Three days later
On the third-day celebration of the thirteenth princess born to Xu Lejin, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager personally attended the ceremony at Yikun Palace, and the Empress Dowager also issued an imperial edict.
Lady Xie, a fourth-rank lady, was promoted to the third-rank lady for her meritorious service to the imperial heir and was awarded one hundred taels of gold.
When Xie received the title of Third-Rank Lady, Xu Lejin and the Xu Muer family outside the palace were naturally overjoyed, while Consort Zhao and Consort Tong, who were under house arrest, were filled with hatred.
Consort Zhao spoke coldly, "Consort Yu's mother is quite lucky. After just one trip to the palace, she went from a fourth-rank Lady of the Palace to a third-rank Lady of the Palace. As a consort, I come from the prominent Manchu Niohuru clan. My father was appointed by the late Emperor as a regent, but because I was born to a concubine, my mother is still without rank or grade."
Caiyue and Lianxing exchanged a quick glance.
"Your Majesty, you are trusted by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager and hold power in the palace. You will soon be made Empress. You will become a Lady of Imperial Decree sooner or later. Consort Yu's mother is only a Third-Rank Lady. She will never be able to surpass Your Majesty's mother in the future."
Consort Zhao raised her eyes and glanced at Caiyue and Lianxing.
"When I am made empress, my maternal family will be honored with the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree. They will be my legal mother and my birth mother. If the emperor and empress dowager pity me, granting me the title of Lady of the Third Rank will be the limit."
Lianxing lowered her head and remained silent.
After a moment's thought, Caiyue gently comforted her, "Your Majesty, things can be accomplished by human effort."
Consort Zhao nodded slightly, pondering in silence.
At this moment, the palace maid Yinshuang hurried into the hall and respectfully reported to Consort Zhao, "Your Majesty, there is great news! For some reason, the outside world has learned that Consort Yu has given birth prematurely. It was Consort Tong who did it."
"Now, the rumors circulating outside the palace are that Consort Tong is narrow-minded and jealous of Consort Yu's pregnancy with the emperor's child. She is ruthless and cruel, and she pushed Consort Yu down and harmed the imperial heir."
Upon hearing this, Consort Zhao laughed loudly three times.
"Very well, very well. I was just worried about how to suppress Consort Tong. Now the rumors outside the palace have done me a great favor. The Emperor is going to make me the new Empress. Consort Tong has made such a big mistake at this critical juncture. All the civil and military officials of the court will surely criticize her."
With a smug look on her face, Consort Zhao said with a smile, "The spittle of the imperial censors is enough to give Consort Tong a hard time."
Caiyue and Lianxing followed closely behind Consort Zhao, their faces beaming with joy.
The rumors outside the palace intensified, causing great distress to the Tongjia clan. They sent people to investigate the source of the rumors, but the trail went cold halfway through.
Before long, it was early August.
Xu Lejin has finished her postpartum confinement. The thirteenth princess was personally named Wuyoudai by the Empress Dowager, which means treasure and pearl. At the Empress Dowager's request, the thirteenth princess was sent to Cining Palace to be raised by the Empress Dowager herself.
August 9th
Emperor Kangxi visited Yikun Palace, had dinner with Xu Lejin, and stayed overnight there.
The red silk curtains are warm, and the spring scenery is enchanting.
After Kangxi had satisfied his desires, he held Xu Lejin as they lay on the couch, and said in a deep voice, "My beloved consort, have you heard the rumors outside the palace? It's a fact that Consort Tong pushed you, causing you to have a premature birth, but I have already ordered people to keep quiet about it."
"The ministers and common people outside the palace got the news from somewhere and spread it around, making it more and more popular. Now it's the talk of the town."
Xu Lejin paused for a moment, then looked up at Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, I have heard a little about it."
Kangxi's expression was solemn, his thoughts drifting far away. After a long while, he said coldly, "I sent people to investigate the origin of those rumors, and they eventually found out it was the Niohuru family, which is also the maternal family of Consort Zhao."
"On the day my beloved concubine gave birth, I summoned Consort Zhao's younger brother, Aling'a, to the palace. It seems that Aling'a learned about the affairs of the inner palace around that time, and after leaving the palace, he exaggerated and spread the news."
Xu Lejin looked surprised upon hearing this.
“Your Majesty, I don’t understand. Consort Zhao was chosen as the new empress by Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager three years ago. If it weren’t for the sudden death of Lord Ebilun three years ago, Consort Zhao would already be the empress.”
"Why would Consort Zhao's brother publicize the affairs of the inner palace to everyone?"
Emperor Kangxi remained silent in thought.
Xu Lejin could only suppress her doubts and quietly stay by Kangxi's side, listening to his heavy breathing and watching him fall asleep.
Ultimately, she didn't know when she fell asleep.
The next day at dawn, Xu Lejin was awakened from her sleep by Lianzhi and Ruhua. Opening her drowsy eyes, Xu Lejin asked, "Where is the Emperor? When did he leave? Why didn't he wake me up?"
"Your Majesty, His Majesty rose before dawn and, seeing that Your Majesty was sleeping soundly, he stopped us from doing so."
Lianzhi's face lit up with joy, and she immediately said, "The Emperor treats Your Highness differently from the other concubines in the palace. Before he left, the Emperor asked Your Highness to come to the Qianqing Palace this afternoon to accompany him."
Xu Lejin responded.
An hour later, in Chuxiu Palace
Consort Zhao sat upright in the main seat, smiling as she looked at Xu Lejin and the other concubines. She spoke softly, “The Emperor is busy with affairs of the court and rarely visits the inner palace. If any of you sisters are summoned by the Emperor, you must serve him wholeheartedly and conceive a royal child as soon as possible to bear children for the Emperor.”
Xu Lejin and Consort Xuan stood up and led the other concubines in a respectful reply.
Changing the subject, Consort Zhao looked at Consort Wang Jia, who had been in the palace for almost three months, and asked, "Since entering the palace, has Sister Wang Jia been getting used to life here? As for Yonghe Palace, has the Imperial Household Department neglected or been lazy in managing all aspects of her daily life?"
Consort Wang Jia rose cautiously and said gently, "Thank you for your concern, Consort Zhao. I am doing well in Yonghe Palace. My food, clothing, and living conditions are all excellent."
Consort Zhao nodded, giving Xu Lejin and Consort Yu a meaningful look.
"Consort Yu has given birth to the thirteenth princess and has just finished her postpartum confinement. Is she recovering well? Consort Xuan has been in the palace for over a year and is also Wang Jia's aunt. Please take good care of Wang Jia."
“In the palace, apart from the young Princess Nara who has not yet served the Emperor, Sister Wang Jia is the youngest.”
With Lianzhi's help, Xu Lejin stood up, smiled at Consort Zhao, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Consort Zhao. Although I fell and had a premature birth, I am strong and have recovered well."
Consort Zhao nodded with a forced smile, her gaze turning to Consort Xuan.
Consort Xuan stood up, glanced at the timid Consort Wang Jia, sighed, and said gracefully, "This concubine will follow Consort Zhao's teachings and will definitely visit Consort Wang Jia at Yonghe Palace more often."
"Um."
Consort Zhao nodded slightly.
She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said softly, "His Majesty currently only has three sons. All of you sisters must work hard to give birth to a son for His Majesty as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness, we will follow Your Highness's teachings and serve Your Majesty with all our heart."
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