Chapter 6, "The Empress Dowager, Consort Xuan..."
"Empress Dowager, Consort Xuan has arrived."
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager were chanting Buddhist prayers in the Cining Palace when Sumalagu came in from outside to announce their arrival. The Empress Dowager stopped her hand from twirling the prayer beads and said with a smile, "Why is Wenshan here at this hour?"
The Empress Dowager smiled but remained silent.
"Let her in." The Empress Dowager sat cross-legged on the couch, placing her Buddhist prayer beads aside.
As soon as Wen Shan entered, she immediately performed a deep bow: "I beg the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager to uphold justice for Yinzhen!"
She was furious when she heard what Consort Rong said, and she had only one thought in her mind: she had to suppress this matter as soon as possible. If the whole palace were filled with Yinzhen, how sad would he be?
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager exchanged a glance. The Empress Dowager then looked at Sumalagu and gestured for her to help Wenshan up first.
"What's going on? Who bullied Yinzhen?"
Wen Shan didn't get up, so Su Mala Gu persuaded her, "Your Highness, please get up and tell us what's wrong. The Ancestor will naturally stand up for you."
"Now everyone in the palace is saying that yesterday the Emperor reprimanded Yinzhen for being unfilial and disrespectful, and unworthy of being a son." Wen Shan raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, you know that yesterday it was just the Emperor saying something in a fit of anger, but somehow it has spread throughout the palace."
“Yinzhen is still young, and he has always been filial and respectful. He also has deep affection for his father, the Emperor. If he knew this, I wonder how upset he would be. How would he be able to stand in the palace afterward?”
Wen Shan choked up as she spoke, and the Empress Dowager frowned upon hearing this. She immediately looked at Su Mala Gu and asked, "What's going on? Didn't we tell you yesterday that you weren't allowed to say a word about this?"
Under Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's control, the Cining Palace was an impenetrable fortress, and this was the first time in so many years that someone from the Cining Palace had run into trouble.
Su Ma La Gu pondered for a moment with a serious expression and said, "This servant has not heard of this matter. Please do not worry, allow this servant to investigate."
The Empress Dowager rose and personally helped Wen Shan up, patting her hand affectionately and saying, "Don't worry, since this matter occurred in Cining Palace, your mother and I will certainly take care of it."
Sumalagu immediately went out to investigate the situation.
A palace maid brought over an embroidered stool and placed it below the Empress Dowager. After Wen Shan sat down, the Empress Dowager asked again, "Where did you hear that?"
Pearl curtsied and replied, "Your Majesty, just now Your Majesty encountered Consort Niohuru and Consort Rong while admiring the plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden. The two consorts mentioned this matter during their conversation, and Your Majesty was very anxious upon hearing it and rushed over."
"Niohuru and Consort Rong?" The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes and coldly read out the names of the two. "It seems I am really getting old. Nowadays, the concubines in the palace are like flowers in a garden, and I can't recognize many of them."
Niohuru was born into a powerful family and was favored by the emperor. Consort Rong entered the palace early and had many children. Neither of them were marginal figures in the harem. How could the Empress Dowager not recognize them? Wen Shan understood that the Empress Dowager meant that she did not know when the two of them had become close.
The Empress Dowager, who was also well aware of the situation, simply smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are still young and your eyes are bright."
The Empress Dowager looked at Wen Shan and then laughed again: "As expected, you're a different person now that you've become a mother. When have I ever seen you so anxious and flustered to beg me?"
Wen Shan was speechless, and only said, "I only took care of Yinzhen for a few days. I can't say I'm his mother. It's just that this child is well-behaved and I can't bear to see him suffer like this."
The Empress Dowager picked up her prayer beads again and smiled meaningfully: "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"
Sumalagu returned shortly afterward.
"I went to ask, and there are some rumors circulating in the palace that seem to have originated from a palace maid named Yunqing in Chengqian Palace."
Chengqian Palace?
Wen Shan frowned slightly. "Impossible. Consort Tongjia has always been quite fond of Yinzhen. How could this have come from her?"
The Empress Dowager said coldly, "Chengqian Palace? Where did you get this news about the Imperial Concubine?"
The news coming from Chengqian Palace was even more disheartening for Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Someone from Cining Palace had leaked information and passed it on to Chengqian Palace. Didn't this prove that Consort Tongjia had planted spies in her palace and had been sending out countless messages on a daily basis?
“This… needs to be investigated further,” Sumalagu said.
Wen Shan sorted through the news that was about to descend into chaos, and took a moment to observe the Empress Dowager's expression.
The Empress Dowager's face was cold, and a flash of malice crossed her eyes, clearly showing her dissatisfaction with Consort Tongjia's overstepping of her bounds.
The Empress Dowager also seemed somewhat worried and murmured "Amitabha" a few times.
The fact that the source of the information was found in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea left Wen Shan speechless at the Empress Dowager's control over the Forbidden City.
"No need to investigate further, go and invite the Emperor over," the Empress Dowager said in a deep voice, raising her eyes.
Wen Shan glanced at the Western clock that Emperor Kangxi had just given to the two old ancestors a few days ago. It was almost time for Yinzhen to finish his studies, so she took her leave first.
"Pick up Yinzhen and go directly to Cining Palace," the Empress Dowager instructed.
Wen Shan agreed and then left Cining Palace for the Imperial Study.
Pearl held her hand and said, "Fortunately, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager love their master and are willing to stand up for the Fourth Prince."
“Once the news gets out of Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager will intervene in the affairs of any prince,” Wen Shan said.
So her first reaction after learning about this was to immediately go to the Cining Palace to complain.
Inside the Imperial Study, the princes had finished their morning lessons and were reviewing their last lessons.
Currently, only the eldest prince Yinti, the crown prince Yinreng, the third prince Yinzhi, and the fourth prince Yinzhen are studying in the Imperial Study.
The remaining three princes are too young to start their studies. Only the fifth prince, Yinqi, has recently begun his education and occasionally visits the Imperial Study. However, most of the time, the Empress Dowager, feeling sorry for her grandson, keeps him in the Cining Palace and is not in a hurry to get him to study.
Yinti, who is nine years old this year, and Crown Prince Yinreng, who is seven years old, are starting to grow taller and are already showing signs of being young. In particular, the eldest prince Yinti inherited the good looks of his mother, Consort Hui, and is handsome and dashing, a truly elegant young man.
Today, Zhang Ying was the one who taught them. After the lesson, Zhang Ying left first, leaving the princes to sit in the study and practice their writing and reading.
"Is the Crown Prince fully recovered?" the eldest prince, Yinti, asked with a smile.
The eldest prince carefully put away the manuscript, and a eunuch standing beside him took it and tidied it up for him. The crown prince's seat was in the center of the front row, and the eldest prince sat to his left.
The Crown Prince's personal eunuch was already packing his things. As soon as he arrived at the Imperial Study, the Crown Prince ignored Yinzhen. He didn't like his smiling tiger-like elder brother very much either, so he only said a few words to the Third Prince, Yinzhi.
The Third Prince is only four years old this year. Consort Rong had told him early on not to get involved in the affairs of the Crown Prince and Yinzhen, and he obediently listened.
Yinzhen remembered Wenshan's words, focused on his own work and studied diligently without saying much.
It wasn't until get out of class ended that the eldest prince, who had observed the awkward atmosphere between the brothers all morning, took the initiative to bring up yesterday's events.
The Crown Prince glanced at Yinzhen, who was still diligently practicing calligraphy, and snorted.
The eldest prince stood up and walked between the two, saying, "How can we brothers hold a grudge overnight? Fourth brother, you are the younger brother and a subject. Apologize to the Crown Prince and this matter will be over."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince looked over and, though he didn't say anything, tacitly approved of the First Prince's suggestion.
Yesterday, Yinzhen embarrassed him in front of so many people, so he should apologize to him out of both courtesy and reason. As his elder brother, he should be magnanimous and forgive him.
Yinzhen held the pen without moving.
The eldest prince was secretly pleased. Yinzhen had been stubborn since childhood, how could he possibly bow down to the crown prince? Even when the crown prince fainted yesterday, he didn't admit his mistake. As long as Yinzhen remained stubborn, with the crown prince's arrogant temperament, yesterday's scene would definitely repeat itself.
Even if the Emperor favors the Crown Prince, it is still unacceptable for the Crown Prince to bully his younger brother time and time again.
Yinzhen initially refused to back down, but remembering his father's harsh reprimands and Consort Xuan's instructions from the previous day, his clenched fists slowly loosened.
As expected, when the Crown Prince saw that Yinzhen still didn't take him seriously as he had the same way yesterday, his temper flared up immediately. Just as he was about to get angry, Yinzhen stood up, put on a stern face, and bowed to the Crown Prince: "Your subject had no intention of disrespecting Your Highness yesterday. I hope Your Highness will take care of your health."
Although they didn't admit their mistake, they at least bowed their heads first.
The eldest prince was taken aback, while the crown prince lazily hummed in agreement, accepting the courtesy despite his haughty demeanor.
The Third Prince looked around and felt something was wrong, so he wanted to run away. He said that Consort Rong needed to see him and took a eunuch with him. As soon as he went out, he bumped into Wen Shan, who had come to pick up Yinzhen.
"Greetings, Your Highness." The Third Prince greeted Wen Shan respectfully.
Wen Shan laughed and said, "Why is Third Prince running around in such a hurry?"
"My mother is looking for me in the palace, I need to hurry back." After saying this, the Third Prince left in a hurry.
The three princes inside also heard the commotion outside. In particular, Yinzhen's eyes lit up as soon as he heard Wenshan's voice, and he ran out.
As expected, Lady Xuan came to fetch him.
"Your Majesty!"
Wenshan looked into his bright eyes, squatted down, and patted his head.
The eldest prince and the crown prince also came out. The crown prince, being the heir apparent, did not need to bow to her, but although Emperor Kangxi doted on the crown prince, he was not ambiguous about his filial piety and rules. When the crown prince saw his stepmother in the palace, he would also bow and greet her, after all, she was an elder.
Upon seeing Wen Shan arrive, the eldest prince abandoned his other thoughts and found an excuse to leave. The crown prince felt a little uneasy watching Yinzhen nestled beside Wen Shan, holding her hand tightly. He said with a stern face, "Since the fourth brother is being raised by Consort Xuan, Consort Xuan should diligently teach him to be polite and well-mannered."
Yinzhen suddenly tightened his grip on Wenshan's hand. Wenshan gently squeezed his small hand reassuringly and replied with a smile, "The princes were all raised by His Majesty, so naturally they are all well-mannered and respectful."
Yinzhen breathed a sigh of relief and felt very comforted, knowing that Consort Xuan was protecting him.
The crown prince grunted in response but said nothing more, and left with his attendants.
Wen Shan took Yinzhen's hand and walked towards Cining Palace, pondering how to tell him about this.
Yinzhen was clever; he realized after a few steps that this was not the way back to Xianfu Palace.
"Your Highness, are we going to Cining Palace?" Yinzhen asked, looking up at her.
Wen Shan nodded, stopped, and said, "Your father should be there now. Don't be afraid when you get there. Your father and grandmother both love you."
Yinzhen nodded obediently.
Wen Shan thought about it again and felt that it would be too cruel for a child to let Yinzhen go to see it in person, especially since Consort Tongjia was involved. So after much deliberation, she decided that it would be better to let Pearl take him back to Xianfu Palace first. She could just make up an excuse that Yinzhen was not feeling well, since Yinzhen was indeed injured yesterday anyway.
Unexpectedly, when Wen Shan suggested that Yinzhen go back first, he decisively refused.
"This matter must be related to your son, Your Majesty. I am not afraid."
Wen Shan softened a little when she saw his determined expression, and stopped insisting. She briefly told Yinzhen what had just happened.
Of course, all the unpleasant words were hidden.
Although Yinzhen listened quietly, Wenshan could sense his frustration and sadness. She hugged him and noticed that his body was trembling.
But Yinzhen comforted her instead: "I'm fine, Consort Xuan. You don't need to stand up for me anymore. Father Emperor doesn't like me, so don't drag you down with me."
"What are you saying?" Wen Shan looked at him seriously and earnestly: "As long as you are raised by me, I have to take good care of you. How can I not care if you are bullied? What you just said is childish. Don't say it again."
After saying that, she took Yinzhen's hand and headed towards Cining Palace.
Emperor Kangxi had been summoned to the Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager explained the whole story to him, and Kangxi's expression remained inscrutable.
"These lackeys, it's one thing for them to gossip all the time, but now they even dare to slander the princes," Kangxi said in a deep voice, slamming his teacup on the table.
The palace servants inside the room immediately knelt down.
The Empress Dowager glanced over lightly: "The servants should be punished as they deserve, and the masters are not easy to deal with either. What does the Emperor think of the incident at the Consort's Chengqian Palace?"
Kangxi knew that the Empress Dowager had never liked Consort Tongjia, and this time she wouldn't let go easily once she had her weaknesses exposed.
"With the Consort Tongjia pregnant, her servants have become lax. Although she has made a mistake in not disciplining them properly, let's let it go considering the hardships of her pregnancy." After thinking it over, Emperor Kangxi decided to let the matter off lightly, taking into account that Consort Tongjia was pregnant.
"The Imperial Concubine is Yinzhen's foster mother, yet she has caused such a mess..." The Empress Dowager knew that she couldn't bring down Imperial Concubine Tongjia with this matter, so she pretended to be helpless and said, "Never mind, the Emperor will decide."
Just then, Wen Shan arrived with Yinzhen.
After exchanging greetings with the three men, Kangxi beckoned to Yinzhen.
"Yinzhen, come to Father Emperor."
Yinzhen responded and walked up to Kangxi.
A palace maid brought a stool and had Yinzhen sit to the left of Kangxi.
Yesterday, Emperor Kangxi was flustered because the Crown Prince fainted, and Yinzhen stubbornly argued with him, which made him angry and say those things. After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Kangxi calmed down and realized that he had gone too far. The events that happened in the Imperial Study yesterday had already been reported to him word for word, and in the end, it was not entirely Yinzhen's fault.
"Those two gossiping servants should be flogged two hundred times. All the palace servants should be allowed to witness the punishment. If anyone speaks ill of the prince again, they should be dealt with in the same manner," Kangxi said casually, twirling the thumb ring on his hand.
"Yes, sir." Liang Jiugong received the decree and went to make the arrangements.
"Niohuru and Consort Rong have been spreading rumors in the palace that implicated the princes. They are to be fined three months' salary and confined to the palace to reflect on their actions." Kangxi looked at the Empress Dowager: "Grandmother, is this acceptable?"
The Empress Dowager nodded: "The Emperor handled the matter very appropriately."
Kangxi dealt with the matter swiftly and decisively, and the anger on his face was genuine. Wen Shan thought to herself that it was fortunate that Kangxi was not a muddle-headed emperor; he would not take such a matter of insubordination and offense against the imperial authority lightly.
Yinzhen sat below, seemingly lost in thought.
After this matter was settled, the Empress Dowager suddenly brought up another issue.
"Speaking of pregnant concubines in the palace, Consort Wei must be six months along now, right?"
Emperor Kangxi was taken aback and couldn't recall for a moment. His impression of Lady Wei was that she was beautiful but cold-hearted. Beauty was the only thing the palace had no shortage of, so he had only favored her for a few days before getting bored and putting her aside.
Wen Shan was startled. She glanced at Yinzhen, who was sitting obediently beside her, and thought, "So your lifelong rival, the Eighth Prince Yinsi, is about to be born."
Yinzhen was a little confused when he received Wenshan's complicated gaze, which was filled with pity and expectation. Why was Consort Xuan looking at him like that all of a sudden?
"According to ancestral rules, a concubine of low rank cannot raise a child. After the child is born, which concubine does the emperor intend to raise?" the Empress Dowager continued.
Consort Wei lived in Consort Hui's Yanxi Palace. In the past, Emperor Kangxi would have casually let Consort Hui, who held a high position, raise Consort Wei's child. After all, there was no shortage of children in the palace now. Consort Wei came from the Xin Zhe Ku and had a low rank, so Emperor Kangxi did not care much about this child.
But today the Empress Dowager specifically brought it up...
Kangxi glanced at Consort Xuan, who stood to the side with her head bowed and eyes lowered, and understood the Empress Dowager's thoughts. He had just protected the Noble Consort because the Empress Dowager was asking him for benefits for Consort Xuan, who was also of Mongol origin.
Emperor Kangxi took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Nowadays, all the high-ranking concubines in the palace have children. Consort Xuan is still childless, and she takes good care of Yinzhen. Why not let Consort Xuan raise him?"
Wen Shan, quietly observing the drama: ?
Who will take care of them?
Whom should I support?
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