Chapter 34 Wen Shan couldn't wait to go...
Wen Shan couldn't wait to meet the concubine who was about to save her from her predicament; of course, she was still a young girl who had not yet officially entered the palace.
Mi Fei's surname was Wang. She was a Han Chinese woman whose ancestral home was Suzhou and who grew up there. Her family moved to Suqian because her father was transferred to Suqian as a county magistrate.
Another girl from the Manchu Guarjia clan who boarded the ship with her was also a pretty girl, whose father did not hold a high official position.
These two were carefully selected by officials in Suqian, both of whom were of good character and beautiful appearance. They even made a point of choosing one Han Chinese and one Manchu. There weren't many Han Chinese concubines in Kangxi's harem, and the officials who made the selections were hoping to take advantage of the situation and try something new. However, they couldn't all be Han Chinese women, otherwise Kangxi would have taken their heads first.
Isn't this a satire of Emperor Kangxi's obsession with women and his pursuit of pleasure? After all, while Han women in the Jiangnan region are known for their outstanding beauty, it's unclear who is responsible for associating them with the idea of femme fatales or Jiangnan with a land of pleasure and debauchery.
As the saying goes, public opinion is a fearsome thing, especially for the emperor, who must not touch anything that could damage the imperial dignity and the emperor's reputation.
Not to mention Emperor Kangxi, who was obsessed with saving face and admired the Manchus.
Wen Shan, under the guise of inspecting the inner quarters, wandered over to where the two girls were. As soon as she arrived, a clever palace servant informed her, and Lady Wang and Lady Guarjia came out of their room to greet her.
"Please rise, ladies." Wen Shan helped one of them up with each hand.
After carefully examining her appearance, she sighed that she was indeed carefully selected. Her looks and figure were both excellent. Wang Shi was more delicate and had a graceful and elegant temperament. At first glance, she was the standard Jiangnan beauty in Wen Shan's mind: gentle and beautiful, knowledgeable and reasonable. She was somewhat similar to Consort Min, but Consort Min had more of a coldness and arrogance than Wang Shi.
Although Guarjia also grew up in Jiangnan, she was more lively and adorable, with a more youthful appearance. She was a very pretty and clever girl, somewhat like Consort Niohuru when she first entered the palace.
Both women had their own merits, and the more Wen Shan looked at them, the more she sighed in her heart, thinking how wonderful it must be to be the emperor. There were still a lot of beauties like them in Kangxi's harem.
How hateful! She also wants so many beauties to fawn over her every day, vying for her favor and affection.
Once Yinzhen ascends the throne and Kangxi is gone, she will definitely find several young and handsome men to make up for the wounds inflicted on her heart over the years.
"I had heard of Your Highness's beauty and extraordinary temperament when I was at home, and seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved," Guarjia said sweetly, praising Wen Shan with a smile.
Wen Shan chuckled twice, wondering if she had misheard. There were two imperial concubines in the palace; this phrase seemed to describe Consort Niohuru.
Wen Shan chatted with the two women inside for a while, asking them how old they were. Wang was sixteen, and Guarjia was even younger, just turned fifteen, only two years older than the eldest prince.
Wen Shan calculated that her body was now twenty-four years old. Although she was in the prime of her youth, she couldn't compare to these fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls.
Soon, Kangxi's concubines will include some who are ten years younger than her... Wen Shan felt a little suffocated just thinking about it.
An old cow eating tender grass? Bah!
Wen Shan didn't chat with the two of them for long before leaving. Guarjia looked at the magnificent and noble imperial concubine's entourage with envy.
"The Imperial Concubine is such a kind and beautiful person, Sister Wang, don't you think so?" Guarjia said affectionately, hugging Wang's arm as they entered the room together.
Wang was a quiet person, and upon hearing this, she simply nodded slightly.
Consort Xuan did indeed seem very amiable. When they boarded the boat, they happened to run into Consort Rong. The way Consort Rong looked at her at that time still made Wang feel uneasy.
Consort Xuan was gentle and peaceful, treating them like younger sisters. She had no sharp edges whatsoever and was a woman as soft and warm as white jade.
Before she came, her father had instructed her that the most honored and favored person on the imperial ship was Consort Xuan, and that she must please the Consort in order to seek her protection. Today, after seeing her, she realized why Consort Xuan was so favored by the Emperor. It would be hard for anyone not to like such a beautiful and serene person.
Wen Shan leisurely enjoyed the sea breeze outside for a while before returning to her residence. Yin Si was practicing calligraphy in his room. Although the princes had come on the southern tour, they had not neglected their studies because their teachers, Zhang Ying and Gu Badai, had also come along. Even though they were no longer in the Imperial Study, they still had to attend classes every day.
"Mother is back." Yinzhi looked up, saw Wenshan, put down his pen, and jumped off the chair.
Wen Shan entered the room and looked around: "Where's your fourth brother?"
Today is the last day of our stay in Suqian. Emperor Kangxi has given all the princes a half-day off, allowing them to go out and have some fun.
"Fourth Brother, the Crown Prince, Third Brother, and Fifth Brother went out together," Yinzhi said.
Wenshan took off her cloak and asked curiously, "Then why didn't you come out with us?"
Yinzhi, with a bitter face, pointed to the half-written words on the table.
"My father specially added extra homework for me, which is to write the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection ten times."
"Um?"
Yinzhi climbed onto the soft couch and sat next to Wenshan, complaining to her: "Father said that my handwriting is good and I need to practice more, so that I can't waste my talent."
"..."
Wen Shan was embarrassed. She had thought that Yinzhi had made some mistake and was being punished, but she didn't expect that he was being given extra practice because of his good handwriting.
But it does sound somewhat reasonable.
"Mother, you should make Fourth Brother practice more too." Yinzhi started to play tricks. "Fourth Brother's handwriting is not very good, so he needs to practice even more."
Wen Shan was both amused and exasperated: "Why do you never think of your fourth brother when there's something good going on?"
Yinzhi stopped talking, checked the time, and worried that he would miss dinner, so he ran back to practice his calligraphy diligently. Unfortunately, recently Emperor Kangxi had been visiting Wenshan frequently and would often test his and his fourth brother's studies. Since this was Emperor Kangxi's personal instruction, Yinzhi dared not be perfunctory and could only write each character carefully.
Wen Shan watched for a while and felt tired for him, so her motherly heart kicked in and she said, "Yin Si, rest for a while and have something to eat."
Yinzhi shook his head: "If Father Emperor comes over tonight, he will inspect it."
For now, he still has to pretend to be a diligent and studious good son.
"Your father probably won't be coming over tonight," Wen Shan said. "You forgot, those two new girls arrived today."
Yinzhi thought it made sense, so he put aside the remaining three repetitions and went to chat and eat snacks with Wenshan.
"Mother, did you meet with Lady Wang and Lady Guarjia? How did you find it?"
Wen Shan thought for a moment: "They were two young and beautiful girls. Wang was quiet and Guarjia was lively. They both seemed like very nice girls to me."
They probably aren't bad people, and neither of them are particularly scheming.
Moreover, they didn't seem to be opposed to the idea of entering the palace to accompany the emperor.
In particular, Guarjia Wenshan could see that the young girl still had some budding romantic expectations.
Kangxi probably preferred Lady Wang more, and she became one of his favorite concubines after entering the palace. Lady Guarjia, on the other hand, was relatively unknown. Yinzhi didn't even remember that Lady Guarjia had entered the palace with Lady Wang.
As the two were talking, Consort Min came to visit. Among the concubines who accompanied the emperor on his southern tour, Wen Shan was the only one who had a decent relationship with Consort Min. Whenever she was bored along the way, Consort Min would come to chat with her for a few minutes.
Yinzhi blinked and thought that since his father wouldn't be coming over tonight, there was no need to rush the rest. He immediately prepared to change his clothes and go find Yinzhen and the others. Wenshan had Baoquan and Xiaoshunzi follow him before letting Yinzhi go out.
"Mother, I'm not really a child anymore, don't worry." Yinzhi listened helplessly to Wenshan's rambling instructions to Baoquan and Xiaoshunzi, and said softly.
Wen Shan glared at him: "With your current small frame, what if you run into some bad guy? What will you do?"
Even the most mature soul cannot withstand the physical limitations of a young child. Since Yinzhi was going out alone, Wenshan was worried about not having more than a few people accompany him.
After giving her instructions, Wen Shan started to shoo him away: "Cheng, hurry up and leave. Your mother wants to talk to Consort Min. Don't stand here."
Yinzhi was urged to go out, and Consort Min was waiting under the eaves. Yinzhi bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Consort Min."
Consort Min smiled as she looked at Yinzhi, who was dressed in an indigo blue casual robe. Although he was not old, he had delicate features and a dignified and noble demeanor.
"Greetings, Eighth Prince. Are we heading out?"
Yinzhi nodded: "Mother is waiting for you inside, so I will take my leave first."
As Consort Min watched Yinzhi's departing figure, she thought to herself how wonderful it would be if she could have a child as intelligent and beautiful as the Eighth Prince.
Wen Shan waited for a while but didn't see Consort Min come in, so she went out to take a look and saw Consort Min staring into the distance in a daze.
"What are you looking at, little sister? You seem so lost in thought."
Consort Min awoke with a start and, regaining her senses, said, "I just saw the Eighth Prince. Your Majesty has raised him so well."
Wen Shan thought to herself that if it was Yin Si and Yin Zhen who were strong and healthy, then it was indeed her doing, but she dared not take credit for their temperament, speech, and conduct.
The two sat down to chat, and Wen Shan mentioned that she had just met the two girls who boarded the ship that morning. Consort Min, unaware of this, raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this: "If Your Majesty speaks highly of them, then they must be good people."
Wen Shan smiled slightly: "There is a young lady surnamed Wang who is also well-read. She seems like she would get along well with you, my sister."
"I used to read books to understand principles and etiquette, and now they also help pass the long nights in the palace. As for making friends through books, there's no need for that."
Wenshan sighed helplessly, "What's wrong with you lately? You don't like going out or interacting with people anymore."
Although Consort Min was somewhat aloof like a talented woman, she was still very gentle and got along well with everyone in the harem. However, since last year, she has suddenly become somewhat aloof for some reason.
Consort Min just smiled and didn't say anything, then brought up the age of the two people.
"Your Majesty just said that these two young ladies are both fifteen or sixteen years old?"
Wen Shan nodded, somewhat sighing, "She's about the same age as the eldest princess. The eldest princess's wedding preparations are almost complete, but the emperor is still thinking of keeping her for a few more years."
Meanwhile, Wang and Guarjia, who were the same age as the eldest princess, were about to enter the palace.
Consort Min sighed, "It's such a pity that they came to the palace at such a young age, but they probably didn't have a choice."
“Hmm… I was just thinking, and it seems we were all around this age when we entered the palace.” Wen Shan suddenly said, resting her chin on her hand, “It’s just that the Emperor was about our age back then, so we didn’t think much of it.”
The fact that Kangxi, now just over thirty, was taking in a fifteen-year-old concubine already made Wenshan feel a little awkward. She couldn't help but think that when Kangxi was in his forties or fifties, there would still be young girls entering the palace, and in a sense, these two girls were quite lucky.
The fact that he was allowed to enter the palace was already considered very unlucky.
Thinking about it this way, it had a bittersweet flavor, and Wen Shan laughed out loud.
Consort Min asked with some confusion, "Why is Your Highness suddenly so happy?"
"It's nothing." Wen Shan took a sip of tea. "It's so boring on the road. You can come over often so we can chat and relieve our boredom."
Upon hearing this, Consort Min joked, "Since His Majesty is often at Your Highness's place, is it convenient for me to come over?"
"..."
It's better not to mention it, because it annoys her.
Thankfully, Consort Mi finally arrived, and Emperor Kangxi should be able to stop tormenting her.
Consort Min left after sitting for a while, and Wen Shan pondered how to embroider a sachet. Just as she finished drawing the design, Yinzhen and Yinsi returned.
"Why are you back so soon?"
Yinzhi said with a sour face, "I ran into Fourth Brother and the Crown Prince as soon as I went out."
They were dragged back before they had even walked a few steps.
Yinzhi originally thought that since they had missed each other by chance, he would go out for a stroll by himself. However, Yinzhen was worried about him going out alone, so he forcibly brought him back.
Yinzhen was carrying a full hand of bags and packages, while the eunuch behind him was carrying a pile of things.
Wenshan quickly took it: "What did you buy?"
"These are all local trinkets from Suqian. My son thought they were interesting, so he bought them." Yinzhen separated them one by one, "I bought one for Mother, Imperial Mother, Grandmother, Mother, and Consort Wei."
When Yinzhi heard that Yinzhen had also brought something for Consort Wei, his expression softened slightly.
No wonder they bought so many. Wen Shan looked at the pile of gifts and it took her and Pearl a while to put them away.
Seeing that Yinzhi was still somewhat unhappy, Wenshan said, "After dinner, Mother will go and inform your Father that we should go out for a walk, shall we?"
Wen Shan pinched Yin Si's little face: "It's done, don't be unhappy."
Yinzhi then smiled again and started pestering Wenshan to order food.
Xiao Shunzi thought to himself that only in front of the Imperial Concubine would the Eighth Prince act like a child; at other times, you would never see this prince like this.
Just then, a voice announced from outside the door that Emperor Kangxi had arrived.
Wen Shan was taken aback. What was going on? Why were they here again?
As soon as Kangxi entered the room, he saw the mother and her two children all neatly arranged. After calling them to get up, he casually sat down on the couch. He had been coming to Wenshan's house often recently and was already familiar with her.
"Yin Si, have you finished practicing the characters I asked you to write?"
"..."
Mother, didn't you say Father Emperor wouldn't come?
Receiving a resentful look from Yinzhi, Wenshan quickly smoothed things over: "Your Majesty must be tired after just returning from the river. Please have some tea and pastries first."
Then he covered for Yinzhi and told him to hurry up and finish his homework.
Yinzhen, seeing the exchange between his mother and younger brother, knew something was wrong; it seemed Yinsi hadn't finished practicing the characters his father had instructed him to do before going out to play.
Emperor Kangxi took a sip of tea, glanced at Yinzhi, and said leisurely, "Yinzhi, come here."
Yinzhi looked up at the sky speechlessly. He really hadn't checked the almanac today. He hadn't finished his homework and was caught by his father, and he hadn't even been able to go out to play. He had really lost both his wife and his army.
Yinzhi honestly admitted that he still had three more drafts to finish writing. Kangxi hummed in response and asked him what he had done that day.
Wen Shan tried to salvage the situation one last time: "Your Majesty, Yinzhi was feeling a little unwell today, so I let him rest for a while."
Being sick is the universal formula for taking leave.
But Kangxi clearly didn't believe him. He just looked at Yinzhi and said, "Yinzhi, tell me yourself, is it the illness your mother said you have?"
Yinzhi sighed inwardly and could only tell the truth that he had gone out to play.
Kangxi glanced at Wen Shan: "A doting mother often spoils her son."
Wen Shan: "..."
You're the one who's pushing your child too hard!
Fortunately, Emperor Kangxi did not reprimand Yinzhi, but only told him to finish his dinner and make up for it.
Then the emperor began to test Yinzhen's studies. Yinzhen was always diligent in his studies and answered questions fluently, which satisfied the emperor.
"When I was young, I always read a book one hundred and twenty times before I could even begin to understand its meaning. You should also study diligently in the Imperial Study and not just skim through it."
Both Yinzhen and Yinsi obediently replied yes.
Emperor Kangxi was quite satisfied with his two sons. Yinzhen was serious and disciplined, while Yinsi was intelligent, quick-witted, and gentle. He was also close to the Crown Prince. If they were properly trained, they would surely become the Crown Prince's right-hand men in the future.
Wen Shan listened to Kangxi's beautiful imagination and mentally judged it as his final fantasy before his death.
As for the Crown Prince's left and right arms, these two are not even worthy of being Kangxi's left and right arms, especially since Yinzhi is scheming every day about how to make his fourth brother ascend the throne ahead of schedule in this life.
After finishing their dinner, Yinzhen and Yinsi left first, leaving Wenshan and Kangxi speechless.
After thinking for a while, Wen Shan tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, two new sisters have arrived today. Won't you go and see them?"
Emperor Kangxi was leaning against the couch reading a book when he heard this and looked up at me: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy that I'm here?"
"How could that be? I am overjoyed," Wen Shan said with a forced smile.
Kangxi chuckled, then continued reading, ignoring her.
Wen Shan was so worried she was about to lose her hair. It seemed like the newcomer wasn't making any progress at all. She was under a lot of pressure being with Kangxi every day!
At this time of day, she would usually be reading a storybook, eating a late-night snack, and gossiping with Pearl and Jade.
Those wonderful days are gone for more than half a month now.
"I heard you went to see them today." Kangxi asked again as he slowly turned a page of his book, seeing Wen Shan lost in thought again.
Wen Shan was not surprised that Kangxi knew, and simply nodded and said, "I went to see him out of curiosity."
"how?"
When Wen Shan heard Kangxi ask this, she immediately perked up. She was already sitting opposite Kangxi, but now she straightened up and leaned forward with great interest, saying, "They are all young and beautiful girls. Wang is gentle and quiet, and Guarjia is lively and playful. I think they are all good."
His face practically screamed, "Your Majesty, go and see these two beauties!"
Kangxi didn't even look up and just said "oh".
Wenshan pouted and deflated.
Kangxi found it somewhat amusing to see her with such a pained expression. Wen Shan always started pretending but couldn't keep it up; her thoughts were always written all over her face.
Kangxi originally intended to make things difficult for Wenshan, which is why he specially summoned her to accompany him. However, after spending a few days with her, Kangxi found himself quite comfortable being with Wenshan. Wenshan had a peaceful nature, and Kangxi had never seen her argue with anyone. Moreover, she was simple and straightforward, the kind of person that Kangxi could see through at a glance.
Previously, Emperor Kangxi thought that Wen Shan's plain and uninteresting nature was not interesting. It was only during this southern tour that he had the opportunity to have long-term private contact with Wen Shan and gradually began to appreciate her.
I also enjoy teasing her more and more.
When she's angry, she looks like a cat with its fur standing on end, but she's a cowardly little cat who doesn't even dare to bare her teeth and claws and just silently sulks.
At this moment, Wen Shan was unaware that Kangxi had already started to apply a pink bubble filter to her. If she had known, she would have been terrified and would have touched Kangxi's head to make sure he wasn't delirious from the fever.
At this time, the brothers Yinzhen and Yinsi, who were in the side hall, were also preoccupied with their own thoughts. Because it was not as convenient to be away from home as it was in the palace, Yinzhen and Yinsi lived in the same room instead of in separate halls.
Yinzhi was still writing the remaining characters with a bitter expression, while Yinzhen watched the book for a while but couldn't bear to look at it anymore.
Yinzhi could tell from Yinzhen's expression that he was worried about his mother. People in the palace always praised Yinzhi for being intelligent, but only Yinzhi knew that his fourth brother was the one with the most insightful and discerning mind.
No matter how much he tried to conceal his past life experiences, he still appeared smarter than other children, while Yinzhen was a genuine six or seven-year-old with a mind far beyond his years.
And it is not exposed.
The longer Yinsi spent with Yinzhen, the more he had to admit that he hadn't been wronged in his previous life.
No one could see through Fourth Brother.
"Brother, you don't need to worry about Mother. Father won't do anything to her." Yinzhi didn't even look up and continued doing his homework.
Judging from the current situation, Father Emperor has clearly taken a liking to Mother Mother and is currently in the mood for it. His previous offenses have naturally become a source of affection.
Yinzhen naturally noticed Kangxi's unusual behavior during this period. His mother had always been someone his father didn't seem to care about, so this sudden special favor seemed very strange.
Yinzhi shook his hand and finally finished writing the ten versions of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. He got off the chair, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and there were no servants in the room, only the two brothers.
Yinzhen sighed and said, "I know."
"But Mother is not happy."
Yinzhen understood perfectly that Wenshan truly had no interest in being favored; it wasn't a case of feigned reluctance, but genuine and strong resistance.
The Emperor's favor was a burden to her. With her mother's family background and the favor of her two ancestors, as long as she didn't commit a serious crime of treason, she could live a peaceful and wealthy life in the palace. Now she was also supporting him and her younger brother, so she could say that she had a place to rely on for the rest of her life. At this time, the Emperor's favor was really tasteless.
It could also cause you trouble.
More importantly, my mother is genuinely unhappy.
Yinzhen saw Wenshan sigh more often during this period than in the previous few years combined.
"Let's think of a way to get Father Emperor to turn his attention away from Mother as soon as possible," Yinzhen said after a moment's thought.
Yinzhi agreed: "I do have a method, brother, would you like to hear it and see if it works?"
...
The next morning, after Wen Shan dressed Kangxi, she hurriedly saw him off. Pearl came in with water and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please wash your face first."
After Wenshan finished washing up, she asked if Yinzhen and Yinsi were up yet. Zhenzhu said that the two princes had been up for a long time and had gone out early in the morning to buy some local breakfast for Wenshan to try.
My son is definitely the most considerate.
Yinzhen and Yinsi returned shortly afterward. Seeing Wenshan's tired appearance, Yinsi said, "Mother, Father Emperor probably won't be coming tonight, so you don't need to be so reserved anymore."
Wen Shan perked up: "What happened?"
Yinzhi and Yinzhen exchanged a glance, and Yinzhi shook his finger mysteriously: "I have a brilliant plan."
Yinzhen placed a small steamed bun on Wenshan's plate: "Mother, please eat first. Don't worry about these things."
Since Yinzhen and Yinsi have said so, Wenshan has truly put the matter aside. The fact that the two of them can say this means they are confident.
As expected, Emperor Kangxi did not come that night.
The imperial decree conferring the title of Consort Mi arrived early the next morning, and Lady Wang was granted the title of Consort Mi.
Wen Shan was shocked; this starting point was truly exceptionally high.
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