With a face full of anxiety, Xu Lejin rushed towards Xianfu Palace.
Xianfu Palace
The place was in complete disarray, and the atmosphere in the east side hall was somber.
Upon Xu Lejin's arrival, Consort Ji and the others were taken aback for a moment. They quickly curtsied and bowed respectfully to Xu Lejin, saying in unison, "Greetings, Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort!"
"No need for such formalities."
Xu Lejin waved her hand, signaling Consort Ji and the others to stand up.
Xu Lejin glanced at Consort Jing's room out of the corner of her eye and said in a deep voice, "Consort Ji, how is Consort Jing?"
"Your Highness, Noble Consort Jing..."
Hesitantly, Consort Ji reported Consort Jing's situation to Xu Lejin.
Xu Lejin's face darkened upon hearing this, thinking that an hour had passed and Consort Jing, who had fallen into the water, was still unconscious.
It seems that Consort Jing is likely in grave danger.
At this time
The elderly imperial physician, his hair white and trembling, approached Xu Lejin and knelt down, trembling with fear and trepidation. "Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort, this humble servant is incompetent; Consort Jing has passed away..."
"Um."
Xu Lejin responded lightly, thinking to herself, "This is exactly what I expected."
From the time Consort Jing fell into the water, to her rescue, to her return to Xianfu Palace, and now, a full hour has passed, and Consort Jing is still unconscious. Isn't that beyond saving?
The unborn child of Consort Jing was tragically lost before it was even two months old.
Consort Ji covered her mouth in horror, muttering, "How could this be? How could this be? The water in the Thousand Carp Pond isn't deep. Consort Jing fell in, and she was rescued in time. How could she have died?"
Turning her head, Xu Lejin glanced at Consort Ji, her eyes filled with a meaningful look.
Was Consort Ji's action feigned or genuine?
As far as she knew, after Consort Jing became pregnant, Consort Ji did not attempt to harm Consort Jing's unborn child, but she was dissatisfied and cursed Consort Jing to miscarry.
Consort Jing was born into the Guarjia clan. Although she was not from the direct line, she was still a daughter of a prominent family in the Eight Banners.
Consort Ji had been worried that after Consort Jing gave birth, she would be promoted to the rank of Consort or Imperial Concubine.
After a cup of tea
Xu Lejin sighed and said softly to Consort Ji, "The deceased is gone. Noble Lady Jing was from your palace, Consort Ji. Now that she has passed away, all funeral arrangements will be handled by you, Consort Ji."
"The funeral rites for Consort Jing shall be in accordance with those for a concubine."
After a pause, Xu Lejin continued, "In addition, Consort Chang is more than eight months pregnant. To avoid disturbing the imperial fetus in Consort Chang's womb, Consort Ji must take good care of it."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will follow your instructions and take good care of Consort Chang's unborn child."
Consort Ji lowered her head slightly and responded softly.
at night
Emperor Kangxi visited Yikun Palace and dined with Xu Lejin.
With a serious expression, Kangxi said in a deep voice, "I originally had high hopes for Consort Jing's pregnancy. Although Consort Jing is not a direct descendant of the Guarjia clan, she is still from a prominent family of the Eight Banners."
“In the past few years, all the imperial heirs born in the palace have had mothers from the Han Banner Army or the Bondservant Banner Army.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Lejin's expression faltered slightly.
After a quick moment of contemplation, Xu Lejin spoke in a low voice, “What the Emperor says is quite true. There are very few concubines in the palace who come from prominent families of the Eight Banners.”
"Consort Que is injured and it is difficult for her to conceive. Consort He is too young and has not yet served the emperor. The only other ones are Consort Qi and Consort Ma."
Emperor Kangxi frowned and nodded slightly.
"Regarding the matter of Consort Jing falling into the Thousand Carp Pond and drowning, I have ordered an investigation. It was caused by the long-term neglect of the railings around the pond; it was also an act of Heaven."
"Consort Jing..."
Kangxi looked at Xu Lejin, and Xu Lejin's heart skipped a beat.
After a moment, Xu Lejin tentatively spoke, "Consort Jing was so young when she drowned while pregnant with the emperor's child. I hope Your Majesty will take pity on Consort Jing and posthumously confer upon her the title of Consort, so as to demonstrate the imperial grace."
"inappropriate,"
Emperor Kangxi frowned and said in a deep voice, "Among the concubines in the palace, there are many who have given birth to imperial heirs and have served me for many years. Although they come from humble backgrounds, they have made contributions by giving birth to imperial heirs, yet they have not been promoted to the rank of concubine."
Xu Lejin nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty is very thoughtful; I never would have thought of such a thing."
After speaking, Xu Lejin lowered her head and rolled her eyes where no one could see her. She quickly thought to herself that Kangxi was really stingy when it came to ranks, especially for the concubines he didn't particularly like.
The palace has four imperial concubines and six concubines, but now there are still one imperial concubine and three concubines vacant.
Consort Jing?
Consort Jing has passed away; this is merely a posthumous conferment of her title.
March has come to an end in the blink of an eye.
April's blossoms have faded in the human world, but the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom. The peach blossoms in the palace have already faded, and the branches are still laden with small, crisp peaches, about the size of a thumb. The apricot blossoms are just beginning to bud, ready to burst open.
In the Imperial Garden, Consort Jing fell into the Thousand Carp Pond and drowned.
Everyone in the palace was on edge. The once bustling Imperial Garden was now deserted. Xu Lejin and the others stayed quietly in their respective palaces, bored out of their minds except for the occasional visit.
Before I knew it, more than half a month had passed.
This day
In the afternoon, someone from Consort Ji's palace came to report that Consort Chang was in labor and about to give birth.
Xu Lejin nodded and led the palace servants to Xianfu Palace. Inside Xianfu Palace, they waited anxiously until midnight. As the morning star rose in the east, Consort Chang gave birth to a daughter safely.
After instructing Consort Ji to handle the aftermath, Consort Xu Lejin, Consort Que, and others left Xianfu Palace as the morning star rose.
With a soft sigh, Xu Lejin said to the Consort Que, Consort Hui, Consort Duan, and others who followed behind her, all of whom looked equally exhausted, "It's almost dawn now. You've stayed up all night again."
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