The next day, Lanqin and the Fourth Master were woken up very early in the morning. Lanqin practically kept her eyes closed as the maids helped her dress and do her makeup!
Once Lanqin was dressed, she went with the Fourth Prince to pay their respects to Consort De.
After paying her respects, Lanqin realized that she needed to be on her best today. The morning's activities included Emperor Kangxi leading the princes to the Fengxian Hall to pay homage to their ancestors, while the concubines and the female relatives brought by the princes would go to the Ningshou Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Lanqin knew that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was no longer alive, and that the current Empress Dowager was not Emperor Kangxi's biological mother, but rather Emperor Shunzhi's empress.
It seems the Palace of Tranquil Longevity is going to be quite lively today. The children are all going to see the Ancestor, and Lanqin is just imagining all those women, children of all ages, and servants—it'll be bursting at the seams!
However, Lanqin was clearly overthinking it. Ning Shou Palace was much larger than the palaces of ordinary concubines, and there was also Ning Shou Garden outside the palace, which even had an English lawn maze, very suitable for children to play in.
When Lanqin entered Ning Shou Palace with Consort De, there were already children running around in Ying's maze.
"After you pay your respects to the Empress Dowager, you older children can go and play!" Consort De could tell from the expressions of the Third and Fourth Princes that they couldn't wait any longer.
Lanqin actually wanted to go inside for a walk, but it was much more fun than being surrounded by a group of women who only cared about comparing jewelry and clothes. However, she couldn't show it, or Consort De would kill her with her gaze!
As Lanqin and Lady Wanyan followed Consort De into the main hall of Ning Shou Palace, the Empress Dowager did not appear as old as Lanqin had imagined. She didn't look like Kangxi's mother, but rather like his elder sister! It was said that she was the second empress that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had forced upon Fulin. Apparently, according to seniority, she should have been a generation younger than Fulin, meaning she and Kangxi were of the same generation, yet they were forced into a mother-son relationship. The first empress and Fulin were cousins, so this second empress was the first empress's niece.
Sigh, the generational hierarchy is really messed up!
As Lanqin knelt and performed the grand ceremony alongside Consort De, her mind was filled with thoughts of Emperor Shunzhi. He had actually given up his empire for a beautiful woman and become a monk.
"Are these all the children of the Fourth Prince?" the Empress Dowager asked, looking at the row of children of all ages standing behind Consort De.
"Replying to Your Majesty, these all belong to the Fourth Prince's family. This is the Fourth Prince's second daughter, Elinzhu, and these are the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince. These three children are all princesses," Consort De personally introduced them one by one.
"Oh, there are fewer princes. Is it because the fourth prince has fewer servants around him?" The Empress Dowager asked, looking at Lanqin.
"Damn it, after being scolded by my mother-in-law, I have to be scolded by my grandmother too? When will this ever end?" Lanqin wailed inwardly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will remember your teachings and will arrange for more servants to attend to the Fourth Prince!" Consort De's face was indeed ashamed.
"Fourteenth family. When are you going to let me hold my great-grandson?" Sure enough, the Empress Dowager never missed an opportunity to reprimand her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law.
Consort Hui and the First Princess Consort, sitting to the side, looked at Consort De with a hint of schadenfreude. Consort Rong and the Third Princess Consort sat to the side, their expressions indifferent, as if it were none of their business.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I have already reprimanded her. It's that Fourteenth Prince who's so unruly." At this moment, Consort De still had to protect her daughter-in-law, otherwise it would be her son who would lose face.
"Hmm. This child is really good-looking. Come here, come to the Empress Dowager!" The Empress Dowager was in this position, so she naturally wanted to ask about her children and grandchildren. As for whether she really cared, that was another matter, since Kangxi was not her biological son.
When the Second Princess saw that the Empress Dowager was referring to her, she quickly glanced at Consort De before walking to the Empress Dowager's side.
"Your Majesty!" the Second Princess called out obediently.
"Good child, how old are you this year?" The Empress Dowager held Erlinzhu's hand and looked him up and down.
“Elinzhu is almost twelve years old this year,” the Second Princess said.
Lanqin glanced at the way the Empress Dowager looked at Erlinzhu and couldn't help but feel that it was like a big bad wolf looking at Little Red Riding Hood! Or was she just imagining things?
"Twelve years old! She'll be of marriageable age soon," the Empress Dowager said, pointing to something.
"Elinzhu, why don't you take the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the others out to play? I saw many children playing in Mother's garden!" Consort De suddenly said.
As expected, the Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "Go!"
After the Second Princess led her two younger brothers out, Lanqin sat down with Consort De to the side, while the three little ones were taken outside for a stroll by the palace maids!
"Your Majesty, I am late!" Consort Yi's voice came from the palace entrance. Truly, one could hear her voice before seeing her.
Consort Yi was dressed in a purple court robe. Her birth mother, along with her two daughters-in-law, a secondary consort, the children of the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince, made up a group of about a dozen people as they entered.
"I'm used to you being late!" the Empress Dowager said to Consort Yi with a slight smile.
"Your Majesty, you can't blame me. I went to prepare gifts for your hometown," Consort Yi said with a smile, seemingly not minding the Empress Dowager's teasing at all.
It's clear that Consort Yi knows how to please the Empress Dowager! Lanqin silently gave Consort Yi a thumbs up in her heart; she's practically a Wang Xifeng in disguise!
"Oh? What is it? Haven't the New Year's gifts already been presented?" the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
"That is my allotted allowance, which should be presented to Your Majesty. This gift is something I secretly wanted to give Your Majesty!" Consort Yi said shrewdly.
Upon hearing this, the faces of several imperial concubines turned sour! Wasn't Consort Yi's outburst making those who hadn't privately prepared gifts for the Empress Dowager feel embarrassed?
Looking at Consort Yi's smug expression, Lanqin sighed inwardly: Was she deliberately unaware, or did she really not know that she had offended the others present?
"You little rascal! You always know how to please this old woman!" The Empress Dowager's tone was full of affection. The Ninth Prince only has two daughters, yet she hadn't mentioned it to reprimand his wife.
When Consort Yi had her private "gift" to the Empress Dowager brought up, everyone looked on with curiosity to see what it was!
Four servants carried in a large load covered with a red silk cloth.
The Empress Dowager looked at the large object with a smile and asked, "It's quite a large object. What's inside?"
Consort Yi hurriedly went over and directed the servants to put the things away properly!
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