Qin Huai's words left Xu Lejin speechless.
The Third Princess?
The third princess, born to Consort Zhang, is now being raised by Consort Hui. If she remembers correctly, the third princess and her daughter, Ushiha, are the same age.
The third princess is only eight years old.
Since Consort Hui had the idea of choosing a husband for the Third Princess, and it was Yehenara clan, the youngest son of Nalan Mingzhu.
After quickly considering for a moment, Xu Lejin spoke in a deep voice, "I remember that Lady Mingzhu has an eldest son, Nalan Rongruo, who is exceptionally talented and a famous lyricist?"
"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. Young Master Nalan is handsome and refined, and his poetry and literature are excellent. Many palace maids admire him greatly..."
Qin Huai blushed slightly, her face full of shyness.
Xu Lejin gave Qin Huai a meaningful look, secretly noting Qin Huai's reaction. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Nalan Rongruo, how old are you now?"
Qin Huai's face was flushed, and his voice was barely audible.
“Young Master Nalan is twenty-six years old this year, in the prime of his life, and is highly trusted and relied upon by the Emperor.”
Nodding, Xu Lejin secretly made a mental note of it.
August 2nd
Consort Niu sat in the first seat below, looked up at Xu Lejin, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, I heard that the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree the other day, bestowing marriages upon your two younger sisters, namely the fifteenth and seventeenth sons of Prince An."
"Sisters marrying into the same family and being betrothed together—this is a rare and joyous occasion!"
After speaking, Consort Niu glanced meaningfully at the young and ignorant Consort He out of the corner of her eye, chuckled, and then continued, "Speaking of which, Prince An's third successor wife is Consort He's aunt."
"The fifteenth and seventeenth sons of Prince An were born to his third concubine."
Xu Lejin's expression remained indifferent upon hearing this.
The young Consort He raised her small face and said softly, "What do you mean by that, Consort Niu? I'm too young to understand these things."
Consort Niu's face stiffened, and she gave an awkward smile.
Standing to the side, the thirteen or fourteen-year-old Consort Tong, who had grown taller and more shapely like a willow branch, covered her mouth with her handkerchief and chuckled softly, saying, "Sister Consort Niu, when I was at home before, I heard Father mention that in our Manchu family, sisters never get married regardless of seniority."
"The two younger sisters of the Imperial Concubine have been granted marriage by the Empress Dowager to the two princes of the Prince An's Mansion. This is an immense honor and a great blessing."
Consort Niu glared fiercely at Consort Tong, inwardly cursing her as a little vixen. At such a young age, she was already trying to seduce the Emperor. She was too young and hadn't matured enough to receive his favor, yet she still tried to entice him to go to Chengqian Palace to cause trouble.
After half a cup of tea
Consort Niu looked across at Consort Hui, who was sitting opposite her with her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
With a light laugh, Consort Niu said coldly, "I've heard that Consort Hui has been allowing the Third Princess to have contact with Lord Mingzhu's young son these days? The Third Princess is being raised by Consort Hui and is only eight years old now. Is Consort Hui already arranging for a husband for the Third Princess?"
"This Empress,"
With a light laugh, Consort Niu glanced at Noble Lady Lan out of the corner of her eye, and then spoke. "If I remember correctly, Consort Hui's relationship with Lady Mingzhu is far less intimate than that of Noble Lady Lan and Lady Mingzhu."
Consort Hui and Noble Lady Lan's expressions changed simultaneously.
Consort Niu covered her mouth and chuckled for a moment before saying, "I forgot, Consort Lan has served His Majesty for many years without being able to conceive or give birth to a son or daughter."
Consort Lan nearly crushed her silver teeth.
"Your Highness Niu's admonition is correct. I am unlucky and have not been able to conceive, unlike Consort Hui, who gave birth to the Second Prince and is raising the Third Princess."
Consort Niu glanced at Xu Lejin and chuckled, "Whether she's blessed or not, I don't know. I only know that Consort Lan has been quite favored lately."
"The Emperor favors Consort Lan even more than the Imperial Concubine."
Consort Lan's face stiffened, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
Xu Lejin smiled slightly, glanced at Consort Niu, and said in a deep voice, "I am old and naturally cannot compare to Consort Niu and Noble Lady Lan in their youthful beauty."
"His Majesty favors Consort Niu and Noble Lady Lan. I sincerely hope that Consort Niu and Noble Lady Lan will soon become pregnant and give birth to imperial heirs."
Consort Niu looked annoyed, her head lowered, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.
One hour later
When Consort Niu returned to Chuxiu Palace, her face was so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water. She pounded her stomach hard, her heart aching, and tears fell silently.
"Why? Why am I not pregnant yet? I—"
Thinking back on all these days, she had been drinking bitter fertility drugs every day and had tried every trick in the book to win the emperor's favor, all in the hope of getting pregnant, but her belly remained empty.
Consort Niu felt as bitter as if she had swallowed gall bladder.
What was most devastating was that her mother and brother repeatedly sent letters to the palace, urging her to conceive and give birth to a prince with the blood of the Niohuru family.
Honestly, didn't she want to get pregnant soon?
Consort Niu wept uncontrollably, hating both her own unproductive womb and the many concubines in the palace who were vying for Kangxi's favor. Her wet nurse stepped forward with heartache, embracing Consort Niu and gently comforting her, "Your Highness is still young, you will conceive sooner or later."
"Good things come to those who wait. Your Majesty, you are of noble birth. Once you are pregnant and give birth to a prince, the Emperor will surely be delighted and will definitely make your son the Crown Prince."
With a soft sigh, the wet nurse spoke gently.
"Your Majesty, the most important thing for you now is to maintain a cheerful mood and take good care of your health."
"Once your health is restored, Your Majesty will conceive and give birth to a little prince."
Consort Niu raised her face, her makeup ruined by tears, and spoke with a nasal tone, "Nanny, is it true? But I want to conceive and give birth to an imperial heir as soon as possible, even if it's just a princess. It would be good to have the flower bloom before bearing fruit."
Upon hearing this, the wet nurse's expression turned thoughtful.
After a moment, the wet nurse lowered her voice and whispered, "Your Highness, our Chuxiu Palace has many young and beautiful maids. Why don't you recommend one or two to serve the Emperor, just in case, so they can bear children for you?"
"What does the wet nurse mean?"
Consort Niu opened her eyes wide in shock, her heart filled with astonishment.
After a short while, Consort Niu spoke coldly, "I am only twenty years old and can still bear children. Why should I borrow a palace maid's womb to give birth?"
"Those born to palace maids, though also of the Emperor's blood, are ultimately not as good as those born to me personally."
The wet nurse opened her mouth as if to persuade her again, but Consort Niu looked impatient.
With a cold snort, Consort Niu ordered the palace maids to prepare fertility-enhancing medicine. She had made up her mind to try a few more times, wait a few more years, and if she was still unprepared by the age of twenty-five, she would then adopt a prince born to a lower-ranking concubine.
outside the main hall
A young eunuch overheard the entire conversation between Consort Niu and her wet nurse inside. After a quick moment of thought, he found an excuse and hurried out of Chuxiu Palace...
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