May arrived in the blink of an eye.
As the weather gradually warms up, the demand for ice in the palaces increases day by day.
As a concubine, Xu Lejin held the power in the palace, so there was plenty of ice in the palace for cooling off.
"Your Majesty, although the weather is hot, you still need to eat. This is mung bean and lily porridge made by the Imperial Kitchen. I put it in the well to cool this morning, and it's just right to eat now."
Ru Hua held a bowl of porridge and gently comforted Xu Lejin.
Xu Lejin looked tired and sighed softly, saying, "I don't know why, but once May came, I lost my appetite and never wanted to eat anything. I also often feel sleepy."
"I was looking at the account books the other day and somehow fell asleep without realizing it. I was yawning constantly yesterday too."
Ru Hua and Qin Huai exchanged a worried glance.
Xu Lejin then spoke up, "Last night, His Majesty mentioned the matter of Consort Wen entering the palace to me. His Majesty's idea is to wait until autumn, when the weather is cool, before allowing Consort Wen to enter the palace."
"The ministers of the previous dynasty, the Niohuru family, have repeatedly submitted memorials urging the emperor to bring Consort Wen into the palace as soon as possible. The Hesheli family and the Tong family have also submitted memorials asking the emperor to select noble ladies from prominent families to fill the harem."
"Last night, I talked with His Majesty until late, and today, not only am I very tired, but my appetite is also getting worse."
Xu Lejin sighed as she glanced at the mung bean and lily porridge in Ru Hua's hand.
"Never mind, we don't need this porridge. It's almost lunchtime. Have the imperial kitchen prepare some refreshing cold dishes and make some cooling and heat-relieving mung bean soup for each palace."
Ru Hua exchanged a worried glance with Qin Huai and respectfully replied, "Yes."
At this time
Ziwu ran into the palace, covered in sweat, and said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi are fighting again, and now they've gone all the way to the Qianqing Palace and are in front of the Emperor."
"、、"
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin sat up with a start.
Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi are fighting again. How many times has this happened?
After the birth of the nineteenth imperial daughter, born to Consort Xiu, Consort Hui and Consort Zhi staged a scene every three to five days.
For some unknown reason, Consort Zhi disregarded social hierarchy and argued with Consort Hui.
They rushed as fast as they could, and Xu Lejin, along with Qin Huai and Ru Hua, arrived at the Qianqing Palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi each occupied one side, staring at each other with wide eyes, seemingly determined to fight to the death.
Emperor Kangxi sat on the dragon throne with a frown on his face.
When Xu Lejin arrived at the Qianqing Palace, she respectfully bowed to Emperor Kangxi and asked for his forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and failed to restrain Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi. They caused trouble in front of Your Majesty and disturbed you. Please punish me."
"Why,"
Emperor Kangxi sighed and looked at Xu Lejin.
"This is not your fault at all. It is clearly Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi who are at fault. Consort Hui is a senior member of the palace, assisting in the management of the six palaces, yet now..."
Emperor Kangxi looked utterly helpless.
Consort Hui and Noble Lady Zhi glared at each other.
Consort Hui, her neck stiff, said, "Your Majesty, I have served you for many years, you know me well. I am the least competitive and unassuming person. I have only stayed in Yanxi Palace, quietly and diligently raising the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses. I am Consort Zhi."
“The tenth and fifteenth princesses are young and it is inevitable that they will occasionally suffer from minor ailments. However, Consort Zhi always says that I am narrow-minded and cannot tolerate the tenth and fifteenth princesses.”
"Your Majesty, I am heartbroken!"
After Consort Hui finished speaking, large tears streamed down her face. Her heart was filled with bitterness, as if she had swallowed a bitter pill.
The emperor bestowed upon her the title of 'Hui', which contained his great expectations for her. She wholeheartedly wanted to be a virtuous person. However, Consort Zhi was her cousin, and it was she who personally recommended her to serve the emperor back then.
Now, the noblewoman has started a feud with her, and they're fighting amongst themselves.
She didn't know what she had done wrong, or how she had offended Consort Zhi. These past few days, her family outside the palace had repeatedly sent messages to the palace, urging her to get along with Consort Zhi. She wanted to, but Consort Zhi…
People who are demanding are never willing to give up.
On the other side, Consort Zhi sneered, "Consort Hui speaks so eloquently, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue? If you had truly cared for the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses, how could they have fallen ill?"
"Consort Hui, weren't the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses born from your own womb after ten months of pregnancy? How can you be so heartless as to mistreat them?"
"Your Majesty, please have pity on me and return the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses to me. They are my own mother, and I will certainly take better care of them than Consort Hui did."
After speaking, Consort Zhi knelt in the Qianqing Palace and kowtowed repeatedly.
Xu Lejin and Kangxi exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
So that's what happened?
Consort Zhi and Consort Hui kept causing trouble, all because of the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses.
Now, the nobleman has finally revealed his true intentions.
Xu Lejin gave Consort Zhi a meaningful look and said coldly, "Consort Zhi, you are only a consort and are not qualified to raise princesses. The tenth and fifteenth princesses are raised in Consort Hui's palace. You live in Yanxi Palace with Consort Hui and see them often."
"Compared to the princess being raised in the princes' quarters and only being able to see her two or three times a year, this is already an immense blessing!"
After a pause, Xu Lejin continued, "Consort Hui has raised the two princesses with utmost care and dedication, which is evident to everyone in the palace. Now you want the Emperor to return the two princesses to you. What do you mean by that?"
"The two princesses are only temporarily being raised by Consort Hui; their birth mother, as recorded in the imperial genealogy, is still you."
The nobleman was speechless for a moment, his eyes darting around.
Consort Hui sighed softly, looking at Emperor Kangxi with hopeful eyes, praying in her heart that he would never, ever take her child away from her.
Yes, without realizing it, Consort Hui had already begun to regard the Tenth Princess and the Fifteenth Princess as her own children.
The tenth and fifteenth princesses were just princesses; they not only had no impact on her second prince, but would also become an asset in the future. Naturally, she was happy to treat them as her own daughters.
The Qianqing Palace was completely silent.
The nobleman frowned, pondered for a long time, and then gritted his teeth and threw a tantrum.
"Your Majesty, please have pity on this concubine who will be unable to bear children in the future. Please show favor to the Tenth Princess and the Fifteenth Princess."
"This humble servant is unworthy to raise the two princesses personally, but with Your Majesty's love, even if they are cared for by wet nurses in the princes' quarters, they will still grow up safely and healthily."
"Consort Hui, Consort Hui has a second prince, she will never treat my two princesses as her own children. I am truly afraid."
Suddenly, the noblewoman thought of something.
Changing the subject abruptly, Consort Zhi knelt down abruptly and said, "Your Majesty, if Consort Hui truly wishes to raise a princess, I have a suitable candidate: the third princess born to Consort Cui."
"With the passing of Consort Cui, the Third Princess has lost her mother and is in dire need of care."
Emperor Kangxi was stunned, and Xu Lejin was even more astonished.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
