Chapter 88: Paying Respects to Old Ten's Incompetent Traits...
In June, Consort Tongjia's health deteriorated further.
Six years ago, the eighth princess died in the intercalary sixth month.
Imperial Noble Consort Tong had been in the palace for several years, but only gave birth to the Eighth Princess. However, the Eighth Princess was born sickly and died before she was a month old. Because of the Eighth Princess's death, Imperial Noble Consort Tong fell seriously ill and was bedridden for a full six months.
Seeing that Consort Tongjia's condition was gradually worsening to the point where medicine could not cure her, Emperor Kangxi had the idea of making her Empress.
Originally, in Emperor Kangxi's mind, Consort Tongjia was his wife.
However, Emperor Kangxi had lost two empresses in succession, and fearing that he would bring misfortune to his wives, he did not formally confer the title of Empress upon Consort Tongjia.
However, starting from the 20th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Consort Tongjia acted as Empress in place of the Empress, and had everything except the title of Empress.
Now that Consort Tongjia is seriously ill and her life is about to end, Emperor Kangxi wants his cousin to leave this world as his wife, hoping to bestow upon Consort Tongjia the status and honor of an empress in her final moments.
However, Emperor Kangxi was still somewhat superstitious and feared that bestowing the title of Empress upon Consort Tongjia would hasten her death. Therefore, he only began preparing for the empress's investiture but did not issue the decree immediately. He planned to issue the decree when there was no longer any time to delay, so that he could send his cousin off with the honor of empress without implicating her in the curse of being a wife-killer.
When Yin'e learned about this from the Consort, he couldn't help but think to himself: Is it possible that his curse of killing off his wives wasn't a curse, but rather that this heartless boss had assigned too many tasks to the empresses who worked for him, causing them to be overworked and die?
Yin'e was not sure what the others in the palace thought about the successive deaths of Empress Renxiao and Empress Xiaozhao, but he did take it as a warning. After the Consort spent a lot of time on palace affairs every day, he advised her to further distribute the palace affairs.
Previously, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia held sole power in the harem, handling all matters large and small, with the other consorts only occasionally lending a hand.
Now that Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia is seriously ill, because of her high rank, she has been forced to take the lead and share nearly half of the palace affairs, while the remaining half is handled by the four consorts.
Yin'e felt this was inappropriate. When Consort Tongjia was in power, everyone lay down and it was fair. Now that Consort Tongjia could no longer handle palace affairs, the palace affairs should also be divided fairly.
There are more than just these five concubines who enjoy the rank of imperial consort or higher in the palace. How can Consort Xianfu and Consort Chuxiu remain aloof and continue to be complacent? This is inappropriate, extremely inappropriate. They are doing a disservice to their rank and privileges.
—When Yin'e was dealing with Consort Tongjia and dragging Consort Xianfu and Consort Chuxiu into the mess, he also reflected on whether he was being too hypocritical. He had never stood up for Consort Tongjia when she was just sitting on the sidelines, but Yin'e quickly became righteous again.
It is indeed a bit of a double standard, but double standards are only human nature.
The Imperial Concubine was his mother, his closest relative who loved and protected him and with whom he had a deep bond. Of course, Yin'e should stand in the Imperial Concubine's shoes and consider her health wholeheartedly.
As for Consort Tongjia, Yin'e had no ill will towards her and even had some goodwill towards her, but it was not up to Yin'e to consider her feelings. Naturally, there were people close to her who would consider her needs, such as Emperor Kangxi, who was both her cousin and her husband, and the Fourth Prince, who was more like a son than her own.
Consort Xianfu and Consort Chuxiu reacted very differently to the Imperial Concubine's suggestion to share palace affairs with the two of them.
Consort Xianfu was from the Khorchin grasslands and entered the palace in the sixteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She was a senior member of the palace, with more experience than most of the other concubines. Moreover, she had the backing of the Khorchin tribe and a close relationship with the Empress Dowager; she was not a concubine of ordinary birth or background.
However, seniority does not equate to favor. Consort Xianfu had little affection for Emperor Kangxi and had received only lukewarm favor for many years—basically, she was not favored at all. As the Qing Dynasty gradually broke free from its dependence on the Mongols and no longer needed to rely on them so much, there were few Mongol concubines in the harem who gained favor.
Consort Xianfu had been quiet in the palace for many years. Suddenly, she was entrusted with an important task by the Noble Consort. Her first reaction was to refuse. She tried to use her Mongolian origin as an excuse to avoid palace affairs. She was unwilling to stand out in the palace and had no ambition for palace power.
Regardless of Consort Xianfu's original temperament, after years of hardship in the palace, any ambition or resentment she once harbored has gradually faded away. Now, she only wants to live her life quietly, and the privileges of her rank are enough to ensure her a comfortable and worry-free life.
Consort Chuxiu's reaction was completely opposite to that of Consort Xianfu. Consort Chuxiu gladly accepted the palace power and affairs assigned to her by the Noble Consort. She was not only happy to take on power and responsibility, but also very proactive in wanting to make a name for herself.
Consort Chuxiu and Consort Gui entered the palace in the same year, but she was only a ten-year-old girl when she entered the palace. When she first entered the palace, she was only treated as a concubine and was placed in Chuxiu Palace by Emperor Kangxi to wait for the year. She had little presence and did not attract the attention of anyone in the palace.
Later, when Consort Chuxiu grew up and reached the age to be granted the title of Consort by Emperor Kangxi, she did not receive his favor and remained silent and unknown in the palace, just like Consort Xianfu.
Although Consort Chuxiu was one of the few concubines whose rank was above that of a consort, she had a very low profile. In the past two years, she had not even been as prominent as Consort Zhangjia of Yonghe Palace. This was a humiliation for her, a noblewoman from a prominent Manchu family.
Furthermore, Consort Chuxiu's various attempts to get closer to the Crown Prince over the past two years, despite Emperor Kangxi's displeasure, have not received a positive response and have even gradually aroused the Crown Prince's annoyance.
Although the Crown Prince still trusted his maternal uncle, Suo'etu, he never got close to Consort Chuxiu in the palace. In fact, the more frequently Consort Chuxiu contacted him, the more he disliked her. He did not treat Consort Chuxiu differently just because she was the half-sister of Empress Renxiao.
Lacking the Crown Prince's favor and trust, Consort Chuxiu had no choice but to seek other avenues for her family's benefit. At this time, the Imperial Concubine offered her an olive branch, and Consort Chuxiu, without pondering the Imperial Concubine's intentions, excitedly seized the opportunity.
At Yin'e's urging, the Ninth Prince gave up his idea of moving to the Princes' Residence ahead of schedule.
However, in order to get rid of Yinzhi's entanglement and avoid being dragged into studying hard, the Ninth Prince gradually developed the skill of being elusive and unpredictable. Although he still lived in Yikun Palace, he could always make it impossible for Yinzhi to find him.
The Ninth Prince had already told Consort Yi that he wanted to move into the Fourth Prince's Residence after moving there, so that when Yinzhi reached the appropriate age, he could move into the Fifth Prince's Residence and be his neighbor. This way, as the older brother, he could also take care of his younger brother Yinzhi, who was physically weak.
This matter was indeed in line with Consort Yi's wishes. She was very happy that the Ninth Prince cared about Yinzhi and was very gratified by his intention to take care of his younger brother. She promised to report this matter to Emperor Kangxi on his behalf, and Emperor Kangxi agreed.
However, because Consort Tongjia was seriously ill, Emperor Kangxi had not summoned any other concubines for several months. Consort Yi had not seen Emperor Kangxi and therefore had no opportunity to tell him about this matter, thus settling the matter of the Ninth Prince moving to the Princes' Residence and living in the Fourth Residence.
The Ninth Prince was getting impatient, fearing that he would be ordered by Kangxi to move to the Second Palace of the Western Three Palaces before they could explain the situation to him. If it weren't for the fact that Consort Tongjia was seriously ill and distracted Kangxi, given Kangxi's tendency to push his children too hard, the Ninth Prince would have been taken to the Imperial Study long ago and wouldn't have been able to stay in Yikun Palace any longer.
On this day at the end of June, after the Ninth Prince slipped away from Yinzhi and wandered to Yongshou Palace, he mentioned this matter to Yin'e, wanting to sneak away from the Western Six Palaces to Qianqing Palace to find Emperor Kangxi.
Yongshou Palace in the Western Six Palaces is the closest palace to Qianqing Palace, and Longfu Gate, which leads from the Western Six Palaces to Qianqing Palace, is right next to Yikun Palace. It would be easy for Yin'e and the Ninth Prince to sneak into Qianqing Palace, but it would also be difficult.
It's easy because the journey to Qianqing Palace is short. They can stroll from Longfu Gate to Jiaotai Hall and then from Jiaotai Hall to Qianqing Palace in no time, which is much shorter than the journey to Cining Palace.
It was difficult because there were a large number of guards stationed at the Longfu Gate and around the Qianqing Palace, and whether they could persuade the guards to let them pass was a big problem.
Yin'e wasn't afraid to go to the Qianqing Palace to see Kangxi, but he looked at the Ninth Prince with a puzzled expression: "Ninth Brother, why are you in such a hurry? We still have several months before we move."
Yin'e was determined to delay until the very end, until he officially turned six before moving out. He also hoped that the Ninth Prince could stay for a few more months, delaying the time for him to move out of the Western Six Palaces and spend fewer months studying in the Imperial Study.
Both he and the Ninth Prince were well aware that once they moved out of the palace, it would mean they would become independent. They would say goodbye to their carefree childhood and have to live independently in the palace, learn to be proper princes, take responsibility for their own lives, and no longer have a mother to rely on.
“I’m not in a hurry.” The Ninth Prince lay sprawled on the cool, refreshing mat with a sullen face. “I just want to settle things as soon as possible.”
After hesitating for a moment, even though there were only the two of them in the room, the Ninth Prince lowered his voice and whispered, "Tenth Brother, neither of us is valued by Father Khan, unlike the older brothers who were valued by him. I'm afraid that if I don't talk to Father Khan in advance, he might just issue an order to send me to the Second Bureau."
Yin'e lived in the third residence, the Ninth Prince lived in the fourth residence, and Yin'an lived in the fifth residence. This was a very considerate arrangement for the two brothers, allowing Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who had been close friends since childhood and were childhood sweethearts, to be neighbors and look after each other, since they both came from Yikun Palace.
However, the Ninth Prince had no confidence that Emperor Kangxi would remember this matter or take care of them when arranging the princes' quarters. He even felt that if Liang Jiugong and others hadn't reminded him, Emperor Kangxi might not have remembered that he was about to turn six, and that someone might have reminded him and then casually ordered him to move to the West Third Palace.
Perhaps it was because the number of children under his wing gradually increased, or perhaps it was because there was an age gap among the princes and their brothers starting with the Ninth Prince, that the Ninth Prince, Yin'e, Yin'i, and Yin'tao were gradually neglected by Kangxi.
The eldest prince and the crown prince had already begun to get involved in court affairs and participate in politics. The other princes were also studying in the Imperial Study near the Qianqing Gate. Emperor Kangxi would check on the princes' studies almost every day, attaching great importance to their learning and having many interactions with them.
Yinxiang and Yinzhen were born to Consort Zhangjia, a favorite concubine of Emperor Kangxi, and Consort De, the son of one of the four consorts, born at an advanced age. Yinxiang was the youngest prince in the palace and naturally received Emperor Kangxi's favor.
The Ninth Prince, Yin'e, Yin'an, and Yin'tao, who were sandwiched between the older and younger princes, were in a rather awkward position.
They were a bit too young, and hadn't yet entered the Imperial Study to study, so they weren't trusted or valued by Emperor Kangxi as the eldest prince; they were also too old, and after the birth of their younger brothers, they could no longer be considered the youngest son.
Two years before Yinxiang and Yinzhen were born, the four of them were still young, considered the youngest sons. Kangxi still remembered them and felt quite sorry for them.
However, during the time when the four of them were still young children, it happened to coincide with the Crown Prince's marriage and the eldest prince's wedding. Kangxi's attention was drawn to his most beloved Crown Prince and eldest son, and the four of them were gradually forgotten by Kangxi, who did not have much energy to spare for them.
Two years ago, the Empress Dowager passed away, and Emperor Kangxi was heartbroken at the loss of his maternal grandmother. When Kangxi recovered from his grief, he wanted to find solace in spending time with his sons. However, at this time, Yinxiang and Yinzhen were born, and Kangxi had new young sons, so he could not take care of his four sons who were not yet grown up.
The eldest and youngest sons were all loved and cared for, but those unfortunate ones in the middle were the most easily overlooked. Born to a father but not loved by one, they gradually became invisible in the palace, squeezed out by their elder and younger brothers and losing their place in Kangxi's heart.
In fact, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince didn't care whether Kangxi valued them or not. Otherwise, the Ninth Prince wouldn't be so indifferent when he brought up this matter now. He was lowering his voice just because he didn't want people to know that they were criticizing their father.
In the past few years, they didn't take Emperor Kangxi, their father, seriously. They never tried to win his favor or get close to him. They just played around in the palace and were lazy and unambitious. Now they can only reap what they sow and accept the situation of not being valued by Emperor Kangxi and likely being treated casually.
“Ninth Brother, you’re right.” Yin’e nodded, confirming the Ninth Prince’s concerns. “If we don’t discuss things with Father Khan beforehand, he really will issue an edict arbitrarily and won’t change his mind for us. He will break his promise and withdraw the edict.”
Compared to most emperors, Kangxi, who lacked a father's love from childhood, did indeed succeed in becoming a loving father after growing up, trying to make up for his childhood deficiency, unlike his predecessor who had completely ignored and disregarded his son.
But Emperor Kangxi was human, and his attention was limited; even a loving father can be biased, and loving his children does not mean treating all of them equally.
As the number of children under Emperor Kangxi's wing gradually increased, the emperor, whose attention was limited, inevitably neglected the children who did not have a high profile and gave more attention and love to the children who were more favored by him.
For example, the Crown Prince and the princesses living in Qixiang Palace were both Kangxi's children, but their treatment and the care they received from Kangxi were completely different, making it hard to believe that they had the same father, yet had such vastly different circumstances.
Yin'e and the Ninth Prince belong to the middle group of princes in all aspects. Their backgrounds are mediocre, one being the son of a Noble Consort and the other the son of a Fourth Consort, not as noble as the Crown Prince; their ages are also mediocre, neither the oldest nor the youngest, making them the most easily overlooked middle group.
In the first two years after Yin'e's birth, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who were actually the youngest sons, were favored by Emperor Kangxi.
But that only lasted two years. Later, Kangxi's attention gradually shifted away from them, while Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were busy having fun in the palace, getting close to the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager, and befriending the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince. They did not take the initiative to win Kangxi's favor, and their relationship with Kangxi naturally became more and more distant.
Now, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince plan to go to the Qianqing Palace to see Emperor Kangxi, and they are not afraid that Emperor Kangxi will be angry and scold them.
After hanging out with the Ninth Prince, Yin'e caused quite a bit of trouble in the palace, and they had long since developed a thick skin. As long as they could achieve their goals, they didn't care about Kangxi's attitude, nor would they become depressed and sad after being scolded by Kangxi, feeling that they were disliked by their imperial father and that their future was bleak.
What they feared was that they wouldn't be able to get past the guards at all, and wouldn't be able to leave the Western Six Palaces through the Longfu Gate, nor even enter the Qianqing Palace.
If that's the case, losing face and dignity are minor matters, and not being able to see Kangxi after a wasted trip is also nothing; failing to achieve the goal is the real issue.
In fact, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were also "profit-driven." Unless they really needed to consult Kangxi, they would never think of their imperial father in ordinary times. To give a recent example, in the past few years, on the Emperor's birthday, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince had been sending the Classic of Filial Piety without any real thought or effort.
Without informing Consort Gui and Consort Yi, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince secretly slipped out of Yongshou Palace and headed straight for Longfu Gate, which is right next to Yikun Palace.
Leaving the Western Six Palaces went very smoothly. Since Prince Yin'e and the Ninth Prince sometimes walked through the Longfu Palace area when going to the Imperial Garden, the guards at the gate did not stop them. They were already used to the troublesome behavior of the princes who did not stay obediently in the Western Six Palaces.
However, the side of Longfu Gate adjacent to Jiaotai Hall was difficult to enter, as that gate led directly to Qianqing Palace. Without the Emperor's decree and a pass, the guards would not allow anyone in easily; they had to report to Emperor Kangxi, who would then make the decision personally.
Standing on the passageway between the Qianqing Palace and the Western Six Palaces, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who usually head north to the Imperial Garden, stood by the Longfu Gate as if rooted to the spot, whispering to the guards standing in front of the gate.
"Sneaking in is impossible. There are so many guards and so many eyes watching us, and we're followed by quite a few people too." Yin'e quietly rejected the idea of sneaking in while the guards weren't looking.
Although Yin'e and the Ninth Prince kept it a secret from Consort Gui and Consort Yi, they did not sneak out of Yongshou Palace alone. They brought along their personal eunuchs, wet nurses, and other staff. A large group of people like that is not so easy to hide.
They had no choice; if they didn't bring these people who served them closely, they were afraid that they would be discovered missing as soon as they left Yongshou Palace, and the matter would be reported to the Consort and Consort Yi so that they could be arrested and brought back.
By bringing the person out, they could use their status as imperial princes to command their servants to obey. Since they were still wandering around the palace and hadn't disappeared, these people wouldn't be so anxious as to disregard their orders and betray them.
Before forcing his way in, Yin'e planned to try a softer approach first.
If Emperor Kangxi were willing to see him and the Ninth Prince, that would be the best outcome. Otherwise, they would have to come up with other ideas and might end up having to "force their way in" without Emperor Kangxi's permission.
"Xiao Linzi," Yin'e called to his personal eunuch, "Go and tell the guards at the gate that Ninth Brother and I have come to pay our respects to Father Khan. Tell them to go in and inform him."
Xiao Linzi is a calm and honest person. He does whatever Yin E tells him to do without thinking about whether it is right or wrong, or whether it is appropriate.
When Xiao Linzi arrived at the side of Longfu Gate near Qianqing Palace and told the guards his purpose, the guards who recognized Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were all embarrassed and did not know how to react.
The guards on duty in the palace had witnessed the princes coming to the Qianqing Palace to pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi once or twice. Each time, it was the eldest prince who came to pay his respects to Emperor Kangxi.
Since the eldest prince had graduated from the Imperial Study and gone to the capital, unlike before when he could see Emperor Kangxi almost every day in the Imperial Study, he naturally had to come from time to time to pay his respects to Emperor Kangxi and maintain the father-son relationship.
But the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince are still young and live with their birth mothers in the inner palace. Why would they suddenly come to the Qianqing Palace to pay their respects to the Emperor? It seems so strange.
The guards at Longfu Gate exchanged glances and couldn't help but look at Yin'e and the Ninth Prince, who were waiting not far away for Xiao Linzi to finish negotiating with the guards and bring back a reply.
These guards not only guarded Longfu Gate, but also took turns guarding Kunning Gate, Shunzhen Gate, and Shenwu Gate, which were adjacent to the Imperial Garden. They knew all too well about the past offenses of the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince. Those two mischievous kids were simply the devils of the palace.
There wasn't a single pavilion or tower in the Imperial Garden that they hadn't hidden in while playing hide-and-seek; there wasn't a single flower or plant in the Imperial Garden that they dared not pluck. All the exotic flowers and rare plants that bloomed throughout the year would have their petals disappear within a few days, all of them plucked and used to make cosmetics.
Well, ever since Yin'e first went to the Imperial Garden and discovered that the gardeners there swept away fallen flowers as trash, he insisted on picking flowers every year, determined not to let those rare and exotic flowers that were allowed to enter the Imperial Garden go to waste after they withered. He was determined to make use of those petals.
The damage to the Imperial Garden was a minor matter. For the guards at the various gates, the most troublesome thing about the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince was that they loved to wander around and were quite curious, especially the Ninth Prince, who could really find his way around everywhere.
Running from the Imperial Garden to the Fifth Palace in the East is nothing. Once, the guards even caught the Ninth Prince sneaking over at the Shenwu Gate. He almost escaped to the outside of the palace. I really don't know how he got through the Shunzhen Gate.
Now that Yin'e and the Ninth Prince suddenly said they were going to the Qianqing Palace to pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi, the guards standing in front of the Longfu Gate couldn't help but have an absurd but perfectly reasonable guess about the Ninth and Tenth Princes: Could it be that the two of them were tired of the Imperial Garden and wanted to go to the Qianqing Palace to play?
However, the guards couldn't easily refuse to report to Emperor Kangxi. Aside from the Consort Yi and Consort Gui behind the Ninth and Tenth Princes, the guards themselves were also troublesome young men. They were on duty in shifts; what if they were caught by those two little devils in the Imperial Garden and brought it on them next time?
The two little devils haven't even been to the Imperial Study yet. If they make a mistake, the Emperor will only gloss over it lightly and won't punish them severely. They might not even receive a minor punishment as a warning.
At the Longfu Gate, the highest-ranking first-class guard swallowed hard and said with some frustration, "This is not a decision we can make. We must report to His Majesty and let him decide."
Xiao Linzi said nothing, silently responded, and went back to report the First-Class Guard's intention to Yin'e. Yin'e and the Ninth Prince immediately rushed forward, their eyes sparkling as they looked at the leading guard, waiting for him to go in and see Kangxi.
First-class guard: ...The ominous premonition is getting stronger.
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