Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of the Fujin (principal wife), Jin had no choice but to give up and go along with what the Fujin had said to change the subject.
After the greetings were finished, Yunyi stayed behind out of curiosity, wanting to find out some information about the concubine.
Because of her own time travel, she didn't know if Nara would still become a concubine.
Or was it that Hongli wanted to request the imperial decree to promote Lady Gao to the position of secondary consort, thus filling both positions and preventing Lady Nara from entering the household?
With this curiosity in mind, Yunyi stayed behind, wanting to ask the Fujin if she had any news to share.
Of course, her cousin was different from Princess Jin. Fucha Anrong knew that her cousin was tight-lipped and would not tell anyone. Moreover, she would not hide anything from her cousin when it came to the degree of closeness between them.
Therefore, Fucha Anrong did not intend to hide anything. When Yunyi asked, she told her what she knew.
It turns out that Emperor Yongzheng did indeed intend to bestow a concubine upon his household, and he had even hinted at this to Consort Xi, who was in charge of the imperial concubine selection. This is why Fucha Anrong knew this news.
By this time, Hongli's position as heir was a foregone conclusion, absolutely secure.
However, at this time he only had one primary consort and one secondary consort from a humble background. Yongzheng was thinking of bestowing a secondary consort from a noble family into the household to increase Hongli's support.
He also instructed Consort Xi to keep a close eye out for any suitable young women from good families and with good character to choose for their son.
However, halfway through the selection process, Emperor Yongzheng reviewed the list of candidates but couldn't find anyone he was satisfied with.
There were really no good girls among the candidates this year. Given Hongli's current sensitive status, the ministers would naturally hope to send their own daughters to Prince Bao's mansion.
Therefore, during the selection process, many young women were aiming for Prince Bao, but unfortunately, none of them were outstanding. Either their family background was too low, or their status was unsuitable, so it was impossible to find a suitable candidate.
After much deliberation, Emperor Yongzheng only selected two barely suitable candidates: one from the Nara clan of the Bordered Blue Banner and the other from the Irgen Gioro clan of the Plain White Banner.
However, Yongzheng's original intention was to select capable women for his son. These two women were considered quite good among the candidates, but compared to the wives and concubines in Hongli's harem, they were only about the same as Consort Fucha.
With the support of the Fucha family, Yunyi's father and brothers have all been promoted in their official positions in recent years. Therefore, Yunyi is not only a concubine of Prince Bao, but also the legitimate daughter of a third-rank official.
Both Nara and Irgen Gioro's fathers were fourth-rank officials, not even as high-ranking as Yunyi, so how could they possibly offer any assistance?
Compared to this, Yongzheng had no choice but to abandon his original idea and instead of appointing a concubine to his household, he only selected a few princesses from good families to be given to him.
After the imperial concubine selection ended, no concubine entered the mansion. Hongli was surprised but quickly put it aside.
Although her mother had mentioned this matter before, things may have changed, so it doesn't matter. Since no concubine was granted, she would request a title for the princess in the inner courtyard herself.
When it came to choosing a concubine, Hongli naturally chose his favorite, Lady Gao.
Hongli's memorial requesting an official title was written quickly, and Yongzheng approved it just as quickly.
Yongzheng had carefully considered his son's wishes. Princess Gao was the daughter of Gao Bin, who had made meritorious contributions to flood control in the previous dynasty and was now a high-ranking official of the third rank. It would be appropriate to promote his eldest daughter to the position of concubine.
Moreover, Gao Bin was indeed quite capable, and he could provide some assistance to his son in the previous dynasty.
Thus, Lady Gao transformed herself into a secondary consort, filling the last position of secondary consort.
Jin was on the verge of collapse. The first person she hated, Princess Fucha, became a secondary consort because of her merit in bearing children. The second person she hated, Princess Gao, also became a secondary consort because of her father's merit in controlling floods.
Despite being in the household for many years, she has not been happy, has no children, and her family background is not strong.
She could only watch helplessly as her former enemies, Lady Fucha and Lady Gao, climbed the social ladder to become glamorous concubines, while she remained a lowly princess.
Jin really couldn't understand. The imperial physicians all said there was nothing wrong with her body, so why had she never conceived? If she had been able to give birth to a son or daughter, she would be the concubine today.
Su Shi shared the same idea, thinking that it would be even more wonderful if she, a Han woman, could become the princess of the prestigious Prince Bao and have children.
Lady Gao became a secondary consort, and only she was happy. The other princesses were all devastated and depressed.
Jin's temper remains volatile lately. Even after Gao became a secondary consort, she continues to be sarcastic and unpredictable, showing no signs of restraint.
Perhaps because she was feeling down, she had been finding fault with everyone lately. After making sarcastic remarks about Consort Gao, she turned her gaze to Consort Su and said a few more words in a bad tone.
Normally, Madam Su could tolerate it and didn't think much of it. After all, they had been together for so long, and she knew that this was just Jin Gege's personality, so no matter what she said, Madam Su wouldn't react.
But today was different. After Jin Gege said a few words, Su felt a tightness in her chest that she couldn't shake off, followed by nausea in her stomach, which made her gag.
Jin Gege was surprised, her expression a mixture of anger and fear: "Sister Su, what do you mean by this?"
After saying this, she shrank back somewhat guiltily, indicating that it was none of her business.
Jin didn't know what was going on, but Fucha Anrong, as the primary consort, seemed to have noticed. She beckoned to her maid to fetch a doctor, and then sent someone to bring her a cup of warm water.
"Sister Su seems to be feeling unwell. Please have some water to calm down. I have already sent someone to fetch a doctor. Just bear with it, the doctor will be here soon."
When Jin noticed the expressions on the faces of the First Lady and Consort Fucha, she realized something was wrong. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Su with surprise.
No way, could it be that Su Gege is pregnant?
With this suspicion in mind, Madam Jin was extremely distressed; she simply couldn't accept the news that someone in the household was pregnant again.
The doctor arrived quickly, and after taking her pulse, he confirmed everyone's suspicions: Su Gege was indeed pregnant, and already three months along.
Like a bolt from the blue, news struck Jin's heart one after another. Her mind was filled with the news that Su was pregnant, and she was in immense pain.
One, two, three women are all pregnant, how come I'm still not pregnant!
When they left the main courtyard, everyone had different expressions. Yunyi was indifferent. Su Gege's pregnancy posed no threat to her, so she didn't care.
On the surface, Ms. Gao seemed indifferent, but deep down she was envious and longed to have a child of her own.
Jin was in a daze; clearly, she hadn't recovered from the news that Su Gege was pregnant.
Su Gege was overjoyed; she hadn't expected that such good news would arrive so soon after she had just been feeling melancholy.
As for the other princesses, they were filled with envy, jealousy, and longing—envy and jealousy that others could get pregnant, and longing that they could get pregnant themselves.
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