The Imperial Noble Consort held the box, her excitement no less than that of Yinzhen.
However, she slammed the box shut: "Yinzhen, keep this ginseng safe!"
Yinzhen looked at the Imperial Noble Consort with a puzzled expression: "Mother?"
Seeing that things were not going well, Yinreng stepped forward to separate Tong Wanyan: "I am very envious of the deep bond between my fourth brother and the Imperial Noble Consort. I imagine the Imperial Noble Consort and my fourth brother have a lot to talk about. My concubine and I will go to the outer room to wait. I hope that my concubine can spend more time with the Imperial Noble Consort. If there is any disturbance, please forgive me."
The Imperial Noble Consort was grateful for Yinreng's perceptiveness; she did indeed have something to tell Yinzhen at that moment.
"The concubine is of excellent character; it is I who have implicated her. Xibao, bring me my ruby headdress."
When the palace maid carried the box into the hall with both hands, the Imperial Noble Consort smiled kindly and said, "I have always believed that you are a blessed person. This jewelry is a congratulatory gift from me to celebrate your upcoming marriage."
A ruby the size of a pigeon egg, with excellent clarity.
The Imperial Noble Consort touched the box lid with emotion: "Speaking of which, this was my dowry. It's a pity that I'm getting old now and can't wear bright jewelry anymore. Next time you come, wear it and let me see."
Tong Wanyan, her nose red, forced back her tears: "As the Imperial Noble Consort commands, I shall take my leave now."
After taking Tong Wanyan out, when they were alone, Yinreng said with a hint of jealousy, "I have several pieces of jewelry in my storeroom that are better than this. If you like them, I'll get them for you when we get back."
Tong Wanyan chuckled: "Is Your Highness jealous? Whether from my maternal or marital family, the Imperial Noble Consort is my elder. As the saying goes, one should not refuse a gift from an elder, and since she is the secondary empress, I can wear the gifts she sends with the help of the imperial decree. However, I dare not overstep the bounds of propriety when it comes to gifts from Your Highness."
Bright red is not something a concubine can touch; a hint of melancholy flashed across Tong Wanyan's eyes.
Yinreng's eyes were only on her, and he could tell the difference in her expression at a glance.
"I will try my best," Yinreng said.
In someone else's palace, many words cannot be spoken, and many things cannot be done.
Tong Wanyan asked the palace maid waiting at the door to bring her a book of scriptures.
Since we had promised Emperor Kangxi that we would come to pray for the Imperial Noble Consort, we could not just do it half-heartedly.
Buddhist scriptures bring peace and tranquility. Holding the sandalwood-scented scriptures, Tong Wanyan began to recite them devoutly.
It's just unclear whether she was praying for the Imperial Noble Consort or for Yinreng, who was by her side!
Tong Wanyan respectfully went to Chengqian Palace to worship Buddha on behalf of the Imperial Noble Consort, who was in a great mood and rewarded her with jewelry.
Emperor Kangxi was very pleased when he heard about this.
When an emperor is satisfied with someone's behavior, he bestows generous rewards upon them.
Emperor Kangxi generously distributed gold and silver jewels to Tong Wanyan without expecting any payment.
He seemed to have forgotten that Tong Wanyan was only a concubine. The fact that the Crown Princess had promoted a concubine before even entering the Eastern Palace must have made many people uneasy.
Kangxi didn't say anything, and Yinreng didn't mention it either; he was happy to have Tong Wanyan provide an extra layer of protection.
The ginseng presented by Suo'etu was indeed effective; the Imperial Noble Consort took a tiny bit of the powder and her spirits immediately improved significantly.
As for the remaining ginseng, it was all given to Yinzhen.
The Imperial Noble Consort avoided Yinreng and Tong Wanyan, and said to Yinzhen: "Yinzhen, I cannot live too long. The Tongjia clan has become too ambitious."
The fact that the Imperial Noble Consort's health has improved is good news for most people.
Only the sound of shattering porcelain came from Yonghe Palace, along with a cry of "You wretched creature!"
Consort De's ferocious appearance was particularly terrifying.
Little Yinzhen sat on the bed, looking at his mother in fear.
Where is his gentle mother?
"Monster, monster!" Yinzhen pointed at Consort De, patting the bed with his chubby little hands and crying.
He was the son that Consort De had longed for, and the greatest comfort to her after the death of the Sixth Prince. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the apple of her eye.
Seeing her beloved son looking at her with disgust and fear, Consort De hurriedly put down the sharp weapon in her hand and rushed over to coax him.
Yinzhen was born on the ninth day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and he is not even two years old yet.
No matter how extraordinary his royal bloodline was, he was still an ignorant infant.
"Mother! Monster?" Yinzhen spat out the words, each one like a knife stabbing into Consort De's heart.
Consort De was furious; otherwise, she would never have lost her composure in front of her young son.
The Imperial Noble Consort was her inner demon, taking away her son and stealing her lover; they were destined to be enemies to the death.
"Yinzhen, don't cry. You just had a nightmare after waking up. Mother is here. There are no monsters. Be good, Mother's baby, don't be afraid!" Consort De smiled gently, stroking Yinzhen's little head with a kind smile.
Yinzhen looked at Consort De with his big, dazed eyes, scratching his head with his little hands: "Mother is good, the monster is bad. Mother, blow, blow away the monster!"
"Good, Mother is protecting our little Fourteenth Prince!" Consort De kissed Yinzhen's forehead tenderly.
Yinzhen stood outside the door and saw this scene; his expression grew even colder.
"Fourth Prince, don't run away! Fourteenth Prince is still resting inside!"
Yinzhen said expressionlessly, "Fourteenth Brother has already woken up."
The servant who had chased after them to stop them saw Yinzhen, who was radiating coldness, and then looked at Consort De in the inner room, whose expression was similar. He knelt down with a thud.
The servants of Yonghe Palace all knew that Consort De disliked the Fourth Prince.
“My mother sent me to visit Mother De. Since you have my fourteenth brother with you, I won’t disturb you any longer. The weather is hot, please take care of yourself, Mother De,” Yinzhen said respectfully.
Consort De watched his departing figure, her anger seething with rage.
"You wretched child!" Consort De said, her voice filled with hatred.
Yinzhen was her disgrace; she hated him.
Yinzhen, being young and naive, clung affectionately to Consort De's leg and said in a childish voice, "You wicked child, chase him away!"
Upon hearing this, Consort De's anger turned to joy: "My fourteenth brother is still the most considerate, unlike your fourth brother who is a troublemaker who only comes to annoy me. He truly deserves to be raised by the Imperial Noble Consort; his moods are unpredictable and he is very annoying."
"How annoying!" Yinzhen mimicked the parrot.
Halfway there, Yinzhen heard Consort De's happy laughter and the giggling of the baby Yinzhen, and his heart felt heavy and sore.
The Imperial Noble Consort never made him forget his birth mother, but why did his birth mother always push him away in disgust when he approached her?
What did he do wrong? His sixth brother's death had nothing to do with him, the Imperial Noble Consort, or the Crown Prince. Yet she directed all her hatred at them, finding fault where none could be found. He was truly exhausted.
"Your Majesty, are you going to Chengqian Palace or back to the Prince's Residence?" Su Peisheng was a newly chosen servant of Yinzhen. He was clever, intelligent, and knew the rules, which suited Yinzhen's taste.
Yinzhen looked up at Chengqian Palace not far away: "Let's go back to the Prince's Residence. Mother will worry if she sees me like this."
Su Peisheng obediently retreated to the back without saying a word.
But there are very few people as perceptive as him; most are like Tong Wanle, who are clueless and lack tact.
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