Inside Jingyang Palace.
Consort Hui sat in the main seat of the main hall with a gloomy expression. Seeing that Consort Hui was unhappy, the palace maids and eunuchs all went about their business carefully, not daring to make a sound, lest they anger Consort Hui and incur punishment.
The imperial edict announcing Consort Liang's promotion had already spread throughout the palace, and the ceremony to bestow additional titles upon her would take place three days later. At this time, Consort Liang was still residing in a side hall of Jingyang Palace.
Consort Hui never expected that Consort Liang, who had always lived under her nose and was of lowly birth, would be promoted and would no longer need to bow to her, and would be treated as an equal.
When Consort Liang was favored by the emperor, I patiently arranged everything for her. Now that she's fallen out of favor and her rank is below mine, I can finally vent my anger, right? And now she's even been promoted.
Consort Hui grew angrier the more she thought about it, and said to Cuiping, a palace maid standing to the side, "Go and invite Consort Liang over for a talk."
A moment later, a woman dressed in a light blue cheongsam with plum blossom patterns entered the main hall, supported by a young palace maid. She had her hair styled in a high bun, and wore only a few decorative pieces of jewelry, such as jade beads and flowers.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Consort Hui." Consort Liang walked up to Consort Hui, curtsied, and greeted her.
Consort Hui looked at Consort Liang's face, marveling at how kind time had been to this woman. Her fair skin remained as delicate and smooth as ever, with only a few fine lines between her brows and at the corners of her mouth. Her large, clear eyes always seemed to be filled with mist, evoking a sense of pity in one's heart.
"My sister has truly seen the light at the end of the tunnel. She'll be promoted in three days, and I hear she'll be living in Jingren Palace—a truly excellent position," Consort Hui said, suppressing her bitterness. She thought that Kangxi's sudden promotion of Consort Liang was a sign that he still remembered her kindness, while she herself had been one of the first to serve Kangxi and was now basically just living off the title of a concubine.
"Sister, I am where I am today only because the Eighth Prince did a few things," Consort Liang said softly. She had been taken from the Imperial Laundry by Emperor Kangxi and placed in Consort Hui's palace. Starting as a lowly concubine, she rose through the ranks to become a Noble Lady Liang after giving birth to the Eighth Prince, and then a few years ago, she was promoted to Consort Liang due to Kangxi's grand bestowal of titles upon the harem. She had always lived like an invisible person in a side hall of Jingyang Palace, silently enduring Consort Hui's occasional mockery and torment, seemingly without any resentment.
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui became even angrier. Prince Zhi had risked his life for Emperor Kangxi, yet he had never been promoted or given any additional titles. This time, the Eighth Prince had only performed one meritorious service, yet Consort Liang was promoted. The difference between them was simply too great.
"My sister is so lucky! The Eighth Prince is really capable. He will surely let my sister enjoy a life of luxury in the future, so she won't have to suffer in this palace." Consort Hui really couldn't do anything to Consort Liang, so she just made her stand there and said a few sarcastic words.
Consort Liang smiled slightly and said, "Sister, what are you saying? Since the birth of the Eighth Prince, he has been raised under your care. I am merely his birth mother, while you are his mother. Now that the Eighth Prince has made some contributions, it is all thanks to your excellent guidance and the support of Prince Zhi."
Consort Hui felt somewhat better when she saw that Consort Hui was about to be promoted and that Consort Hui was still as respectful and gentle to her as ever.
"Cuiping, pour tea for Consort Liang. Oh, I forgot what I was saying. Please sit down, sister." Consort Hui finally softened her tone. She knew there was no point in being so sour and jealous here; she was already out of favor.
After Consort Liang expressed her gratitude, she chatted with Consort Hui for a few more minutes. She mentioned that the Eighth Prince owed his current position to the support of Prince Zhi, and that since they were all children raised in Consort Hui's palace, they were naturally closer to her than her other brothers.
When Consort Hui saw that Consort Liang was not acting spoiled because of the favor she received, but instead spoke to her cautiously, Consort Hui felt much more at ease.
Consort Liang chatted and laughed with them for a while longer before leaving the main hall and heading towards her side hall along the covered corridor.
“Your Highness, why do you still have to be so subservient to her? In three days, you will be Consort Liang, your rank will be equal to hers, and you will no longer have to live at her mercy,” said Su Xin, the palace maid who was helping Consort Liang walk towards the side hall.
“There are still three days left. If I were to turn against her now, people would only say that I've risen to a higher position and no longer recognize my former mistress,” Consort Liang said calmly. Her beautiful face was no less stunning than that of young noblewomen like Zheng Chunhua and He Lan, and even possessed a more mature charm. It is said that when Consort Liang first came out of the Imperial Laundry, she was favored by Emperor Kangxi for quite some time. However, Kangxi disliked her lowly birth and only gave her one child, the Eighth Prince. Afterwards, he would give her a contraceptive potion after each sexual encounter, which severely damaged her health.
"Your Highness, we've finally made it through. In three days, you can move to Jingren Palace and won't have to go to pay your respects to her anymore." Su Xin was Consort Liang's longest-serving and most trusted maid, and she had witnessed Consort Liang being suppressed by Consort Hui all these years. When things went too far, Consort Hui would even cut Consort Liang's allowance. The Eighth Prince had also been raised under Consort Hui's care since childhood, so he still had to call Consort Hui "Mother Consort Hui."
"Sigh, I've lived here for so long, I've gotten used to it, and I don't really want to move. Although Consort Hui is mean, she's never really done anything to me, so I've gotten used to it over the past ten years. Jingren Palace? It seems so far away. I wonder if I'll be able to get used to living there." Consort Liang looked up at the white clouds on the horizon and said.
“Your Majesty, why are you so unhappy about your promotion? If it were someone else, they would be overjoyed. After moving there, you will be the head of the palace and will no longer have to be subservient to others. With the Eighth Prince bringing honor to you, who will dare to bully you?” Su Xin said bluntly.
"Alas, I just hope I won't be a burden to him." Consort Liang thought of her son, the Eighth Prince, and a trace of worry flashed across her face.
“Your Highness, how can you say that? Your Highness carried the child for ten months and went through countless hardships to give birth to the Eighth Prince. How could the Eighth Prince despise Your Highness?” Su Xin comforted Consort Liang when she saw her bring up the matter again.
Seeing that Su Xin was anxious, Consort Liang smiled faintly and said, "Alright, alright, you'll move there in three days. You'll be the head palace maid and will have to manage the servants for me. You know I won't be giving orders to anyone every day."
Upon hearing Consort Liang's words, Su Xin immediately said, "Your Highness, rest assured, Su Xin will take care of everything for you. You should just focus on being Consort Liang."
Consort Liang smiled faintly and said nothing more. Su Xin looked at Consort Liang and sighed in her heart: It's really not easy for such a delicate person to survive in this palace. However, her son is not weak at all; he has indeed made something of himself.
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