Chapter 111 Consort Shu
Consort Shu, Ruan Yanran, was a favored concubine who rose to prominence unexpectedly.
But outside the battlefield of the inner palace, few in the court took her seriously. Compared to her son, the seventeenth prince Yinli, everyone knew that Consort Shu was more like a puppet, a tool for Kangxi to maintain balance.
No one cares about the thoughts of the puppet tool.
But the human heart is the most unpredictable. No matter how much you treat her as a puppet, Ruan Yanran is not a truly indifferent fake person. She also has her own little thoughts.
If Ruan Yanran, who had just been promoted by Emperor Kangxi and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Noble Consort, was still acting cautiously and timidly.
Over the years, with Yinli's subtle hints, Ruan Yanran understood the Emperor's intentions and realized her own value, which gave her some confidence to compete with the other concubines. However, in order to maintain Kangxi's attention to her and the Seventeenth Prince, she always acted exceptionally docile and harmless, though she was much more at ease from the bottom of her heart.
This composure gradually crumbled after the Crown Prince was deposed. Then, with the Eighth Prince being demoted and the Fourteenth Prince being banished, Ruan Yanran's ulterior motives began to stir.
Seeing Kangxi so furious, reprimanding so many of his sons, yet treating Yinli with unwavering devotion, Ruan Yanran could no longer suppress her ambition to seize the throne.
Having carefully served Emperor Kangxi for so many years, Ruan Yanran believed she understood the emperor somewhat. Compared to the threat posed by her young and strong adult sons, her harmless and favored younger son was more likely to gain her father's support.
Does the Emperor's attention to the Seventeenth Prince prove that he has this idea?
Once the thought arose, it wouldn't go away. Ruan Yanran couldn't control her excitement and exhilaration. She was even more flustered than when she was made a concubine, and she was eager to do something and verify something.
On this day, Consort Shu was still serving Emperor Kangxi.
Perhaps it was Ruan Yanran's unwavering gentleness over the past ten years, perhaps it was because Kangxi didn't value women, or perhaps he truly developed some affection for Ruan Yanran.
Regardless of the reason, Kangxi revealed a tired and vulnerable side in front of Ruan Yanran.
Ruan Yanran carefully served Kangxi the medicine. After the medicine was finished, she took a soft handkerchief and wiped the corners of Kangxi's mouth. She was meticulous and attentive in every way, and kept busy for Kangxi.
Seeing this, Kangxi relaxed a lot, patted her hand, and told her to sit down and rest. "Alright, sit down and rest. You don't need to lift a finger. It's not like you don't have servants to take care of you."
Ruan Yanran smiled gently, her eyes filled with concern for Kangxi.
"How could I possibly entrust Your Majesty's affairs to others? Serving Your Majesty is my own blessing."
Kangxi smiled; everyone loves to hear nice words. Compared to the princes who coveted his throne, he preferred to be with the concubines who regarded him as their heaven and depended on him for survival.
"I heard that Your Majesty has had a poor appetite these past few days, so I specially cooked some side dishes. Your Majesty must give me some face and eat more of them later."
"Thank you for your hard work, my beloved consort." Kangxi looked at Ruan Yanran's busy figure with satisfaction. Who wouldn't like someone who keeps him in mind in everything they do?
"It's not hard work at all. It's just cooking some simple dishes. What's so hard about it? As long as Your Majesty is well, I'd be willing to cook every day." Ruan Yanran's words were gentle and sincere, sounding genuine and heartfelt.
"Wouldn't that mean my beloved concubine is taking over the work of the imperial kitchen?"
"emperor--"
"Hahaha……"
After exchanging a few jokes with Ruan Yanran, Kangxi was unusually cheerful and his mood improved considerably. With Ruan Yanran's assistance, he went to the table to wait for the palace servants to serve the meal.
"Then I shall have a good taste of my beloved consort's cooking."
Kangxi smiled and picked up his chopsticks. With his permission, Ruan Yanran even took over Liang Jiugong's task of serving the meal. "Then Your Majesty should give a good evaluation. Whether she can take over the task of serving the imperial kitchen depends on Your Majesty's satisfaction."
"You, you..." Kangxi shook his head, indulging her coquettishness, and tasted a small bite of the dish that Ruan Yanran put into his bowl. How to put it, it wasn't bad, but compared to the imperial cuisine, it definitely couldn't compare.
But sometimes, when people eat, they're not just eating food.
"Indeed, Yanran's cooking skills are comparable to those of the imperial chefs, but I cannot bear to see you cook every day and injure your delicate hands."
"Your Majesty is always good at coaxing me," Ruan Yanran smiled and sat intimately next to Kangxi. "As long as Your Majesty is happy and can eat more, Yanran is willing to do anything."
"Yanran, you're so kind. You should eat more too." Kangxi reached out and put a piece of food on Ruan Yanran's plate.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. It is my honor to dine with you. I only wish to stay with you forever. Please enjoy your meal, Your Majesty, or I will worry."
"Very well, I will do as the Imperial Concubine says. Since the Imperial Concubine has spoken, how could I dare not obey?"
“Your Majesty—” Ruan Yanran smiled shyly when she heard Kangxi’s teasing, and then added as if she was worried, “It’s not just me, Seventeen is also worried about her Imperial Father. She has been studying hard lately and wants to share her Imperial Father’s burdens.”
"Really? Seventeenth, you're very thoughtful." Kangxi's eyes flashed, and he smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Ruan Yanran's unchanged expression.
"Yes, although Seventeen is young, he is just as concerned about you as I am. My son and I are counting on Your Majesty. So Your Majesty must take good care of your health."
Ruan Yanran seemed to be just mentioning it casually, but the main point she made was her concern for Kangxi. Towards the end, her eyes even reddened, and she looked extremely worried.
"Alright, alright, I have received the Consort's kind intentions. Let's have our meal." Kangxi patted her hand reassuringly and pulled her to eat with him.
After dinner, having seen off Consort Shu, who had accompanied him, to attend to state affairs, Emperor Kangxi's gentle expression instantly turned sour. He sat at his desk, looking at the dragon-patterned purse that Consort Shu had made for him, and remained silent for a moment.
"Liang Jiugong".
"Your servant is here."
"Investigate, investigate what Consort Shu has been doing recently, and also the Seventeenth Prince."
"yes."
After Liang Jiugong withdrew, Kangxi gazed at the setting sun outside the window, his eyes grave. More and more restless people were emerging; the position of crown prince…
Liang Jiugong acted swiftly, or rather, because Consort Shu and the Seventeenth Prince were both handpicked by Emperor Kangxi, and most of their subordinates were Kangxi's confidants. Therefore, no matter how discreet Consort Shu's actions were, they could not escape Kangxi's eyes.
The investigation revealed that the Seventeenth Prince hadn't made any moves and continued to study diligently as always. Because it wasn't convenient for him to follow Yinzhen (the future Emperor Yongzheng), he had been obediently staying in the Imperial Study during this time, and hadn't contacted Consort Shu much. Emperor Kangxi was quite satisfied with this.
But when he saw that Consort Shu had been summoning many female relatives of ministers through banquets during this period, trying to win over the forces of the former court, and when he saw that she was intentionally suppressing the concubines and young princes in the harem, the atmosphere around Kangxi became terrifyingly tense.
“The Nguyen family…”
Emperor Kangxi never expected that the seemingly harmless Ruan Yanran would be so bold as to try to harm the young prince by guessing his thoughts.
Power truly is a powerful force, and Consort Shu's guess wasn't entirely wrong. If Emperor Kangxi had lived another twenty years, he would undoubtedly have favored a younger prince in choosing his heir. If Lady Ruan had succeeded, the seventeenth prince might very well have been his final choice.
The reality is that Kangxi's health is not good at the moment. No matter how power-hungry he is, he will not consider handing the throne to an underage prince. A weak ruler and strong ministers is not a good omen.
However, Emperor Kangxi was unable to make a decision immediately, unwilling to relinquish the power he held. But seeing Consort Shu's state, Kangxi wavered. Should he really decide on the heir apparent?
Late that night, Emperor Kangxi's imperial entourage quietly arrived at Xian'an Palace, where the deposed crown prince resided...
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