The following afternoon
When Emperor Kangxi learned of the Empress Dowager's words at the Cining Palace, he frowned and sat silently on the dragon throne, his mind racing.
Just as the imperial court needs to maintain a balance, so too does the imperial harem.
Although the Imperial Concubine was deeply favored by him and held dear in his heart, and because she was fertile and her children were accomplished, he needed high-ranking concubines to keep her in check.
After a long while, as if he had made a major decision, Kangxi spoke in a deep voice, "Liang Jiugong, go and inquire whether there are any eligible young women of marriageable age in the families of important officials in the court?"
"twitter."
Liang Jiugong respectfully agreed and quickly withdrew from the Qianqing Palace.
Standing under the corridor of the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong gazed towards the direction of the inner palace, sighing inwardly, "The emperor's mind is unfathomable!"
The winds of change are likely about to shift within the imperial harem...
Liang Jiugong handled the task of finding eligible young women of marriageable age in the homes of important officials in the court very efficiently.
Three days later
As Kangxi looked at the detailed accounts of the families of the various high-ranking officials and the life stories of eligible women presented by Liang Jiugong, his expression turned grave, and his brows furrowed deeply, as if they could trap flies.
Among the ministers in the court whom he trusted and relied on, apart from Songgotu, Mingzhu, and Tong Guowei, the rest were all Han Chinese officials.
Besides the deceased Empress Xiaocheng, Consort Xi, and Noble Lady Yun, the Hesheli family also includes the young Consort He, who is waiting to come of age in the palace. Furthermore, Suo'etu has no daughters of marriageable age.
The Tong family, my maternal grandparents' family, had two cousins in the past, and now also has Consort Que.
Behind Mingzhu was the Yehenara clan, which included the deceased Consort Zhi, Consort Lan, and Consort Hui. Consort Hui had a second prince and a third princess.
After a long silence, Kangxi spoke in a deep voice, "Liang Jiugong, one of the eight great Manchu clans..."
Yes, besides the imperial Aisin Gioro clan, there are eight other major Manchu clans: Magiya, Fuca, Guarjia, Tongjia, Suochoruo, Niohuru, Nara, and Qijia.
Among the imperial concubines, there were members of the Tongjia, Niohuru, and Nara clans, but none of the other five major clans were represented.
Chuxiu Palace
When Consort Wen learned of the commotion at Qianqing Palace, her pretty face turned grave, and she nearly ground her teeth to powder. She said coldly, "Aren't the Noble Consort, Consort Que, and others in the palace enough?"
"The imperial concubines in the palace truly come in waves."
Frustration and helplessness were mixed on Consort Wen's face, and she was exhausted.
The wet nurse sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is the Son of Heaven. Any woman in the world that the Emperor likes can be summoned to the palace."
"Your Majesty's most important wish now is to have a prince of your own as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Consort Wen's eyes fell into a dejected expression.
With a sorrowful expression, Consort Wen spoke softly, "How could I not want a child of my own? But I mistakenly took a fertility-enhancing drug, making it difficult for me to conceive. In the past two years, none of the concubines in the palace who did conceive have been able to keep their unborn children. Only..."
"Only my fourth sister in the Chuxiu Palace is currently pregnant with the emperor's child."
His expression paused for a moment.
"Does the wet nurse mean that I should raise my fourth sister's child? But although my fourth sister and I are both from the Niohuru clan and were born to the same father, our relationship has always been strained."
"Fourth Sister may not be willing to hand over her child to me to raise."
The wet nurse nodded gently and replied with a thoughtful "Yes".
After drinking half a cup of tea, Consort Wen spoke with a resentful look in her eyes, "Now that things have come to this, we can only let nature take its course."
"Nanny, do you think the imperial physician might have misdiagnosed me? It's not that I can't conceive, it's just that it's a bit difficult. These past few days I've felt exceptionally tired and have no appetite."
"His Majesty often visits my palace. Could it be that I'm pregnant?"
Afternoon
The dappled sunlight shone on the earth.
Curled up, Xu Lejin lay lazily on the soft couch, engrossed in the storybook in her hand, and couldn't help but laugh out loud when she came across something interesting.
Liu Ying trotted in from outside the palace and respectfully reported to Xu Lejin, "Your Majesty, news has come from Consort Wen's palace that she has summoned the imperial physician."
"Yes, I understand."
With a faint reply, Xu Lejin said softly without changing her expression, "The Emperor wants to summon the daughters of court officials to the palace to become concubines or imperial consorts. Consort Wen was depressed and couldn't understand it. She was so angry that she had a stroke, so she naturally called the imperial physician."
"Consort Wen came from a prominent family and was carefully nurtured from a young age, but she is rather narrow-minded."
With a soft chuckle, Xu Lejin then murmured softly.
"According to the old rules, a selection of imperial concubines is held every three years. In previous years, due to the previous dynasty, the emperor did not issue an edict to select concubines. He only issued decrees to enlist the daughters of ministers in the palace or bestowed titles upon them as palace maids."
"With the Three Feudatories Resolved, the Emperor only has five sons. It would be good to select more new women to fill the harem and continue the imperial line."
Ru Hua and Nong Ying exchanged a silent glance behind Xu Lejin.
The two thought to themselves, "It's not that Consort Wen is petty, it's that Your Highness is too magnanimous. Any other concubine in the palace would be very upset upon hearing that the Emperor is choosing new concubines, but Your Highness is the only one who is truly heartbroken."
Your Highness, you are too calm. Even the Emperor is starting to suspect you!
August 14
Emperor Kangxi rested alone in the Qianqing Palace, his eyes closed in deep thought.
When the news of his selection of new concubines to enter the palace spread, there were reactions from all the palaces. Among them, Consort Wen's reaction was the most enthusiastic. She thought that her tired appearance was due to pregnancy and asked the imperial physician to take her pulse.
The result was naturally that Consort Wen did not conceive.
Of course, it was impossible for Consort Wen to be pregnant. Her tired appearance was due to the medication.
Consort Que was in Chengqian Palace. She drove away the palace servants who were serving her, closed the door tightly, and cried in silence. Apart from her red and swollen eyes, everything was normal.
Consort He was young and still in a naive and ignorant age.
Consort An and Consort Duan appeared composed, while Consort Hui and Consort Hui were lost in thought and dejected. They sent someone to invite Yinti to Yanxi Palace, where the mother and son talked behind closed doors for a long time.
The reactions of the nobles, attendants, and concubines below varied, but none of them mattered.
Only the Imperial Concubine
The Imperial Concubine remained calm and composed. Although she was in the midst of worldly affairs, she was detached from them and never felt jealous or resentful because he favored other concubines or new ones.
The Imperial Concubine is too aloof.
Many times, he desperately hoped that the Imperial Concubine would be jealous and make a scene, but she never did, not even once. His impression was that whenever he went to Yikun Palace, she would greet him with a smile and serve him attentively; if he didn't go…
Even the imperial concubine wouldn't be hoping for that.
Sometimes, he felt that the Imperial Concubine was more like a monk who had seen through the vanities of the world.
With a sigh, Kangxi thought of the important officials in the court and the daughters of prominent families in the Eight Banners, pondering how he should choose. What rank should a new concubine be given as an initial conferment upon entering the palace?
Furthermore, shouldn't the senior, long-serving officials in the palace be reassigned to other positions?
What will become of Consort Wan and Consort Ning, who were born in Khorchin?
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