Consort Wen was furious.
She was a noblewoman of the Niohuru clan, the daughter of the regent appointed by the late emperor and the younger sister of Empress Xiaozhao. How could she allow a concubine from a humble background to be so humiliated?
Xu Lejin remained expressionless, staring directly at Consort Wen without uttering a word.
Consort Que, sitting in the first seat on the right, glanced at Xu Lejin and Consort Wen with interest, her expression thoughtful.
After a moment, Consort Que covered her mouth and chuckled, “Sister Consort Wen, the Imperial Concubine was personally appointed by the Emperor, and her rank is above yours and mine. Naturally, she has the right to admonish and instruct you and me.”
"Sister Wenfei, stop fooling around!"
On the surface, these were words of advice, but to Consort Wen, they sounded so grating. Coupled with Consort Que's light smile, they revealed an underlying sense of schadenfreude.
Glaring fiercely at Consort Que, Consort Wen said coldly, "Who do you think you are, speaking to the Noble Consort? You're just a concubine's daughter from the Tong family, born to a lowly maid. What right do you have to lecture me?"
"Sister Wenfei, you..."
Consort Que was humiliated and insulted by Consort Wen. Her face turned bright red, and her small face looked like it was about to cry.
Because of her young age, He Fei was terrified. She sat there in a daze, biting her lip tightly, her face filled with fear and unease, her head slightly lowered as she stared at her toes.
Na Pin smiled faintly, gloating.
Consort An and Consort Duan had solemn expressions, their faces showing deep thought.
After clearing her throat, Xu Lejin spoke in a deep voice, "What Consort Que said is not without reason. I am a Noble Consort personally appointed by the Emperor. The Emperor's trust and reliance on me is my greatest source of confidence."
"Consort Wen, I know you are not convinced, but as long as I am above you, you will have to listen to my admonitions and teachings."
She pursed her lips, glanced coldly at Consort Wen, and said softly, "When Consort Wen becomes a Noble Consort, then she can sit on equal footing with me!"
"If one day Consort Wen's rank were to rise above mine, it wouldn't be impossible for her to instruct and teach me."
Upon hearing this, Consort Wen's face turned ashen, alternating between pale and flushed.
Inside Yikun Palace, there was complete silence.
After a quarter of an hour, Xu Lejin cleared her throat and said coldly, "It's getting late. My sisters, you may all return to your palaces."
"Yes, Your Highness, we will obey Your Highness's orders. We will now take our leave."
The concubines stood up and spoke in unison.
Consort Wen, Consort Que, and others left Yikun Palace and walked along the long street.
Stopping in her tracks, Consort Wen's face contorted with rage, she stared coldly at Consort Que and said in a deep voice, "I had no idea that Consort Que had become so close to the Noble Consort."
"Consort Que is a concubine's daughter of the Tong family. I heard that she has been dependent on others since childhood and has learned to read people's expressions."
With a sneer, Consort Wen's face was full of mockery and disdain.
"A concubine's daughter is a concubine's daughter, petty and unworthy of respect. Even if she is now a concubine, so what? How can her lowly status compare to that of a true noblewoman?"
Contemptuous and disdainful words echoed down the street.
The concubines in the harem all changed their expressions, looking at Consort Wen with hostility. They secretly hated Consort Wen. If eyes could kill, Consort Wen would be dead by now!
Consort Que's lips curved slightly upward, and she spoke gracefully, "Sister Wenfei's teachings are correct. I am indeed born of a concubine, however..."
"It seems that Consort Wen is not the legitimate daughter of the principal wife? I heard that Consort Wen's birth mother was only a concubine of Lord Ebilun. Consort Wen's daughter, born to a concubine, can only be considered half a legitimate daughter!"
After a pause, Consort Que lowered her voice and said softly, "Sister Consort Wen, blessed people are not distinguished by whether they are嫡子 (legitimate) or 庶子 (illegitimate). If I remember correctly, our Emperor..."
Covering her mouth, Consort Que gave Consort Wen a meaningful, cold laugh, then led her palace servants away.
Consort Wen stood there stunned, her face turning from red to white, her heart filled with fear and unease.
Yes, how could she forget, the Emperor...
The Emperor's birth mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang, was only a concubine of the late Emperor, so the Emperor is also born out of wedlock. What should we do if these words reach the Emperor's ears today?
Your Majesty, will you despise me because of this?
Yikun Palace
Xu Lejin squinted, deep in thought.
Ru Hua bowed and entered the hall, whispering to Xu Lejin what had happened on the long street.
Xu Lejin sat up abruptly and said in a deep voice, "Did Consort Wen really say that, looking down on illegitimate children? How much better is Consort Wen?"
"Wenfei's birth mother was nothing more than Ebilun's concubine."
After frowning and pondering for a long time, Xu Lejin said in a low voice, "Among the princes and princesses in the palace, apart from the fifth princess born to Empress Xiaocheng and the eldest princess registered under the name of Empress Xiaozhao, the rest of the princes and princesses are all born to concubines."
"Furthermore, most of the concubines in the palace come from humble backgrounds. Consort Wen's words today have inadvertently offended almost all of them. Consort Wen..."
With a furrowed brow, Xu Lejin's expression was grave.
"Is Consort Wen really a noble lady from the Niohuru family, carefully cultivated by them?"
Afternoon
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager learned of Consort Wen's arrogant and outrageous words from the palace servants, and her aged face darkened.
After a cup of tea
The Empress Dowager spoke coldly, "Consort Wen has quite the audacity, making veiled accusations against everyone in the palace."
"During Emperor Taizong's reign, I was Consort Zhuang of Yongfu Palace. Even now, as the Empress Dowager, I am still one of Emperor Taizong's concubines. I was a concubine, and the late Emperor was born to one of my concubines."
"Emperors were also born to concubines!"
Su Ma La Gu, along with the palace maids and eunuchs serving at Cining Palace, immediately knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
After a long silence, the Empress Dowager said in a cold and ruthless tone, "Su Ma, relay Consort Wen's outspoken words to the Emperor."
"I want to see if Consort Wen's heir, Lady Niohuru, can withstand the Emperor's wrath and protect Consort Wen."
Sumalagu respectfully replied, "Yes."
After a moment, the Empress Dowager sighed softly and murmured to herself, "Among the concubines in the palace, the Noble Consort holds a high position and has children to rely on, while the rest of the concubines..."
"Consort Wen, Consort Que, and Consort He come from slightly higher families, but they have no children. Consort Hui and Consort Duan do have children, but their families are not of high status, and they are not favored by the Emperor."
“Consort An, Consort Wan, and Consort Ning are even more marginalized figures.”
The Empress Dowager glanced outside the Cining Palace, her face full of helplessness, and murmured, "None of the concubines in the palace can rival the Noble Consort. So be it."
"I'm really getting old. As for the affairs of the harem, I'll just turn a blind eye to them!"
The Empress Dowager stared blankly out the window, her thoughts drifting far away.
The palace maid, bowing slightly and lowering her eyes, served the Empress Dowager with utmost care. Her eyes darted around, and her mind raced, considering...
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