Xue Yinjia first responded with a soft "hmm" in agreement with the official's words.
Chunbai added a bowl of black chicken soup for her, and she stirred the soup with her spoon as she talked.
"Your Majesty's meaning is clear. Leaving aside Consort Lin herself, the Lin family itself rendered great service in the past. Consort Lin has served Your Majesty diligently for so many years, and this miscarriage has truly wronged her. However, I have an unsolicited suggestion..."
Xue Yinjia paused at just the right moment.
"Currently, Consort Lin resides in Changchun Palace, and the principal rank is Consort Chang. If Consort Lin's rank is promoted, then Consort Lin will also have to take the principal rank, wouldn't that mean she would have to move to another palace?"
"Where did Consort Chang come from in the palace?" Pei Yuanhui was not as refined as the Empress. He picked up the plum juice and drank it. When he said this, he just raised his hand casually.
Jin Yang, who was standing nearby, quickly removed the empty bowl.
"You all get out."
These were the words spoken by the Emperor.
Those serving in the inner palace immediately became solemn upon hearing the voice, knowing that the Emperor and Empress had important words to say. No one dared to delay, and they put down what they were holding and withdrew.
Xue Yinjia stood up as soon as the Emperor finished speaking, "Where did Consort Chang come from in the palace?"
"Your Majesty, I misspoke." She gave a slight curtsy.
This time, Pei Yuanhui didn't move. His dark pupils seemed to be able to see right through Xue Yinjia's every little thought.
"Your Majesty, please rise. Continue."
Xue Yinjia paused for two seconds before standing up. She sat back down, not forgetting what she wanted to say.
"The palace rules dictate four imperial consorts, six noble consorts, and nine concubines. Currently, there are still vacancies in both the noble consort and concubine positions, and naturally, there are also vacancies in the imperial consort position. Since Your Majesty has said that you wish to promote Consort Lin's rank, I wonder what rank Your Majesty intends to grant her?"
Currently, there are only Consort Ming and Consort Yi at the rank of Noble Consort, and Consorts Cao, Zhou, and Chang at the rank of Consort. Adding another Consort would not be a problem, but it just so happens that it's Lin's...
Xue Yinjia lowered her eyes, clearly thinking that Lin was unworthy.
Pei Yuanhui had already started eating: "Zhou has only been in the palace for a year, and she is already a concubine. Lin has served me for many years, but her rank is lower than Zhou's. This is unfair to Lin. I am now inclined to give Lin a concubine rank first, and then give her a title."
After listening to the Emperor finish speaking, Xue Yinjia couldn't tell whether she felt relieved or not. She smiled gently and nodded.
"Your Majesty's consideration is thorough, while I was the one who failed to think things through. This matter should have been addressed to comfort Consort Lin while she was in confinement after childbirth. Tomorrow, I will have the Imperial Household Department draft the title for Your Majesty's review."
Pei Yuanhui waved his hand, clearly already having a plan in mind.
"There's no need for the Imperial Household Department to come up with a title. I already have a suitable title in mind, one that best suits Consort Lin."
Xue Yinjia could naturally see the Emperor's special treatment of Consort Lin, and she leaned forward slightly: "Then I am all ears."
Without pausing, Pei Yuanhui uttered a single word: "Sincerity".
Consort Cheng.
Xue Yinjia murmured the word "sincerity" for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on her face: "Sincerity, this word is good. Consort Lin has always served His Majesty with utmost sincerity and kindness. Apart from her, there is no one else in the palace who can live up to this word."
Pei Yuanhui hummed in agreement: "The Empress is absolutely right."
Xue Yinjia nodded repeatedly: "Then we will have the Imperial Household Department prepare for Consort Cheng's promotion on a chosen day. However, I was thinking that among the selected ladies-in-waiting last time, such as Noble Lady Lu, their ranks have not changed. Now that the new ladies-in-waiting have entered the palace, Noble Lady Xie and the others are now on equal footing with them. Taking advantage of Consort Cheng's promotion, we might as well promote them as well. It has been a long time since any concubine in the palace has been promoted."
Knowing the Emperor's intentions, Xue Yinjia changed his tune.
Consort Chang and Noble Lady Lu both entered the palace during the imperial selection three years ago. However, there were a total of eight candidates who entered the palace last time, and their ranks have remained unchanged over the past three years.
Pei Yuanhui barely remembered anyone named Consort Lu at this point.
"Then let's follow the Empress's wishes and promote them together. However, there is one condition: no one else can be promoted on the same day as Lin."
As expected, the Emperor held the Lin family in exceptional high regard.
Xue Yinjia reluctantly agreed.
As for Consort Chang's matter, the Emperor also provided a solution.
"After Lin is made a concubine, she will be the head of Changchun Palace. As for Consort Chang, let her live out her days in Changchun Palace."
The emperor spoke with an overwhelming chill; his wrath had already been somewhat restrained.
After all, the day Lin suffered a miscarriage was truly an act of imperial wrath, a thunderous outburst.
Xue Yinjia immediately understood. Normally, concubines who made serious mistakes in the palace would be sent to the Cold Palace to die of old age. However, the Emperor allowed Consort Chang to die of old age in Changchun Palace, which meant that he wanted to leave Consort Chang's life and death to Lin Shi.
Xue Yinjia's shoulders were a little stiff, and she forced a gentle smile: "Yes, this matter was originally Consort Chang's fault."
"Let's have a meal." Pei Yuanhui had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Seeing the situation, Xue Yinjia stopped mentioning it, only bringing up the matter of Empress Dowager Zhou's birthday on the 28th of June after dinner.
The official did not enjoy the meal to the fullest, but he did drink two extra cups of tea after dinner.
"I understand what the Empress means. Since it is the Empress Dowager's birthday, I will naturally make an appearance. Rest assured, Empress."
Only when the officials gave him certain answers could Xue Yinjia finally feel completely at ease.
After all, all the relatives will be there, and if the emperor still doesn't show up, it will be hard to justify it.
After dinner, Chunbai brought in the herbal medicine from outside.
"What did the imperial physician say about the Empress's health when he examined her pulse last time?" Pei Yuanhui asked, sitting to the side.
"The Empress hates bitterness the most, so are some sweet dried fruits prepared?"
The deep affection between the Emperor and Empress was naturally what Chunbai and the others hoped for, so she quickly replied.
"When the imperial physician came back last time, he said that the Empress's health was still the same and that she still needed to rest. The Empress's body was weak and she could not take too much tonic. She could only use mild tonics to slowly recuperate."
Xue Yinjia then showed a guilty expression: "It is my incompetence that has caused Your Majesty worry."
Pei Yuanhui waved his hand, because Xue Yinjia had her head down and couldn't hear what she was thinking.
"Everything should be done with the Empress's health in mind. Since you are not well, those matters can be handled by Consort Chi."
Xue Yinjia said again that it was her own fault for being so useless.
Given the Empress's health condition, it's natural that the Emperor wouldn't call for water when he rests at Kunning Palace.
The Emperor and Empress slept soundly through the night, but the next morning, as soon as the Emperor left Kunning Palace, news of Consort Lin's impending promotion spread throughout the palace.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves.
In the palace, only when a concubine gives birth to a prince or princess, or when a concubine has served for a long time, can she be considered to have made a contribution and be promoted in rank.
But to be honest, it all depends on the Emperor's will.
If the emperor likes it, why not just find some excuse not to promote him?
Ultimately, it all comes down to the emperor's will.
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