Chapter 33: The Concubines Accompanied on This Southern Tour...
The imperial concubines were not many on this southern tour. The Imperial Noble Consort was not in good health and could not travel long distances, and the Noble Consort Niohuru was worried about the tenth prince who was not even a year old. Since these two high-ranking concubines could not go, Wen Shan had to go.
This was Kangxi's first southern tour since ascending the throne. In addition to inspecting government affairs and understanding the people's conditions, he also wanted to show the world the harmony between the royal couple and the filial piety between father and son. Since Kangxi did not have an empress, he needed a high-ranking concubine to maintain appearances.
“We’re heading south all the way to Suzhou this time. Suzhou and Hangzhou must be very beautiful at this time of year,” Wen Shan said to Yinzhen and Yinsi as she packed her things.
Packages of all sizes were scattered all over the floor of Xianfu Palace. Yinzhen rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "Mother, we're only going for two months. We don't need to move the whole family over."
While eating pastries amidst the chaos, Yinzhi said, "Brother, just leave it alone. Mother won't listen to us anyway."
Mother can bring whatever she wants, as long as she can carry it.
Hearing the two of them talking in unison, Wen Shan put her hands on her hips and said, "Which item wasn't brought for the two of you?"
"If we don't bring these pillows and blankets, what will we do, Yinzhen, with your problem of not being able to sleep well when we're in other places?"
Yinzhen's gaze wandered.
It was rare for Yinzhi to see Yinzhen suffer a setback, so he secretly chuckled to himself.
As a result, Yinzhi also fell victim to Wenshan's indiscriminate attacks.
"And you, Yinzhi, don't laugh either. If we don't bring these pastries and ingredients, how will we cook for you on the road? Would you eat what other people make? You little picky eater!"
Yinzhi raised his hands in surrender, decisively choosing to act coquettishly and then packing his things with Wenshan.
Besides Wen Shan, only Consort Rong, Consort Duan, Noble Lady Cheng, and Noble Lady Min accompanied her on this southern tour. Therefore, all the domestic affairs on the way fell to Wen Shan.
Looking at the endless stream of trivial household affairs, Wen Shan looked to Yinzhi for help.
Yinzhi sighed and obediently took over the task, as it was indeed too much to ask his mother to handle these matters.
On the first day of the tenth month, they arrived at Mount Tai. Emperor Kangxi climbed Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods. Consort Shan and Consort Rong accompanied him. Emperor Kangxi brought several of his older sons with him on this southern tour. Only the Sixth Prince was still too young to be separated from his mother's care, and Consort De was recuperating in the palace, so Emperor Kangxi did not bring him along.
Wen Shan thought to herself that she had never climbed Mount Tai in modern times, but she never expected to accomplish this feat in the Qing Dynasty. When the emperor climbed Mount Tai, the entire area was cleared. As Wen Shan climbed, she thought about the bustling scene of climbing Mount Tai at night that she had seen online, and then looked at the scene above. Apart from the soldiers holding flags on both sides, there was no one on the mountain. Behind them were the local officials who accompanied them.
Indeed, power is always the most useful thing, no matter the time.
After offering sacrifices at Mount Tai, Wen Shan had to lie in the palace for a whole day to recover, while Yinzhen and Yinsi were in high spirits and full of energy from beginning to end.
"Mother, how are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
Yinzhen and Yinsi each massaged her shoulders and legs.
Wen Shan squinted her eyes contentedly: "Alright, then your mother didn't raise you two for nothing."
The mother and her two children were enjoying themselves when Baoquan entered, looking somewhat troubled. He said, "Your Majesty, Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng have arrived."
"Let them come in, that's fine." Wen Shan asked with a puzzled smile, "Why are you looking so worried?"
Baoquan stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the two ladies have come because officials from Shandong have sent several women to the Emperor."
Emperor Kangxi did not bring many concubines with him on his southern tour. It was normal for officials along the way to send women as gifts. The women presented by officials were generally from respectable families with good backgrounds. Some officials even sent their own daughters or sisters to the palace. This was not a shameful thing.
However, this was certainly not a good thing for the accompanying concubines.
Originally, everyone thought that the competition during the southern tour was not as fierce as in the palace, and that everyone could at least get a share of the spoils. Now that several young and beautiful new women have been sent in, how could the emperor possibly remember them?
Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng couldn't sit still any longer. After discussing it, they went to find Wen Shan.
Since it concerned matters of the harem and were Kangxi's private affairs, Wen Shan let Yinzhen and Yinsi go out to play. It was better not to let her sons hear about their father's romantic affairs.
Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng entered and, without exchanging more than a few pleasantries, immediately got straight to the point.
"I heard that the Shandong governor presented several women to the Emperor. Has Your Highness heard about this?" Consort Rong asked first.
Wen Shan shook her head; she truly didn't know about it.
Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng exchanged a helpless glance. They were both veterans in the palace, and although they knew that Noble Consort Xuan had never liked to compete for favor, they never expected that she would be so indifferent.
“The three newlyweds moved into the back of the palace this morning,” Consort Rong sighed. “I took a peek from afar, and they all looked as fresh and tender as flower buds.”
Wen Shan finally paid attention upon hearing this and asked, "Has the Emperor already granted them ranks?"
If she had been granted a proper rank as a concubine, then Yinzhi should have informed her, and she would have had to send some gifts as per the rules.
Consort Cheng shook her head: "His Majesty is busy inspecting water conservancy projects and has not yet summoned me."
Wen Shan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the procedure went smoothly, she didn't care whether Kangxi wanted to take three or eight concubines.
"Your Highness, we've only been out of the capital for a short time and officials have already presented us with women. If we go to Jiangnan, won't there be even more?" Consort Rong subtly told Wen Shan that she had to take care of this matter, otherwise, things would get out of hand when they got to Suzhou and Hangzhou, places famous for their beautiful women.
Wen Shan smiled and said, "That's great! The Emperor has been working hard to govern and hasn't held a selection of concubines for several years. If he can give us a few more sisters this time, we can have some fun."
"..."
Who cares about this ridiculous spectacle!
Wen Shan genuinely felt that it was good to add a few new concubines to the harem; otherwise, it would be a constant battle between Consort Niohuru and Consort De, or between Consort De and Consort Tong, with Consort Yi and Consort Niohuru secretly vying for power.
These processes have to be repeated every few months, and Wenshan is getting a little tired of seeing them.
It would be nice to have some pretty young fresh blood. It would give Consort Niohuru, this fighting maniac, some new targets instead of always fighting with Consort De and Consort Yi. Unfortunately, Consort Niohuru can never get any advantage from these two, which makes Wen Shan, who is just watching the show, feel a little sorry for her.
What a perfect example of a charmingly naive, beautiful, and slightly silly girl!
If it weren't for the fact that Niohuru was behind her and that she had a beautiful face, she would have been torn apart by Consort De and her companions long ago.
Wen Shan's expression seemed genuine, as if she was about to force Kangxi to favor those three women at any moment. However, Wen Shan's attitude was politically correct, virtuous, and magnanimous, leaving the two women with no room for objection. As a result, they could only smile awkwardly, say a few words, and leave quickly, feeling like they had swallowed flies.
As soon as Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng left, Yinzhen and Yinsi came out from the inner palace at the back.
"Didn't I tell you two to go out and play?" Wen Shan said helplessly. When did these two brothers sneak back?
Yinzhen said, "Mother, don't be angry. It's because I'm worried about you."
Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng came with great force. Yinzhen was worried that Wenshan would be led by the nose into a trap by them. Yinsi, on the other hand, was not worried. His mother was always good at using a light touch to achieve a great effect. She might not be good at scheming, but she was a master at playing dumb. For example, today when he and his fourth brother were listening in the back, they almost couldn't help but laugh.
It's a pity we can't see Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng's expressions; they must have been quite interesting.
When Wen Shan saw that Yin Zhen was worried about her, her heart immediately softened, and she immediately pinched and rubbed Yin Zhen's face.
"Oh my good son, how thoughtful of you."
Yinzhen, his face flushed, was held in Wenshan's arms. He was so grown up, how could his mother still be so...
Never mind, as long as Mother is happy.
However, Yinzhen still muttered to himself that this was against etiquette.
Yinzhi snorted coldly from the side, clearly enjoying his mother's hug, yet he was still being stubborn.
So Yinzhi squeezed in to hug her, and Wenshan was overjoyed.
"How old are you to still be jealous of your brother?"
Yinzhi was furious. His fourth brother was older than him and his mother still doted on him. Why was it different for him?
I should have known better than to tell my mother that he was reborn.
After a while of commotion, Wen Shan finally got down to business, asking Yin Si if he knew about what Consort Rong had mentioned.
When Yinzhi was in the palace, he would help Wenshan with some palace affairs. Yinzhen knew this. His younger brother was precocious and meticulous, while his mother was always confused about these things. So, in Yinzhen's eyes, Yinzhi was forced to take on these tasks. Occasionally, Yinzhen would also help with some of them.
Yinzhi nodded and said, "They were indeed sent over this morning. They are all innocent and respectable women. The person who sent them said that they had already seen the Emperor, so they were arranged to stay."
"Then it's nothing. Let's wait until your father returns and issues the official decree of investiture."
Since Emperor Kangxi approved it, there's nothing more to say.
Liang Jiugong came over just as the sun was setting.
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine."
Wen Shan had just finished stewing the ribs when she saw Liang Jiugong arrive. She thought it was an imperial edict to bestow an official title, so she smiled and said, "Please rise, Eunuch Liang. Does His Majesty have any instructions?"
Wen Shan pondered to herself what to give the newlyweds since she hadn't brought any jewelry with her when she went out.
"His Majesty has just returned from the riverbank and sent me to deliver a message to the Imperial Concubine that he will be having dinner with her later."
"I understand His Majesty's meaning, and I will certainly grant you all..." Wen Shan only realized halfway through her sentence that it wasn't an imperial decree to bestow titles upon new concubines, but rather an invitation to dine at her place.
Liang Jiugong smiled broadly: "Your Highness, please make your preparations. The Emperor will be here soon and will be staying at your place tonight."
After Liang Jiugong left, Wen Shan was confused and said to Zhenzhu, "Why is the Emperor coming here instead of favoring the new concubines?"
"It's always a good thing that the Emperor is coming, so please don't think too much about it, Your Majesty," Pearl said with a smile.
Wen Shan waved her hand, telling Pearl to prepare dinner. Yinzhen and Yinsi returned from their stroll outside, and Yinsi, with his keen nose, immediately smelled the aroma of ribs.
"Mother, are we having ribs tonight?" Yinzhi ran into the room and saw Wenshan sitting in a chair, lost in thought.
Yinzhen followed closely behind and frowned when he saw Wenshan's appearance: "Mother, what's wrong?"
Wen Shan snapped out of her thoughts and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Eunuch Liang just came to tell you that your Emperor is coming over for dinner tonight."
Yinzhen and Yinsi were also uninterested when they heard this. They felt constrained every time their father came over, and it was much more comfortable when it was just the three of them, mother and sons, together.
Half an hour later, Kangxi arrived. Dinner had already been prepared. Wenshan, along with Yinzhen and Yinsi, paid their respects to Kangxi. Kangxi was in a good mood today and smiled as he helped Wenshan up.
"Get up, both of you. I smelled a delicious aroma as soon as I entered your house." Kangxi and Wenshan entered the room hand in hand: "What delicious food have you prepared?"
"These are just everyday meals. The imperial palace is different from the palace, so we can only say that His Majesty has to make do with these simple meals."
Kangxi initially thought Wen Shan was subtly asking him to be understanding, but after starting to eat, he realized that Wen Shan was actually being modest.
The dishes did look simpler than those in the palace, but the taste was simply incomparable.
Moreover, the taste reminded him of the food box that Wen Shan, who had amazed him, had sent to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Emperor Kangxi ate to his heart's content, consuming far more than usual. After finishing his dinner, he tested Yinzhen and Yinsi on their studies before dismissing the two children.
"Was dinner prepared by the Imperial Concubine herself tonight?" Kangxi asked casually, taking a sip of tea.
Wen Shan didn't think much of it and said with a smile, "My skills are simple, but fortunately Your Majesty doesn't mind."
Kangxi hummed in agreement, fiddling with the thumb ring. Now there was nothing he didn't understand. This was the dish Wen Shan had personally prepared; the ones he ate at Xianfu Palace were just random things she'd found to appease him.
Wen Shan rarely goes out these days, and she has been so busy enjoying the scenery that she has forgotten about this matter. Naturally, she could not bring the cooks from Xianfu Palace with her on the southern tour. The two brothers, Yinzhen and his brother, have become very picky eaters because of her, and they can never eat much of what others make. So, as usual, Wen Shan rolled up her sleeves and cooked for them herself.
Unexpectedly, he was exposed in front of Emperor Kangxi.
However, Kangxi did not react and continued to talk to her calmly, so Wenshan did not react immediately.
"I heard that Consort Rong came today?" Kangxi asked after drinking some tea.
Wen Shan said, "Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng came to talk to me for a while."
Kangxi put down the book in his hand and pressed for details: "Really? What did you talk about?"
Let's talk about your concubine who hasn't even married into the family yet.
Wen Shan gave a fake smile: "It's just a matter between women, nothing to worry about."
The candlelight flickered, the lamp wicks bursting slightly, and Kangxi's expression was somewhat indifferent in the dim light, the aura of imperial majesty and coldness slowly spreading out.
Even though Wen Shan was slow to react, she finally realized that Kangxi's mood was not right.
She began to quickly try to figure out which of her words she had said wrong, but after thinking for a long time she still couldn't come up with a solution.
Kangxi looked at her troubled expression with a half-smile and asked with rare patience, "Don't you want to ask me how to settle those women?"
As expected, nothing could escape Kangxi's eyes.
It's likely that Emperor Kangxi already knew what Consort Rong, Noble Lady Cheng, and she had said.
Even in Xianfu Palace from now on, she would have to be careful, given Yinzhi's special status. Moreover, she would have to remind Yinzhi to be more careful in his actions so that Kangxi wouldn't notice.
In reality, Wen Shan's worries were completely unfounded. Xianfu Palace was managed so tightly by Yin Si and Yin Zhen that Kangxi only knew about what Consort Rong and Yin Zhen had said today through people around Consort Rong.
"It's common for His Majesty to bestow titles upon a few concubines if he wishes, but now that he's away, it's inevitable that some of my sisters will have to suffer," Wen Shan said, as usual, offering some polite words.
But this time it seemed to have little effect. Kangxi's face remained calm, and he lazily hummed in agreement, without giving a clear answer.
On the surface, Kangxi appeared calm and collected, but inwardly he was in turmoil and was furious with Wen Shan.
Although he disliked the concubines in the harem fighting and causing trouble, wasn't he, as the Noble Consort Xuan, being a bit too cold towards his concubines?
He was unhappy that Consort Rong and Noble Lady Cheng were gossiping about this matter, but Wen Shan's attitude of not taking him seriously at all made him even angrier.
Now that I think about it carefully, it turns out that beneath Wen Shan's obedient exterior was nothing but pretense.
She didn't care who he favored, and she even left his meals to others instead of cooking for him herself!
Every time he went to Xianfu Palace, he would praise her cooking skills, which now seems utterly ridiculous.
This severely frustrated his ambition as an emperor and as a man.
The angrier Kangxi was, the calmer he appeared. He slowly picked up his book again and said, "I have been busy inspecting water conservancy projects lately and have no time to deal with these matters. Tomorrow, you shall send those women back."
Wen Shan looked up at Kangxi in surprise.
Could it be that it's been possessed by some evil spirit?
He had already nodded and sent it to the palace, but now he doesn't want it anymore?
As Kangxi watched Wen Shan's eyes dart around, unable to come up with a solution and forced to meekly agree, he suddenly felt that teasing her might be quite amusing.
So, starting from the next day, Kangxi stayed at Wenshan's place for more than half a month, and Consort Rong and Consort Duan never visited her.
Consort Rong and the others, who were initially pleased that Kangxi had rejected those women, were even more furious when they saw that Wen Shan had become his favorite.
So this is actually worse than being in the palace!
At least when they were in the palace, the emperor treated them fairly, and they would spend time with him once or twice a month.
Now, the Emperor spends all his time with Consort Xuan, who happens to be the highest-ranking concubine here, and the Emperor dotes on her, so no one dares to say anything.
Wen Shan has recently come to believe that Emperor Kangxi is possessed by an evil spirit.
Recently, when they were on the road, Kangxi asked her to accompany him in grinding ink, and at night he summoned her to his bedchamber. It seemed like he was very fond of her, but only Wen Shan knew that Kangxi's attitude towards her was not as good as it was before in the palace.
He's annoying her, yet he still wants her to get close to him. Isn't that insane?
After leaving Shandong, Wen Shan switched to waterways and boarded a boat. She was finally able to catch her breath and avoid the back-and-forth travel. She took some time to discuss with Yin Si what was going on.
Yinzhi had been pondering this matter for some time. Something was definitely amiss, especially since his father, the Emperor, was a deep and unpredictable man. There must be a reason for his actions.
After much thought, Yinzhi finally remembered the matter of dinner.
“Mother, have you forgotten that when Father Emperor came to dine in the palace, you always had Chef Xing cook for him? Father Emperor always thought that you cooked it yourself,” Yinzhi reminded her.
Wen Shan slapped her forehead; how could she have forgotten about that?
Oh no, this is terrible! We've really offended Emperor Kangxi!
Seeing Wen Shan's anxious expression, Yin Si quickly comforted her, "Mother, don't worry too much. Since Father hasn't confronted you directly, there's still room for maneuver. The reason he summons you every day is to incite jealousy among the other concubines and even the concubines in the palace."
It's easy to understand if you think about it for a moment. The fact that the Emperor dotes on Mother so much is not only known to the other ladies-in-waiting, but it will soon reach the palace. Mother has always disliked competing for favor and has always kept a low profile in the harem. The more Mother doesn't want to get involved in these troubles, the more the Emperor insists on putting her in.
...Revenge, he's too vengeful!
Wen Shan sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Yinzhi continued, "Secondly, since Father Emperor knows that you don't care about him and are unwilling to serve His Majesty, therefore..."
Wen Shan understood even before Yin Si finished speaking.
To put it bluntly, Kangxi is now competing with her; he's determined to prevent her from doing whatever she wants.
Wen Shan disliked competing for the emperor's favor with the other concubines in the palace, so Emperor Kangxi favored her exclusively, forcing her into the circle of competition. Wen Shan was perfunctory towards him and unwilling to see him, so he made her serve him by his side every day.
In short, the only goal is to make Wen Shan's life miserable.
"Mother, are you alright?" Yinzhi asked cautiously, noticing Wenshan's blank expression.
Father Emperor is such a petty and domineering person. He knows best how to torment others. In the previous life, even his son suffered greatly because of him, not to mention Mother, a concubine in the harem.
Wen Shan looked up at the sky silently and said wearily, "It's nothing."
Yinzhi frowned: "Mother, after thinking about it, I can only ask you to make do for now. When we get to Jiangsu, officials will naturally present women to us. As you may know, the Emperor's favorite concubine, Mi, is the daughter of a Jiangsu official on this southern tour."
When Consort Mi appears, she will naturally draw the Emperor's attention away.
Seeing Wen Shan's worried expression, Yin Si ran forward and snuggled into her arms.
"Mother, don't be sad. Your son will definitely urge Fourth Brother to ascend the throne as soon as possible so that you can become Empress Dowager, and then you won't have to suffer these grievances."
"..."
Good heavens, he's just waiting to make his fourth brother suffer.
But being an empress dowager, cough cough, is indeed quite enjoyable.
However, Emperor Kangxi lived a very long life, and the route was still some distance away, so Wenshan could only start counting down the days until they reached Jiangsu.
Emperor Kangxi found it somewhat amusing to see her resting her chin on her hand and peering out the window every day.
"What are you looking at all day? What's so interesting about this flowing water?"
When will Consort Mi appear to save her?
After learning about Kangxi's intentions, Wen Shan was no longer so afraid of him. He just wanted to torment her, right? Anyway, she was already a lazy bum, so whatever.
"I'm wondering when I can go to Jiangnan," Wen Shan said. "Everyone says that Jiangnan has the most beautiful scenery, but I've never seen it before."
Kangxi thought about it and realized that Wen Shan, who grew up on the grasslands, had indeed never seen what Jiangnan looked like.
Wen Shan leaned against the window railing, her hair tied in a simple bun, dressed in a moon-white dress. Wen Shan was naturally slender and petite, and today she was not wearing any makeup. Her fair face had delicate features, and a gentle breeze made her hair flutter slightly. This reminded Kangxi of the day he saw Wen Shan in Cining Palace. He felt that she did not seem like a girl from Khorchin, but rather like someone raised in the water towns of Jiangnan.
"Stop looking around, come and grind ink for me." Kangxi couldn't stand her leisurely appearance and started ordering her around again.
Wenshan sighed and could only obediently go forward to do the work.
I really want to go back to Xianfu Palace to do handicrafts and spend time with Yinzhen and Yinsi!
Wen Shan waited anxiously day and night, and finally the ship arrived in Suqian. Kangxi began to inspect the river affairs and summoned the river management officials, including the river governor. He was busy again, and Wen Shan could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
On the third day in Suqian, Yinzhi specifically told her that Consort Mi had boarded the dragon boat, but had not yet been officially conferred a title.
Wenshan almost cried tears of joy; her savior had finally arrived!
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