An hour later, Consort Wen returned to Chuxiu Palace.
"Shuang Changzai and Lan Yingying? What are their subordinates doing? Half a month has passed, and their unborn children are still perfectly healthy. Shuang Changzai..."
"The twins are almost three months old, and Lan has been expecting them for two months."
Her face was gloomy, and Consort Wen's tone was icy.
The Noble Lady Niohuru, seated at the lower end of the table, frowned slightly and said with a coquettish smile, "Sister, Consort Shuang and Consort Lan are of lowly birth. Even if they safely give birth to the imperial heir, so what?"
There are quite a few princes and princesses in the palace; one or two more won't make a difference, and one or two less won't make a difference either.
Upon hearing this, Consort Wen's expression froze.
After a long while, Consort Wen spoke in a cold voice, "That may be true, but the thought that everyone in the palace can give birth, but I alone cannot, makes me feel extremely uncomfortable."
"God, why are you treating me like this? Why?"
Her face was filled with sorrow, and Consort Wen was in pain and distress.
Consort Niohuru lowered her brows, a cold glint flashing across her eyes, her gaze filled with schadenfreude. She thought to herself, "It's precisely because you have difficulty conceiving that I entered the palace. Otherwise..."
With you in the palace, Niohuru, I, a legitimate daughter of noble birth, am only able to marry into the imperial family.
After a cup of tea
Consort Wen frowned and said, "The ladies-in-waiting and concubines in the inner palace are all useless. They have served the Emperor for so long, but none of them have ever conceived or carried the imperial child."
"If one of them were to become pregnant with the emperor's child, I would like to adopt their child, but..."
Changing the subject, Consort Wen looked at Consort Niohuru, who seemed to be deep in thought.
With a slight frown, Consort Wen smiled and said kindly, "Sister, you've been serving the Emperor for some time now; you should be pregnant by now."
Nobleman Niohuru's expression changed.
"Sister, I am unlucky and have not yet conceived a child."
After speaking, Consort Niohuru lowered her head slightly, seemingly lost in thought. Consort Wen paused for a moment, then looked at Consort Niohuru with an inscrutable expression.
Time passed second by second.
Consort Niohuru timidly raised her head, looked at Consort Wen, and whispered, "Why are you looking at me like that, sister? Is there something wrong with my makeup?"
"No,"
Consort Wen spoke softly, saying, "Although my sister and I were not born of the same mother, we share the same father and are both from the Niohuru clan."
"My sister is currently only a noble lady. If she is fortunate enough to give birth to a royal heir, according to ancestral rules, she cannot raise the child herself."
After a pause, Consort Wen looked at Noble Lady Niohuru's tense expression and chuckled softly.
"Don't worry, sister. If you are fortunate enough to give birth to a royal heir, I will certainly plead with the Emperor to allow your child to be raised by me. After all, I am also your child's aunt."
Consort Niohuru suddenly raised her head, "Sister..."
Why?
Why should her child be raised by her sister?
Although my elder sister is a concubine, she was born to my father's concubine, which is inferior to her, who is born to my father's second wife.
Both were daughters of the Niohuru family, but the elder sister, without a son, was made a concubine, while she was only a noblewoman.
The child she gave birth to had to be raised by a concubine's child!
Niu Hulu was furious. Why? Why did it have to be like this? It absolutely cannot be like this.
I will never let that vile woman, Consort Wen, raise the child I carried for ten months.
June 1st
With her eyes half-closed, Xu Lejin lay listlessly on the soft couch.
"Ruhua, has the palace been peaceful these past two weeks? How are the imperial twins of Consort Shuang and Consort Lan doing? Consort Shuang is almost four months pregnant, isn't she?"
Ru Hua nodded gently and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Consort Shuang is three and a half months pregnant. Consort Lan's unborn child is two and a half months along. In another half month, they will have passed the most dangerous first three months."
"Everything is peaceful in the palace, except for Consort Zhi in Yanqing Palace who is ill. Everything else in the palace is fine. Yongshou Palace..."
After a moment's hesitation, Ru Hua continued, "Although Consort Chen of Yongshou Palace is temporarily out of danger thanks to the imperial physician's treatment, the toxins in her body have invaded her internal organs."
"The imperial physician reports that Consort Chen may not survive more than six months."
Xu Lejin gave a faint reply and remained silent, pursing her lips.
At this time
Qingtan strode in from outside the palace, her face grave. She said, “Your Majesty, news has come from Yanqing Palace that Consort Zhi passed away early this morning.”
"Consort Zhi is dead?"
Xu Lejin sat up straight and looked at Qingtan.
After a moment, Xu Lejin shook her head and said calmly, "Consort Zhi has passed away, which was expected. Consort Zhi's illness came on suddenly and fiercely; she was just prolonging her life before."
"Consort Zhi is also a pitiful person in this palace."
Qianqing Palace
Liang Jiugong bowed and reported that Consort Zhi had passed away. Kangxi responded without looking up and said in a deep voice, "Since Consort Zhi is gone, let the Imperial Household Department bury her as soon as possible according to the standards for a consort."
"The two princesses born to Consort Zhi stayed in the Prince's quarters and were cared for by wet nurses and palace servants."
After a pause, Kangxi continued, "Liang Jiugong, you go to the Prince's Residence yourself and remind the wet nurses and palace servants who are taking care of the two princesses born to Consort Zhi to take good care of them."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Liang Jiugong respectfully agreed and withdrew from the Qianqing Palace.
Standing under the corridor of the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong sighed and thought to himself, "Consort Zhi is lucky. She lingered on for several months before finally passing away!"
If Consort Zhi continues to linger in her sickbed, he will begin to doubt the competence of her subordinates.
Yanxi Palace
Consort Na was overjoyed upon hearing the news of Consort Zhi's death.
"What goes around comes around; no one escapes the judgment of Heaven. Consort Zhi is ungrateful; she forgot that I was the one who recommended her to serve the Emperor, and now she's turned on me when I was down. Now her retribution has come."
"I am so happy that Consort Zhi is dead."
On Consort Na's aged face, a sinister smile played on her lips. Cunxin, the palace maid serving behind Consort Na, shivered involuntarily, her heart filled with lingering fear.
Frowning, Consort Na said coldly, "Yehen Nara clan, now I am the only one in the palace, and I have a second prince. Yehen Nara clan can only support me now."
Cunxin lowered her head slightly and remained silent.
After a cup of tea
Consort Na, her eyes gleaming with schadenfreude, spoke in a low voice, "Cunxin, go and find out what the Emperor has done with the two princesses born to Consort Zhi after her death."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Cunxin looked up, glanced quickly at Consort Na, and whispered, "His Majesty has decreed that the Tenth Princess and the Fifteenth Princess be raised in the Princes' Residence, to be cared for by wet nurses and palace maids."
"The Emperor also sent Eunuch Liang, who serves in the Imperial Household Department, to personally reprimand the wet nurses and palace servants who take care of the Tenth and Fifteenth Princesses."
Consort Na's face darkened.
"His Majesty truly values Consort Zhi's two princesses! Cunxin, give the order to have our people..."
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