Inside the Cining Palace, there was complete silence.
The Empress Dowager looked up and glanced quickly at the Grand Empress Dowager. She opened her mouth several times as if to say something, but when she met Kangxi's gloomy face, she lowered her head guiltily.
Although the Imperial Concubine was her half-sister,
The fact that the Imperial Concubine fed the Fourteenth Princess, a baby less than a month old in swaddling clothes, with a calming soup is truly shocking, astonishing, and unbelievable.
Even lingering fear
After a long while, Kangxi looked at the Empress Dowager and said in a deep voice, "Grandmother, my mind is made up."
"Um."
The Empress Dowager nodded helplessly, then continued, "Among the concubines in the palace, those without children are Consort An, Consort Jing, Consort Yi, and Consort Duan. Consort An is the granddaughter of Li Yongfang, the Prince Consort of Fuxi. Consort Jing is from the Wangjia clan, and her mother came from the Khorchin."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's face lit up with joy.
Consort Jing is her niece. After entering the palace, she has never been favored. It would be good if Consort Jing could raise the fourteenth princess. She is just a princess. When she grows up, she will be a help to the princes and princesses born to Consort Jing.
As for Consort An, Lady Chun is pregnant in Consort An's Qixiang Palace, and Consort An can raise Lady Chun's child in the future.
Emperor Kangxi glanced at the Empress Dowager with a dark and unreadable expression, his brows furrowed and he remained silent. Consort Duan, with her head bowed, looked as if she had swallowed bitter herbs, her face showing a bitter expression.
It was because she didn't deserve it...
Ever since the birth of the fourteenth princess, he felt that the fourteenth princess was destined to be with him, and every day he risked going to the Consort's Xianfu Palace just to catch a glimpse of the fourteenth princess.
But now, having discovered that the Imperial Concubine had given the Fourteenth Princess a calming soup, a matter that had reached the Empress Dowager's palace, he knew his concern for the Fourteenth Princess could not be feigned in the slightest. However...
The Empress Dowager mentioned that it was Consort Jing who raised the fourteenth princess.
Yikun Palace
Attended by Ru Hua and Qin Huai, Xu Lejin, dressed in thick winter clothes, sat on the veranda, basking in the warm sun and enjoying her tea.
"It's getting late. Shouldn't the matter of the Fourteenth Princess be brought to a close?"
Qin Huai lowered his head and remained silent.
Ru Hua pondered for a moment before speaking respectfully, “Your Majesty, as you instructed, I sent Zhu Lan to inquire about the situation. Zhu Lan has not yet returned. I suppose the matter of the Fourteenth Princess is rather troublesome and will not be resolved easily anytime soon.”
"Um."
Xu Lejin nodded and said calmly, "The Fourteenth Princess's birth mother used to be in the Consort's palace. Now, the Emperor is furious about the Consort feeding the Fourteenth Princess a calming soup."
"Although the Consort Gui was wrong, behind her are the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Khorchin. The final fate of the Fourteenth Princess is indeed unpredictable. Perhaps it is a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The Consort Gui and Consort Duan fought like the snipe and the clam, but in the end, Consort Jing benefited from it."
Ru Hua looked up and quickly glanced at Xu Lejin.
After a moment of contemplation, Ru Hua spoke in a low voice, “Your Highness, how can you tell it’s Consort Jing? Among those with seniority in the palace are Consort Rong, Consort Hui, Consort An, and Consort Yi.”
"Although Consort Rong and Consort Hui have princes and princesses, it is not a problem for them to raise the fourteenth princess as well. This servant is foolish, but I think that even if it is not Consort Duan who raises the fourteenth princess, it should be Consort An and Consort Yi."
With a slight upturn of her lips, Xu Lejin revealed a faint smile.
"In Consort An's Qixiang Palace, Consort Chun is pregnant. Consort An values this pregnancy highly and is personally involved in everything, presumably wanting to raise Consort Chun's child. As for Consort Yi..."
After a pause, Xu Lejin slowly said, "Consort Yi is radiant and beautiful. She is not even twenty years old yet and is favored by the Emperor. Sooner or later she will become pregnant and may not be willing to raise the Fourteenth Princess."
After exchanging glances with Qin Huai beside her, Ru Hua lowered her head, smiled, and replied, "Yes."
Yanxi Palace, Consort Hui's Residence
Consort Hui sat upright in the main seat, with Noble Lady Lan and Consort Shou sitting below her. As for Noble Lady Zhi, she was resting in bed in the east side hall of Yanxi Palace because she had suffered a miscarriage.
"Your Majesty, you are trusted by the Emperor and assist in managing the six palaces. Now that the Fourteenth Princess has passed away after childbirth, there is no one to raise her. This servant does not understand why Your Majesty does not fight for the custody of the Fourteenth Princess?"
After speaking, Consort Lan quickly lowered her head, a flash of contempt and disdain crossing her eyes.
Consort Hui? If it weren't for Consort Hui entering the palace early, serving the Emperor for a long time, having seniority, and having the Second Prince, Consort Hui, although from the same Nara clan, had ancestors who had joined the bondservant banner.
Consort Hui, who came from a bondservant background, what merit or ability did she have to become a palace mistress and be above her?
With a light laugh, Consort Hui looked at Noble Lady Lan and said, "I have Yinti under my own knee, and I am also raising the Tenth Princess, born to Noble Lady Zhi. Although the Tenth Princess's birth mother is not listed in the imperial genealogy, I have the grace of raising her."
Why should I bother to make a fool of myself by fighting for the custody of the fourteenth princess, a princess who is not even a month old?
With a disdainful look, Consort Hui continued, "The fourteenth princess was born to a lowly mother who is not favored by the emperor. Now she has offended the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Imperial Concubine. It is questionable whether she can grow up safely."
"I now have the power to assist in managing the six palaces, and I have Yinti and the Tenth Princess under my care. Why should I get involved in this mess?"
Consort Lan's eyes darted around.
A moment later, Consort Lan raised her head and smiled at Consort Hui, speaking softly, "Your Majesty's words are quite true. However, this humble servant is thinking that Consort Zhi is currently pregnant again. If it is a prince, His Majesty, for the sake of the imperial heir, might grant Consort Zhi the rank of Consort. Then the tenth imperial daughter..."
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