Chapter 7 Kangxi looked at Wenshan's astonished expression...
Emperor Kangxi found Wen Shan's astonished expression somewhat amusing. While the other concubines, whether they had their own children or not, were always enthusiastic about adopting children, this was the first time he had seen someone show such an expression.
He raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "What, Consort Xuan is unwilling?"
The Empress Dowager also looked over: "You have always been meticulous and thoughtful. I and the Emperor are at ease entrusting you with our responsibilities."
The Empress Dowager, fearing that Emperor Kangxi would retract his order, quickly tried to make amends for her.
Wen Shan was on the verge of tears. Yinzhen was alright, as she was only temporarily taking care of him and would eventually have to send him back to Consort Tongjia. But if Yinsi took him to her and raised him, should she get involved in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes or not?
However, she dared not disobey Kangxi's decree, especially since it was a "good thing" orchestrated by the Empress Dowager. She could only force a smile and thank her.
As Yinzhen watched from the side, his heart sank. He fiddled with the patterns on his clothes, thinking to himself that Consort Xuan would soon have a child that he had raised since she was a child.
It seems that he was the one who was never favored by any of his mothers.
Just then, a palace maid lifted the curtain and came in, respectfully saying, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is outside requesting an audience."
The Empress Dowager's expression froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal, though her voice turned colder: "In this freezing weather, why don't you let the Imperial Concubine in?"
Emperor Kangxi twirled the thumb ring on his hand without uttering a word, revealing neither his joy nor anger.
Although Consort Tongjia was only four months pregnant, she was already showing signs of pregnancy. She was slender with a small, protruding waist and abdomen. Her lake-blue palace dress made her pale face appear even more pale. She looked weak and unsteady on her feet and was helped by a palace maid to greet the two people sitting at the head of the table.
Wen Shan and Yinzhen also stood up and bowed to Consort Tongjia.
Emperor Kangxi raised his hand and said, "You are pregnant, so there is no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."
Wen Shan thought to herself, "What's the point of waiting until everyone has finished their greetings?"
Consort Tongjia managed a weak smile. She was already pretty, but now without makeup, her frail body made her look even more pitiful.
"I have heard that the servants in Chengqian Palace have broken the rules, so I have come here to apologize to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea, flicked her sleeves with her fingertips, and said in a stern tone: "Since the passing of Empress Xiaozhao, you have been in charge of the six palaces. Yet today's matter comes from your palace and involves Yinzhen. How dare the servants discuss the prince and make such a fuss? What kind of decorum and rules are left in the palace?"
Consort Tongjia immediately rose and kowtowed: "It was my dereliction of duty, please punish me, Empress Dowager."
"Although Yinzhen is not your biological son, he has been raised in your palace since childhood. It was one thing for you to claim illness yesterday, but now this incident has occurred. How can I and the Emperor feel at ease entrusting all the princes and princesses of the palace to your care?" The Empress Dowager put down her teacup and said coldly.
Wen Shan remained silent, watching Yinzhen standing beside her. She sighed inwardly. The Empress Dowager had implied in front of Yinzhen that Consort Tongjia was an unkind mother. How painful it must have been for Yinzhen to hear that.
Consort Tongjia trembled, her heart filled with bitterness: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed to receive such grace from you and have no face to meet you."
Since the Empress Dowager was the head of the harem and Consort Tongjia was in the wrong first, Emperor Kangxi could not say much after she scolded Consort Tongjia. He watched coldly for a while before saying, "Grandmother, it is understandable that Consort Tongjia made a mistake due to her poor health."
The Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly: "Since the Emperor has pleaded for you, and you are pregnant, let it go this time. Get up."
"Yinzhen, help your mother up," Kangxi said calmly.
The Empress Dowager's brow twitched slightly upon hearing Kangxi's address, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Yinzhen responded and walked to Consort Tongjia, taking her arm for support: "Consort, please get up, the ground is cold."
The palace maids hurriedly helped Consort Tongjia up. Consort Tongjia looked at Yinzhen in front of her. Although she had not seen him for only a day, she inexplicably felt that Yinzhen was already very, very far away from her.
"How are you feeling? Your mother heard you fell down the steps. Are you alright?" Consort Tongjia asked Yinzhen softly, her face full of concern.
"Your Majesty, I am doing well. Your Highness is taking good care of me."
Consort Tongjia looked at Wen Shan beside her and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, Consort Xuan. I should pay a visit to express my gratitude another day."
Wen Shan replied with a smile, "Your Highness is too kind."
Consort Tongjia nodded to her, then looked at Yinzhen and said softly, "This time it's because Mother is really unwell. Please don't take the impure thoughts of the servants below to heart. Father and Mother will stand up for you."
Yinzhen pursed his lips and nodded gently.
Consort Tongjia breathed a sigh of relief and patted Yinzhen's head.
They looked like a loving mother and filial son.
After sitting for a while, Kangxi found the affairs of the inner palace rather boring. Since everything had been settled, he returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
As soon as Emperor Kangxi left, Consort Tongjia also took her leave, leaving only Wenshan and Yinzhen behind.
"Yinzhen, go to the side hall and play with Yinqi." The Empress Dowager called a palace maid to lead Yinzhen out.
After sending Wen Shan away, Yinzhen sat down directly next to the Empress Dowager and complained, "Grandmother, why did you have to reprimand the Consort in front of Yinzhen? The child is still young."
"You ungrateful little brat! I'm doing this all for you. What does Yinzhen have to do with you now? Even Consort Tongjia doesn't feel sorry for you, but you're already feeling sorry for him." The Empress Dowager tapped her forehead.
The Empress Dowager didn't find Wen Shan's frankness offensive; on the contrary, she felt comforted. Having been immersed in the palace for so long, she knew that everyone's words and thoughts were full of intrigue and scheming. Perhaps it was because she was getting old, but Wen Shan's childlike innocence made her feel close and comfortable.
Wen Shan naturally knew that the Empress Dowager wanted to take Yinzhen from the Consort and raise him herself, but she couldn't let Kangxi have it.
The Empress Dowager sighed as she thought of this: "I'm getting old, and my words are no longer effective. If it were a dozen years ago, I could still be the emperor's man. But now that Xuan Ye is powerful and his throne is secure, there are many things I really can't say anymore."
Wen Shan sighed. The relationship between the Empress Dowager and Emperor Kangxi was actually quite good. After all, she had raised him from childhood and helped him ascend the throne. Emperor Kangxi was also very filial to the Empress Dowager. However, he was a powerful emperor who was about to turn thirty, and his desire to control the court and the harem was growing stronger. Perhaps family affection and imperial power were destined to be unable to coexist.
At this point, the Empress Dowager instructed her again: "The Wei family's child is also good. Whether it is a boy or a girl, once it is born, take it to you. It will always be someone to rely on."
The Empress Dowager understood this principle well: the favor bestowed upon women in the harem was ephemeral, but the children were the real deal.
Speaking of the Eighth Prince Yinzhi, who was about to become her eldest son, Wen Shan felt even more heartbroken. However, she couldn't very well tell the Empress Dowager that she should change his name to Aqina and that he might take her with him.
"By the way, I really enjoyed the fried milk you made yesterday. Make some more later." After finishing their business, the Empress Dowager's cravings resurfaced.
"Okay, I'll bring it to you this afternoon." Wen Shan smiled helplessly.
"Mama Wuku, look at the big tiger that Fourth Brother drew for me!" Yinqi suddenly ran in, excitedly holding up a piece of paper. As soon as the Empress Dowager went to the Buddhist hall to fast, this little rascal started causing chaos in Cining Palace.
Yinzhen followed closely behind, with the palace maids chasing after them.
The Empress Dowager put her arm around Yinqi and said with a smile, "Good, Mother Wuku, take a look. Wow, it's drawn so realistically."
The atmosphere in Cining Palace was harmonious, but Consort Tongjia sat in her sedan chair on her way back to the palace with a displeased expression. Her personal maid, Juyue, said softly, "Your Highness, please calm down. The imperial fetus is of utmost importance."
Consort Tongjia closed her eyes briefly: "I've sent away all the loose-lipped people in Chengqian Palace. I've indeed been too lenient with them lately."
Juyue hurriedly replied, "Yes, Master, please rest assured."
"But the Empress Dowager went too far today, after all, you are still carrying the emperor's child."
Consort Tongjia snorted coldly and said with her eyes closed, "The Empress Dowager has always disliked me, but that's alright, as long as the Emperor doesn't hold any prejudice against me."
"How could that be? The Emperor dotes on his master the most, and he has been protecting him all day," Juyue said with a smile.
Juyue was coaxing Consort Tongjia to be happy when she suddenly frowned and let out a soft "Eh?"
"What's wrong?" Consort Tongjia asked.
Juyue quickly stepped closer and said, "Consort De is ahead."
Hearing this, Consort De and Consort Tongjia became even more agitated. They lowered the curtain and said impatiently, "Ignore her."
"yes."
However, Consort De was indeed waiting here for Consort Tongjia today.
Wearing a cloak and holding a hand warmer, she gracefully curtsied: "Greetings to the Imperial Concubine."
Consort Tongjia gave a perfunctory "hmm" and was about to leave when Consort De suddenly said, "Your Majesty, you came from Cining Palace, didn't you? I heard there are some rumors in the palace that seem to involve Your Majesty and the Fourth Prince."
Consort Tongjia said coldly, "It's freezing cold, Consort De, you should hurry back to the palace to avoid getting too cold."
Consort De could roughly guess what had just happened in Cining Palace just by looking at her expression.
"The Empress Dowager and Consort Xuan are the closest. Now that the Fourth Prince is being raised in Xianfu Palace, he should be able to receive the Empress Dowager's protection. Consort Xuan can indeed rest assured and focus on her pregnancy. It's getting late, and Yinzhu should wake up soon. I'll take my leave."
After saying that, he left leisurely.
Consort Tongjia was furious. She clutched her chest and frowned, saying, "Juyue, what do you think Consort De meant?"
"Is the Empress Dowager going to snatch Yinzhen away and give him to Consort Xuan?"
Juyue hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. The Fourth Prince was raised by the Emperor, and his words cannot be changed. Even the Empress Dowager can't change them. Besides, you really don't need to take Consort De's words to heart."
"Yes, that's right. She's always stirring up trouble. She just wants to make things difficult for me and Consort Xuan." Consort Tongjia recovered and understood.
“That’s right.” Seeing that her mistress had finally figured it out, Juyue smiled and said, “Nothing is more important than the baby in your belly right now. It will put the old lady at ease if the Fourth Prince is raised elsewhere for the time being, so as to avoid nagging.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Tongjia's expression changed: "What are you saying? I just said that this servant is not good with words, and you've already broken a taboo."
Juyue realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly knelt down to admit her mistake.
As she was just a maidservant who came with the dowry, Consort Tongjia only punished her with one month's salary before letting her get up.
Since then, the palace has indeed become much calmer, and Wen Shan's life seems to have returned to what it was before. Every day she cooks and goes to Cining Palace to chat with the two old empresses, except that she also picks up and drops off Yinzhen to and from school and takes him to Chengqian Palace and Yonghe Palace to pay her respects.
As Consort Tongjia's pregnancy progressed, her health deteriorated. By the fifth month, she had completely closed herself off from visitors and refused to see anyone. She also excused Yinzhen from paying his respects. Consort De, on the other hand, didn't cause any trouble because of Wen Shan's high rank, so her life was relatively peaceful.
It wasn't until May, when the grass was growing and the orioles were singing, that two major events occurred in the palace.
One incident involved Consort Tongjia, who was nearly seven months pregnant, suffering a miscarriage. It was said that the baby was a fully formed boy, and Consort Tongjia spent her days in tears, her health deteriorating day by day.
Another incident occurred the day after Consort Tongjia's miscarriage, when Consort Wei gave birth to a baby prince, the eighth in line to the Kangxi Emperor, who named him Yinzhi and brought him to Xianfu Palace to be raised by Consort Xuan.
Consort Tongjia suffered a miscarriage and was distraught. After visiting her, Emperor Kangxi came to Xianfu Palace and asked Wenshan to take care of Yinzhen for a few more days until Consort Tongjia recovered before sending her back to Chengqian Palace.
Wen Shan had raised Yin Zhen for three months, and now that they had to part ways, she was really reluctant. Yin Zhen's personality had become much more cheerful compared to when he first came to Xianfu Palace. Seeing that he liked the little Pekingese dog that the Fifth Prince kept, Wen Shan also brought him a little Pekingese from the dog kennel. Yin Zhen liked it very much and named it Fuqi (meaning "good fortune"). Every day, he would take it to run around the Imperial Garden a few times. Usually, apart from going to the study, he would spend his time in Xianfu Palace making little things and eating the delicious food that Wen Shan made with him.
Baoquan made a small nest for Fuqi, and Yinzhen, who was a bit of a germaphobe, actually kept Fuqi in his own room.
Another significant change was that Yinzhen stopped calling her "Xuan Niangniang" and started calling her "Xuan Eniang".
After Yinzhi was born and taken to Xianfu Palace, Yinzhen had one more thing to do every day: to visit his younger brother and talk to him.
That day, after leaving Chengqian Palace, Emperor Kangxi saw Consort Tongjia's grief-stricken state after losing her child and thought of Yinzhen, so he went to Xianfu Palace.
Just then, Yinzhen went to the Imperial Study. After Kangxi finished speaking and asked Wenshan to take care of Yinzhen for a few more days, he remembered that he had a newborn son, so he went to the side hall to take a look.
Yinzhi is now almost half a month old and has grown up a lot. He is fair-skinned and tender and very cute. Consort Wei is beautiful and Yinzhi is also handsome. His eyebrows and eyes even resemble those of Emperor Kangxi.
When Kangxi saw Yinzhi lying on the cradle staring at him with his big, dark eyes, neither crying nor making a fuss, he found it quite amusing: "Yinzhi is quite quiet; he just stares at me without making a fuss."
Wen Shan also smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that Yinzhi is well-behaved. Since he came to Xianfu Palace, I have hardly heard him cry."
He only cries a little when he's hungry or needs a diaper change. He's usually very quiet, lying obediently in his crib by himself, and he smiles at anyone who comes to see him.
So far, it seems that only two people have not received a smile from Yinzhi.
One was Emperor Kangxi, and the other was Yinzhen, who visited his younger brother every day.
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