laugh themselves to death.
It's so surreal.
In the end, Emperor Kangxi acted swiftly. Although he did not issue an official decree to punish Consort Tongjia, she requested to retire to cultivate herself and pray for the Qing Dynasty. Kangxi granted her request, temporarily entrusting the affairs of the inner palace to Consort Niohuru, and entrusting Consort Xuan with the care of Yinzhen. He then bestowed gifts upon Consort Hui and the eldest prince, and the matter was thus settled.
The downfall of Consort Tongjia and the formal rise of Empress Niohuru to the position of de facto ruler of the harem were dramatic events for the other concubines. However, for Wen Shan, what was causing her recent headaches was that Yinzhi had started teething and wanted to bite everything he saw.
The most severely affected were Yinzhen's hands and arms.
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