Chapter 20, the 20th chapter with 10,000 words, is here!
The news of the grand investiture of the six palaces had already spread throughout the palace. This month, after Kangxi had completely dealt with the aftermath of the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, this matter was put on the agenda.
No one knows exactly how this promotion was implemented.
The concubines began to move around, some to cultivate relationships, some to gather information, and some to try and gain favor by sending soup and water to the Hall of Mental Cultivation three times a day, all hoping to reap some benefits from this grand conferment of titles upon the six palaces.
After all, Emperor Kangxi was never generous with the ranks of his concubines. The last time he bestowed such titles was in the sixteenth year of his reign. In the four years since, apart from the newly entered concubines, the ranks of the other senior concubines have remained largely unchanged.
Therefore, Xianfu Palace became the focus of information searches.
Consort Yi and Consort Hui made several trips to Xianfu Palace. Although Wen Shan was not particularly favored, she was very close to the Empress Dowager. Emperor Kangxi would definitely discuss the matter of bestowing titles upon the six palaces with the Empress Dowager, so he came to ask Wen Shan for some information.
Wen Shan fell silent as she looked at the box of pearls sent by Consort Yi, the two gold hairpins sent by Consort Hui, and the other miscellaneous gifts sent by the other concubines.
The Empress Dowager really hadn't revealed anything to her, but she still knew the outcome of the grand conferment of titles upon the six palaces in the twentieth year of Kangxi's reign.
The most important thing was that the four concubines were promoted to imperial consorts. Niohuru was promoted to Noble Consort, and Tongjia was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.
But she couldn't tell them that if she did, Kangxi would immediately start watching her.
So Wenshan sighed with regret and reluctantly said goodbye to those beautiful and exquisite jewels, and then had them all returned.
Seeing his mother's pained expression, Yinzhi ran over to comfort her, saying, "Mother, don't be sad. When I grow up, I will give you even more jewels."
"You're so young and you already know how to give gifts to girls?" Wen Shan gently pinched his little cheek and said with a smile.
"I won't give it to anyone else, only to my mother."
Wen Shan was overjoyed by his flattery, and Yin Si took advantage of the situation to get Wen Shan to promise to make him his favorite asparagus, minced meat, and egg custard that evening.
Just as Wen Shan rushed off to the small kitchen to prepare dinner, Yin Si ordered Bao Quan to close the gates of Xianfu Palace.
"Eighth Prince, it's only late afternoon, isn't it a bit too early?"
Baoquan glanced at the still-sunset sun and felt somewhat helpless. Why would the palace gates be closed at this hour?
"Just do what I tell you to do." Yinzhi sat cross-legged on the couch. He was small in stature but had a steady gaze. Although his tone was calm, it carried an undeniable sense of pressure, a stark contrast to his earlier coquettish manner with Wenshan.
Baoquan immediately felt a cold sweat break out and hurriedly agreed to close the palace gates.
Everyone in Xianfu Palace knew that Consort Xuan doted on the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince the most. If the two princes said something, they could do it, and Consort Xuan would never blame them.
Yinzhi took out a snack from the small bag that Wenshan had specially made for him and slowly ate it, thinking that today no one would come to steal their food!
These concubines seemed to have made a pact to arrive one by one right at mealtimes. Not only did they come to freeload, but they also took food and other things with them, leaving the other family members without any of their mother's pastries for several days.
Yinzhen, who was reading a book, glanced over twice and praised his younger brother's behavior. Then he took a biscuit from Yinsi's pocket and ate it.
Yinzhi looked at him accusingly and then hid the bag behind his back.
"I heard that Father has already set the date for the grand ceremony of bestowing titles upon the six palaces on the 25th of this month." Yinzhen chatted with Yinsi. He knew that his younger brother was more intelligent than ordinary children, so there was nothing wrong with telling him this.
Yinzhi was naturally aware of the outcome of this grand conferment, so he was not very interested and simply followed the established procedure of being promoted one rank.
Unlike her previous life, Consort Tongjia was confined to her quarters, and her mother was raising two princes. It was uncertain whether Consort Tongjia would be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, whereas in her mother's previous life, Consort Tongjia's promotion had nothing to do with her, and it was unknown what would happen this time.
So Yinzhi simply said "oh" and then lowered his head to fiddle with the nine-linked rings.
After glancing at it a few times, Yinzhen said, "I reckon the imperial decree will be issued in a few days, and the ladies of the palace will no longer come to Xianfu Palace."
Yinzhi paused in his manipulation of the nine-linked rings, then looked up at Yinzhen in disbelief.
He thought his fourth brother was just chatting with him, but he didn't expect that his brother thought he was tired of the concubines visiting him and had come to comfort him that he would be fine in a few days.
He said that his fourth brother had never liked gossiping about palace affairs, so why was he suddenly bringing it up today?
Yinzhi silently took out his snack bag again.
Yinzhen laughed and then unceremoniously grabbed half of it.
Yinzhi: "...!"
Ahhhh, there are robbers!
When Wen Shan came in, she saw Yin Si and Yin Zhen fighting on the bed. Yin Si was on top of Yin Zhen, trying to grab his hand. Yin Zhen seemed to be holding something in his hand and raising it high. The two brothers rolled around, and Yin Si even grabbed a pillow as a weapon.
"Give it back to me!"
Yinzhi puffed out his cheeks and glared at him, but when he saw Wenshan come in, he immediately turned his attention to her and ran into her arms.
"Mother, my brother stole my things!"
Yinzhen sat up and held out his hand, inside were several pastries she had made for Yinsi.
"You stingy little thing, can't you even give your brother two pieces?" Wen Shan smiled and tapped Yin Si's little nose.
Yinzhi said aggrievedly, "He stole it!"
Yinzhen quickly admitted his mistake: "Mother, my brother and I were just playing around."
Then he returned the pastries to Yinzhi.
Yinzhi snorted and said he didn't want it anymore.
Seeing Yinzhi throwing a tantrum, Wenshan said to Yinzhen, "If you want to eat, you can ask your younger brother or tell your mother. If you make your younger brother cry again, you'll have to comfort him yourself."
Yinzhi thought to himself that he would never cry, how could he be so childish.
Then, upon further reflection, he realized that his behavior just now seemed rather childish...
It's all because of this body!
How can someone who's been a baby for too long possibly become mature and composed?
As it turned out, a major incident occurred in the previous dynasty at this critical juncture.
Two powerful ministers during the Kangxi reign, Suo'etu and Mingzhu, had a falling out in front of the emperor.
The incident began when Wu Sangui submitted a memorial to Emperor Kangxi, testing whether the emperor intended to reduce the power of the princes and requesting to relocate back to his hometown. At that time, the court was divided into two factions. Suo'etu argued that Wu Sangui was cunning and that this move was only to test the court. Once the court agreed, he would immediately rebel. Mingzhu, on the other hand, advocated taking this opportunity to agree to Wu Sangui's relocation and completely resolve the problem of the princes becoming too powerful and causing chaos.
Ultimately, Kangxi adopted the suggestions of Mingzhu and others, and the outcome was exactly as Suo'etu had predicted: Wu Sangui rebelled.
When the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories had just begun, Songgotu directly submitted a memorial stating that all those who advocated for Wu Sangui to relocate should be beheaded. However, Emperor Kangxi suppressed the matter and issued an imperial edict stating that the decision to abolish the feudatories was his own and had nothing to do with Mingzhu and others. Moreover, how could he possibly shift the blame to his subjects?
How could the imperial court kill pro-war officials at this time, especially since Mingzhu was the Minister of War at the time, when the war between the court and Wu Sangui had already begun?
From then on, Songgotu and Mingzhu began to sabotage each other, both openly and secretly. Since the crown prince was born to Empress Hesheli, Songgotu naturally supported him. Mingzhu and Songgotu were like oil and water, so they naturally did not want the crown prince to ascend the throne. If the crown prince ascended the throne, the first to suffer would be their Yehenara family. So, after looking around, Mingzhu chose the eldest prince, Yinti.
Although the eldest prince's maternal family was not prominent, he held the title of the eldest son. Moreover, the eldest prince was handsome, gentle, and well-mannered. He was deeply loved by Emperor Kangxi from a young age and was often taken by Emperor Kangxi to travel around. Mingzhu's choice to bet on the eldest prince was not a desperate move.
This made the conflict between the two even more intense.
With the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories finally over, Mingzhu and Suo'etu had both made great contributions and were rewarded. After that, everyone set their sights on the promotions in the imperial harem.
As the princes grew up, the court and the harem became inseparable. Suo'etu hoped that the crown prince's position would be stable and did not want to see a new empress appointed. Mingzhu also hoped that Consort Hui would go further so that the eldest prince could gain status through his mother's influence and that a new empress could rise to power and completely muddy the waters.
Thus, Suo'etu and Niohuru stood together, while Mingzhu and Tongjia became allies.
Both sides made their moves and fought fiercely. In the eyes of some officials who couldn't see the situation clearly, it was just a chaotic melee in the imperial court. Today, an official from the Tongjia clan accused the Niu Gulu family of murdering people in the street and seizing land. Tomorrow, Mingzhu would write a memorial to Suo'etu accusing him of forming cliques, engaging in corruption and accepting bribes.
Even Wen Shan, who was in the harem, had caught up in quite a bit of gossip.
Niohuru was furious, but Consort Tongjia was confined to her quarters, so she had nowhere to vent her anger. Just then, Consort Hui arrogantly barged in, and the two of them started fighting again.
This was perfect because no one came to Xianfu Palace to ask her for information anymore, which made Yinzhen and Yinsi feel much more comfortable. They had been getting annoyed by the large number of people coming and going in the palace every day.
In their eyes, Xianfu Palace was the cleanest and quietest place in the Forbidden City. In this palace, they were a warm and loving family, and no one could disturb their leisurely and happy days.
Emperor Kangxi was also annoyed by the infighting between the court and the harem, and he visited Xianfu Palace much more frequently these days.
"Yin Si has grown taller again," Kangxi said with a smile as he hugged Yin Si.
Sitting to one side, Wen Shan watched the affectionate scene between Emperor Kangxi and his son Yinzhi and said with a smile, "Children change every day. I heard from the nannies that children Yinzhi's age grow the fastest."
Yinzhi now treats Kangxi with great skill. He knows what kind of child his father likes and can pretend to like him. He pleases his father, his mother, and his fourth brother.
Emperor Kangxi found Yinzhi's small satchel interesting and fiddled with it, asking, "What's inside?"
"It was my mother who made this delicious food for me," Yinzhi replied in a childish voice.
“Yin Si is teething and likes to chew on things, so I made him some snacks,” Wen Shan explained.
Pearl chimed in, "The Eighth Prince loves it so much, even the Fourth Prince wouldn't give it to him."
Kangxi raised an eyebrow: "Oh, really? Then can Yinzhi give Father Emperor a piece?"
Wen Shan was speechless. She'd already told the child to cherish it, and yet she was still teasing the child like this…
If I don't give it to you, you'll be unhappy.
Unexpectedly, Yinzhi, who always protected this land like the plague, took out a piece without saying a word: "This biggest piece is for Father Emperor!"
Unless he flips it over, who knows if it's the biggest one?
As expected, Kangxi was delighted and praised Yinzhi for being filial and sensible.
Kangxi held Yinzhen in his arms and fed him a piece of honeydew melon: "Yinzhen has made progress in his studies recently. The Crown Prince told me yesterday that Yinzhen has become much more sensible, respecting his elder brothers and caring for his younger brothers. It is all thanks to you."
Yinzhi thought to himself that it was clearly thanks to his mother's pastries. His mother's skills were well-known in the palace, and she often made some for his fourth brother to take to the Imperial Study. Over time, everyone from the Crown Prince to the Fifth Prince kept pestering his fourth brother to take more.
As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding," so naturally, I had to say some good things about Fourth Brother.
As they were talking, Yinzhen returned from school. When he came out of the study today, he didn't see Wenshan to pick him up, so he had a rough idea. When he entered Xianfu Palace and saw the guards at the gate, he confirmed that it was his father, the Emperor, who had come to Xianfu Palace, which was why his mother couldn't leave.
Yinzhen entered the room and paid his respects. Kangxi was amused by Yinsi's coaxing and asked him to sit down next to him.
"What did Master teach us today?"
Yinzhen answered the questions from today's lesson in a serious and methodical manner, and Kangxi nodded.
"Not bad, you've been working hard."
“Your Highness can already memorize all of this at your age. You should learn more from your second brother.”
Yinzhen replied "Yes," while Yinsi's eyes darted around as he pestered Kangxi to explain the meaning of the article his fourth brother had just mentioned.
Kangxi patted his head and looked at Yinzhen: "Yinzhen, tell your eighth brother about it."
Yinzhi had heard Yinzhen recite this article from memory a few days ago, and he was so familiar with every word that he could explain its meaning without any difficulty.
After Yinzhen finished speaking, Kangxi showed a satisfied expression.
"It's really good to have Yinzhen raised by you." Kangxi looked at Wenshan. "He has already made a lot of progress in just a few months."
"This is all thanks to Yinzhen's hard work day and night." Wen Shan couldn't bear the suffocating atmosphere of checking homework any longer, so she quickly said, "The dishes in the small kitchen are all prepared, let's eat."
Emperor Kangxi also missed Wen Shan's cooking. Speaking of which, Consort Xuan was really a blockhead. Ever since she delivered food to him once because of Yinzhen's matter, she hadn't been to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. If he wanted to eat something, he had to come all the way to Xianfu Palace by himself.
At first, Kangxi was quite annoyed and wanted to teach Consort Xuan a lesson, to show her what it meant to prioritize her husband and what the proper duties of a concubine were. So he deliberately gave Consort Xuan the cold shoulder for more than two months. All the concubines in the harem could see that the emperor was giving Consort Xuan the cold shoulder. Even the Empress Dowager asked him about it. But Consort Xuan remained calm and composed, doing whatever she was doing and not taking it seriously at all.
This one-sided cold war infuriated Kangxi even more.
In the end, he went to Xianfu Palace himself to end this inexplicable anger.
Unfortunately, Kangxi had no choice but to suffer in silence. Wen Shan had never made any mistakes in etiquette, served the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager with utmost care, and raised the princes with great dedication. She was never jealous or caused trouble. He couldn't possibly punish her for not caring about Xuan Fei and not sending food to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, could he?
He could only deliberately torment her during his nights with her, making Wen Shan question her existence every time. Weren't people in ancient times supposed to be conservative? This guy was more open-minded than she, a modern person!
Wen Shan herself was completely unaware that Kangxi was giving her the cold shoulder. Kangxi didn't like her, and during that period, Niohuru and Consort Hui were fiercely competing for the emperor's favor. It was normal for him not to call on her for a month or two. Since Kangxi wasn't coming, she had more time to spend with her two sons.
Afterwards, Kangxi pondered whether Wen Shan had given up because he hadn't agreed to her request last time. He thought he should find an opportunity to let her ask again, and if he agreed this time, Consort Xuan would surely know how to serve him.
Therefore, during the meal, Kangxi specifically mentioned the matter of bestowing titles upon the six palaces.
"Now that the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories has been quelled, it's time to promote the ranks of those in the harem." Kangxi glanced at Yinzhen beside him. "The Imperial Concubine has been in the palace for many years and has just lost her son, so her rank should be promoted. This will leave the positions of the two Imperial Concubines vacant."
Kangxi was worried that Wen Shan, being so dense, wouldn't understand, so he specifically pointed it out to her.
"I know you're bound to feel wronged. Just tell me what you want."
Yinzhi and Yinzhen looked up at the same time, both of them somewhat surprised that their father had told their mother that Consort Tongjia was going to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort or Empress. Moreover, the implication of their father's words was that as long as their mother asked, she could be promoted to Noble Consort.
Wen Shan, however, was not surprised by Kangxi's words. She already knew that Consort Tongjia was going to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. She looked up in confusion.
Why did Tong Jia feel wronged after being promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine?
On second thought, Tongjia had just been reprimanded for mistreating Yinzhen, and now, only a few months later, she had been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. It seemed that she should indeed be somewhat unhappy that Yinzhen was being raised by her.
Emperor Kangxi practically had it written all over his face: he was thinking that promoting Consort Xuan to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, making Consort Tongjia an Imperial Noble Consort, and making Consort Xuan and Consort Niohuru Noble Consorts a balance.
Moreover, given Consort Xuan's background and the fact that she is raising two princes, it makes sense for her to be granted the title of Imperial Consort.
Wen Shan blinked and thought for a moment, then put down her chopsticks and stood up to give Kangxi a deep bow.
Kangxi smiled, finally waiting for Consort Xuan to ask him for something.
"Consort Wei has rendered meritorious service in giving birth to the Eighth Prince, yet she is still only a concubine. Your Majesty, I would like to request that Your Majesty promote Consort Wei to a higher rank this time."
Wen Shan looked up and said sincerely.
"..."
Emperor Kangxi was furious, but his anger turned into laughter. He said that she seemed to have made a request, but how could it be for someone else?
Yinzhi was deeply moved. His mother was truly the kindest and gentlest person in the world!
After calming himself down, Kangxi said calmly, "I understand. You may rise now."
Does this mean they agreed or not?
Wen Shan was a little confused. After this incident, Kangxi's attitude changed again and became indifferent. He left in a huff after lunch.
Wen Shan was baffled and asked Zhen Zhu, "What have I done to offend the Emperor this time?"
Pearl was also confused: "This servant doesn't know why His Majesty suddenly got angry."
Yinzhen was still only a three or four-year-old child. Although he was precocious and vaguely understood some things, he couldn't explain them clearly. Yinsi silently shook his head and sighed. Wasn't it obvious?
It's obvious that the Emperor, as the husband, wanted to see his wife act cute and try to win his favor, but failed.
With her personality, Mother is basically out of the running for the position of favored concubine. Let's wait until he and Fourth Brother grow up so that Mother can become Empress Dowager directly.
It's much more comfortable than trying to please the Emperor.
The next day at noon, Su Ma La Gu suddenly came to Xianfu Palace and said that the Empress Dowager invited Wen Shan to Cining Palace.
Wen Shan quickly tidied herself up and went out with Su Ma La Gu, inquiring about what was going on along the way.
Sumalagu said with a smile, "It's a joyous occasion. The Emperor wants to find a husband for the eldest princess. Since this is an inner palace matter, the Empress Dowager invited all the ladies to discuss it together."
Wen Shan remembered that she seemed to have heard about this before. The candidate for the consort at that time was her nephew from her maternal family, who was also the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, the Borjigit clan of Khorchin.
But nothing happened after that, it seemed to be temporarily shelved, but I didn't expect to pick it up again today.
Upon entering Cining Palace, Wen Shan realized that she was the last one to arrive. Niohuru, Consort Hui, Consort Yi, Consort Rong, Consort Duan, and Noble Lady Ping were all already there.
Niohuru sat at the very front, and the empty seat opposite her was probably reserved for Wen Shan.
Wen Shan greeted her, and the remaining concubines also paid their respects to her according to their rank. What was unusual today was that Niohuru also gave her a courtesy greeting, which was unprecedented.
Both were concubines, but Wen Shan had a title, which should have made her more prestigious than Niohuru. However, everyone in the palace knew that Niohuru was only a concubine because she had just entered the palace and would be promoted in the future. Moreover, Niohuru was now in charge of the inner palace, and with the two prime ministers in charge, Wen Shan and Niohuru were now on equal footing.
However, Niohuru was always proud and would only nod when they met, never giving her the same courtesy. Wen Shan didn't mind and just let it go in a vague way.
Wen Shan was flattered and returned the greeting, thinking that the Empress Dowager still had a lot of influence. She was much more obedient in front of the Empress Dowager Niohuru.
"Please sit down." The Empress Dowager smiled at Wen Shan: "You're the last one to arrive; we've already had a round of tea."
"That was my fault. I will definitely apologize to the ladies of the palace later." Wen Shan sat down and made a casual joke.
The Empress Dowager wasn't really angry with her; she was just teasing her and laughed it off.
Consort Hui pouted below, thinking that the Empress Dowager truly doted on Consort Xuan.
"I called you here today because of Chunxi's marriage. Next year Chunxi will be eleven years old. It's time to start making plans. Finding a husband, preparing the dowry and the princess's residence will take several years."
"The Emperor's intention is to select a righteous and brave young man for Chunxi, preferably allowing them two years to get to know each other first, and to hold a grand and glorious wedding so that Chunxi can marry with dignity."
Everyone present knows that Emperor Kangxi doted on the eldest princess and said some flattering things, especially at this crucial moment of her promotion.
All of you here are quick-witted people. As soon as you heard the Empress Dowager mention the eldest princess's marriage, you knew that if you did your best for the eldest princess, the emperor and the Empress Dowager would remember your kindness.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, your concubine and all my sisters will do our utmost to ensure that the eldest princess's marriage is conducted in a dignified and respectable manner." Niohuru was the first to step forward, after all, she was now the person in charge of the harem.
The Empress Dowager nodded: "Now that you are in charge of the six palaces, it is natural that you need to put in more effort."
Niohuru was secretly delighted. The eldest princess's marriage would take at least three or four years to prepare. Did the Empress Dowager mean that after this promotion, she would be the de facto head of the harem?
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly at the various expressions on the faces of the people below and continued, "Chunxi is the first of the Emperor's many children to get married, so we should pay more attention to her. That's why we called you all over. Consort Gui is devoted to Buddhism, so we won't bother her with these mundane matters. Consort De is in her advanced stages of pregnancy, so we won't have to worry about her."
Consort Hui replied, "The Empress Dowager is very thoughtful. We have all watched the eldest princess grow up, so we will naturally do our best."
Wenshan was drinking tea and slacking off downstairs. Preparing the dowry was such a tedious and troublesome task that she was too careless and impatient to do it. Fortunately, everyone else was very enthusiastic, so it was probably not her turn to work.
With just a few words, the Empress Dowager had the concubines present completely bewildered, and they all happily went back to their posts with their duties.
Wenshan's assigned task was to spend more time talking with the eldest princess, since the princess would be marrying into the Khorchin clan in the future, which would be her maternal home.
This task is not difficult and is suitable for Wen Shan; it's obvious that the Empress Dowager specially arranged it for her.
After everyone else left, Wen Shan remained. The Empress Dowager glanced at her sideways and asked, "You came empty-handed?"
"How could that be?" Wen Shan waved to Amber outside the door, and Amber came in from behind the door carrying a food box.
"Knowing that it's time for our ancestor to have lunch, I made your favorite crab meat lion's head meatballs, crystal pork jelly, and dry-fried winter bamboo shoots, as well as lotus root and pork rib soup that has been simmering for more than two hours."
The Empress Dowager preferred meat, and only the vegetarian dishes made by Wen Shan could make her eat a little bit. Wen Shan thought that the Empress Dowager was getting old and needed to have a balanced diet, so she would usually add a vegetarian dish for the Empress Dowager to eat.
The Empress Dowager had taken the Fifth Prince to worship Buddha outside the palace in recent days, so today only Wen Shan and the Grand Empress Dowager were dining together, with Su Ma La Gu sitting beside them.
"What did you do yesterday?" The Empress Dowager tasted a piece of crystal pork jelly and squinted her eyes with satisfaction, then glanced at Wen Shan beside her.
"ah?"
Wen Shan was completely confused: "I didn't do anything yesterday."
She helped Yinzhen and Yinsi assemble a football game, cooked delicious food, and even prepared a lunch for Kangxi, although Kangxi was not very happy when he left.
Upon realizing this, Wen Shan suddenly understood: "Are you referring to the Emperor's anger yesterday?"
"Don't you know?" Su Mala Gu ladled a bowl of pork rib soup for the Empress Dowager, who said with amusement, "You, you, what have you done to offend the Emperor again?"
"I'm innocent! I really didn't do anything." Wen Shan thought for a moment and then tentatively said, "I did request a title for Consort Wei, it shouldn't be about this, right?"
Consort Wei gave birth to a prince, and according to custom, she should have been promoted in rank. However, unfortunately, Consort Tongjia suffered a miscarriage at that time, and Emperor Kangxi was not in the mood to promote her, so the matter was put aside.
The Empress Dowager also felt that it had nothing to do with this, since Lady Wei was already on the list of those to be conferred titles.
On the contrary, the emperor came to Wen Shan in a huff yesterday and removed her from the position of Imperial Concubine.
The emperor made a special trip to tell the Empress Dowager about this, so he naturally knew that the Empress Dowager would tell Wen Shan about it, or rather, he intended for the Empress Dowager to tell Wen Shan.
The decision to remove the imperial concubine from her position was mostly made out of spite.
The Empress Dowager even chatted with Su Ma La Gu in private, asking what kind of play the Emperor and Consort Xuan were putting on.
They even dragged that old woman into it.
The Empress Dowager calmly told Wen Shan that Kangxi had removed her from the position of Imperial Concubine. Unexpectedly, Wen Shan was not shocked or panicked. Instead, she was stunned for a moment and then slowly said, "I know."
The Empress Dowager was amused by her: "You silly girl, should we say you're unfazed by favor or disgrace, or are you just heartless?"
"I never cared about these ranks," Wen Shan smiled. "Since Your Majesty must have his reasons for doing this, I will obey."
The Empress Dowager suddenly understood why the Emperor was angry.
After returning to the palace, Wen Shan told Bao Quan and the others about it as a joke, saying that she had inexplicably gone through the process of becoming a Noble Consort and then inexplicably been kicked off the throne.
Baoquan and the others almost jumped up in alarm when they heard this, and Yinzhi frowned as well. He never expected that his father would do something like crossing out names that had already been finalized.
If this gets out, Mother will definitely be ridiculed by the entire harem.
But his mother's attitude... he could only worship her.
"This is the position of Imperial Concubine! How could it just fly away with wings?" Amber felt heartbroken for Wen Shan.
Wen Shan leisurely knitted toys for Fu Qi: "What's so different about the Imperial Concubine? She just has a few more servants."
For her, being a Consort or a Noble Consort made little difference. Her food and clothing were provided according to the standards for a Noble Consort, as the Empress Dowager had specifically instructed when she first entered the palace.
Pearl reminded her, "And the monthly allowance will also increase by three hundred taels every year."
"..."
Wenshan: "It's over, my heart aches so much!"
When Yinzhen returned and heard about this, his expression immediately changed. He immediately ordered Baoquan to summon all the palace staff in Xianfu Palace and used both kindness and threats to make them keep their mouths shut.
The palace servants fell silent at the sight of the stern-faced Fourth Prince. Both the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince were precocious children, and when they got serious, they were even more intimidating than Wen Shan.
Xianfu Palace has always been somewhat lax in its treatment of the palace servants, which Yinzhen had long found unacceptable. Treating these servants well did not mean indulging them; otherwise, Xianfu Palace would eventually be riddled with holes. This was a point of agreement with Yinsi. Yinsi possessed the experience and shrewdness of his previous life, while Yinzhen seemed to have mastered these skills without a teacher. Yinsi recalled that the Yongqin Prince's Mansion in his previous life was also watertight, and thought to himself that his fourth brother had been well-versed in these matters since childhood. Thus, under the joint management of these two young masters, Xianfu Palace gradually became as solid as an iron barrel.
Wen Shan was happy to let her two sons run wild, and she would take care of anything that happened. Such doting made many princes and princesses in the harem envious.
Soon it was the 20th, and the imperial decree to bestow titles upon the six palaces was finally issued.
Similar to Wen Shan's memory, Consort Hui, Consort Rong, Consort Yi, and Consort De were all promoted to Imperial Concubine, Niohuru was promoted to Noble Consort, and Noble Consort Tongjia, who was still under house arrest, was also promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.
After all that commotion, no new empress was appointed. Instead, the Consort Tongjia, who was still under house arrest, was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, and Niohuru was promoted to Noble Consort. This strange balance was thus achieved.
In terms of official rank, the Imperial Noble Consort was the secondary empress, but she held the title without real power because Emperor Kangxi had not lifted the confinement of Consort Tongjia. Consort Niohuru, on the other hand, although she was nominally inferior, actually held the reins of power in the harem.
With the addition of the four newly appointed concubines, the harem finally became lively again.
As expected, Wen Shan was not promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine. She even lamented to Yinzhen and Yinsi that it was fortunate that Kangxi had canceled the decree for the conferment, otherwise she would have had to attend the conferment ceremony in this cold weather. It would have been much more comfortable to roast sweet potatoes together in Xianfu Palace.
Yinzhi and Yinzhen were speechless for a moment, then sighed in unison.
Fine, let Mother do as she pleases.
Although Emperor Kangxi did not lift the confinement of Consort Tongjia, there still had to be a formal investiture ceremony for her to be conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort. It had to be done to save face, since Consort Tongjia was now praying for the country's well-being.
Mrs. Tongjia finally saw her daughter at the investiture ceremony, something she had been eagerly anticipating.
Emperor Kangxi turned a blind eye, since it was his maternal family that allowed Lady Tongjia and the Imperial Noble Consort to have a short get-together.
"Daughter, let your mother see you." After dismissing the servants, Madam Tongjia said with tears in her eyes, "You have suffered so much."
She looked even more haggard than when she had just miscarried.
"I'm all better now," the Imperial Noble Consort comforted Lady Tongjia. "Mother, you don't need to worry about me. I'm just a little bored being confined to Chengqian Palace all day."
Lady Tongjia and the Imperial Noble Consort sat down on the couch. Lady Tongjia held her daughter's hand tightly and said, "That day you were suddenly confined to your quarters and we didn't know anything about it. Fortunately, Heaven blessed you and made you an Imperial Noble Consort. It can be seen that the Emperor still has feelings for you and our Tongjia clan."
Lady Tongjia pressed for details about what had angered Emperor Kangxi, and after a moment's hesitation, the Imperial Noble Consort recounted everything that had happened that day.
"How could this have gotten out, and even Consort Hui found out?" Lady Tongjia was shocked.
She racked her brains but never imagined that her daughter was being punished because of the Fourth Prince.
If that's the case, then the Emperor has indeed shown leniency towards the Tongjia clan.
Although Lady Tongjia disliked the Fourth Prince the most, she was well aware that despite her disdain, the Fourth Prince was, after all, of the Emperor's bloodline and a member of the imperial family. How could they, as servants, have the right to criticize him?
It was only natural that the emperor was furious.
The Imperial Noble Consort shook her head and said softly, "One day, if Yinzhen were to overhear, perhaps..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lady Tongjia understood her daughter's meaning; perhaps the Fourth Prince himself had revealed it.
"Sigh, I told you long ago that this child doesn't get along with you." Madam Tongjia sighed, "If you had listened to me earlier and sent the Fourth Prince away, none of this would have happened."
The Imperial Noble Consort didn't reply, but gave a bitter smile.
Madam Tongjia lovingly stroked her daughter's hair and comforted her, "This is for the best. There has to be a resolution eventually. Now that you are a Noble Consort, with the same rank as the Empress, it is clear that the Emperor still cares about you. Be patient and wait. After submitting a few letters of apology, things will gradually get better."
"Once we have another prince, we'll have nothing to worry about, and becoming empress will be just around the corner."
The Imperial Noble Consort hesitated and said, "But now that Niohuru has been granted the title of Noble Consort and holds great power in the six palaces, and Consort Hui and others have also been granted the title of Consort, the palace is no longer a place where one family holds absolute power."
"The previous dynasty was even more so." Madam Tongjia instructed her daughter: "Your father specifically asked me to remind you this time that Mingzhu and Suo'etu are now fighting fiercely, and Niohuru has also gotten involved. It's no wonder that the princes are growing up and have developed their own ambitions. Whether it's the eldest prince or the crown prince, I want you to stay away from them. His Majesty is wise and will handle it himself."
In times like these, staying put is actually the safest option.
The Imperial Noble Consort nodded.
A few days later, a letter of apology written in blood by the Imperial Noble Consort was delivered to Emperor Kangxi's desk. It is said that Emperor Kangxi was quite moved after reading it, but still did not order the lifting of the confinement.
The Imperial Noble Consort did not give up and sent a letter every two days. Finally, on the fifth letter, Emperor Kangxi sighed and issued an imperial edict to lift the Imperial Noble Consort's confinement.
In the afternoon, he personally visited Chengqian Palace and stayed overnight. This matter was thus completely closed in the palace.
When Wen Shan heard about it, she thought it was fortunate that Kangxi had a soft heart, otherwise, letting the blood drain like that would surely ruin the Imperial Noble Consort's health.
The first person to feel threatened by the return of the Imperial Noble Consort was Consort Niohuru. Previously, she had been in charge of the affairs of the six palaces because the Imperial Noble Consort was under house arrest. Now that the Imperial Noble Consort has been released from house arrest, should she hand over the power of the six palaces back according to her rank and status?
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict stating that the Imperial Noble Consort was unwell and needed to recuperate, so the affairs of the six palaces would still be managed by Noble Consort Niohuru.
But something very painful happened to Wenshan.
That means the Imperial Noble Consort has been released from confinement, and the concubines in the harem should now pay their respects to her morning and evening.
Fortunately, the Imperial Noble Consort was still "sick," so they were temporarily exempted from paying their respects.
But the fact that Wenshan could have to get up early at any time was really driving her crazy.
Even Yinzhen and Yinsi noticed that their mother had been somewhat depressed lately.
The two thought their mother had finally realized she had missed the chance to be promoted to Imperial Concubine and was therefore regretting it, completely unaware that Wen Shan was reluctant to leave her warm bed.
Damn it, it's still winter! How can anyone live like this?!
Two days later, Emperor Kangxi inexplicably issued another decree, promoting Consort Xuan to the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, and entrusting her with the management of the six palaces together with Imperial Noble Consort Niohuru.
Wen Shan was filled with questions upon receiving the imperial edict.
What's going on?
Didn't they remove her from the rank of Imperial Concubine?
That evening, when Emperor Kangxi came to Xianfu Palace, he still had a stern face. Now, seeing Consort Xuan's innocent face makes him angry.
Even though the Empress Dowager had already informed her that she had been removed from the list of conferred titles, she was still cheerful and didn't seem to care at all. Kangxi originally intended to scare her a little, and as long as Wen Shan came to ask for help, he would go along with it and add her back.
Unexpectedly, they didn't care about being a concubine or anything like that at all.
After the Empress Dowager saw through Kangxi's intentions, she watched the show with great leisure, wondering what other tricks the two of them could pull.
In the end, it was Kangxi who gave in first. There was no way to stop Wenshan; she genuinely didn't care about these things, and trying to threaten her with them would have virtually no effect.
Wenshan's thinking was simple: she had no worries about food and drink and had two kids, so what was there to fight over? She should let someone else handle the promotion.
For the first time, Kangxi felt somewhat frustrated by this mild-mannered personality, which was as gentle as cotton.
He knew, of course, that Wen Shan's Achilles' heel was Yin Si and Yin Zhen, but as a father, he couldn't bear to see his two children suffer any more.
After lifting the confinement of Consort Tongjia, Emperor Kangxi became increasingly soft-hearted, wondering if he had been too harsh on Consort Xuan.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems she didn't do anything wrong. She always followed the rules and behaved politely, but instead suffered a lot of grievances.
After much deliberation, he felt that his previous decision had been rather hasty, so he waved his hand and issued the decree of investiture again.
On the day of the investiture ceremony, Wen Shan's heart broke when she saw the snow covering the ground outside.
Revenge, this is absolutely revenge!
It would have been better to have been conferred titles with everyone back then; now it's even colder!
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