Chapter 35: Consort Niohuru Loses Her 'Sense of Proportion'
As Fanghua guessed, Emperor Kangxi originally disagreed with the Mongolian princess entering the palace as a concubine.
But how could he possibly outmaneuver the Empress Dowager, the grandmother who had raised him?
And so, Gerile changed into a cheongsam, and because she takes such good care of herself, her skin is completely different from that of a real Mongolian princess.
With the Empress Dowager employing some tactics, Emperor Kangxi favored Gerile in the Cining Palace that very night.
Because it suited his taste, Emperor Kangxi directly promoted Gerile to the rank of concubine.
What others didn't know was that Kangxi had his own reasons for doing this.
It's true that he was made a concubine, but only he himself knows the real story behind it.
The fact that she is favored by outsiders is undeniable.
Sure enough, after issuing the imperial edict, Kangxi used the excuse that Jingren Palace needed repairs to directly bring the person to live in the rear hall of Qianqing Palace.
Such favor is almost surpassing that of Empress Fanghua.
Before Fanghua could even get going, some people were already eager to see her.
"Let her in." I knew a woman poisoned by love couldn't be hidden.
What a pity, what a pity!
Yes, the first person to come to them was Consort Niohuru.
Besides the Empress, she was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem.
Now that the Emperor has personally bestowed the title of Consort Hui upon someone else, and everyone else has a title, they are bypassing her, an old woman. How could she not be anxious?
As soon as Niohuru entered the main hall, she greeted the Empress with "Greetings, Your Majesty," and then found a place to sit down.
"Are you giving me a hard time?" Fanghua couldn't tell whether she was angry or not when she saw her like this; she just found her current appearance quite amusing.
Thinking of her previous life, she was probably just like her, seeing so many favored concubines in the harem, and she probably looked just like them.
"In that case, go back to where you came from." Fanghua really didn't know where she got the audacity to be so presumptuous in front of her.
They're really giving her too much credit.
"Your Majesty the Empress." Niohuru felt even more distressed after Fanghua spoke of it.
"Your Majesty, aren't you angry? You were made a concubine as soon as you entered the palace. The Emperor is spoiling you too much."
"They even moved into the Qianqing Palace. What about the Empress's dignity?"
They've even started using these divisive tactics on her, and Lady Niohuru is truly panicked.
"Stop with the nonsense. Today isn't the day for paying respects. Just tell me what you need."
I don't want to get involved with a woman who's poisoned by love; it would only make me fall into the trap too.
She had long since seen through love.
Niohuru choked, her fake smile crumbling. "Does Your Majesty truly wish to see a newly arrived concubine surpass you?"
"There's nothing to it. If the Emperor likes you, he'll just favor you more. How could you possibly replace me? If Consort Niohuru has the energy for that, she should think about getting the Emperor to grant her a title as well, so that when she pays her respects, no one will get to her."
The more infighting there is in the harem, the more powerful she becomes, since no one can replace her as empress.
With her inheritance, she wouldn't allow anyone to surpass her.
"Your Majesty." Niohuru knew perfectly well, but she couldn't even see the Emperor now. "Doesn't Your Majesty care? Is the Qianqing Palace a place for a mere concubine to live?"
Fanghua is speechless. What's wrong with this person's brain?
"Alright, enough of this nonsense. She didn't get to stay in the main hall, so why should I stay in a side hall instead of the perfectly good Kunning Palace?"
Alas, there is always a reason why someone is pitiful.
They really can't figure things out.
That makes sense, though. In the previous dynasty, her father had always been suppressed by the emperor, who had entrusted him with some thorny matters, making him offend Ao Bai's faction.
However, the fruits of their labor belonged to the emperor, so Niohuru's father had no choice but to keep a low profile.
He only hoped that his daughter could whisper sweet nothings in his ear, but unfortunately, now that Consort Hui has appeared, how could Niohuru not be anxious?
"Go back and think about how to serve the Emperor properly. Don't go looking for trouble all day long. She's the Empress Dowager's niece. Don't you think the Emperor would mistreat her?"
That's all the advice Fanghua can offer; it would be impolite to say anything more.
She didn't believe the Emperor truly loved Consort Hui.
If you really liked her, you wouldn't act so ostentatiously. Are you afraid that others won't know that you are another Dong Eshi?
You should know that the Empress Dowager was the one who couldn't stand the emperor favoring only one person.
Otherwise, she and the emperor wouldn't have only enjoyed two years of loving marriage.
Niohuru was preoccupied with the thought of that vile Consort Hui overstepping her boundaries, so she couldn't understand Fanghua's advice and left Kunning Palace in displeasure.
On the way back, he was still muttering his resentment and jealousy towards that person.
Only Xiangzhu and the others who served her understood why their mistress was acting this way.
While feeling sorry for his empress, he also remembered the instructions she gave him before leaving home.
Soon, the rumors of Consort Niohuru's jealousy of Consort Hui spread, and it was likely that the entire harem would know about it before long.
Once back in her Yongshou Palace, Niohuru finally concealed the vicious expression on her face.
"How is it?"
Xiangzhu and the others nodded, indicating that the matter had been taken care of.
"Your Majesty, please don't blame your sister for setting you up; she just wants to live." How could she not be anxious about the message her father had sent?
But she knew that, given her current status, the Emperor already showed her considerable favor.
If she still doesn't know what's good for her, she'll probably face the deepest hell, since her godfather is Ao Bai.
It's all about timing, fate, and destiny.
On the Kunning Palace side, Qiaoling and the others were furious at Niohuru's rudeness.
"Alright, what's wrong with you all? Tone it up, or people will think I'm displeased with Consort Hui." They all just added to the chaos.
"Your Majesty, I feel so sorry for you. How dare Consort Niohuru be so disrespectful to Your Majesty?" Qiaoling blurted out her complaint first.
Fanghua glared at her, "Don't gossip about the concubines behind their backs. If you hear it, I won't spare you from punishment."
"I couldn't keep my mouth shut because I was by Your Highness's side. Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely not embarrass you when we're out."
"Alright, alright." Fanghua waved her hand. "It's good that you all know what's going on. By the way, has anyone from the Emperor's side come over?"
This matter concerning Consort Hui is unusual; she needs to keep an eye on it.
"Your Majesty, no, but Xiao Feng should be back soon," Zhang Mama said softly, glancing at the outer room.
Fanghua also looked at the somewhat gloomy sky outside; it looked like it was going to rain.
"It's nothing. Xiao Feng is quite capable. Besides, it's not a big deal."
What is Xiao Feng, the protagonist they're talking about, doing now?
Hehe, it flew into Consort Hui's bedroom through the gap in the window and was listening to her talk with her maid.
"Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the Empress Dowager, instructing us to find an opportunity to leave the Qianqing Palace." The maid was clearly very dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager's decree.
Her own princess was Consort Hui, so why couldn't she live in the rear hall of Qianqing Palace? She even felt that her own princess was being treated unfairly by living there.
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