Chapter 70: Three Months Since Little Tongjia Entered the Palace...
Three months after Xiao Tongjia entered the palace, Emperor Kangxi officially granted her the power to assist in managing the six palaces. Now, Consort Niohuru is in charge of palace affairs, with Consort Tong and Wenshan assisting.
With the energetic young woman, Xiao Tongjia, rolling up her sleeves and getting to work, Wen Shan finally returned to her most comfortable position as the harem's mascot.
For the first half of the year, Consort Niohuru didn't know what got into her, but she sent someone to invite Wen Shan over early in the morning to discuss palace affairs, which tormented Wen Shan to the point of numbness. She hadn't gotten up early for more than a few days since entering the palace.
When they entered the palace, Empress Niohuru had already passed away. Without an empress in the inner palace, there was naturally no need for them to pay their respects to the emperor morning and evening. Not long after, although Empress Tongjia was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, she was pregnant and unwell, so she was also exempted from this duty. Not to mention, after her miscarriage, she was bedridden and did not even see guests, so it was impossible for them to pay their respects to her.
So sometimes when Wenshan has some free time, she realizes that she's actually quite lucky; she managed to escape everything.
When she first arrived here, she was depressed for several days because of the morning greetings.
Unexpectedly, Wen Shan, who had never paid her respects to the emperor for more than a few days, was suddenly summoned by Consort Niohuru.
However, Consort Niohuru also had her reasons and evidence. Since there were only two consorts in the palace, they naturally had to discuss and handle matters together.
Consort Niohuru solemnly stated that since the two of them were of equal rank, she could not monopolize power.
Wen Shan's face twisted in pain after hearing this, and she desperately wanted her to seize power all by herself.
And they've been monopolizing it for years, so why are they suddenly acting like they've come to a sudden realization?
Later, it was only because Yinzhen and a few others couldn't stand seeing Wenshan constantly drowsy and going to Yongshou Palace to "sit in jail" that they used some means to get Consort Niohuru to push Wenshan out of the decision-making circle again.
Wenshan almost burst into tears of joy.
“Mother, Consort Niohuru is just trying to curry favor with you, but she doesn’t mean any harm,” Yinzhi said to her. “It’s just that you’re not interested in this, so let’s skip it.”
Anyway, he's keeping an eye on things in the palace, so let Mother do whatever makes her comfortable.
Consort Niohuru's sudden move was due to the recent rise of Yinzhen and Yinsi, who were favored by Emperor Kangxi. Meanwhile, Consort Niohuru's own Tenth Prince was now practically Yinsi's little shadow, constantly calling him "Eighth Brother" and lacking in talent, so Emperor Kangxi treated him indifferently. Therefore, Consort Niohuru naturally wanted to curry favor with Wenshan.
Whether it's Yinzhen or Yinsi who ascends the throne, they will both have to be mindful of Wenshan's feelings.
Wen Shan thought to herself, "This isn't flattery at all; it's clearly torture!"
They've been in the same palace for so many years, how come Consort Niohuru still doesn't understand her at all? If she really wanted to please her, she should have sent her some jewelry.
The day after Wen Shan finished mentioning this matter, Consort Niohuru brought over two large boxes of jewelry under the pretext of thanking Yinzhi for taking care of the Tenth Prince.
Wen Shan's eyes lit up: "The Niu Hulu family is indeed very wealthy!"
The sheer number of jade and antique items piled together, filling two large boxes, is undeniably striking.
She's just that kind of vulgar person; let's just keep throwing these vulgar things at her from now on!
When it was delivered, Yinzhen and Yinsi were there. Yinxiang had gone to Yanxi Palace to visit the pregnant Consort Min and had not yet returned.
“Mother, your family is quite wealthy.” Yinzhi came over and glanced at them. They were indeed all good things, but he wasn’t very interested in them. He flipped through them and put them down.
In other words, Wen Shan hadn't been to the storeroom lately, and Yin Zhen and Yin Si had already stuffed dozens of boxes of such things into her's possession.
The Borjigit clan was indeed a large family, but when Wen Shan entered the palace as a concubine, her family did not prepare much jewelry for her; they mostly exchanged it for silver notes and property deeds.
The emphasis is on practicality; the goal is for Wen Shan to have enough money and live comfortably on her own in the palace.
In the following years, her elder brother Bandi also frequently sent things to the capital. However, since Yinzhi was able to run and jump, Wenshan was no longer short of money, so she did not ask her brother to send any gold or silver. Instead, she sent more Mongolian specialties.
Wenshan also specifically noted that more beef and mutton could be sent.
The cattle and sheep raised in Mongolia do taste much better than those in Beijing.
The following year, Bandi sent her three hundred cows and five hundred sheep to the capital, which nearly scared Wenshan to death.
The person who brought the gift also brought Bandi's words, saying that the pasture on the grassland was not growing as well as in previous years, so they were unable to pick out a few of the best cattle and sheep. They told her to make do with what she had for now, and that they would send a thousand more next year.
Wenshan quickly stopped this crazy act; there was enough food for her to eat for more than ten years.
Wenshan felt numb just thinking about the sight of seven or eight hundred cattle and sheep crammed together.
She thought that Bandi would at most send a hundred or so catties of slaughtered beef and mutton, but who would have thought that he would send her eight hundred live animals to the capital!
Just deciding where to put it is enough to give Wenshan a headache.
Yinzhen and the others didn't think anything of it. This was how it was always done among princes and nobles. The gifts weren't just for their mother to eat; most of them were also given as gifts. Who would send just a few pounds of beef or mutton from so far away?
Wen Shan thought about it and realized that she didn't have anyone to give gifts to, so she slaughtered a few and gave some to the concubines in the harem. There were still a lot left to raise.
Yinzhen told her it was alright, as they had enough gardens in the capital to raise all the cattle and sheep. Whenever Wenshan wanted to eat them, they could have them slaughtered and sent to the palace.
And most of the ones that Bandi sent are still being raised in the garden, and have even bred for several generations.
Wenshan felt like she could eat this much food in her entire life.
Whenever Yinzhi mentioned her family's wealth, Wenshan would think of those hundreds of lively cattle and sheep. If she didn't eat meat soon, she would get old!
“What Yinzhi said reminds me of something. Let’s give some of the cattle and sheep that your uncle sent over in our garden to Yinzhen’s father-in-law’s families.”
In terms of relatives, it seems that she only has a few in-laws of Yinzhen in the capital.
Yinzhen: "..."
He suspected that his mother was just annoyed by the abundance of beef and mutton that they couldn't possibly finish.
Yinzhi had always been the most supportive of Wenshan's decisions. He stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "The end of the year is just around the corner. Fourth Brother just got engaged this year, so it's normal for Mother to send some festival gifts over for the first time."
As a result, Lady Fucha, Lady Magia, and Lady Ulanara each received several hundred cattle and sheep from Consort Xuan at the end of the year.
Lady Fucha, being the primary consort, received an exceptionally large share.
So this large group of cattle and sheep were moved to a different location and raised by these few families.
Several families were a bit confused. Giving gifts for festivals was normal, but giving live, lively cattle and sheep was something they had never seen before.
When Yinzhen's primary consort, Ma Qi's daughter, heard about this, she found it amusing and said that Consort Xuan was indeed a remarkable person.
These matters were always handled by Yinzhi. In addition to the cattle and sheep personally selected by Wenshan, the presentation was also very good. Each of the young ladies received two sets of exquisite headdresses made in the palace and a jade Buddha made of Hetian jade.
In this way, it became clear that these jewelry pieces and jade Buddhas were the real gifts that Consort Xuan bestowed upon her future daughter-in-law, while the cattle and sheep were merely gifts that Consort Xuan, being of Mongolian origin, cleverly gave to a few families for amusement.
Before long, the year was drawing to a close, and the palace was bustling with activity. Consort Niohuru and Lady Xiao Tongjia were in charge of arranging the palace banquet this year. One was in charge of the banquet and the other was in charge of the song and dance arrangements. The rest of the overall planning was done by the two of them. Lady Xiao Tongjia was very enthusiastic as she was handling such a large-scale event in her first year in the palace.
Although Lady Tongjia entered the palace late and had no children yet, her status was already ahead of the four concubines, and her seat at the New Year's Eve banquet was arranged to be below Wen Shan.
While others were indifferent, Consort Hui was the most indignant. She was the most senior and had given birth to the eldest prince, yet she was overshadowed by such a young girl. Did being the Empress's sister make her so special?
Consort Hui quickly turned to Consort Ping, who was standing nearby. Of the three empresses' sisters, Consort Ping was the least successful.
Both Consort Niohuru and Consort Tong entered the palace as consorts. Judging from the current situation, Consort Tong will be promoted to consort sooner or later. Only Consort Ping was not even a concubine when she first entered the palace. She was just a noble lady and it took her many years to be promoted to consort. Therefore, Consort Hui thought that if there was anyone in the palace who was born to dislike Consort Tong, it must be Consort Ping.
Unexpectedly, Consort Ping has become much more peaceful in recent years, focusing all her attention on the Crown Prince. Since the incident with Yun Dai, Consort Ping has become even more cautious in her actions, fearing that she might implicate the Crown Prince, so she turns a blind eye to Consort Hui's provocations.
After all, the matter of the crown prince is the most important thing right now.
After making a fuss for a while, Consort Hui found that no one was paying attention to her. She didn't have the guts to confront Consort Tong head-on. After all, Consort Hui wasn't stupid. Consort Tong had just entered the palace and was still in the prime of her life. Emperor Kangxi favored her and she came from a good family, so there was no need for her to go against her now. Therefore, she could only give up for the time being.
As it turned out, the mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. After Consort Rong discovered Consort Hui and Consort Ping's secret rivalry, she gave them a push. Consort Hui and Consort Ping already disliked each other because of the Crown Prince and the First Prince. With Consort Rong fanning the flames, it turned out that Consort Ping and Consort Hui were fighting each other.
The matter escalated to the point that even Emperor Kangxi found out. He reprimanded both of them and confined them to their quarters for half a month. Consort Niohuru, who was so busy with the New Year's Eve banquet, was also punished along with them.
The reason given was poor management of the harem.
To be honest, even Wen Shan couldn't help but feel sorry for Consort Niohuru. Putting aside the fact that Consort Niohuru has been extremely busy lately, this matter is not something that Consort Niohuru can handle.
They were all veterans in the imperial concubine ranks, each with their own hidden agendas. Consort Niohuru was difficult to manage and beyond control, let alone keeping an eye on the concubines in the palace for twelve hours a day—that was simply a pipe dream.
Therefore, Kangxi's actions were purely a case of framing someone without any pretext.
I don't know what he was thinking about, but he suddenly launched an attack on Consort Niohuru.
Consort Niohuru dared not plead her case and could only inexplicably take the blame.
So in the end, the one who got away with nothing and won nothing was actually the "instigator" of this whole thing – Consort Tong.
Wen Shan followed the series with great interest for half a month, munching on sunflower seeds like she was watching a TV drama, and exclaimed that the ending was a stroke of genius.
Indeed, life is unpredictable; the large intestine encloses the small intestine.
Yinxiang, the little glutton, kept asking what "large intestine wrapped in small intestine" was, and that's how it ended up on the dinner table at Xianfu Palace that night.
Yinxiang ate with great relish, saying as he ate that this was a famous dish of great significance, which he had just learned from Wenshan.
Yinzhen and Yinsi were completely bewildered when they returned from their studies at the Imperial Study.
Wenshan was both amused and exasperated, urging them to eat quickly.
"Yin Si, Consort Liang hasn't been feeling well lately. Go see her after you finish dinner. I've prepared some things for her, so please take them with you."
Wen Shan placed a piece of food on Yin Si's plate and then gave him some instructions.
Yinzhi nodded. He knew that Consort Liang had been unwell recently. She had a minor problem with her leg, and would experience unbearable pain from time to time. The imperial physician had only advised her to rest and avoid strenuous activity.
“Consort Liang’s legs are bad this year and she can’t walk. Otherwise, Yinzhi, why don’t you go and keep your mother company on New Year’s Eve? It must be quite boring for her to stay in the palace alone,” Wenshan said after thinking for a moment.
In previous years, because she had many children, Consort Liang and Consort Min would come to Xianfu Palace after the New Year's Eve banquet. They would stay up around the stove with the three children, chatting and laughing.
However, given Consort Liang's condition this year, she will likely have to ask for leave even for the New Year's Eve banquet, let alone stay up to welcome the New Year.
After speaking of Consort Liang, Wen Shan couldn't help but think of Consort Min.
"Yinxiang, your mother is almost eight months pregnant now, and it's not easy for her to walk around. It's freezing outside, so don't let her fall. Why don't you go to Yanxi Palace to keep your mother and sister company?"
Yinzhi and Yinxiang exchanged a troubled glance. Since they had both left, only their fourth brother would be left to keep their mother company.
Yinzhi frowned, wondering if there was any way to achieve the best of both worlds.
Wenshan could see their hesitation and said with a smile, "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's do it this way. It's only for one year. This year's situation is special, so let's arrange it this way."
Yinzhen nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll be with Mother."
"Yes, in two years, Yinzhen will be getting married, and we won't be able to spend New Year's Eve at Xianfu Palace anymore," Wenshan teased him. "Then we might not even be able to find him!"
After Yinzhen's wedding, he would no longer be able to stay up all night at Xianfu Palace. The wedding meant that he had his own family and had officially grown up, and he could no longer spend the night with his mother.
Wen Shan originally meant to make a joke, but unexpectedly she really upset Yin Zhen, so she hurriedly went to coax him. However, the New Year's Eve vigil was still decided in the end this year: Yin Si and Yin Xiang went to Consort Liang and Consort Min's place, while Yin Zhen stayed at Xianfu Palace with Wen Shan to keep vigil.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year's Eve banquet, Wen Shan thought that Consort Niohuru, who had been holding palace banquets for countless years, would prepare in an orderly manner as before. However, she did not expect that something would go wrong during the banquet.
In recent years, the Empress Dowager has been a vegetarian and a devout Buddhist, and Consort Niohuru remembered this, so the Empress Dowager's banquet was also all vegetarian dishes. However, when the Empress Dowager took a bite of the stir-fried bok choy, she immediately tasted chicken oil in it. The Empress Dowager's face changed drastically. Considering it was New Year's Eve, she didn't want to spoil everyone's mood, so she didn't make a scene on the spot. However, the people sitting in the front all caught the Empress Dowager's change of expression in that instant. Wen Shan and Consort Niohuru, who were sitting in the first position on the left and right, naturally saw it as well.
Consort Niohuru's face turned pale immediately, realizing that something was wrong with the dishes.
Because the Empress Dowager was a vegetarian and Consort Niohuru also wanted to show her filial piety to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager's dishes were separate and different from theirs. Wen Shan could only see that it was stir-fried green vegetables, which looked like a very simple dish, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Those around Yinzhen and Wenshan naturally saw it too. Yinsi asked in a low voice, "Mother, is there something wrong with that dish?"
Wenshan is the most knowledgeable about these foods, so she might be able to figure something out.
Wenshan shook her head and said softly, "I can't tell anything."
There are many tricks to cooking. Even such a simple dish can be made to be complex.
Therefore, it's difficult to understand anything just by looking at it.
Yinzhen listened attentively and nodded thoughtfully. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Grandmother has been observing a vegetarian diet and chanting Buddhist scriptures lately, so she can't eat meat, right?"
Wen Shan nodded.
"It has been almost five months since she last ate any meat. It is said that the master of Baohua Hall personally blessed a copy of the Lotus Sutra. She must bathe, burn incense, fast, and recite it for half a year to accumulate Buddhist karma and ascend to heaven in the future. The Empress Dowager firmly believes in this and has almost finished reciting it now."
Yinzhi narrowed his eyes: "Wouldn't it be a grave sin to let the Empress Dowager break her vows at this time?"
After listening, Wen Shan thought about it and realized that the Empress Dowager would definitely be furious.
"I don't think so. I specifically reminded Consort Niohuru," Wen Shan said. "The Empress Dowager's dishes today were also specially prepared, and there was indeed no meat in them."
Consort Niohuru was also determined to make this New Year's Eve palace banquet a success. She even consulted Wen Shan, who was famous in the harem for her culinary skills. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor praised the dishes she made.
Wen Shan also carefully helped her plan the dishes and then specifically reminded the Empress Dowager that she could not eat any meat at all now, and told her to be careful. Consort Niohuru also carefully remembered this.
After listening for a while, Yinxiang said, "That's simple, they were tricked."
Consort Niohuru had obviously considered this possibility as well, and glared directly at Consort Tong.
Consort Tong had just finished toasting Emperor Kangxi and said a few auspicious words with a smile, pretending not to notice Consort Niohuru's unpleasant expression.
Consort Niohuru cursed inwardly, thinking that judging from Xiao Tongjia's appearance, it was probably her who did it.
After that, the Empress Dowager didn't touch a single dish. After sitting for a while, she said she was tired and wanted to go back to Ning Shou Palace to rest.
Consort Niohuru was even more precarious, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Emperor Kangxi naturally noticed something, but he said nothing.
After all, there were so many princes and nobles present.
As was customary, the banquet concluded with Emperor Kangxi bestowing festival gifts upon the princes, princesses, concubines, and high-ranking officials.
This year is clearly different from previous years.
Among all the princes, Yinzhen was only one step behind the Crown Prince in receiving a jade ruyi, while Yinsi was just behind Yinzhen in receiving an Eastern pearl. The two of them surpassed the eldest prince and were the princes who received the most generous gifts besides the Crown Prince.
Similarly, Wen Shan's festival gifts surpassed those of Consort Niohuru, making them the most generous among all the concubines in the harem.
Even Yinzhen's in-laws, Ma Qi, received significantly more than in previous years.
Kangxi's desire to elevate Yinzhen was blatantly obvious.
"There is a major event this year, namely the smallpox vaccination method presented by Yinzhen and Yinsi," Kangxi said. "Since the implementation of this method, only one or two people have died from smallpox vaccination. It is a great achievement for the country and the people."
Ma Qi and Tong Guowei, both ministers of the Imperial Study and relatives of the royal family by marriage, were also present at the palace banquet.
Tong Guowei comes every year, but this is Ma Qi's first time.
Although both were important officials in the court, the New Year's Eve banquet was always only for members of the imperial family and relatives of the emperor. In principle, Ma Qi should not have been able to attend this year either, since they were engaged but not yet married. For example, the Third Prince's wife, Lady Dong'e, did not attend.
This can be considered a unique favor that Emperor Kangxi bestowed upon Yinzhen.
Tong Guowei said to Ma Qi, "Congratulations, Lord Ma Qi, you've found a fine son-in-law."
Ma Qi waved his hands repeatedly: "Lord Tong, I dare not accept such words. How could we dare to comment on the prince? My daughter's marriage to the Fourth Prince is a blessing from her past life."
The princes had no right to be picky.
"That's because the Emperor values them." Tong Guowei stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Now the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince are quite favored by the Emperor, and the two have always been very close brothers. It would be a blessing for our Great Qing to serve the court together in the future."
The banquet at Xianfu Palace on New Year's Eve was a huge success, with everyone from top to bottom receiving numerous rewards.
After the banquet, Yinzhi and Yinxiang went to Consort Liang and Consort Min's places respectively. The two were feeling unwell and did not even attend the New Year's Eve banquet.
As usual, Emperor Kangxi was heading to the Empress Dowager's palace when, unexpectedly, Aunt Yu arrived just as he was about to leave. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests that you and Consort Niohuru come together today."
Upon hearing this, Consort Niohuru turned pale and her face paled.
Kangxi gave her a subtle look.
"I will go with Consort Niohuru to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager shortly."
Consort Tong stood up with the help of a palace maid. As she left, she deliberately passed by Consort Niohuru and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Your Highness is indeed deeply favored by the Emperor. Even the Empress Dowager has appointed you to accompany the Emperor to keep vigil for the New Year with her."
Consort Niohuru gritted her teeth, seeing the smug look on Xiao Tongjia's face, she knew everything.
She must have done something wrong.
Wen Shan couldn't concern herself with these matters. She first sent Yin Si and Yin Xiang to their respective mothers before taking Yin Zhen back to the palace.
This year, it was a rare snowfall on New Year's Eve. On the way back to the palace, a few snowflakes were still falling from the sky, and the pavilions and flowers were covered with a layer of crystal-clear white snow. Although the weather was so cold that water would freeze instantly, the scenery was indeed like ice and snow.
Yinzhen followed Wenshan and recounted the scene when he first met Wenshan in Cining Palace.
After reminiscing for a while, Yinzhen suddenly asked, "Do you know when I first met Mother?"
Wen Shan thought for a long time but still couldn't remember when she first met Yinzhen.
"Give your mother a hint," Wen Shan said with a smile.
Yinzhen smiled and said, "It's in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
Wenshan: ?
Before raising Yinzhen, she had almost never been to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The only time she went there was when someone from the Borjigit clan came to the capital, and Kangxi asked her to meet them.
"Could it be from the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign?" Wen Shan exclaimed in shock, calculating the dates before saying, "You were only two years old then and you already remembered things?"
Yinzhen: "Mother, you didn't even remember that? When you came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see the Borjigit clan, I was studying in the inner palace with the Crown Prince."
Although Yinzhen was young at the time, Empress Tongjia never neglected his studies. She would also make a point of getting Yinzhen close to Emperor Kangxi, so whenever possible, she would arrange for Yinzhen to be with the Crown Prince.
Wen Shan thought for a long time before finally remembering: "Brother brought some milk tofu when he came last time. The Emperor said that since you and the Crown Prince were inside, I went to deliver a plate of it."
Yinzhen nodded.
"When you came in back then, you told the Crown Prince that I was young and asked him to be more lenient with me." Yinzhen smiled, pursing his lips.
Wen Shan didn't actually remember that many details, but she didn't expect Yinzhen to remember them so clearly.
The two had just returned to Xianfu Palace and sat for a while when Emperor Kangxi arrived.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
