"Put it down gently, this is something I have carefully prepared for the Empress Dowager!" Consort Yi instructed the servants to put down the large item covered with cloth.
Consort De watched indifferently as Consort Yi tried to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, remaining unmoved.
Consort Yi ripped off the red silk cloth, revealing it to be a screen. Everyone was immediately disappointed, having thought Consort Yi would come up with some extraordinary idea.
"Your Majesty, this is a four-season screen depicting the four gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity. The screen itself isn't unusual, but the material is! It's made of a thousand-year-old piece of ebony! It's said that this kind of ebony is extremely rare, even for the wealthy!" Consort Yi said proudly. "This piece of wood was specially transported from Southeast Asia. I believe only the Empress Dowager can enjoy such divine wood. This ebony doesn't rot for thousands of years, and it emits a unique fragrance that repels insects and protects its owner's health!"
After hearing Consort Yi's words, everyone was moved by the magic of the sandalwood!
"Very well, I understand your filial piety!" the Empress Dowager said with a smile.
"Oh my, this carving looks like it's from the Zhang family of Shenyang. The depictions of the Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity are so lifelike," said Consort Shu. In the Ning Shou Palace, besides the four imperial concubines, there were other noble ladies who had come to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager for the New Year.
After hearing her words, the Empress Dowager looked at the carving even more carefully, and indeed it was very well carved, even the beard of the figure was carved very clearly!
It turns out that Zhang Nai, the carver from Shenyang, has been dedicated to wood carving for nearly 300 years, starting from the Ming Dynasty. He is a renowned master carver, and you usually have to make an appointment three years in advance to find him, and even then, you might not be able to get a spot, depending on the size of the carving.
The Qing court summoned the Zhang family to the palace many times, but this never happened; they simply refused to come and serve the royal family exclusively.
Everyone knew the rules of the Zhang family and secretly admired Consort Yi's methods.
"So, Consort Yi prepared this for the Empress Dowager three years ago?" Consort Hui couldn't help but ask.
"No, not at all. My elder brother knows the second master of the Zhang family, which is why he was able to cut in line!" Consort Yi naturally didn't want others to think she had been plotting to curry favor with the Empress Dowager for a long time. Going too far in anything would arouse suspicion!
"I have always remembered Consort Yi's filial piety. Huian, have someone carry this screen away and place it in my bedroom; I'm really missing one like this there!" the Empress Dowager said.
The crowd gathered around the Empress Dowager, telling jokes and laughter, when a palace maid entered with her head bowed, unnoticed by anyone. She tiptoed to the Empress Dowager's personal maid, whispered something to her, and then left as if she had entered.
Hui'an then walked to the Empress Dowager's side and whispered a few words in her ear. The Empress Dowager nodded slightly and then continued chatting with the concubines.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has recently become infatuated with a palace maid! We concubines are very worried about His Majesty's health!" said a young concubine.
"Alas! I have already advised the Emperor that he is too old to act recklessly! The Emperor has always been a man of his own mind, so you don't need to worry. He has never been granted the title of Noble Lady before!" the Empress Dowager said.
"Your Majesty, we are not jealous of this lady-in-waiting, but we are worried about His Majesty's health. If this continues, His Majesty will be completely drained!" said Consort Shu.
Lanqin listened with utter boredom as Kangxi's concubines began to gossip about his bedchamber affairs, and she became even less inclined to listen.
However, being in the Ning Shou Palace, she, a mere concubine, was not allowed to speak, so she could only stand there in a daze.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was of advanced age and was already quite tired from greeting so many people so early in the morning, so everyone paid their respects and took their leave.
Lanqin followed behind a large group of women from the imperial harem, bowed, and took her leave!
After everyone had left, Empress Dowager Gilbert, supporting Huian's hand, led her to her bedroom.
“Consort Yi is quite fond of the Empress Dowager. Your Majesty, you can use that screen to sleep peacefully!” Huian said.
"Hmph, she never comes to the palace without a reason! Didn't you realize that those two nobles were just her lackeys?" The Empress Dowager wore a dark blue cloak with gold longevity patterns, and a gray pleated skirt of the same material. Her hair was still jet black, with no trace of white.
"Does the Empress Dowager mean she wants the Empress Dowager to keep an eye on the Emperor?" Hui'an asked.
"Of course. I don't know what's wrong with the Emperor these days. Since he came back, he hasn't entered the inner palace at all, and he's spoiled that palace lady rotten! All his daughters-in-law are getting anxious!" the Empress Dowager said.
“His Majesty is already this old, so Empress Dowager, you can’t say much more! They all have sons and daughters, and they’re still clinging to His Majesty!” Huian said.
"What you're thinking about now isn't the Emperor, but that position!" the Empress Dowager said.
“Then the Empress Dowager has even less right to say anything!” Huian said.
"Don't worry, I've been in this palace for fifty years, and I know what's best for me. Now, the only one who can move my heart is my daughter, Duanshu," the Empress Dowager said.
“Alas! Ever since the Emperor quelled Wu Sangui’s rebellion, Princess Duanshu has also been implicated. Fortunately, she has the Empress Dowager’s protection and is now able to stay by the Empress Dowager’s side, which is a blessing!” Huian said.
"What good fortune! She's just a woman in her forties, possessing the status of a princess but not even a husband who loves and respects her!" the Empress Dowager exclaimed angrily. Speaking of Princess Duanshu's marriage, she was filled with resentment. Duanshu hadn't gone to the grasslands for a political marriage; instead, she had married Wu Sangui's eldest son, Wu Yingxiong. However, within a few years, the Wu family was wiped out by Emperor Kangxi, and Wu Yingxiong had long since been beheaded! Princess Duanshu was Emperor Kangxi's own sister, so naturally, she was brought back to the palace from the Wu family. But that was how Princess Duanshu's life ended. She bore a daughter for the Wu family; thankfully, it was a daughter, otherwise, she might not have survived either. Now, Princess Duanshu was a widow. Her daughter had married far away, and she now lived alone in the princess's residence.
"Your Majesty, I think you no longer need to concern yourself with the Emperor's affairs. You should enjoy your peaceful life!" Huian was an old palace maid who had served the Empress Dowager for her entire life and would never leave. A woman like her had chosen to serve her mistress until the end.
"Fine, I know, but Duan Shu's daughter is still married in Khorchin! How can I not care about them, mother and daughter! Now that the Emperor is this age, everyone on the Khorchin grasslands is watching to see who will inherit the throne. Their wealth and glory depend on the women."
Hui'an sighed. "The Empress Dowager was the second empress that the Khorchin sent to Fulin, thus establishing a connection between the Qing court and the Khorchin grasslands. Now, with the position of crown prince in turmoil again, the Khorchin are naturally uneasy and eager to know who the next crown prince will be."
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