The news of what happened outside Xianfu Palace quickly spread throughout the East and West Six Palaces.
The news reached the ears of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, and also reached the ears of Emperor Kangxi in the Qianqing Palace.
Cining Palace
The Empress Dowager frowned deeply, her old face wrinkled into a withered chrysanthemum.
"Why would the Imperial Concubine suddenly fall ill and need to rest in bed?"
"After the Imperial Concubine's miscarriage, she remained healthy and took meticulous care of herself. She even survived the freezing winter. How come she has caught a cold in the spring?"
With a solemn expression, the Empress Dowager spoke in a low, deep voice.
The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, then glanced at the Grand Empress Dowager and said in a low voice, "In the first month of the lunar year, the spring chill is still in the air, so it's normal for the Consort to catch a cold. However..."
"The Imperial Concubine is a daughter of the grasslands and has always been in good health. How could she be bedridden due to a mere cold?"
Her eyes darted around, and the Empress Dowager looked at Su Ma La Gu, who had her eyes lowered, and changed the subject, asking, "Aunt Su Ma, is the Imperial Concubine's illness really that serious?"
"Your Majesty, this old servant observes that the Imperial Concubine is indeed bedridden and looks haggard."
Sumalagu replied after a moment's thought.
The Cining Palace fell silent. The Empress Dowager frowned in deep thought. The Empress Dowager lowered her head slightly, and it was unclear what she was thinking. Meanwhile, a trace of unease flashed across Su Ma La Gu's lowered eyes.
After a while, the Empress Dowager slowly raised her head and looked at the Grand Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty, if the Imperial Concubine does not survive this illness..."
"During Emperor Taizong's reign, our Khorchin consorts included Your Majesty, Empress Xiaoduanwen, and Consort Chen. During the reign of the late Emperor, we had Consort Jing, Consort Dao, your concubine, and Consort Shu."
"Our Khorchin people have a marriage alliance with the Qing Dynasty, and we cannot sever it!"
After speaking, the Empress Dowager looked at the Grand Empress Dowager with eager eyes, hoping that the Grand Empress Dowager would make a decision soon.
The Empress Dowager pondered for a long time and murmured, "I understand what you mean. But I have already asked Xuan Ye twice to allow women from the Khorchin to enter the palace as concubines. Consort Hui died young, and Consort Gui is now bedridden with illness."
"I can shamelessly ask women from Khorchin to enter the palace, but I cannot force Xuan Ye to favor women from our Khorchin."
"Consort Hui was one thing, but she died before serving Xuan Ye in the palace. But what about the Noble Consort…?"
With a sigh, the Empress Dowager spoke, her face full of exhaustion.
“When Consort Gui first entered the palace, Emperor Xuan Ye often had her by his side. At that time, I thought that Consort Gui might be blessed to give birth to a prince for both Khorchin and the Qing Dynasty. But what happened?”
"The Imperial Concubine was pregnant but suffered a miscarriage without her knowledge. To compensate, the Emperor promoted her to the rank of Imperial Concubine, but she became arrogant and spoiled, ultimately causing the Emperor to despise her."
The Empress Dowager lowered her head slightly and remained silent.
Su Ma La Gu, who was standing to the side with her eyes lowered, quickly sneered and thought to herself that the Imperial Concubine's current predicament was inextricably linked to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager.
When Consort Gui first entered the palace, she was simple-minded. It was only through the repeated admonitions and teachings of the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager that Consort Gui gave birth to a prince for both the Khorchin and the Qing Dynasty, which led to her personality change.
The current situation is something that you, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, bear an unshirkable responsibility for...
Three days later
Liang Jiugong bowed as he entered the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, news has come from the Empress Dowager's palace that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are preparing to abandon the Consort and seek another opportunity to select a noblewoman from the Khorchin Mongols to enter the palace."
Emperor Kangxi put down the memorial in his hand and nodded slightly.
"As expected, the Empress Dowager and Empress Mother were devoted to the Khorchin tribe, and dedicated their lives to its glory. Most of the concubines in the Emperor's harem were Mongolian women."
"It's a pity that the Empress Dowager arranged for so many Mongolian women to enter the palace, but none of them won the Emperor Father's favor or bore him children. This even caused the Emperor Father and the Empress Dowager to drift apart."
With a light laugh, Kangxi said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for the estrangement between my grandmother and father, given my father's favor towards Consort Dong'e, my fourth son might not have died in infancy."
With a sigh, Kangxi murmured softly.
"If my fourth brother had not died young, and Lady Dong'e were still alive, the throne might not have come to me."
Liang Jiugong lowered his head, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Could he possibly know such royal secrets?
He had served the Emperor for many years and always knew that the Emperor remembered what happened back then and was deeply troubled by the death of Empress Xiaokangzhang.
Emperor Kangxi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the Qianqing Palace.
A quarter of an hour later, Kangxi said coldly, "Since the Empress Dowager and Empress Mother have already abandoned the Imperial Concubine and are preparing to arrange for another Mongolian noblewoman to enter the palace, then the Imperial Concubine is no longer of much use."
"Liang Jiugong, instruct the people in the Consort's palace to increase the dosage of medicine given to the Consort."
Liang Jiugong respectfully agreed and quickly withdrew.
The vast Qianqing Palace, besides Emperor Kangxi, was occupied by a few of his trusted maids and eunuchs who served him.
The palace maids and eunuchs kept their heads down and were very careful, not daring to utter a sound.
Kangxi looked out of the palace at the bright sky and murmured to himself, "Grandmother, Mother, I have grown up and am no longer the Xuan Ye who needed your protection."
“Grandmother and Mother, if you hadn’t frequently interfered in the affairs of the court, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Immediately afterward, as if he had thought of something, Kangxi's lips curled up into a smile, and he said in a low voice, "Grandmother, Consort Yu is a woman of excellent fertility. Although her background was somewhat humble, her first child was triplets, a boy and a girl, her second was a princess, and this third child..."
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