Consort De was old and no longer served Emperor Kangxi. So she spent her time worshipping Buddha. Gradually, everyone in the palace thought that Consort De loved worshipping Buddha. But only Consort De knew in her heart that she was just deceiving others and herself.
The Fujin (principal wife) fully expected Consort De to be deeply moved by her special gift, so she curtsied and awaited Consort De's response. While her gift couldn't compare to the priceless jade pillow of the Wanyan clan, it was far more thoughtful. Although the jade pillow could aid sleep, the Heart Sutra she had requested could calm the mind. In truth, how much they truly believed in the ethereal Buddha was merely a matter of psychological comfort! For a long time, these noblewomen genuinely believed that Buddha could help and protect them.
Consort Li gripped her handkerchief tightly, thinking bitterly: So she had prepared a backup plan.
Consort De looked at the Fourth Prince's wife, who was never very willing to take the initiative to get close to her, and felt a little uncomfortable. Her words just now only hit the most painful spot in her heart, but she could not show it on the surface. So she tried to suppress her displeasure and said to the Fourth Prince's wife as calmly as possible, "Xia Yu is really thoughtful. Get up quickly."
The Fourth Princess Consort, who had expected to receive some praise from Consort De, was instead met with these words. Moreover, Consort De emphasized the word "truly," which made her feel slightly displeased. However, when she looked up at Consort De, she could not see any displeasure from her; the face of Consort De always wore a dignified and gentle smile.
After the Fourth Prince's wife withdrew, Consort Li personally took out her gift, walked up to Emperor Kangxi and Consort De, bowed gracefully, and said in a sweet voice, "Mother, I do not have the ability of the Fourth Prince's wife to find such a precious Buddhist scripture. I only have a deep affection for you, Mother. This is a painting that I had Hongyun and Hongshi make together. Please accept it, Mother."
Kangxi nodded slightly and said to the two wet nurses standing behind Li Shi, "Come, bring Hongyun and Hongshi over so that your imperial grandfather can take a look at them."
Consort De immediately ordered the palace maid beside her to take the painting from Li's hand. When the two children walked in front of Kangxi, the painting was slowly unfolded in front of Consort De and Kangxi by the two palace maids.
The painting depicts a courtyard surrounded by blooming flowers. In the center, a graceful and elegant woman sits in a wicker chair, resting with her eyes closed. A five- or six-year-old child stands beside her, holding a palace fan for her. Not far away, a one-year-old child sits on the ground, playing with a cloth tiger.
"The children in this painting look somewhat like Hongyun and Hongshi, and Canlian." Consort De liked the painting very much as soon as she saw it. The woman in the painting even looked very similar to her, and the two children also looked very much like her grandson standing in front of her.
"It was precisely these two that I used as models for my painting. Please forgive me, Mother. I could only capture a fraction of Your Majesty's dignified gentleness from my memory." Li was skilled at painting, as the Fourth Prince knew, but Kangxi and Consort De were less familiar with it, hence their high praise for her work. Consort De stroked the two children's heads and said to a nearby maid, "Qiuxiang, take the Third and Fourth Princes to the side hall for some pastries. Don't let the children go hungry." Kangxi nodded, then pulled Hongyun and Hongshi aside to ask about their studies and games before having Qiuxiang lead them away.
The eldest prince, Honghui, stood beside his wife and saw this scene. He felt a strange feeling rising in his heart, while his wife was even more distressed: Li had cleverly used her grandson to please Consort De, and even Emperor Kangxi liked the two sons she had given birth to.
“The eldest prince Honghui has also arrived. Come here!” Kangxi suddenly said.
The Fourth Prince gave Honghui a meaningful look, signaling him to hurry to his grandfather. Honghui then walked up to Kangxi and respectfully knelt before him and Consort De, offering his congratulations: "Grandson wishes Grandfather and Grandmother good health, longevity, and boundless blessings!"
Consort De was initially dissatisfied with the Buddhist scripture that the Fujin had given her, but she still loved her eldest son. After watching Kangxi ask about Honghui's studies and daily life, she said to another older palace maid, "Take the eldest prince out to play. I suppose he won't want to go down to eat pastries with those two younger ones. Have someone keep an eye on him and call him back when he's seated."
After the three children left, the Thirteenth Prince hurriedly said to Consort De, "Your Majesty has taken good care of me since I was a child, and I have long regarded Your Majesty as my own mother. Now that it is your birthday, I have specially found a sandalwood screen depicting the four seasons to present to you. I hope you will like it."
After Emperor Kangxi had kept the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince by his side for two years, Consort De finally took the initiative to ask Emperor Kangxi to let the young Fourth Prince return to her side, and also said that she would bring the Thirteenth Prince back to Yonghe Palace as well. Therefore, the Thirteenth Prince also lived in Consort De's palace for a period of time.
As several palace servants carried a screen into the hall from outside, Consort De and Emperor Kangxi exchanged a glance and smiled, "Thirteenth Prince, you've put a lot of thought into this. I like it very much!"
Next were the Fourteenth Prince and the Fourth Prince. Consort De already knew about the Fourth Prince's gift, and she instructed the palace maids to take good care of the rare white deer. As for the Fourteenth Prince's gift, it had already been mentioned that it was to help Lady Wanyan conceive a legitimate son as soon as possible.
"Fourth Prince, your princess really gave the fourteenth prince a good idea. Fourteenth Prince, your mother and I are waiting for good news from you and Jinzhi!" Kangxi smiled and took Consort De's hand. Just as he was about to get up, he heard the Fourth Prince's wife say, "Princess Niu has also prepared a gift for her mother today. Princess Niu, please take it out quickly."
The Princess Consort turned her head and smiled at Lanqin, who was standing behind her. Her intention was to embarrass Lanqin a little, so she seemed afraid of missing this opportunity. You should know that princesses were not originally qualified to enter the palace, and no one stipulated whether they had to prepare gifts for Consort De. Therefore, Consort De and Emperor Kangxi had not noticed that the maid beside Lanqin was holding a brocade box.
Hearing his wife's words, the Fourth Prince frowned slightly. He didn't actually want Lanqin to give that gift, fearing it might not suit his mother's taste. Lanqin gave a slight curtsy to the person in the seat of honor, then took the box of longevity peaches from Xicha's hands. She then walked slowly to Consort De and Emperor Kangxi, and respectfully said, "My gift is rather meager, and I didn't intend to present it, but I would feel regretful and guilty if I didn't. Please accept my humble sentiments, Your Highness."
The Fujin gave a slight cold smile, while Li Shi beside her widened her eyes. They both knew that Lanqin's gift was just some peaches, but they also had a question: what tricks could Niohuru Shi possibly play with peaches!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
