Consort Nian was the first to break the silence. Looking at the gift in the hands of the maid Lanqin, she smiled and said, "Consort Xi is so thoughtful. The Emperor bestowed such a precious gift upon Your Majesty, and you are willing to send it to the Empress Dowager. I'm sure the Emperor will praise Consort Xi for her filial piety when he finds out..."
The Empress sat and watched Lady Nian speak, a smile playing on her lips.
It seems the saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is truly accurate.
Lanqin was now the target of everyone's criticism, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply to Consort Nian: "Your Majesty, I only thought these tonics might be helpful to the Empress Dowager, so I sent them. They are not as good as the things in Your Majesty's palace, but they are still from my heart..."
Lady Nian chuckled dismissively, "Indeed, Consort Xi comes from humble beginnings, so naturally she can't compare to the good things we see. But you have this intention, and the Empress Dowager will be pleased. Then the Emperor will be pleased too, and perhaps Consort Xi will be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, just like me..."
An unnamed fire ignited in Lanqin's heart. Consort Nian was clearly provoking her, bringing up Lanqin's family background and mocking her for relying on favor to gain the throne.
The Empress's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this. She glared at Lanqin, who had no words to express her suffering. She forced herself to remain calm and said with a smile, "Your Highness is too kind. I know I am no match for Your Highness and dare not have any other thoughts. I only wish to live peacefully in this palace and not betray His Majesty's good intentions."
Just as Consort Nian was about to speak, a palace maid came out and invited the three of them inside. Consort Nian had no choice but to give up and followed the Empress into the inner room.
Lanqin immediately noticed that Consort De was leaning against the bed, her face pale, her eyes sunken, and her body thinner, looking sickly.
Lanqin suddenly felt a lump in her throat and knelt down beside Consort De's bed. Consort De struggled to reach out her hand, and the three of them were unsure who should go over. Lanqin and Consort Nian dared not make a move, but the Empress took the initiative to reach out and hold Consort De's hand: "Your Majesty, I am here. Is there anything you want to say to me?"
Consort De shook her head and shook off the Empress.
The Empress knelt awkwardly on the ground, her face dark with anger. Consort Nian lowered her head and chuckled to herself.
Consort De pointed weakly at Lanqin and said softly, "Lan... Lanqin..."
The Empress glared fiercely at Lanqin, and even Consort Nian rolled her eyes but dared not utter a sound.
Lanqin could no longer care about anything else at this point. She knelt down and walked to Consort De's bedside, taking Consort De's hand in hers. Consort De opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word for a long time, while Lanqin nodded tearfully, "Empress Dowager, I know, I know..."
Lanqin knew that Consort De in history had suddenly fallen ill and died shortly after Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne. It seemed Consort De wouldn't last much longer, but Lanqin didn't want this to happen to her, so she tried her best to persuade her: "Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself so you can see the Fourteenth Prince again. He wouldn't want to see you like this..."
Consort De stared at Lanqin with wide, expectant eyes, as if she had a lot to say, but no sound came out.
Lanqin, being a mother herself, understood Consort De's feelings and held her hand tightly with heartache: "Your Majesty, I will definitely plead for the Fourteenth Prince, so you must recover from your illness..."
Hearing Lanqin plead for mercy again, Consort De finally breathed a sigh of relief, closed her eyes, and breathed softly.
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